Originally from the Upper Midwest, Jim has called Florida home for more than 25 years and now lives in the Sarasota area with his family. He has had a lifelong passion for birds, wildlife, and nature, a passion that deepened after moving to Florida and experiencing the state’s remarkable diversity of habitats and species. Over the past decade, Jim has focused extensively on birding and bird photography. He has birded in all 67 Florida counties, recorded over 400 species in the state, and photographed most of them. He currently serves as an eBird reviewer for Manatee County.
Alongside the practical and aesthetic sides of birding, Jim brings an academic perspective shaped by a career background in theology and law. Raptors and owls are among his favorite groups, along with warblers and sparrows. He has observed and photographed all 34 species of diurnal North American raptors, all 19 species of North American owls, and all U.S. species of warblers, woodpeckers, and sparrows, with the Crescent-chested Warbler being the lone exception.
Birding is a multigenerational pursuit in Jim’s family, and he enjoys sharing time in the field with both his son and grandson, who are active birders as well.
