I am Steve Hampton. I’ve been birding since I was 7 years old, though I mostly use iNaturalist for as a tool to learn about plants and other non-bird species.

Though I have a PhD in natural resource economics, I confess I know more about birds than I do about economics. I recent retired as Deputy Administrator at the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, where I have been involved in natural resource damage assessment, seabird restoration, tribal relations, and regulating the oil industry (among other things).

I've also conducted many bird surveys and been a Christmas Bird Count compiler for over 20 years.

My special bird interests are avian responses to climate change, gull identification, and Fox Sparrows subspecies identification. I have recently migrated from Davis, California to Port Townsend, Washington.