For those of you who know her, you might not be aware that Tori Langen is a birder. She’s better known as an avid and accomplished golfer and a darned good bridge player. But she also enjoys birding!
Tori says that it was probably her father who got her interested in our feathered friends. He used to call in cardinals with his whistle and Tori loved it. She was about 10 years old at the time. In fact, as it turned out, she has had several close friends through her life who were birders. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law were avid birders and her husband, Bob, also was interested, mostly in backyard birds.
Tori has always loved being out-of-doors. There’s hardly a sport that she hasn’t tried from skiing and paddle tennis to sailing and golf. She has taken on the challenge of each and, for the most part, mastered them all. She nurtured a particular love of golf which she took up over 35 years ago.
When Tori moved to Seabrook full time and partnered with her old friend, Marcia Hider, they both expanded their knowledge to include shorebirds and seabirds. How could they resist when there are so many on our own beaches. They would walk North Beach together watching the sandpipers and plovers and studying their bird books, trying to decide if a particular one was a Western or a Semipalmated Sandpiper.
Tori has established a nice collection of carved birds that decorate her mantle and counter tops. They range from a Kiwi purchased in New Zealand to a dramatic Black Skimmer that she found in Connecticut. They are not only pretty additions to her home but are reminders of places she has visited.
-Submitted by Marcia Hider