When you get an email from us in response to a comment you sent, sometimes it’s signed like this: “Mike at Two-Fisted Birdwatcher.”

You might wonder, who is this guy?

Fair question. I’m Mike. I live near a river in a wooded area outside Chicago. I’m married, got kids, and I’ve been interested in the outdoors since I was a kid myself.

I write most of the stuff you see on this website. I’ve worked as a writer at different places. Ad agencies, newspapers where I wrote columns; and I’ve written stories for magazines, things like that.

Thanks to the internet, now I get to write about birds. And about people like you. I like bird watchers.

I try to put together some experiences and ideas related to bird watching. But they’re also related to life in general. Maybe they’re here just for the fun of it. That’s for you to decide.

I’m not much of a photographer. There are great photographers today, showing their talents on other websites about birding.  I’m not in their league. Most of the shots you see here are royalty-free stocks selected to illustrate things or set a mood. A few photos have been taken by me. When you see those, you’ll spot the difference in quality right away.

I add a piece of writing every few days, mostly in “Daily Sightings.” But new items also pop up in other places. Like “The Bird Detective,” “Viewpoints,” “Shorts;” the fiction section “Stories,” and even in “Heavy-Duty Ornithology.” I hope you’ll watch for them. If you subscribe, or use our “Contact” page, you’ll get a short email notifying you when something new appears.

And please let me know if you’ve got something to add. There’s room here for more than one two-fisted birdwatcher. I’d like to hear from you. Thanks for visiting the site.

Best,

Mike at Two-Fisted Birdwatcher