About me
CHILDHOOD NATURALIST
From my earliest years I have been enthralled by the wonders of nature. As kids, we would ride our bicycles to the outside of town to search the fields for whatever lizards, snakes, insects and other wildlife that we could capture and bring home to my zoo. While attending CSU Stanislaus I pursued a concentration in Flowering plants, but Ornithology became my passion.

EDUCATOR
Recently retired, I was a teacher and administrator with Modesto City Schools. I taught Biology, Earth Science and Spanish for 20 years before serving as the District's Instructional Technology Supervisor.

BIRDER
I served as past President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer for Stanislaus Audubon Society as well as Program Chair and Field Trip Chair. I currently serve as Webmaster, StanislausBirds Administrator, eBird Reviewer, & Stanislaus Bird Records Committee member. I was also one of the early founding Board Members of the Central Valley Bird Club, participating in every Bird Symposium since its inception.

PHOTOGRAPHER
I admit that I am as much a Bird Photographer as I am a Birder. Birding came first, but my passion for seeing birds was soon equaled by a passion to digitally capture their beauty. I am an active member of the Modesto Camera Club and have served as the club’s President. I currently have over 35,000 images on my https://jimgain.smugmug.com/ site. My images have been featured on the Audubon Field Guide, Birds of the World, All About Birds, Merlin Bird App and numerous websites.