Don Roberson

Don Roberson grew up in rural California and developed a lifelong interest in baseball, birds, and the Civil War. He has a degree in history, but he learned that the Civil War was fought back East and that he would never make the Giants' roster. So instead, he became a rabid state birder and did a California “big year” in 1977, which he describes in his book Birders’ California. Three other books on bird status, distribution, and identification followed. His most recent book is Monterey Birds (second edition, 2002), the definitive text on the birds of Monterey County.

For 35 years, Don has been the “keeper of the Monterey County list.” At the same time, he has served as the county editor for “North American Birds” and now for eBird. He’s seen birding evolve over that period of time and has observed changes in what observers get right — and what they get wrong. His list of “The Ten Most Misidentified Birds” in Monterey County has changed over time, and he's happy to provide tips to help birders avoid these common mistakes.