LORRIE MATHERS

Birding Buddy

Lorrie Mathers is a Texan-at-heart who recently migrated to Central Florida—kind of like a warbler chasing sunshine. I grew up in rural Ontario, where being outside wasn’t a hobby so much as a way of life. My spark bird was the Rose-breasted Grosbeak because when a bird shows up looking like it’s wearing a bold red bowtie, you pay attention.

After retiring from a globe-hopping career in telecom finance (Toronto → Paris → Singapore → Texas), I decided it was time to invest in things that feed the soul. That meant diving into the birding and conservation world and getting involved with the Audubon Society, Texas Master Naturalists and the Texas Ornithological Society.

Now I’m exploring my new Florida birding haunts with binoculars in one hand and coffee in the other still chasing that next wow-moment in feathers.

Favorite Birds: Pileated Woodpecker
Favorite Birding Spot: Hagerman Natural Wildlife Refuge
Favorite Local Food: BBQ

ROMEY SWANSON

Guide

Romey Swanson is a lifelong birder and conservationist dedicated to the protection of Texas’ birds and wild places. He serves as President of the Texas Ornithological Society and is Executive Director of Devils River Conservancy, where he leads efforts to treasure, preserve, and protect one of the state’s last wild rivers and the ecologically important landscapes that surround it.
With over 15 years of experience in bird conservation and research—including five years as Director of Conservation Strategy for Audubon Texas—Romey is a champion of private land stewardship, science-based management, and community-driven solutions. His fieldwork has included leading research on owls in the remote mountains of West Texas, helping to deepen understanding of the region’s unique avifauna and inform broader conservation efforts.
Favorite Local Bird: Elf owl
Favorite Birding Spots: Dolan Falls Preserve

ERIN SWANSON

Birding Buddy

Erin Swanson – With a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Biology from Texas State University, Erin Swanson combines her passion for conservation with her love for birding. Her interest in ornithology began in a college classroom nearly a decade ago and has since blossomed into a beloved pastime. While Erin now dedicates most of her time to her role at the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, working tirelessly on water conservation initiatives, she still cherishes every opportunity to birdwatch. Her admiration for the natural world is reflected in her favorite local bird, the Harris’s hawk, known for its unique cooperative hunting behavior. Erin’s preferred birding retreat is The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve, where she finds tranquility and inspiration. When she’s not observing the avian wonders, Erin enjoys indulging in the local culinary delight—axis poppers. Her dedication to preserving wildlife and natural habitats makes her a valued member of the conservation community.

MOLLEE BROWN

Photography Track Guide

Mollee Brown is a lifelong lover of birds and nature based in West Virginia. She’s the owner of Nighthawk Agency, which creates custom projects with conservation and ecotourism organizations. Mollee has guided tours throughout the world for the past decade and loves to immerse in the wildlife, flora, and culture of each place she visits. She’s passionate about education as a means to conservation and serves on the boards of organizations including Frontiers in Ornithology and The Birding Co-op. She’s also the producer of Life List: A Birding Podcast and writes for a variety of bird and nature publications.

Mollee grew up on a beef cattle farm and was raised in 4-H and the American Junior Simmental Association, where she served as a trustee. She’s continued her work with farmers and private landowners as she developed programs with the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy in the eastern US.

Mollee has loved photography since she started borrowing her grandma’s camera as a child, and usually has a camera in hand while birding, hiking, camping, and exploring the world. She’s most at home among mountains and hilly terrains, and always excited to explore areas new and old to her!

Favorite Local Birds: Scissor-tailed flycatcher, lesser nighthawk, and greater roadrunner

ROSE COOPER

Birding Buddy

Coming soon…

MARK MCDERMOTT

Beginner Track Guide

Mark McDermott grew up in rural England as part of the last generation before video games. He has been watching birds, and obsessed with nature for as long as he can remember. After getting a PhD in biochemistry in the UK, he moved to the USA over 20 years ago and has been in Texas for the last 13, where he works at Texas A&M. He has traveled all over Texas birding, and widely within the USA and further afield. His latest adventure just took me to the sub-Antarctic to look for penguins and albatross. He is passionate about sharing my love of nature and has been leading bird walks in Texas for over a decade. He is currently the President of Rio Brazos Audubon, and is proud to have been part of the successful effort to make College Station a Bird City!

Favorite Birds: Upland sandpiper
Favorite Birding Spot: Sabine Woods during spring migration
Favorite Local Food: Texas BBQ

BARBARA PANKRATZ

Birding Buddy

Growing up in the Hill Country town of Comfort, Texas, birds and nature were always a part of Barbara Pankratz’s life. While in high school her mentor introduced her to birding and she was hooked when she saw her first male Painted Bunting. But it wasn’t until later when she visited the RGV during migration that she began looking at birds through new eyes. Barbara began participating in citizen science projects such as Christmas Bird Counts, Wildlife Management Surveys, Bird Bandings, International Shorebird Surveys, Climate Watches, and Nest Watches. Later, after she retired from a career in education, she became a Texas Master Naturalist and began participating in and leading bird surveys in/on local parks and ranches, guiding for Texas Ornithological Society, Texas A & M Agrilife Birding events, Laredo Birding Festival, Davis Mountains Hummingbird Celebration, Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival, and Road Scholar.

Barbara graduated from Texas A & M and has combined her love of history, wildflowers and birds into her overall birding experience. She enjoys identification challenges and studies of local birds. Barbara considers herself an avocational naturalist and lifelong learner who enjoys the science and education aspect of birding and nature. She was a founding member of the Uno Club – the goal being “one bird in every Texas county.” She has recorded birds in all 254 Texas counties, and is now working on completing “50 in Fifty” states.

Favorite Local Bird: Painted bunting and golden-cheeked warbler
Favorite Birding Spot: Trans-Pecos, Hawaii, and Alaska
Favorite Local Food: Cella chocolate-covered cherries

Barbara’s story is an inspiration to birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts alike, demonstrating the endless joy and fulfillment that comes from observing the natural world.

STEPHEN FALICK

Guide

Stephen Falick grew up in Houston, Texas, where his interest in birds began while watching a red-headed woodpecker at his grandparents’ feeder. Exploring the green spaces surrounding his childhood neighborhood, he developed a great interest not only in birds but also in reptiles, invertebrates, and plants. In 2015, Stephen first visited the Trans-Pecos to search for reptiles and instantly fell in love with the landscapes and wildlife of the region. He moved to Alpine, Texas, in the fall of 2018 to pursue a degree in biology at Sul Ross State University. In his time at Sul Ross Stephen has volunteered and worked as a field technician monitoring and banding wintering grassland birds. This hands on experience really propelled his love of birds forward. Now, Stephen works part time as a birding guide in west Texas while he is working on finishing his master’s degree, studying the jeweled wood-boring beetle family, Buprestidae.

Favorite Birds: Painted redstart
Favorite Birding Spot: Big Bend National Park

BETH MCBROOM

Birding Buddy

Beth McBroom grew up thinking a bird feeder and bird bath in your yard was just part of a normal household, so she’s
fed birds all her life. Not until her grandmother turned 90 and Beth took her to the Rio Grande Valley as a
birthday gift in 2012, did she realize how much fun it was to find birds outside of the backyard. Seeing her grandmother’s lifer Crimson-collared Grosbeak on that trip triggered a passion that has not been abated. Beth has assisted with field trips, Christmas Bird Counts, bird surveys and the Davis Mountains Hummingbird Celebration. She enjoys exotic birding trips and gets a kick out of chasing rarities. Since she reached her goal of 1000 species in the USA with the Bare-throated Tiger Heron in the RGV, she’s now working on 2000 world birds. Closer to home, she met her goal of birding all 50 states on a recent trip to Hawaii.

In spite of the thrill of seeing birds around the world, Beth’s favorite birding spot is at her home in far west Texas. She has seen 13 of the 16 hummingbird species recorded on her property high in the Davis Mountains and is hoping for a new rarity to show up this summer. (Come on Plain-capped Starthroat!)

Favorite Bird: Montezuma Quail

Favorite Birding Spot: Davis Mountains

Favorite Local Food: Anything my Chef daughter cooks!

TY ALLEN

Guide

Ty Allen is an avid birder and photographer living in North Central Texas. He got hooked on birding at age eight. He’s currently working as a sales associate at Wild Bird Unlimited and has completed his Associates Degree in Business. He joined the Birding with Extension team after being a camper at Rio Diablo Birding Camp! Serving as a birding buddy, and as an assistant guide, Ty has learned from some of the best Birding with Extension guides and is excited to share his knowledge with birders in future programs. He volunteers for eBird as a reviewer and loves birding the under birded counties of Texas with the goal of filling in the data gap in eBird for those counties. He also enjoys learning about other wildlife including, but not limited to herps, robber flies, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and damselflies.

Favorite Birds: Green Jay
Favorite Birding Spot: Davis Mountains
Favorite Local Food: Tex-Mex

EMILY BLUMENTRITT

Birding Buddy

Growing up in the heart of one of the largest cities in the US (Houston, TX) didn’t stop Emily Blumentritt from finding her love for nature and wildlife. Through volunteering for wetland restoration projects in urban settings, she discovered her passion for conservation-focused research that benefits people and wildlife.

Emily got her bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology from Texas State University and developed a particularly strong interest in birds. She has worked as a technician on a variety of research projects focused on conservation and birds, including ecological functions of small-scale restored wetlands near the Texas coast, Black-crested Titmouse nesting behavior in the Texas hill country, and Prothonotary Warbler and Brown-headed Cowbird interactions in southern Illinois swamps.

Emily is currently working towards her master’s degree at Sul Ross State University and Borderlands Research Institute. Her master’s thesis explores how birds in the Chihuahuan Desert grasslands utilize livestock tanks (aka cattle ponds) for water, food, and shelter. She is also examining how Long-billed Curlews are using habitats throughout the Trans-Pecos, from open rangelands to agricultural fields, and hopes to place GPS tracking backpacks on a few individuals to get detailed information on their movements. When she’s not conducting bird surveys and chasing curlews, Emily also birds for fun, and has enjoyed getting to know birds all across Texas and beyond.

Favorite Bird: Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Favorite Birding Spot: Baytown Nature Center

Favorite Local Food: Mole Enchiladas

D.D. CURRIE

Guide Duo

D. D. Currie grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, but has lived in east Texas near Athens, central Texas in New Braunfels, far west Texas in Fort Davis, and now south Texas in Uvalde. In school, she loved biology and science classes and ended up majoring in biology in college. After graduating college, she worked in the Aerospace industry for 30 years with assignments in Quality, Materials & Processes Engineering, and Environment, Safety and Health. For the last 10 years, she has worked as an environmental consultant. She retired in 2012, then again in 2016, then again in 2018, but resumed working as a consultant in September of 2018 for a “3 month assignment” that has lasted to the present day.
She is an avid birder and has served on the board of the Texas Ornithological Society and the Fort Worth Audubon Society.

Favorite Birds: Greater roadrunner
Favorite Birding Spot: Richland Creek WMA
Favorite Local Food: Still looking for a favorite

DELL LITTLE

Guide Duo

Dell Little was spurred by my older brother’s enthusiasm, I was first introduced to birding in 1972. I grew up with a natural connection to the Texas coast, having grown up in Portland. My father narrated Whooping Crane boat trips out of Rockport. After a necessary detour in the 1980s for school and career, I fully committed to birding around 2001 while living in the DFW area. This serious return brought me to my wife, D.D. Currie, and we quickly teamed up as a formidable “power birding couple.”
Since then, our focus has been ticking off Texas Century Club counties and participating enthusiastically in obscure Christmas Bird Counts (CBCs) and Breeding Bird Surveys (BBSs).
Besides DFW, we’ve lived in the Athens area, New Braunfels area, the Davis Mountains, and since the summer of 2024, we have been based in Uvalde, Texas.

Favorite Bird: Cactus Wren
Favorite Birding Spot: Richland Creek WMA
Favorite Local Food: Tex-Mex (All the Way!)

Coming Soon

TOS Century Club Guide

Coming Soon!
Favorite Birds: 
Favorite Birding Spot: 
Favorite Local Food: 

Coming Soon

TOS Century Club Guide Birding Buddy

Coming Soon!
Favorite Birds: 
Favorite Birding Spot: 
Favorite Local Food: