Jared grew up in Armonk, New York, with a love for nature from a young age and developed a passion for birds at the age of 12. He became an active birder during his junior year of high school and has birded in 34 states and 14 countries, building a life list of 1,597 species.
Jared earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder, with an emphasis in ornithology. He also holds a master’s degree in Environmental Science & Policy from the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. His graduate research focused on surveying species richness at Great Lakes coastal migration hotspots and developing phenological graphs that illustrate seasonal patterns in the richness of individual bird species.
When people ask Jared what his favorite bird is, he says he loves them all equally. What he enjoys most about birding is finding new species to add to his growing life list. Just as rewarding to him, however, is sharing the birding experience with others, whether they are seasoned birders or complete beginners. He never gets tired of answering questions about birds.
