Florida's Birding & Photo Fest official guide 2016 | Page 22

PHOTO: IAIN CAMPBELL TROPICAL BIRDING TOURS Birds and Jaguars in Bountiful Brazil | Presentation Meeting Location: GTM Research Reserve, Movie Room Tropical Birding Tours: Nick Athanas FRIDAY 3 TO 3:45 P.M. FREE | Max No of People: 12 Brazil is the largest country in South America; it is so vast and varied that it can be hard for a first-time visitor to know where to begin. Nick will describe some of his favorite areas for photography, including the Pantanal, with its incredible density of birds and easy-to-photograph Jaguars, and the Atlantic Forest of the Southeast, with a productive rainforest for bird photography. Nick Athanas is an avid birder, bird photographer, and co-founder of the tour company Tropical Birding. He leads birding and bird photography tours throughout the world, specializing in South America, and has photographed over 2,500 bird species. His photos can be found in many publications as well as on his personal photo website www.antpitta.com. He is the lead author and photographer of the forthcoming Birds of Western Ecuador: A Photographic Guide. Marvelous Madagascar – An Introduction for the Wildlife Photographer | Presentation Meeting Location: GTM Research Reserve, Movie Room Tropical Birding Tours: Nick Athanas SATURDAY 3 TO 3:45 P.M. Pablo Cervantes came to Tandayapa by accident; this city-loving engineer had to go to the lodge to help out for a week, became hooked on bird photography and started taking out professional photographers and helping with photography workshops. He now guides professional photographers to Ecuador, Brazil and Mexico and will be soon branching out to other continents. He also manages Tandayapa Bird Lodge, and you can find him there tinkering with new techniques for shooting hummers. FREE | Max No of People: 12 Madagascar’s flora and fauna are different from anywhere else on Earth. The endemic birds, such as the colorful vangas and ground-rollers, on their own would justify a visit, but so many other animals make tempting subjects, including charismatic lemurs, colorful chameleons, and otherworldly geckos. Nick shares some of the top wildlife photography destinations in this unique country. Desiree D´Sylva was raised in Quito, but her life has taken her on many exciting adventures to the most beautiful places in the world. She lived on merchant ships during her teens, and saw spectacular scenery and culture throughout Europe, Africa, and Asia, and is the only person in TB to have sailed through the Suez and Panama canals. After finishing a degree