Adam Blundell

Professor Blundell has the best job ever. He teaches a High School Ornithology program, no really, he does. He gets paid to spend his days talking about birds and leading field trips to over 100 students each year in his classes. When school is not in session, he leads study abroad programs and field research courses for both high school and university students. Adam Blundell was hatched and fledged from the shores of Farmington Bay. No matter where he travels around the world, much like the migrating birds, he always returns to the Farmington wetlands, his home.

Adam Brewerton

As a child, Adam’s first word was “bird”. While that isn’t actually true, Adam has had a life-long love of birds and nature. For the past 12 years, Adam has been working as the Wildlife Conservation Biologist for the Northern Region of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. He did his graduate work on sagebrush songbird community ecology at Utah State University. Some of the current projects he’s working on include, American White Pelicans, Black and Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finches, and movement ecology technologies like satellite tracking and Motus. His work also includes regional and international collaboration, conservation planning and mammals (like rodent communities and bats). If he’s not behind a pair of binoculars, you can find him skiing in the winters or camping, biking, or rafting in the summers, and making bad puns year-round.

Alexa West

Alexa has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from West Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies (with concentrations in Natural Resources Management, GIS Technologies, and Educational Psychology) from Texas Tech University. Alexa joined Ogden Nature Center in August of 2023 as a Naturalist Educator. She works on all things education, including field trips, nature center programs, and outreach. Through the iSEE grant, Alexa provides in-classroom environmental curriculum to all first graders in the state of Utah. Prior to her work at Ogden Nature Center, Alexa has had 3 years of experience in outdoor education throughout the US. Most recently, she was in Idaho as a Field Instructor for McCall Outdoor School. Alexa has a passion for herpetofauna, community building, and creative writing. In her free time, she can be found cuddling her cat Tango, reading a book, or playing tabletop games with her friends.

Amanda Holland

Amanda Holland, born and raised in the Salt Lake Valley suburbs, always had a love of animals, but didn’t discover an interest in birding until her early 20’s when she lived amidst a 48-acre wetland in western Oregon and a northern flicker - that she could then only describe as “speckled like a chicken and shaped like a jay” - landed on her patio and opened up a world of curiosity for her. She quickly left her career in intellectual property law, began a new pursuit in avian ecology and conservation, and has been birding ever since. She earned a B.S. in Fisheries & Wildlife Science from Oregon State University and M.S. from University of Georgia’s Warnell College of Forestry & Natural Resources. She’s moved across the country four times while working in seven states as an avian ecologist for a variety of universities, state and federal agencies, and nonprofits. After a 20-year hiatus, Amanda has returned to her home state and currently works for the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Utah Ecological Services Field Office as species lead for California condor and sagebrush ecosystems.

Andrea Nelson

Andrea Nelson started carrying a bird guide on her runs down the Provo River Trail to Utah Lake after noticing birds she didn’t recognize. The spark was ignited, and since has incorporated bird ecology into her environmental education work at Red Butte Garden, the Natural History Museum of Utah and FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake. She currently heads the volunteer, education and outreach programs for the Utah Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

Angie Branch

Angie's bird obsession didn’t hatch until her 20s, when she took an ornithology course during spring break of 1999 at the University of Utah. While most people were busy partying and making questionable decisions in Cancun, she was soaking up upper-division biology and lab credits in Madera Canyon. She was hooked, and since that life-changing spring break, she has continued to bird, often taking bird-centered trips with two lifelong friends she made in Ornithology.

She has participated in RINS (don’t ask, it’s one of those acronyms that makes her sound cool), runs a section of the Salt Lake City Christmas Bird Count since 2008—because, really, nothing says "holiday cheer" like stalking birds in winter—and has volunteered for Tracy Aviary’s breeding bird survey, which, let’s be honest, probably means she’s now part of some professional bird-watching squad.

Birding provides Angie with the perfect excuse to spend time outdoors, all while contributing to citizen science through eBird. And she loves sharing her passion with others—“Did you see that? A northern flicker!”

Angie Trumbo

Angie Trumbo has been a certified "Beak Geek" since discovering her love of birds at the Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City as a young child. Over a decade ago, she took up birding as a hobby while living out in Southern California and found herself on a slippery slope to a career in avian conservation. Angie is currently the Director of Conservation at Tracy Aviary, having recently joined their team after eight years working with International Bird Rescue in aquatic bird rehabilitation and emergency response.

Arnold Smith

Arnold Smith has watched and photographed birds and other wildlife from the mid 1950’s to the present. He was president of Wasatch Audubon Society, Ogden Chapter, on three separate occasions. He has written articles about birds for the latter, UOS and other publications. He ran or participated in USGS Breeding Bird Surveys in the West Desert for over 20 years. He has been involved in teaching classes or field trips for the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival since its inception. Arnold, his wife Linda and their family members continue to enjoy birding. The Smith’s are always striving to provide good yard habitat for birds where they live in Morgan.

Audrey Horn

Audrey recently graduated from BYU with a degree in Biodiversity & Conservation and will be continuing in the fall as a Master's student studying pinyon jays. She has taught the identification portion of BYU's ornithology class for three years, and has worked for Hill Air Force Base, BYU's wildlife ecology lab, and Utah's DNR as a wildlife technician. Besides birding, she enjoys rock climbing, snowboarding, running, backpacking, and mountain biking.

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson is an avid birder going on 8 years. He is married with four kids. He has been a member of the Wasatch Audubon Society for 4 years. He is currently serving as a Community Chairperson, planning all bird walks for the Society. Ben has served as a board member for 2 years and was Vice President for 1 year. Ben and his team won first place in the 2023 GSL Bird Race. Outside of Utah, one of his favorite birding trips was in Southeast Arizona. Ben is an audible birder and usually hears the bird before spying it. He enjoys nature and the outdoors via camping, traveling, walking, and hiking. Ben has dreams of future travel around the world and aspires to be even better at birding. Competing in a "Big Year" intrigues Ben. Have any tips? Throw them his way!

Beth Cottam

Beth’s birding obsession started way back in 1999 when she was talked into taking an ornithology class in college. What could be better than lab credit for looking at birds? She came out of that class with a lifelong hobby/passion and two best friends who also think it's totally normal to stare at trees for hours in search of elusive sparrows. Fast forward to today, and these two friends still accompany her on annual birding trips where they argue over whether that bird song is a Western Tanager or just a very fancy robin.

In 2019, Beth set a new year resolution to bird locally more. So she started to volunteer with Tracy Aviary doing breeding bird surveys. This experience marked the beginning of her deep dive into the world of bird sounds. As she studied and worked to better identify birds by their calls, she found herself wishing there was a podcast to help teach bird sounds. Why listen to the car radio on the way to work when you could be learning bird sounds? After searching high and low she realized that no one had created one yet.  When she couldn't find one that suited her needs, she took matters into her own hands and created Birding by Ear. In addition to making a podcast she is the mom of three kids, two teenagers, and an elementary schooler. And she works full time in a lab where she looks out the window and wishes she was birding. She is excited to be stretching herself, and taking her birding skills to another level by participating with the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.

Bryant Olsen

As far back as I can remember, I have had a great love of nature and the sciences and find myself always asking,'what is that'?, and consider myself more of a curious naturalist than a "birder".  I work for Tracy Aviary's Conservation/Science Program as a Conservation Ecologist, where I train volunteers to do IMBCR Point Transect Bird Surveys, and conduct those surveys myself. I also lead monthly field trips for Great Salt Lake Audubon.

Candice Burke

Sparked by a Pileated Woodpecker, Candice began birding 15 years ago while living in NJ and working for her local park system. She has led various programs working with all ages and experience levels, spreading her joy of nature and knowledge of birding. Candice moved to Cache County in 2022 and is a member of the Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Chris Butler

Chris has been an educator at HawkWatch International for 4 years. While he has always been a fan of the outdoors and animals, he got really into birds when he started working at HawkWatch. Now he spends his free time playing Pokémon and going birding. He is excited for another year of leading trips for people during the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival.

Colin Maguire

During my undergraduate studies at the University of New Hampshire, two exceptional professors introduced me to the captivating world of birds, igniting an enduring interest that has lasted over 30 years. Despite my initial foray into research focusing on satiation in a marine nudibranch, fate led me to explore cardiac electrophysiology at Children's Hospital-Boston. Inspired by this pivotal experience, I pursued graduate studies at Baylor College of Medicine. While at Baylor College of Medicine and at the University of North Carolina, I delved deeper into the intricacies of heart development using a quail model, bringing my avian interest full circle. Currently, at the University of Utah, I lead a Stem Cell Facility dedicated to unraveling disease mechanisms in Translational Research. My family and I feel fortunate to call Utah home, where we are constantly in awe of the state's natural splendor, especially the birds that inhabit and journey through our region.

Connie Misket

Connie Misket moved to Utah in 2001, having grown up in the Midwest. She has always had a love for nature and birdwatching yard birds from a very young age, which was reignited and jumped to a whole new level after her first trip to Costa Rica for a yoga retreat.   She was lucky enough to have a fantastic guide who pointed out bird species that would spend part of the year in Utah, and she returned home to Utah with a new obsession. She started seeking out opportunities to learn about the birds closer to home, getting involved with local groups, multiple Christmas Bird Counts every year, and jumping into training with Tracy Aviary Conservation's Birds of Utah class and Breeding Bird Survey training programs. She has volunteered conducting Breeding Bird Surveys for the past 8+ years, and in 2022 she added volunteering with Sageland Collaborative on Intermountain West Shorebird Surveys. She's continually working to further her education with regards to our amazing natural world, through Utah State University Extension programs, online courses and time spent in the field. She's also picked up wildlife photography in the process, placing 3rd in the 2022 Great Salt Lake Bird Festival Photo Contest. 

Connor Johnson

Connor Johnson is a budding ornithologist and bodacious birder from Davis County. He has a passion for ecology, and is currently studying Boreal Owl populations in Utah. You can catch him skiing, trail running, or searching for rare gulls at the dump!

Cullen Clark

Cullen Clark has always preferred being outdoors.  He grew up exploring the family farm and anywhere his feet would take him, often only being spotted at home for meals.  He’s led scout and youth groups on outdoor adventures for most of his life.  He quickly fell in love with birding after hanging a feeder at home.  One of his 5 kids asked “What kind of bird is that?’ So he bought his first bird book.  Now many books later he is usually seen with a large camera or binoculars birding whenever he can.  He is currently the Ebrid reviewer for Cache Valley.

Dallin Henderson

Dallin Henderson is an avid bird watcher and outdoorsman. He first fell in love with bird watching while attending college in Eastern Idaho and enrolling in a Western Bird Study class. He has been watching birds ever since. Dallin is a contractor by trade and birdhouse builder by profession.

Elizabeth Moon

Elizabeth Moon is a senior at Farmington High School and future Wildlife Ecology and Management major at USU. She spends much of her time hiking, birding, and photographing wildlife. Her love of birds began in 2nd grade when she completed an animal report on a kakapo, while her passion for photography began at Layton Commons Park, a pond she had been visiting her entire life. She has since won numerous wildlife photography contests and has had the pleasure of sharing her photos with the public. Whether she's crawling through the mud off Antelope Island Causeway towards flocks of shorebirds or trudging miles through a snowstorm to photograph pygmy owls, Liz is always up for an adventure.

Esther Sumner

Esther Sumner works full-time as a product manager at Adobe. When she's not working, she spends as much time outdoors as possible, usually birding, mountain biking (while trying to ID birds by sound), and gardening. She volunteers for Tracy Aviary, Sageland Collaborative, and Audubon, primarily with bird surveys. She also volunteers as a Master Gardener at Thanksgiving Point, where she likes to bird her way onto the grounds. She is currently working on bringing more native habitat into her garden to further benefit and welcome birds to enjoy with her husband John.

Felicia Alvarez

Ms. Alvarez is originally from Southern California and became a Utah resident in the third grade. She acts like she’s retired, but she has less than one year to go until she can bird full time. She’s a volunteer with Tracy Aviary Conservation Science, primarily focused on helping conduct breeding season surveys and more recently checking bird feeders at Alta and the Jordan River Nature Center. She also volunteers with Sageland Collaborative, where she helps perform shorebird surveys along the Great Salt Lake. She’s a member of her local Audubon group and participates in as many bird walks as she can. She’s participated in Christmas Bird Counts in Washington, Salt Lake, and Wasatch Counties. She is also the proud mother of a great 17-year-old. She loves birding, mountain biking, hiking, traveling, reading, field hockey, and spending time with family and friends.

Georgie Corkery

My spark bird is a Mountain chickadee. I grew up in the Salt Lake Valley hearing them sing throughout my childhood without knowing who they were. On my first birding excursion I was told who sang the whistle I knew so well, and it sparked my pursuit of becoming a naturalist. I feel most at home in the mountains and since I was a kid I’ve been passionate about recreating in and protecting the outdoors. As an undergraduate at the University of Utah, I learned about the inextricable connections between social and environmental justice, earning a BA in Environmental & Sustainability Studies and a BS in Urban Ecology. After graduating, I was hungry for ways to be involved in making Utah more sustainable and ended up working for several nonprofits and joining the board of Great Salt Lake Audubon in 2018. I recently completed an MS in Ecology at Utah State University, in which my thesis was on aspen and recreation ecology. Now, I am the Coordinator of Great Salt Lake Institute and serve as board president of Great Salt Lake Audubon. The community, passion, and wonder of birding contribute to the fulfillment I get from having a career of protecting and learning about the environment. Community building, learning, and sharing knowledge are my main sources of fuel, along with good (or bad) jokes and sunny days outside.

Heidi Christensen

Heidi has been an animal lover her whole life. Working as the Animal Manager for the ONC and as an Outreach Educator is a dream come true for her. She has a BS in Zoology/ Botany from Weber State University. She volunteered as a bird handler and caregiver for the Hogle Zoo Bird show, for the Living Planet Aquarium as a caretaker for all animal species, worked as a Wildlife Technician for many seasons at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in the Aquatics

Department doing native fish, frog, and toad studies. Heidi started at the Ogden Nature Center as a volunteer caring for the animals in 1999. She eventually moved up to volunteer animal handler, educator for the Wildlife on Wheels program, and as a raptor rehabilitator in the former bird rehabilitation area of the Nature Center. Her love of raptors prompted her to obtain a State of Utah Falconry License. Heidi served in the US Navy for 22 years as a Senior Chief Logistics

Specialist with mobilizations to Kosovo, Iraq, and 3 tours to Afghanistan. She retired in 2019 after a 4-year term serving as the Senior Enlisted leader for the Defense Logistics Agency Defense Remediation Team. In her free time Heidi loves to get a good workout in and hang with her own menagerie of animals at home.

Heidi Hoven

Heidi Hoven is the Senior Manager of National Audubon’s Gillmor Sanctuary on the south shore of Great Salt Lake. She has conducted more than 20 years of research on GSL wetland ecology, obtaining a broad understanding of the inter-relationships of habitat conditions and the flora and fauna that thrive in the wetlands. She brings this background to help improve and protect the habitat for birds of GSL. She also serves on the board of the Dark Sky Utah Chapter, where she chairs the lighting ordinance committee, working with others to reduce light pollution for people and migratory birds. When not “working for birds”, she enjoys discovering birds in new and old places.

Ian Batterman

Ian Batterman is an educator and avid bird watcher living in Sandy, Utah. He began his love of birds at the age of 6 in his home state of Wisconsin and has been fascinated by ornithology ever since. He studied Zoology at the University of Wisconsin and has 18 years of informal education experience teaching about wildlife, conservation, and ornithology (often with live animals). Currently, Ian is the Volunteer Education Specialist at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, Utah. When he is not birding or working, he spends time with his wife and 10 pets.

Ivan Richardson

Ivan is a passionate 20-year-old birder and one who considers themselves as having a “Crippling Addiction to Competitive Birding”, a statement that is clearly seen in Ivan’s everyday life. As a birder, Ivan began at age 5 when his father took them to the Saint George Winter Bird Festival at which point he became hooked. 15 years of birding Utah later that “hook” stays on and now influences Ivan’s education where he studies Biology at Utah Valley University. Ivan also works as an educator at the Living Planet Aquarium where he goes to schools around the state to share about the natural world and animal adaptations.

Jace Taylor

Jace is a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist at Hill Air Force Base. He has been a wildlife and plant biologist in Utah for the past 11 years. In addition to working with birds professionally, Jace especially enjoys birding with his wife and kids. His favorite bird is the mountain bluebird.

Jaimi Butler

Jaimi Butler can barely remember a time when she was not using airplanes, boats, four-wheelers, airboats, and stand-up paddle boards to get around one of Utah's most amazing ecosystems. Over the past 24 years, Jaimi has helped increase knowledge and shape perceptions of Great Salt Lake through work in the private sector, government, and academia. Jaimi is the co-author of a children’s book about the lake and co-edited the first book devoted entirely to the biology of Great Salt Lake. Jaimi recently moved to her family farm in Cache Valley and is trying to figure out what she wants to be when she (doesn’t) grow up.

Jake Dreyfous

Janae Redke

Janae Radke has always loved birds but began actively birding when she moved to Utah from Texas in 2016. She recently finished a master's degree studying greater sage-grouse at Brigham Young University where she helped teach the identification portion of the ornithology class for four semesters. She enjoys sharing her love for birds (and eBird) with others and traveling to new places to see new species.

Jeff Bilsky

I grew up in the Chicago area but Utah is where I really first learned to love birding. I moved to Salt Lake City in 2006 and it absolutely changed my life. Suddenly, I had all these mountains and amazing, endless wilderness to explore. A few hikes surrounded by the sounds and views of the birds of Utah and I was hooked. I have had amazing and memorable birding and wildlife experiences in Utah over the years and even though I have now moved back to Chicago, I visit as much as possible. I spend most of my free moments birding the forest preserves and lakefront of the Chicago region, but nothing beats the wilds of Utah.

Jennifer Wright

Jen Wright is an experienced birder and hikes the numerous trails while living in Cache Valley. Jen’s background consists of an undergraduate degree in Biology (wildlife emphasis) and a Master’s in wetland biology. She currently serves as wildlife biologist and wetland ecologist for the Bear River Migratory Bird Complex (Fish Springs NWR and BRMB Refuge). Her passion is restoring habitats with native plants and providing vegetation for pollinators. Jen has worked with the Navy and USFWS over her career and the last 20+ years as a biologist.  

Her favorite hobbies are photography, skiing, biking, and hiking, or anything that motivates her two teenagers to get outside. She has been an avid birder ever since an elderly neighbor taught her how to “go birding” at the age of nine in the remote woods of New Hampshire.

Jess Taylor

Jess fell in love with raptors on a college class field trip to a HawkWatch International migration site in the western US. She started working with raptors after graduating and is now a Research Biologist at HawkWatch International in the Long-Term Monitoring and Community Science Department. Jess works with teams of biologists and volunteers to monitor cavity-adopting raptors (mostly small owls and American Kestrels) and still gets to help setup and run HWI's raptor migration network. She is passionate about ecology, conservation, and sharing her excitement for and knowledge of birds of prey with anyone who will listen.

Jesse Watson

Jim Parrish

“Born and raised” in Alabama, Jim moved to Utah in 1983 to complete advanced degrees in wildlife and range resources conducting studies on the Biogeochemistry of Nearctic Peregrine Falcons. He retired in 2013 with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as the Native Species

Program Coordinator, a position he had held since 2006. Prior to 2006, Jim was the Utah Partners in Flight Program Coordinator, a position he held for 10 years where he conducted and supervised statewide monitoring studies for Utah’s Neotropical Migratory Birds. Also, he headed up a multi-agency working group that compiled and published the Utah Avian Conservation Strategy, a comprehensive management and conservation guide for all of Utah’s non-game bird populations and their habitats which has been incorporated into multiple state and federal agency avian management plans. Jim has conducted other avian studies at both national and international locales, and authored and co-authored numerous publications dealing with avian ecology and conservation. Jim is married and has three children and three grandchildren, and enjoys spending time with his family, chasing birds and light through wildlife and landscape photography, and traveling with his family to explore new adventures nationwide and internationally.

Jim Van Leeuwen

Jim Van Leeuwen is currently a Wildlife Biologist for the State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, under the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem. Jim specializes in aquatic biology and has worked with mainly native aquatic species of Utah, from amphibians, reptiles, to cutthroat trout. His current species of interest are brine shrimp and brine flies of the Great Salt Lake. He has also gotten to know the lake’s large avian community as well. He has worked in and around the lake for about 24 years and has logged many boat hours on the lake.

John Luft

Kate Sweet

Kate loved collecting bird guides as a little kid. She followed this interest and studied biology for her bachelor's and master's degrees. Kate has worked on a variety of wildlife field projects, including telemetry tracking whooping cranes in Wisconsin, trapping small mammals and invertebrates in Alaska, and working with raptors in California and Oregon before settling in Salt Lake. She has worked at HawkWatch International for the past two years as a field biologist and loves sharing how amazing birds are with others. When she's not at work Kate is usually hiking, skiing, or hanging out with her dog, Scooty. 

Kathy Donnell

Kathy Donnell has been a Park Naturalist for Utah State Parks for 25 years. She began her career at Jordanelle State Park in 1995 and moved to Wasatch Mountain State Park in 2011. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Parks and Recreation, and Resource Management.  She is a Utah Certified Environmental Educator, Certified Public Manager and Utah Master Naturalist.  Kathy has had the privilege of caring for an injured Peregrine Falcon and currently 2 Great Horned Owls. Kathy says the best part of her job, other than learning, is teaching about the earth and our responsibility to live sustainable lives. She loves to be outside each season camping, hiking, biking, skiing, and exercising as well as continuing to learn new things and look at the stars.

KC Childs

KC Childs is a passionate birder, who has been enjoying this hobby for 25 years now. His passion for birds started when he was in a high school class that had a requirement to find 75 species of birds in a semester, and since getting that assignment, he hasn't stopped birding. He has had many different opportunities to volunteer in local, and distant birding communities. He has led field trips for his local bird club, Utah County Birders, the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, and in different capacities with birders from around the world. He also has had the opportunity to teach youth about birds in his job as a school teacher.  He is currently the president elect of the Utah County Birders, and has served in different capacities with that organization throughout the years. If he isn't out birding, then he's probably outside enjoying outdoor recreation like skiing, hiking, and exploring long forgotten places, and he's probably also trying to bird while doing all of that. He is excited to meet new birders and to help extend some of his knowledge he has learned through the years. 

Keeli Marvel

Keeli Marvel discovered birding about 20 years ago when she took an ornithology class in college.  She earned a Master's degree in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation studying goshawks and has been the Natural Resource Specialist for the Army since 2010. In her professional life she helps conserve birds and other wildlife species and in her personal life she loves spending time outdoors and has served on the Utah County Birders board in various capacities for many years.

Kenny Frisch

Kenny has been birding his whole life. First in western NY and for the past 11 years in Utah, where he has fallen for the birds of the state. He has previously served on the Utah Bird Records Committee and shares the Utah Big Day Record of 205 with Tim Avery and Colby Neuman. He is also a Horticulturist at the University of Utah where he started and heads the Bird Nest Survey program, the Red Butte Creek Survey project and two Campus Bioblitzes. You can often find him leading field trips, recording bird sounds, and hiking with his wife and kids.

Kim Lightbody

Kim Lightbody is a wildlife rehabilitator from New York City, where she first discovered her love of birding. She spent three years at the Wild Bird Fund, NYC's only wildlife rehabilitation clinic, and now works at Wildlife Center of Salt Lake, a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals. Kim considers herself lucky to be able to work hands-on with all manner of Utah bird species, although she prefers to see them healthy and out enjoying their natural habitats. Kim has also worked as a field guide in Southern Utah, leading backpacking, canyoneering, and climbing adventures, and always making sure to point out any birds she sees to her clients. Her favorite bird, despite its commonness, is the classic American Robin.

Kirk Parkinson

Kirk Parkinson is happily retired from an enjoyable career in the X-ray Technology and Ultrasound Industry. He has been an active Davis County Master Gardener and Docent at the Utah State University Botanical Center since 2018. He also volunteers with the Wings and Water program teaching children about the local wetlands, and this is where he first became interested in birding. Kirk also enjoys playing golf, fishing, and spending time with grandchildren.

Kristina McOmber

Kristina was raised in California's bay area, and has been living in Utah on and off for about 4 years. In 2010, she had the opportunity to work on the Farallones for her undergrad thesis at Pomona College, and since then she's been hooked on birds! She has also lived in Maine, Arizona, Queensland (Australia), Midway Atoll, Alaska, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Wyoming, and Oregon doing seasonal field work with seabirds, passerines, raptors, owls, wading birds, ducks/geese, shorebirds, small mammals and habitat restoration. She recently completed a Master's degree from the University of Manitoba studying Atlantic puffins and razorbills in Newfoundland, Canada. She is excited to start hatching chicks in her new nest with her partner, a raptor biologist, in Stansbury Park.

Kyle Stone

Kyle Stone graduated from Weber State University in 2006 with a bachelors in zoology. While there, he discovered his love for birds while taking an ornithology class and began working for the Avian Ecology Lab. In 2009, after four years with AEL, he was hired by UDWR as a biologist on the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program. Kyle has continued his nearly two-decade journey exploring and studying the Great Salt Lake Ecosystem, completing his Master's degree from Utah State University in 2021.

Kylie Friedman

Kylie Friedman is a scientist from Baltimore, Maryland with experience in Conservation Genomics and Microbiology. She began her career in education at the Emerald Coast Science Center, where she worked as the Lead Planetarium Educator. When her family moved to Utah in 2022, she was inspired by the Ogden Nature Center’s mission and decided to join the team as a Teacher-Naturalist. Kylie strives to apply her background to educational programs, leading stargazing nights and creating activities about environmental microbiology.  Kylie hopes to share the joy of birding with beginners and families during "Urban Birding at the Ogden Nature Center."

Laura Cleveland

Laura's interest in birds didn't begin until college, but from that point on she knew she wanted a career working with them. After working as a nest searcher with wild songbirds in Arizona, and as husbandry specialist with Steller's and Spectacled Eiders at an aquarium in Alaska, she found her niche as an environmental educator. She currently works as an Educator at HawkWatch International, and teaches people about birds of prey. When she isn't working with, watching, or photographing birds, she enjoys spending time with her cats, Puffin and Pinguino.

Leah Waldner

I never was the athletic type and felt that birding was my gateway to outdoor recreation because it didn't require money, specialized gear, or coordination. Birding is as diverse as nature: people of all ages and backgrounds, skill levels, and economic means can enjoy birds. Whether you enjoy birds with or without binoculars on public lands, in your yard, or at a local park in a bustling city, it is accessible to everyone and everywhere. This is why birds spark joy in both my personal and professional life. I completed my graduate work on Mexican Spotted Owls at Utah State University and have worked for the Bureau of Land Management for the past 8 years. While I get to work on a variety of projects, my main focus is management of Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse. I cherish working as a wildlife biologist managing your public lands and sharing my love for birds every day! In my spare time I enjoy hiking, knitting, camping, river rafting, and of course birding with eBird. 

Logan Knaphus

I have been birding for 12 years. I love being in the outdoors, going on adventures with my two daughters and wife, camping, and hiking. I’ve had a love for wildlife since I was a child and grew up visiting Utah’s beautiful State and National Parks. I love capturing pictures and videos through my spotting scope to share with friends and family. 

Marzena Blundell

Marzena Blundell is obsessed with birds. She loves watching birds, feeding birds, going out birding, watching birds, feeding birds and especially watching birds. She also takes care of several pet birds. She just can’t get enough birds. When not spending time with birds she’s in the air herself; as an Airmed Flight Nurse, and Aerial Circus Performer.

Max Malmquist

Max Malquist is the Engagement Manager for National Audubon Society’s Saline Lakes Program. Max works to preserve saline lake ecosystems and other wetland habitats in the Great Basin region. He loves to share his passion for birds with others, and the connection that birds and people have with one of our most precious resources in the arid West: Water.

Melissa Halvorsen

Melissa Halvorsen can't remember a time when she wasn't interested in the natural world. She grew up following her biologist father around in the field whenever she was out of school. She currently serves as the Education and Outreach Director at HawkWatch International. In her free time, Melissa enjoys exploring the outdoors, reading, playing games, and starting craft projects she never intends to finish.

Mike Hearell

Mike Hearell- developed his interest in all things wild as a kid exploring the hills, fields, and water bodies of Southern Illinois. He moved to Utah in 1990 and through hunting and volunteer programs rediscovered his passion for birds. He has volunteered and guided for the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival since 2009, is a two-term voting member of the Utah Bird Records Committee, an eBird Reviewer, and guides year round. He has birded all over the United States and multiple other countries.

Mike Malmquist

Mike Malmquist is a lifelong lover of the outdoors whose fascination with birds and birding developed relatively recently. When he's not working as an environmental attorney (soon to be retired, and it's about time!), Mike can typically be found prowling  northern Utah birding hotspots with his son Max or wife Mary, or volunteering for one of the  excellent bird conservation NGOs we are blessed with here in Utah.

Miles Gilmore

Hi I’m Miles, I’m 22, and I love birds. I have been an avid birdwatcher for about 6 years now, and I have seen a LOT of birds. My love for birds has taken me on adventures all over the world, including a 3 week birding expedition to South Africa. Besides bird watching I love to make music and perform with my band. I like to paint as well and I usually just paint birds because they are my favorite, obviously. My favorite birds are Kingfishers and the American Kestrel.

Nicholas Brown

Nick is the Natural Resource Program Manager for Hill Air Force Base and the Utah Test and Training Range.  He worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for 10 years and has been working with natural resources for the Air Force for 20 years.  He is a master bander for eagles and enjoys getting close and personal with the golden eagle nestlings of the West Desert, studying survival and fledgling dispersal (auxiliary bands).

Quinn Diaz

Quinn is a birding guide for Pitta Nature Tours in Utah, and a lifelong bird and wildlife enthusiast. He moved around a lot while growing up, and had the opportunity to learn about bird, reptile, and amphibian life native to many different areas of the United States. Through being an active member of the birding community in northern Utah he became acquainted with the Pitta Nature Tours team and the organizers for the GSL Bird Festival. He is also a guitar teacher during the weekdays and a freelance musician.

Rachel Lake

Rachel grew up in Murray, Utah, right next to the Jordan River. She earned a degree in plant biology from the University of Utah and has worked as a field ecologist with Utah Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps, conducting plant surveys in the deserts of Grouse Creek and Iron County. With two seasons of fieldwork in Utah’s west desert and Cedar City mountains, Rachel specializes in shrubland steppe ecosystems. Now the event manager for Grow the Flow, her passion for the lake began with an admiration for native plants. 

Her favorite bird is a Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) and her favorite plant is Freckled milkvetch (Astragalus lentiginosus)!

Renata Vazquez

Renata Vazquez is originally from Arizona and started her science journey at Northern Arizona University. She has been an Educator at HawkWatch International for two and a half years and with help from their Raptor Ambassadors, she teaches about the ecological importance of raptors to a wide array of audiences across Utah. This will be her 3rd year guiding at GSL Bird Fest and is looking forward to helping people find some awesome birds in a very special place.

Rhea Cone

Rhea joined the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter team in 2017. As a born and raised Parkite, Rhea loves being involved in conservation projects in her hometown and working with both locals and visitors alike. Rhea finished her BS in Ecology at the University of Utah in 2016. You can find her on the Preserve leading volunteers, working on habitat restoration projects, and watching for native bees. Outside of work, Rhea enjoys skiing, mountain biking, birding, and gardening.

Rory Eggleston

Rory Eggleston is a third-year PhD student at Utah State University studying habitat use and movement in Pinyon Jays. She grew up in Laramie, WY, has been birding since she was six, and loves sharing the natural world with others!

Russ Lawrence

Russ is the Natural Resource Program Manager for Hill Air Force Base and the Utah Test and Training Range.  He worked for the Utah Division of Wildlife for 13 years and has been managing natural resources for the Air Force for 16 years.  He serves as Co-chair of the Bird Conservation Working Group for the National Military Fish and Wildlife Association.  He also serves on the Department of Defense Partners in Flight Steering Committee and represents DoD on the North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI).

Sammy Riccio

Sammy is the Donor Engagement Coordinator for HawkWatch International. At HWI, Sammy leads communications, grant writing, and merchandising. She also assists in fundraising campaigns and donor relations. Before transitioning to development, Sammy worked as an entomologist and a science educator.

Sharee Harrison

Sharee Harrison has been birding in Utah since she was 9 years old. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Zoology with a focus on Ornithology and Entomology. She is the owner of "For the Birds and Bees" located in Clearfield and loves to share her joy with similarly minded bird enthusiasts.

Stephanie Greenwood

After a Northern Pygmy Owl crashed into her bedroom window in the spring of 2011, Stephanie Greenwood became fascinated with the many species of birds in Utah and became hooked on birding. Since then she has seen more than 300 species in Utah in a year, has been mentioned in ABA’s Birding magazine, served on the Utah Bird Records Committee, and runs the state’s largest Facebook birding group. She’s a new mom and spends most of her time now around Bountiful, where she resides.

Susan Snyder

Suzi Holt

Taylor Abbott

Taylor Abbott has become an avid birder after begrudgingly being roped in by a family member. He's been traveling the U.S. ever since looking for birds, visiting each of the 50 states. Taylor has a Zoology degree from North Carolina State University, and currently teaches science in Layton, Utah.

Tim Avery

Tim Avery Tim's passion for birds began at 10 years old while flipping through the Golden Guide to Birds in his dad's pickup truck, as his family spent weekend camping in the Uinta Mountains. Though his father wasn't a birder, he could identify Herons, Ospreys, Kingfishers, and other common species. However, it was the sight of a Western Tanager perched in a Ponderosa pine that truly captivated Tim, igniting his love for birding. Between 2003 and 2005, he honed his birding skills as a field technician for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, contributing to the Monitoring Wyoming Birds project and photographing Wyoming's first Flammulated Owl. In 2007, he started Mountain West Birding Company, guiding visiting birders on their quest to spot a Flammulated Owl. Since then, Mountain West rebranded to Pitta Tours, with the motto, “We. Find. Birds.” Tim and his fellow guides have been sharing incredible bird-watching experiences and wildlife tours with nature-minded people all over the world. When not guiding, Tim provides strategic design direction and leadership in the software industry.  Besides birding, he spends his free time with his family, collecting baseball cards, cooking, woodworking, coaching little league baseball, traveling the world to see the incredible sights and cultures it has to offer, photographing anything and everything wild, and numerous other hobbies that there just isn’t enough time for.

Tom Mathewson

Tom Mathewson is a local photographer specializing in landscapes and wildlife.  Although he works mostly in the Great Salt Lake area he also captures the beauty of other areas in the western United States, especially the national parks.

His exposure to photography started in his youth with hand-me-down cameras, and continued with aerial cameras for the U.S. Air Force.  After retiring from the military he began serious photography in 2005, refining his technique to capture the natural beauty of the West and share it with the public.  His work is currently featured in local galleries and stores, including the Antelope Island Visitor Center, and has been shown at regional art festivals.

Tori Sohm

Tori Sohm was interested in birds while watching the feeders at her childhood home. She has worked in informal education as well as out in the field, volunteering with Tracy Aviary, Hawkwatch International, the Ara Project in Costa Rica, and Australian National University, and working for the State of Utah to conduct breeding bird surveys. She has a broad range of interests and particularly loves the Great Salt Lake and all the birdlife it supports.

Tori Thorpe

Tori Thorpe is a Field Biologist with HawkWatch International, where she has held numerous positions since 2017. She is also a master's student at Utah State University where she is studying golden eagle predation of greater sage-grouse. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Tori started her science career volunteering and working at the National Aquarium. Tori is excited to guide paddlers on the water and explore birding on the Great Salt Lake with others! Besides observing and studying wildlife, Tori enjoys getting outside with friends and family, watching and listening to her pet quail, photography, and embroidery.

Trish Ackley

Trish Ackley is the Park Naturalist at Antelope Island State Park. She loves to explore the many incredible natural resources of the park and finds joy in sharing those discoveries with the public.  You can find Trish excitedly showing visitors the unique sand on the beach, the porcupine in a tree or the abundant (but shy) burrowing owl.  She prioritizes keeping the park accessible and inclusive for anyone who wishes to enjoy it.

Tully Frain

Tully Frain discovered his passion for birds in college, where he became an avid birder and eventually built a career out of it. Starting as a field technician in Wisconsin, he has since banded thousands of birds across the country - from waterfowl in Montana to Black Skimmers in New Jersey. Now serving as Conservation Ecologist and Utah Motus Coordinator at Tracy Aviary, Tully leads Utah's Motus network development and research tracking Wilson's Phalaropes and Snowy Plovers across their migration routes, while also running a banding station at Tracy Aviary's Nature Center at Pia Okwai.

Vivian Schneggenburger

In the 1980’s I became interested in birding and began attending field trips with Great Salt Lake Audubon.  After volunteering for several summers with the downtown Peregrine Watch Team my passion grew.  Over the past 10 years I have been active with Tracy Aviary’s Conservation Science Program doing breeding bird surveys.  I also lead field trips for GSLA & am a participant in the Audubon Shorebird Survey.

Weston Smith

Weston Lee Smith has been birding with his family since he was an infant. Vacations and outdoor adventures always included watching birds. He was taken on Wasatch Audubon field trips and attended meetings where his knowledge of birds was greatly increased. As a teen he raised pigeons and different species of game birds. With all this early exposure it was natural for him to become one of the best bird identifiers, both visual and audio, in the area. Weston runs USGS Breeding Bird Surveys, participates in Christmas Bird Counts and oversees the Morgan Christmas Bird Count. He has built and placed many Bluebird boxes for Wasatch Audubon Society and served as a Board of Director for the group. With his love of watching birds he has also become an accomplished amateur photographer with many stunning pictures, winning prizes at an early age. He and his wife, Louize, designed their 2 acre yard to entice birds and other wildlife. Along with his father he has participated in conducting bird tours for The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival from its inception.

Will Harrod

I first fell in love with birds and birding as a kid growing up in Ithaca New York. I started out by keeping a list of the chickadees and cardinals behind my house and then by going on field trips with the local Cayuga Bird Club. In college, I majored in biology and environmental science at Allegany College; where I studied parental behavior in hooded warblers, and brood parasitism in brown-headed cowbirds. After receiving my bachelor’s, I traveled as a wildlife technician, monitoring birds in Oregon, California, Pennsylvania, and New York. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in wildlife biology at Utah State. My thesis is focused on how fire shapes passerine communities in sagebrush ecosystems.