Geoff LeBaron is Christmas Bird Count Director for the National Audubon Society, a position held since 1987. As an integral member of the Audubon Science Division, Geoff also works on the other Community Science projects including Climate Watch, Hummingbirds at Home, and the Great Backyard Bird Count, as well as ornithological and birding advisor on projects from the Conservation Science team. Other tasks at Audubon have included consultant for natural history accuracy for both the Audubon website and Audubonmagazine; advisor for products under development by the Marketing team; leader for both leadership and staff birdathon fund-raisers; consultant for special events; occasional lecturer; and frequent Audubon media spokesperson on various subjects.
Before Audubon, Geoff served five years on staff in the Ornithology Department at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia (including Collection Manager at VIREO); ornithological field work on Common Loons for the Audubon Society of New Hampshire; ornithological field work for the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and environmental education work for the State of Rhode Island. He has logged over 2000 hours aerial observation time of marine mammals, turtles, and birds encompassing the entire east coast of the United States. Geoff also spent three seasons leading whale and seabird watching trips on Stellwagen Bank off Cape Cod.
Geoff has led natural history tours to: Alaska; Big Bend and the Texas Hill Country; Baja California; Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands; Panama and Costa Rica; the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador; Argentina, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica; South Africa; and Australia and New Zealand.
Geoff earned his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Miami in Florida, and a Master's Degree in Zoology from the University of Rhode Island. During his time at URI, he published his thesis "Kleptoparasitism as a foraging strategy in the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus).
