For many years I dreamed of becoming a wildlife 'expert' so I could share the natural world with others, but I never really considered exploring any avenues to make that possible. I did not personally know anyone who was even the slightest into naturalist hobbies like bird watching, bug collecting, or botany. Instead, I had a lot of experience with playing video games, my main hobby growing up. When I was around age 21 I got an SLR camera and discovered very quickly that I cannot capture many good photos of much diversity of wildlife if I do not first learn about and appreciate that wildlife... Within a few months of getting the camera I put it back down and instead carried binoculars and a field guide, aiming to learn as much as I could about the local birds who breed in, overwinter in, or migrate through the area. I gladly gave up video games about two weeks after finding our about bird watching, and a handful of years later I have not looked back once! I feel like I was born to be a naturalist and I am grateful that I have realized this at such a young age.
I've spent considerable amounts of time in many areas of Ontario over the past few years, as far north as the coast of James Bay near Moosonee, Cornwall and far Eastern Ontario, and nearly everywhere between here and those places. Fortunately my field work has taken me to hundreds of interesting wetland sites across Southern Ontario. I have done a bit of international birding, including trips to various locations across North America and a couple of weeks in England.
My strong interest in understanding birds has led me into studying much other wildlife, including but not limited to insects (especially moths, butterflies, dragonflies, and bumblebees), herps (reptiles and amphibians), mammals, flowers, and trees. I regularly set up a sheet with a very bright light to attract and identify moths at night, raise butterflies like Monarchs and Black Swallowtails, study animal tracks, flip boards for snakes, and am currently developing a large naturalized garden in my yard. You name it wildlife-related and I probably either do it or am interested in trying.
That's enough about me for now. If you're wondering about anything you're very welcome to ask! My email address is Jeremybirder@gmail.com
Happy hiking and good birding!
Jere
Jeremy you are amazing. Just surfing the news and an article about you came up so checked it out. What a great ambition you have in your life. There is something fascinating and intoxicating about that moment when you sight the bird, take the picture then later see the image and it was captured beautifully. Your photos are stunning. Good luck with your count and I will be following your blog.
ReplyDeleteFellow bird lover Anna