|
Gavin McKinnon - Founder & Lead GuideGavin’s passion for birds began with a weekend trip to Point Pelee National Park with his parents, sparking a passion for birding that has continued to grow. With over 15 years of birding experience, he’s still chasing birds, only now, he gets to bring other people along for the adventure. Over the years, Gavin has travelled extensively across Canada, as well as to destinations throughout the tropics and around the world, always looking for new and unique birding experiences. In 2022, he founded Meadowlark Birding Tours with the goal of sharing his passion for birds and helping others experience the joy of birding.
Gavin studied Renewable Resource Management at Lethbridge College before turning his focus to professional guiding. Today, he’s the Lead Guide at Meadowlark Birding Tours, where he looks after the day-to-day operations and, of course, spends plenty of time in the field. He’s also actively involved in the local birding community as a volunteer eBird reviewer. Gavin is also a published author, with his book A Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta released in May 2026. |
Guides
|
Asher has been birding the extreme southwest corner of Alberta near Pincher Creek for over a decade, enjoying everything the region has to offer, from long mountain hikes to small prairie potholes. He is especially drawn to exploring off-the-beaten-path places and the unexpected discoveries they hold. Having recently graduated from Canadian Mennonite University with a biology degree, Asher has broadened his experiences by conducting fieldwork across several Canadian provinces as well in Zimbabwe. While best known as a birder, Asher’s passion for nature extends well beyond birds; with recent field seasons at Waterton Lakes National Park working with plants, mammals, amphibians, and, of course, birds. Asher is currently a volunteer eBird reviewer for southern Alberta and Manitoba.
|
|
Aaron Brisebois
Aaron Brisebois has been a birder and naturalist since he was a child, one of many passions passed down from his father. Pursuing this, he graduated with a BSc. in environmental biology, a specialization in wildlife biology, and a minor in field studies from McGill University, and his love for adventure and the natural world has led him to 6 continents so far! Over the last 5 years, while working in the field of biology, outdoor pursuits, and bird guiding, he has developed an equal passion for teaching and sharing with others the wonders of the outdoors. He has most recently worked in Antarctica as an ornithology lecturer and New Zealand as a sea kayak guide, but it all started with mentorship from outdoor educators in the Outaouais region of Quebec and his first-ever guiding job at Point Pelee National Park! Aaron does his best to return to Point Pelee every May, as it still remains one of the most wonderful birding he has ever experienced. |
|
Calvin van der Merwe
Calvin developed a passion for birding while exploring wilderness areas across South Africa and its neighbouring countries with his family in the early 2000s. Along the way, he discovered a joy in sharing these experiences, leading private trips for friends and family to see sought-after specials throughout the region. In 2023, Calvin turned his passion into a profession, guiding tours in South Africa. He recently moved to Calgary to immerse himself in North American birding while embarking on adventures into the Neotropics and beyond. Professionally, Calvin is an Environmental Engineer with expertise in mine rehabilitation and sustainable stormwater management. |
|
Cameron Hunter
Cameron is a Conservation Specialist with the Alberta Wilderness Association and a Wildlife Photographer/videographer with recognition from the National Audubon Society and Canadian Geographic. Cameron also has education in eco-tourism and outdoor leadership, and volunteer experience with the Calgary Area Nest-box Monitoring Society, monitoring Bluebird trails around Cochrane and Sibbald Creek. With many years of birding and photographic experience, Cameron approaches wildlife and wild places with respect and a willingness to learn, and birds offer us that opportunity every time we go out. |
|
David Scott
Born and raised in northern Ontario, David began venturing from home to find birds at age sixteen and has been an avid birder and naturalist ever since. After moving to southern Alberta, he came to love the birds of the prairies, badlands, foothills, and mountains as much as he did those of the boreal forest on the Canadian Shield. A librarian by trade, David works at the University of Lethbridge and serves as chair of the Alberta Bird Record Committee and as editor for the province’s Christmas Bird Counts. He has also spent several years on the board of Nature Lethbridge and has authored and coauthored articles published in Nature Alberta Magazine, North American Birds, and Western Birds. David lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, with his wife, Emma, and son, Lewis, who recently received his first pair of binoculars. David co-authored a Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta with Meadowlark's owner Gavin McKinnon, which was released in May 2026. |
