‘An Incredible Experience’: Birding Expert Leads Tour of Bristow Park Sanctuary

Frank Gallo crouched down and peered through the trees at Bristow Park on an overcast Friday morning, holding his strapped binoculars and wearing a hat that celebrates a biennial birding exploration he leads in Texas.

“We’ve got action over here,” Gallo whispered to a group he led through the Old Stamford Road bird sanctuary, contiguous to Mead Park.

To the naked eye, there’s nothing but plants, dirt, and rummaging chipmunks as an eerie silence engulfs the natural world, yet Gallo hears the calls of hundreds of birds. Suddenly, a repetitive shushing sound rang throughout the trees, not made by the birds but by Gallo. After several of his calls, the forest awakens: Birds swoop down, making their “tea-kettle-like” noises, as Gallo described. They fly into the feeders sprinkled throughout the sanctuary and dive into the dirt to pick up loose worms. The once sleepy forest habitat is now in full operation; the day has begun. 

Gallo is a published author and expert in his field, where he works as the New Canaan Nature Center’s birding Specialist. He regularly leads birding walks for hobbyists in New Canaan and surrounding towns, offering expertise, outdoor activity, camaraderie and serenity.

The walks started because Gallo was conducting surveys for the town to identify the birds in the parks, he recalled. 

“Then I thought, well if I’m coming down here anyways, I might as well start doing public programs…so I started doing the walks and never stopped,” he said.

Gallo’s walks have several core members, and newcomers are welcome. This week’s walk had a range of experience levels, from a first-time birder to a seasoned birder of 30 years to Gallo himself, a man who has loved birds since he was three years old.

New Canaan resident Rhonda Leone described herself as a birding “novice,” yet loves the experience and has now taken part in multiple walks with Gallo.

“Initially, I was just interested in what birding was,” Leone said. “I know how good of a resource the Nature Center is, and I knew how knowledgeable Frank Gallo was. I’ve been on multiple walks now and keep coming back because every time I learn something new; it’s always an incredible experience.”

Gallo’s profession has brought him across the globe, from numerous states here to his favorite birding location, South Africa. He also works tirelessly to protect local birding spots, such as the Nature Center and the Bristow Park. He leads birding walks in coordination with the Nature Center to inspire a passion within others and educate community members, he said.

Gallo said he noticed a drastic spike in birding popularity during the pandemic.

“People didn’t want to be inside but needed a reason to go outside,” he said. “So, birding exploded. It’s become really popular as the pandemic welcomed an entirely new group of people to the birding scene, which is amazing.”

He continued: “I go birding with so many different types of people these days. I go with lawyers, doctors, carpenters, painters—it doesn’t matter who you are as there is a unique bond formed.”

When asked by NewCanaanite.com how he got into birding, Gallo had a simple answer: “My grandmother’s cat.” 

“The cat dropped a red-headed woodpecker at my feet, and I can still see and feel it,” he said. “That bird was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. From that moment, I developed a love and interest for all birds.”

This love was expressed in a poetic way at the end of the walk. Standing at the edge of a marshy area covered in trees, Gallo imitated the call of a barred owl. Birds started to swarm the marsh, chirping their warning and mating calls, creating a chaotic and mystical environment. Gallo’s calls even attracted another barred owl, “the first [he] had seen in weeks.”

Yet, that wasn’t the most interesting part.

There is an app that birders use called Merlin Bird ID, which uses a Cornell artificial intelligence interface to identify birds by simply their calls. 

Despite the barred owl remaining silent throughout the festivities at the marsh, Merlin detected the call of the owl. 

Merlin had detected Gallo. Gallo’s calls were recognized as those of an actual bird.

Gallo’s last spring birding walk will take place on June 7 at the New Canaan Nature Center—those interested can register here.