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| see also: https://www.thehibbitts.net | my eBird profile: https://ebird.org/profile/MTY3NjU1/US-TX | pages updated 07/11/2026 |
Why "Marathon Birding"? I had to pick a name, and since I run Marathons (and longer races), and because when I'm in the field for personal birding, I usually bird the entire day, it only seemed natural that I incorporate both into my bird-guiding business name - therefore, "Marathon Birding". And, yes, I have entered birding (incidental) checklists while running marathons (for example, easy-to-ID birds like Varied Thrush on races in Washington & Oregon). And no, I certainly don't expect clients to run a marathon, or even go all day - I work with your schedule. However, unless you're a fellow marathoner or ultra-runner, I should have the ability and stamina to bird for as long as you need me to. I'm a retired High School Science teacher, having taught in Texas Public Schools for 31 years - mostly Biology and Advanced Placement Biology courses, but I've actually taught almost every secondary science class at one time or another - Chemistry, Physics, Science Research & Design, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Environmental Science, Intro to Physics & Chemistry, 8th Grade Science, and 7th Grade Science. For 10 years, I also taught Dual Credit College Biology as an adjunct instructor. I hold a Master's Degree in Biology (specializing in the evolutionary relationships of reptiles & amphibians). I have been a member of the Texas Herpetological Society for all of my adult life, and have served as an officer for that organization, including serving as its President. I have been birding for most of my life - my oldest bird lists recorded in my field journals (and now on eBird) date back to family vacations in 1982. Most of my birding in the 90s and 2000s was in conjunction with summer trips aimed at photographing reptiles & amphibians. After 2008, I began to be increasingly interested in photographing Dragonflies & Damselflie (as of this writing, I have photographed 455 species in the United States & Canada, leaving 17 of the species to go) - in 2011, I discovered a species of Dragonfly unknown to science in the Pineywoods of East Texas, which was described in 2012 (see: Cordulegaster sarracenia) . In the late 2010s, my wife and I really began to focus on chasing and photographing birds - and these days I chase birds every chance I get. In the field, I will maintain eBird checklists to be shared with you. I am also a photographer, and can offer assistance for your bird photography efforts as well. Finally, I maintain the Texas Rare Birds & Discussion and Pelagic Birding North America Discord channels. If you book with me, you will get not only an experienced birder, but also a well-rounded naturalist. I not only will be able to expertly identify any birds we encounter, but also Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Odonates, many butterflies & moths, many beetles, most cacti, and a lot of different species of plants. I'm also conversant in the biogeography of Texas and the southwestern US, as well as the geology that underlies this region, and have solid understanding of how these landforms shape bird distribution. I have birded in all 254 of Texas's counties, with over 100 species recorded in 51 of them. I have birded in every state in the US except Hawaii. As of this writing, I have seen 568 species in Texas alone (767 species in the lower 48), along with in excess of 300 species in both Arizona and California. At this time, I am primarily booking clients to bird anywhere in Texas, New Mexico, and southeastern Arizona - but talk to me if you have ideas for bookings elsewhere. |
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