ABOUT US
Seaside Sparrow © Robert Royse
Professional Birding Guides
Louisiana Birding Guides is all about following passions—our passion for nature, exploring beautiful places, discovering amazing birds, capturing the perfect photo, and creating lasting memories. We’re honored to share our love for Louisiana birds with you!
Nick Ramsey – Guide
Nick particularly adores Louisiana coastal cheniers, longleaf pine savannas, and expansive marshes. He has conducted fieldwork throughout Louisiana, particularly with secretive marsh birds. He’s also been fortunate to travel widely throughout the US and abroad, both for field work and on birding trips. Nick works hard to give back to the birding and ornithological communities, staying involved in conservation and working in outreach to inspire the next generation of birders and ornithologists. As a guide, he seeks to share his love and knowledge of birds and the ecosystems they depend on.
Nick works as an environmental consultant, surveying coastal bird communities to inform conservation efforts. He leads field trips for the Louisiana Ornithological Society and volunteers with Delta Audubon and the LSU Museum of Natural Science. He began the LSU Birding Club to foster a community of birders and conservationists, allowing other students to take advantage of the unique resources at LSU.
James Smithers – Guide
Though he may be a little biased, he firmly believes the Gulf Coast can provide some of the most exciting birding in the country. He loves nothing more than being a part of someone’s next life bird.
James has a deep passion for conservation on the Gulf Coast. He’s dedicated many hours to coastal bird surveys for the National Audubon Society. His summer months are consumed with stewardship efforts to protect beach nesting birds, and his winter weekends are spent in the coastal marsh contributing to conservation efforts for Black and Yellow Rails. You can find him participating in every CBC he can squeeze into his schedule.
James is the Vice President of the Louisiana Ornithological Society where he has been leading field trips all along the Gulf Coast for the last 3 years. He also leads monthly beginner bird walks for the Gulf Coast Bird Club. James loves being out with the birds, and his passion and excitement shines through when you’re out in the field with him.
Felipe Guerrero – Owner & Guide
After several years of avian field surveys, graduate school, adventures in non-profit environmental education, and countless birding trips across the US and to destinations such as Chile, northern Mexico, and Dominican Republic, he started what would become American Birding Guides in 2018.
Louisiana and its spectacular birdlife hold a special place in Felipe’s heart as he lived for a time in Plaquemines Parish while surveying birds on the Mississippi River Delta following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. He rejoices at the idea of returning to this magical area and continuing to celebrate its rich natural and cultural heritage for many years to come.
Felipe is the owner and lead guide of American Birding Guides and Louisiana Birding Guides. He is currently a member of the Arizona Bird Committee, and a former eBird reviewer for Yavapai, Navajo, and Apache Counties. In the past he served as Field Expeditions Chair and board member for Arizona Field Ornithologists, as well as board member for Prescott Audubon Society.
