2021 WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
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Gautam Apte
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I grew up birding in and around the Cleveland area from an early age, but for the past three years I've lived in Columbus, OH studying Wildlife Science at The Ohio State University. In my time off from school, I've worked as a field biologist on various ornithological research studies. In the late fall and winter, you can find me in my favorite place - scoping the waters of the Cleveland lakefront and watching for migrating waterbirds. I've enjoyed experiencing the Lucas/Ottawa spring migration spectacle for the past decade, and now serve as one of the area's eBird reviewers. I can't wait to return to the boardwalk in 2022 and finally bask in migration once again.
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Amar Ayyash
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Amar Ayyash is both an expert on gull identification and an evangelist for “gull recreation.” He hosts several websites devoted to gulling, including anythinglarus.com. Ayyash has published various technical articles on gull ID and range shifts, is affiliated with several gull banding programs throughout the continent, and is a frequent speaker at birding events.
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Christina Baal
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Christina Baal is a bird artist whose dream is to meet and paint 10,000 species of birds over her lifetime. After graduating from Bard College in 2014, she started her art business "Drawing 10,000 Birds," and she has since traveled the US and the world looking for birds. Her most recent adventure was to Asia, where she spent time in Japan and South Korea conducting research for her book, Once Upon a Feather: A Field Guide to Fantastic Birds. Christina loves attending bird festivals as an art exhibitor and bird guide. She also works as an environmental educator to get people excited about birds, art, and conservation. Her favorite birds are Yellow Warblers, Turkey Vultures, and California Condors.
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Lauryn Benedict
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Lauryn Benedict has long been fascinated by the social lives of birds. She has spent the last 20+ years watching and researching birds to figure out how they use sounds to signal meaning and coordinate behaviors. Lauryn conducts research on nesting behavior, mating behavior, vocal duetting, and song form and function. Her recent work examines the evolution of song in both male and female songbirds.
Lauryn holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley. She is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Northern Colorado, where she teaches about ornithology, animal behavior, and animal diversity. You can often find her observing and audio-recording wrens on the public lands of Northern Colorado. |
Carlos A. Bethancourt
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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's 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, and Canopy Camp. |
Scott Bourne
Scott Bourne is an Olympus Visionary and professional photographer, author and lecturer who specializes in birds and product photography. He’s been involved with photography for nearly 50 years and his work has appeared in more than 200 publications.
He is a pioneer in the digital photography and online space and was named one of the 30 most influential photographers on the Web by Huffington Post.
In addition to being a trainer on lynda.com, Scott’s led workshops and seminars, taught for or spoken at conferences or events sponsored by Palm Beach Photographic Center, Cooperative Communicators of America, Apple, The National Association of Photoshop Professionals, CreativeLive.com, the National Association of Broadcasters, North American Music Merchants, MacWorld, Washington Professional Photographers Association, WPPI, PartnerCon, Imaging USA, Seattle Art Center, Marketing Essentials International, The Consumer Electronics Show, Photo Plus Expo, Festival of the Cranes, Florida's Birding & Photo Festival, Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, and Olympic Mountain School of Photography.
Scott was one of the first photographers ever to receive the designation Apple Certified Professional Trainer (T3) for Apple’s Aperture. He also previously held the designation Certified Adobe Photoshop Instructor and Professional Photographers of America’s Certified Professional Photographer designation.
Scott holds the title Master Photographer from the Washington Professional Photographers Association and was recently awarded the designation Signed Master with the Studio Of Masters in China. He has also been accredited by The Societies of Photographers as an Associate of The Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers. (ASINWP)
Scott founded one of the first dedicated, photography sites - Photofocus.com, co-founded the first photography related podcast, This Week In Photography (TWIP), co-founded Photography Podcast Network (PPN) and is host of the PictureMethods podcast.
He is a pioneer in the digital photography and online space and was named one of the 30 most influential photographers on the Web by Huffington Post.
In addition to being a trainer on lynda.com, Scott’s led workshops and seminars, taught for or spoken at conferences or events sponsored by Palm Beach Photographic Center, Cooperative Communicators of America, Apple, The National Association of Photoshop Professionals, CreativeLive.com, the National Association of Broadcasters, North American Music Merchants, MacWorld, Washington Professional Photographers Association, WPPI, PartnerCon, Imaging USA, Seattle Art Center, Marketing Essentials International, The Consumer Electronics Show, Photo Plus Expo, Festival of the Cranes, Florida's Birding & Photo Festival, Southeast Arizona Birding Festival, and Olympic Mountain School of Photography.
Scott was one of the first photographers ever to receive the designation Apple Certified Professional Trainer (T3) for Apple’s Aperture. He also previously held the designation Certified Adobe Photoshop Instructor and Professional Photographers of America’s Certified Professional Photographer designation.
Scott holds the title Master Photographer from the Washington Professional Photographers Association and was recently awarded the designation Signed Master with the Studio Of Masters in China. He has also been accredited by The Societies of Photographers as an Associate of The Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers. (ASINWP)
Scott founded one of the first dedicated, photography sites - Photofocus.com, co-founded the first photography related podcast, This Week In Photography (TWIP), co-founded Photography Podcast Network (PPN) and is host of the PictureMethods podcast.
Erik Bruhnke
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Erik Bruhnke has loved birds since he was a child looking at chickadees. He graduated from Northland College in Wisconsin with a Natural Resources degree in 2008 and taught field ornithology at Northland College for three semesters. After graduation his springs and summers were spent conducting bird surveys through northern forests, vast prairies, and western mountains. He worked as an interpreter for six fall seasons at Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota; counted migrating raptors at the Corpus Christi HawkWatch in Texas in 2015; and was the 2016, 2017, and 2018 hawk counter at the Cape May Hawkwatch in New Jersey. Erik’s wildlife photography has won national awards. Erik is a birding tour guide for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours as well as his own business, Naturally Avian. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and just being out in the snow. In his free time he loves to cook and bake.
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Brian Cunningham
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Brian Cunningham has a love for the outdoors, nature, and birds. His greatest passion is helping others experience nature and opening their eyes to the wonder and beauty of birds. As a young boy, he tried imitating the various birds calling in his backyard. That grew into an initial career in environmental education. For the past 24 years he has been with the Wild Birds Unlimited franchise system and is their Product and Hobby Education Manager. Brian has a vast knowledge of the backyard bird feeding hobby throughout North America. He incorporates that knowledge while leading bird walks and programs for local parks, youth and adult groups in Indiana, and for Wild Birds Unlimited stores across North America.
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Jamie Cunningham
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Jamie has had a lifelong interest in all nature and wildlife, but especially birds. A visit to Magee Marsh in NW Ohio during the Biggest Week festival turned her interest into a passion. That was in 2012, now she is a field trip leader for the festival. Since then Jamie has dove head first into birding and especially bird photography. Her award winning images have been featured in a number of publications and were even featured in her own gallery.
Jamie was instrumental in forming a Nature Photography club in her hometown, where she shares her wealth of knowledge with members. She also serves on the board of directors for the Tri-Moraine Audubon Society. Jamie is incredibly proud of her involvement as an advisor for the Ohio Young Birder’s Club. She is passionate about sharing her love of birds with youth. Jamie was thrilled to turn her passion into a career and is now a birding and photography guide for Sabrewing Nature Tours. |
Jasmine Cupp
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Jasmine is the Administrative Coordinator at Black Swamp Bird Observatory and has been with the organization since 2018. She has an honor’s associate’s degree in communication and was previously the editor of The Beacon, an Ottawa County, Ohio, community newspaper, where she received regional recognition for her reporting and editorial.
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Cameron Darnell
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Cameron Darnell is a 19-year-old wildlife photographer and birder specializing in bird photography. He lives outside of Washington, D.C., and will be attending Williams College in the fall of 2021. Cameron has been birding for as long as he can remember, and began photographing birds at the age of 12. He finds the creative aspect of bird photography thrilling and always strives for the most aesthetic image possible. Cameron has led birdwalks in the Mid-Atlantic region, and conducted bird photography workshops throughout the United States. Cameron’s images will be featured in the Spring 2021 issue of the Smithsonian Institute’s publication IMPACT. His images have been honored by the National Audubon Society Photography Awards (Top 100), the Massachusetts Audubon Society Photography Contest (Winner, Youth Division), and the American Birding Association Young Birder of the Year Contest (Winner, Photography Contest). In 2019, he was selected to attend The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Young Birders Event.
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Sally Deems-Mogyordy
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Sally Deems-Mogyordy has been writing professionally for over 30 years. Her work has won recognition through the National Calendar Awards as well as the Louie Awards, which honor originality and creativity in the greeting card industry. She has had several poems published, and her children's book Pretty Betty Butterfly will soon be followed by a sequel. Sally is passionate about the natural world and is committed to helping others make a personal connection with nature through her writing. She lives in NE Ohio on the shore of Lake Erie, which provides a never-ending source of inspiration. To read Sally's musings about nature and life, please visit her website at DelightedByNature.com.
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Alex E.
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Alex is 13 years old and will be presenting an editing workflow that is sure to help "bring your bird photos to the next level." All of the photos Alex will be using in his presentation have been taken in Ohio! He has been birding and taking photos of the birds he's seen since December of 2019, but admittedly he has become obsessed with it.
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Dudley Edmondson
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Dudley Edmondson is an author, public speaker, and filmmaker whose passion is nature and getting People of Color outdoors. Dudley has considered himself a nature advocate ever since he discovered its ability to heal the mind and body as a young boy.
Mr. Edmondson enjoys several outdoor recreational activities including; birdwatching, mountain and fat biking, fly fishing, trail running, and more. Dudley has been invited into communities across the country to help get urban youth and youth of color into the outdoors. He also spends a great deal of his personal time working with youth in his community through local youth serving agencies. He just really enjoys inspiring them. |
Bill Evans
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Bill Evans is director of Old Bird Inc., a NY-based nonprofit focused on nocturnal bird migration research and education. He co-authored the online resource Flight Calls of Migratory Birds with Michael O’Brien. Bill’s expertise on nocturnal bird migration led him to active efforts to mitigate avian fatalities at communications towers and wind turbines. His current research is directed toward understanding the impacts of artificial light on night-migrating birds and their concentration dynamics along shorelines and through montane terrain. Bill’s research has been covered by PBS, BBC, NPR and in Science, The New York Times and other science-news periodicals. He lives with his wife and two children in the glaciated Allegheny Plateau ecozone south of Ithaca, NY.
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Tyler Ficker
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Tyler found his passion for birding when his 4th grade teacher incorporated bird identification into the science curriculum. Tyler completed his undergraduate degree in the School of Environmental and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. He as president of The Ornithology Club at Ohio State for two years. Tyler is a founding member of Lights Out Buckeyes—part of Ohio Lights Out, a network of programs aimed at making urban landscapes (in this case, the Ohio State campus) safer for migratory birds. He is an award-winning presenter at environmental, wildlife and birding conferences. He also worked as a field technician for the Ohio Division of Wildlife surveying grassland species.
Tyler is a professional photographer, so he is likely behind his camera when not looking through his binoculars. He loves birding his home state of Ohio, especially during migration season, but is experienced in birding areas from Alaska to the tropics. |
Asher Gorbet
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Asher Gorbet is an ornithologist specializing in songbird breeding ecology and migration stopover ecology. After spending more than a decade studying the mountains and birds of New Mexico and the southwest, they relocated to Northwestern Ohio to manage the banding projects of Black Swamp Bird Observatory in 2016. In addition to being a licensed Master Bander and a North American Banding Council Certified Trainer for songbird banding, Asher is a passionate birder and traveler. They serve on the Recording Standards and Ethics Committee for the American Birding Association, are on the North American Banding Council, and are a proud member of the Queer Birders of North America. Asher is just five species shy of their goal to see every species of mainland Wood-Warbler north of the Isthmus of Panama!
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Catherine Hamilton
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Bio coming soon!
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Lee Hoy
As owner/operator of Big Bend Birding & Photo Tours, I focus my time on helping others enjoy the beauty of the Big Bend National Park Region and serving as a freelance photographer when time permits. Publishing is fun, but my main interest is in helping others capture spectacular images while they are visiting Big Bend National Park or surrounding areas. I am an award winning photographer and my images have been in Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, Texas Highways, Bird Watcher’s Digest, and NANPA’s Expressions.
I also serve as a photography workshop instructor for Wildside Nature Tours with destinations such as the Galapagos Islands National Park, Ecuador, Amazon Riverboat Cruise, Costa Rica, Panama, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park in winter, and more.
My photography experience began at the age of 16 when my mom gave me a Canon AE1 with a broken meter and I bought John Shaw’s The Nature Photographer’s Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques. With this book, I learned the sunny f/16 rule and with many rolls of slide film in hand, I headed to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma near where I lived at the time. This is how my love for photography was birthed and later with a new camera and lens, my grandparents took me on my inaugural trip to Big Bend National Park and the surrounding region.
I was delighted to be named an official Olympus Educator after making the switch from a full frame system which I had used for over 25 years to the Olympus OM-D system in April 2019. I have never been happier with my gear and the features and abilities it provides in capturing amazing images of our world.
I also serve as a photography workshop instructor for Wildside Nature Tours with destinations such as the Galapagos Islands National Park, Ecuador, Amazon Riverboat Cruise, Costa Rica, Panama, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park in winter, and more.
My photography experience began at the age of 16 when my mom gave me a Canon AE1 with a broken meter and I bought John Shaw’s The Nature Photographer’s Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques. With this book, I learned the sunny f/16 rule and with many rolls of slide film in hand, I headed to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma near where I lived at the time. This is how my love for photography was birthed and later with a new camera and lens, my grandparents took me on my inaugural trip to Big Bend National Park and the surrounding region.
I was delighted to be named an official Olympus Educator after making the switch from a full frame system which I had used for over 25 years to the Olympus OM-D system in April 2019. I have never been happier with my gear and the features and abilities it provides in capturing amazing images of our world.
Kenn Kaufman
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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. Kenn is a field editor for Audubon magazine, and writes a regular column for Birder’s World magazine. 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, insects, a field guide to Advanced Birding, and a regional guide to Nature of New England and Field Guide to the Nature of the Midwest, which was published in April 2015. In spring 2005, Kaufman Field Guides published the first Spanish-language guide to North American birds. Kenn’s other books include Lives of North American Birds, Kingbird Highway, and Flights Against the Sunset. His latest book, A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration, was published in spring 2019. 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.
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Sebastian Kennerknecht
Sebastian Kennerknecht is a wildlife and conservation photographer with over fourteen years of experience visually covering wildlife and environmental issues internationally, focusing in particular on wild cats. He has produced high quality editorial photographs, time-lapses, videos, and web content featured in and by the New York Times, Washington Post, BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian, The Economist, Science, and Conservation International, among others. Using highly customized SLR camera traps, along with conventional photographic techniques, he works closely with field biologists to both effectively and ethically capture photographs of some of the rarest cats on the planet while also highlighting the threats they face. Working for conservation organizations and on magazine assignments, Sebastian has photographed twenty-three of the forty species of wild felids, in twenty-nine different countries.
Sebastian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California – Santa Cruz, won NANPA’s emerging photographer award, and is an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers.
Sebastian graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California – Santa Cruz, won NANPA’s emerging photographer award, and is an associate fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers.
Nicole Jackson
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A nature enthusiast, avid bird watcher, and Cleveland native, Nicole is an alum of the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. There she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Education and Interpretation (2011). She is an environmental educator who has worked for various non-profits implementing programs across for the past decade in Columbus focused on conservation, gardening, green jobs, and outdoor recreation. Her main goal as an educator is to help people of color find access to local resources that connect them to fun nature experiences and become environmental stewards. Nicole is always looking for opportunities to learn something new and help others see the brilliance and lessons of the natural world around them. Some of her recent roles include Natural Leader of the Children & Nature Network, a member of the National Parks Conservation Association's Next Generation Advisory Council, co-organizer of Black Birders Week, and founder of Black in National Parks Week.
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Dr. Andy Jones
Dr. Andy Jones has worked at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for fifteen years. He was hired in 2006 as the William A. and Nancy R. Klamm Endowed Chair of Ornithology, a new position created thanks to a donation from the Klamms to the Museum. As a curator, Dr. Jones is responsible for the Museum’s collection of avian specimens, which consists of more than 35,000 study skins from around the world plus a frozen tissue collection, skeletons, and nests and eggs. He is also responsible for expanding this collection, and carrying out original research. His current research involves the evolutionary history of birds from the Appalachian mountains, documenting new hybridization events, and understanding migration and human-bird conflicts through the Lights Out Cleveland project. Dr. Jones has served as Secretary of the American Ornithological Society since 2014, and was recently named a Fellow of the AOS. He is a past board member of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, and serves on the BSBO Research Committee. He has been a trip leader and/or speaker during every year of the Biggest Week in American Birding.
He originally hails from east Tennessee, where his passion for natural history began at an early age (including field notes starting at age 5). He is a passionate contributor and reviewer for eBird and iNaturalist. 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 lives in Cleveland Heights.
He originally hails from east Tennessee, where his passion for natural history began at an early age (including field notes starting at age 5). He is a passionate contributor and reviewer for eBird and iNaturalist. 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 lives in Cleveland Heights.
Kevin Karlson
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Kevin Karlson is an accomplished birder, author, professional tour leader, and wildlife photographer/instructor. He is a regular at Bird and Nature festivals in North America, where he gives keynote presentations, workshops on bird identification, and photo instruction. Kevin’s books include The Shorebird Guide (2007); Birding by Impression: A Different Approach to Bird Identification (2015); Birds of Prey (2017) (all three Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers); and Gulls Simplified: A Comparative Identification Approach (Princeton University Press, 2018). A new book Bird Families of North America with Pete Dunne will be out in August 2021. Photography books include The Birds of Cape May and Visions: Earth’s Elements in Bird and Nature Photography (Schiffer Publishing). Kevin also produced six photographic laminated foldout ID guides for Quick Reference Publishing. While officially retired, Kevin continues to lead select tours and photo workshops for his company Jaeger Tours, and for Wildside Nature Tours.
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Annie Lindsay
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Annie Lindsay is the Bird Banding Program Manager at Powdermill Nature Reserve in Rector, Pennsylvania, field station of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, where she runs the long-term bird banding station and teaches workshops. She earned her M.S. in Natural Resources at the Ohio State University where she studied the effects of winter habitat quality, as determined by stable-carbon isotope analysis, on plumage characteristics and reproductive success in Yellow Warblers. She is currently a PhD candidate and University Fellow at the University of Toledo where she studies trends in long-term bird banding datasets, and how anthropogenic factors, in particular climate change, affect avian populations, movements, and behavior.
Annie is an NABC-certified bander trainer and serves in leadership roles for several bird-related organizations and societies. She’s an avid birder and molt limit enthusiast, and loves sharing the hobby with new birders, especially her son Tommy! |
Kevin Loughlin
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Kevin Loughlin 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 created Wildside.
Kevin’s photographs and articles have appeared in publications such as WildBird, Nature Photographer, Audubon, Birding, and Philadelphia Magazines, as well as the many natural history books, including the new Peterson’s Reference Guide to Owls of North American and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul. Kevin's newest project is, along with co-author John Kricher, Galapagos: A Natural History due out from Princeton Press in 2022. |
Patrick Maurice
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Patrick Maurice is a fourth-year student studying wildlife science in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. Patrick is also on the exec board of UGA's Lilly Branch Audubon Society and is a board member at large for the Georgia Bird Observatory.
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Freya McGregor
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Freya McGregor, OTR/L, is the Birdability Coordinator and Occupational Therapist. Birding since childhood, her ‘dodgy’ knee often creates an accessibility challenge for her, and she is passionate about enabling all birders and potential future birders to enjoy birding and nature as much as she does.
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John C. Robinson
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A professional ornithologist, keynote speaker, and environmental consultant, John C. Robinson holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Iowa State University. A two-time #1 Best-Selling author, he has published six books about nature and birds, including An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Tennessee (1990), North American Bird Reference Book (2004), and Tweet, Flutter, and Squawk! (2015). He has also led professional birding and natural history tours to South Africa and numerous locations within the United States.
Since 1999, John has been an advocate for minorities in birdwatching and nature and has conducted research on how to connect our youth and young adults to nature through the magic of bird watching. He has worked in collaboration with Toyota and the National Audubon Society; and continues to travel across the country, speaking about his landmark book, Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers. |
Christa Rolls
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Christa Rolls is an Avian Ecologist and Conservation Biologist who loves birds and connecting others with their passion for birding. She started her career in avian ecology in Southern Indiana in 2012, and since then has had the opportunity to work on various projects in the Pacific Northwest, Germany, and, currently, California monitoring bird populations and behavior to help inform management decisions. Christa is also on the Board of Directors for Ecostudies Institute, a non-profit organization based in the Pacific Northwest that conserves wildlife and their habitats through science, restoration, and outreach. Most recently, in September 2020, she founded Birding Tools and hosts the Birding Tools Podcast, which breaks down all aspects of beginning birding, from finding the right pair of binoculars to learning how to find birds in the field.
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Virginia Rose
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Virginia Rose, founder of Birdability and Board member of Travis Audubon in Austin, Texas has been a paraplegic for 48 years. She began birding 18 years ago and realized she needed to help others with access challenges discover the joys of birding.
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Carlos Ross
Born in the Philippines in 1979, I have been fascinated by birds ever since I saw flashes of sunbirds in our Metro Manila garden. My mom and I escaped martial law during the chaotic summer of 1983, landing in Los Angeles. In 1986, my soon-to-be adoptive grandfather got me my first binoculars and a Golden Guide and had me identify my first bird at Yosemite National Park: a Steller's Jay.
From then on, I was hooked, and I was fortunate enough to grow up in California and Arizona as a birder and get involved in quite a few Christmas Bird Counts as I got older. Birding got me through some rough patches, too -- after the end of an unsuccessful first marriage, it was a chance encounter with a Greater Roadrunner that kept me going forward during a brief struggle with homelessness.
Since then, I've gone on multiple birding trips to Japan, where I am part of the eBird Review Team (I hold a Bachelor's in Japanese language on ASU); led birding outings during my five year stint as a Disney Cast Member in central Florida; and currently reside in Austin, Texas, where I am a social services administrator, enjoying a pretty chill life with my wife Kimi and our very silly indoor cat, Mister Azuki Bean, who enjoys a steady diet of birding YouTube videos while we wait patiently for the current situation to pass.
Outside of birding, I am also a competitive international quizzer, have been reviewing Japanese animation since 1998, and currently co-host Microsoft Flight Simulator streams on Twitch, where I serve as an online tour guide and interpreter of culture, geography, history, and cuisine.
I also got to shout out birding on Jeopardy! in December 2013, where I was a three-day champion!
From then on, I was hooked, and I was fortunate enough to grow up in California and Arizona as a birder and get involved in quite a few Christmas Bird Counts as I got older. Birding got me through some rough patches, too -- after the end of an unsuccessful first marriage, it was a chance encounter with a Greater Roadrunner that kept me going forward during a brief struggle with homelessness.
Since then, I've gone on multiple birding trips to Japan, where I am part of the eBird Review Team (I hold a Bachelor's in Japanese language on ASU); led birding outings during my five year stint as a Disney Cast Member in central Florida; and currently reside in Austin, Texas, where I am a social services administrator, enjoying a pretty chill life with my wife Kimi and our very silly indoor cat, Mister Azuki Bean, who enjoys a steady diet of birding YouTube videos while we wait patiently for the current situation to pass.
Outside of birding, I am also a competitive international quizzer, have been reviewing Japanese animation since 1998, and currently co-host Microsoft Flight Simulator streams on Twitch, where I serve as an online tour guide and interpreter of culture, geography, history, and cuisine.
I also got to shout out birding on Jeopardy! in December 2013, where I was a three-day champion!
Arthur Sanchez Jr.
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Arthur grew up in Ventura County, just North of Los Angeles. He graduated from Humboldt State University in 2016, receiving his Bachelor's degree in wildlife. Arthur is now a Master's student at the University of Delaware studying tidal marsh sparrow nest success and factors that influence the probability of breeding. Arthur is exceedingly passionate about avian conservation and diversity and inclusion in the sciences. In his spare time, he likes to eat guacamole and play with his dogs.
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John Schaust
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As Chief Naturalist for Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc., John supports over 350 WBU stores in encouraging their customers to be active backyard bird watchers and knowledgeable stewards of the environment. His duties include conducting and reviewing scientific research about birds and bird feeding, along with the development of bird, hobby, and nature education materials for WBU stores located throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Prior to joining Wild Birds Unlimited in 2004, John spent 26 years as a professional naturalist with federal, state, and local agencies, specializing in environmental education, nature center operations, and natural resources management. John is an avid birder and has been a federally licensed bird bander for almost 40 years. |
Day Scott
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Day is certified naturalist, wildlife photographer, storyteller, and environmental educator. Though she's been photographing wildlife for over a decade, her affinity for birds came in 2019, as a result of a traumatic brain injury. Some of her bird photography has been recognized by Discovery and BBC America. Last year, she published a 2021 bird calendar that reached four countries! Though still navigating through her recovery, she finds birding, ornithology, and writing witty and insightful “bird stories” to be an important part of her healing journey. She hopes that sharing nature through her eyes brings joy to those near and far.
Website: thewildernessgoddess.com |
Tom Stephenson
Tom Stephenson has been birding since he was a kid under the tutelage of
Dr. Arthur Allen of Cornell University. His articles and photographs are in museums and many publications including Birding, Birdwatcher’s Digest, Handbook of the Birds of the World, Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Birds of Madagascar, and Guide to the Birds of SE Brazil.
Tom has lectured and guided many groups across the US as well as in Asia, where he trained guides for the government of Bhutan. He has donated numerous recordings of Eastern Himalayan rarities and other Asian species to Cornell’s Macaulay Library of Natural sounds.
For several years he was on Zeiss’s digiscoping team for the World Series of Birding; and in 2011 his and Scott’s team won the World Series Cape Island Cup. In 2014 Tom and Scott set the US record for a Photo Big Day, taking pictures of 208 species in one 24-hour period.
As a musician Tom played concerts and did studio work for many years, working with several Grammy and Academy Award winners as well as performing with members of the NY Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His clients included the Grateful Dead, Phil Collins, and the FBI.
He joined Roland Corporation in 1991, managed the recorder division, and retired recently as Director of Technology.
While at Roland he designed the features, UI/UX, and managed the marketing, for many of the most successful products in the history of the company, including all of their multi-channel digital recording systems such as the VS-2480. He also brokered many third-party relationships with companies ranging from hardware manufacturers like Hewlett Packard and IBM to software firms including Antares (auto-tune), Logic (now of Apple), Universal Audio, and many more. He also worked closely with engineers at Apple on a multi-channel audio over Ethernet industry standard.
In 2002, he co-founded Roland's RSS audio division, which designed and sold products for the commercial and home audio markets including solid-state playback systems for Muzak and Disney, and multi-channel Ethernet mixing and distribution systems.
His latest book, The Warbler Guide, is published by Princeton University Press and recently won the National Outdoor Book Award. The Warbler Guide App, for iOS and Android, includes 3D rotating models and won the 2015 Design Award for AAUP Book, Jacket, and Journal Show. His app, BirdGenie, is a “shazam” for bird song that helps bird enthusiasts identify over 150 common vocalizations in eastern and western US by recording them on their smart phone. BirdGenie won the prestigious PROSE award from the American Association of Publishers.
He is currently working on three more books and two apps for Princeton. Tom holds a patent on technology to identify animal vocalizations using a wide range of analytic criteria. Tom is endorsed by Zeiss Sports Optics.
Dr. Arthur Allen of Cornell University. His articles and photographs are in museums and many publications including Birding, Birdwatcher’s Digest, Handbook of the Birds of the World, Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Birds of Madagascar, and Guide to the Birds of SE Brazil.
Tom has lectured and guided many groups across the US as well as in Asia, where he trained guides for the government of Bhutan. He has donated numerous recordings of Eastern Himalayan rarities and other Asian species to Cornell’s Macaulay Library of Natural sounds.
For several years he was on Zeiss’s digiscoping team for the World Series of Birding; and in 2011 his and Scott’s team won the World Series Cape Island Cup. In 2014 Tom and Scott set the US record for a Photo Big Day, taking pictures of 208 species in one 24-hour period.
As a musician Tom played concerts and did studio work for many years, working with several Grammy and Academy Award winners as well as performing with members of the NY Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His clients included the Grateful Dead, Phil Collins, and the FBI.
He joined Roland Corporation in 1991, managed the recorder division, and retired recently as Director of Technology.
While at Roland he designed the features, UI/UX, and managed the marketing, for many of the most successful products in the history of the company, including all of their multi-channel digital recording systems such as the VS-2480. He also brokered many third-party relationships with companies ranging from hardware manufacturers like Hewlett Packard and IBM to software firms including Antares (auto-tune), Logic (now of Apple), Universal Audio, and many more. He also worked closely with engineers at Apple on a multi-channel audio over Ethernet industry standard.
In 2002, he co-founded Roland's RSS audio division, which designed and sold products for the commercial and home audio markets including solid-state playback systems for Muzak and Disney, and multi-channel Ethernet mixing and distribution systems.
His latest book, The Warbler Guide, is published by Princeton University Press and recently won the National Outdoor Book Award. The Warbler Guide App, for iOS and Android, includes 3D rotating models and won the 2015 Design Award for AAUP Book, Jacket, and Journal Show. His app, BirdGenie, is a “shazam” for bird song that helps bird enthusiasts identify over 150 common vocalizations in eastern and western US by recording them on their smart phone. BirdGenie won the prestigious PROSE award from the American Association of Publishers.
He is currently working on three more books and two apps for Princeton. Tom holds a patent on technology to identify animal vocalizations using a wide range of analytic criteria. Tom is endorsed by Zeiss Sports Optics.
Hannah Toutonghi
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Hannah Toutonghi grew up in Washington State, where she found her love of birds and the natural world from an early age. She has previously worked at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, and the Institute for Bird Populations doing point counts, hawk watching, banding, and much more. She graduated from the University of Washington in 2016 with a B.S in biochemistry, but has always loved the outdoors and getting experience doing field work with birds. She is wrapping up her first year as a Master's student at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she is researching the wintering activity budgets and range of Northern Hawk Owls.
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Michelle Valberg
Michelle Valberg is a Nikon Ambassador and an acclaimed wildlife photographer who has been telling stories with a camera for more than 30 years. She has traveled to all continents in search of adventure and photographic opportunities. She is particularly celebrated for her passion for Canada and the Arctic. Her captivating images grace magazine covers, as well, they are featured in numerous publications, exhibitions, and hang in embassies worldwide. Michelle's iconic images also appear on a Royal Canadian Mint coin and Canada Post stamps.
Beyond photography, Michelle is also well known for her philanthropy. She is a public speaker, author, community leader, and advocate for animals, the environment, and conservation.
Michelle has published 4 books and is the first Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence. She is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and an International Fellow of the Explorer's Club in New York City.
Beyond photography, Michelle is also well known for her philanthropy. She is a public speaker, author, community leader, and advocate for animals, the environment, and conservation.
Michelle has published 4 books and is the first Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence. She is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and an International Fellow of the Explorer's Club in New York City.
Brian Zwiebel
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Brian began his journey with birds by enrolling in an Ornithology class at Hocking College in 1993. Six years later he began photographing the subjects he had come to know so well. Warblers are among Brian’s favorite subjects. He spends much of his free time in May photographing warblers at northern Ohio’s Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. His work has been prominently displayed in exhibits throughout Ohio. More than thirty of his songbird images were featured at the National Center for Nature Photography in Toledo, OH. Brian’s award-winning photography has been internationally published in books and magazines including Birds & Blooms, Birder’s World, Bird Watching, Bird Watcher’s Digest, and the American Birding Association’s magazine Birding. Brian has also authored articles for Audubon and B&H Photo-Video’s Explora blog and leads photography tours and workshops.
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