I, Dorian Anderson, have been interested in birds since a very young age. I grew up in Philadelphia, and spent much of my youth birding John Heinz NWR, Brigantine NWR, Cape May Point, Barnegate, Bombay Hook NWR, and other areas in the Delaware Valley region. I was fortunate to attend 4 of the youth birding camps run by Victor Emanuel Nature Tours between ages 12-15. This broadened my avian horizons and exposed me to the western parts of the country as well as Mexico for the first time. Unfortunately my birding interest was put on hold from ages 16-18 as I attended boarding school in Connecticut.
After high school, I headed west to California where I attended Stanford University. I studied Cell and Molecular Biology, and when not busy with coursework, research, or frat parties, I managed to do at least some birding in and around the bay area. I became particularly interested in pelagic birding during these years as Monterey was just a few hours down the coast.
After Stanford I attended New York University where I completed a Ph.D. in Developmental Genetics. Specifically, I studied how cells in the early embryo polarize and how this polarization event functions to control subsequent morphogenetic movements during gastrulation. You can read all about it here. Ironically, it was in the most urban of environments that my birding interest was really rediscovered at the obsession level. Central Park and Jamaica Bay were easy train rides, and I started doing more bird-focused traveling around the country.
After NYU, I accepted a post-doctoral position at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control neural plasticity. Armed with a car (which I did not have in Manhattan), the birding interest grew exponentially. I also ventured into serious bird photography for the first time in April of 2010 and have been completely addicted ever since. You can see all of my work at dorianandersonphotography. I currently spend much of my free time birding and photographing at Plum Island, Cape Ann, and Cape Cod.
Congrats on eclipsing 500! On a recent trip to Bodega Bay, CA, we ran into Benjamin D. (Mike) Parmeter. A retired MD, he is probably the most experienced birder in W. Sonoma County. He was very generous with his expertise and time in helping us spot Surf Scoter, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Oyster Catcher, and Baird's and Pelagic Cormorants. When rare birds get spotted in the Bodega Bay area, Mike gets a call. His book, Birds of Sonoma County, is a big help. I've been trying to find some contact info on him. I'll keep looking.
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