ABOUT THE ARTIST I’ve been interested in photography on and off since my teenage years. It’s only in the past five years, though, that it has become my passion and a part of me.  My main subject of interest is birds. Ever since I moved into my new home six years ago and saw my first bluebirds, I’ve been an avid bird lover. Much to my neighbors’ dismay, I’m sure, I try to attract as many birds to my deck as possible by supplying food, shelter and water. I also volunteer at Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research in Newark, Delaware where, in addition to helping sick and injured birds, I get to see birds that I might never see in the wild. Birds are beautiful, delicate creatures with tough lives. I like to help at least a small number of them as my way of giving thanks for the joy and natural beauty they bring me. Some of my favorite places to photograph birds are my deck in Chadds Ford, PA; Bombay Hook NWR in Smyrna, Delaware; Stone Harbor Point in New Jersey; and southwest Florida. I recently won grand prize in the 2005 National Wildlife Federation photo contest for one of my Great Gray Owl photos.  I also won 1st place in the portrait division of Birder's World 2004 photo contest for one of my Tri-colored Heron photos. I hope that after seeing my photography, people will look more closely the next time they see a bird or any other gift of nature – and, if they don’t already, begin to appreciate and respect the beauty of this world we live in. I also hope that people enjoy my photographs as much as I enjoy making them! This is me releasing a Red-throated Loon that had been rehabilitated at Tri-State Bird Rescue after being the victim of an oil spill