A. Sharma (Rondeau/Point Pelee/Pelee Island, May 2024)
"My wife and I have been going on guided bird tours for decades, in many parts of the world. Nevertheless, our recent visit to Point Pelee ranks high among our best experiences. Without hyperbole, I am happy to recommend Josh Vandermeulen - a talented field biologist and naturalist - as our best guide ever. He is enthusiastic and knowledgeable, eager to share his remarkable command of birds, habitats, and wildlife. In fact, he went so far as to employ his down time to scout out new locations for us, a level of dedication which I have rarely seen. A popular figure among local guides, he always seemed to know what other groups were up to and managed to lead us to some exceptional sightings.
At a personal level, he was always considerate of our needs and always put our interests first, making sure that we had good vantage points from which to identify and photograph before worrying about his own viewing. As an avid birder and talented wildlife photographer, I’m sure this was tough at times, but his efforts were much appreciated by our group. Attesting to his technical expertise, he was rarely without an answer to our questions and, to be honest, can wield a spotting scope with uncanny speed and accuracy!
On a more personal note, I should also mention that I am handicapped and have difficulty keeping up with the group. Nevertheless, Josh was always attentive to my limitations and worked hard to make sure I didn’t miss out as a result. I really cannot think of anything negative to say about him as a guide, or about our recent visit to Point Pelee."
Quest traveler (Jamaica, 2024):
"Josh was a fantastic tour leader. His enthusiasm is contagious. He made everyone feel very welcome and was always willing to share information be it on the trail or over a meal."
"Josh was a fantastic tour leader. His enthusiasm is contagious. He made everyone feel very welcome and was always willing to share information be it on the trail or over a meal."
Quest traveler (Jamaica, 2024):
"[Josh Vandermeulen] Excellent in every way. Attentive to each person and best bird guide we’ve ever had. We have already booked another Quest tour with Josh to Colombia."
"[Josh Vandermeulen] Excellent in every way. Attentive to each person and best bird guide we’ve ever had. We have already booked another Quest tour with Josh to Colombia."
Kerry K. (Niagara River, December 2020):
"Super knowledgeable and personable, Josh led a fabulous daytrip along the Niagara River. It was an incredibly worthwhile way to advance my understanding and skills for identifying the migrating gulls and waterfowl. Enormous thanks!"
"Super knowledgeable and personable, Josh led a fabulous daytrip along the Niagara River. It was an incredibly worthwhile way to advance my understanding and skills for identifying the migrating gulls and waterfowl. Enormous thanks!"
Estela Quintero-Weldon (Hawk Cliff, October 2020):
"I was impressed by how organized and smooth my full-day birding trip with Josh was. He took care of the logistics and offered a top quality, client-centered outing which included watching the migration of raptors at Hawk Cliff south of St. Thomas, Ontario, and also a short visit to the Port Stanley Lagoons in the same area of southwestern Ontario, Canada. Birding at the lagoons at mid-day, allowed me a short break from watching birds criss-cross the skies above us all morning. It also allowed me to maximize the diversity of species I was hoping to observe during this particular day.
The end result of my birding trip with Josh was that I saw a great number of bird species and a large number of individual birds, while learning more about birds and birding while having fun in the process. Josh also shared his knowledge on different habitats and climates, and also about his experiences while on international birding tours, such as his professional guiding in Colombia, South America. Bird-watching with Josh on this day, exceeded my expectations. He is personable, trustworthy, sincere, organized, a fun and engaging person to go birding with, locally or internationally, anytime. Thank you Josh!"
"I was impressed by how organized and smooth my full-day birding trip with Josh was. He took care of the logistics and offered a top quality, client-centered outing which included watching the migration of raptors at Hawk Cliff south of St. Thomas, Ontario, and also a short visit to the Port Stanley Lagoons in the same area of southwestern Ontario, Canada. Birding at the lagoons at mid-day, allowed me a short break from watching birds criss-cross the skies above us all morning. It also allowed me to maximize the diversity of species I was hoping to observe during this particular day.
The end result of my birding trip with Josh was that I saw a great number of bird species and a large number of individual birds, while learning more about birds and birding while having fun in the process. Josh also shared his knowledge on different habitats and climates, and also about his experiences while on international birding tours, such as his professional guiding in Colombia, South America. Bird-watching with Josh on this day, exceeded my expectations. He is personable, trustworthy, sincere, organized, a fun and engaging person to go birding with, locally or internationally, anytime. Thank you Josh!"
Paul T. (Colombia, 2020):
"Josh added a lot to the trip. We would not have seen half the birds if he had not been there. His passion kept the group energized."
"Josh added a lot to the trip. We would not have seen half the birds if he had not been there. His passion kept the group energized."
Fran S. (Colombia, 2020):
"Josh was attentive to our needs. I don’t know how he manages to learn and remember the bird calls so easily. Amazing!!!"
"Josh was attentive to our needs. I don’t know how he manages to learn and remember the bird calls so easily. Amazing!!!"
Iain S. (Borneo, 2017):
"Amazing. Extremely knowledgeable, helpful in pointing out wildlife, always attentive to the needs of the tour group, worked extremely well with the local guides."
"Amazing. Extremely knowledgeable, helpful in pointing out wildlife, always attentive to the needs of the tour group, worked extremely well with the local guides."