I am a retired high school English teacher and college professor. I divide my time now between the Chicago area and Southwest Florida.

I can't remember not watching birds--when I was in second grade I realized that the interest other boys had in sports and cars, I had in birds and other wildlife. My passion manifested itself in my graduate work, where I examined the depictions of nature in English-language literature.

Besides birds, I have studied reptiles and amphibians, butterflies, and dragonflies, among other groups, and have conducted research in behalf of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. I have written extensively, most recently for the "Illinois Audubon Society Bulletin" and the "Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society."

Currently, I administer the Facebook page of the DuPage Birding Club. I also lead field trips and present programs to various groups for the club. I have my own Facebook page, "John's Nature for All," which serves as sort of an on-line journal for the book I am writing about the natural history of DuPage County, Illinois, as well as sharing nature with those who may not be able to explore as freely as I can.