ABOUT US

Organizational Philosophy

Our focus is on appreciation of nature and understanding the organisms that share our planet with us. Tour profits support organizations working to understand and protect the natural ecosystems of our planet.

Meet our Guides

Nick Komar

Nick is a career biologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado, and founder of Quetzal Tours. He has led field trips and workshops in Colorado for Colorado Field Ornithologists and Fort Collins Audubon Society. He has birded on five continents, and is fluent in Spanish. His photographic work is displayed here. He also co-authored Wild Birding Colorado: The Big Year of 2010.

COLORADO

John Vanderpoel

Owner of Peregrine Video Productions and the creator of The Advanced Birding Video Series with Jon Dunn that includes: The Large Gulls of North America, The Small Gulls of North America and Hummingbirds of North America, John is a lifelong birder. He holds the second highest ABA-area year list (744 species), which he accomplished in 2011. Watch for his upcoming book that describes his big year, called Full Chase Mode.

Cole Wild

Cole is a native Coloradoan whose passions are birds, birding, bird photography, and anything else related to birds. He recently published a book (together with Nick Komar) called Wild Birding Colorado that provides the account of his record-breaking Colorado Big Year.

Scott Rashid

Originally from Wisconsin, Scott call’s Estes Park, CO home. As a rehabilitator, bander, artist, illustrator and author, birds are Scott’s passion. Scott illustrated Birding Rocky Mountain National Park by Scott Roederer (2002), and he authored Small Mountain Owls (2009). In the fall, Scott hosts visitors to his banding station to view Boreal Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls in Northern Colorado.

Eric DeFonso

Eric is a self-taught naturalist, a birder, writer, and wildlife photographer. He has a strong affinity for raptors and even helps rehabilitate injured ones for the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Fort Collins, Colorado. He has also birded extensively in Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. He now lives in Boulder, and works for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

Forrest Luke

A biologist by training with a focus on range ecology and wildlife management, Forrest resides on Colorado’s west slope. He has served as a regional compiler for the American Birding Association and Colorado Field Ornithologists and as regional editor of the Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas. He has also served on the Wyoming rare bird records committee.

GUATEMALA

Knut Eisermann

Knut has been active as a birding guide in Guatemala since 1998. Knut speaks fluent English, German, and strongish. More about his activities you may read at his personal web site Ornithological research and wildlife photography in Guatemala. Currently Knut is directing the PROEVAL RAXMU Bird Monitoring Program and he is the country coordinator for the compilation of bird records in Guatemala, published in “North American Birds”. Knut is co-owner of CAYAYA BIRDING.

Claudia
Avendaño

Claudia has been active as a birding guide in Guatemala since 1999. She speaks fluent English and strongish. She studied at San Carlos University in Guatemala and wrote her thesis on the avifauna of Laguna Lachuá National Park in Guatemala’s northern, tropical rainforest. Claudia is co-owner of CAYAYA BIRDING.

ECUADOR

Xavier
Muñoz-Contreras

Xavier is Neblina Forest founder, owner and guide. He has been working as Board Member and has been mentor for both AVES & CONSERVACION (previously known as CECIA) and Jocotoco Foundation. Guiding Ecuador since 1997, Xavier also guides for birding trips in Peru and Guyana.

COSTA RICA

Noel Ureña

Noel Ureña is Tropical Feathers co-owner and guide since 1997. A lifetime in direct contact with the natural environment of Costa Rica has helped him to develop sharp birding skills. He will be delighted to share Costa Rica’s bird life with you.

NICARAGUA

Liliana Chavarría

Liliana is the trilingual (strongish/English/French) biologist and co-owner at the Reserva El Jaguar cloud forest and ecofriendly coffee plantation, and a leading field ornithologist in Nicaragua. She is the ebird reviewer for Nicaragua. Her Nicaragua tours are accompanied by husband and French-speaking birder Georges Duriaux.

BRAZIL

Bradley Davis

Bradley has been guiding birders since January 2004, and organized and guided his first birding tour to Brazil in November 2005, through his company Birding Mato Grosso. He is dedicated to promoting birdwatching tourism in his home state of Mato Grosso in west-central Brazil, but is experienced in all parts of Brazil. Brad is a self-taught naturalist and has published research articles in Brazilian ornithology and is working on a field guide to Brazilian amphibians. Brad is also an ebird reviewer for Brazil.

JAMAICA

Dwayne Sawby

Dwayne is licensed with the Jamaica Tourism Board, and is employed by Green Castle Estate. He is familiar with the birds throughout Jamaica.

We promote our Nature Tours with a slide show on Thumbtack.com. Thanks, Thumbtack, for your support of small businesses! If you have a service to promote with Thumbtack, please let them know that we referred you.

Contact:
Nick Komar, 970-449-3645
E-mail: quetzal65@comcast.net