“I think Pacific Wren has to be my favorite bird of all time. I was chasing a Pacific Wren when I first met my Father-in-Law. I lived on his couch for several months, and met this girl who is now my wife. So Pacific Wren has to be my favorite bird!”

I met Andy at Frontera Audubon, while staking out the Crimson-collared Grosbeak, a Code 4 bird. We both were willing to actively search for the bird, as opposed to a popular strategy of sitting in chairs and watching the feeders. As we walked around the trails, I immediately recognized his expertise in the field. We became quick friends. Andy and I proceeded to find the Grosbeak, Tropical Parula, Northern Jacana, Golden-crowned Warbler and Flame-colored Tanager, probably setting some sort of record for the most Code 3-4 birds seen in a 24 hour time frame. I admire his selflessness, expressed in his friendly demeanor towards anyone with binoculars, and willingness to get others on good birds. After a satisfactory two-second look at the grosbeak, he ran around the entire place, alerting every birder there that we had the bird. What a guy!