Elliot McIntire (Central)
What got him started: Judie Hansen introduced Elliot to birding after he retired, when they both lived in Eugene.
Favorite birding spots: Elliot particularly enjoys looking for water fowl — sparrows and wrens not so much. Fern Ridge Reservoir and Delta Ponds, both in Eugene, are his favorite spots. 
Solo or Group: Elliot says he prefers to bird with a group, and has enjoyed the monthly outings Rose Villa arranged with a guide from Audubon the last several years. Learning from an expert makes his day in the field.
Birding at Rose Villa: Since moving to Rose Villa in 2015, Elliot has coordinated Rose Villa’s participation in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count, which happens on the first Saturday of January each year. (Elliot is ready to pass this on to someone else this year — contact Elliot if you’re interested.)
Special treats: Seeing a Gyrfalcon one year on the Christmas Bird count while still living in Eugene. (They rarely come that far south.) Seeing and hearing a Kookaburra out his bedroom window in Sydney, Australia. Watching wild Ostriches in South Africa.
Most memorable experience: When a Roadrunner walked right up to him while he was eating his lunch in Big Bend National Park. Elliot says: “I didn’t dare reach for my camera lest I scare him away.”
Great Blue Heron
Egret
Old Coot
