David Govatski is a well-known birder and naturalist in New Hampshire. He is active in many conservation organizations and is a popular speaker at the Tin Mountain Conservation Center and elsewhere. Since retiring from his career of 33 years in the US Forest Service, he has worked as a naturalist on expedition ships in Alaska and Iceland for the last nine summers.
I had the pleasure of traveling to the Pondicherry National Wildlife Refuge to interview David at Mud Pond, one of my favorite places in New Hampshire. Pondicherry became a division of the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in 1997, and David was instrumental in helping make that happen. He is also instrumental in trail maintenance at the refuge. If you have not been there yet, I highly recommend visiting the refuge! Currently at 6,500 acres, Pondicherry was the first place in New Hampshire to be designated as an Important Bird Area by New Hampshire Audubon. In May 2001, David inaugurated the first Migratory Bird Day outing at Pondicherry and added the Big Sit in October 2007. The Big Sit takes place at the Tudor Richards Viewing platform on Cherry Pond. If David were choosing a totem bird for himself, it would be the Canada Jay.
How old were you when you became a birder, and what got you started?
Probably by the age of eight, I was a birder. My parents fed birds, and I always loved watching different birds coming to the feeders. They gave me a Golden Guide to Birds, my first bird guide. Then High School happened, however, and I dropped out of it; birding was just not cool. I was always interested in nature throughout the years. I was working for the forest service when I really got back into it, largely due to Bob Quinn! In 1997, Bob conducted a bird survey of the Pondicherry Refuge, providing some of the documentation needed to conserve it as part of the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge. He would take me out after working all day to show me around and introduced me to new species such as the Black-backed Woodpecker. He also discovered a large population of Palm Warblers here in Pondicherry. I bought a good pair of binoculars and started going on trips to find birds. One of the things I did that helped expand my interest was to buy a book, Birdfinder: A Birder’s Guide to Planning North American Trips by Jerry Cooper, and I would try to visit all of them. I really treated it more like a sport than a hobby at the time.
Do you have a favorite sighting in New Hampshire that comes to mind?
I particularly like boreal species. Back in August of 2001, Steve Mirick found Boreal Owls nesting on Mt. Pierce (also known as Mt. Clinton). A birder friend of mine was working at the Twin Mountain Post Office, and I got hold of him and asked if he wanted to hike up and look for the owl, knowing it would be dark and that we would need headlamps on the way down. After he got off work at 6:00, we hiked up to the top of Mt. Clinton and were sitting by the trail when a couple of Canada Jays flew in to check us out. We thought that was pretty cool, but then a male Spruce Grouse came walking down the trail towards us, and that was really cool! As we waited for the sun to go down and it was just starting to get dark, we heard some rustling about ten feet above our heads. There, in a leaning Black Spruce tree, were four Boreal Owls!
Do you know how many birds are on your state list, and what you hope for next?
I honestly do not know; I don’t really keep a state or county list, but I know our back yard list is 114. I keep a Pondicherry list, which is at 205 species. I enjoy birding surprises, such as the time in the winter of 2000 when we had a Northern Hawk Owl at the Whitefield Airport for almost three months. During the Big Sit of October 2019, we found a raft of Common Eiders on Cherry Pond, which was the first sighting for Pondicherry. That was exciting for me!
What is your favorite place to go birding in New Hampshire?
I would have to say Pondicherry. There is so much variety here, and so many ways to access it. I really enjoy working on trails. If I’m out doing trail maintenance, I put my binoculars in my pack, and during the quiet time between sessions of chainsaw use, I’ll get them out and just enjoy the birds. I even worked on trails back when I was in 4-H as a kid. If I’m on a birding outing, I’ll take out the Silky saw that I keep in my backpack (it is quiet) and remove any branches that are down or trees that cross the trail. These saws can cut a tree up to ten inches in diameter.
What changes in birding have you seen over the years?
The big changes have been in technology and communication. The optics and camera equipment have improved significantly since I started as a kid. We have eBird, Merlin, and bird guides loaded onto our smart phones. Merlin has introduced many people to birding, and it keeps getting more accurate.
Birds and birders are facing increasing challenges with climate change and habitat loss. One example of a climate change consequence is that we are seeing more rain than snow events in the winter. I expect to see more erratic weather, making it harder for wildlife to adapt. Our forests are under stress due to increasing temperatures and invasive plants, insects, and diseases. We know what the problems are, but we lack the national will to address them.
Do you have any advice for young birders?
My advice is to enjoy birding and to travel. Go to places you are not familiar with and learn about the birds, learn about the food they eat, the habitat that they live in, and why conservation is so important. I recommend going to various camps, such as the ones the American Birding Association has for young people. There is also Hog Island in Maine, an Audubon camp. There are scholarships available for these camps. Study biology and ecology! Get a good pair of binoculars. Stay optimistic.
Anything else you would like to say about birding?
I have come to realize that I will never know everything there is to know about birds, so there is always a quest for additional knowledge. We need to conserve birds and their habitats, and I believe organizations like New Hampshire Audubon need our support.
