POULSBO — Pam Parrish admits that the career she set out for isn’t exactly the one she has today.

Bird watchers in North Kitsap can thank their lucky stars that life sometimes has some interesting detours.

Parrish, a Hansville resident who has lived in North Kitsap off and on since 1985, recently opened The Wild Bird in the northeast end of Poulsbo Village next to Jacqui’s. The small shop caters to all lovers of wild birds with items like feeders, seeds, bird houses, books, water features and even novelty and gift items.

But owning a birding store was certainly not in Parrish’s plans when she entered graduate school to study biology and botany. To help make ends meet, she got a job at the Kingston Garden Shop and quickly learned her favorite area of the store was the wild birding area.

“What I really love about bird watching is it’s a life-long thing,” she explained of her passion for the hobby. “There’s something about it that you just can’t be depressed when you’re watching a bird. It just lifts your spirit. When you’re watching birds feed or bathe, it really brings you out of yourself. You feel this connection with nature.”

After Kingston Garden Shop closed, Parrish also worked at Bay Hay & Feed, but she said the idea of opening her own birding shop kept nagging at the back of her mind.

“When they closed the garden shop, there wasn’t a place for people to go, really, so the thought excited me of fulfilling that need,” Parrish said. “I already know the business and the questions people have and what they need when they come in.”

The Wild Bird opened March 15 and has already been attracting birders from far and wide. Parrish said what she loves best is imparting the knowledge she has of birds to her customers.

“If you go to someone knowledgeable, they’ll help you,” Parrish explained. “That’s what we’re here for — to help people be successful with what they’re trying to do.”

For instance, Parrish carries seed mixes in bulk but also stocks a wide variety of single variety seeds. Parrish recommends that instead of one feeder with a seed mix, bird lovers stock several areas with only one type of seed each.

“If you just put out a single kind of seed, they’re not going to rifle through it for what they want and you won’t have a lot of the mess and the squirrels and rodents and things like that,” Parrish explained. “A lot of people don’t know that.”

Her products come from many sources, but Parrish said all of them are things she personally feels are the best and she’s willing to test the theory herself if she has to.

“I’ve got water features, feeders, bird houses, I like to see first hand how things work and people like that, they know how things work,” she explained. “I get a lot of feedback from customers, too, what works and what doesn’t work.”

Besides a benefit to humans, Parrish said she enjoys her store because she gets to teach locals how to care for the birds that visit their yards. As habitats shrink, Parrish said all someone needs to help save local bird populations is shelter, food and water. She’d like to help them provide those things.

“People have a tremendous impact collectively,” Parrish said.