Hi, I’m Kelsey. I write about wild animals, birds and the science behind the videos everyone’s mom forwards. Mine sends me one about once a week, always with the same question: “Is this real?”

What I write about

• Wildlife and birds, including the regulars at backyard feeders.
• Animal records and science facts, always with a source.
• “Is this real?”: viral animal stories, checked.
• National parks and nature through the seasons.

Where my stories come from

I spent three summers as a seasonal ranger at a national park in Montana. The most common question at the visitor-center desk was “Does it know me?”, usually about the raven in the parking lot. (The ravens definitely knew who had sandwiches.)

Those summers taught me that the hardest part of any animal fact is the paperwork: a bird’s age is only as reliable as the band on its leg.

How I write

Fact first, source linked. If science doesn’t know something yet, I’ll tell you that too. No scary animals, no cartoon feelings.

Off the clock

I grew up in Garden Grove, California, and live in Bozeman, Montana. My mom still sends me blurry photos of birds from her balcony with one question, “What is this?” I get it right about half the time.

How we check our stories: Editorial Standards and Ethics.