About Us
|
|
Langley, BC is currently home for Michael, where he is forced to work for a living so he can bird. British Columbia is one of the greatest places in North America for bird watching given its large number of diverse ecosystems. The Greater Vancouver area alone has one of the greatest number of species in the country because of the close proximity of ocean, mountains, flood plains, lakes, rivers and forests.
Michael has traveled extensively through North and Central America along with the Caribbean and a sprinkle of Africa thrown in. Destinations included the southern and western United States, Across Canada, Belize, Nicaragua, Yucatan Peninsula, Panama, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Cuba and Kenya.
|
The History |
Michael got started birding when his grandpa Jack gave him his first golden field guide and a pair of binoculars at eight years old. Blue Jays and American goldfinch are still fresh in his memory from his days visiting his grandparents in Winnipeg, MB. Things got a little more serious when he attended College in Santa Barbara and his Zoology teacher Richard Armstrong introduced Michael to the concept of the “life list.” Since that semester in 1989, Michael has been traveling the world in search of new and exotic species of birds, the whole while learning more about our feathered neighbors. His current life list includes more than 950 species.
Photography came about as an organic experience when Michael came across a site that showed that identifying birds was so much easier when you have an image that won’t fly away. This prompted a purchase of a used camera and long lens from a local internet classified site. Five cameras later and a tad more experience (the early pictures prove it) and we have a website. |
The Why |
A wise man asked me, "what is your purpose?" The answer is in the building of this website and my passion for birding. I realized I wanted to share my love not only with those who are here today, but those that will come in the future. I want to be able to share not only photos, but the experience of seeing those birds in the wild. To do that, we need to protect the wild areas of the world which promotes healthy diversity and protection of the keystone species of that region. Michael’s goal is to be able to purchase land in and around important bird habitat throughout the world allowing corridors to be built between green spaces allowing for safe transport from one space to another. This website will get us one step closer to making the "Why" real.
|