Alex was born in eastern Iowa, where his early childhood exploring the prairies, wetlands, and forests of the Upper Mississippi River Valley formed the foundation of his fascination with the natural world. By the time he was five years old, he was already keeping a notebook of wildlife observations and searching for new birds on family road trips. His interest in birding took flight after he moved to New York, where monthly young birders’ trips quickly snowballed into daily yard listing and a lifelong passion for birds, conservation, and natural history.
Alex earned a degree in Wildlife Biology from Lees-McRae College in North Carolina, where he pursued both his athletic goals on the school’s cycling team and his academic interests. He also served as president of the college’s Bird Club, leading beginner-oriented bird walks, local field trips, and an annual multi-day birding trip to the Outer Banks.
Since graduating, Alex has worked as a seasonal field biologist in North Carolina, Texas, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, and he has volunteered on a conservation research project in the Peruvian Amazon. His knowledge of bird ecology and behavior, gained through his fieldwork, helps him locate species and interpret behaviors, creating a richer birding experience for others.
Alex enjoys exploring under-birded areas of the Intermountain West and Great Plains, and his fieldwork has taken him to many remote and beautiful places. He is enthusiastic about sharing the joy of birding and helping birders of all levels learn something new about the birds they encounter and the ecosystems those birds call home.
