News
1 August 2007
I finished my last field season in Peru and will be working over the coming year to finish my dissertation.
20 May 2007
Just returned from leading two great trips for Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, one to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the other to Point Pelee, Ontario. Wonderful participants and great birds made these trips to remember.
10 April 2007
Just returned from a successful two-month field season in Manu National Park, Peru.
September 2006
Just returned from a successful four-month field season in Manu National Park, Peru.
March 2006
Marissa and I are engaged! Details can be found on our wedding website.
7 November 2005
After talking about it for years, I have finally gotten around to redesigning my website. Let me know what you think.
21 October 2005
I passed my comprehensive exams. For the last two and a half years I have been pursuing a PhD in Avian Ecology at the University of Missouri. Oral exams at MU consist of a week of written examinations culminating in a three-hour interview by all five of my committee members. It was a grueling week but I'm proud to say I am now officially a Doctoral Candidate. Feel free to buy me a beer next time you see me.
To read more about my doctoral thesis, see my research page.
June-August 2005
I spent three months in Peru collecting data for my doctoral thesis. My time was mostly spent exploring the montane cloud forest surrounding my field site, cutting trails, and mist-netting birds. I will have another page with more details and lots of photos as soon as I have time.
10 - 14 November 2004
I took a little trip down to Texas to go on a pelagic birding voyage ( photos ) and to lead field trips for the 11th Annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival . The field trips were great and I enjoyed meeting all the wonderful participants and hanging out with some of the country's finest tour guides. The RGV Birding Festival is certainly one of the premier birding events in the world... it features top-notch leaders, outstanding organization, and birds to make anyone's mouth water. I'll have more rare bird photos from the event up soon.
24 June - 4 August 2004
I spent 6 weeks in Peru on a reconnaissance expedition to locate potential field sites for my doctoral research. During my sojourn I traveled with Miles Silman and Mark Bush to a high Andean lake in their quest for sediment core samples (to establish prehistoric pollen records), hiked to a remote fragment of endangered Polylepis forest to band birds with some Peruvian students, backpacked into Manu National Park down the famous (and treacherous!) Trocha Union which descends from 3800m to 1600m in less than 20km (deeper than the Grand Canyon), explored mysterious montane cloud forests, traveled by peki-peki down the mighty Rio Madre de Dios, and enjoyed such marvelous animals as White Cayman and Night Monkeys in the lowland jungles. Along the way I met countless researchers, students, birders, conservationists, and travelers, many of whom I am honored to call friends now. If you've never been to Peru, I highly recommend going.
