Tour Leader

Upcoming Tour Programme

Stuart is a freelance tour leader for several operators including Rockjumper and Wise Birding Holidays, and formerly for Sunbird and WINGS and has led many birding tours, guided walks and birding workshops for various other operators including Naturetrek. His birding travels have taken him to some wonderful locations both in the UK and across 6 continents. Several of his tour groups are shown below in the icy mountains of Northern Japan, The high Andes in Colombia, the rolling plains of Manitoba, Canada and at Anahuac in Texas. Please see the testimonials on the home page for feedback from some of Stuart's clients. 

 JapanPic 2 Pic 3

Stu is in his 30th year of travelling, 18 of which as a tour leader. To date he has visited 56 countries on 6 continents. So far he has managed to see most of the species he had set his heart on including Bee Hummingbird (the world's smallest bird), Great Slaty Woodpecker (the world's largest woodpecker), Blakiston's Fish Owl (the world's largest owl) and 3 very impressive raptors: Steller's Sea Eagle in Japan, Harpy Eagle in Brazil and New Guinea Harpy Eagle in Papua New Guinea, a country which also produced 24 incredible species of bird of paradise. Currently, (2019), his list includes over 180 raptors, 120 hummingbirds and 95 woodpeckers. His most wanted birds include White-throated Needletail, Marvellous Spatuletail, Wilson's Bird of Paradise, both Gurney's and Banded Pittas, Black and Yellow Broadbill, Spectacled Eider, Helmet Vanga, Light-mantled Sooty Albatross and Emperor Penguin. He has seen (depending on which taxonomy you use) roughly 4250 species in the world and his target is to reach 5,000 by his 50th Birthday - with the world list currently standing at around 10,000 that's 50% of all the birds on the planet!

 

Stuart's extensive knowledge and experience has been built up over 30 years by visiting many countries/regions, including the following:

  • Europe: Finland (4); Italy (6); Sicily (4); Spain (5); Portugal (4); Eire (10); Majorca; Sweden; Latvia; France (3); Belgium (4); Norway; Holland (2); Estonia; Germany (2); Austria (2); Switzerland; Hungary (4): Belarus (3) and Poland (11); a country where he accumulated well over 5 months in the field with visits at varying times of the year.
  • Africa & Middle East: Morocco (3); Israel; The Gambia (2); Cameroon and South Africa.
  • North America: Stuart has spent over a year in the field in this region with trips to Arizona (2), Florida (2); Georgia; Colorado (3); Ohio; Texas (12); Utah (2); Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Nebraska; Manitoba, Louisiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario (2) and Minnesota.
  • South & Central America: Argentina, Brazil (7); Cuba (12); Colombia (3); Mexico; Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay (3), Jamaica; Barbados; St. Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines, Puerto Rico; Peru (2); and Trinidad & Tobago (2).
  • Asia: Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, India, The Maldives and Sri Lanka
  • Australasia: Queensland, Australia and Papua New Guinea