Tell us a bit about your background - where are you from and where did you study?

I've lived in South Carolina almost my entire life. I studied Biology at the College of Charleston.

How about any hobbies or favorite things to do?

Obviously I love birding and I'm still learning more every time I go out. I also really enjoy hunting down rare plants to photograph. It's always a rewarding feeling to find a particular plant that only grows in a specific habitat. I've been using iNaturalist to post my species records for plants, animals, and fungi for almost ten years now.

What got you interested in birds (this can be plants, wildlife, etc.)?

In a way, the discoveries about dinosaurs in the last couple decades has made me become more interested in birds. As scientists have discovered that dinosaurs were more and more bird-like in both appearance and behavior than previously thought, it's made me see birds for the little dinosaurs that they are.

Do you have a spark bird story?

I think the bird that really started my bird mania was a Gray Kingbird I spotted in 2022 at Fort Johnson on James Island. I assumed it was just an Eastern Kingbird when I spotted it. It wasn't until I got home and was reviewing my photos did I realize there was something off about it. When another birder helped me ID it and it turned out to be something unexpected is when I realized just how much being someplace at the right time really ties into birding.

Do you have a funny or interesting bird story?

In 2022 I worked on the SCDNR research vessels for their fish studies. I was on the Lady Lisa helping set lines when a Great Shearwater got its wing caught on a hook on one of the lines. We brought it onboard and it was given to me to get the hook out. That's when it started biting my hands with that sharp, hooked beak. After much yowling from me, we got the hook out with the help of some bolt cutters. I set it loose and it took off, no longer interested in the bait we were putting out, leaving me with tattered nitrile gloves.