Ben Springer was born and raised in southern Maryland and has always been a nature lover. He began actively birding in 7th grade and has continued ever since. He works at Pax River Naval Air Station as a bird survey intern collecting data for the MD/DC Breeding Bird Atlas. He is also currently earning a degree at St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Biology.
Karolina was born in the Czech Republic, where she hiked with her grandparents every weekend or worked in their garden growing vegetables. There she also spent summers camping and enjoying the outdoors and bringing home random animals. Karolina studied traveling and tourism in the Czech Republic before moving to the United States in 2012. She enjoys traveling around the states and exploring new places. Karolina got involved in birding in 2019 after her fiance’s traumatic brain injury.
Dean Newman and his wife, Sandy, have lived in St. Mary’s County since March of 2001. He is fully retired and spends most of his time traveling and photographing birds all over the Western Hemisphere. Originally from North Florida, he spent 29 years in the Navy and taught graduate courses for the government for 15 years afterwards in government acquisition. Dean’s passion is conservation of wild habitat, and he works with and donates to many conservation organizations.
Molly Moore is a lifelong birder and spent nearly three decades as a reporter for the Washington Post, most of that time as a foreign correspondent in South Asia, Latin America, the Mideast, and Europe.
In her second career she was a media consultant to national environmental organizations. A Louisiana native, she graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in American government and lives in Newburg, Maryland, with her husband and their son.
She is a Master Gardener with a passion for rewilding and native plants, and is a beekeeper.
Barbara Hill is a retired CPA. She worked for the Department of Defense for over 30 years. She loves to learn, and her motto is that if you are interested in something, do it! She is a Master Scuba Diver, has a pilot-single engine land aircraft license, and is a Charles County Master Gardener. Although birds always caused her to look, Barbara only recently became active when monitoring Port Tobacco River Park’s Bald Eagle nest cam. Finding raptors most intriguing, she saw photos of other birds, raising another interest. Barbara now has a nice camera and searches her property looking for a good picture to take.
Julie grew up in Anne Arundel County and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park. She worked at the National Weather Service for about 10 years before deciding to become a stay-at-home to mom. Julie’s interest in bird watching was piqued by her former boss at the weather service. She has enjoyed adding birds to her life list while traveling and instilling a love of nature in her children. Julie lives in Bryantown with her husband, Will, and her three children.
Elena Gilroy is a Park Ranger for the Maryland Park Service. She lives with her husband and three-year-old twins on a farm in Ironsides, Maryland, where she raises sheep, rabbits, cattle, produce, and field crops. Her favorite activities include nature photography, kayaking, and spending time with her family. Her current favorite birding opportunity is monitoring the Osprey nests at Smallwood State Park.
Tiffany is a native Southern Marylander. She graduated from La Plata High School and St. Mary’s College of Maryland and later earned her master’s degree from the University of Virginia. Tiffany became interested in birds when an adventure in Namibia brought her face-to-face with a Lilac-breasted Roller. A magical encounter with a Scarlet Tanager in the spring woodland sealed a new-found delight in birding. Tiffany has worked for the Smithsonian Institution since 1999 and been an active board member of SMAS since 2016.