How it began

I was visited by an American Robin when I was four years old. That experience may have set the course for my life.

One Saturday morning, while waiting to go with my Dad to get free sand for our sandbox, I sat in the back of our family station wagon parked in the driveway. The robin flew in, landed on the tailgate, and curiously looked at me. The bird then hopped up on my lower leg and continued its way up until it reached my small hands, where the robin settled in comfortably. A few minutes later my Dad came out and saw his four year old son holding this wild bird and went back in for Mom and the camera. After 10 minutes or so the bird was ready to go, but it left a lifetime of impression on me.

Years later, I earned my B.S. in Ecology at the University of Illinois, taught environmental education for nine years in Texas and Michigan, earned my Masters degree in Secondary Education, and taught middle school science and math in the classroom for 10 years in Arizona and Illinois.

Exploring the USA as an avid birder, I have been to 48 states and many great places in our country. I have seen almost 700 species of birds in North America, and now approaching 1,800 worldwide. While I truly enjoy birding, I have evolved into more of a bird photographer, realizing that I witness and learn more by watching birds through my lens.

I currently work full-time as a Certified Photo Instructor and naturalist with Lindblad Expeditions aboard the National Geographic ships, allowing me the opportunity to travel and guide in places like Alaska, British Columbia, Pacific Northwest, Baja California, Costa Rica, Panama, Patagonia, Greenland, the Arctic, and Antarctica. I also lead my own private small group photo tours.

I hope my images act as messages from the natural world, encouraging others to get out there and explore, and to celebrate and protect this amazing home planet.

See you out there!

Bryan

The Blackbird

While teaching a group of 5th graders down at the local wetland, a male red-winged blackbird began singing nearby. He had just returned for the spring to his territory. It was cold enough that we could see his breath! I thought it could be a great photo if I could capture this. So I returned the next morning and tried. And I returned again. And again. I ended up trying to photograph this male singing in the cold over the next three years, whenever the conditions were just right, before the magical moment happened. On this particular morning, I almost didn’t go. When I walked out the door into the darkness, it was not cold enough. I almost went back to bed. But something told me to give it another try, that I never regret going. So I went. And the greatest single moment of my photographic history happened. Not only did I capture the bird singing in the cold, but his whole song is visible in his breath! It is a once-in-a-lifetime image and a lesson in persistence. The whole story was featured in Bird Watcher’s Digest magazine and told by me and Julie Zickefoose. You can listen to the story here.

The blackbird image is titled “Morning Breath” and is my award-winning photograph, honored by National Wildlife Federation. It is available for purchase on the Shop page, here on my website.