Exploring Life & Business with Sally Siko of Best Life Birding

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Siko.

Hi Sally, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Several years ago, I had a dream that I showed up to photograph a wedding and got distracted by a warbler flying around a pond behind the wedding venue. I tried for an hour to photograph it (to get a better look for an ID) and missed shooting the ceremony.

This is known as wedding photographer nightmare fuel, lol! To be clear, I loved my job. Yet, that dream left me feeling like something important was missing in my day-to-day life.

When I was a kid, I relished the chase and the buzz I’d get from identifying new (to me) birds. To go into the mysterious dark woods with the intent of learning something new felt like some sort of adventure. And wow, to find what I was looking for was a rush!

As an adult, it felt there were no more adventures to be had from my position sitting behind a computer starting at marketing reports or editing thousands of photos in Photoshop. I was growing soft and feeling dull. Plus, I was getting lonely. Something had to change. I needed to go birding.

A few weeks after that weird night, I decided to get serious with my eBird listings and purposely made time in my life to go birding. I took tons of gorgeous photos and got out of my office to travel every week someplace new. This was exactly what I thought I needed but still, something was missing. Then, I got it. People! Birding (generally) is a solo activity and I wanted to find a way where I could connect with my fellow North Carolina birders so that we could share in the joy of birding together.

But how? The answer was to pull from my experience as a photographer and website designer to build a home on the internet that highlights the birds that I’ve found along the way. It’s not just pretty photos though as I include location maps of my birding spots and share detailed information on every species I’ve found. Thus Best Life Birding was born!

That way others can learn what I’ve learned and then go out and see for themselves what I’ve found! Then I started leading small group tours here in the United States. This is an incredibly fun way to experience the mysteries of birding by learning firsthand from others! Plus, when else can you be in a place and talk endlessly about birds without getting eye rolls from everyone else, lol!

But it’s more than that… I also share stories and photos submitted for site publication by my fellow North Carolina bird nerd photographers and bloggers. A rising tide lifts all boats so why not help the wider community of N.C. birders by amplifying the voices of other individuals who are on a similar path?

Today cameras in hand, I get to go out into the world to show people the birds that bring me joy. It’s an incredible feeling! To think that I can make others happy by sharing what I see, and what I’ve learned about the birds I love, is everything I ever wanted to grow up to be someday. This is Best Life Birding!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Best Life Birding?
My company is called “Best Life Birding” as this is literally a reflection of how I want to live my life. The activity of birding gives us a reason to actively seek out joy in the form of finding a new (or still super cool familiar) bird every time we step outside.

I believe that happiness is the one thing that grows when we share it with others, so being a guide is literally a dream come true. This is why I offer birding tours in North Carolina, throughout the United States, and Canada. As an experienced wildlife photographer, I also enjoy teaching people how to get the best photos ever so I also offer private classes to help my fellow photographers level up as artists.

A lifelong bird and wildlife nerd, I still can’t believe how amazing it is to be in the business of sharing what I know about birds and photography with like-minded folks.

Freak’n awesome!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Lol! There is no such thing as luck. Just like it takes time and research to see every single bird species in North Carolina, success is a matter of preparation and working hard so that when a new opportunity arises I am ready to take full advantage of it.

Running this business is a lifestyle, not a pass time. Thank goodness I love every single aspect of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bestlifebirding.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestlife_birding/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northcarolinabirding
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BirdwatchingNC

Image Credits
Sally A. Siko of Best Life Birding