Download 2014 Brochure (.pdf) - Ornitholidays

Brazilian Duck, REGUA, Brazil
JACOB GARVELINK has been a birder since he was eight years old. Even
though his parents weren’t avid birders, they did encourage his curiosity
for nature and took him around the Netherlands looking at nature on a
regular basis. From his hometown Bloemendaal he explored the superb
dune habitats at the Kennemerduinen. The Ijmuiden pier was another one
of his favourite spots to go birdwatching. After his high school years, he
spent a full year travelling, exploring Australia and New Zealand. It was
during this trip that a new passion for travelling emerged. During his
studies (Art History) in Amsterdam he travelled to Southeast Asia, China,
Morocco, Egypt, Sri Lanka and the USA. After his studies he visited
Ethiopia, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia several times. The
magnificent continent of Africa has even further broadened his passion for
birds. Jacob likes to photograph birds, a new challenge he likes to commit
himself to!
ORLANDO HARASEB is a lead guide and guide trainer with Ultimate
Safaris. Before starting as a safari guide he was the Captain of the
Namibian National Football Team and is thus a well-known personality with
lots of friends throughout the country. He then went to work at Hobatere
Lodge for several years with Steve Braine who is one of the most
knowledgeable best respected birding guides in Namibia, and it was here
that Orlando built up the knowledge that allowed him to become a birding
guide in his own right. Orlando moved to Ultimate Safaris when he left
Hobatere in 2005 and has increased his experience as a national guide
over that time while also obtaining the qualifications necessary to become
a national guide trainer. He now divides his time between leading specialist
safaris and offering guide training through the prestigious Namibian
Academy of Tourism and Hospitality (NATH), of which he is Board vice
Chairman.
CRISTIAN JENSEN grew up in Barcelona and having a Danish father and
a Catalan mother, he is fluent in Spanish, Catalan and English as well as
having basic French and Danish. He has been a keen birdwatcher from the
age of 12 and is a ringer and is also involved with educational projects for
schools. He has been a tour guide for many years as well as working on
the re-introduction of Peregrine Falcons in Barcelona and for the Mauritian
Wildlife Foundation.
ANDY JONES is now resident in Iceland but was previously a warden on
Skomer Island, a ranger with the Pembrokeshire National Park, the RSPB’s
senior investigator officer and a Wildlife Trust director. A trained geologist
he guides wildlife holidays all over the world. He regularly writes, lectures
and broadcasts on wildlife and conservation topics and has proved to be
a very popular leader on our Iceland holidays.
NIGEL JONES is the Managing Director of Ornitholidays. His interest in
birds and natural history led to a degree in Biological Sciences at the
University of East Anglia, then to employment as Assistant Warden on Fair
Isle in the Shetlands and as an ornithologist working in the Camargue,
France. Subsequent posts in teaching and research have finally
culminated in his position running Ornitholidays since 1990. He has
travelled extensively to all seven continents in search of birds. His interest
in other aspects of natural history has been reflected in his establishing
Quest for Nature, an internet based operation which offers general tours for
wildlife.
DAVID KUHN lives on Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands. He has been leading
wildlife tours for over 30 years, with an interest in birds stemming from his
youth in rural California. He began his leading career in his beloved Sierra
Nevada, he has since led trips to other parts of North America as well as
Guatemala, Costa Rica and Fiji, and has travelled widely in the Neotropics.
Drawn to Hawaii’s endemic avifauna, he moved to Kokee on Kauai in 1989
and has since been guiding visiting birders throughout the Hawaiian
archipelago. David is an avid sound recordist with a special focus on
vocalizations of the forest endemics and the mountain-nesting seabirds.
His Hawaiian birding tours are influenced by his active interest in
conservation and environmental education and he co-led our 2010 and
2013 tours to Hawaii.
HARRIET KEMIGISHA is a Ugandan who grew up close to Kibale National
Park and was raised by her grandparents. Her love of birds began at a
young age as her grandfather taught her to identify and name
the local forest birds. After school she worked with the Uganda Wildlife
Authority as a guide based in Kibale National Park. She is undoubtedly one
of the best bird guides in the country and is Uganda’s only female bird
guide. She discovered a new species for Uganda, Orange Cheeked
Waxbill and re-discovered the Green-Breasted Pitta in Kibale Forest
National Park in 2005. She co-led our previous two tours to Uganda.
ARI LATJA started watching birds at a young age and especially enjoyed
migration-watching and for several years made two-week stays to the
southern headland of Porkkala to see the 'arktika' - the mass migration of
Arctic waders and waterfowl through the Baltic. In 1978 he moved to
Joensuu to study geography and biology and has stayed in Northern
Karelia ever since. For 15 years he concentrated on ringing, mostly at the
bird observatory at Höytiäinen canal and was the chairman of the Northern
Karelia Birdwatching Society for a number of years, and is still a member
of the board. He started tour guiding in 1997, when he attended Finnature's
eight month International Bird Guide course. In addition to tour leading, he
also acts as a consultant in other areas requiring ornithological expertise
including bird inventories for local environmental officials, and lecturing in
zoology at the University of Joensuu.
FRANK McCLINTOCK was born in Africa and educated in England. He
emigrated to Portugal over 20 years ago and bought some scrubland and
a few ruins overlooking a vast, man-made lake. He has turned this property
into ‘Paradise in Portugal’, a guest lodge, which, in addition to a view to die
for, offers excellent eco-friendly accommodation. He has always had a
passion for nature and has been a professional bird guide for over 10
years.
ROBERT NTAKOR was born and raised on a farm surrounded by
rainforest near Kakum National Park in Ghana. He has spent almost all his
life exploring the forest and has a passion for Ghana's wildlife and in
particular its birds. Robert, and many of his brothers, are now the chief bird
guides in Ghana. He has a great knowledge of his country and this,
coupled with his amazing ability to identify every song and call of all the
birds of Ghana, makes him a great guide to have in his native country.
Robert has led all of the previous Ornitholidays’ tours to Ghana.
GABOR ORBAN became interested in birding whilst a young boy and later
widened his interests to botany, geology and zoology. During the 80's and
90's he led several tours firstly in Hungary, then in other Eastern European
countries and Western Europe as well. He lived and worked for years in the
US criss-crossing the continent several times. He became a licensed
professional birdwatching and nature guide, and since 2006 he has spent
six months every year in Latin America and six months in Eastern Europe.
He leads birding, nature, cultural, butterfly and photographic tours
worldwide. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge of nature and
the culture of different countries and his hobbies include nature and wildlife
photography, birding and travelling to hidden places.
BERT PALTHE is a long-standing registered guide and has many years of
experience, both in tourism and wildlife conservation. After qualifying as a
specialist in Nature Conservation, he went on to manage exclusive game
reserves in the previous Eastern and Northern Transvaal. He is now a full
time tour leader based in Cape Town. Bert has a passionate interest in
wildlife, birds and nature conservation, and genuinely enjoys sharing his
wealth of knowledge with others. He has led our Natural History tours to
the Cape region for the past few years and he has proved very popular with
our groups.
MITKO PETRAKIEV is a Bulgarian who has a passion for the outdoor life.
He has led many walking and bird tours, and his knowledge of the
geography, geology, and natural history adds immensely to each holiday
where he is the guide. He has co-led our previous Jordan and Turkey tours.
O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S
To make a booking please call Ornitholidays on 01794 519445
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