John was born and raised in West Virginia and is currently a resident of Oklahoma after spending several years in Houston. He started birding in the mid 90’s on a family vacation to Chincoteague, Virginia, and hasn’t stopped birding since. Growing up in West Virginia allowed him to gain significant experience with the warblers of eastern North America and their songs. John received a degree in meteorology from Penn State and currently works for Weather Decision Technologies in Norman, OK. In the past, he volunteered as the sub-regional compiler for the upper Texas coast for North American Birds. John makes a point to return to southeast Texas each winter to participate in and lead several Christmas Bird Counts.