Dan Gardoqui has been called a mimic thrush, a skilled mentor, and a pioneer in the field of bird language. His study and practice of the language of birds began over 20 years ago when his auntie gave him a Peterson Field Guide, a pair of old binoculars, and told him he could go spot owls in the park near his suburban New Jersey home.
As luck would have it, Dan then stumbled into Jon Young, who was teaching at his high school at the time. Repeated failure during a quest to get close enough to a deer to touch it unnoticed, Jon told him to listen to the Blue Jays to find the deer. In short time, the mobbing calls of crows and “sneak” calls of jays helped him succeed in these dual missions.
In 1999 Dan co-founded White Pine Programs – a successful, year-round nature connection nonprofit. In 2002, he served as a bird language consultant on a permanent exhibit for the Boston Museum of Science entitled “A Bird’s World.” Since, he has led many workshops, classes, and intensives on the science and art of bird language.
Most recently, Dan served as science and audio editor for What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World. Dan is a registered Maine Guide, Wilderness First Responder, Certified Wildlife Tracker, and hunter. He lives in Southern Maine with his wife and sons.