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Ethan Kistler

Ethan Kistler hails from Ohio and began birding at the age of 10 when he literally woke up one morning and decided that he wanted to become a birder. Since then he’s worked field jobs from Ohio to Alaska, traveled to over 50 countries, and led birding trips throughout North America, Europe, and Africa (where he lived for 7 years). When not leading tours, he’s chasing rarities, off on spontaneous birding jaunts, and reviewing data as one of eBird’s data reviewers for much of the African continent. He currently sits on the board as a director-at-large for the Ohio Ornithological Society. Ethan’s main focus now is guiding and filling in gaps between tours with ornithology-related field work. Ethan has recently written the ABA's Field Guide to Birds of Ohio, published in 2019.

Upcoming Tours with Ethan

Testimonials for Ethan

Ethan is an outstanding birder and steward of the environment. Did a lot of preliminary scouting at our destinations before arrival of the group and made some adjustments to the itinerary to make sure everything was in order for the tour. He made an extra effort to look out for COVID-related health concerns, such as getting us to meals early to avoid crowds and looking out for use of masks in appropriate settings. Engaging conversations about his unique experiences in birding and conservation.

- Valerie B. on Morocco in Spring

Ethan worked tirelessly to find target birds and point out any others to support birders of all skill levels. He kept us informed of what to expect, helped us see and ID the birds. He also provided background on migration behaviors and habits of various species that broadened our understanding of the lives of these birds. Ethan is extremely knowledgeable and amazingly skilled at finding and IDing birds both visually and by sound. His skills brought us closer to more species than we would ourselves and greatly enriched our awareness of the birds and environment around us. It was a pleasure.

- Richard A. on Spring Migration in the Midwest

Ethan was simply superb and we cannot wait to book another tour with him. He has boundless energy, enthusiasm and is extremely attentive to the needs of all participants.

- JC B. on Morocco in Spring

Ethan's "inside knowledge" of special out-of-the-way sites to see new species was particularly impressive. We could rely on both leaders for information on habitat, nesting, behavior and other detail, which very much enhanced the experience, rather than simply "getting out of the car to see the bird". I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to bird with such stellar leaders. Also, well aware of Ethan's organizational efforts going on constantly behind the scenes.

- Christina B. on Iceland

The tour covered a HUGE amount of ground and multiple habitats, as I had hoped and as advertised. There was extraordinary opportunity and effort made to see as many birds as possible. Ethan and Stephen were excellent spotters and careful about describing location and descriptions to find obscured birds. Ethan also went to a lot of effort to scout out lunch and dinner stops, making that aspect of the trip extremely enjoyable as well. Finally, I really appreciated the non-birding stops - waterfalls and whaling in particular - we had a chance to truly see a range of Icelandic landscape and geology, towns and countryside, and not just because of the ground covered while driving.

- Christina B. on Iceland