Returning from my evening run last night, I got a pleasant surprise. A package was waiting for me. As soon as I picked it up, I knew what it was. I had been anticipating its arrival for a while now, and finally, it was here - A book called “Birds of Instagram, edited by David Sibley, and Chris Gatcum, published by Abrams Books, which I was honored to be a part of. David Sibley is the author and illustrator of The Sibley Guide to Birds, which is considered one of the most comprehensive North American ornithological field identification guides. And yes, I am a bird nerd, so it's pretty damn cool to be in a book he is part of. His guide book is one of the very first that I purchased when I first got into birding.

These are the first bird images I have had published in a book, which is fun for me, especially since I am so passionate about birds. I remember having a conversation with a fellow photographer and ocean guy. He teasingly yet half-serious told me that I needed to stop posting bird images as it was not good for business. More importantly, it was not a good look for me since I was coming from the trenches of the shark world. I laughed it off and told him I'm in too deep. I do enjoy birding and bird photography. He just said I need to stop, and we ended the conversation.

One of the images published in the new book.

Of course, that conversation always sat in the back of my mind, quietly nagging at me, as he is a very respected wildlife guy. But I was pretty much set on my passions, and despite being the Shark Guy, I didn't care. I genuinely enjoy it and decided to continue capturing images of birds, and posting them on our social media pages. I even have a page on IG dedicated to just my bird photography.

Fast forward to last night and leafing through the new book, I wore a huge smile on my face as I looked at my images printed on those pages. It really makes me proud of this accomplishment on my wildlife journey, and even prouder to officially call myself a published Bird Nerd.

Thank you for reading!