“ I've only been birding about six years, having finally noticed wild birds at age 42, and for no apparent reason. However, when it happened, it happened big, and I am so happy to have birds and other wild creatures in my life now. The world is so much bigger with birds in it!

My interest in birds led to reading everything I could about them - not only birding magazines, but also books covering the gamut of bird information, from the Cruickshanks' 1001 Questions Answered About Birds to Marie Winns' Red-Tails in Love to Len Howard's Birds as Individuals and Living with Birds. My first field guide was a Peterson (of course) and, as a freelance writer, I soon noticed there was a need for another Peterson biography, as the only one in existence at the time was published in 1977 while he was still alive.

In between birding field trips with the New Jersey Audubon Society (my focus has been on South Jersey, but I notice birds wherever I go, including the Las Vegas Strip, where great-tailed grackles are abundant!), I sifted through archives and eventually spoke with 116 people from around the world about Roger Tory Peterson. Re-living Roger's life through my research was a wonderful way to see birds through his eyes as well as learn about the most famous and important naturalist of the 20th century. My project was eventually titled Birdwatcher: the Life of Roger Tory Peterson and published by The Lyons Press in May 2008.

I have been fortunate to give talks at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown New York and before a meeting of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. In October, I will be speaking during the Cape May Bird Observatory's Cape May Autumn Weekend.

I look forward to participating in DVOC meetings and field trips!”

From Elizabeth's 2008 Application