I am a serious birder from California who has traveled extensively internationally for birding and wildlife viewing and photography. My wife and I planned a trip to Alberta in late Spring 2024 to do some grasslands and mountain birding, and to visit Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. After researching the available local bird guides, I selected Gavin because he was very knowledgeable about the areas for my target birds, and very helpful on fine-tuning our birding and non-birding itinerary and schedule. Moreover, after meeting up with Gavin in Calgary, and birding with him for three days, I was very appreciative of, and impressed by, his incredible knowledge of specific locations for my target birds, and his visual and auditory skills in both visually locating and identifying birds both by sight and by “ear”.
In addition to his bird guide services, on one of our outings on our last day with him, the fan-belt on our Avis rental SUV broke while we were in the field with him, and Gavin was very helpful in getting us to a location in the closest town where I could arrange for Avis to deliver a replacement SUV to us at our location and to tow the inoperable vehicle back to Calgary. In the process of standing by us, Gavin had to reschedule a meeting that he had in Calgary but did so without any hesitation, which was above and beyond what he had to do, and which greatly reduced the stress-level in this unexpected situation, and was very much appreciated.
On top of it all, he turned out to be a really enjoyable person with whom to bird and to get to know as a person. As a result, we plan to schedule future birding trips with Gavin to various other locations in Canada and outside of Canada.
- Bob & Carli (2024)
"Our birding tour to New Brunswick and Grand Manan Island was terrific. Gavin, our leader, in addition to being a great tour leader and excellent birder, was kind, considerate and thoughtful. He always tried to get everyone on the bird and shared his knowledge willingly. His enthusiasm was infectious.Thanks so much Gavin for a great time in the Maritimes. Meadowlark Birding Tours is the best!"
- Susan (2024)
"Gavin is a very competent and enjoyable guide. His familiarity and knowledge of the Cold Lake area was excellent. He made every effort to make sure his customers were 'on the bird' no matter what the circumstances: bad weather, difficult terrain, etc. This northern Alberta trip was wonderful: a wide variety of species and especially wonderful looks at many species of Warblers."
- Monica (2024)
The tour was a great way to see the birds in the Cold Lake area during migration. Gavin was an expert in identifying the birds for us. It was also nice to be with a group of enthusiastic birders. I even saw a great grey owl which was a highlight for me.
- Karen (2024)
"In fall 2023, we were looking for spots to bird in Western Canada in 2024, Meadowlark Birding Tours offered some interesting outings. We signed up for three: Cold Lake, Prairies and Churchill. Reviews of Meadowlark and Gavin McKinnon were very positive but as this was our first time with Meadowlark, we were a bit apprehensive. Booking with Meadowlark was easy and follow-up correspondence was prompt and professional. For the return from Churchill, we booked the Via Rail connection to Winnipeg (highly recommended).
We really enjoyed the three tours. Each was different as to what was included. Gavin’s choice of hotels and restaurants were excellent for each tour. Each tour was professionally organized and ran very smoothly. Gavin was quick to make changes when the need arose. We enjoyed all the parts of Canada we visited during the trip (however, we could have done without the high winds on the Prairies). By booking the three tours back-to-back, there was no down time. One tour ended and the next started a plane ride away in a different city the same day. Everything went smoothly and it worked well – not too tiring.
As to birds, we saw most on our needs list but not all. Gavin knows his birds and where to find them. We had several highlights, but the gem was a Yellow-throated Warbler in Churchill. Simply a reason to return and look for those we missed.
And what a way to explore parts of Canada that were on our needs list.
Highly recommended. We have already booked another tour with Meadowlark."
- Ron (2024)