O, The Oprah Magazine - September 2019

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JASON WARD was 26 when he

showed up to his first bird walk, at

Piedmont Park in Atlanta. “I could

recognize 30 to 40 species, and I

thought I was a hotshot,” says

Ward, now 32. “Nope! People were

calling out things I’d never even

heard of: chimney swifts, fish crows,

American redstarts.”

Ward vowed to do better. By day,

he scanned documents for a mortgage

firm; by night, he pored over field

guides. Eight months after that initial

walk, he did it again—as its leader.

The self-taught ornithologist is now

the National Audubon Society’s

community relations and outreach

director. “You could hire someone

with more credentials,” he says. “You

won’t find someone who cares more.”

Ward fell hard for birds in the midst

of personal hardships. Between ages

14 and 19, he bounced around Bronx

homeless shelters with his family.

One day he witnessed something

many people would look away from: a

peregrine falcon feasting on a pigeon.

For Ward, it was an epic scene—

survival of the fittest, a creature of

strength doing what had to be done

From left: Ward

in Piedmont

Park, one of his

favorite places

in Atlanta; the

avian enthusiast

leads a bird

walk for Trees

Atlanta’s Junior

Treekeepers Camp

in June 2017.

Change

Your World

For Jason Ward,

hope was a thing with

feathers.

AS A STRAY in a shelter, Ruger

snapped at anyone who came

near. But when the Lab-shepherd

mix was given a toy, the rest of

the world fell away. Megan Parker

knew that single-minded

concentration meant Ruger was

teachable. She’s a cofounder of

Working Dogs for Conservation

(WD4C), a nonprofit that helps

canines become detectives on

behalf of wildlife and their habitats.

After about five months of

training (typical session: smell a

target scent like rhino horn, find

that scent hidden inside a box or a

vehicle, play fetch as a reward), the

former naughty boy was deployed

to Mfuwe, Zambia, as a firearms

and ammunition scout. In one

raid, Ruger helped find 15 guns

intended to kill elephants that were

stashed in hiding places like grain

stores and a home’s thatched roof.

WD4C, established in Bozeman,

Montana, in 2000, also relies on

dogs to track things like invasive

weeds, which could decimate native

plants, and droppings from

endangered animals, which allows

scientists to study them without the

stress of capture.

Where do these hard workers

come from? WD4C specifically

recruits from shelters. There are

35 detection dogs currently in

rotation, and executive director

Peter Coppolillo wants to find more.

“Anyone can volunteer and screen

dogs for our Rescues 2 the Rescue

program,” says Coppolillo. The

process isn’t too taxing: Simply play

with a pup and take notes about its

drive. You might discover a diamond

in the ruff. —JENNIFER CHEN

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Ward’s wisdom

for curious birders.

Baby birds don’t need help. “They often

leave the nest before they’re able to fly and

learn mostly by flopping around. Intervene

and carefully place a bird out of reach only if

there are stray cats or dogs around.”

There’s no right way to go birding;

there are some wrong ways. “You want to

enjoy the majesty of the birds’ world without

stressing them out—so refrain from getting

too close or excessively playing birdsongs on

mobile devices to lure them.”

Of the more than 50 species of gull,

none is a “seagull.” “It’s just a nickname

we’ve given our favorite French fry pirates.

Some gulls can be found nowhere near an

ocean, preferring inland lakes and rivers.”

Don’t knock pigeons. “People call them

rats with wings. But they can do somersaults

in the air and are really fast! Pigeons are also

amazing parents and can produce a white

substance called crop milk. They are one of

just three bird species that can do that.”

in order to thrive. And at the end, the

falcon did what Ward dreamed of

doing himself: It took wing and left.

Today he’s winging his way all over

the country, filming a YouTube series

called “Birds of North America”

and living out his childhood Steve

Irwin–meets–Bill Nye fantasies.

He’s also welcoming avian lovers of

color into a historically white space.

“Yes, birders come in every race, age,

and sexual orientation,” says Ward.

“And no, not all of us wear khaki

shorts and smell like insect repellent.”

—ZOE DONALDSON

A pack of rescue dogs is

saving the environment

one sniff at a time.

PAWS

& REFLECT

A WD4C recruit

on the job

in Wyoming.

28 SEPTEMBER^2019 OPRAHMAG.COM

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