A Little About Myself

It Just Dawned On Me

I’ve been studying Darren Rowse’s Problogger book trying to learn how to be a better blogger. It’s a great book because he believes you’re nothing without a community. While I have made several attempts here and there to find out more about my readers I just realized that besides the little snippet on the About page I really haven’t told you a whole lot about me and where I come from.  More importantly, how I got started birding and some of the challenges I’ve encountered.  So, without further ado…

Who Am I?

My name is Jeff Jones. On December 9th I’ll turn 50.  I was born and raised in a suburb on the west side of Cleveland, Ohio.  I grew up in a working class neighborhood.  My passion has always been music and I was involved in a number of vocal music productions from junior high through high school.  I actually attended Ohio State University for music education with voice as my instrument.  I only attended one year because (a) music education lost its allure and (b) Ohio State can be a formidable altered state adversary for an 18 year old. I got interested in music production and attended and graduated from Middle TN State University with a bachelors degree in Recording Industry Management. After college, I worked in various capacities in insurance companies until being down-sized out of an IT position in 2005. Since then, I sold mint children’s books for two years on ebay before turning to blogging and affiliate marketing which I now do. My wife and I live just outside Nashville, TN currently with our little dog Maggie.

How I Got Started Birding

About 7 years ago, a guy I worked with mentioned that he fed birds in his backyard. I had not known anybody who had done this and I was intrigued.  I’ve always been fond of nature and animals so it didn’t take long before I was feeding in my backyard full tilt.  I’ll never forget it because my first hopper feeder was an absolute disaster-taken over by grackles and excluding almost every other bird in my backyard.  That’s when I first decided to learn as much as I can and experiment constantly to find the right mix between keeping out nuisance birds while encouraging the ones that really need my help.  It’s been a passion of mine ever since.

Why Should You Read My Blog?

I review products and books I receive for the purpose of doing so. My plan is to eventually have a weekly give away where readers can get a chance to win a product I’ve reviewed for nothing more than leaving a comment.

I keep notes on birds I’ve seen and make notes in my field guides as to dates but I’m definitely NOT a life-lister.  You won’t find me traveling to Peru to do birding this year.  You will find me reporting on what’s going on in my backyard and hope it may help you with your situation. You will read tips in my blog that will help you save time and money on your backyard birding pursuits whether it be feeding, nesting, planting or identification.

My Mission

First, I want to help you identify what’s in your backyard at any given time of year and help you create a space they will thrive in while discouraging the birds that tend to take over feeders.  I’ve tried a lot of stuff and I’ve learned a lot.

Second, I want to hear from you what’s working for you so I can try it out in my yard. I’ve still got a lot to learn and hope that you can help me too.

Third, I want to help in any way I can for birding to be as much fun for you as it is for me!

I should make a few points clear:

1. I do believe all animals are God’s creatures BUT I don’t want them all in my backyard!  I want to do whatever I can to get the nuisance birds looking elsewhere for their daily meal.
2. Just because I’m not taking birding vacations right now does not mean I never will or that I have anything against those who do.

What Say You?

Please leave me a comment and introduce yourself. I look forward to meeting more of my readers.

You can also follow me on Twitter