About Nestling Tours

About Our Key International Partners!

Key International Partners
of the Partnership for International Birding

Update: May 27, 2009

The Partnership for International Birding now combines the best
of effective local logistical operators (such as Neblina Forest
Tours), some of the world's best bird guides (Lelis Navarrete,
Johnnie Kamugisha and Patrick Cardwell), and a number of
other key partners to bring our customers a wide variety of
choices to meet their bird watching travel needs.

In every country we work, we have developed strong and
effective relationships with the top local bird watching
guides. The best value in every trip is the top local guide who
spends nearly every week of the year listening and learning
more and more about where different bird species can be
found. Their expertise will allow you to see more bird species
each day and provide a foundation for learning more about the
habitats and natural world you will be visiting.

This month we feature Neblina Forest Tours. Neblina Forest
Tours has been operating a number of bird-watching and
natural history tours throughout South America over the last 15
years. Neblina Forest International is owned by Lelis
Navarrete, Mercedes Rivendera and Xavier Munoz.

For more
information,
contact us at
1-888-203-7464
or by email at
info@PIBird.com.

Lelis Navarrete: Top Bird Guide and Key
Partner

Lelis Navarrete has nearly twenty years of experience as a birding
guide. Lelis has vast experience as tour leader in Bolivia, Brazil,
Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, Peru, and now Columbia
and Panama.

Lelis is regarded as one of the finest birding guides in
South America and is often consulted for his knowledge of
the birds and their vocalizations. Lelis is familiar and able
to recognize the calls and sounds of some 2,400 South
American species, and nearly 8,000 bird vocalizations.
You will find Lelis can find bird species by ear from 200
yards away and help you see the bird species you most
desire whether you are in Ecuador or whether you are in
Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Columbia, or most any part of South
America. By my estimates and experience, Lelis' skills will
allow you the opportunity to see another 10 to 30 species
more per day than other bird guides in South America.
His skills and time in the field often support a number of
scientific contributions. The most famous is working with
Robert Ridgely in discovering of the Jocotoco Antpitta (a
new bird to science), and also with Ridgely on first
records of Crested Becard and Spot-throated
Hummingbird. He has contributed to the work of John
Moore, including several CDs of Ecuadorian birds songs
and calls and including the rediscovery of Striated Antbird.
In solo, he has reported new species for the Ecuador bird
list: Andean Tyrant, White-backed Stilt, and Peruvian
Antpitta. When in the field in any country, Lelis can find
new species where not found before, extending the known
range of several other species in many parts of South
America.
When Ridgley returns to South America, he often hires
Lelis as a guide in most parts of South America.
Lelis has a degree in biology from the Universidad
Catolica in Quito.
Besides being a fantastic bird guide, Lelis supports a
number of conservation efforts. He has been, and
continues to serve, on the Board of the Jocotoco
Foundation (since its conception).
Lelis has always received the highest rankings from client
comments. His tour participants use him as a
benchmark for all birding guides worldwide. In addition to
his strong background as a field naturalist birder, Lelis is
unparalleled for his people skills, attentiveness, humor
and organizational skills.
Lelis, along with Xavier Munoz and Mercedes Rivadeneira,
is one of the owners of Neblina International.

Other Guides in South America

Adolfo "Fito" Downs

Adolfo “Fito” Downs has been interested in birding and natural history from a young age. A native Costa
Rican, “Fito” refined his excellent birding skills and broad knowledge of natural history at La Selva
Biological Station in Costa Rica (2 years conducting field research and guiding), and at the Smithsonian
Institute in Panama (2 years). In addition, he was the resident guide for Neblina Forest-Bolivia for another
three years! To date, “Fito” coordinates our groups in Costa Rica. He now leads trips in Ecuador, Costa
Rica and Bolivia.

Alejandro Solano

Alejandro Solano is also Costa Rican and now resides in Ecuador. He has a degree in biology from
Universidad Latina de Costa Rica and the most recent acquisition to our staff. He has developed keen
field skills and has learned to be a trip leader. Alejandro has worked as resident naturalist guide at
Monteverde Cloud Forest and has provided tremendous volunteer work in Costa Rica’s national parks. He
has also worked in the United States on the MAPS project at the Institute of Bird Populations in California
and at the Redwoods Science Lab, Trinity River Restoration Program at Humboldt University. Besides
leading bird trips, his field experience includes surveying, mapping nests and banding birds. In Ecuador,
he has conducted bird inventories and surveys, field projects in coastal and southern Ecuador, and
conservation work on the endangered Black-breasted Puffleg. Alejandro has also birded Peru, Bolivia,
Argentina and southern Brazil.

Bruno Lima

Bruno Lima lives in Sao Paolo, Brazil and is a bird guide and biologist. Though he specializes in
ornithological studies in the Atlantic Forest as a biologist, he has been instrumental as a bird guide in
developing a number of our trips in Brazil, including the Pantanal, Rio Cristalino and the Atlantic Forest. He
knows well, and enjoys showing clients, all the different bird species who live throughout Brazil from the
lowlands to the top of the mountains. The altitudinal gradient of the Atlantic Forest supports a great number
of habitats and a diversity of birds, making this area one of his favorites and a great place to bird. His
masters degrees will be based upon his studies on the distribution of the Yellow-legged Tinamou.

Willy Pérez

He has been working as a guide for Maquipucuna and Kapawi Lodge since 1998. He has been working for
Neblina Forest since 2004. With over ten years experience, he has developed a great knowledge of the
birds of Ecuador and has a tremendous passion for bird watching. His passion for birds is unique, laying
a foundation for productive birding and fun on any bird trip in Ecuador.