I have been a bird guide in Ireland for fifteen years, but my birding experience goes back much further than that. I started birding in earnest with the gift of a pair of binoculars when I was a child and that's when I started to learn my birding skills. Since then I have birded in most European countries, New Zealand, Morocco, Hong Kong, USA and South Africa.
When out birding with clients I am always patient and thorough and make an effort to understand what a client requires from their time spent with me. Birders want to see birds, but I always include details on a bird's habits and habitats, their distribution and how they fit into both the Irish and the European 'big picture'.
I am available for hire by the day or several days and I cover all of Ireland. Clients generally find it most convenient If I meet them at their accommodation and we then return there at the end of the day. Custom made birding tours are also an option which include accommodation, travel (plus some sight seeing ) and bird guiding. Fees. The fees charged by a guide should cover not only the work done on the day but should also be a reflection of their birding skills and experience, local knowledge and guiding ability. 'Ability' is very much a gray area, but someone who finds rare birds does not automatically acquire the ability needed of a guide. My fee consists of a daily charge, and is for the trip, not per person plus any accommodation and travelling costs which I may incur. I am based in the south west, so birding in this area would result in the lowest overall cost. Frequently my daily charge is my only fee when birding in SW Ireland. Please contact me with an inquiry and I will be able to give you a fixed cost based on your preferences. Pelagic fees The maximum number of birders on a pelagic trip is 12 The fee per person will depend more than anything on the number of birders in the party but as a guide the fee per person for a trip of 4 hrs would be euro 60 plus my costs. Cruise Liners - Since the upgrade of the port facilities at Cobh and Bantry, Co. Cork, large cruise ships now dock at the towns. Generally passengers can come ashore at 8 am and dinner is usually served whilst in port at around 6 pm. This allows passengers to take a one day birding trip of the area surrounding Bantry Bay within a radius of about 50 miles of the town. I can meet guests as they come from the ship and return them in time for dinner. We usually return at 4.30. Ships unload at 8.00 and we can meet at 8.30