FULL-TIME STAFF
BSBO Staff
Kimberly Kaufman, Executive Director
Kimberly Kaufman is an Ohio native whose lifelong love of the outdoors grew into a passion for birds in the 1990s. She monitored nesting Bald Eagles for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and ran bluebird trails before she began banding migrant songbirds for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Kim's involvement with BSBO escalated as she became the observatory's education director in 2005 and then executive director in 2009, a position she still holds. Kim played a key role in starting the highly successful Ohio Young Birders Club, a group for teenagers that has served as a model for youth programs in 13 other states, as well as The Biggest Week In American Birding, a spring event that rapidly has become one of the largest birding festivals on the continent. She is a contributing editor to Birds & Blooms magazine and coauthor of the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England and Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest. In 2015, Kimberly received the American Birding Association's prestigious Chandler Robbins Award in recognition of her contributions to bird education and conservation.
Kimberly Kaufman is an Ohio native whose lifelong love of the outdoors grew into a passion for birds in the 1990s. She monitored nesting Bald Eagles for the Ohio Division of Wildlife and ran bluebird trails before she began banding migrant songbirds for the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). Kim's involvement with BSBO escalated as she became the observatory's education director in 2005 and then executive director in 2009, a position she still holds. Kim played a key role in starting the highly successful Ohio Young Birders Club, a group for teenagers that has served as a model for youth programs in 13 other states, as well as The Biggest Week In American Birding, a spring event that rapidly has become one of the largest birding festivals on the continent. She is a contributing editor to Birds & Blooms magazine and coauthor of the Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of New England and Kaufman Field Guide to Nature of the Midwest. In 2015, Kimberly received the American Birding Association's prestigious Chandler Robbins Award in recognition of her contributions to bird education and conservation.
Mark Shieldcastle, Research Director
Mark Shieldcastle has a degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. He was on staff at Ohio State with the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit before accepting a position with the Ohio Division of Wildlife where he has spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife Biologist specializing in avian research and in 2012 he retired from his position as Project Leader of Wetland Wildlife Research. Mark was a founding member of BSBO and currently serves as the Director of Research. He has conducted research on Bald Eagle, colonial waders, terns, wetland breeding birds, woodcock, shorebirds, colonial passerines, waterfowl, rails, cranes, migrating raptors, and migrating passerines. Mark co-authored the Beneficial Use Impairments for Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat portion of the Lake Erie Management Plan which is part of the Clean Water Act; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the National Shorebird Plan; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the North American Waterbird Plan; and has contributed to several of the regional plans of Partners-in-Flight. Mark has authored or co-authored a variety of papers on passerines, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and contaminant issues with birds. He developed recovery plans for the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Sandhill Crane in Ohio.
Mark Shieldcastle has a degree in Wildlife Management from The Ohio State University. He was on staff at Ohio State with the Ohio Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit before accepting a position with the Ohio Division of Wildlife where he has spent thirty-two years as a Wildlife Biologist specializing in avian research and in 2012 he retired from his position as Project Leader of Wetland Wildlife Research. Mark was a founding member of BSBO and currently serves as the Director of Research. He has conducted research on Bald Eagle, colonial waders, terns, wetland breeding birds, woodcock, shorebirds, colonial passerines, waterfowl, rails, cranes, migrating raptors, and migrating passerines. Mark co-authored the Beneficial Use Impairments for Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat portion of the Lake Erie Management Plan which is part of the Clean Water Act; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the National Shorebird Plan; The Great Lakes-Upper Mississippi River Regional Plan of the North American Waterbird Plan; and has contributed to several of the regional plans of Partners-in-Flight. Mark has authored or co-authored a variety of papers on passerines, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and contaminant issues with birds. He developed recovery plans for the Bald Eagle, Osprey, Common Tern, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Sandhill Crane in Ohio.
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Ryan Jacob, Banding Projects Director
Ryan is a Toledo native who discovered his passion for birds while working as a naturalist for the state parks and during his many seasons at the BSBO Navarre Marsh banding station. With a background in philosophy and years of travel across North America, he not only has a wide knowledge of birds and the outdoors, but an understanding and appreciation for the natural world at large. Ryan manages BSBO’s Navarre Marsh passerine banding research station, working with a team of volunteers and seasonal staff to operate this constant effort mist netting operation during spring and fall migration. He also coordinates BSBO’s Motus and radio telemetry work, and operates BSBO’s MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) stations. Ryan is a North American Banding Council certified trainer. |
Jasmine Cupp, Outreach Director
Jasmine is an Ottawa County native and a nature and Great Lakes enthusiast. Traveling throughout the Great Lakes region with her family, she has gained an appreciation for the outdoors. Before coming to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Jasmine worked for The Beacon news publication as editor and production manager for over four years. While covering the Biggest Week in American Birding as media, Jasmine fell in love with birding on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Jasmine is passionate about wildlife and habitat conservation and showing people the healing power of nature.
Jasmine earned her Communications Degree, graduated with honors from Owens Community College in 2013. Dedicated to supporting the local community, she was part of the 2016 Leadership Ottawa County class, and served on the Main Street Port Clinton Board of Directors. Her connections with the northwest Ohio community, her passion for birds and conservation, and her commitment to BSBO's mission make her a superb fit for the Outreach Director position.
Jasmine is an Ottawa County native and a nature and Great Lakes enthusiast. Traveling throughout the Great Lakes region with her family, she has gained an appreciation for the outdoors. Before coming to the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Jasmine worked for The Beacon news publication as editor and production manager for over four years. While covering the Biggest Week in American Birding as media, Jasmine fell in love with birding on the boardwalk at Magee Marsh Wildlife Area. Jasmine is passionate about wildlife and habitat conservation and showing people the healing power of nature.
Jasmine earned her Communications Degree, graduated with honors from Owens Community College in 2013. Dedicated to supporting the local community, she was part of the 2016 Leadership Ottawa County class, and served on the Main Street Port Clinton Board of Directors. Her connections with the northwest Ohio community, her passion for birds and conservation, and her commitment to BSBO's mission make her a superb fit for the Outreach Director position.
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Tyler Ficker, Communications Director
Tyler is a Cincinnati native who found his passion for birding when his 4th grade teacher incorporated bird identification into the science curriculum. He first visited the Northwest Ohio region for the Biggest Week in American Birding in the 5th grade and has been back every year since then, now as a guide and a field trip coordinator. Tyler earned a Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife degree from the School of Environmental and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University. Tyler was a co-founder of Lights Out Buckeyes—part of Ohio Lights Out, a network of programs aimed at making urban landscapes (in this case, the Ohio State campus) safer for migratory birds. He also worked as a field technician for the Ohio Division of Wildlife surveying grassland species. Tyler serves as the Southwest Regional Director for the Ohio Ornithological Society, furthering his connections within the Ohio birding community. He is a professional portrait and wedding photographer as well as a graphic designer. He is also a birding and bird photography guide with Sabrewing Nature Tours. |
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Annalise Bokenkamp, Research Assistant
Annalise first went birding in Mohican State Park with a high school science teacher who did a unit on ornithology. He inspired her to study biology in college, but she didn’t decide to focus on birds until she pursued a graduate degree in Scotland. Some of her fieldwork there included Blue Tit nest box studies and Black-legged Kittiwake monitoring. After having some experience with banding in the UK, Annalise knew it was something that she wanted to continue when she returned to the U.S. Luckily, she made it back to Ohio just in time for BSBO’s 2019 spring season and spent the next few years volunteering at the banding station. She’s thrilled to be part of the BSBO team and looks forward to learning more about the ins and outs of the marsh. |
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Tracy Marr, Development Assistant
Tracy is a migrant to Ohio from the east coast. Observing all the hawks in northwest Ohio led to a Lucas County Metroparks program on hawk ID, which led to becoming a BSBO volunteer for more than 20 years. After a 35-year career in public libraries, Tracy retired in 2022, and found a fun new job at BSBO. |
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Jamie Cunningham, Education Director
Jamie has had a lifelong interest in all nature and wildlife, but especially birds. A visit to Magee Marsh over a decade ago during The Biggest Week in American Birding turned her interest into a passion. After that, Jamie dove headfirst into birding and especially bird photography. Her award-winning images have been featured in several publications and were even featured in her own gallery exhibit. Jamie was instrumental in forming a nature photography club in her hometown, where she shares her wealth of knowledge with members. She is passionate about sharing her love of birds, especially with youth. In her role as Education and Outreach Specialist, Jamie will coordinate the statewide Ohio Young Birders Club, manage The Biggest Week In American Birding speaker communications, and organize the festival's accessible field trips. Jamie also leads birding and photo tours for Sabrewing Nature Tours. |
SEASONAL STAFF
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Gautam Apte, Morning Flight Counter
Gautam is a lifelong birder and field biologist originally from Cleveland, Ohio. After spending his early years enjoying the spectacles of fall waterbirds and spring songbirds along the shores of Lake Erie, he went on to earn his degree in Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife Science from The Ohio State University. He has worked with birds on a number of projects all over the United States, but is most interested in studying the various mechanisms of migration in all its forms. Most recently, he completed his third season counting the autumn songbird migration at Cape May, New Jersey. Gautam is thrilled to be returning to Ohio for the spring to observe one of the continent's great migratory spectacles once again. |
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Cadin Jaessing, Passerine Research Technician
Cadin Jaessing is an avian enthusiast born and raised in Bryan, Ohio, with a life-long passion for birds. As a boy, he spent eleven years showing poultry in 4-H. As a teen and adult, he's bred and reared a multitude of species from pigeons to exotic fowl in his own time. He's also done extensive work in public and private aviculture, maintaining rare and endangered species and assisted in species survival plans. Upon moving to Toledo, Cadin was introduced to the hobby of birding and has been captivated by it ever since. He is excited to return to the marsh this spring to learn the ins and outs of banding migrants, and furthering his experience in the field. |
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Grace Reddick, Passerine Research Technician
Grace, the youngest of eight, was born and raised in Perrysburg, Ohio. She’s always had a love for God and passion for creation, spending endless time outside and observing nature and wildlife. Years of taking walks (with her camera, of course) at Sidecut Metropark is where her keen love and appreciation for birds began as she started to learn the frequent songs and calls. That passion continuously grew even as she pursued an accounting degree and, shortly after graduating from the University of Toledo, began her career as a tax accountant. Even as 2025 marks the 6th year of her career in tax, she’s pursuing her life-long love of nature by seeking various volunteer opportunities. The fall of 2024 was her first season bird-banding with BSBO, an unforgettable and inspiring experience. For Grace, the 2025 spring season couldn’t have come fast enough. She’s eager and ready to assist the technicians, meet new volunteers, and - most of all - band the birds! |