Adrian Binns -

A naturalist and field ornithologist, Adrian grew up in Morocco and England where his birding experiences paved the way for a career in the birding community. A former tennis professional, Adrian has a background as an ecological landscape designer, where he combined his lifetime interest in ornithology and wildlife, with his landscape knowledge and experience to focus on attracting wildlife through native plant communities, in particular wetlands and water gardens.

As an independent tour guide, he has led eco-trips for a variety of organizations and tour companies throughout the United States, Canada, Central America, India, the United Kingdom and Morocco.

As an educator Adrian has written articles and lectured on "Landscaping for Wildlife"; co-authored Big City Birding: Philadelphia in the May 2001 issue of Wild Bird magazine; produced an educational program on "Owls" for the Audubon Society, and given numerous slide presentations on Hummingbirds, Gulls, Owls and Attracting Wildlife to various ornithological groups. He is a regular contributor to Ponds USA and Water Gardens as well as Ponds Magazine and a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

Currently vice-president of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC), one of the oldest bird clubs in the country and a member of the four-time winning Nikon/DVOC World Series of Birding Team, Adrian resides in Southeastern Pennsylvania along with his wife and 2 sons. Adrian is also an accomplished avian illustrator and photographer whose images have been published in various magazines and CD-ROM's .

Said Ahmoume-

Our Moroccan guide, Said Ahmoume, was raised in a small village southeast of Agadir. His love of the Argan forest around his home led him to become deeply interested in wildlife and ecology and, after a degree in biological sciences at Agadir University, he began work at the Environmental and Culture Center in Taroudannt, which is run by his wife Latifa. Fluent in Berber, Arabic, and French with very good English, Said has a thorough knowledge of the region's culture and geology.

Scott Barnes-

Scott Barnes began birding at the age of twelve and has been an avid naturalist ever since. Encouragement and learning came from his parents and many birders, including members of the Urner Ornithological Club and staff of New Jersey Audubon Society. An interest in travel and natural history has lead him from the desert southwest to the Canadian Maritimes in search of plants and animals.

He cut his birding teeth at Sandy Hook, where he is the Senior Naturalist for the Sandy Hook Bird Observatory. Scott is the Region 3 Editor for Records of New Jersey Birds, compiles the Sandy Hook Christmas Bird Count, a current member of the New Jersey Bird Records Committee, and a tour leader for the NJ Audubon Travel Program.

Phil Benstead-

Phil Benstead spent 15 years working in conservation and world birding before settling down to life as a freelance birder. He now divides his time between tour-leading, editing and copy-writing ornithological books and doing odd jobs for the RSPB and BirdLife International.

Phil is a co-author of five books and is currently working on a birdwatching site-guide to Thailand. He is based in Norfolk, England.

Herbert Byaruhanga-

Born in Western Uganda and residing in Kampla, Herbert is Managing Director Bird Uganda Safaris LTD. founder member and general secretary of the Uganda Bird Guides Club and also founder of Uganda Safari Guides Association. Founding Chairman of Uganda Birding Association c/o Makerere University Geography Department Kampala, Trainer of bird guides, accredited by Birdlife International's South African partner, Birdlife South Africa and Chairman of African BirdGuide Trainers Association (ABIGUTA). Currently studying for his BA Degree in Tourism at Makerere University Kampala. Holds a Higher certificate of Education, Diploma in Tourism, Certificate in Tour Guiding and Certificate in Advanced Motoring.

Glenn Crawford -

Glen is a naturalist of outstanding abilities. His mastery of bird identification is excelled only by the acuity of his vision and hearing. Curious about birds as a child--he was raised in the remote village of Crooked Tree in northern Belize--Glenn began his "official" birding career as a young teenager. He was so excited about birds, he would spend days at a time in "the bush" studying their field marks, habits and vocalizations long before he ever owned, or knew about field guides or binoculars. He enjoyed sharing his birding experiences and when tourists began coming to his village Glenn was there to show them his birds. One of these tourists, so impressed with Glenn's skills, gave him his first field guide and binoculars!

Glenn became an official Belizean licensed guide in 1986, and has since continued his nature studies throughout Central America. He can identify many tropical plants with their taxonomic names, as well as their local names. He is a born teacher, able to converse equally in English or Spanish, about Central American natural history. With his ever-present smile and easy-going, helpful attitude, Glenn is a welcome asset to every Wildside Tour in Latin America. (Glenn co-leads tours in Latin America)

Ian Ford -

Born in England then moved to Scotland at age 11, Ian has a degree in Psychology followed by further University courses to get Social Work qualifications. Following over 20 years in the social work field, Ian joined Heatherlea, Scotland’s most popular bird watching center in 1999. His knowledge of Scottish history, wildlife, especially birds but more recently flowers, butterflies, and dragonflies along with his immense charm and enthusiasm have made him one of the centers most popular leaders.

Ian has also done volunteer work with the RSPB and Scottish Wildlife Trust in many different ways over the years, most recently for the Millennium Award project building artificial banks for Sand Martins and Scottish Executive funded project to restore coastal dunes for wildlife. Ian has 3 grown-up kids - one is in horticulture, one is a Doctor and the other is studying medicine.

Russell Fraker -

Raised by biologist parents at remote study sites in western Canada, Russell was immersed in the natural world at an early age. His earliest memories are of living in a forest cabin without utilities; after which he spent several childhood summers in Inuvialuit Eskimo whaling camps on the Mackenzie River delta. Graduating from Reed College with a philosophy degree, he soon returned to his interest in nature to work in field biology and conservation. This line of work has taken him from Alaska to Argentina, with many stops in between. Married to a Brazilian for the past ten years, he has an inside view of that culture, and particular familiarity with the birds of his wife’s home state, Minas Gerais. He has led natural history tours there and in southern Texas.

Mike Fritz -

A member of the Nikon/DVOC World Series of Birding team (3 time winners), Mike has been leading field trips for New Jersey Audubon and the Cape May Bird Observatory for the last 12 years. He is also a frequent leader on pelagic trips, and is currently leading for Sea Life Paulagics. A pharmacist by trade, he still gets plenty of time to travel.

Having a keen interest in marine biology since childhood, and most recently neotropical biology, he has travel extensively to South and Central America, where his most recent trips have been scuba diving the remote islands of the Galapagos Islands, and to Honduras tagging Whale Sharks for the Shark Research Institute. Mike’s hobbies include fishing, surfing, skiing and underwater photography

Adolphus & Gladwynn James -

Adolphus and his son, James, are our guides on the island of Tobago.

Adolphus James

Gladwynn James

Kevin Karlson -

Kevin T. Karlson has been a wildlife photographer for 20 years and active as a birder for 22 years. He has traveled from the wilds of the Alaskan Arctic to the rainforests of Central and South America to photograph birds.

His work is widely published in all the birding magazines and journals, as well as books, field guides and CD ROM projects. In 1999, Tidemark Press published Kevin's own calendar titled "Birds of the Arctic Tundra", which was endorsed by the American Birding Association. Kevin has enjoyed numerous cover photographs on magazines and calendars, including the covers of the 1998 and 2000 Cornell "Songbirds" calendars.

He has worked closely with Peter Thayer in the production of the Thayer Birding Software CD-Rom "The Birds of North America", both as primary identification consultant and submitter of 349 photos used in the project. Presently he is in charge of the complete reorganization of this product with many new photos and the inclusion of numerous species and plumages not previously shown in the older version. In 1999, Kevin worked with John Robinson of Lanius Software in the submission of 110 photos for the new "North American Bird Reference Book" CD-ROM.

Kevin is currently on the advisory board of Wild Bird Magazine as well as a staff contributor of the monthly column Birder's ID. Additional contributions to Wild Bird include writing about half a dozen feature articles each year, as well as several Species Profile features, which offer natural history information and photos of select interesting birds. Kevin also works as a travel photojournalist for Wild Bird, producing several articles each year on popular birding destinations. He recently agreed to take on the job of photo editor for the new birding journal "North American Birds", a publication of the American Birding Association. Besides his photography, Kevin has authored numerous articles on birds, from advice on good locations to see and photograph them to insights on their natural history.

Mr. Karlson spent the summers of 1992-95 working for Troy Ecological Research Associates as a wildlife biologist in the Alaskan Arctic, participating in research and census studies of the birds that use this fragile habitat. His photo collection from this region is one of the best in the world.

Currently a resident of Cape May County NJ, Kevin is a 10-year member of the NJ Bird Records Committee and is active in the Cape May birding community. He is the founder and president of Jaeger Tours, Inc.

Kevin C. Loughlin -

Kevin was raised as a naturalist and began birding at an early age. Many weekends were spent with his mother exploring the Mill Grove Audubon Sanctuary and Museum-the first home in America of John James Audubon. During his first cross-country camping trip, at age six, Kevin became fascinated with photography as well seeing the new and different birds throughout North America.

While in college, Kevin began leading trips ranging from weekends at Hawk Mountain to canoeing in Canada to backpacking in Wyoming. With this love f or travel, Kevin was always looking for new, exciting places to visit. While volunteering at the Mill Grove Audubon Sanctuary-leading bird walks and assisting in bird banding projects-Kevin was told about the incredible country of Belize. During his first visit, he was hooked. He came home and founded Wildside Tours in 1993. In 1996 he opened the Adventure Camera retail store, selling optics and photo equipment, teaching photo and birding workshops, and expanding the tour operation.

Kevin is well-known on the Internet for helping hundreds of birders with their field identification and equipment questions. As editor of The Communicator, the newsletter of the non-profit Environmental Conservation Tourism Association, Kevin helped create an avenue of communication throughout the environmental tourism Industry. His photographs and articles have appeared in publications such as WildBird Magazine and Audubon Magazine as well as the National Geographic/WWF education web site. A tireless supporter of world environmental tourism, Kevin is well known for creating a friendly and relaxed atmosphere on every trip he leads.

Benson (Ben) Mugambi -

Ben was born in the shadow of Mt Kenya, one of Kenya's richest natural habitats. It is a place of streams, rivers, forest, heath, snow-capped peaks and lush vegetation - all teaming with birds, animals and insects. Being an active, inquisitive and energetic child he quickly developed a keen interest in nature.

This led him to study Biological Sciences in school where he gained a deeper understanding of the world around him. However he realized that he wanted to share this knowledge and love of his country with others and so he completed a Tour Guiding Course at the Air Travel and Related Studies Centre-Nairobi, one of the best Tourism and Travel school in East Africa.

After qualifying as a tour guide he guided various groups of students around Kenyan and Tanzanian National Parks. He has also worked as the Resident Ornithologist and Naturalist, as well as a Guest Relations Officer in a number of the top Kenyan and Tanzania Lodges, Camps and Hotels. He has also led dozens of bird watching, wildlife and photography tours around Kenya and Tanzania for both local and many International Travel Companies.

In addition to this he has conducted research projects in a number of Kenya's IBAs (Important Biodiversity Areas), within where he organizes his tours. He is a member of the Kenyan Professional Safari Guide Association, Local bird club-Nature Kenya and also a member of the Kenya Bird Committee, besides many other conservation organizations.

Although he has enjoyed his relationship with the various lodges and companies he has worked with, in early 2001 he decided to start his own tour company Ben's Ecological Safaris as director and guide. This allows him to provide tours with a wider remit than just the "Big Five" or "Birder Specials". He now provides informative but fun tours, which are ideal for students, holidaymakers, or local people who want to know more about the natural world around them. His wide East Africa's knowledge and experience, together with his fellow guides have kept travelers returning back to East Africa year after year.

Martin Perrow -

Dr Martin Perrow is the principal of ECON ecological consultancy at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, an organization bridging the gap between consultancy and research. Martin specializes in the restoration and rehabilitation of aquatic habitats with additional specialisms on fish, birds and small mammals.

He has published extensively in the scientific literature, whilst endeavoring to communicate his findings to the wider public, through appearances on television and radio and contributions to newspapers and magazines.

A lifelong interest in birds, botany and photography, a desire to communicate and share experiences, and to broaden his horizons has brought Martin to leading eco-tours in England, Spain, Poland and Morocco. A man with a keen sense of humor, you can be sure he'll do his utmost to make sure you have a great time on your holiday.

Jorgie Ramlal-

Based out of the Asa Wright Nature Lodge, Jorgie is our guide in Trinidad

Bob Straub-

Bob has worked as a field biologist in the western United States as well as in Latin America for over 15 years, where the majority of the projects have involved the monitoring and study of birds, bird populations, and bird migration.

After growing up in the northeast of the United States and studying biology at the University of Delaware, Bob headed west working at Olympic National Park and for the US Forest Service on various projects with endangered bird species, including the Spotted Owl. His fall seasons were spent in the mountains of New Mexico and Nevada working with Hawk Watch International and migrating raptors.

After a trip to Ecuador in the winter of 1994 he fell in love with the tropics and with Latin American culture. A couple of years later this led to a trip to the mecca of raptor migration in Veracruz, Mexico and he has been there ever since. Here Bob has been leading birding and Natural History tours as well as assisting with bird monitoring and conservation projects for Pronatura Veracruz, a small non-profit research and conservation organization best known for their 10-year monitoring of raptor migration in Veracruz. Bob has also guided tours and worked as a naturalist at Monteverde in Costa Rica, and has taught English in Mexico at the University of Veracruz.

In the fall of 1999, Bob initiated the first season-long monitoring project for migrating passerines and other non-raptors in Veracruz where he was able to document the passage of nearly 10 million birds. Bob also helped found the first Bird Records Committee for Veracruz.

Bob who resides in Xalapa, Mexico, continues to pursue his interests in outdoor activities and natural history while traveling and birding in Central America.

Santiago Villa-

Before founding Spainbirds, Santiago worked part time guiding small groups of birders around Extremadura and was also involved in various environmental education activities in diverse natural sites. A member of the Spanish Ornithology Society and of the environmental association ADENEX, Santiago has taken an active part in various nationwide projects such as the Monitoring Programme of Common Breeding Birds in Spain, the Atlas of Nesting Birds in Spain and the "nest monitoring campaign of threatened species" conducted by the Vertebrate Conservation Society (Sociedad para la Conservación de los Vertebrados: SCV).

He is also in charge of the Membrío-Brozas Area (IBA) and is the official guide for the trips arranged by the Sociedad Española de Ornitología in that area. A journalist by profession, he is currently working for one of the biggest communication groups in Spain, one of his tasks being the writing and correction of the screenplays of nature documentaries. At the moment he is working on a book about the birds of Extremadura, illustrated with his own drawings, which is due to come out in 2004.