Preeti Desai is a nature photographer who’s passionate about wildlife, conservation, and science. Her love of photography developed while growing up in New Jersey, which, despite stereotypes, is full of great places to get outdoors.

Much of Preeti’s recent work focuses on birds. Birds are everywhere: in cities, in suburbs, in wild places—and they provide a vital connection between people and the wild. They are often the only wildlife someone may encounter on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, humanity’s impact on the world is getting worse daily. And one of the easiest ways to see that is through birds. They really are the proverbial canary in the coalmine. Since 1970, in North America alone, we’ve lost 3 billion birds. And climate change threatens extinction for many of our bird species now and into the future.

Through her photography, Preeti hopes to provide a window into the shrinking wild world, and inspire people to care and take action.