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Springing to Life

Last month I released my latest article, this time for Milwaukee Magazine. The article, which covers the highs and lows of spring migration at Humboldt Park, features this awesome opening splash page. This piece means a lot to me. Not only was I able to highlight my favorite park in the city (and the work happening with the Humboldt Park Friends group), the article was placed in a magazine I’ve been aiming to get published in ever since I started adding stories to my photographs. While a lot of wildlife and conservation photographers and writers aim for conservation-minded publications, I really feel a calling of sorts towards more generalized outlets. My goal is to share nature with people who aren’t actively looking for it, piquing their interest when they come upon my photos or stories. Part of that has to do with the fact that I’m not an expert of any kind – I know more about the subjects I cover than the average person does, but far less than researchers, volunteers, and others that dedicate their lives to the outdoors. The other part of it is that I was once someone who didn’t think a ton about the natural world, yet had an inkling about it that I decided to foster, which then turned into a really valuable part of my life. My biggest hope is that my work helps other people stimulate their own curiosity for the natural world.

Anyway, not to go on and on, I’ll end with a quick news update and a link to the online version of the Milwaukee Magazine article (though if you can find March’s print issue, it’s worth checking out. They did a beautiful job with the layout). I’m writing a few pieces that will hopefully land in the July issue of MKE Lifestyle Magazine. I partnered with them on my first-ever print article release, so it’s exciting to work with editor Don Butler and his team again. You can subscribe to MKE Lifestyle Magazine for free, which is also cool! I’m also leading a bird walk on the morning of Saturday, April 22nd at Humboldt Park. Humboldt Park Friends is hosting a park clean-up day and I wanted to continue the tradition I started last year of starting the day with a calming bird walk along the lagoon. The whole day was a huge success last year. Hopefully, the wonky Wisconsin weather holds up for it!

Finally, as promised, here is the online version of “Springing To Life”. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the piece.

Humboldt Park Friends Calendar for purchase

front cover designed by Ignacio Catral

Now until December 1st you can purchase a calendar showcasing the nature and wildlife of Milwaukee’s Humboldt Park. The park calendar was developed last year by yours truly and Ignacio Catral of the Humboldt Park Friend’s Communications Committee as a fundraising tool to help fund friend’s group efforts including park clean ups, the educational tree day event and our ongoing lagoon restoration efforts. I have two photos in this year’s calendar, which I submitted for their cool winter vibes. If you need a calendar and want to give to a great cause they cost $25 each and you can buy them from the link below:

Belted Kingfisher during a snowy morning at Humboldt Park

I’m a Guest Columnist – highlighting my new birding challenge for the year!

I’m behind in writing this, but for good reason. A month ago Milwaukee Record offered me the chance to be a reoccurring guest columnist for their website. Well what’s the column you ask, and why is it about birds?

It’s about birds cuz birds obviously rule (can fly, have the whole dinosaur thing going for them, and there are over 10k species in the world each with something that makes them unique from each other). But it’s also personal – it’s about a personal journey I’ve decided to take on for the remainder of 2022. I’ve decided to bird at least once in every county in Wisconsin. That’s 72 counties in less than half a year! Seems daunting yet obtainable at first until you realize that you have work, other hobbies, family engagements, other articles to write (can’t wait to share more about that in the future!), an online print shop to create, and conservation volunteering to accomplish!

Not going to lie, I’m not sure if I’ll pull it off, but even if I don’t it’ll make for a ton of amazing birding opportunities. Wisconsin is a treasure of a state, which is why I’m embarking on this challenge, to begin with. Don’t believe me? The first two articles of the column are linked below, with a third on its way!

https://milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/wisconsin-birding-challenge-2022-exploring-every-county-in-the-state/

https://milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/wisconsin-birding-challenge-2022-exploring-every-county-in-the-state-2/

New Article Highlight Warbler Migration (Milwaukee Record)

Using my wildlife photography to encourage people to explore the natural world around them is always exciting. I’m really thankful to Milwaukee Record for giving me a platform to share my knowledge of spring warbler migration with my fellow Milwaukeeans! Check out the article and my new photo work!

LINK: https://milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/migrating-warblers-others-bring-a-world-of-color-to-milwaukees-spring-landscape/