Hi everyone! My name is Josh Vandermeulen and I am a freelance biologist and bird guide based in southern Ontario. I started ONshore Birding in 2020 so that I could share my love of Ontario birds, wildlife and ecology with like-minded individuals. A little bit about myself...
I was raised in Cambridge, Ontario and had a love for the natural world from an early age. Reptiles and amphibians were my initial passion and throughout my teen years I lived and breathed salamanders, snakes and turtles. I enrolled in the University of Guelph to study Ecology and during the summers I worked as a field biologist studying the Eastern Foxsnake and Butler's Gartersnake - two endangered species - in Windsor, Ontario. It was while attending university that I caught the birding bug, mainly due to my association with the university's Wildlife Club, of which many of the members were interested in birds.
Birds became my main focus throughout my university years. I began traveling around the province in search of birds and this culminated with my Ontario Big Year in 2012, an attempt to see as many bird species as possible in one calendar year. I visited some incredible parts of the province and witnessed some amazing species. I finished the year with 343 species which was, at the time, a record.
In recent years I have become more involved with various aspects of the birding community in Ontario. I have volunteered as a board member of the Ontario Field Ornithologists, and I have also served as the Chair and a voting member on the Ontario Bird Records Committee for three years. I have also led some walks for the Ontario Field Ornithologists such as the Gull Weekend at Niagara.
I was raised in Cambridge, Ontario and had a love for the natural world from an early age. Reptiles and amphibians were my initial passion and throughout my teen years I lived and breathed salamanders, snakes and turtles. I enrolled in the University of Guelph to study Ecology and during the summers I worked as a field biologist studying the Eastern Foxsnake and Butler's Gartersnake - two endangered species - in Windsor, Ontario. It was while attending university that I caught the birding bug, mainly due to my association with the university's Wildlife Club, of which many of the members were interested in birds.
Birds became my main focus throughout my university years. I began traveling around the province in search of birds and this culminated with my Ontario Big Year in 2012, an attempt to see as many bird species as possible in one calendar year. I visited some incredible parts of the province and witnessed some amazing species. I finished the year with 343 species which was, at the time, a record.
In recent years I have become more involved with various aspects of the birding community in Ontario. I have volunteered as a board member of the Ontario Field Ornithologists, and I have also served as the Chair and a voting member on the Ontario Bird Records Committee for three years. I have also led some walks for the Ontario Field Ornithologists such as the Gull Weekend at Niagara.
With a Helmeted Iguana in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
In 2013 I accepted a full-time position as a biologist for an engineering firm and I have worked as an environmental consultant in the years since. My interests have evolved over the last decade to include butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies, botany and more. During the last five years I have taken a great interest in moths, leafhoppers and several other insect groups as well. As far as I am concerned, the excitement of setting up a moth sheet at night and seeing what comes in is almost unparalleled!
During the long, cold winters when my biology work slowed down, I began to travel abroad in search of birds and other wildlife. During these years I completed trips to Panama, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, southern Europe, Morocco and a few other countries with birding friends or with my fiancée at the time (now wife), Laura. Seeking out ecological curiosities was only part of my passion; I also loved to share these experiences with others. In 2015 the perfect opportunity came up - a chance to guide for Quest Nature Tours. I now lead several tours a year for Quest, and my current tour itinerary includes Colombia, Borneo, Galapagos and West Papua. It has been an wonderful opportunity to visit some amazing places in this world with other travellers!
During the long, cold winters when my biology work slowed down, I began to travel abroad in search of birds and other wildlife. During these years I completed trips to Panama, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, southern Europe, Morocco and a few other countries with birding friends or with my fiancée at the time (now wife), Laura. Seeking out ecological curiosities was only part of my passion; I also loved to share these experiences with others. In 2015 the perfect opportunity came up - a chance to guide for Quest Nature Tours. I now lead several tours a year for Quest, and my current tour itinerary includes Colombia, Borneo, Galapagos and West Papua. It has been an wonderful opportunity to visit some amazing places in this world with other travellers!
Laura and I in Orosi, Costa Rica
In the autumn of 2019, Laura and I quit our full-time jobs to spend several years traveling in Central and South America, a long-awaited dream of ours. The trip started off well, with three months in Ecuador, two months in Colombia and one month in Costa Rica. Then Covid-19 hit, and all of our plans changed. Fortunately, we have been able to get back to our travels since September 2021 and we have explored throughout South America, Central America and Southeast Asia in the months since. We will be returning to Canada in April, 2023 and I am excited to lead tours locally again. I hope to see you "in the field" soon!
A few links:
My eBird profile
My iNaturalist profile
My Quest Nature Tours profile
Explorations of an Ecologist (my blog for international travel)
A few links:
My eBird profile
My iNaturalist profile
My Quest Nature Tours profile
Explorations of an Ecologist (my blog for international travel)