He is not a bird watcher. He is a birder.
And, at 19 years of age, Francoise "France" Dewaghe has amassed an official birding list that includes sightings of more than 610 species, breaking competitive records.
A UD sophomore studying computer science, Dewaghe has been studying birds ever since he can remember, following in his parents' footsteps-literally-as they added to their own impressive sighting lists.
"Birding becomes almost a sport," Dewaghe says. "It's not just observing. You look for different species and list them. You might take part in competitions like the World Series of Birding in Cape May, N.J."
Take spring break, for example. While many University students make plans to see sunny beaches, Dewaghe has his own Florida vacation plan-birding.
While he was born into it, Dewaghe says that you're either into birding, or you're not. It's not easy to bring someone over to the other side who simply doesn't share the joy or the challenge if spotting a rare Parasitic Jaeger.
"You can't make somebody like it," he explains. "I've always liked birds and had a fascination with flying." At age 12, Dewaghe said he temporarily lost interest in birding, but just two years later, he began listing his finds. He soon hit 500 on his life list and began in earnest to better his numbers. After reading King Bird Highway by Kenn Kaufman, a book about traveling and birding, Dewaghe says he was inspired to take his hobby more seriously. "I've always really liked the idea of traveling and birding."
This year alone, Dewaghe has three birding trips planned with others who share his joy of the sport-a pelagic (near the ocean) trip to North Carolina, a spring break excursion to Florida and a trip to Arizona in July. He's already traveled extensively with his parents in the United States and Canada.
Months ago on a pelagic trip in Briele, N.J., he spotted the Parasitic Jaeger. The sighting might not cause the layperson's head to turn, but, for Dewaghe, it marked the 611th species on his life list.
The life list of the serious birder records every type of species spotted. The American Birding Association, the largest and most popular affiliation in the country, according to Dewaghe, sets the parameters for the list. The rules specify that one must identify a bird visually or audibly for it to qualify as a listing.
While identifying a rare species visually may be daunting enough, recognizing its call suggests years of intense effort. "It really is a matter of study and experience," explains Dewaghe. "Some birders page through field guides or listen to tapes [of various bird calls] so they can memorize calls."
Near his hometown of Langhorne, Pa., Dewaghe has competed in various competitions. He and his father even hold a record in a competition sponsored by the Bucks County (Pa.) Audubon Society, which serves double duty as a way of keep tracking of migrating species.
Locally, Dewaghe likes White Clay Creek State Park, where the spring mating season offers sightings of many of Delaware's 300 species of birds. Occasionally, his parents will visit and they'll go camping in Southern Delaware.
So, why did someone with an obvious appreciation for ornithology chose to major in computer science?
"I decided that I could either have a career that has to do with my hobby or go into a career that can pay for my hobby," he says. "Most birders that I know are people in high-paying jobs who can take a lot of vacation time."
Dewaghe says he would like to be a part of something like a project like the one pioneered by Cornell University, in which the ornithology department tries to decode bird calls via the computer.
In the meantime, he recently created a web site called the Youth Birder Web Ring <http://udel.edu/ ~france/teenbirding.html>. The site offers a list of young birders and their e-mail addresses, as well as a message board, and already has 32 members from the U.S., Canada and Taiwan. Several are meeting for the Arizona trip.
Dewaghe says he is happy with college, his hobby and his friends. As for the World Series of Birding? It will have to wait until after graduation, he says. The competition is held annually-during finals week.
-Christi Milligan