About ammodramus88 / Jennifer W. Hanson  

I've spent much of my time writing and drawing over the years, but more recently photography has become one of my favorite activities. I blame the combination of my trusty Canon A620 and Flickr for that; it also helps that a lot of my friends are on Flickr. I'm working on a series of photos called On the Trail of Henry Charlton Beck. The series follows in the footsteps of the journalist, amateur historian and folklorist who wrote newspaper articles and books about New Jersey sites. I also enjoy taking pictures of moths, an incredibly varied (and often beautiful) group of insects.

I'm currently a grad student at Rutgers University pursuing a Master's degree in Library and Information Science. I'm interested in how archival materials and history can be preserved and interpreted in a era of digital technology. I have a B. A. in Art History and have worked in publishing, libraries and sundry other places.

Most of my published writing concerns birds and birding. My work has appeared in Birding, The Chronicle of the Horse, International Wader Studies and New Jersey Birds (formerly Records of New Jersey Birds). Today in NJ Birding History is my intermittently-updated blog. I've also reviewed music and books for Rambles.

I've been interested in natural history for my whole life and have been a birder for over 20 years. I am a voting member and Assistant Secretary of the New Jersey Bird Records Committee. I've gotten interested in insects as well, and find they are often easier to photograph than birds! Of course, buildings are easiest of all to photograph, since they generally stand still.