David Barrett earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Harvard, and did graduate work in mathematics and computer science at MIT and in finance at the University of Chicago. After a long career as a hedge fund manager he is now an investor. Other interests include running, lifting, and nature photography.

During the years 2011 to 2020 when he was active as a competitive birder, his achievements included multiple first-place finishes on eBird’s annual Top Birders list for Manhattan, eight years of over 200 bird species there, and the highest lifetime total species in Manhattan as reported to the New York State Ornithological Association.

He is best known for his Twitter account @BirdCentralPark (Manhattan Bird Alert), which features photographs and videos of Manhattan nature, including such “celebrity birds” as the Mandarin Duck, Snowy Owl, Barred Owl, and Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl, all of which went on to receive worldwide media attention after appearing on his site.