2022 WORKSHOP PRESENTERS
Subscribe to the Biggest Week eNews for all the latest updates
Gautam Apte
Gautam originally comes from Cleveland, Ohio, where he began birding at a young age. He very recently graduated from The Ohio State University with a degree in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife Science. At OSU, he spent several years as the Vice President of Conservation for the Ornithology Club, managing the avian window collision monitoring program. He also serves as an eBird reviewer for the Biggest Week area. He is currently working as a seasonal field biologist collecting data for various research projects across the country. In his free time he enjoys visible migration, flight photography, good food and beer, and birding with friends wherever he can.
Christina Baal
Christina Baal is a bird artist, writer, and naturalist whose dream is to meet and paint 10,000 different species of birds. After graduating from Bard College in 2014, she started her art business, Drawing 10,000 Birds, and has since traveled nonstop looking for birds. Christina loves going to bird festivals to show her artwork, lead trips, teach art, and spend time with the birding community. She has designed artwork for Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, The Biggest Week in American Birding, New River Birding and Nature Festival, New Jersey Audubon’s World Series of Birding, and the American Birding Association's Bird of the Year. During the rest of the year, Christina works as an environmental educator and has recently started illustrating books including "Once Upon a Feather: a Field Guide to Fantastic Birds" and "Lucy’s Life List." Christina lives with her partner and adorable golden retriever. Her favorite birds are Yellow Warblers, Turkey Vultures, and California Condors.
Jamie Cunningham
Jamie has had a life long 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 is a birding and photography guide for Sabrewing Nature Tours. 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 most 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.
Cassidy Ficker
Cassidy Ficker is a senior in the Honors program at the Ohio State University majoring in Animal Sciences (Pre-Vet) with a minor in Wildlife. She has been a birder since third grade thanks to her older brother. Between guiding at the festival for the past few years and serving as president of the Ornithology Club at Ohio State, one of her favorite aspects of birding is forming connections between people as we all celebrate this common passion for birds. She is currently applying to veterinary schools to specialize in companion animal and wildlife medicine.
Tyler Ficker
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 birding and photography guide with Sabrewing Nature Tours. When he’s not traveling, he is a professional portrait, wedding, and nature photographer. He loves birding his home state of Ohio, especially during migration season, but is experienced in birding areas from Alaska to the tropics.
Tyler is a birding and photography guide with Sabrewing Nature Tours. When he’s not traveling, he is a professional portrait, wedding, and nature photographer. He loves birding his home state of Ohio, especially during migration season, but is experienced in birding areas from Alaska to the tropics.
Dr. Auriel Fornier
Auriel Fournier is the Director of the Forbes Biological Station and an Assistant Research Scientist with the Illinois Natural History Survey. Auriel completed her PhD with the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arkansas in 2017. She then joined the Gulf of Mexico Avian Monitoring Network as a postdoc, working on using structured decision making to better integrate bird monitoring. Auriel is one of the founding members of the Ohio Young Birder’s Club. Her research work focuses on how we can better manage our public and private wetlands for a wide suite of wetland birds. For more info: aurielfournier.github.io or @RallidaeRule on twitter.
Julie Heitz
My name is Julie Heitz, I live in Toledo, OH and I began my journey in to birding in 2013. In 2018 I discovered the art of making beads out of paper. I like to upcycle colorful calendars, magazines, gift wrap, books, (if I can roll it, it’s a bead!). I cut the pages in to strips, roll them with a tool my 83 year old Dad made for me, seal and glaze them and then use them in making jewelry, bookmarks.
I have taught classes on this at the 577 Foundation, Hands-On Studio at the Toledo Botanical Gardens and through All Good Things on the Lourdes University campus.
I’m married (silver anniversary this year!), have 4 rescued cats and a Bichon Frise named Abby. I like papercrafting, quilting, dabble in photography and of course, Birding!
I have taught classes on this at the 577 Foundation, Hands-On Studio at the Toledo Botanical Gardens and through All Good Things on the Lourdes University campus.
I’m married (silver anniversary this year!), have 4 rescued cats and a Bichon Frise named Abby. I like papercrafting, quilting, dabble in photography and of course, Birding!
Nate Koszycki
Nate Koszycki started taking note of birds around age six, but when his grandfather, Frank, took him to Magee Marsh Wildlife Area for the first time at age nine, the trip inspired Nate to set his sights on understanding every aspect of Northwest Ohio's plentiful birdlife. He started guiding for Black Swamp Bird Observatory at age 15, and continues to do so for BSBO, Metroparks Toledo, Toledo Naturalists' Association, and others. Nate has given multiple public presentations regarding bird identification and aspects of youth birding, inspiring him to create writing projects that have been published through Audubon and Birds and Blooms magazines. Nate is also responsible for posting bird-related content for Metroparks Toledo's social media. Graduating from the University of Toledo in May of 2022, Nate will be pursuing career in conservation and education, aiming to teach others about birds on the professional level.
Annie Lindsay
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!
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
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 Nature Tours.
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 more than a dozen in the recent “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 University Press in Autumn 2022.
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 more than a dozen in the recent “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 University Press in Autumn 2022.
Freya McGregor
Freya McGregor (she/her), OTR/L, CIG is the Birdability Coordinator and an occupational therapist. Birding since childhood, her ‘dodgy’ knee often creates an accessibility challenge for her. With a clinical background in blindness and low vision services, she works in her spare time for the radio show and podcast Ray Brown’s Talkin’ Birds, and is passionate about enabling all birders and potential future birders to enjoy birding and nature as much as she does.
Marky Mutchler
Marky Mutchler, a birder since the age of 3, lives in Los Angeles, California as an NSF-funded researcher at the Moore Laboratory of Zoology. Marky combines her passion for birding with her skills as an ornithologist and illustrator to produce publishable work. She also holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Louisiana State University, which has aided in her continued efforts to be involved in academia, with the next step being graduate school.
Marky has been a part of several field-based positions, ranging from research experiences along the Rio Grande in New Mexico to the depths of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Through the knowledge gained through the variety of her work, Marky is able to use this knowledge as a teaching tool and continues to seek out ways to teach and share with others!
Marky has been a part of several field-based positions, ranging from research experiences along the Rio Grande in New Mexico to the depths of the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Through the knowledge gained through the variety of her work, Marky is able to use this knowledge as a teaching tool and continues to seek out ways to teach and share with others!
Diego Quesada
Costa Rican born and raised nature lover, working as Certified Naturalist Guide since 2002, Birder; and Tourist Agent in Costa Rica, Diego has a college degree in Natural Resources Management. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Ornithologist Association of Costa Rica and involved with Bird Monitoring Projects and Sustainability Consulting, part of the organization team for the Arenal Annual Bird Count, and volunteer reviewer for eBird in Costa Rica.
Diego is actively birding not only in Costa Rica, but in nearby countries such as Nicaragua and Panama, as well as USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.
Diego is actively birding not only in Costa Rica, but in nearby countries such as Nicaragua and Panama, as well as USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador.
Kelly Riccetti
Kelly Riccetti is a lifelong artist and student of nature. She writes the birding and nature blog, "Red and the Peanut," where she shares her nature research, photographs, and wildlife paintings. When not blogging or painting, she can often be found hiking the banks of the Little Miami River in Cincinnati, Ohio searching out birds, wildflowers, insects and turtles.
Rob Ripma
Rob is a lifelong Indiana resident and co-owner of Sabrewing Nature Tours. He has traveled and birded extensively throughout the Americas and taken pelagic trips into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He is on the board of directors for Ohio’s Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Rob served as the President of the Board of the Amos Butler Audubon Society (ABAS) in Indianapolis from 2016-2021. Prior to joining the ABAS and BSBO boards, he served on the executive board of the Indiana Audubon Society for three years as Treasurer and Vice President. He is co-founder of the Indiana Young Birders Club and speaks at a variety of organizations and schools about birds and birding to share his knowledge and experiences in the field. He served as the primary bird blogger for Birds & Blooms Magazine from 2013-2017.
Rob 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. A graduate from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2008 with a degree in Marketing, Rob lives with his wife Stephanie and daughter Molly in Carmel, Indiana.
Rob 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. A graduate from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2008 with a degree in Marketing, Rob lives with his wife Stephanie and daughter Molly in Carmel, Indiana.
Anna Rose
Anna Rose is a third-year undergraduate student at the Ohio State University who is passionate for both art and wildlife sciences. She is majoring in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife as well as working on an honors research project on White-throated Sparrows at the OSU wetlands. She is excited to be pursuing her dream to become a wildlife scientist and professional artist.
Anna enjoys anything that allows her to build a connection with nature, and her skill in Plein Air painting (grabbing an easel and art supplies to paint what you see outdoors) and field sketching allow her to create unique keepsakes from the beautiful places she visits. Her previous experience with birds includes training with BSBO as a volunteer bird bander, working at a Wild Birds Unlimited Shoppe, and monitoring cavity-nesting species in her bluebird nest boxes! She has been a young artist on scholarship at the Dubois, Wyoming Susan K. Black Foundation Workshop in 2018 and 2019 and is continuing to build her skills by painting the landscapes and wildlife of the eastern United States.. Anna is excited to be sharing her passion for combining both art and nature.
Anna enjoys anything that allows her to build a connection with nature, and her skill in Plein Air painting (grabbing an easel and art supplies to paint what you see outdoors) and field sketching allow her to create unique keepsakes from the beautiful places she visits. Her previous experience with birds includes training with BSBO as a volunteer bird bander, working at a Wild Birds Unlimited Shoppe, and monitoring cavity-nesting species in her bluebird nest boxes! She has been a young artist on scholarship at the Dubois, Wyoming Susan K. Black Foundation Workshop in 2018 and 2019 and is continuing to build her skills by painting the landscapes and wildlife of the eastern United States.. Anna is excited to be sharing her passion for combining both art and nature.
Krisztina Scheeff
Based in San Diego CA Krisztina Scheeff is an award-winning and professional nature photographer. Recognized for her photographic work in National Audubon Society as well as a finalist in the prestigious Wildlife Photograph of the Year competition, Krisztina’s photos have been published in magazines and articles around the world, including National Geographic, Wild Planet Photo Magazine, California 101, San Diego Audubon Society, American Wild Magazine, Birders Digest, Marine Conservation Magazine – UK, North American Nature Photography Association, and more. They have also been featured in Art Shows and Galleries around the country.
Krisztina operates a successful business leading Photography Workshops and Tours to Scotland (Puffins), Ireland, Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hungary, Bosque del Apache. She also leads workshops for Bird Festivals around the country and presents at various events.
Krisztina spent years studying and photographing the Rushing Grebes and guides her clients at Lake Hodges in San Diego to experience this amazing behavior and capture their own photos. She is often called the "Grebe Whisperer" by her clients and peers.
Krisztina operates a successful business leading Photography Workshops and Tours to Scotland (Puffins), Ireland, Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Hungary, Bosque del Apache. She also leads workshops for Bird Festivals around the country and presents at various events.
Krisztina spent years studying and photographing the Rushing Grebes and guides her clients at Lake Hodges in San Diego to experience this amazing behavior and capture their own photos. She is often called the "Grebe Whisperer" by her clients and peers.
Day Scott
Day is certified naturalist, wildlife photographer, feature writer, and environmental educator. Her affinity for birds came in 2019, after a car accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury. Some of her bird photography has been recognized by Discovery and BBC America. Last year, she published a 2022 bird calendar that reached four countries! Though still navigating through her TBI recovery, she finds ornithology and writing witty and insightful “bird stories” to be an important part of her healing journey. Day currently lives in Moscow, studying wildlife resources at the University of Idaho. She hopes that sharing nature through her eyes brings joy to those near and far.
Website: thewildernessgoddess.com
Website: thewildernessgoddess.com
Tom Stephenson
Tom has been birding since he was a kid.
His articles and photographs are in museums and many publications including 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.
He’s guided many groups in the Americas and Asia, and had the honor of training guides for the government of Bhutan.
He’s won categories in the World Series of Birding and holds the US photo big-day record at 208 species.
As a musician Tom played concerts and did studio work for many years, worked with several Grammy and Academy Award winners, and performed with members of the NY Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His clients included the Grateful Dead, Phil Collins and the FBI.
His latest book, The Warbler Guide, is published by Princeton University Press and won the National Outdoor Book Award. The Warbler Guide App includes 3D rotating models and won the 2015 Design Award for AAUP.
His app, BirdGenie, is a “shazam” for bird song that helps bird enthusiasts identify over 150 common vocalizations. BirdGenie won the prestigious PROSE award from the American Association of Publishers.
He is currently working on five more books and apps for Princeton.
Tom has a patent on technology to identify animal vocalizations using a wide range of analytic criteria.
His articles and photographs are in museums and many publications including 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.
He’s guided many groups in the Americas and Asia, and had the honor of training guides for the government of Bhutan.
He’s won categories in the World Series of Birding and holds the US photo big-day record at 208 species.
As a musician Tom played concerts and did studio work for many years, worked with several Grammy and Academy Award winners, and performed with members of the NY Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. His clients included the Grateful Dead, Phil Collins and the FBI.
His latest book, The Warbler Guide, is published by Princeton University Press and won the National Outdoor Book Award. The Warbler Guide App includes 3D rotating models and won the 2015 Design Award for AAUP.
His app, BirdGenie, is a “shazam” for bird song that helps bird enthusiasts identify over 150 common vocalizations. BirdGenie won the prestigious PROSE award from the American Association of Publishers.
He is currently working on five more books and apps for Princeton.
Tom has a patent on technology to identify animal vocalizations using a wide range of analytic criteria.
Alex Sundvall
Alex began birding at the young age of five years old. It all started when his kindergarten class took a field trip to Westwood Hills Nature Center in his hometown of Saint Louis Park, MN where the class helped in releasing a Dark-eyed Junco. That Dark-eyed Junco was his spark bird, and as they say: the rest was history. From that moment on, Alex was a sponge for all things bird-related. He received his first bird field guide when he was seven, and whenever anyone would ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would say: “I’m going to be an ornithologist!” In recent years, Alex has started to live that dream. In 2016 at age 19, he was awarded the Young Birder Award by the Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union. Alex graduated with a BS in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota with minors in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management; and Forest Ecosystem, Management, and Conservation. While in school, he studied the boreal breeding birds of northern Minnesota and the birds of the prairie potholes of western Minnesota. Alex loves teaching and showing people new birds. He has worked as both a Counter and Count Interpreter at Hawk Ridge in Duluth, MN and currently works as a guide for NatureScape Tours.
Hannah Toutonghi
Hannah Toutonghi grew up in Washington State, where she discovered her love of birds and the natural world at an early age. After earning a B.S in biochemistry from the University of Washington, field work became the next chapter of her career. She has previously worked at the Natural Resources Research Institute, Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, and the Institute for Bird Populations. Highlights from those seasonal positions include getting dive-bombed by a Northern Goshawk while conducting point counts, banding juvenile Northern Saw-whet Owls, witnessing the irruption of Black-backed Woodpeckers and White-winged Crossbills during fall migration, and hearing Marbled Murrelets in the old-growth forests of the Olympic National Park. Currently, Hannah is a second year master’s student at the University of Minnesota Duluth researching the winter ecology and movement of Northern Hawk Owls. Hannah also enjoys hiking, camping, photography, and spending time with family - but never parts with her binoculars since birding can be done anytime, anywhere!
Heidi Trudell
Heidi Trudell is tired of picking up dead birds. She's a bird safe building specialist, a biologist turned architectural consultant, who has been involved with bird/window collision research and prevention since 2003, and has monitored wind farms during that time as well. Her passion for bird conservation has led her to serve on Safe Passage committees, including currently with Detroit Audubon and Black Swamp Bird Observatory. In a former life she ‘collected’ CBCs, guided birding tours, and fell in love with moths in far West Texas. She currently resides in Ann Arbor, MI where she co-parents dozens of orchids with her nesting partner. Learn more about her work at justsavebirds.com and Facebook groups: Just Save Birds, and Dead Birds 4 Science!
Sarah Winnicki
Sarah Winnicki is a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a former Master's student at Kansas State University. Their MSc project, affectionately known as project Prairie Babies, assessed the impact of Brown-headed Cowbird presence on the growth of grassland bird species. Now they study the hormones invested into bird eggs and the impacts those hormones have on growth and development. When not researching, Sarah is an avid birder, bird photographer, and science communicator. You can follow Sarah's exploits on Twitter (@skwinnicki) or through their website (www.sarahwinnicki.com).
Brian Zwiebel
Brian began his journey with birds by enrolling in an Ornithology class at Hocking College in 1993. Several years later he began photographing the subjects he had come to know so well. Brian is co-owner and photography guide at Sabrewing Nature Tours where he has traveled far and wide in his pursuit of birds. His work has been prominently displayed at The National Center for Nature Photography in Toledo, OH. He has written several articles for Audubon and his award-winning photography has been internationally published in books and magazines including Birder’s World, Bird Watching, Bird Watcher’s Digest, Birding, and Birds and Blooms.