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Peg Abbott
Peg Abbott is the owner and lead guide of Naturalist Journeys, LLC. She has been designing, guiding, and organizing natural history tours for more than 25 years, working for the National Audubon Society and other organizations before launching Naturalist Journeys, LLC in 1998. Her work has taken her from Alaska to Africa and Argentina, as well as many other locations around the world. She has conducted research on several bird and mammal species and keeps a close interest in Yellowstone and Mexican wolf reintroduction projects. Her interests include all aspects of natural history and geology. After 20 years in and around the Yellowstone area, Peg relocated in 2003 to the birding mecca of Portal, AZ.
Photo credit: Carol Simon
All Trips With Peg Abbott ⌄
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Jon Atwood
Jon Atwood recently retired from his position as Director of Bird Conservation for Mass Audubon, where his work focused on grassland birds and full-life cycle conservation of Roseate and Least terns. He has been a practicing ornithologist and conservation biologist for more than 40 years, using behavioral studies of rare and endangered bird species to inform conservation planning. After completing his master’s and doctoral degrees in Southern California, where he studied Santa Cruz Island Scrub-Jay behavior, Least Tern breeding biology, and the taxonomy of gnatcatchers living in the deserts of North America, he moved to the East Coast in 1986. Building on his experience as a Master bird-bander, he worked at Manomet Bird Observatory and collaborated in the analysis of the first 30 years of Manomet’s landbird banding program. He also spearheaded federal protection of the California Gnatcatcher under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, led a long-term study of factors affecting Least Tern colony site selection, and contributed to early studies of Bicknell’s Thrush in New England. After leaving Manomet, Jon directed the Conservation Biology program at Antioch New England Graduate School where he taught Ornithology, Research Design, and GIS while mentoring more than 70 master’s and doctoral students. Jon has led field trips in Mexico (Yucatan and Baja California), Costa Rica, Belize, the Galapagos, the Amazon basin of Ecuador and Peru, Kenya, Southern California, Southeastern Arizona, Montana, and Maine.
All Trips With Jon Atwood ⌄
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Daniel Bergmann
Daniel’s passion for photography began at an early age. He worked as an editorial photographer before committing to nature photography 20 years ago. He has been leading photography tours since long before Iceland became a popular photography destination, and shares his skills through workshops in Iceland, Svalbard, and Greenland in the high Arctic.
Daniel is also passionate about birds. He enjoys photographing them and learning through observation. He is actively involved in conservation and has been on the Board of Directors for BirdLife Iceland for 20 years.All Trips With Daniel Bergmann ⌄
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Ben Blewitt
Ben is a passionate birder and ecologist based on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. He has over 30 years birding experience throughout Australia and Internationally and over 25 years involvement in nature-based tourism, including successfully running his own birding tour business for several years. Ben’s easy-going nature and relaxed style somewhat belie his skills and determination in the field. With his knowledge of bird calls and understanding of the habitat requirements of particular species, he can often reveal natural wonders previously hidden to the inexperienced observer.
Photo credit: Inala Nature Tours
All Trips With Ben Blewitt ⌄
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Greg Butcher
Greg will retire soon as the Migratory Species Coordinator for U.S. Forest Service International Programs, working throughout the Western Hemisphere. He is Vice President for Audubon Society of Northern Virginia, serving on the Conservation and Citizen Science committees. For his Ph.D. in Zoology at University of Washington, he studied the coloration and behavior of Bullock’s Orioles. Greg studied ecology in Costa Rica with the Organization for Tropical Studies and has worked internationally for the past 19 years. Greg has previously worked for the National Audubon Society, American Birding Association, Birder’s World magazine (now Birdwatching), Partners in Flight, and Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He is a Fellow of the American Ornithological Society (AOS). He has been a birder since he was 11 and has birded in all 50 states and 46 countries.
All Trips With Greg Butcher ⌄
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Peter Burke
Peter is a lifetime birder raised in central New Jersey. Based in Boulder, CO, he is editor of Colorado Birds and a long-serving board member of Colorado Field Ornithologists. Peter has led birding adventures throughout Colorado and to destinations around the U.S., Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. An accomplished photographer, Peter’s images have been published in numerous magazines and field guides including The Peterson Field Guide of Bird Sounds in Western North America, Cotingas and Manakins and a forthcoming Field Identification app.
Photo credit: Hugh Simmons Photography
All Trips With Peter Burke ⌄
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Bryan Calk
Bryan started birding at Fort Clark Springs in southwest Texas when he was 10 years old and never stopped. He got his first taste of guiding while leading trips for the Rio Brazos Audubon Society during college. After graduating from Texas A&M in 2015 with a degree in genetics, Bryan worked as an avian field biologist on several projects across Texas and New Mexico. Currently residing in Albuquerque as a professional birding tour guide, he leads field tours, workshops, and youth birding programs across the US. In his free time, Bryan enjoys butterflies, searching for herps, photography, art, cooking, and gardening.
All Trips With Bryan Calk ⌄
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John Carlson
John first set foot in Antarctica in 1994 as a general laborer at Palmer Station. He has spent the last 25 years figuring out ways to continue to return. This has included stints researching Adelie Penguins at two locations on the Peninsula, conducting biological inventories throughout the peninsula, and as a guide/naturalist on many expeditions to Antarctica as well as South Georgia and the Falklands. When he isn’t traveling south, you may find him at the other pole, guiding our Arctic waters cruise near Svalbard, Norway. John is a Wildlife Biologist for the Bureau of Land Management in Billings, Montana. His main duties are now centered on Greater Sage-Grouse management. He was born and raised in northeastern Montana and has had a strong interest in wildlife in general and birds specifically for as long as he can remember. He obtained his BA in Zoology from the University of Montana and MS in Zoology and Physiology from the University of Wyoming. In addition to his Antarctic work, he has conducted research on a wide variety of animal species from one end of the world to another, including seabird research in the Bering Sea, and northern Baffin Bay.
All Trips With John Carlson ⌄
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Ryan Chenery
Ryan Chenery was born and raised in beautiful Barbados! Ryan’s first job on the island took him beneath the waves where he conducted coral reef surveys for the Bellairs Research Institute. Yet it wasn't long before his passion for birds and wildlife on terra firma saw him employed as Chief Naturalist and Eco-Guide Manager at the largest remaining mangrove wetland on Barbados (the Graeme Hall Nature Reserve), and later travelling further afield to conduct field research on birds and amphibians in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest and Ecuadorian Amazon.
After being swept off his feet by a Yorkshire Lass, he followed her to England where he continued his passion for “all things birds" with employment at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Here he spent three years at the organization’s internationally renowned seabird reserve Bempton Cliffs, where highlights included kittiwake monitoring in gale-force winds and rescuing disoriented gannets by perching both he and the birds precariously on the edge of 300 ft cliffs - to better allow them to catch enough updraft to head back out to the North Sea! Subsequent employment in the UK saw Ryan take on the role of National Parks Officer at the North York Moors National Park – a position he held for 3 years before returning to Barbados to conduct multi-island wildlife trips full time. Ryan has enjoyed all of the wonderful roles he has undertaken across the globe, but his greatest passion remains leading wildlife adventures through the magical islands of the Lesser Antilles. The tiny island gems will always be his home and he loves nothing better than sharing the unique wildlife, vibrant cultures and untamed wildernesses that each island has to offer with nature enthusiasts from around the world. Oh, and the food, he absolutely loves the island food, and has even been known to also share this...occasionally!Photo credit: The Bajan Birder
All Trips With Ryan Chenery ⌄
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Steve Choco
Raised in the local Kek’chi Maya community, Steve Choco is one of the top local guides in Belize, and a great resource for visitors exploring on this Southern Belize nature tour. Steve developed his love of nature and his early fascination with wildlife during camping trips with his grandfather in the Belizean bush. Recognized today for his unparalleled birding skills, Steve was the 2017 recipient of the prestigious National Tour Guide of the Year award, given annually by the Belize Tourism Board. Naturalist Journeys relies on Steve and other experts to ensure high quality birding (and cultural) experiences for travelers.
All Trips With Steve Choco ⌄
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Dan Donaldson
Dan Donaldson is an accomplished naturalist-birder based in Northeastern Ohio and has been guiding for Naturalist Journeys for nearly 20 years. Dan has developed his skills while working as a naturalist for a local park district for 25 years as well as with his full-time job as director of the local soil and water conservation district. Acustomed to varied audiences from novices to experts, Dan incorporates much more than just identification in his tours and programs. Dan has led tours for The Nature Conservancy, National Parks Conservation, and other tour companies. While now an international guide, his specialization in birding locales ranges from the Great Lakes to coastal destinations ranging from the Maritime Provinces of Canada and Maine, to the Florida Keys.
All Trips With Dan Donaldson ⌄
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Mason Flint
Mason is a New Mexico native who started birding at age 11 when his family moved within walking distance of the Richardson Bay Audubon Sanctuary in Tiburon, California. Here, he became an Audubon Junior Naturalist. His love of birding and travel grew through as he moved with his family to Alaska, Ohio, and Vermont, college on the east coast, and a few years trying to eke out a living as a birder/ski bum in Montana and back in New Mexico.
In desperate need of gainful employment, Mason settled in Seattle where he spent most of his career at Microsoft. Mason was able to feed his habit by adding on a day or two of birding to business trips across the US, Europe, and Asia and travel with his family. His wife Suzy, who loves travel but isn’t a birder, is a good sport and jokes that being married to a birder has given her the opportunity to visit sewage treatment ponds around the world.
Mason retired a bit early in 2015 to help fledge his two sons, squeezing in travel and birding between soccer games and band performances. He was thrilled to finally combine his passions and profession when he joined Naturalist Journeys as a consultant in early 2020. Mason has led field trips in Texas, Southeastern Arizona, Minnesota, Peru, and Iceland.All Trips With Mason Flint ⌄
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Johan Fernandez
Johan Fernández Ramírez has a Diploma in Naturalist Guide and is pursuing a career in Management and Protection of Natural Resources. Johan has worked as a guide since 2003. In 2007 he initiated a research program about the birds of Carara that lead him to start the Christmas Bird Count of Central Pacific of Costa Rica with National Audubon Society. The same year, Johan help organize the Shore Birds Count of Costa Rica, and during the count he recorded Costa Rica’s first Pacific Golden Plover. Johan is also co-founder of the Costa Rican Ornithologists Union, where he actively participates in various bird conservation programs and has conducted several bird inventories in various areas of Costa Rica; he has a great knowledge about the status and distribution of the Costa Rican birds. In 2015, he was selected by Noah Stryker to guide him during his visit to Costa Rica for the Global Big Year and their journey is well described on Noah’s book Birding Without Borders.
All Trips With Johan Fernandez ⌄
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Robert Gallardo
A California native who moved to Honduras in 1993 for the Peace Corps, Robert stayed to make a life there, diving headfirst into the world of tropical birds. He is now considered the country's leading authority on both avifauna and butterflies – a double expert on beautiful flying things. He leads tours for Naturalist Journeys to Panama, Honduras, Texas and Trinidad & Tobago. Robert is the current President of the Pro Nature Honduras Foundation, a small non-profit which promotes nature-based sustainable tourism and environmental education. He is also the co-founder of the Honduran Ornithological Society. He has authored two editions of the "Guide to the Birds of Honduras." He and his partner Olivia hope to publish the "Guide to the Butterflies of Honduras" sometime in 2022. The couple lives in Emerald Valley where they protect 50 acres of rich mid-elevation rainforest and are working to install a nature center with their foundation.
All Trips With Robert Gallardo ⌄
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Michael Good
Michael has more than 25 years of experience studying the birds of North America, and brings a wealth of knowledge about Neotropical migrants and the avifauna of the Eastern United States. Michael has traveled extensively in the US, Alaska, Europe, Australia, South America and Cuba. He is also a regional business leader promoting sound ecologically practices in business and land development. Michael has been guiding professionally for many years, focusing on avian ecology in the Gulf of Maine bioregion. His fields of expertise include wetland ecology, ornithology, environmental education and developmental biology. Michael worked for many years at the Marine Biological Laboratory and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, studied numerous aspects of the Gulf of Maine.
In his spare time, he maintains Three Pines Bird Sanctuary in Town Hill, Maine, studying micro-habitat of Neotropical migratory birds on Mount Desert Island, Maine and winter ecology in various Neotropical countries, when given the opportunity.All Trips With Michael Good ⌄
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Gerard Gorman
Gerard Gorman is a deeply experienced birding and wildlife guide, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe where his knowledge of the wildlife sites of the region is second to none, having visited every country from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In recent years he has led several Naturalist Journeys groups across Europe and Africa. Gerard is also an author, and his books include Central and Eastern European Wildlife (Bradt, 2008) and Birding in Eastern Europe (WildSounds, 2006). His main ornithological interest focuses on woodpeckers, and he is regarded as an authority, authoring an unprecedented seven books on the family, including the acclaimed Woodpeckers of the World (Bloomsbury, 2014) and Woodpecker (Reaktion, 2017). His latest, The Wryneck (Pelagic Publishing, 2022), is the definitive monograph on this fascinating species. Gerard is also interested in wildlife tracking, and his Pocket Guide to Tracks and Signs of European Wildlife (Bloomsbury) was published in 2014.
Photo credit: probirder.com
All Trips With Gerard Gorman ⌄
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Andrew Haffenden
Andrew has birded all the southern coastal states, from South Carolina to Texas, and more diverse states and habitats from the mossy rainforests and mountains of Washington to the conifers and bogs of Minnesota to the winter seabirds of New York's Long Island. The dry and desert states of the Southwest have been favorites of Andrew's, from the furthest southwest point in the US to the high mountains and plains of Northern Colorado. Further afield, numerous visits to Mexico, 25+ trips to Central America and 17+ trips to northern South America including Guyana has enabled Andrew to become familiar with the birds of those regions. Some 15 tours to Greater Antilles places him in the top 20 eBirded species in the Greater Antilles. Andrew’s also birded and led tours to several other Caribbean Islands. In addition to Dauphin Island he also leads Naturalist Journeys tours in the Southeast US and Central/Southe America. His many trips to Southeast Asia, and of course a lifetime of experience in Australia and New Zealand round out his wildlife experiences.
Photo credit: Peg Abbott
All Trips With Andrew Haffenden ⌄
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Chris Harbard
Chris Harbard is a well-known British ornithologist and conservationist who now lives in SE Arizona. After 24 years working with the world’s largest bird conservation organisation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, he moved to the Austrian optics company Swarovski and managed their birdwatching website for several years. He is now a freelance author, editor, broadcaster and lecturer, as well as an occasional bird guide in SE Arizona where he and his wife help to run the Southwest Wings Birding and Nature Festival. He is on the board of the Arizona Field Ornithologists.
Chris writes for Birdwatch magazine and was editor of the Birdwatchers' Guides series of books. His own books include Birdwatch, Songbirds, A Birdwatcher's Quizbook, A First Guide to Birdwatching.
Working as a naturalist lecturer on board expedition cruise ships for the last eighteen years has taken him to remote areas of the Arctic, Antarctic, Atlantic and Pacific. Although his main area of interest is birds, especially seabirds, he also enjoys a range of other wildlife such as cetaceans, butterflies, dragonflies and plants.All Trips With Chris Harbard ⌄
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Kirsten Hines
Kirsten’s love of nature blossomed with early childhood explorations of emerald rainforests, sea star-filled tidepools, and wildflower-strewn mountains in Washington State. This paired with a love for travel when her family translocated to the Philippines where she lived from ages 8-18. Kirsten’s natural history explorations of the world expanded in college, graduate school and beyond as she studied Augur buzzards in Kenya, magnificent frigatebirds in the Galapagos Islands, poison-dart frogs in Costa Rica, rock iguanas in the Bahamas, kangaroos, bowerbirds, and fairy wrens in Australia, and myriad plants and animals in Florida where she worked as a biologist until a camera tweaked the trajectory of her career. Seven continents and 56 countries later, Kirsten now bases out of Florida and Maryland as a wildlife photographer, writer, speaker, nature guide, photography instructor, and conservationist.
Kirsten’s writing and photography have appeared in numerous online and print publications, including six of her own books on Florida’s nature and history, starting with the award-winning gardening reference Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens and most recently Everglades National Park. Her upcoming photo-illustrated books include the coffee-table book Wild Florida: The Animals of the Sunshine State and the field guide Birds of Florida. Kirsten’s images have also been featured in photography showcases, public art programs, and in solo and juried group exhibitions. With over 20 years of experience leading nature and photography trips and workshops, Kirsten’s goal is to inspire enthusiasm for the natural world among diverse audiences. She is a founding member of Phoebes Birding, which connects women through nature, member of the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group and North American Nature Photography Association, and a board member of Tropical Audubon Society and Audubon Florida.
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Dave Krueper
Dave is a retired professional wildlife biologist, having worked as an avian technical specialist for the US Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the US Fish & Wildlife Service for nearly 40 years. He has worked in a variety of regions, including Alaska, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Northwestern Mexico. His favorite areas are Alaska, the southern Rocky Mountain states, Northwestern Mexico, and the New World Tropics. Dave loves to combine birding and travel, and has been fortunate to do both in 34 countries on 6 continents. He is also an avid bird and landscape photographer, with published photos in several books, field guides, magazines and on-line publications. He greatly enjoys sharing the wonders of the avian world with others and spending quality time with others on tours and natural history adventures. He and his wife Janet live in Corrales, New Mexico, and are proud Land of Enchantment residents for over 20 years.
All Trips With Dave Krueper ⌄
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Wes Larson
Wes Larson is a wildlife biologist who specializes in some of the most beloved and threatened species around the world. His primary research has been on polar, black, grizzly and sloth bears, but he has been lucky enough to work on conservation projects with myriad other species, including Golden Eagle, African Wild Dog, Green Sea Turtle, Elephant Seal, Spotted Eagle Ray, Burrowing and Flammulated Owl, American Kestrel, Temminck’s Ground Pangolin, and American Alligator. Wes also has a passion for wildlife conservation education, and hosted the Mission Wild series for CNN’s Great Big Story, and regularly shares his travels and field work with his large social media following. He credits his love for wild things and bears to an upbringing in Montana, where the forests and mountains are a last refuge for his favorite species, the Grizzly Bear of the Rocky Mountains. Wes’s passion for all things wild is infectious and the only thing he loves more than seeing wildlife in its natural habitat is sharing those experiences with other people.
All Trips With Wes Larson ⌄
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Dodie Logue, Guide Emeritus
Dodie Logue is an artist, a horse trainer and an avid birder. Her interest in birds has taken her all over the United States including Alaska, as well as Central and South America. She is a certified bird bander and has done surveys and banding in the U.S. and Ecuador. Dodie splits her time between the southwest and the midwest, where she has worked to turn her 120 acre farm back into a native landscape including wetlands and 50 acres of tall grass prairie. She has been involved with numerous citizen scientist projects and is a member of PAN (Project Art for nature), a group of midwest artists who make art about critical habitat and educate the public about it. She loves nothing better than spending all day out in the field hiking and observing.
Photo credit: Chris Benesh
All Trips With Dodie Logue, Guide Emeritus ⌄
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Pat Lueders
Pat Lueders has been leading birding trips in the St. Louis area and Midwest for over 10 years. A love of traveling has taken her to many countries of the world and most of the US, often with Naturalist Journeys' trips. When not out birding, she is the coordinator of volunteers for a number of Citizen Science projects partnering with many agencies including U.S. Fish & Wildlife, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Audubon, National Trumpeter Swan Society, and Missouri Department of Conservation. Pat serves on the boards of St. Louis Audubon & Audubon Society of Missouri and is on a bird banding team.
All Trips With Pat Lueders ⌄
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David MacKay
Why travel with David MacKay? Known for his deep knowledge and experience with Mexican birds, David is also known for his infectious smile. He takes great joy in field time; working it hard and finding results. He enjoys life and travel as well, always planning a good day’s end meal to bask and review the day’s sighting highlights. He’s had over two decades of guiding trips and his organization shows that. You can count on David to be ready to go and steer his group to see numerous birds and have a good time.
All Trips With David MacKay ⌄
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Tom Maloney
Tom is a dedicated naturalist and birder with a rich and varied 30-year career in conservation. He lives with his wife in Ojai, CA where he is the Executive Director of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. Tom has led trips to several countries and multiple trips to Yellowstone. He loves to inspire a commitment to conservation by having fun birding and naturalizing in beautiful places around the world. Indeed, that’s how he relaxes during his vacations! Tom is a founding board member of the Bird Conservation Fund that works to crowd-source funding for small bird-focused research and conservation projects around the world. Tom’s relaxed style and curious nature makes his tours both educational and fun.
All Trips With Tom Maloney ⌄
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Michael Marsden
Michael has been an avid birder since childhood in England but decided, for reasons that now escape him, on a career in law. Meeting Donna Knox on a birding trip, however, changed all that and, in 1996, he gave up his work as solicitor general to the Cayman Islands Government to start a new venture as a birding guide. Michael and Donna initially moved to Cayman House in Rockport, then to the San Pedro River Inn and the Paton Birders’ Haven in S.E. Arizona, and are now happily back in Texas: this time in San Benito, an ideal base for Michael’s interest in the wildlife and history of South Texas. As well as regular tours in the U.S./Mexico borderlands, Michael has guided birding trips to Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama and has travelled extensively in Europe and the Americas. He met Peg Abbott being very gracious to Naturalist Journeys groups along Arizona’s San Pedro River. He now shares his guiding skills with us in Texas and beyond.
All Trips With Michael Marsden ⌄
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Dave Mehlman
Dave is a naturalist with interests in birds, migration, ecosystems and natural disturbances, plants, and gardening. He holds a PhD from the University of New Mexico. Dave worked for The Nature Conservancy for 25+ years as Director of its Migratory Bird Program. He has researched in Latin American and the Caribbean. An avid birder, Dave enjoys teaching about natural habitats and local cultures. He has published papers in scientific and popular journals.
All Trips With Dave Mehlman ⌄
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Bob Meinke
Bob Meinke started birding in earnest while an undergraduate in plant science at Humboldt State University in northern California. After graduate school he went on to join the botany faculty at Oregon State University (OSU), where he’s led the state’s Native Plant Conservation Biology Program (in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture) for over 25 years. Bob and his graduate students conducted research on the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered plants in the western U.S., focusing on life history and re-introduction studies, and have also discovered and named a number of plant species new to science. When not botanizing, Bob enjoys travel with his wife Kelly (also a botanist)—never having lost their early interest in birding, Bob and Kelly have traveled extensively over the years, searching for birds and other wildlife in areas as diverse as Papua New Guinea, southern India, Fiji and Tonga, Australia, Iceland, Brazil, and southwest Africa. They share a particular interest in the avifauna of Central America, and reside with their cats in an historic neighborhood in Corvallis, Oregon, a few blocks from the OSU campus.
Photo credit: Courtesy Bob Meinke
All Trips With Bob Meinke ⌄
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Andrea Molina
Andrea is an Ecuadorian bird guide who has been guiding since 2006. She started as a local guide at the Bellavista Reserve cloud forest in Ecuador and then was recruited by Neblina Forest as a guide in 2010. Since then, Andrea has trained in Brazil, Peru, and other locations in Ecuador. Her good energy and kind touch with clients, as well as her good ears and great eye for birds, ensures her groups have an excellent experience. Andrea lives in Ecuador with her family.
All Trips With Andrea Molina ⌄
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Manuel Morales
Since the beginning of his Environmental Sciences studies in Huelva, Spain, Manuel has combined the university with volunteering for SEO Birdlife and Doñana Biological Station, in addition to working as an environmental educator in the Odiel Marshes. Later, in 2007 he became an expert ringer by the EBD (Doñana Biological Station). Since 2012 he has been managing and acting as leading guide while teaching Zoology for the University of Huelva. Manuel has given numerous talks and taught courses for SEO Birdlife and worked in Doñana National Park in several bird banding and tracking projects for the Andalusian Government and Station Biological of Doñana (Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, Black Kites, Black-necked Grebe…) Based in Tarifa, in the Cadiz region of Spain, he will lead tours to Spain and Morocco for Naturalist Journeys.
All Trips With Manuel Morales ⌄
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Xavier Muñoz
Xavier Muñoz's background is in tourism business administration and he also is also a professional bird-naturalist guide. Co-founder of Neblina Forest in 1994, Xavier collaborates with his peers in Ecuador and the USA, including Fundacion Jocotoco and Rainforest Trust; for Xavier, ecotourism and conservation walk together. Xavier has worked with Naturalist Journeys for more than six years, leading tours in Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, and Trinidad & Tobago. He lives in Ecuador with his family and horses.
Photo credit: Demis Bucci Fotografia
All Trips With Xavier Muñoz ⌄
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Francisco Muñoz
Francisco Muñoz lives in Quito, Ecuador. He studied photography and tourism at the University of Loja. His passion for conservation motivated him to move in every corner of Ecuador and in other countries such as Colombia and Brazil. Francisco continues in his great work of encouraging more people to preserve the environment, volunteering at the Sembrando Esperanza Foundation Reforestation program, working toward create a harmonious coexistence with animals and especially birds. In his free time, Francisco loves going exploring and taking long walks with his family and capture unique landscapes with his camera. He is also the coordinator of groups of photographers and loves to promote awareness about this type of art. Grateful for having some amazing clients to consider as friends, Francisco makes sure that new clients are welcomed and enjoy all that he has to offer.
All Trips With Francisco Muñoz ⌄
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Lester Nanan
Lester Nanan comes from a family of environmentalists, and his late father Winston Nanan was a key figure in the protection of the Caroni Swamp and Trinidad’s national bird, the Scarlet Ibis. Lester started birding as early as 17 years old, assisting his father in documenting species in the Caroni swamp and then later, the wider Trinidad and Tobago. An explorer, adventurer, a naturalist and conservationist, he has been sharing his knowledge with guests of Naturalist Journeys and sister company Caligo Ventures for decades. His present mission is to ensure that Caroni Swamp is declared an ‘environmentally sensitive area’ so that every species that enters the swamp is protected. Lester works with conservation organizations, protected area managers, government agencies, the tourism board, tour operators and guides throughout the country to develop sustainable tourism opportunities while at the same time working to build the demand for bird watching, photography and natural tourism.
All Trips With Lester Nanan ⌄
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Ed & Sil Pembleton, Guides Emeritus
The Pembletons have led field trips for 30+ years. Ed worked for the National Audubon Society and as director of the Leopold Education Project, promoting Aldo Leopold's land ethics philosophy. Ed's photos appear in books and national magazines. Seliesa has written children's wildlife books, worked at the Smithsonian Institution, and was director of environmental studies at Hard Bargain Farm. She has taught "American Style" environmental education in Japan. The couple enjoys birding, hiking, gardening, and canoeing.
All Trips With Ed & Sil Pembleton, Guides Emeritus ⌄
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Jason Radix
Jason is a well-known and well-respected naturalist guide in Trinidad & Tobago. He began his career at the world-renowned Asa Wright Nature Centre at the young age of 12. His now-30 year career has allowed him to host some of the world’s premier environmentalist and celebrity birding authorities, along with the countless bird and nature enthusiasts from around the world. Jason is proud of his homeland of Trinidad & Tobago, and eager to show off the rich dense biodiversity which exists throughout both islands. His passion for and knowledge of the islands' flora and fauna and history and culture is evident in every tour, with clients leaving fully informed about the country’s natural history.
His delivery makes each of his tours an enjoyable experience for the most avid birding to the beginner nature-lover.All Trips With Jason Radix ⌄
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Carlos Sanchez
Guide and client-favorite Carlos Sanchez has deep experience guiding in Central and South America (and in Spain!) for Naturalist Journeys. Carlos has also birded Thailand many times and he guides for us there as well. Before joining us, he was a resident guide in both Brazil and in Ecuador. A Miami native and Northern Virginia resident, he leads the new-and-notable Homestead, FL, Christmas Bird Count, is active in the Tropical Audubon Society and contributes to the blog 10,000 Birds.
All Trips With Carlos Sanchez ⌄
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Avijit Sarkhel
Avijit (Avi) Sarkhel lives in New Delhi in Northern India & runs a travel company for inbound tours to the Indian Sub-continent. Avi (as most people call him) has been designing and leading wildlife and birding tours for the last two decades all over the sub-continent. He has lead tours with a number of well-known tour operators from all over the World. Avi enjoys meeting people and showing them his country and its wildlife and nature. He is concerned about the well-being of his co-travelers, enjoys having a laugh with them
and is always ready to address their concerns while on tour.
Avi is well-versed with the forests of the sub-continent, he has traveled all over the country, seen almost all of the birds and most of the mammals and is keen to learn more. He believes that there is a lot to learn about the wildlife of the areas that he travels to and enjoys learning from his guests.Photo credit: Vana Safaris
All Trips With Avijit Sarkhel ⌄
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Bryan Shirley
Bryan Shirley graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Japanese/International Economics. He lived in Japan for 3 years when he was 20 and fell in love with the language and culture and has been guiding and birding there ever since. Besides guiding in Japan, he regularly leads tours for Japanese birding groups around the US and other countries. When not guiding he has been involved with various DWR and USFWS projects such as relocating Sage Grouse, breeding bird surveys, and bird-related projects for private environmental consulting firms. He also has volunteered his time to serve as president of Utah County Birders and organizes the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Counts for Provo and Payson, Utah where he currently resides. He currently is a member of the Utah Bird Records Committee.
All Trips With Bryan Shirley ⌄
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Steve Shunk
Steve Shunk started birding in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989, and he moved to central Oregon’s ‘Woodpecker Wonderland’ in 1997, where 11 woodpecker species breed annually. This phenomenon led to a 20-year obsession studying this charismatic family of birds. Steve founded the region’s woodpecker festival in 2008, and his Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America was published in 2016. He has fed leeches (his own blood) in Malaysian Borneo, and he has watched Spotless Starlings swarming around the Greek ruins of Sicily. Steve’s Alaska adventures have taken him from Ketchikan to Barrow and St. Paul Island. One of his favorite destinations takes him to see ‘eastern’ warblers breeding across the boreal forest of Alberta, but recent adventures have led him to favor the cushion plants and condors of the Peruvian high Andes. Steve speaks at bird festivals across North America, and he returns annually to speak and guide at the Vallarta Bird Festival in far-western Jalisco, Mexico. Steve joined Naturalist Journeys earlier this year, and we are excited to have him on the schedule for 2021 and beyond.
Steve’s work as a field biologist has taken him from the Coast Range of Oregon to California’s Sierra Nevada. Most recently, he conducted point-count and woodpecker surveys for a study in the Central Oregon Cascades. Steve co-founded the East Cascades Bird Conservancy (now East Cascades Audubon), and served as its first president. He also co-founded the Oregon Birding Trails Program and coordinated its flagship project, the Oregon Cascades Birding Trail. When Steve is not traveling the world for tours and lectures, he can be found writing, skiing, hiking, and watching woodpeckers at home in lovely Sisters, Oregon.All Trips With Steve Shunk ⌄
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Hugh Simmons
Hugh Simmons is a freelance photographer, avid birder and conservationist. Combining forty years of photography experience with a life-long love of nature he strives for images that give the viewer a sense of place. Hugh is a former National Audubon board member and is currently an Audubon chapter president and volunteer field trip leader for both his Audubon Chapter and the Cape May Bird Observatory. His photographic subjects range widely including medical settings, events, people, birds and landscapes.
Photo credit: Hugh Simmons Photography
All Trips With Hugh Simmons ⌄
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Kent Skaggs
Kent was born and raised in Nebraska and this is where he developed his passion for birds and nature in general. He worked 20 years at Audubon’s Rowe Sanctuary where he helped countless visitors experience the annual spring staging of Sandhill Cranes along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. While at Rowe, he conducted bird surveys on the sanctuary and coordinated and led birding field trips for the annual Audubon Nebraska Crane Festival. He also spent three seasons leading tours to see displaying Greater Prairie-Chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse for Calamus Outfitters in the Nebraska Sandhills. Kent and his partner Kathy currently reside in southwest Virginia.
All Trips With Kent Skaggs ⌄
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Greg Smith
Greg spent over 20 years working as an ecologist managing sensitive bird species for California State Parks along the Central coast. His decision to promote to the Park Superintendent series allowed him to work directly with partners in conserving lands for the benefit of birds, people, and resources. And then he retired! Three days later he started his now eleven-year career with Naturalist Journeys by leading his first of over sixty tours. He had already traveled to all seven continents, and now has a Master Bird Banding permit, both of which made him a great fit to work with Peg and to lead natural history and birding tours to her exceptional array of tour locations. His relaxed style and breadth of knowledge makes his tours both educational and fun, all while exploring Naturalist Journeys' diverse locations and viewing the areas' distinctive birds, wildlife, and plant species. Two of his favorite past times are good food and photography, so take a peek at his Flickr site to see some of what he shares with those that join him on his tours.
All Trips With Greg Smith ⌄
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James P. Smith
James brings some twenty five years of guiding experience to Naturalist Journeys. Originally from Sheffield in the United Kingdom, he discovered a love for guiding in Israel in 1995 where he helped establish the Kibbutz Lotan Center for Birdwatching in the Southern Arava Valley. Since then, he’s led hundreds of tours throughout the Northern Hemisphere for a number of UK-based tour companies. His trips to Israel and North America are especially close to his heart but he’s also led or co-led tours to Mexico (Veracruz), The Gambia, Kenya, Iceland, Scottish Highlands, Spanish Pyrenees, Central/Southern France, Greece (Lesvos), and India (Goa). An accomplished illustrator, James placed runner-up in the British Birds “Bird Illustrator of the Year” competition in 1992 and went on to have his work published in numerous birding magazines and journals. He also co-authored the two volume set A Guide to the Birding Hotspots of Israel (Published in 2000 by the Israel Ornithological Center and the S.P.N.I.). He returns to Israel every year to lead trips and remains an active member of the Israel Rarities and Distribution Committee. When not leading tours he can be found at home in Western Massachusetts with his wife Susannah and their young son Matan.
All Trips With James P. Smith ⌄
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Kaiyote Snow
Kaiyote Snow has a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She is a self-taught naturalist and an award-winning photographer and artist. Kaiyote is a certified Wilderness First Responder, a NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) graduate and a Leave No Trace Backcountry Master Educator. Kaiyote is a former instructor for the Rocky Mountain Conservancy (Nature Association). Her passions are birding, botany, and adventure travel. Kaiyote started working in the outdoors to teach people about nature as well as the importance of biodiversity and a healthy environment for all.
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Paul Tebbel
Paul Tebbel is a retired wildlife sanctuary and nonprofit organization director. He is a true craniac, having started working on sandhill cranes as a graduate student in the 1970s and was the director of Audubon's Rowe Sanctuary on the Platte River for 11 years. Paul currently provides guided trips and presentations on cranes across the west during the fall and winter months. He and his mate, Lynn, live on seven acres in the Sierra foothills of Northern California where he now spends much of his time on their two acre garden and on wildfire prevention in his community.
All Trips With Paul Tebbel ⌄
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Lynn Tennefoss
Lynn Tennefoss is a general naturalist with a strong interest in birds and geology. Lynn helps with Naturalist Journeys’ special projects as well as many of the logistics of our U.S. tours, and has led or co-led trips to Trinidad, Peru, Panama, Costa Rica, Big Bend, Oregon Coast, Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, the American Southwest, and more. When not traveling, Lynn consults with nonprofit organizations, providing strategic planning, organizational assessment, and meeting facilitation services.
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Drs. Howard Topoff & Carol Simon
Drs. Howard Topoff and Carol Simon have been study leaders on natural history trips for over 30 years. Both are formerly professors at the City University of New York and Research Associates at the American Museum of Natural History. Howard Topoff has spent 40+ years researching the social behavior of animals. His field research has been conducted in Central and South America, Africa, and in the deserts and mountains of Arizona. In addition to his publications in scientific journals, his more popular articles have appeared in magazines such as Scientific American and Natural History. His research has been featured on National Geographic Television, and Scientific American Frontiers. Carol Simon is broadly trained in ecology, behavior and evolution. Her research on the social behavior of reptiles has taken her to many areas of North and Central America. Her current field research on reptile behavior is based in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. As an added bonus, Carol and Howard provide multimedia presentations that provide in-depth insights into the natural history of the regions visited.
All Trips With Drs. Howard Topoff & Carol Simon ⌄
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Nick Upton
Nick has been pursuing birds since the age of six after being shown a Dartford Warbler by his father on a family holiday. After traveling and birding in the Pacifica and Southeast Asia, Nick settled in Thailand over twenty years ago and now has over a decade of experience in leading bird tours throughout Asia. Widely recognized as the leading guide for Thailand, he can find difficult species and interpret the ecology of the bird, as well as the conservative issues many species face.
All Trips With Nick Upton ⌄
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Kelly Vandenheuvel
Kelly has worked with Naturalist Journeys for the past ten years. She assists our lead guides on trips to Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Death Valley, the Eastern Sierras, California’s Central Coast, Yosemite National Park, Trinidad/Tobago, and Utah’s National Parks. Kelly enjoys the outdoors, travel, nature, wildlife, and working with people.
Kelly is a licensed wildlife rehabber and educator for Pacific Wildlife Care in San Luis Obispo county, and is a founding member of the organization. She is also the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival Coordinator and Owner/Broker of Central Coast Property Sales. She and her husband Art own a ranch in Cayucos, California where they live with their large menagerie of birds and mammals, both wild and domestic. When not traveling, Art and Kelly welcome guests to find peace and quiet on their ranch B and B.All Trips With Kelly Vandenheuvel ⌄
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Rick Weiman
Rick lives in Oakland, NJ with his wife Patricia and two teenage children, Jack and Annabel. Rick has led birding trips for a number of years as a volunteer associate naturalist for NJ Audubon and a preserve monitor for The Nature Conservancy. He just completed his 30th world series of birding event, raising dollars for endangered species recovery efforts. His passion for conservation started during his college years at Rutgers where he majored in Biology and he has been a trustee of the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ since 2000. More recently his volunteer and fundraising efforts for The Raptor Trust, the largest wild bird rehabilitation center on the east coast, resulted in his recent addition to their board of trustees in 2018. In his spare time besides birding, Rick enjoys playing tennis, street hockey, and is also a youth hockey coach.
All Trips With Rick Weiman ⌄
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David Yee
David started birding at the age of 10. By high school, birding was his passion. He went to college at UC Santa Cruz, majored in biology, and bird science was always his focus. David went on to become a full-time chemist, but birding remained his passion, and according to his wife, his obsession. He has authored the Annotated Checklist of the Birds of San Joaquin County. He was the Regional Editor of North American Birds, Northern California Region. He has travelled extensively, and enjoys guiding throughout the US, Mexico, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
All Trips With David Yee ⌄
Banner photo credit: Gustavo Cañas Valle by Peg Abbott.