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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

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

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 went above and beyond to ensure we all had an enjoyable, insightful, and exciting trip. His extensive knowledge and passion were evident from day one. This was my first birding tour and it was enthralling. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

- Amanda T. on Northwest Ohio: Spring Migration

The tour was great and Ethan was a fantastic guide. The scenery and birds were both awesome! This tour takes you through a variety of landscapes that amaze at every turn.

- Amanda B. on Morocco in Spring

Ethan Kistler is an extraordinarily talented world class birder and guide. His enthusiasm for what he is doing is really impressive. He was very attentive to the needs of all the tour participants.

- Len and Mimi B. on Iceland