John Yerger

John Yerger has been birding for nearly three decades.  His interest in birds developed into more of an obsession by high school, and led him to pursue a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science at Penn State University.  Along the way he participated in many research projects, on topics ranging from Painted Redstart foraging ecology in the Chiricahua Mountains to Tree Swallow behavior at Cornell University.  While John enjoys every bird from the drabbest common sparrow to the brightest rare warbler, he is equally engaged by many other aspects of natural history.  John has led trips from the boreal to the neotropics, but primarily enjoys living and birding in southeastern Arizona.

John leads tours for the Adventure Birding Company based from his home in Portal, AZ.  In between seasons, he serves as a wildland firefighter and EMT.  He has also served as a Board Member for the Arizona Field Ornithologists and the Friends of Cave Creek Canyon, as a member of the Arizona Bird Committee, and volunteers with the Tucson Audubon Society.

Favorite recent adventure: Birding in Iceland!  Breeding bird behavior was fascinating, and the landscape is simply beyond words.  One pleasant surprise was discovering the second Icelandic record of Arctic Loon – which might sound odd for a sub-Arctic island, but apparently there is a gap in their range between Europe and North America.

Interviews with John:

Science Friday: Birding Into The New Year (John comes in at Time Remaining –11:00)

This Birding Life: More Birding Stories (streaming audio) and Birding Taiwan (link to website and audio)

Upcoming tours with John:

Single day to one week custom trips in southeast Arizona