Our Owners

Amanda and Colin purchased Backyard Bird Shop from Amanda’s aunt and uncle in November 2016.  As second-generation family owners, Amanda and Colin carry on the Backyard Bird Shop culture of caring deeply about their customers and making business decisions that are good for birds and wildlife.  Amanda and Colin are committed to the belief that feeding birds in one’s own backyard helps connect people to nature.  They also believe that this growing connection expands our understanding of the effects our behaviors and decisions have on the natural world.

Colin and Amanda changed their career paths to enter the retail world as small business owners.  Amanda brings communication skills from a career in mediation and conflict resolution while Colin brings operations and efficiency skills from his 21-year career as a U.S. Marine Corps officer and pilot. 

Both are enjoying their new career.  Amanda loves swapping bird stories with customers and going on buying trips where she meets the makers and learns the stories behind our giftware products. She also volunteers on the Portland Audubon’s Board of Directors and has been an enthusiastic Birdathon participant and supporter. Colin enjoys finding new ways to improve operations while keeping watch over budgets. Can we let you in on a secret? Colin spends as much time as any of you watching birds take nesting materials, noting hummingbirds at the feeders, and monitoring seed and suet feeders to make sure the birds are well cared for.

Colin and Amanda have two children. Their daughter Piper loves to jug seed and visit with customers at the shops. As a teen, their son Kaden is more interested in his music ambitions, but that doesn’t stop him from updating his parents on bird activity outside his bedroom window. 

The entire family loves living in the Pacific Northwest and are grateful for the togetherness that the family-owned business has afforded them.