Naturalists | 01.10.25
Christopher Joe
Nocs Naturalists
Introduce yourself.
My name is Christopher Joe. I’m a native of Greensboro, Alabama. I started Connecting with Birds and Nature Tours, LLC October 31, 2018, to diversify the family’s Black Angus cattle farm which has been in the family since the mid-1800s. It is located on 200 acres in Newbern, Alabama. The property consists of pasture, bottomland hardwood, and a creek.
I’m a 2007 graduate of Alabama A& M University with a bachelors in Agribusiness Management and currently work with for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture as a District Conservationist in Macon County Alabama.
Married to Christy Joe and we have a 4-year-old daughter Summer Grace Joe. We reside in Montgomery, Alabama. I have 2 older brothers and 1 younger sister that all help in the operation of our family farm. Our parents still are a driving force in what we do on the farm.
We’re curious, how did you get into birding?
Being exposed to the outdoors at an early age led me to experience nature in a different light. Growing up close to our family farm as a kid, we saw birds and wildlife daily. My siblings and I received binoculars one Christmas as kids, and we all were hooked. We saw so many birds and that drove us to trying to find out what they were. Different times during the years we all so many species and it’s like you were always question with you saw and where they were on the farm.
Do you have any advice for those who are looking to get started in bird photography or tours?
I start my birding tours with 2 recommendations to assist in birding and getting used to being an observer out in nature.
A good bird id book specified to the area where you will predominately be birding in. It helps in learning birds in your area and being comfortable identifying them. The second recommendation is a birding app. It will be readily available as most people have the phone in their pocket. The apps now also have sound id which will also help in becoming familiar with what you hear as well and connect it to that bird.
I find that the level of comfort will make your birding experience more enjoyable.
We see you're from Alabama. How do you feel like inclusivity in the outdoors is changing in your area?
Great question. One of the main reasons I started my business in 2018 was to make folks feel more welcome to be outdoors. I didn’t see many folks like me doing what I was and then found out I was the only one hosting birding tours on private land. Alabama is known for the outdoors, but nothing really majors in the realm of birding. Since then, I’ve hosted more groups and educational organizations than I’ve thought and state leaders even the Governor task force on tourism has been to our farm to witness what we do. This is helping show that the outdoors is for everyone.
How are you spending your time outside of work lately? What are some thoughts and ideas that have been occupying your mind?
I’ve really enjoyed being invited to go speak on ecotourism and how people and organizations can utilize their outdoor space as I have done on our private land. I often think of how I can extend my reach to those that do not have access to private place to explore with a person that will be a guide that has ties to the space they are exploring as we are not like a public or national park.
What are your go-to materials and how do you think about them?
I call the following, my gotta haves when I’m out birding. First, is my Nikon D5600 with a Sigma 156-600mm lens. Second, is the Cornell Lab’s Merlin Bird Id app. Third, is my camera harness from Cotton Carrier Systems. These 3 allow me to flow and experience the environment I’m in without having to divert attention from what may be just around the next corner.
We’re stoked that Nocs are in your toolkit. In what situations do you find yourself grabbing your Nocs? How are they helping your craft?
Remembering my first pair of binoculars as a kid to now having Nocs, I say is a great come up. Using them is like flipping a switch on my vision to zoom to where I’m almost seeing immediately.
Oftentimes, I’ve photographing birds as natural to the environment they are found in so whether that’s deep brush or tall in the canopy, the Nocs help me locate and then my camera closely follows for the capture.
From the looks of it, you are constantly on an adventure or in nature. Can you tell us the most sublime moment you’ve experienced in the great outdoors?
August 2021 was our first major tour hosting more than 130 birders on our property to be a witness to the Swallow-tailed Kites that come to our farm during our hay cutting season. My dad operates the tractor and during the process of cutting hay, the come in like clockwork to consume the insects that take to the air. Numbers of the majestic birds perform their aerial acrobats for us and never have to stop to eat.
I still am in awe it and I’ve been witnessing it since 2018.
If you could describe yourself as any creature or animal, what would it be?
A leopard. Known for its mostly solo activity. Its stealthy nature is what I relate to. At times my best shots I’m just standing still. I’m not wearing any special clothing or guile suites or crawling. I just use the environment to get myself in the position to capture when the moment hits.
I’m don’t mind solo birding at all. I often pull up a map and find nature preserves, walking trails, and parks to just go explore. It’s my way to reconnect to the outdoors that allows me to feel and experience it just as it should be.
We’d love to learn more about the thought process behind your nature photography - what caught your eye while out shooting? What are you often inspired by?
Time of day is important due to the location of the sun. I’ll purposely pick my starting point on a trail based off where I can have the sun on my back. Lighting is my most important component to great picture. I love to get as close to a perfect shot as possible while I’m birding because I really don’t want to have to over edit photos when I return home.
My thought process is how I capture what I’m looking at in a unique way. As I advanced with my photography, I wanted to develop a consistent way shoot so the majority of my pictures are how I wanted to compose the shot of the bird in an artistic way. The lens I have allows me to get a close shot without being physically close in distance. That makes for more relaxed shots and the birds are not disturbed from their activity by my close presence.
Anything on your calendar that you’re looking forward to? We’d love to stay in touch! Where can we find you these upcoming months?
We hosted the 4th annual Blackbelt Festival in partnership with Alabama Audubon where we welcomed birders to witness the Swallow-tailed Kites and Mississippi Kites.
Visit our website and subscribe. I post events and opportunities for birding there. We are on social media as well. Links to all are on our website.
connectingwithbirdsandnaturetours.com
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