When a Passion Takes Wing

Birding draws eagle-eyed Boise enthusiast to new heights

By Robert Carrington

For the past six years, Boise Reservations Sales Agent Bob Whitlatch has been keeping a list of every bird he’s spotted. Recently, his log topped 400. No fair-weather fan, Whitlatch has a full-blown passion for birding.

He’s traveled as far as Thailand looking for his feathered friends and recently flew to Pátzcuaro, Mexico, to photograph some of them. Whitlatch always documents his trips for family and friends, but the story of his latest journey south of the border is also forthcoming in the summer issue of the Atlantic Audubon Newsletter, a publication for birders.

For Whitlatch, birding is “just true, raw joy,” he says.

It’s a passion he found almost by accident.

“I traveled a lot after college and met plenty of people who were passionate about what they did,” Whitlatch says, “I always wondered, ‘what will that be for me?’ And I just ended up stumbling into this.”

Although Whitlatch grew up around birds, his interest wasn’t sparked until he became an adult. “I never thought about birds back then,” he says. “We always collected snakes and frogs.”

As an adult, however, Whitlatch became interested in the birds that flocked to the feeders in his friends’ backyards. Soon he was buying all sorts of contraptions to lure the animals to his own backyard.

His interest has steadily grown, and today Whitlatch spends much of his time photographing birds. He cites the youthful feeling of birding as the source of his passion.

“Birding takes me back to the joy of being a 12-year-old in the San Gabriel Mountains,” he says.

Whitlatch is aware of the stereotypes that surround bird-watching.“They think of us as weird people with funny hats and binoculars,” he says. In an age of iPods and extreme sports, bird-watching just doesn’t seem flashy enough. “But have you ever observed the iridescence of a mallard’s head going from royal blue to emerald green?” Whitlatch asks. “There's just a different kind of ‘bling’ with birding.”

While most enthusiasts are middle-aged or older, Whitlatch says birding is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, and that interest is already large enough to support hotels that specialize in providing birding trips.

Whitlatch says the best spots for birding at Alaska Airlines’ destinations are Cordova, Seattle, Zihuatanejo and San Diego. As an Alaska employee, Whitlatch enjoys being able to visit birding hotspots like these as a non-revenue passenger.

Whitlatch came to Alaska seven years ago after working for Hewlett-Packard.“I love to travel. It was an even match for me,” he says. Whitlatch also enjoys delivering great customer service. “There’s a lot of job satisfaction in the work.”

Whitlatch has shared his passion with co-workers. Two years ago, he self-published a book of birding photos and poetry called “Blue Sage Moon.” One woman he works with at Alaska bought 10 books. In part because of co-workers, Whitlatch sold out of his entire print run of 300 copies.

In the near future, Whitlatch plans on self-publishing a new book of birding photos and poetry called “Seasons on Wings.”

Birds, he says, are as important as ever in our lives.“We need hope in this world.” Whitlatch says. Quoting Emily Dickinson, he adds, “And it’s true: hope is the thing with feathers.”

Whitlatch’s photography and poetry is viewable at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bob_whitlatch/ or his blog.



This article was published by Alaska’s World News Friday June 12, 2009 and republished here with their permission. Many thanks to Christy True for the idea, Robert Carrington for his artful writing and Don Conrard for his passionate send up of my photos. Bob Whitlatch