Without the hard work and dedication of each of our County Coordinators, the Atlas would not exist in the capacity it now does. Thank you for the hours you have put in and will put in to increasing our understanding of Maryland and DC’s bird populations.
MD-DC BBA3 (mddcbba3@mdbirds.org)
Gabriel Foley – Gabriel Foley is an avid birder from the prairie province of Saskatchewan,
Canada. While at the University of Regina, he researched nighthawk habitat use in
Canada’s boreal forest, then he studied White-browed Sparrow-Weaver nest-building
behavior at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He has worked on research projects
in Alaska, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nunavut, coordinated Saskatchewan’s nightjar
surveys, and hosted a weekly nature radio show, The Prairie Naturalist. Now, he is
excited to be the Coordinator for the Maryland & DC Breeding Bird Atlas 3. You can
connect with him on Twitter and Instagram at @birdnirdfoley.
Allegany (allegany@mdbirds.org)
Melissa Hensel – Melissa Hensel’s background is in special education, and she currently works at an adult basic education program in DC. She has enjoyed birding and the outdoors for as long as she can remember, and is currently the Allegany and Garrett County Bird Club secretary. She also volunteers as the caretaker for the Carey Run MOS sanctuary. Her favorite birding hike is on the C&O Canal from Oldtown east to a couple miles past the Potomac Forks Hiker & Biker campsite. She loves the mixture of open fields, woodlands, and water you can find along this route. She typically carries her National Geographic bird guide with her, but likes to have her Sibley guide in the car. If she’s near Grantsville, Melissa likes to stop in at the Cornucopia Restaurant and try whatever new vegetarian dish they are serving. For coffee, she likes The Creamery in downtown Cumberland.
Mark Eanes – Mark Eanes has difficulty pinpointing any single event as his introduction to birding; instead, it was a gradual progression born from the interest in nature he has always had. He enjoys the peaceful setting and unique habitat of Finzel Swamp, and his favorite bird is his next life bird. He appreciates the speed and convenience of food at Sheetz, but for a good cup of joe he heads to the Queen City Creamery for the Peet’s coffee they serve. He is married with three boys, so if he isn’t birding or hiking with them it’s because he’s shuttling his boys to their various other activities.
Anne Arundel (annearundel@mdbirds.org)
David Walbeck
Baltimore (baltimore@mdbirds.org)
Paul Kreiss – Paul Kreiss has participated in seven atlases across the continent, and was a County Coordinator for Baltimore in the last atlas. He lives near his favorite birding patch, Gwynns Falls–Leakin Park, and it was during the last atlas that he decided on his favorite bird, Yellow-crowned Night-heron. Paul had seen them in the neighborhood for years, but it was during the atlas that he finally found the colony—within walking distance of his house, no less! As a boy scout, Paul earned the bird study merit badge, and this inspired the lifelong love of birds he has held. When birding, Paul takes a packed lunch, and his favorite field guide remains Peterson’s—the artwork, arrows, and maps are tough to beat.
Mike Hudson – Mike Hudson grew up in Baltimore City, near his favorite birding patch, Patterson Park. When he was five years old, his grandfather taught him to draw tufted titmice, and this resulted in a lifelong love of birds and wildlife. Mike earned a degree in biology and now works as an educator at The Maryland Zoo. He is also the editor of North American Birds and a volunteer bander at the Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory. Mike confessed that his favorite bird wasn’t difficult to come up with; he is in love with Red Knots, and in awe of the migration and subsequent physiological changes they undertake. When birding, he likes to find a Royal Farms and get some fried chicken, and enjoys the Chai at Starbucks. He grew up using the National Geographic field guide, and he loves its illustrations. Mike enjoys travelling, – most recently he went to Poland and to Costa Rica – reading, and going for walks around the neighborhood.
Caroline (caroline@mdbirds.org)
Glen Lovelace – When Glen Lovelace saw a Yellow-rumped Warbler at a local park, it didn’t take much to entice him back. He knew the feeder birds that would come to his mother’s feeders, but this warbler was different. By the next summer, he was going on trips to Bombay Hook and now, nearly 30 years later, he’s still all-in for birding. He’s taken part in over 150 Christmas Bird Counts and has been involved with the second Maryland and DC breeding bird atlas, the second Virginia atlas, and as a regional coordinator in the second Delaware atlas. Glen’s favorite bird is the graceful Swallow-tailed Kite, he enjoys birding at his farm and at Deal and Elliot Islands, and he likes sports (particularly the Orioles and the Ravens—of course—as well as the Kentucky Wildcats and the Nationals), studying history (currently reading about the Napoleonic Wars), and gardening. He retired last year from the Delaware Department of Transportation, where he spent 25 years as a Bridge Designer. Now, he works with Greenman Peterson Inc., still designing bridges.
Danny Poet
Carroll (carroll@mdbirds.org)
David Smith – Originally hailing from southwestern Florida, David Smith caught the birding bug when a family friend came to visit. At 13 years old, David was intrigued by their habit of standing on the porch each morning looking for birds with binoculars. As a result, he began to notice birds and would return at the day’s end with a description of each bird he had seen. They eventually gave him some bird books, and he never looked back. David studied American Kestrels, arguably his favorite bird, during graduate work at the University of South Florida. In the late 1980s, he began environmental consulting in Maryland, where he discovered his favorite place to bird, the Audrey Carroll Audubon Sanctuary. David is a fan of using multiple different bird guides, but regularly consults Sibley and Crossley. In addition to birding, he enjoys hiking, biking, travelling, butterflies, and herps.
Calvert (calvert@mdbirds.org)
Andy Brown
Sherman Suter – One wintry day in the 1950s, a young Sherman Suter witnessed a flock of black and gold Evening Grosbeaks land in his Michigan backyard. From that moment on, Sherman was a birder. His scientific career began with geology in California and eventually led to a position as the book reviews editor at the journal Science. Now retired, Sherman enjoys birding local patches, such as the Parker’s Creek watershed. But his favorite birds are further afield; birds such as American Dipper (who wouldn’t want to have a home behind a waterfall?), Buff-collared Nightjar, Anhinga, and Wrentit. Sherman doesn’t stop for lunch when birding and he doesn’t drink coffee. His favorite bird guide for North America is National Geographic, but Sherman thinks The Australian Bird Guide establishes a new standard for how much information can be presented in a printed guide. When at home, Sherman enjoys reading, particularly books about environmental or science history.
Cecil (cecil@mdbirds.org)
Sean McCandless – Around third grade, Sean McCandless was introduced to birds through a bird feeder his mother brought home. He would see the birds coming in and ask her what they were. While she knew some of the birds coming to the feeder, she didn’t know all of them. Sean’s persistent inquiries encouraged her to buy a Peterson’s field guide for him. He began identifying the birds for her, and that was the beginning of his lifetime passion for birding and conservation. Now, Sean is a Stormwater Management Inspector for Cecil County and serves as an Associate Supervisor for the Cecil Soil Conservation District. He is a Voting Member of the Maryland/DC Bird Record Committee, an active field trip leader and past-president for Cecil Bird Club, and an advocate for improving water quality and better wildlife habitat management. His favorite places to bird vary with the seasons; in spring and fall, you’ll find him looking for migrants at Elk Neck State Forest and Turkey Point. During the summer, Sean spends his time in Garrett county and in the winter, he heads down to Worcester county. While travelling to these locations, Sean invariably stops at Wawa for coffee and a BLT or club sandwich. Sean prefers the Sibley field guides; they cover things well, and the app has excellent recordings. He has always been fascinated by fast-flying birds, so his favorite is, naturally, the Peregrine Falcon. Sean has two children and three grandchildren, and lives in North East, Cecil county.
Charles (charles@mdbirds.org)
Lynne Wheeler – Passionate about sharing her love of nature, Lynne Wheeler has spent the last decade working with conservation groups like the Southern Maryland Audubon Society and the Port Tobacco River Conservancy. She enjoys fishing, reading, cooking, wine, and loves landscaping with native plants. She must know a thing or two, since her favorite bird, the Louisiana Waterthrush, nests in her yard. And it was her backyard that sparked her love for birds, when a pair of Scarlet Tanagers decided to take up residence there in 1982. Her favorite place to bird is Smallwood State Park, one of the best spots around for Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Tom Seaton – Armed with a law degree, Tom Seaton joined the legal arm of the US Navy, the JAG Corps. Then in 1988, he moved to the Environmental Protection Agency where he worked as an attorney in Criminal Enforcement and in the Office of Water. Now, he works with Maryland-DC Audubon and the Maryland Bird Conservation Partnership. His favorite place to bird is nearby Bumpy Oak Rd and Chapman’s Landing. He was introduced to birding by a European bird, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, that landed on his parent’s kitchen window bird feeder. when he goes birding, he prefers to bring his own lunch and make his own coffee, although he does like to use coffee beans from Starbucks. His go-to bird guides are Peterson and Sibley, and he enjoys playing classical guitar, cooking, and family life.
Dorchester (dorchester@mdbirds.org)
George Radcliffe – George Radcliffe, a retired science teacher, has claimed the title of Maryland’s 12,345 best birder. His strategy was to use birds to hook his students on nature and the outdoors, but in the process, he too became hooked on birds. Now, he manages his favorite place to bird, where he can see his favorite bird, the Great Blue Heron, nesting: the farm his family has owned since 1663. If he can’t bird there, he likes going to his pathway to heaven, Elliot Island Road. His favorite bird guides are Peterson, Sibley, and Crossley. George isn’t a big spender, so he packs a lunch when he goes birding and takes advantage of the senior discount at McDonald’s for his coffee. Always an educator, he has been the MOS Youth Coordinator since 2005. He lives with his wife Jackie in 300 year-old farmhouse, has three sons, and enjoys local historical research.
Frederick (frederick@mdbirds.org)
Kathy Calvert – Raptors and grouse in Montana enthralled Kathy Calvert, eventually sinking her into the birding hobby. She has no time to waste while birding, so she gets fast food when she can. While Lilypons is Kathy’s favorite birding place near home, she has her preferred place in each county: In Garrett, it’s Finzel; Allegany, Old Legislative Rd; Washington has Blairs Valley and Carroll has Hashawa; in Montgomery, it’s Violette’s Lock and in Howard it’s MPEA; in Blatimore, Kathy likes Cromwell Valley but in Harford it’s Susquehanna State Park; Cecil, Turkey Point and in Prince George’s, Merkle Critical Area Driving Tour; in Anne Arundel it’s Swan Creek; in Calvert it’s American Chestnut Land Trust; Charles has Chapman State Park and St. Mary’s has Point Lookout State Park; Kent, Eastern Neck NWR; Queen Anne’s, it’s Terrapin Nature Park; in Caroline, she prefers Tuckahoe State Park and in Talbot, Pickering Creek; in Dorchester it’s Elliot Island, Wicomico it’s Bear Swamp, Somerset it’s Deal Island, and finally, when in Worcester Kathy likes to go to Assateague Bayside Point. Kathy tends to use Sibley and National Geographic bird guides. She is involved with the Maryland & DC Bird Records Committee and the Frederick Bird Club and, while her spouse and three children are not birders, they are her biggest cheerleaders.
Garrett (garrett@mdbirds.org)
Connie Skipper – Growing up on a Garrett County farm, Connie Skipper learned to notice and enjoy birds from her third-grade teacher. Her teacher showed a small of group of students, including Connie, a Red-eyed Vireo, and Connie never forgot the wonder of that first sighting. After she married, her husband purchased her binoculars and a bird book, and a lifetime of learning was begun. She worked in the Maryland Park Service as a seasonal naturalist and then as a park ranger, has been the Christmas Bird Count compiler for Garrett County for 30 years, is a licensed bird bander, has published research on Henslow’s Sparrow, and she was involved with both of the previous MD-DC breeding bird atlases. Her favorite place to go birding is the Western Maryland 4-H Center, where she has many fond memories of birding experiences shared with her siblings, and she loves the colors of the male Black-throated Blue Warbler. When she’s birding, she likes to stop and get a ham and cheese sandwich from the Arrowhead Deli, and finds the Peterson field guide to be excellent for teaching beginning birders.
Caroline Blizzard
Kevin Dodge
Harford (harford@mdbirds.org)
Dennis Kirkwood – We owe our thanks to Dennis Kirkwood’s ornithology professor for introducing him to the world of birding in 1977. Dennis began his bird list then in his Golden Guide, and continues to maintain his ABA life list there. Less concerned with food than he is with birds, Dennis will stop at the nearest fast food joint so he can get to finding that next bird a little quicker. He is the seventh generation to live on Newark, his family farm, where his favorite bird, the Red-headed Woodpecker, can be found nearby. His favorite birding place is the Bradenbaugh Flats, but he and his wife have travelled to all seven continents. He is now retired after working as a science educator and administrator with Harford County Public Schools for 34 years. He has two daughters and four grandchildren.
Matt Hafner
Howard (howard@mdbirds.org)
Sue Muller – As a child raised in upstate New York, Sue Muller was bothered by the fact that she couldn’t see her state bird, the Eastern Bluebird, or her country’s bird, the Bald Eagle. To make matters worse, her yard was sprayed with Ortho-7 to control an invasive beetle, and she watched birds eat the sprayed beetles and die, there in her yard. This awareness of the need for conservation inspired Sue to get a degree in wildlife management. She has spent her 30 year career working for the Howard County Department of Recreation & Parks, and volunteers for conservation projects locally and internationally. The absence of Bald Eagles during Sue’s childhood has given them a special place in her heart, and her first bird guide remains her favorite, The Golden Guide to Birds.
Dave Ziolkowski
Kent (kent@mdbirds.org)
Nancy Martin – Nancy Martin grew up hiking, camping and observing nature in Vermont before earning a biology degree and working as a naturalist for the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. It was here that she did field work on Vermont’s breeding bird atlas, as well as bird banding, developing the ‘Hawks of Vermont’ program, and publishing newsletters. It is also where she met her future husband, fellow county coordinator Walter Ellison. Nancy is currently the president and co-field trip leader for the Kent County Bird Club, has one son, and enjoys birding wherever she happens to find herself and quilting, where birds are occasional subjects.
Walter Ellison – Walter Ellison’s father introduced him to birds at a young age and Walter, equally keen, pored over his family’s bird books. Raised in northern New England, he moved to Kent County in 2002 to coordinate the second MD-DC Breeding Bird Atlas. His career has focused on bird distribution, including graduate work on Blue-gray Gnatcatcher range expansions and comparative gene flow in Bicknell’s Thrush and Veery. Walter has participated in five breeding bird atlases, and met his wife, fellow coordinator Nancy Martin, while conducting field work for the Vermont atlas. His favorite location to bird is the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. When birding, Walter usually brings a sandwich or ramen cup for lunch, and brews his own Birds & Beans coffee. His favorite field guide is Sibley for illustrations, but National Geographic for text.
Montgomery (montgomery@mdbirds.org)
Emily Huang – Emily Huang studied physics at Harvard and subsequently earned a PhD in neurosciences. She has worked at biomedical research institutions, including the National Institutes of Health, and has criss-crossed the country for her career. Now, we are lucky to have her in Kensington, where she works at the Croydon Creek Nature Center – which just happens to also be her favorite place to bird. When pressed to pick a favorite bird, Emily selected the quiet beauty and contagious enthusiasm of the Song Sparrow. But it was a little yellow spark that initiated her birding journey six years ago; she heard the ‘potato chip’ call of an American Goldfinch that bounded in front of her, and hasn’t looked back since. Emily spends her time with her family, monitoring nest boxes, gardening native plants, birding, and generally fussing over bird conservation issues.
Karen Cyr – Karen Cyr grew up in Iowa, then moved to North Carolina and earned a law degree at Duke University. While there, she saw exotic-looking flocks of Evening Grosbeaks; these birds would be responsible for her interest in birding. She spent her career with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, eventually as General Counsel. She retired in the late 2000s and takes advantage of the free time to bird her favorite patch, Wheaton Regional Park, as well as fabric art and quilting projects. Karen likes to get her coffee from Dunkin Donuts, and keeps a few protein bars in her bag in case she doesn’t make it back home for lunch. The distinctive behavior of the White-breasted Nuthatch, and the way their calls resonate through the trees has earned it the place of her favorite bird. Karen finds the illustrations and descriptions in Sibley the most useful of the bird guides, but she also likes some of the more taxa-specific guides, such as Stokes’ Field Guide to Warblers. Since her retirement, Karen has enjoyed birding across the US, including trips to Bosque del Apache for Sandhill Cranes, Magee Marsh for warblers, and Machias Seal Island for puffins and razorbills.
Prince George’s (princegeorges@mdbirds.org)
Dave Mozurkewich
Queen Anne’s (queenannes@mdbirds.org)
Glenn Therres – An ornithology course at the University of Maryland introduced Glenn Therres to the world of birding. Since then, he’s been a wildlife biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for over 35 years, including work as the state’s Bald Eagle biologist. His efforts aiding the their recovery caused Bald Eagles to become his favorite bird, and he particularly enjoys the variety of wetland and forest birds that can be found at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. When he’s birding, he gets his coffee from Dunkin Donuts, a sub from the local shop, and takes his National Geographic bird guide along. He is an old hand when it comes to atlasing; he was on the steering committees for both BBA1 and BBA2 and he was Queen Anne’s county coordinator in BBA2.
St. Mary’s (stmarys@mdbirds.org)
Tyler Bell – Thirty years ago, when Tyler Bell overheard college friends arguing about whether a bird was a cormorant or a loon, he decided two things: one, the answer was obvious and two, this birding thing couldn’t be so hard. He and his wife counted 50 or so birds in their Golden Guide that they knew they had seen, and it’s been non-stop ever since. As assistant convention managers for the American Birding Association (ABA), he and his wife have grown their ABA list to over 700. Tyler’s favorite place to bird locally is Pt. Lookout State Park, since the chances of find something unusual there are quite good, and his favorite bird is Barrow’s Goldeneye—he’s found two of them in Maryland! If you’re birding in St. Mary’s County, Tyler recommends stopping at Courtney’s Seafood and trying the fish of the day. He gets his coffee from Wawa, and uses the Sibley field guide because of its excellent artwork and the variety of ages and plumages covered. Tyler is an avid stamp and coin collector, and loves doing moth photography in his yard for the Maryland Biodiversity Project.
Matt Ichniowski
Somerset (somerset@mdbirds.org)
Margaret Poethig – Margaret doesn’t have a spark bird, she has a spark nest: a Wood Thrush nest she happened upon in a local park. Staring through her camera into those alert, wide eyes poking above the rim, she was hooked. Margaret’s only been birding for two years and she’s become addicted to finding birds’ nests. (She follows the guidelines about how to minimize disturbance to the nest). The first field guide she bought was Hal Harrison’s Field Guide to Birds’ Nests in the United States east of the Mississippi River (1975). For Margaret, volunteering for the Atlas helped her quickly learn about birds and gave her an excuse to explore the mid-Atlantic, after retiring from an office-bound career that had nothing to do with the natural world. Because she lives in Arlington, Virginia, the first atlas blocks assigned to her were along the Potomac River in Montgomery County, but she’s volunteered in Cecil and St. Mary’s County too. She’s Confirmed breeding for numerous species at highway rest stops. In 2023 Margaret went to Somerset County and fell in love with the complex and mysterious landscape—and the birds! In ten days, she logged 50 hours in 19 blocks and confirmed breeding for 45 species. She’s eager to get back to the Eastern Shore and meet other birders from throughout Maryland and DC in pursuit of ensuring Somerset County reaches its atlas targets in the final year.
Talbot (talbot@mdbirds.org)
Ron Ketter – In 1993, Ron Ketter and his wife took a boat trip to the Ile de Rocher Perce National Park in the St. Lawrence Seaway to see the colonies of Northern Gannets breeding there. This trip sparked Ron’s interest in birds, and after living in DC, New York, Texas, and northern California for his career with the federal government, Ron retired on the Eastern Shore. Among his favorite places to bird are Pickering Creek and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. He enjoys eating authentic Eastern Shore crab cakes from any local crab shack, and he likes the coffee from Rise Up. Ron volunteers with various conservation groups, including Pickering Creek, Friends of Blackwater, ShoreRivers, and has served as treasurer for the Talbot County Bird Club. He loves hearing the song of the Wood Thrush every April when it returns to Maryland, and Ron is particularly fond of specialized bird guides, such as the Crossley guides to waterfowl and shorebirds. Along with birding, Ron enjoys camping, hiking, and nature photography.
Washington (washington@mdbirds.org)
Mark Abdy – Born and raised in southern Africa, it was the wildlife spectacles during family vacations in Namibia’s Etosha National Park that hooked Mark Abdy on birds. Now, he is married to fellow county coordinator Heather McSharry and works for the US Food & Drug Administration. Mark loves watching the enormous winter flocks at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, and can’t pass up the chicken panini from Buddy Lou’s whenever he finds himself in Hancock. Unable to pick a single favorite bird, Mark splits his admiration between migrants and the mileage they log, and the tenacity of Maryland’s winter birds. Mark uses the Kaufman and Crossley guides, and appreciates the convenience of iBird.
Heather McSharry – An expert on endangered species and ecosystem restoration, Utah-native Heather McSharry can’t remember a time she wasn’t fascinated with birds. She spent her childhood clambering about the Rockies and studied Hawaiian Honeycreepers for her graduate work. Her retirement from the US Fish and Wildlife Service currently gives her more time to bird her favorite patch, Antietam Battlefield. If Heather is birding in eastern Maryland, she loves the vegan food at Kelley Farm Kitchen in Harpers Ferry, but if when she’s closer to home she goes to Buddy Lou’s in Hancock. Her husband, fellow coordinator Mark Abdy, insists the chicken panini is the right choice, but Heather prefers the crab cake benedict for Sunday brunch. When it comes to finding the best coffee, Heather makes the trek to Lost Dog in Shepherdstown, WV – must be good! She grew up using the Peterson’s field guide, but likes iBird for its convenience. Lately, she’s been using The Warbler Guide to help with those tricky fall warblers.
Wicomico (wicomico@mdbirds.org)
Vacant – Please reach out to Gabriel Foley if interested.
Worcester (worcester@mdbirds.org)
Mark Hoffman – Mark “Mr. Worcester” Hoffman doesn’t remember a time when he wasn’t interested in birds and birding, a passion that nurtured interests in the environment and conservation. After studying biology at Cornell and wildlife ecology in Florida, he spent the next 31 years with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, eventually becoming the Assistant Secretary for Mission Support. Now, he is the Maryland Director for the Chesapeake Bay Commission. Assateague Island is his favorite place to bird in Maryland, but he has to travel further south to use his favorite bird guide, Howell and Webb’s Birds of Mexico.
Dave Wilson
Washington DC (washingtondc@mdbirds.org)
Dan Rauch – Dan Rauch grew up on a tobacco farm right outside DC. On the farm were abundant Red-headed Woodpeckers and Northern Bobwhite. Combined with a conservation emphasis from his parents and grandparents, these birds helped instill in him a love for nature that eventually led him into a career that included avian toxicology, Whooping Cranes, nesting Brewer’s Sparrows, Delmarva migrations, and getting Giant Pandas pregnant—what career would be complete without that? For the past ten years, Dan has been a Fisheries and Wildlife Biologist with the District’s Department of Energy and Environment. This includes the inventory and monitoring of DC’s birds to determine critical habitat and inform management and policy decisions involving climate change impacts, urban land use and adaptation, and habitat restoration projects. The biodiversity of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens has cemented it as Dan’s favorite place to bird, and his go-to field guide is National Geographic.