TheAccidentalBirder
@lisaboice.bsky.social
Writes about birds. Writes about travel. They overlap. Also my illustrated memoir is now live on Substack (because who has years to waste peddling manuscript to agents?) https://open.substack.com/pub/theaccidentalbirder
“…the way forward isn’t about choosing. It’s about caring enough about both to insist we find solutions together. It’s about refusing to let “jobs versus environment” be the only story we tell.”
open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Caring about Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken.
open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Caring about Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken.
November 7, 2025 at 9:18 PM
“…the way forward isn’t about choosing. It’s about caring enough about both to insist we find solutions together. It’s about refusing to let “jobs versus environment” be the only story we tell.”
open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Caring about Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken.
open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Caring about Attwater’s Prairie-Chicken.
I went to Ecuador chasing a duck. What I found was a trail lined with bottle caps, a river roaring at 9,000 feet, and a quiet courage I didn’t know I still had. Read Chapter 8 of The Accidental Birder: “Target Bird.” open.substack.com/pub/theaccid... 🪶 #birds #birding #travel
August 12, 2025 at 12:42 PM
I went to Ecuador chasing a duck. What I found was a trail lined with bottle caps, a river roaring at 9,000 feet, and a quiet courage I didn’t know I still had. Read Chapter 8 of The Accidental Birder: “Target Bird.” open.substack.com/pub/theaccid... 🪶 #birds #birding #travel
August 3, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Husband spotted this just fledged juvenile Mississippi Kite near its nest, calling out to its parents answering back in nearby tree. We usually just catch glimpses of these kites migrating overhead, but this year a pair decided to nest in our neighborhood park 2 blocks from our home. (Sound 🆙) 🪶
August 1, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Husband spotted this just fledged juvenile Mississippi Kite near its nest, calling out to its parents answering back in nearby tree. We usually just catch glimpses of these kites migrating overhead, but this year a pair decided to nest in our neighborhood park 2 blocks from our home. (Sound 🆙) 🪶
“…out of the corner of my eye I saw her. A girl with jet black hair in a ponytail, maybe ten or eleven, her face tipped toward the treetops. She was searching too. She wanted to see the toucan.” open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Panama: Hidden Doors
Chapter 7
open.substack.com
July 26, 2025 at 1:28 PM
“…out of the corner of my eye I saw her. A girl with jet black hair in a ponytail, maybe ten or eleven, her face tipped toward the treetops. She was searching too. She wanted to see the toucan.” open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
An Army Ant swarm sounded terrifying. But something made me follow the group into the forest in search of elusive birds. The gift was witnessing a mobile ecosystem that churned with violence and grace. New chapter in the Accidental Birder memoir. 🪶 #panama #birding substack.com/@theaccident...
Panama: Into the Swarm
Chapter 6
substack.com
July 17, 2025 at 12:16 PM
An Army Ant swarm sounded terrifying. But something made me follow the group into the forest in search of elusive birds. The gift was witnessing a mobile ecosystem that churned with violence and grace. New chapter in the Accidental Birder memoir. 🪶 #panama #birding substack.com/@theaccident...
New chapter’s up! High up in Maui’s Haleakalā National Park, socked in by fog and existential doubt, I trailed my husband in pursuit of the ‘I’wii and Hawai’i ‘Amakihi. Was I discovering my own spark for birding—or just sorry, confused, and wondering what I’d signed up for? 🪶
(Link in thread 🧵)
(Link in thread 🧵)
June 23, 2025 at 12:15 PM
New chapter’s up! High up in Maui’s Haleakalā National Park, socked in by fog and existential doubt, I trailed my husband in pursuit of the ‘I’wii and Hawai’i ‘Amakihi. Was I discovering my own spark for birding—or just sorry, confused, and wondering what I’d signed up for? 🪶
(Link in thread 🧵)
(Link in thread 🧵)
Hi. I loooooove planning birding trips. This one in Belize, though, I didn’t expect we’d need security. 🪶 open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Belize: Walking Through Fear
Chapter 4
open.substack.com
June 13, 2025 at 2:04 AM
Hi. I loooooove planning birding trips. This one in Belize, though, I didn’t expect we’d need security. 🪶 open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Perhaps I should have asked my husband to be what he meant by a birding honeymoon. Latest chapter in The Acidental birder memoir. 🪶 open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Yucatan: Honeymoon at the Garbage Dump
Chapter 3
open.substack.com
May 28, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Perhaps I should have asked my husband to be what he meant by a birding honeymoon. Latest chapter in The Acidental birder memoir. 🪶 open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
A new little story about birding at Utah’s Great Salt Lake and spark birds. When you fancy a guy, anything’s possible. 🪶 #utah #birding #birds open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Utah: Spark Bird
Chapter 2
open.substack.com
May 15, 2025 at 12:27 PM
A new little story about birding at Utah’s Great Salt Lake and spark birds. When you fancy a guy, anything’s possible. 🪶 #utah #birding #birds open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Maybe he did a little bait and switch on our first date in Scotland? The 1st chapter of my illustrated memoir about traveling the world in search of birds just dropped. 🪶 #birds #birding #travel open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Scotland: An Invitation
Chapter 1
open.substack.com
April 29, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Maybe he did a little bait and switch on our first date in Scotland? The 1st chapter of my illustrated memoir about traveling the world in search of birds just dropped. 🪶 #birds #birding #travel open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
My illustrated memoir, The Accidental Birder, launched on Substack! Challenging trip and reflections on life choices and love. FREE to subscribe. 🪶https://open.substack.com/pub/theaccidentalbirder/p/feathered-gateway-to-the-world?r=cwt2r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Feathered Gateway to the World
Prologue
open.substack.com
April 16, 2025 at 4:05 PM
My illustrated memoir, The Accidental Birder, launched on Substack! Challenging trip and reflections on life choices and love. FREE to subscribe. 🪶https://open.substack.com/pub/theaccidentalbirder/p/feathered-gateway-to-the-world?r=cwt2r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
On Mon. April 14 “The Accidental Birder” launches on Substack. It’s my memoir about birding, traveling the world, and a bit of a love story. AND illustrated! You can subscribe for free and a chapter will plop into your inbox every couple weeks. And it’s free! 🪶 open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Coming soon
When you subscribe, you’ll be the first to know when I’ve launched and posted my first essay. (Launch date April 14!)
open.substack.com
April 9, 2025 at 6:38 PM
On Mon. April 14 “The Accidental Birder” launches on Substack. It’s my memoir about birding, traveling the world, and a bit of a love story. AND illustrated! You can subscribe for free and a chapter will plop into your inbox every couple weeks. And it’s free! 🪶 open.substack.com/pub/theaccid...
Some of the beauties we saw in South Africa. 🪶
October 28, 2024 at 4:23 AM
Some of the beauties we saw in South Africa. 🪶
A recently fledged cardinal begging to be fed was at our feeder ruffling its feathers at a female cowbird. I’m sure the cowbird’s like, “I don’t even take care of my young, do you think I’m going to take care of you?” 🪶
May 24, 2024 at 10:04 PM
A recently fledged cardinal begging to be fed was at our feeder ruffling its feathers at a female cowbird. I’m sure the cowbird’s like, “I don’t even take care of my young, do you think I’m going to take care of you?” 🪶
Tell me where movies, TV, and video games got birdsong wrong. Particularly interested in something current. Go! 🪶
February 3, 2024 at 7:21 PM
Tell me where movies, TV, and video games got birdsong wrong. Particularly interested in something current. Go! 🪶
New yard bird at the feeder this morning: Field Sparrow! 🪶
December 23, 2023 at 12:11 AM
New yard bird at the feeder this morning: Field Sparrow! 🪶
Weird that Napoleon movie used a piece from the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack twice (2005 P&P) as the love theme between Napoleon and Josephine. A British movie soundtrack in a movie about the French. Who hate the British. Did they run out of budget?
November 29, 2023 at 12:27 AM
Weird that Napoleon movie used a piece from the Pride and Prejudice soundtrack twice (2005 P&P) as the love theme between Napoleon and Josephine. A British movie soundtrack in a movie about the French. Who hate the British. Did they run out of budget?
Turns out you CAN send tires via UPS. (And they were sending two, btw.)
November 28, 2023 at 12:43 AM
Turns out you CAN send tires via UPS. (And they were sending two, btw.)
The freak Texas ice storm decimated our big shade tree in our backyard last Feb so we replaced it with three native trees. They’ll not only provide color and perching branches for birds, but that neighbor on the other side of the fence, well, he’s a talker.
November 21, 2023 at 8:46 PM
The freak Texas ice storm decimated our big shade tree in our backyard last Feb so we replaced it with three native trees. They’ll not only provide color and perching branches for birds, but that neighbor on the other side of the fence, well, he’s a talker.