Stephen grew up in Houston, Texas, where his interest in birds began after watching a Red-headed Woodpecker at his grandparents’ feeder. Exploring the green spaces around his childhood neighborhood, he developed a deep appreciation not just for birds, but also for reptiles, invertebrates, and plants. In 2015, his first trip to the Trans-Pecos—originally in search of reptiles—sparked a lasting fascination with the region’s landscapes and wildlife. He moved to Alpine, Texas, in 2018 to pursue a biology degree at Sul Ross State University and is now completing his master’s research on the jeweled wood-boring beetle family Buprestidae.
In the winter of 2018, Stephen began working as a field technician with the Borderlands Research Institute, monitoring wintering grassland birds throughout the region. He has contributed to that project every year since, gaining firsthand experience with species such as Baird’s Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Sprague’s Pipit, and Chestnut-collared Longspur. When travel became limited in 2020, Stephen focused his efforts close to home and developed a deep passion for birding in Brewster County. That year, he set a new county Big Year record—and continued breaking records for the next three years, culminating in the current record of 287 species in 2023.
Beyond local exploration, Stephen works steadily on his Texas Century Club lists, aiming to document 100 species in 100 different counties. He is also fascinated by island endemism and hopes to eventually visit all the islands of the Caribbean in search of their unique birds and reptiles.
