Howard Youth has been birding the Chesapeake Bay region since the age of twelve. A freelance writer and editor, he previously held editorial positions at conservation organizations including American Bird Conservancy, Friends of the National Zoo, and Worldwatch Institute. Howard also wrote for a variety of publications while living abroad in India, Spain, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. He is the author of Field Guide to the Natural World of Washington, D.C.

Gemma Radko has been an avid Maryland birder for over 30 years. She is a member of both the Montgomery and Frederick chapters of the Maryland Ornithological Society, and often leads bird walks. As a licensed bird bander, Gemma ran a MAPS (Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship) banding station for nine years, and she now teaches introductory ornithology and other birding classes at Nature Forward in Chevy Chase, MD.