About us

Hernan Casañas ( 41 ) Started his career as a naturalist and conservationist at the early age of twelve. He has published numerous papers on ornithological topics, and has contributed with information of Argentine endangered species for different publications and projects. Hernan has collaborated and worked for some of the most important environmental organizations in Argentina for more than 20 years. He is a board member of Aves Argentinas (BirdLife International partner) and is their representative in Cordoba province. He has coordinated fieldwork for the Important Bird Areas programme of Aves Argentinas. A special interest in avian vocalizations resulted in a thorough library of natural sounds. For over a decade he has recorded more than 600 species of Argentine birds. This material is being compiled for the production of an audio CD of the birds of Argentina. Since 1993 he lives in Cordoba province. He has conducted numerous birding and natural history trips throughout Argentina, and is especially interested in the endemic and endangered species found in the country. Hernan is an experienced leader who enjoys interacting with people, and has a great sense of humour.

Germán Pugnali ( 40 ) Germán lives in Buenos Aires, where he was born and raised. A strong interest in wildlife led him to join the Asociación Ornitológica del Plata (Aves Argentinas / BirdLife International partner) in 1986, acting as their librarian for five years, later becoming a board member. He worked as a birding guide for their field trips for more than 12 years, starting to lead foreign groups throughout Argentina at the age of 24. He obtained his MSc in Biology from University of Buenos Aires in 1994, and took part of field studies on penguins, waterfowl, shorebirds and blackbirds, publishing several articles in scientific journals and birdwatching magazines. German has also travelled extensively throughout South America and his Argentina bird list adds over 900 species. He is also a bird sound recording enthusiast and enjoys sharing his passion for nature with others, organizing courses, lectures and bird forums to encourage people to discover the world of birds.

Juan Mazar Barnett ( 32 ) Juan was born in 1975 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and that's where he lives today. He started birding at the age of nine, after going through a dinosaur phase, an airplane phase, and then a general wildlife phase (in that order). He has since travelled extensively throughout southern South America, visiting every corner of his home country and also conducted fieldwork in Paraguay and parts of Bolivia. He is particularly fond of Brazil and has birded a large number of locations in a variety of habitats there. These travels led to the recent discovery of three species new to science. He constantly carries a recorder and, having collected over 150 hours of bird voices, has acquired an excellent sense of hearing. Juan holds a BSc in Biology from the University of East Anglia, U.K. During the time he spent in England he worked for the Threatened Birds of the World programme of BirdLife International in Cambridge. His ornithological interests are many, with distribution, evolution and conservation as his favourites. He is author of numerous scientific contributions, notably on the rediscovery of Austral Rail and White-winged Nightjar, with several new country records in Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, as well as a recent Argentina checklist published by Lynx Edicions.

Hernán Rodriguez Goñi ( 42 ) Hernán started his career as a naturalist joining the Asociación Ornitológica del Plata (Aves Argentinas / BirdLife International partner) at the age of 13. Since 1986 he worked as a birding guide and tour leader of this field trips, eventualy becaming its organizer for a period that lasted over 14 years. Hernan visited every corner of Argentina, most countries of South America, and a big part of Africa, India, Australia and South-East Asia. He dictates lectures on several courses of eco-tourism for training local guides as naturalists. He is a professional wildlife photographer, and his work has been published in several local and international magazines. His photographic art is now illustrating most of our travel catalogue and this web site. Hernán is always seeking new areas and “hotspots” to visit and show around to those who share his passion.

Juan Klavins ( 30 ) Juan lives with an intense passion for birds that has stayed with him since his childhood in the city of Buenos Aires. At the age of 15, he moved to La Cumbre (Cordoba) where that devotion for nature turned into a professional carrier. Initially he participated in a biodiversity survey in the Argentinean western Chaco conducted by the National Park Service, followed by successive avian investigation campaigns with Aves Argentinas/BirdLife International and other non-profit institutions. In 2001 he moved to Paraguay where he worked three years for Guyra Paraguay/BirdLife as a consulting biologist with both migratory and resident species. He is currently working part time for the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (Vermont, USA) as a field biologist and data manager. His knowledge of nature extends beyond birds: he worked on botanical investigations in some South American countries as well as butterfly research in North America. Traveling and working form Argentina to Ecuador, the Caribbean island Hispaniola and from east to west of the USA has given him very extensive experience with the New World avifauna.

Maurice Rumboll ( 68 ) A few lines are not enough to describe the career of the legendary Maurice Rumboll, one of the most renowned naturalists and ornithologists in South America. Starting as a field assistant on studies of waterfowl in 1965, he continued cooperating with several museums, universities and environmental organizations of Argentina (National Parks Administration, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Fundación Vida Silvestre) and abroad (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, San Diego Natural History Museum, and IUCN). He conducted a bird banding project in northern Argentina and has also conducted research on penguins, waterfowl and passerines in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Of note are his studies of oceanic bird aboard the R/V Hero (National Science Foundation/USARP). So far he has written more than 20 scientific papers and co-authored the Collin's Illustrated Checklist to the Birds of southern South America and Antarctica. Amongst many of the landmarks of his astonishing career is the discovery of a new species of grebe in the remote steppes of Patagonia, the rare Hooded Grebe. This incredible background in field studies has led him to become one of the most solicited lecturers and tour leaders. On board of several ship cruises, he has made more than 60 trips to the Antarctic and has also led many birdwatching and wildlife tours for some of the most prestigious international companies. Today he spends most of his time making educational work for schools, and accompanying wildlife tours.

Santiago Imberti ( 36 ) Santiago was born and raised in southern Patagonia, where the wilderness was only a short step from his front door. A long lasting love for nature was a logical consequence of the years he lived there. He obtained a degree in tourism and ornithology, which allowed him to combine his love for nature and the outdoors with his work as a fly fishing, birdwatching and mountain guide. Avid naturalist, he is keen in spending as much time as possible in nature and is always looking for new places to visit and ways to transmit his love and interest in the small things to others. He has recently published the inventory of the birds of Los Glaciares National Park, and is conducting a continued study of the recently re-discovered Austral Rail. Santiago is a photographer and writes about the many places he visits, and his experiences as a guide. His articles and stories have been published in scientific journals and popular travel magazines.

Diego Monteleone ( 28 ) Diego joined one of our first field trips with Aves Argentinas/BirdLife, when he was only twelve years old. He has since joined us in many trips throughout Argentina and the southern cone of South America. Eventualy he became a great assistant, and some time later he was one of our best birding guides. Diego has developed an amazing perception in identifying bird songs and his bird list for Argentina has over 780 species. He is currently studying biology in Buenos Aires, and spends much of his spare time leading birding trips and travelling to make field recordings of bird voices. He has a friendly and outgoing personality, characteristics which match his great experience in the field.

Ignacio Roesler ( 26 ) Ignacio is a biologist specialized in Zoology from Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina. He was born and raised in General Villegas, a little town in the middle of Argentina's Pampas . This meant that he always had a direct contact with the wilderness. By the early age of 11, a strong interest in birds took him to join us in many of our tours for local birders at Aves Argentinas (BirdLife). Since then he has travelled to every corner of the country and adjacent countries like Uruguay, Chile, Brazil and Paraguay. He is particularly fond of northern Argentina and Brazil, especially the Yungas forests, the Chaco area and the Atlantic Forest. To date he has published some papers and articles, of note being that about the Chaco Pipit, a species formerly considered Near-threatened, but still one of the least known pipits. At the age of 17 he started a collection of bird sound recordings, holding vocalizations of several rare species.

Marisu Lopreiato ( 32 ) Marisú joined the Argentine School of Naturalists of Aves Argentinas at the age of 19, soon becoming a birdwatching guide at the Costanera Sur Nature Reserve in Buenos Aires. Since then, she has travelled continuously throughout Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Brazil, watching birds and leading tourists. Marisú holds a degree in Environmental Sciences and received training from BirdLife International and the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds for the management of local NGOs. Currently she acts as a consultant for different environmental companies, and has applied her experience working for the development of Aves Argentinas. Marisú has a lovely personality and enjoys transmitting her interest in wildlife through her work with volunteers and birdwatchers.

Marcelo de Cruz ( 43 ) Marcelo started his career as a naturalist and birdwatcher at the age of 22. After completing his studies of tourism in Buenos Aires, he moved to Tierra del Fuego in 1991. Since then he has explored every corner of this island in search of its unique wildlife, and has developed a special ability to find all bird, including the least common species. He is also familiar with virtually all the flora and fauna of the Magellanic forests, steppes, high mountains and seashores in Tierra del Fuego, and cooperates with the National Parks Administration in developing tourism as a sustainable option for conservation. He lives in Ushuaia with his wife, Paula, and his daughter, María Catalina.

Ezequiel Núñez Bustos ( 34 ) Ezequiel is a field naturalist and entomology is his main interest. For over 15 years he has conducted research on Argentine butterflies, gathering an amazing mass of information. Besides having examined many reference collections of specimens, his sharp eye is capable of identifying many of the 1300 diurnal species that inhabit in Argentina. He is also fond of moths and other insects as well as their food plants. He has conducted many surveys, working for the National Park Administration, Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina (WWF partner), and the Administration of Natural Reserves of Buenos Aires province . He serves as a scientific advisor for the Natureviewing Foundation and is currently working on a field guide to the butterflies of Iguazú, with the cooperation of Neotropical Butterflies. Since 1996 he dictates courses and talks about butterflies for general public, which added to his formation as a technician in tourism and environmental interpreter guide, has him as one of the best guides in the country.

Luciano Bernacchi ( 34 ) Luciano travelled and lived in different places as a boy and teenager, including four years in London. His interest in nature and birds started at the early age of 13, when he joined the Asociación Ornitológica del Plata. Birding took him and fellow birder friends to many corners of Argentina and neighbouring countries. He later developed a strong interest in mountaineering and became a certified mountain guide, climbing instructor and ski patroller, as well as an expert on glaciers. For the past 10 years he has been leading expeditions, groups of birders, trekkers, and nature lovers to many destinations, in particular throughout the steppes, glaciers, forests, coasts and peaks of Patagonia. He is now based in the city of El Calafate (Argentine Patagonia) near Los Glaciares National Park.

Javier Heredia ( 48 ) Javier was born in La Falda, in the Sierras de Córdoba. He is a true field naturalist and few people know central Argentina as well as he does. He has recently published an updated checklist for the birds in his home area and is working on a field guide that he is also illustrating. His travels are not restricted to the Sierras though, and in recent years he visited Costa Rica, Colombia and México. He also works with reptiles and amphibians, and in 2002 published a book on frogs and toads of Córdoba province. Javier is an active participant of environmental education projects at the region's schools, funded by Whitlel Laing Foundation, U.K. and has done work for a number of local institutions, such as Aves Argentinas, Ecosistemas Argentinos and Asociación Civil Los Algarrobos (IUCN member). He worked in collaboration with the National Park Administration and Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Javier has studied Quichua, an indigenous language, helping him to better understand the people and habitats of central Argentina. Plus, he is a musician, and plays folk music with several indigenous musical instruments.

Emilio White ( 32 ) Emilio has been a naturalist from his very early years. At the age of 21 he began working as a field assistant in a project on the ecology of night monkeys in the Argentine Chaco . The National Parks Administration hired him two years later to continue with research on the conservation of yellow anacondas and Bare-faced Curassows, surveying the woodlands and gallery forests of the Chaco . Then he started to work as a field assistant and fixer for wildlife film productions being hired by the BBC, Tigress Productions, and Granada TV/PBS, in Argentina and Latin America. During this time he was lucky enough to be working with people like Sir David Attenborough, filming night monkeys for “The Life of Mammals” series; and with Jeff Corwin, filming capuchins in Costa Rica. His general knowledge and his sense of humour make Emilio a really enjoyable company on natural history trips.

Hector Slongo ( 27 ) Héctor was born in northern Italy and early on moved to Córdoba province, Argentina, where he currently lives. He was raised in the countryside, directly in contact with the natural world and from an early age developed a great passion for nature. His specific interest in birds started when he was eight, partly thanks to the incentive of Hernán Casañas. Nowadays he is a keen birder and an avid sound recordist. He has a vast experience throughout most of Argentina, and has been also birding in Brazil, Britain and of course, Italy. Héctor is fluent in Spanish, English and Italian. He will soon receive his degree in Biology from Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. His birding skills and friendly personality make of him a great guide and a perfect travel companion.

Lorenzo Sympson ( 54 ) Lorenzo Sympson is a specialist on birds of Patagonia and a noted Andean Condor expert. He is a founding member and head of the ornithological committee of SNAP (Sociedad Naturalista Andino Patagonica), a regional NGO dedicated to the conservation of Patagonia’s unique ecosystems. He participated in the re-introduction of captive bred condors in Patagonia and is the coordinator of a program designed for researching their biology and behavior. From a British family, Lorenzo spent most of his childhood living on a farm and has chosen Bariloche (Patagonia) as his home many years ago. His interest and expertise in ornithology led him become the ideal guide in southern Argentina and Chile.

Martina Mc Namara ( 26 ) Martina Mc Namara lived all her life in Patagonia. Her passion for nature and adventure has taken her to pursue several outdoor activities since she was a child. Camping, flyfishing, climbing and trekking were the way to be in contact with the wildlife and to begin to understand its magic. She has a degree as an Engineer in Natural Resources and continued to focus on conservation projects. Nowadays, she is part of a research project on the Rio Gallegos Estuary in which she is developing an education program for the local people. Recently, she completed a volunteer season at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, USA. As a highly motivated person with knowledge on wildlife, specially on birds, and her strong interest on environmental and sustainable education, she brings to the company her field experience gained from working in collaboration with environmental and government institutions. She lectures on nature in schools and public institutions, and makes field surveys on environmental impact studies.

Eugenio Coconier ( 34 ) Eugenio is "porteño" and still lives in Buenos Aires. At a very early age he developed an interest for wildlife, joining the Asociación Aves Argentinas while he was still in high school. He took his first steps in the birdwatching world volunteering as a member of a conservation group dedicated to raptors. This took him to participate in several field surveys in Misiones province (Argentina), looking for the Harpy Eagle and succeeding to find an active nest of this mighty and endangered species. He was in charge of the library in the Ornithological association while completing an MSc in Biology from University of Buenos Aires, graduating in 2002. Since then, Eugenio has worked in many organizations and institutions as a consulting ornithologist, including the National Museum of Natural History in Buenos Aires and Asociación Guyrá Paraguay (BirdLife Partner in Paraguay), where he worked at the threatened species programme for two years. More recently, he coordinated an Inventory of birds from the Yungas Cloudforest of Acambuco, an Important Bird Area (IBA) of northwest Argentina. Most of his field work is published in bird ecology journals, and he currently coordinates the IBA programme for Aves Argentinas. Eugenio has always loved to mix his scientific interest with educational work and since 1993 dictates courses of raptors and waterbirds for amateur birders.

Andrea Pigazzi ( 40 ) Andy is native of Buenos Aires, birdwatcher and nature lover since she was a child.
From our office in La Cumbre she manages all our hotel reservations and keeps in touch with all the providers in order to make our trips smoother. In other words Andy takes care of every little detail that will make a difference when we are out in the field.
Andy's main passion is horses, and during her spare time, she runs a small riding school in Cordoba province in Central Argentina.

Sarah Frey ( 30 ) Sarah was born in Wisconsin, USA although she currently resides in Vermont, USA. She is studying at the University of Vermont to receive her master’s degree in wildlife biology. She has a passion for nature and the outdoors that stems from her childhood. Currently her studies are focused on avian biology and ecology. Her field experience ranges from working at the largest hawk migration site in the western US to avian biodiversity studies in Hawaii to behavioral studies of manakins in tropical Ecuador. She has traveled extensively throughout Argentina visiting some of the most beautiful and diverse areas of the country. She assists in promoting Seriema overseas and acts as our English language editor.