Amanda Moppett-Beatch remembers the early mornings when her son, Easton, would wake up eager to ask where they would be going birdwatching that day.
Now, the Calgary mother begins each morning with a cup of coffee and the sound of birds chirping, a quiet ritual that helps her feel close to her son, who died on June 12 at age 12 after a three-year battle with brain cancer.
Described by his mother as a beautiful, brave and resilient boy, Easton discovered a passion for birdwatching and photography after his diagnosis in 2023, when gruelling treatment forced him to give up his other passion, hockey.
“When hockey was taken from him, he was like, ‘You know what? I guess I like birds,'” Moppett-Beatch recalled. “He picked up my old camera and we just started.”
“It gave him a new sense of purpose (and) something to work towards.”
Just weeks after Easton’s death, his parents and nine-year-old sister, Ellie, have continued birdwatching, using it both to honour his memory and help navigate their grief.
“It’s so hard to pick ourselves up. There are days where you just want to stay home,” Moppett-Beatch said. “Birding has been a way that we can just pick ourselves up, and a reminder to look up.
“It’s giving us a purpose now to keep taking steps forward when all we want to do is cry, cry, cry,” she said.
Amanda Moppett-Beatch holds the Big Year photo book of her son Easton at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
Rather than retreat into their grief, she said the family has chosen to continue doing what brought Easton so much joy.
“We could just sit in sadness and be in a dark room for the rest of our lives, but we just feel like we’re more connected to Easton in this way,” she said. “He really tried not to let cancer stop him from living his life, and that’s what we’re trying to do now.”
Family looks to finish Easton’s ‘Big Year’ birding challenge
One of the ways they’re doing that is by completing Easton’s 2026 “Big Year” — a birding challenge to identify as many bird species as possible in a calendar year.
After surpassing his goal of spotting 250 species in 2025, Easton set his sights on reaching 300 birds in 2026. He spotted 136 species before his death.
In his final days, his younger sister promised they would finish the challenge for him, Moppett-Beatch said.
“It’s been a bit of a blessing, to try and continue to achieve this goal for Easton,” she said. “It’s like, we got to get out there and see more birds.
“We are choosing to have this be part of our grief process as a way to not let cancer ruin the rest of our lives.”
Amanda Moppett-Beatch holds a photo book her son Easton created to help students at his school learn about Calgary birds.
On Tuesday afternoon, Moppett-Beatch arrived at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary with her camera, ready for another outing in the hopes of adding more birds to the list.
Inside her backpack was a hardcover book created by Easton’s uncle, filled with hundreds of bird photographs Easton captured during countless hours spent outdoors.
‘I have things to do. I have birds to see’
Easton was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in June 2023 and unfortunately relapsed in July 2024. While this type of cancer is extremely hard to beat, Easton lived another 23 months — a testament to his resilience, his mother said.
Last year, he and his mother helped draw attention to Alberta Health Services cuts that would have eliminated treats for children receiving treatment at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, such as juice boxes and popsicles. After families spoke out publicly, the decision was reversed.
Before cancer, Easton was a healthy, active boy who played hockey with the Northwest Warriors. But surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation and later immunotherapy meant he could no longer play.
Birdwatching filled that void. And even as his health declined, Easton remained determined to get outside.
Amanda Moppett-Beatch holds the Big Year photo book of her son Easton at the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary on Tuesday, July 14, 2026.
Last November, Easton was hospitalized with brain swelling, and his mother feared she might lose him. But the next day, she said he woke up ready to go birdwatching.
“He was like, ‘I have things to do. I have birds to see,'” she said.
Birds a daily reminder
Following Easton’s death, his family has also focused on raising money for pediatric cancer research.
On Saturday, Easton will be one of four people honoured during a riderless bike ceremony at the Alberta Ride for Cancer in Strathmore. His father, Jeff, will be riding with the Colton’s Crusaders pediatric cancer team at the ride.
Donations to the team can be made online.
For Moppett-Beatch, the birds remain a daily reminder of her son.
She imagines that if Easton were a bird, he’d be a blue jay. “They’re so resilient, even through the harshest winters,” she said.
Amanda Moppett-Beatch holds a photo book her son Easton created to help students at his school learn about Calgary birds.
Referring to the eulogy she delivered at her son’s celebration of life, Moppett-Beatch said the connection she has with her son would continue through the birds they had come to love together.
“Bye for now my child,” she said. “I’ll see you in the birds, and I’ll see you in the morning when I feed the blue jays.”
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