Michael L. P. Retter is the editor of Birder’s Guide, a magazine published by the American Birding Association. He leads birding tours for BRANT in the U.S., Mexico, and Central America, and he is currently writing a field guide to the birds of Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. A McLean County native, Michael grew up in and has spent nearly 30 years watching birds in Illinois, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. He is a past Field Trip Coordinator for the Illinois Ornithological Society, currently serves on the Indiana Bird Records Committee, and administers GBNA, the continent’s informal club for LGBTQ birders.