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ABOUT OUR FIELD TRIP LEADERS & SPEAKERS |
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 About
Jessie Barry . . .
Biggest Week Speaker & Field Trip Leader
Jessie recently started in a new
role at the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
serving as the Merlin Project
Leader. For the last several years,
she worked as the Assistant Curator
in the Macaulay Library of Natural
Sounds. Her first word was “duck”
and she’s been working on a life
list since age 10. Jessie joined the
lab in 2008, shortly after
graduating from the University of
Washington. Along with Chris woods,
Jessie hosts the Lab's birding video
series called Inside Birding.
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 About
Tom
Bartlett . . .
BSBO Big Sit Leader
Tom
is a retired high school biology
teacher from northwest Ohio with 42
years of Ohio birding experience.
He was the
Black Swamp
Bird Observatory field trip leader
for over 10 years, ran a natural
history tour group in the 1980's and
has lead 100's of successful birding
trips throughout the USA, Canada,
and Costa Rica. In addition, he is a
licensed and certified bird bander
and banding trainer with over 41
years of
banding experience. He runs two bird
banding station; one at Springville
Marsh State Nature Preserve in
Seneca County (28 years) and one on Kelleys Island in Erie County (16
years). He has banded close to
220 species of birds and is
approaching his 60,000 individually
banded bird. Not bad for a
part-time bander! In addition,
he has conducted the BSBO Big Sit
each International Migratory Bird
Day for the last 17 years. During that time he has raised over
$37,000 for BSBO educational
programs.
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 About
Cindy Beckman . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip
Leader
Cindy is a retired public school
teacher. Prior to founding Cheepers!,
a birding on a budget tour company,
she organized and led trips for
groups of as many as 70 students and
parents, as well as for smaller
groups of friends, family, and
fellow birders to destinations such
as Ecuador, Panama, Olympic National
Park, Florida, southeast Arizona,
and southern California. Cindy wrote
about her experiences with young
birders who she mentored during her
35 years as an educator, earning her
WildBird Magazine's 2007 "Birder of
the Year" award. She is an avid
photographer, eager to share images
with fellow travelers.
Cindy and her husband Jim have
birded in 15 countries on 5
continents since 1995 and have
established contacts with expert
guides in many of the world's best
birding locations. Cindy and Jim are
members of the Board of Directors of
the Dayton Audubon Society and
volunteered as mentors, chauffeurs,
and bird guides with Black Swamp
Bird Observatory during the early
stages of the development of the
Ohio Young Birders Club.
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 About
Jim Beckman . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Jim is a retired IT Project Manager
and a co-founder of
Cheepers!
who has been an avid birder for over
15 years. He has traveled
extensively for most of his adult
life and loves to share birding
experiences with others. Always
eager to help anyone who needs a bit
of extra time or information to "get
on" a bird, Jim is a valuable asset
on any birding tour, regardless of
location.
Jim, and his wife Cindy, have birded
in 15 countries on 5 continents
since 1995 and have established
contacts with expert guides in many
of the world's best birding
locations. Both Jim is on the Board
of Directors of the Dayton Audubon
Society and he volunteered as a
mentor, chauffeur, and bird guide
with Black Swamp Bird Observatory
during the early stages of the
development of the Ohio Young
Birders Club.
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 About
Carlos Bethancourt . . .
Biggest Week
Guide and Speaker
Carlos was born in Panama City in
1978 and raised in the small rural
village of Huile, next to the Canal
Zone. It was here where he learned
many lessons of nature from his
mother and grandmother, both of whom
were deeply connected to nature and
involved with conservation.
After high school Carlos was awarded
a scholarship to Mt. Hood Community
College in Oregon, where he studied
natural resources and received his
first formal training in
ornithology. Carlos began his career
at the Canopy Tower in October of
2000 and has since attended numerous
birding conferences and conventions
in the US and Great Britain, where
he led tours, workshops and
presented programs on Panama birds.
Carlos is a very popular and a
much-requested guide, a testament
not only to his birding ability, but
also to his sincere friendly
demeanor. When not guiding, Carlos
is busy at the office working on
marketing and other projects for the
Canopy Tower &
Canopy Lodge. |
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 About
Adrian Binns . . .
Field Trip
Leader & Speaker
Adrian brings passion, enthusiasm
and humor to all experiences,
whether he is leading international
birding trips, or presenting
programs to young birders. Raised
in Morocco and educated in England,
Adrian's diverse interests led him
to southeastern Pennsylvania where
he has worked in ecological
landscape design and led eco-tours
for a variety of organizations. Now
the Field Director for
Wildside
Nature Tours, Adrian
leads groups to experience birds and
other wildlife in many countries,
including Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco,
India, Scotland, and Brazil.
Adrian has served as past president
of the Delaware Valley
Ornithological Club (DVOC), one of
the oldest bird clubs in the
country, and was part of many
winning Nikon/DVOC World Series of
Birding Teams. He is currently a
member of Nikon Birding ProStaff,
and pens the blog, "Birding with
BinNs." Adrian develops and directs
programs for PA Young Birders Club,
to engage kids of all backgrounds
and skill levels. Adrian is an
accomplished avian illustrator and
well-published photographer, as well
as a popular speaker and field trip
leader at birding festivals.
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 About
Dana Bollin . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip
Leader
Born and raised in NW Ohio, Dana has
been interested in animals and
nature for as long as she can
remember. Her true love for birds,
however, became evident when she
began banding songbirds in
1987. According to Dana, “I quickly
realized that studying birds; in
books, in binoculars and in the
hand, was how I wanted to spend my
time.” A Master's Degree in Biology
has kept her grounded in academia,
and 20 + years as a Park Naturalist
and interpreter has honed her
guiding skills. Dana’s
outgoing personality and her
knowledge of every nook and cranny
of every birding area in this
region, combined with her skills at
bird identification and her
enthusiasm for birding, make her an
amazing field trip leader!
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 About
Edison Buenaño . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip
Leader
Edison was raised in Riobamba,
Ecuador. He has a degree in Tourism
Management and has been working
full-time as a birding guide for
over twelve years. He is
guiding for
Wildside
Nature Tours during
The Biggest Week. His passion for
birding comes through with every
conversation and his knowledge of
Ecuadorian bird vocalizations is
second to none! Always enthusiastic
and wearing a smile, Edison enjoys
sharing his passion. He guides not
only in Ecuador, but in Peru,
Bolivia, Colombia and Chile as well,
and is fluent in English, French
and, of course, Spanish.
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 About
Glenn Crawford . . .
Biggest Week Field
Trip Leader
Glenn was raised in the remote village
of Crooked Tree in northern Belize and
began his “official” birding career as a
young teenager. He was so excited about
birds, he would spend days at a time in
the bush studying their field marks,
habits and vocalizations long before he
ever owned, or knew about field guides
or binoculars. Glenn has become a
naturalist of outstanding abilities and
his mastery of bird identification is
excelled only by the acuity of his
vision and hearing. Glenn is here at The
Biggest Week as a guide with
Wildside Nature
Tours.
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 About
Laura Erickson . . .
Biggest Week
Field Trip Leader, Keynote Speaker &
Blogger
Living in Duluth Minnesota
with her husband and three children,
Laura has dedicated her
professional life to the love,
understanding, and protection of birds.
She is author of five books about birds,
including 101 Ways to Help Birds,
The Bird Watching Answer Book,
and National Outdoor Book Award winner
Sharing the Wonder of Birds with Kids.
Since 1986, she has written and produced
“For the Birds,” a 3–5 minute radio
program broadcast on several public and
community stations mostly in the Upper
Midwest from Powell, Wyoming, to
Jamestown, New York; the program is also
podcast on iTunes. Laura was science
editor at the Cornell Lab of
Ornithology, is a contributing editor
for BirdWatching magazine, blogs
for the American Birding Association and
BirdWatching, and maintains her
own birding blog at
http://lauraerickson.blogspot.com.
She writes regularly for a rural
newspaper, The Country Today, and
has contributed articles to Birding,
BirdScope (which she edited for
the Cornell Lab of Ornithology from
2008-2011), Audubon, Wisconsin
Trails, The Passenger Pigeon,
The Loon, the Wisconsin State
Journal, Duluth News-Tribune,
and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
She serves as the “American Robin
Expert” and the “Whooping Crane Expert”
for the Webby-Award-winning website
Journey North. She was Awarded the 2007
Bronze Passenger Pigeon Award “for
significant contributions to Wisconsin
ornithology,” and the Conservationist of
the Year award by The Raptor Center in
St. Paul, Minnesota.
Laura spent two decades as a licensed
wildlife rehabber caring for injured and
orphaned birds from her home. She
rehabbed hundreds of birds of many
species, from hummingbirds to owls and
loons, specializing on Common
Nighthawks. She’s served as a counter
for raptors and songbirds at Hawk Ridge
and along the Lake Superior shoreline in
conjunction with Hawk Ridge Nature
Reserve, and was awarded the Frances F.
Roberts Award at a joint meeting of the
Wilson and Cooper Ornithological
Societies for her paper, “Daytime
Warbler Migration along Lake Superior.”
She was also a winner in the American
Ornithologists’ Union’s bird-calling
contest in the repertoire category for
her owl calls.
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 About
Dawn Fine . . .
Biggest Week Blogger & Field Trip Leader
In 2001 Dawn and her husband Jeff sold
their home packed up their belongings
and hit the road. They have been living
the Nomadic lifestyle in their motor
home "Homey" ever since. Dawn started
blogging as way to show her family where
she was and what she was doing. In 2004,
while in Arizona, she saw her spark bird
~the Vermillion Flycatcher. From then on
Dawn and Jeff find time to bird as they
travel. Dawn, a self professed amateur
birder, says she often finds Wood Owls
and shouts out the wrong names for
birds. While Dawns blog is mostly a
travel blog, she blogs about birds and
birding as well. Dawn is a big proponent
of Social Media for Bird and Nature
Lovers. You can find her on Facebook as
Dawn Simmons Fine and Twitter as
DawnFine. You can follow Dawns
travels at
Dawns Bloggy Blog. If Dawn is in
your area give her a shout via her blog,
Facebook or Twitter, She and Jeff would
love to meet and bird, hike, bike, pick
mushrooms with you. Dawn also writes for
Birdingblogs.com where she features
other Bird Bloggers.
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 About
Doug Gray . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Douglas Gray was introduced to birding
by his grandfather while growing up on
the family farm in Clarksville,
Tennessee. He currently resides in
Indianapolis, Indiana and is a Senior
Engineering Specialist in Parenteral
Engineering with Eli Lilly and
Company...but his passion is birding.
Doug is a former Director of Indiana's
largest Audubon Society Chapter (Amos W.
Butler Audubon Society) and is currently
the contributing writer of the "Bird of
the Month" for the Indiana Audubon
Society. Doug leads bird hikes
throughout Indiana, and is known for
introducing people of color to the world
of birding. However, Doug's favorite
hikes are with children as he loves
engaging with the next generation of
birdwatchers throughout the Midwest.
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 About
Cheryl Harner . . .
Biggest Week
Field Trip Leader
Cheryl is interested in all forms of
flora and fauna and fascinated by the
connections between botany and wildlife.
She is an avid gardener and life-long
wildflower and butterfly enthusiast.
President of Greater Mohican Audubon
Society and Richland County’s Soil and
Water District’s Conservationist of the
year ‘10, she also enjoys volunteering
at Kingwood Center and Gorman Nature
Center. A great enthusiast for
conservation, Cheryl promotes
environmental education and the use of
native plants in the home landscape.
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 About
Bill Heck . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Bill Heck started birding in
the early 1980’s after wasting many
years in less productive activities,
such as obtaining a few degrees (MA,
MBA) and earning a living in information
technology management. Since retirement
in 2007, he has been able to focus on
increasing his life list, which
currently stands at 3,094, excluding
imagined birds. This activity has
involved extensive travel to
destinations including a number of
countries in Central and South America
as well as Kenya, South Africa, Namibia,
Madagascar, and Thailand. His wife,
Mary, joins him on the less lunatic of
these adventures. He currently serves as
Vice President and Webmaster for
Columbus Audubon; is a member of the
Columbus Audubon Avid Birders
coordinating committee; and is treasurer
of the Black Swamp Bird
Observatory. Bill’s friends describe him
as an obsessive birder but otherwise
harmless.
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 About
Tom Hissong
. . .
Biggest Week Speaker
Tom has followed an exciting
career path working as an
interpretive naturalist and
environmental educator in the
Dayton, Ohio area for nearly 35
years. He is currently employed by
the National Audubon Society as the
Education Coordinator at the
Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm
north of Dayton. Prior to his
position at Aullwood Tom served as
an interpretive naturalist for 2
years with the Five Rivers
MetroParks which followed 16 years
in the position of Curator of
Education with the Dayton Museum of
Natural History. Tom graduated from
The Ohio State University in
Columbus, Ohio with a B.S. degree in
Environmental Education in 1976. He
is well known throughout the Dayton
area for his expertise as an avid
ornithology instructor and bird
watcher and for his enthusiasm in
teaching many children and adult
classes on natural history topics
each year.
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 About
Stephen
Ingraham . . .
Biggest Week Speaker
Steve has been an avid birder for over
20 years. For many years he published
BetterViewDesired and
BetterViewDesired.com, reviewing optics
for birding and observation. For the
past 8 years he has been the Birding and
Observation Product Specialist for Carl
Zeiss Sports Optics. Over those years he
has taken thousands of images of
wildlife, mostly birds, using a spotting
scope.
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 About
Dr. Andy Jones . . .
Biggest Week Speaker & Field
Trip Leader
Dr. Andy Jones is
Curator of Ornithology at
The
Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
He is the first person hired as the
William A. and Nancy R. Klamm
Endowed Chair of Ornithology, thanks
to a major donation from the Klamms
to the museum. Dr. Jones received
his BS in Biological Sciences from
the University of Tennessee at
Knoxville, and his PhD in Ecology,
Evolution, and Behavior from the
University of Minnesota. He
originally hails from east
Tennessee, where his passion for
natural history began at an early
age; his current research involves
the evolutionary history of birds
from the Appalachian mountains as
well as the Andes and the
Philippines.
Dr. Jones is
responsible for the Museum’s
collection of avian specimens, which
consists of approximately 35,000
study skins and 4,000 egg sets from
the Ohio region and western North
America as well as approximately
1,000 osteological specimens from
Ohio. He is also responsible for
specimen acquisition and
preservation, maintenance of
specimen records, and carrying out
original research. His other tasks
include providing various services
to the scientific community, the
media, the Museum’s exhibitions and
education divisions as well as the
public at large.
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 About
Kenn Kaufman
. . .
Biggest Week Speaker, Keynote
Kenn Kaufman is recognized as one of the
world’s most renowned bird experts. He
is the author of a very popular nature
field guide series and a highly sought
after public speaker. Kenn’s move to
this area in fall of 2005 generated much
excitement across the country,
resulting in thousands of birders
visiting this region to enjoy the
fabulous birding that this area is now
becoming famous for.
A lifelong naturalist, Kenn Kaufman did
not really focus on birds until the age
of six, but since then he has tried to
make up for lost time, pursuing birds in
all fifty states and on all seven
continents. Now working as a freelance
editor, writer, and book producer, he
and his wife Kim make their home in Oak
Harbor, Ohio.
Kenn is a field editor for Audubon
magazine, and writes regular columns for
both Bird Watcher’s Digest and Birder’s
World magazines. Most of his energy
currently goes into book projects,
including his own field guide series,
Kaufman Field Guides, published by
Houghton Mifflin Company of Boston. This
series now includes volumes on North
American birds, butterflies, mammals,
and insects. In spring 2005, the series
was expanded to include the first North
American bird guide to be published in
Spanish. Kenn’s other books include
Lives of North American Birds. Kingbird
Highway, and Flights Against the Sunset.
Kenn’s latest book,
Kaufman Field
Guide to Advanced Birding,
was released in the Spring
of 2011.
He has also written scores of magazine
articles and columns on I.D. topics, and
has taught I.D. workshops all over the
U.S. and Canada.
To learn more about the Kaufman Field
Guide series, click
here.
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 About
Ken Keffer . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Ken grew up exploring the prairies and
the peaks of Wyoming. His spark bird
quest began with a sign at a trailhead
in the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming
and was completed 11 years later on the
coast of Rhode Island. Ken graduated
from the University of Wyoming with a
Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife
Biology and Management, and he has
extensive field biology and
environmental education experience that
has taken him from Wyoming to Alaska,
from northern New Mexico to coastal
Maryland, and all the way to the Gobi
Desert of Mongolia.
As Education Director, Ken oversees
Black Swamp Bird
Observatory’s Wetland
Investigation Network field trips, bird
banding demonstrations, and the Ohio
Young Birders Club. Additionally Ken
regularly contributes to Birds & Blooms
magazine. Ken strives to combine science
and education with the hope of inspiring
future citizen scientists.
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 About
Ethan Kistler. . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
A lifelong Ohioan, Ethan began birding
at the ripe old age of 10 when he
literally woke up one morning and
decided to become a birder. Since then
he has worked field jobs from Ohio to
Alaska, traveled to nearly 20 countries
on 4 continents, and lead birding trips
in Canada, the United States, and South
Africa (where he also lived for two
years). Ethan’s sharp eyes and ability
to identify birds by song make every
trip into the field with him a great
experience. A founding member of the
Ohio Young Birders Club back in 2006,
Ethan is now the Education and Outreach
Specialist for the
Black Swamp Bird
Observatory.
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 About
David Kriska . . .
Biggest Week Leader
David
is the Biodiversity Coordinator
at the Center for Conservation &
Biodiversity & the Natural Areas
Division of
The Cleveland
Museum of Natural History.
The Natural Areas program currently has
38 nature preserves constituting
approximately 5000 acres that contain
unique natural communities, such as
hemlock northern hardwood forest, Lake
Erie island alvar, fossil dune ridge,
marshes, swamps and glacial wetlands.
These high-quality habitats- many are
globally rare, together protect 110
endangered, threatened, or rare plant
species and 90 state-listed or rare
fauna and provide critical habitat for
migratory and rare nesting birds.
Together, they represent the remarkable
biological diversity that was once
widespread throughout the region. In
addition to identifying these species,
David conducts surveys on Museum
preserves and private property to track
the status of our regions rarest
breeding birds.
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 About
Dr. J. Drew Lanham . . .
Biggest Week Keynote Speaker
Dr. Drew Lanham is a lifelong
birder who has been practicing his craft
since the second grade! He is currently
a Professor of Wildlife Ecology at
Clemson University where he teaches
courses in field ornithology, wildlife
management and conservation ethics. He
is also an active researcher who studies
the impacts of forest management on
songbirds and other species. A native
South Carolinian, Drew has birded
internationally in South Africa and the
Peruvian Amazon. He is an active
professional with memberships in The
Wildlife Society and the Association of
Southeastern Biologists. He is also a
dedicated conservationist and a member
of Ducks Unlimited, and serves on the
advisory board of South Carolina
Audubon, is a member of the state’s
Important Bird Area Technical Committee
and an expert ornithological consultant
to South Carolina’s Comprehensive
Wildlife Conservation Strategy, which
prioritizes species and habitats for
management. He is a member of the
Executive Board of the South Carolina
Wildlife Federation, where he has served
as the organization’s Affiliate
Representative for the last five years.
Drew leads birding groups regularly in
his home state and is a perennial field
guide for The Rio Grande Valley Birding
Festival, one of the nation’s largest
and most successful efforts to emphasize
the ecological, aesthetic and economic
value of the region’s birdlife. Among
his other conservation-related
activities, Drew is a widely published
non-fiction nature writer and
“struggling” poet. His favorite birds
are wood warblers, accipiters and owls.
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 About
Greg Links . . .
Biggest Week Trip
Leader
Greg has lived in and birded Northwest
Ohio since the age of 7. A past
president of the Toledo Naturalists’
Association, there are few people who
know the local birds and birding spots
better than Greg. Known for his
enthusiasm and high energy, Greg has led
successful expeditions to Central and
South America, Africa, Mexico and all
over the US and Canada. As much as he
enjoys traveling for birds, there is
nowhere he’d rather be in May than right
here in the western Lake Erie region.
Greg recently retired as voice of the NW
Ohio rare bird phone hotline, which he
had compiled for the last 10 years.
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 About
Kevin Loughlin . . .
Biggest
Week Field Trip Leader
Keven was raised to appreciate
nature while exploring the woodlands of
Pennsylvania as a child. At age six,
during a family trip through the
American West, Kevin became fascinated
with photography as well seeing the new
and different birds throughout North
America. Instilled with a love for
travel and seeking new, exciting
destinations he felt a desire to share
his experiences with others and in 1993
he founded
Wildside Nature
Tours.
Kevin's photographs and articles have
appeared in publications such as
WildBird, Audubon and Philadelphia
Magazines, as well as the National
Geographic web site and many natural
history books. He has also authored a Pocket
Guide to Digital Nature Photography.
Kevin teaches beginning birding and
photography classes through several
adult education venues as well as
through seminars and workshops for
groups, organizations and schools.
Currently the vice president of the
Birding Club of Delaware County, Kevin
also founded the PA Young Birder's Club,
sharing his love of nature while
inspiring kids to get outside.
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 About
Paula Lozano . . .
Biggest
Week Field Trip Leader
Paula, who lives in
Lakewood, Ohio, has two passions,
education and birding. She has taught in
schools in Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota,
and Guadalajara, Mexico. Past volunteer
positions include stints as the local
field trip coordinator for the Kirtland
Bird Club and Audubon Adventures
coordinator for Western Cuyahoga Audubon
Society. Currently, she is Black Swamp
Bird Observatory's
Donate the Guia
coordinator. She has
contributed to several birding
publications, including the American
Birding Association's A Birder's
Guide to Metropolitan Areas (2001),
the Kirtland Bird Club's The
Cleveland Bird Calendar and the Ohio
Ornithological Society's The Ohio
Cardinal. One of her most prized
possessions is an award for mentoring
young birders that was presented to her
by the Kirtland Bird Club.
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 About
Gabriel Lugo
. . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Gabriel is
a certified Puerto Rico guide. His
passion for birding was sparked by an
invitation to join an Audubon Christmas
Bird Count a number of years ago. He is
guiding for
Wildside
Nature Tours
during The Biggest Week.
A
curiosity became a passion and Gabriel
was soon making major sightings
throughout Puerto Rico, earning a strong
reputation with the local birding
community. Gabriel has since become one
of the top birding guides in Puerto
Rico. His contributions to Puerto Rico
birding led him to be elected as
President of the Puerto Rico
Ornithological Society. Gabriel's eyes
and ears have proven him an excellent
birder and his contagious enthusiasm
helped make him an excellent leader!
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 About
Hallie Mason . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Hallie Mason’s lifelong interest in
birds began at an early age when her mom
gave her a plastic model of
Rose-breasted Grosbeak for her birthday.
Catching glimpses of her “spark” bird
thrills Hallie to this day, and she
proudly hosts several pairs at her busy
feeders when the colorful birds return
each spring, along with many other
migrants, to nest in the vicinity of her
cozy log cabin in rural Tuscarawas
County.
Hallie was a regional coordinator for
the Ohio Bird Breeding Atlas II. She
regularly participates in several
Christmas Bird Counts in Tuscarawas,
Summit, and Harrison Counties. When
she’s not supporting her magnificent
obsession by working as a Palliative
Care Nurse Practitioner at Summa Health
System in Akron, Hallie often can be
found driving the back roads of Amish
Country in search of Rough-legged Hawks,
Bobolinks, Prairie Warblers and dozens
of other local denizens.
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 About
Greg Miller . . .
Biggest Week Speaker & Field Trip
Leader
Greg Miller has been birding for almost
50 years and has birded in all 50
states. He was formerly on the board of
directors for Southern Maryland Audubon
Society and the board of directors for
the Ohio Ornithological Society. In
1998, Greg did a Big Year in an effort
to see as many species of birds as
possible in one calendar year. Two other
birders and he broke the 700 mark. Their
individual stories, as well as the
interactive competition, are documented
in Mark Obmascik’s book, The Big Year,
2004. The book made the USA Today’s Best
Books of 2004, New York Times Best
Seller #35, and it was an Amazon Top 100
Seller for weeks. Filming was completed
the summer of 2010 for a comedic movie,
The Big Year, was released in 2011.
Stars include Jack Black, Steve Martin
and Owen Wilson. To learn more about
Greg, visit
www.gregmillerbirding.com.
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 About
Kathy Mock . . .
Biggest
Week Field Trip Leader
Kathy grew up and continues to
live near Akron, Ohio, but the
Marblehead/Erie Islands area was her
second home from infancy until a few
years ago. Having gone on many
family boat trips, her first lists
were of the freighters that
traversed the Great Lakes. Her first
natural history obsession was with
whales and she went on her first
pelagic trip in 1983, when she began
her Life Cetacean List (now at 17).
On her first Audubon field trip to
the "hotspots" of northwest Ohio in
1985, she saw a young, soaring Bald
Eagle and a flock of Snow
Geese...and she was hooked on
birding. Since then, she’s gone on
pelagic trips off both coasts and in
Alaska, birded places in between,
done programs on whales and birds,
volunteered for the Akron Zoological
Park, ODNR, USFWS at Ottawa National
Wildlife Refuge, and BSBO. For over
10 years she was a part-time staffer
at the Cleveland Museum of Natural
History, and then volunteered in the
Collections Department helping to
catalogue the bird specimens. Kathy
has worked in health care for many
years and is the office manager at
AseraCare Hospice in Akron. In
addition to observing nature, she
enjoys the personal challenge that
birding provides, and the friendly
“competition” that can be enjoyed.
She believes that the fun and
camaraderie are added bonuses of
“exposing ourselves to nature”.
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 About
Deb Neidert . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Deb’s passion for birds and
wildlife began shortly after she
‘hatched.’ Her dad, an active
outdoorsmen, carried her around in a
backpack during numerous family
camping trips, sealing the deal
between Deb and nature before she
could even walk. An avid birder,
with keen eyes and excellent ears,
Deb’s enthusiasm for finding and
sharing birds makes her an excellent
field trip leader. A native Ohioan,
Deb’s knowledge of both the local
birds and the best birding hotspots
are sure to make any trip into the
field with her a rewarding
experience.
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 About
Lisa Rainsong . . .
Biggest
Week Speaker
Lisa holds a Doctor of Musical Arts
in Composition from the Cleveland
Institute of Music and is a member
of CIM’s music theory faculty. A
professional soprano as well as a
teacher and composer, she sings with
both Apollo’s Fire (the
Cleveland-based Baroque orchestra)
and Quire Cleveland.
To better pursue her interest in
combining music and natural history
education, Lisa earned a Naturalist
Certificate from the Cleveland
Museum of Natural History in 2008.
She now teaches bird song and insect
song classes throughout northern
Ohio and does her own field
recording of bird songs and insect
songs for these presentations.
Additionally, she has been awarded
Small Research Grants from the
Geauga Park District in 2009, 2010,
and 2011 for cricket and katydid
surveys - research work that is done
primarily by ear.
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 About
Bill Rapai
. . .
Biggest Week Keynote Speaker
Bill is president of the Grosse
Pointe Audubon Society and has
traveled across North America and to
Cuba, Iceland, and Thailand to view
and research birds. He was an
award-winning reporter and editor
for the Grand Forks Herald, the
Detroit Free Press, and the Boston
Globe. The Kirtland’s Warbler: An
Extraordinary Bird, Extraordinary
People is his first book. |
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 About
Rob Ripma. . .
Biggest Week
Field Trip Leader & Blogger
Rob, a life-long Indiana resident,
has birded extensively in the
Midwest for more than ten years. He
counts Southwest Florida, Southeast
Arizona, the Rio Grande Valley,
Goose Pond FWA (Indiana) and Magee
Marsh (Ohio) as some of his favorite
birding locations. Rob has also
travelled to Hawaii, Alaska,
California, South Dakota, Colorado,
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan,
North Carolina and Cancun, Mexico to
bird, as well as taken pelagic trips
into the Atlantic and Pacific
Oceans.
When he’s not birding, Rob works for
Wild Birds Unlimited and manages a
birding blog and website,
www.nuttybirder.com. He
has served on the executive board of
the Indiana Audubon Society for
three years (currently as Vice
President) and is a co-founder of
the Indiana Young Birders Club. Rob
speaks at a variety of organizations
and schools about birds and birding
to share his knowledge and
experiences in the field. He loves
working with new and experienced
birders of all ages and believes
that teaching people about birds
will not only increase interest in
birding but also help them better
understand why we must work to
protect birds and their habitats.
Rob graduated from Indiana
University’s Kelley School of
Business in 2008 with a degree in
Marketing and lives with his wife
Stephanie in Carmel, Indiana.
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 About
Lena Samsonenko . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Lena was born in Russia and came
to the USA at age six where she grew
up exploring the woods and meadows
of New England. Lena completed her
undergraduate degree in Natural
Resources at Cornell University and
attended the University of
Connecticut for her Master's Degree
in Cultural Anthropology. She is
currently pursuing a Ph.D. in
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at
Princeton University. Lena is
guiding for
Wildside
Nature Tours
during The Biggest Week.
Lena is passionate about every
aspect of natural history, including
ethnobiology, mycology, botany,
wilderness survival skills, and, of
course, birding. Her field journals
and artwork have won awards from the
American Birding Association (ABA),
allowing her art to be published
nationally.
A lover of languages, Lena is fluent
in Russian and Spanish. She is a
keen observer, enthusiastic for
every moment in the field. A natural
teacher, she enjoys sharing her
knowledge.
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 About
John Sawvel
. . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
John has been a keen birder since
the fall of 1999. He began
volunteering with BSBO in 2001,
primarily on the spring hawk watch
project. While warblers are John’s
favorite group of birds, he is a
well-rounded naturalist. As the
Ohio Young
Birders Club
Membership Coordinator he assists
with all aspects of the club
including managing the membership
database, leading fieldtrips
throughout the year, and working
tirelessly on the numerous web
materials for the OYBC.
Having grown up in southeast Ohio,
hunting, trapping, and fishing with
his dad, John now lives in Toledo.
John states, “Observing and
recording nature through the
changing seasons within walking
distance of home is one of my
favorite activities. It’s great to
seek out that which lies beyond, but
don’t overlook what’s nearby.”
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 About
Mark Shieldcastle . . .
Biggest Week Speaker & Field
Trip Leader
Mark has a degree in Wildlife
Management from The Ohio State
University. He was on staff at Ohio
State with the Ohio Cooperative
Wildlife Research Unit before
accepting a position with the Ohio
Division of Wildlife where he has
spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife
Biologist specializing in avian
research and last year retired from
his position as Project Leader of
Wetland Wildlife Research. Mr.
Shieldcastle is currently employed
as Director of Research for the
Black Swamp Bird Observatory.
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 About
Ryan Steiner . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Born and raised in Ohio,
Ryan Steiner knew the names of the
birds and animals in his backyard
before he knew the names of athletes
or cars. It wasn't long until he
moved out of his backyard to travel
all over his home state, finding
more birds in January than anyone
had ever done before. Kick-started
by a summer job working for the Ohio
Breeding Bird Atlas, Ryan soon took
this passion for birds across the
country, working bird conservation
jobs in New Hampshire, Virginia,
Maryland, and Oklahoma. Currently an
undergraduate at Frostburg State
University, Ryan is a Wildlife
Biology major pursuing a career in
ornithology.
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 About
Sharon Stiteler . . .
Biggest Week Speaker
Sharon was given a Peterson Field
Guide to Birds when she was
seven years old and snapped, she
loves birds, it’s just the way she’s
wired. Since 1997, she has made it
her goal to get paid to go birding.
She runs the popular birding blog,
Birdchick.com
and has been in The Wall Street
Journal, The New York Times, and
on NBC Nightly News as well
as making regular appearances on
Twin Cities’ TV and radio stations.
She’s an internationally
professional speaker and storyteller
and her writing can has been found
in several publications including
WildBird Magazine, Outdoor News,
Birds & Blooms, 10,000 Birds
and Birding Business. She
wrote the books Disapproving
Rabbits and City
Birds/Country Birds and is #32
in the Geek A Week Trading Card set.
When she’s not digiscoping or
banding birds, she’s a part time
National Park Ranger and
award-winning beekeeper. Follow her
on Twitter @Birdchick.
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 About
Clay Taylor
. . .
Biggest Week Speaker
Clay grew up in Moodus, Connecticut,
and finally ended up in Corpus
Christi, Texas in 2008. He started
his working career as a bird
photographer and became hooked on
birding in 1975 while attending the
Rochester Institute of Technology.
In the 1980's, Clay led birding
tours, banded hawks, and gave
lectures. He is currently a
Naturalist Market Manager with
Swarovski Optik.
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 About
Elliot Tramer . . .
Biggest Week Field Trip Leader
Elliot Tramer is Professor Emeritus
of Ecology at the University of
Toledo. While at the University he
founded the Environmental Science
Program and served as its Director
until his retirement in 2007.
Elliot has been an avid birder since
the age of 10. He is a co-author of
‘Birds of the Toledo Area” (2002)
and has served on the Ohio Bird
Records Committee. He is currently
president of the Toledo Naturalists’
Association and a board member of
Black Swamp Bird Observatory. Elliot has made numerous
trips to Central and South America,
and published over 60 research
papers, including several on
patterns of bird species diversity
and the lives of migrants on their
tropical wintering grounds.
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 About
Chris West . . .
Biggest
Week Field Trip Leader & Blogger
Chris is a lifelong birder who can't
remember not having a pair of
binoculars in his hands. His love of
birds and traveling has taken him to
every corner of the US and Canada as
well as to the American tropics.
His sharp eyes and even sharper ears
enable him to quickly find birds and
point them out to others. He led his
first field trip when he was 14 and
hasn't looked back. In spring of 2010, Chris joined the
staff at Mississippi Explorer
Cruises as an Interpretive
Naturalist and now
narrates/interprets Mississippi
River cruises during the spring-fall
cruise season.
Besides being a birder/field trip
leader/guide, Chris is also a
blogger/writer and photographer. He
has written essays on subjects
ranging from identification and bird
finding to trip reports and
conservation topics. His bird
photography has appeared in both
paper and online publications
ranging from birding magazines to
quarterly journals to online
articles on conservation and
recognizing newly split species. He
particularly enjoys
photo-documenting vagrants whenever
and wherever they show up. You
visit Chris' blog
HERE.
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 About
Chris Wood . . .
Biggest Week Speaker & Field
Trip Leader
Chris Wood is the project leader for
eBird and Neotropical Birds at the
Cornell Lab of Ornithology. eBird is
an online bird checklist project
that gathers millions of
observations made by birdwatchers to
provide real-time information on
bird abundance and distribution at a
variety of spatial and temporal
scales. Neotropical Birds provides
comprehensive life history accounts
of all birds in the neotropics. He
and Jessie Barry host the Cornell
Lab’s popular online video series,
Inside Birding. He is widely
recognized as a leading authority on
bird identification and distribution
has written and consulted on various
books, popular literature and
scientific literature on birds. He
is currently working with others on
the forthcoming Princeton Guide
to North American Birds. In his
free time and for fun, Chris leads
birdwatching trips for the tour
company WINGS.
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