Claudia Margarita Ilizaliturri Leño
Return to other 30 All-Stars for 30 Years
Location: Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco México
What do you enjoy the most about the GBBC?
Besides all the surprises every bird we see bring to us, to see people’s smiles, joy and sharing all the new things they learn and sense is one of the things that I enjoy the most because that gives me hope to keep believing in people’s connection that will lead them to care for nature around the world.
Do you have a favorite GBBC moment?
Well, it will be difficult to chose one! Maybe, my favorite one is about a 10 year old girl that saw our bird stand in a park. We did some birding early morning before we place our stand in a park as a way to get closer to the community. Mariela, a 10 year old girl, along with her mom and grandfather were trapped by our exhibition. I will say that she became a bird lover at that moment. After we talked about birds and birding, she went along with her family and she walked around the park. Later that morning she came back to our stand and she shared with us all the birds she saw. She was precise in most of the descriptions so I said: Oh wow! you should have an eBird account to register all you can see and describe. She asked about the account so we open, right there at the park, her eBird account and helped her to register her first eBird list! She was amazing and she did participate in our CBC in Aguascalientes in January the 4th! I could keep on going with the stories.
Who do you enjoy birding with?
I love birding with friends like Selene Barba, Marco Zozaya and Luis Morales; Alejandro Martinez and Greg Home as well. When we go for a tour or we are scouting, having the opportunity to go birding with Daniel Garza Tobon, Manuel Koller. And anywhere when I go birding with the community. When some of my friends come with us that is for sure the best time I can have. Also, I love to bird with people from all over the world when we go on a tour. Those birding moments are really full of knowledge and further learning for sure!
Do you have a favorite place you like to go birding?
Well, that may be the one I still have to go to!
Do you have a spark bird or spark moment?
I do indeed. It was around a couple of years ago when I attended a birding dinner to donate money for a Military Macaws Rehab Cente. In that event I met Alejandro Martinez and Greg Homel, my mentors; and we happen to have seats one infront of the other! In that event we plan my first birind experience and they were over amazing. However, when I saw a Summer Tanager with the binoculars they let me use, we soul found its way in life! I could not belive what I was looking at through the binoculars! What a moment we had because Alex and Greg could not stop laughing about all of my vocal and face expressions. Birding became my lifeline
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