Bergen County Audubon Society President Don Torino welcomes fellow BCAS members Marie Longo and Tammy Laverty to the latest episode of The Nature Connection radio show, airing this Sunday (Sept. 27) from 6:30 a.m. to 7 a.m. on WFDU 89.1 FM.
Don, Marie and Tammy will discuss how to prepare your backyard wildlife habitats for the fall and winter season and why it’s so important to make your surroundings wildlife-friendly, especially during these tough seasons.
Marie, among her many BCAS duties, is in charge of the BCAS Certified Wildlife Garden Program. Tammy is a master gardener and head volunteer coordinator at the BCAS Butterfly Garden in Overpeck County Park in Leonia.
We had the pleasure of speaking with James Falletti, an award-winning environmental communicator, wildlife photographer, science educator, writer, author, and speaker. James will be giving a talk at the Meadowlands Birding Festival (Sunday, Oct. 4) on Birding Without Borders – click here for schedule and more information.
Your talk at the Meadowlands Birding Festival is Birding Without Borders. Could you explain that concept?
Birding Without Borders is built around the idea that birds and nature have an extraordinary ability to connect people across geographic, cultural, and language boundaries. That idea has become increasingly meaningful to me through my experiences as an educator, photographer, and birder, particularly as my work has expanded beyond New Jersey to Colombia and China.
No matter where you are in the world, curiosity about nature is something people share. Someone may speak a different language or come from a completely different cultural background, but when they encounter an unfamiliar bird, many of the same questions arise. What is it? Where does it live? Why is it behaving that way? Birds can become the beginning of a conversation, and their migrations remind us that nature does not recognize the geo-political (ok to use geo-political instead of political?) that divide us.
My presentation brings together birding, photography, education, travel, and conservation through experiences in New Jersey and abroad. One aspect that was particularly meaningful was being able to bring the Bergen County Audubon Society into my international work. BCAS provided birding resources that I brought with me to Colombia and China, allowing something that originated with a local organization here in Bergen County to become part of educational experiences with students thousands of miles away.
That is really the heart of Birding Without Borders. Birding may begin with simply noticing a bird, but it can lead to conversations about science, migration, conservation, photography, culture, and our shared responsibility for the natural world.
Did you grow up around nature?
Growing up on Long Island, I was fortunate to spend time outdoors and visit places that encouraged exploration and curiosity. One place that remains particularly important in my memory is Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. The Cedar Beach Town Nature Preserve sits along the Long Island Sound, with sandy paths leading through salt marshes toward Mount Sinai Harbor.
I enjoyed exploring, being near the water, and paying attention to whatever I happened to find. Looking back now, I can see that those experiences probably had a greater influence on me than I understood at the time.
Did you also have an early interest in birds?
I was about eight years old; my grandmother gave me a copy of A Guide to Field Identification: Birds of North America. I became fascinated by the illustrations and wanted to identify the birds I saw around me.
The Belted Kingfisher became particularly memorable because I was determined to find one. For a while, my enthusiasm was considerably stronger than my identification skills, and I apparently thought almost every Blue Jay or flash of blue might be the kingfisher I had been searching for.
As I got older, life became busy. I went to college, built a career, pursued graduate degrees, and spent nearly two decades working in education. My childhood interest in birds moved into the background for a while, although my connection with nature never disappeared.
Then, many years later, while visiting Tenafly Nature Center, I saw a Belted Kingfisher again. That encounter brought me back to that childhood book and the memory of my grandmother giving it to me. I often call the Belted Kingfisher my “Re-Spark Bird” because seeing one again helped reignite an interest that had started decades earlier.
Left – Bald Eagle – Middle – Great and Snowy Egret – Right – Semipalmated Sandipipers
How long have you been involved in birding and photography in New Jersey?
I moved to New Jersey in 2009 and over time began exploring the remarkable natural areas throughout Bergen County and beyond. Today I may be exploring a wetland, national park, wildlife refuge, or natural area with a camera or binoculars in hand, but the instinct behind it remains remarkably similar to what I experienced as a child. I still enjoy arriving somewhere, slowing down, observing what is happening, and trying to better understand the place and the life within it.
How did you develop an interest in photography?
Photography developed gradually for me before eventually becoming one of the central parts of both my personal and professional life. I began with simple point-and-shoot cameras, photographing family, travel, and places I visited before eventually purchasing my first serious Nikon interchangeable lens camera.
That transition encouraged me to move beyond simply taking pictures and begin learning photography as a craft. I became interested in composition, light, exposure, lenses, and timing, but perhaps the most important thing photography taught me was how to see differently. Once you begin carrying a camera regularly, you start noticing details that might otherwise pass by unnoticed.
I did not begin exclusively as a nature or wildlife photographer. I photographed travel, landscapes, cities, architecture, food, people, and nature, and I think working across different subjects helped me become a more versatile visual storyteller.
How did you come to focus on wildlife photography?
Wildlife gradually became a stronger focus as my interest in birding developed. The more time I spent photographing birds, the more I wanted to understand them. Photography led me toward bird identification and behavior, while birding gave me a deeper understanding of the subjects I was photographing. The two interests developed together.
Have you had formal training?
I would describe myself as primarily self-taught, although I have also studied photography formally and spent years learning through coursework, workshops, experimentation, and, most importantly, experience in the field. Wildlife photography is a constant teacher because understanding your camera is only part of the process. You also have to understand behavior, light, timing, patience, and how to adapt when the situation changes.
What is the key to taking photos that tell stories?
Storytelling has become central to my photography because a photograph can communicate much more than simply what happened to be standing in front of the camera. A wildlife image can tell a story about behavior, habitat, survival, or the relationship between an animal and its environment. Sometimes the environment surrounding an animal is just as important as the animal itself.
Great and Snowy Egret and Mallard
Do you have advice for aspiring photographers?
For beginners, my advice is to start with the camera you already have and learn how to use it well. Pay attention to light, composition, backgrounds, and timing. For wildlife photography, especially, learn about your subjects and spend time observing before immediately beginning to photograph.
Most importantly, respect wildlife. No photograph is worth disturbing an animal or damaging its habitat. The experience of observing and learning should always be as important as getting the photograph.
What led you to documenting the Meadowlands through photos?
After moving to New Jersey in 2009, I gradually began exploring the remarkable diversity of wildlife and natural habitats throughout Bergen County and the Meadowlands. Like many people, my early impressions of the Meadowlands were shaped by what I saw from highways, trains, and while traveling through the region.
As my interests in photography, birding, and environmental education developed, the Meadowlands became one of the places that most challenged those assumptions. I discovered wetlands, tidal marshes, trails, and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife in a place that many people simply drive past without realizing what is there.
Today, I see the Meadowlands as one of the region’s most important environmental and educational resources. You can stand in a marsh observing an Osprey, Bald Eagle, Great Egret, or Northern Harrier while highways, buildings, and the New York City skyline remain visible nearby.
Hooded Merganser
Do you have any favorite Meadowlands spots?
Richard W. DeKorte Park in Lyndhurst is one of my favorite locations because of the remarkable variety of birds and photographic opportunities throughout the year. I enjoy returning to the same locations repeatedly because birding is constantly changing. A place can seem relatively quiet one week and suddenly become filled with activity the next because of migration, weather, or seasonal changes.
Osprey and Northern Harrier
How did you become involved with the Bergen County Audubon Society?
I officially became involved with the Bergen County Audubon Society in August 2024 as a Field Trip Leader and member of the Field Trip Committee. The role brought together several parts of my life, including my background in education, wildlife photography, birding, and environmental science.
One of the things I appreciate most about BCAS is that it welcomes people wherever they are on their birding journey. You do not have to be an expert to participate. Some of the most rewarding experiences involve someone identifying a bird they may have seen for years without ever knowing its name.
Some people might have an interest in birding but feel overwhelmed at the sheer number of birds out there. What would you say to encourage people who are hesitant about birding?
Birding can seem intimidating because there are so many species and identification details to learn, but nobody begins by knowing everything. I encourage people to start with the birds they already see in their neighborhoods and local parks. Once you begin recognizing familiar species, curiosity naturally takes over.
For me personally, birdwatching and photography are also comforting because they require me to slow down and become fully present. You begin paying attention to sounds, movement, weather, and details that might otherwise disappear into the background.
Ultimately, that is what birdwatching continues to teach me. There is always something happening around us if we take the time to look.
You are also an educator. How do you bring your love of nature, birding and photography into the classroom?
For nearly two decades, I have worked in education, much of that time as a full-time classroom teacher and STEM and technology educator. Throughout my career, I became increasingly interested in finding ways to move learning beyond traditional textbooks and classroom walls.
Students can read about ecosystems, wildlife, climate, and conservation, but those ideas often become much more meaningful when they have an opportunity to experience them directly. Instead of simply memorizing the definition of a wetland, they can visit one and observe the plants and animals that depend upon it.
That philosophy became an increasingly important part of my educational work and contributed to our school’s achievement of Eco Schools USA Green Flag status. Nature became one of the central threads connecting my work because almost every subject can connect to the natural world.
One of my signature programs, Flight by Design: A STEM Journey Through Birds, Biomimicry and Aerospace, brings those connections together. Students investigate how birds fly, how engineers study nature for inspiration, and how those observations have influenced technologies related to aviation and aerospace.
My work has also extended into space and aerospace education through organizations including Space Center Houston and the Space Exploration Educators Conference, or SEEC. Nature and space may initially seem like very different subjects, but I see them as part of the same larger conversation about exploration and discovery.
How have your experiences shaped you as environmental advocate?
Over time, my experiences as a photographer and birder also changed the way I viewed environmental issues. The more time I spent observing wildlife, the more I understood that habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and development were not abstract concepts. They affect specific places and species that I had come to know.
There are many serious environmental challenges today, but I also think it is important that people do not feel powerless. Supporting conservation organizations, learning about local wildlife, participating in community science, and protecting important habitats can all make a difference.
I have come to believe that curiosity can be the beginning of environmental stewardship. Before people can care deeply about protecting something, they often need an opportunity to experience it.
You spent part of this summer teaching about birds in China. How did that come to be?
The opportunity to teach in China came through Vision Gifted Chinese Children, or VGCC, an educational organization that develops learning opportunities for students. I was invited to develop and teach STEAM programs in Shenzhen and Dongguan, where I spent nearly five weeks working with students.
The experience brought together many areas of my professional background, including science, technology, engineering, environmental investigation, photography, creativity, and problem solving. Birds and the natural world also became part of the experience whenever possible, with students using binoculars, cameras, journals, and field guides to investigate wildlife around their school.
One particularly meaningful connection was being able to bring resources from the Bergen County Audubon Society with me. BCAS provided Chinese bird field guides that became part of our daily observations and allowed students to identify species they were seeing in their own environment.
Are there certain highlights of your experience in China that you’d like to share?
One of my favorite experiences involved observing a Long-tailed Shrike with students. It was a new species for me, but what made the experience meaningful was sharing the discovery process. We observed the bird together, photographed it, examined its characteristics, and worked through the identification process. For a brief period, the school grounds became a field research site, and the students were not simply being taught about science. They were actively doing it.
Long-tailed Shrike
Red-whiskered Bulbul
China was one of the most meaningful professional and personal experiences of my career, but I also want to emphasize that Colombia was equally important and impactful. Both experiences reinforced my belief that education, nature, and curiosity can create meaningful connections across cultures and geographic boundaries.
Teaching internationally requires flexibility and humility. You arrive with knowledge and experiences to share, but you also leave having learned from the students, educators, and communities you encounter.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book, The Classroom Without Walls: Learning to See the World Through Nature, Curiosity, and Photography.
The book reflects a philosophy that has developed throughout my career: some of the most meaningful learning happens when we move beyond traditional boundaries and begin paying closer attention to the world around us. It brings together many of the ideas that have developed throughout my career and explores how curiosity, observation, exploration, and real-world experiences can become powerful forms of learning.
You describe yourself as environmental communicator. What does that mean?
To me, an environmental communicator is someone who helps make information about nature, science, wildlife, and environmental issues accessible and meaningful to a broader audience.
I use education, photography, writing, presentations, and storytelling to help people better understand and connect with the natural world. Depending on the situation, which might entail leading a bird walk in Bergen County, photographing wildlife, presenting a STEM program that connects birds with aerospace engineering, teaching internationally, or writing about an environmental experience.
Photography is particularly important because it can help someone see something they may never encounter in person, while storytelling provides the context that helps people understand why a species, place, or environmental issue matters.
Ultimately, environmental communication begins with encouraging people to pay attention. If something I photograph, teach, write, or present causes someone to look more closely at a bird, visit a local park, ask a question, or think differently about the world around them, then I believe the communication has done its job.
For more information on James Falletti and James Falletti Media, visit jamesfalletti.com and www.jamesfallettiphotography.com.
