Bird Guide Business Is Flying High

Bird Guide Business Is Flying High 31-3-7 Jean Legge may not be getting rich guiding bird watchers to rare prairie sparrows, but the North Dakota bird guide is having fun. Eventually she may try to make it a full-time business, but part-time is enough now for the high school science teacher. She offers specialized day trips for individuals and groups, targeting specific species. "I have people calling from all over wanting me to guide," she says. "I have someone flying in from New Mexico. He will stay two days and then fly home. I have others coming from California. We have birds like the prairie sparrow that they want to add to their life lists." To a dedicated birder, a "life list" is literally the list of all the birds they have seen in their lifetime. Adding a new one is an important goal. Legge will cover 200 miles in a day with her clients as she seeks out areas with birds they wish to see. Legge gets most of her business from her web page and memberships in a number of birder organizations. While North Dakota sloughs and potholes are filled with ducks and other birds, it's the prairie sparrow that is a major draw. Legge specializes in the elusive bird, and North Dakota is a great place to see them. Birds are not all she talks about with clients. "As we drive, people like hearing about the geology and history of the state, too." Legge once gave her knowledge away. In the early 1990s, she did volunteer work with different federal wildlife agencies. When she was asked to train an agency biologist, she got to thinking that he would get paid for what she was teaching him. She decided to do something for herself with her knowledge. Today she charges $200 a day, which includes transportation. "Most bird guides I have heard of charge between $200 and $250 a day," she says. "You meet a very nice bunch of people, lots of retired married couples who like to bird watch together. Some older folks can't hear very well. I bird by ear, so I can help locate the birds for them. People get excited about seeing them." Meeting nice people and getting paid for it is rewarding, but that's only part of the job's benefits. "We get out into remote areas, and it's really beautiful," she says. "I don't get tired of it." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dakota Birding, 3212 115 Ave. S.E., Valley City, N. Dak. 58072 (ph 701 845-4762; jlegge@daktel.com; www.dakotabirding.com).

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