Barbara Ezell loved birds. She loved birds so much that she decided to get a job helping others admire birds. Now, there’s a shop in Interlochen with her name on it, dedicated to sharing her beloved pastime with anyone who walks through the doors.

For seven years, Barb battled ovarian cancer. “She did great for seven years. She responded positively to all the treatment,“ explained her husband of 50 years, Stephen Ezell. During that time, she would daydream about opening a birding shop of her own with co-worker and naturalist Dan Kerby.

“He’s probably the foremost bird authority in northern Michigan. My wife worked with him for about 10 years, and they became good friends. They had always dreamed about spreading their wings a little bit, no pun intended,” chuckled Stephen.

As soon as their dreams started taking flight—Barb relapsed. There wasn’t much more doctors could do. But she wasn’t about to give up on her dream. Stephen said, “I scheduled a little meeting with Barb and Dan, and literally on her death bed, we said, ‘Dan, if you want to back out, we understand due to the circumstances.’ And to his credit, he did not. He wanted to move forward, and that’s what Barb wanted too. She wanted us to make this happen.”

Barb passed away on May 20, 2022. A few short months later, the doors at Barb’s Backyard Birds opened in Interlochen at the southwest corner of U.S. 31 and J. Maddy Parkway.

“That was hard,” said Dan. “Barb was just such a great person, and we had a lot of fun working together. When we started talking about it, I thought, wow, that would be pretty cool. In all honesty, I didn’t think it would happen, but here it is.”

“Dan and I became partners out of fate, I guess you could say,” explained Stephen, and they have big plans for Barb’s Backyard Birds. While they offer all kinds of bird feeders and seeds— they also want to create programs for guided nature walks and educational opportunities for local schools. They hope they can create a space for birdwatchers to come together and share their stories.

There’s a growing bird-watching, or birding, community and Stephen says it’s linked to the pandemic, as more people turned to exploring the great outdoors. Dan says new technology, like Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology’s eBird and Merlin apps, have also helped boost interest, especially among younger generations. “It makes it more fun for young people. It kind of makes it more of a challenge,” Dan explained. The eBird app allows birders to track when, where, and what kind of birds they spot. The Merlin app will listen to your surroundings and identify the different bird chirps and songs.

“You’ve got to be exposed to something before you know if you like it, so come in and check things out. It may spur interest, and it’s something you can do whether you’re strolling through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore or sitting on your back deck,” said Stephen.

Both Dan and Stephen agree, “This was Barb’s dream, and we’re committed to making it happen.”