ABOUT US
Professional Birding Guides
Georgia Birding Guides is dedicated to helping you follow your passions—whether it’s discovering amazing birds, capturing that perfect photo, exploring beautiful places, or simply embracing your love of nature. Our expert guides specialize in creating personalized birding experiences tailored to your specific interests and skill level. Our unique approach combines the invaluable knowledge of local guides with the dedicated customer support provided by our administrative team. With a focus on flexibility and progressive client-centric policies regarding reservations, payments, and cancellations, we strive to create a smooth and unforgettable experience for you. We can’t wait to share our passion for Georgia’s birds with you!

Patrick Maurice – Guide
Growing up, Patrick spent 10 years participating in Georgia’s Youth Birding Competition, a statewide big day for young birders, which helped him familiarize himself with the state’s diverse ecoregions and birdlife. He has spent countless hours birding across Georgia, and with a quick look at his colorful eBird map, you can see that he has recorded birds in a majority of Georgia’s 159 counties. In 2021, he and his friends set a new Georgia big day record during his final semester at UGA.
Patrick has birded extensively across the United States and around the world. He currently works as a guide for Natural Habitat Adventures and regularly guides for US birding festivals such as the Biggest Week, Georgia Birdfest, and the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. When Patrick isn’t traveling or birding, you can find him back in his college hometown of Athens, Georgia, reviewing records for eBird, enjoying a good sour beer, or watching a soccer game.

Eliot VanOtteren – Guide
With an enthusiastic and hyperlocal approach to birding, Eliot thrives on seeking out target species, building a patch list, and uncovering even the most obscure local birding hotspots. Whether surveying nocturnal flight calls, taking in the dawn chorus, or patiently waiting for the perfect photograph, Eliot loves the thrill of the chase. He organizes annual Spring and Fall Glynn County “big days” and holds the state record for the highest county year total in Georgia, with 285 species recorded in Glynn in 2023.
Eliot serves on the board of Coastal Georgia Audubon and as an eBird reviewer for five coastal Georgia counties. He actively volunteers with The Nature Conservancy, the Center for Coastal Conservation, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, including the annual Georgia Youth Birding Competition. In addition, he leads field trips for the Georgia Ornithological Society and contributes to numerous surveys along the Georgia coast each year.

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.