Birds have become my greatest teachers.

What began as childhood curiosity—watching frogs, insects, and wildlife up close—grew into a 35-year career as a newspaper photojournalist and, ultimately, a passion for bird photography and conservation storytelling. Today, I'm an award-winning Michigan bird photographer whose work focuses on bird behavior, freshwater ecosystems, and the disappearing habitats that sustain wildlife across the Great Lakes region.

Rather than simply photographing birds, I'm interested in telling the stories of how they live. Through patience and repeated observation, I document courtship, migration, parenting, hunting, territorial disputes, and the everyday moments that reveal the remarkable lives of birds. Every photograph is made in the wild, capturing authentic behavior rather than staged encounters.

Much of my work is built through repetition. I return to the same lakes, marshes, rivers, and boardwalks hundreds of times, often in every season and every kind of weather. Those return visits allow trust, familiarity, and understanding to develop, revealing stories that can never be found during a single visit. That approach inspired The Splendor Next Door, a five-year project documenting bird life along a single public boardwalk in East Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I photograph under the trademarked Birds Doing Stuff® project because I believe behavior creates connection. When people see birds raising families, solving problems, competing, resting, or simply going about their daily lives, they begin to recognize them as neighbors rather than distant wildlife. That connection is often the first step toward conservation.

My photography has earned three National Audubon Photography Awards and five Michigan Photographer of the Year honors, and has been published by National Audubon, Smithsonian magazine, Ducks Unlimited, Michigan Audubon, and other conservation organizations. Today my work continues to focus on long-term, place-based projects throughout Michigan, using photography to inspire curiosity, appreciation, and stewardship of the natural world.

Whether you're here to enjoy the photographs, learn more about birds, or simply slow down for a few moments, I hope these images help you discover the extraordinary wildlife waiting just outside your own door.

Award-winning bird and conservation photography.