I have always been fascinated with nature since I was a small child and was "that kid" who was constantly bringing home insects, frogs, plants, or whatever else I discovered in the woods near my house growing up. I have over 20 years of professional animal and conservation experience and have a personal affinity for birds, insects, African mammals, and marine life.

I earned my BA in Zoology and Certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and my MA in Biology from Miami University and have had the opportunity to do field work in Florida, Hawaii, Mexico, Belize, Kenya, Namibia, and Borneo (Malaysia).

Follow along on my iNaturalist account to see all the amazing species I find on my adventures!

Observations I need assistance with:
Arthropods 🦋🪳🦂
Birds 🦜🦩🦚
Fishes 🐠🦈🐟
Fungi 🍄🍄‍🟫🍄
Herps 🐊🐍🦎
Kelps, Diatoms, and Allies 🌿🍂🥬
Mammals 🐘🐋🦥
Mollusks, Cnidarians, Echinoderms, Annelids, etc. 🪸🪼🪱
Plants 🌵🌺🌴
Protozoans 🦠🦠🦠

My Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/jayrayballard

My eBird profile: https://ebird.org/profile/NTM4MzU0