Dorothy Bedford

In 1985 Dorothy’s new father-in-law introduced her to birding along the New England coast (USA). The spark was either an Osprey or a Yellow Warbler (they saw both that day). Decades of work, family, and Girl Scout leading followed, but by 2012 and retired, her bird thing was unleashed.

Previously a competitive sailor, she became enchanted with all sorts of waterfowl and seabirds. She leads ducks, waders, and shorebirds for West Chester Bird Club, Chester County, PA (her permanent residence), and still birds coastal waters and marshes of New England regularly from a second home.

 Dorothy is a member of the National Audubon’s Seabird Institute Advisory Council, the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club and the New York Yacht Club. She also leads for the Acadia (Maine) Bird Festival, where Atlantic Puffins are plentiful. Her passion for seabirds has inspired Dorothy and her husband to invest in seabird research in North and South America. Pelagic birding has taken her around the globe, although her husband of 40 years generally prefers being “base camp.” The photo is from a recent trip to the Falkland Islands.