Focusing On Wildlife – Meet the Team

Ken Billington

Focusing On Wildlife was founded in 2010 by Ken Billington. The primary mission of this website is to promote wildlife conservation by changing attitudes towards nature and helping people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. Ken, a scientist by training held various management positions in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries before retiring in 2006. He lives in Switzerland and loves nothing better than to be out in the field with his camera and lenses.

Mark Avery

Dr Mark Avery is a biologist by training and a naturalist by inclination.  He worked for the BirdLife International UK partner, the RSPB, from 1986-2011, with the last 12 years of that as Conservation Director.  He lives in the UK in east Northamptonshire and often sees red kites over his garden.  He is now a freelance writer and consultant.

Mia McPherson

Mia McPherson is a nature lover, wildlife watcher and an avian photographer. Mia first become serious about bird photography when she moved to Florida in 2004. Her recent move to the Salt Lake area of Utah was a great opportunity to continue observing their behavior and photographing them. With so many birds species there easily accessible it wasn’t long before she was hooked. By learning more about each species, she can anticipate their behaviour and create opportunities to obtain ever better images of those species.

Tim O'Connell

Tim O’Connell is a professor at Oklahoma State University where he teaches classes in wildlife ecology and directs research on bird/habitat associations.  He is the current president of the Payne County Audubon Society, and has held positions with the Oklahoma Ornithological Society, Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology, and the State College (PA) Bird Club. He is keenly interested in training the next generation of birders and ornithologists, and actively engaged in efforts to do that through the international Wilson and Cooper ornithological societies.

Nic Slocum

Nic Slocum is an experienced naturalist and wildlife guide and is best known for his escorted tours taking enthusiasts out, both in Ireland and overseas, to view and photograph cetaceans. Nic maintains a lifelong passion for using the written word to promote the conservation of our wildlife and wild places and has appeared as an expert commentator on both radio and TV.  A  zoologist by training, Nic has published articles on conservation related issues in regional and national newspapers. Nic is a director of The Wildlife Film School and Whale Watch West Cork.

Jem Babbington

Jem Babbington is a keen birder and amateur photographer located in Dhahran, Eastern Saudi Arabia where he goes birding every day. Jem was born in England and is a serious local patch and local area birder who has been birding for almost forty years and has birded in more than fifty countries. Jem is learning to ring birds in Bahrain as a perfect way to learn more about the birds of the area. Saudi Arabia is a very much under-watched and under-recorded country.

Cain Scrimgeour

Cain Scrimgeour is a 21-year-old wildlife enthusiast, photographer and filmmaker from the North East of England. An occasional twitcher, but more a passionate patch birder.  You can find him observing, photographing and filming the natural world at the Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Holywell Pond Reserve, but also further afield. A large proportion of his time is now spent in Cumbria, where he is studying a BA (Hons) Wildlife and Media.  A sequence from his recent filming project for RSPB Loch of Strathbeg was shown on Autumnwatch 2010.

Pat O’Donnell

Pat O’Donnell started watching birds at the age of seven in Niagara Falls, New York. The birding was good in western New York but no amount of gulls could distract him from the siren song of neotropical birds. Ever since a first, fateful trip to Costa Rica in 1992, he has focused on the incredible wealth of birds found in the American Tropics. A biologist by training, Pat has participated in ornithological studies in North America and Peru, and has birded in Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Costa Rica. A freelance writer and bird guide, he resides in Costa Rica with his wife and daughter.

Carl Ingwell

Carl Ingwell has worked with the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory for the past four years conducting point count surveys; Carl has done most of his work in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network which covers the national parks and monuments in Colorado, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming.  Working with RMBO has given him the opportunity to explore nearly every inch of “his neck of the woods.”  While working, Carl always takes a camera and notepad with him.  He co-founded, and contributes to a blog for Utah birders.

Sergio Ocampo-Tobón

Sergio Ocampo Tobón, a Colombian ornithologist, is the Technical Director of the Ecological Foundation Gabriel Arango Restrepo FUNDEGAR, creator of the group of birds observers of FUNDEGAR, founding member of the Colombian association of ornithology ACO, national net of bird watchers of Colombia RNOACOL, member of the Antioquian society of ornithology SAO and the national net of Colombian natural reservations of the civil society RESNATUR. Sergio is also a Nature Guide and manages a monitoring station of migratory birds in the reservation Rio Blanco, in association with the WWF Colombia.

John Andrew Wright

John Wright is an Australian wildlife photographer and bird guide based in Kyushu, Japan. John has been interested in wildlife since he was seven, when his family moved to Papua New Guinea for two years. John became seriously engaged in nature photography while living in Thailand and Japan. He returned to Japan in 2008 and has since concentrated on wildlife photography, especially birds. He also specialises in capturing natural history subjects. John visits Southeast Asia and Australia regularly, but usually travels within the Japanese archipelago.

Mike Barth

Mike Barth,  a 49 years old photographer from Manchester England, has been based in Dubai in the UAE since 2004. Earlier he was interested in the Soviet/Russian aviation scene and travelled extensively in Russia before the old-style, soviet-era aircraft disappeared. Mikes interests broadened to include wildlife photography three years ago . Since then his awareness of life has increased dramatically, and he actively supports wildlife conservation. Mike lives to travel and finds this a highly rewarding activity. His recent travels have included India, Ethiopia, South Africa and Uganda.

Larry Jordan

Larry Jordan is an avid birder and amateur photographer living on the Pacific Flyway near the Central Valley of Northern California. He is a board member of his local Audubon Society and is a bird and wildlife conservationist. Larry contributes to several wildlife conservation organizations and is a BirdLife International “Species Champion.” He is also Habitat Manager for the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network, an organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Western Burrowing Owl population in the United States. Larry has been blogging about birds since September 2007 at TheBirdersReport.com

Ray Barlow

Ray Barlow‘s passion for capturing birds and wildlife began at the Manila Zoo in 2004. Since then he has established himself as a professional bird and wildlife photographer. Ray is based near to Toronto Canada and hosts photography travel tours and workshops around the world. He goes to places like Yellowstone, Tanzania, Costa Rica, Alaska, Florida, India, and British Columbia. Action photography including animals in chase or birds such as hummingbirds in flight is Ray’s speciality.

Professor Brendan Kavanagh

Professor Brendan Kavanagh is a Zoology graduate from Trinity College Dublin. In Ireland he developed the ‘National Conservation Strategy for the endangered Grey Partridge”. Based in Bahrain, Brendan has established the first sustained bird ringing programme using the British Trust for Ornithology ringing scheme, has trained local Bahraini personnel, Wildlife Rangers from Saudi Arabia and conducted research on the Grey Hypocolius, a species endemic to the Middle East. He has ringed almost 10,000 birds and amassed a significant data set on the morphology of migrants in the Gulf Region.

Scott Simmons

Scott Simmons, based in Florida, is a lover of nature, landscape, and wildlife photographer. Scott became interested in photography in 2001 when he was given his first SLR camera. When he acquired a telephoto lens, he became progressively more interested in birds and other wildlife. Scott enjoys learning about bird habitats and behavior, striving always to take images that are both beautiful and interpretive. Scott believes photography is a great vehicle to help others to appreciate the wonder for the stuff of earth.

Glenn Bartley

Glenn Bartley is a professional nature photographer who specializes in photographing birds in their natural habitat. He currently resides in Victoria, British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast. Glen runs instructional photo workshops throughout the year to exciting destinations around the world. Upcoming trips include Vancouver Island, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Churchill Manitoba and Peru. He focuses on birds because there are so many species, they can be found almost anywhere, they are challenging to photograph and beautiful to watch.

Steven Scott

Steven Scott is a photonaturalist blogger based in Florida and Maine. He has surveyed butterflies with Earthwatch Institute in the mountains of Vietnam, tagged juvenile snook with Mote Marine Laboratory in the mangroves of Florida and filmed a BioBlitz insect survey in Acadia National Park. A registered nurse and retired Army officer, Steven believes man is an integral part of nature and travels annually to Vietnam with humanitarian medical teams from Vets With a Mission.

Robert Tovey

Dr Rob Tovey is a scientist by training and more recently an English teacher. His profession allows him to travel to some of the more difficult-to-get-to places and stay there for years if his inclination takes him. He is a keen bird watcher, blogger and amateur photographer. He has worked in Azerbaijan and Libya and is currently in Saudi Arabia. Rob also has a base in Bulgaria so overall is becoming a bit of birding specialist in very general terms where East meets West.

Itai Shanni

Itai Shanni is the coordinator of the Eilat Birding Blog, which is jointly written by the Israeli Ornithological Centre (IOC) and the International Birding and Research Centre Eilat (IBRCE). Itai is working to promote bird and wildlife conservation throughout this area. As an Israeli A licensed ringer, he also gives support for the IBRCE staff when needed. Itai has also developed a real passion for Odonata watching and spends many hot hours chasing also Dragonflies and Damselflies.

Adam Riley

Adam Riley was raised in a rural region of South Africa and is qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He is the founder of Rockjumper Birding Tours, Indri Ultimate Mammal Voyages and Oryx Worldwide Photographic Safaris. Adam leads tours to numerous countries ranging from Colombia to Egypt and Angola to Papua New Guinea. He is one of Africa’s most experienced birders, having seen over 2,000 species on the continent as well as 7,000 species worldwide.

Alex Vargas

Alex Vargas is one of the best-known bird guides with experience in Latin America, the Caribbean Islands. He originates from Costa Rica, a paradise hosting 4% of the world’s biodiversity. Alex is now based in Thailand with his Costa Rican wife and his lovely daughter. Here he spends a good part of his life chasing amazing and exotic birds with a camera in hand. Bird-photography has become his big passion and today he has a growing gallery with birds from several hotspots of the world. Alex has been widely published in books and magazines from around the globe and his video channel is full of jewels!

Fabiola Forns

Fabiola Forns is artistically inclined and after dabbling in creative writing, music and oil painting, has found her true call in wildlife photography. An extensive traveler, she has lived in Europe, New York and Puerto Rico, finally making Miami her permanent home. Fabiola holds a degree in Human Resources from St. Thomas University in Miami, and is also Adjunct Faculty at Miami-Dade College, as photography instructor. She tries to merge visual arts with realistic photographs and her style fluctuates between serene landscapes and bold abstracts.

Jill Wussow

Jill Wussow, 31, is a seasonal field biologist, nature photographer and nomad. She has worked with several federally endangered bird species (including the Golden-cheeked Warbler, Black-capped Vireo and Piping Plover), sea turtles, and bats all over the United States. She is rarely in one place for more than a few months at a time and her whereabouts are often confusing. Field work has given her great opportunity to travel often and meshes with her passion for wildlife and nature photography perfectly. Through her photography, Jill hopes to convey her love and respect of the natural world.

Don Getty

Don Getty has been an avid wildlife photographer for over 20 years. He resides in Wyoming, just 30 miles from Yellowstone Park. He photographs birds, mammals, reptiles and just about any living creature he can get in front of his lens. Wildlife photography has taken him throughout the Rocky Mountain region of the US and Canada, East Africa, South Africa, Costa Rica, Florida and Churchill Manitoba. He has received numerous awards and his images have appeared in many magazines, books and calendars.

Kieran Lindsey

Kieran Lindsey loves looking for wild things in all the wrong places… so she became an urban biologist. Her quest to entice others to share this passion led to flirtations with (gasp!) the media—as a columnist for the Houston Chronicle; as host of KUNM-FM’s Wild Things; as producer of an Emmy® winning wildlife documentary; and at her Next-Door Nature blog. Kieran has way too much fun as official Animal-Vehicle Biologist for NPR’s Car Talk, and she isn’t ashamed to admit it.

Stephen Daly

Stephen Daly, has been birding since he was eight years old in his native Scotland. After living in Germany and France he established Andalucian Guides the successful birding and wildlife tour company on The Strait of Gibraltar in Spain and has been living here since 2001. Photographing birds in flight is one passion and his photos can be found in many books, magazines and journals. Studying bird behaviour and bird migration are two other positive aspects of being based on one of the busiest migration routes on Earth.

Your Photo

If you you’re a wildlife enthousiast, regularly post articles illustrated with high quality wildlife images on a blog and would consider joining our Team, then we would seriously like to talk to you. Please contact us providing details of your activities with a link to your blog.