OIAS Audubon Society: Birds Doing Stuff

Monthly meeting of the Owashtanong Islands Audubon Society

Social time: 6:00-6:20 PM, followed by a presentation

Nov 17: "Birds Doing Stuff": Steve Jessmore, photography

Award-winning Michigan photographer Steve Jessmore shares how 35 years as a photojournalist shaped his approach to photographing birds as characters with behaviors and stories. His program features endangered Great Lakes Piping Plovers, Michigan wetlands and freshwater habitats, and the story behind his new book, The Splendor Next Door: An Invitation to Discover Birds and Nature Close to Home. Created over five years and more than 250 mornings at Reeds Lake, the book encourages us to slow down, notice the small changes and find a nearby place worth knowing—and protecting.

What began as childhood curiosity—watching frogs, insects, and wildlife up close—grew into a 35-year career as a newspaper photojournalist and, ultimately, a passion for bird photography and conservation storytelling. Today, Steve Jessmore is an award-winning Michigan bird photographer whose work focuses on bird behavior, freshwater ecosystems, and the disappearing habitats that sustain wildlife across the Great Lakes region.

Rather than simply photographing birds, he is interested in telling the stories of how they live. Through patience and repeated observation, he documents courtship, migration, parenting, hunting, territorial disputes, and the everyday moments that reveal the remarkable lives of birds. Every photograph is made in the wild, capturing authentic behavior rather than staged encounters.

View more of his wildlife photography on his website: stevejessmore.com