Joe Giunta

I first met Joe one Monday morning late last fall. He walked in with his bright smile, his eyes beaming, and said he was here to volunteer. Little did I know how influential Joe would be, both for me personally and for Audubon. There are a few special people who taught me something about birds and birding, Joe is definitely one of them.

I remember our first field trip. It was just Joe, me, and the birds. We went off on a wintry day to Jone's Beach, Point Lookout, and Hempstead Lake – all prime birding spots in Long Island. It was while we were walking through a thicket of threes in search of owls and who knows what else that I realized I was seeing an expert birder do his thing. It never occurred to me up until then that a person could actually think like a bird, being able to predict how a bird would react and where it would reappear. At times walking quietly through the bushes, at times running fervently, Joe never lost track of the birds. Pursuing a Fox Sparrow, Joe asked excitedly: "Did you see that? Did you notice the color of the tail?"

The day went on, and Joe was indefatigable. Now on the shore of the beach, he positioned his scope from time to time to glace at the water fowl and shore birds. "Now, let's see what we have here," he would say each time, searching for a special bird to add to my life list. This particular day we were on a quest to find the last of the Harlequin ducks. "They were still seen last week," he said, adding that this was really the tail end of their stay. The Harlequin captivated my imagination ever since I first saw it in my field guide. I remember asking Joe about this duck in the office, and Joe's eyes lighting up at the prospect of the search. And sure enough, going over a small jetty, we came upon the spectacular site of three Harlequins ducks, serene and majestic in their elegance.

It has been about a year since Joe arrived at NYC Audubon. Since then, he has taught 5 different birding courses, all of them involving classroom teaching and a field trip. He also guided NYC Audubon staff on various "private" field trips to Central Park and other areas. On Mondays you will find him at the NYC Audubon offices, where he answers caller's bird-related questions. When I asked Joe what he liked most about being a NYC Audubon volunteer, he said that "the classroom sessions and the field trips are the best." He then added, "Remember, I'm a teacher!" and flashed that big, bright smile.