Liam was born in Olympia, Washington, where he first began noticing birds at a young age. What started as curiosity quickly grew into an obsession as he and his mom traveled the state together, exploring Washington’s incredible natural beauty and diverse birdlife. By age 14, Liam was deeply immersed in state listing—and in 2023, he set the Washington state big year record with 378 species. As he jokes, it’s been downhill ever since.
Liam particularly enjoys pelagic birding and seawatching, along with county and patch listing. His favorite places to bird include the rolling hills and scablands of the Palouse, as well as the Olympic Peninsula, where he has gained extensive experience with some of Washington’s most productive migration hotspots and vagrant traps. Beyond vagrants, he has a special interest in underreported or difficult resident species at the county level. He relishes the challenge of pinpointing the one spot in a county where a species common just a few miles away can reliably be found—or tracking down some of Washington’s rarest and most cryptic birds.
Liam has compiled a Christmas Bird Count in the Chehalis Valley of Grays Harbor County for several years and participates in many others statewide. He has also contributed bird photography and written articles on birding for a local news organization, and writes for North American Birds representing Washington.
