My name is Jackie Perazzo and I have lived on Long Island my whole life. As a child I suppose I figured the whole world grew up the way I did; as an adult I know how untrue that was. Long Island is a wonderful place that offers a world of experiences in one little strip of land. From oceans to lakes to ponds; city to woods to wetlands, we truly have everything you could want to see, right outside our front doors. Long Island Birds vary greatly, although I didn’t realize it until I picked up the hobby.
I grew up in Levittown and lived there the majority of my life with my parents and two siblings. My Father and grandfather made me fall in love with the outdoors from the time I could walk. I spent my childhood fishing on the ocean, going out on my grandfather’s boat out of Wantagh Park whenever possible. Spending summers searching the grounds of Twin Lakes Park and catching Garter Snakes in our local sump. Later in life I met my future husband, Steven, and began spending a lot of time in Suffolk County, mostly the Deer Park area. He opened my eyes to just how many freshwater lakes and ponds we had at our disposal. We spent the next 8 years being outside as often as possible; fishing, clamming, hiking and exploring. Over time I began to become fascinated in the Long Island Birds around us as we enjoyed the island and soon I became obsessed with finding as many different species as I could.
Last year Steven and I were married in a park in upstate NY and moved to Ronkonkoma. Our wedding was everything we could have ever hoped for complete with Owls, a Kookaburra and our very own Hawk Ring bearer! Long Island Birding has become such an amazing part of my life but I must admit it can be intimidating at times. I have found that reaching out online for more information has brought me back a fair mix of genuinely nice helpful people and those who would try to make me feel idiotic for not knowing as much as they did. This is where I came up with the idea for Finding Feathers! My goal is to show people how many different types of habitats we have here on Long Island while sharing with you the birds that I spot along the way. My goal is to show people some great places for Long Island Birding, help people to recognize the birds around them and encouraging you to dive into a great new hobby without any intimidation! Most of all, and if nothing else, I want you to see all that Long Island has to offer! This is my home, allow me to show you around. I hope you enjoy Finding Feathers Long Island!
Hi Jackie,
My name is Sarah and I am in charge of bringing new experiences to our park visitors. I am currently looking for ideas for workshops and other activities for our park visitors to experience. I think a bird watching workshop/tour may be a great idea. Would you happen to have any desire to volunteer to host/lead such an endeavor in Belmont Lake State Park? I’m not entirely sure what type of attendance it would attract, but I know we must have some budding bird watchers who visit our park to see the different feathered friends we have. You seem so knowledgeable, that I thought you would be interested, or may know someone else who would be willing to volunteer their time to help plan and execute this endeavor.
I would be willing to help organize a lesson plan with you if you wished it.
Please let me know your thoughts on this & I hope you have a great day!