A fair question.
We believe that you will enjoy travelling and birding with Ken and Steve.
We have got the right attitude and experience to run great birding tours.
We know our stuff!
Ken has been a nature nut as a kid and started birding somewhat seriously while at University - so has been 'playing the birding game' for over thirty years. During that time he has seen some 660 species on the Australian mainland while his world list sits somewhere over 4000! Professionally, before this point, Ken has been teaching history, geography and english in secondary schools, mostly in Australia but also in the UK and Canada and, perhaps surprisingly still has passion for education!
Steve is a born again birder who has spent his life travelling around the state of Queensland with his eyes always on the nature around him. He has been involved in interpreting wildlife and wild-places in Queensland for some 15 years now and is a recognised Senior Savanna Guide and an Ecoguide. His special area of expertise is the greater Cape York area.
We love birding and nature and are enthusiastic conservationists. Both of us, like many of our clients, contribute to a variety of conservation organisations, including Australian Wildlife Conservancy. And we are active in our local areas with our local organisations; especially with the work of Birdlife Australia.
We love the idea of group tours as we believe it leads to a more social and rewarding time in addition to reducing our environmental footprint. Further, more people means more eyes and better bird finding potential!!
We like teaching but love learning. We won't have the arrogant attitude that we know it all. [Who can?] We would like our tours to be able to cater for birders of all levels. We also believe that the best classrooms are found in the great outdoors.
While we love birding we understand that it is not the most important thing in the world. Our trips will not be super-hard-core-twitch-at-all-costs.... We will bird the best places, aware of the birds that are present and possible, and do our best to see them. This approach usually delivers excellent results and enviable bird lists.
Safety during our tours is important for us as it is essential for you. We both have first aid credentials and our tour vehicles will be equipped with first aid kits. Safe driving, with consideration of a variety of road conditions, will always be our priority rather than getting somewhere fast!
We love birds but not at the exclusion of other creatures. We are just as happy looking at lizards, marvelling at mammals and focussing on frogs! [We even, sometimes, take photos of flowers...]
As well as birders we are proud Australians. We have a nationalism based in a genuine love of our country. We enjoy seeing and spending time in our varied landscapes [indeed this is one of the great reasons that birding is the popular pastime it is] and we have a deep appreciation of our country's history and heritage.
Clearly related to our respect of our heritage is our respect for the indigenous peoples of our land. We are committed to showing our visitors some key indigenous sites because we sincerely believe that understandings of indigenous culture and perspectives that have been created over some 60 000 years is both rewarding in itself but also in establishing an understanding of the land itself.
AUSTRALIAN BIRDING SAFARIS
"Come birding with us!"
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