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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 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

Ethan was wonderful. Even among bird guides, his song and call recognition is outstanding. He was on top of everything—birds, territories, schedule, unique places to eat. Would love to go with him again.

- Jean T. on Minnesota and North Dakota

Perfect tour! North Dakota was the biggest surprise. I had no idea how green and lush ND was everywhere we went on the tour. Ethan is an excellent and very knowledgeable tour guide. I have been on 16 previous birding tours with other tour companies, so I know a great guide and Ethan is it!

- George R. on Minnesota and North Dakota

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 worked around the clock to maximize our chances to see our many target birds. He is superb at quickly getting us on the birds. His knowledge of South African birds is nonparallel.

- Gina S. on South Africa: The East