George C. West

Dr. George C. West is Professor of Zoophysiology, Emeritus from the University of Alaska Fairbanks where he spent most of his professional career conducting research on the physiology and ecology of arctic and subarctic birds. He has published over 100 scientific papers and several books, some of which are listed here. In addition he has illustrated hundreds of books, newsletters, web sites, and other media including the books listed here. Many of his drawings and photographs can be found on the web site: www.canstockphoto.com/birchside and a complete biography is listed on his own web site: www.birchsidestudios.com.

West merged from research scientist to academic administrator as Director of the Institute of Arctic Biology and Dean of the College of Biological Sciences at the U of AK Fairbanks, and then became Academic Vice President of the University Statewide System of Higher Education before his retirement in 1984. He and his wife, Ellen, moved to Homer on the shores of Kachemak Bay, Alaska and in 1996, moved south to Green Valley, Arizona. In Homer he studied migration of shorebirds and warblers and was president of the Board of Directors of the Pratt Museum for several years. In Arizona, he helped found the Hummingbird Monitoring Network and has processed over 14,500 hummingbirds in the last 10 years. He continues drawing, painting, and writing - with the latest effort being the book with Carol Butler on hummingbirds listed here. He is working on a photographic identification guide to the flowers of the White Mountains, Arizona.