Guiding - testimonials

Below is a selection of testimonials written by visitors, guests and friends during the last twelve years. 

"During my visits to South East Queensland I have been fortunate to see a significant amount of the local fauna entirely due to Trevor's efforts.  Trevor's knowledge of the local area and awareness of the current news is immense.  He always has an idea of an itinerary that he thinks I will find interesting and is more than prepared to change or modify this to accommodate my personal preferences upon arrival.  Trevor's enthusiasm is infectious and I have no hesitation in recommending his services in this regard."

RH, Berks, UK.

"Thanks, Trevor, for being our guide and friend while we were in the Brisbane area.  We knew that you'd know all the best places to see birds but we didn't know just HOW good these places would be. You introduced us to so many new birds - it's difficult to think what our favorites would be. Some were the plain ones - like the Mangrove Gerygone and huge varieties of peeps, some were skulkers - like the Brown Quail and Spotless Crake, and some were more exotic - like the Horsfield's Bronze Cuckoo and Little Eagle. And not just the birds! It was good to be introduced to all the other fauna (with or without vertebrae!) and plants, etc.  Dodging that incredible storm was also a memorable episode. But above all, we'll remember the warmth, friendship and fun of being with you. We'll definitely look forward to a return visit!"

JC, Washington DC, USA.

"I have visited Australia twice for birding. The first trip was an extended 5-6 week visit exclusively to southern Queensland getting as far north as Lady Elliot Island. The other visit was mainly in the North, Top-end and Kakadu, etc., with a short one-week visit to SE Queensland. On both occasions I have been shown around SEQ by Trevor Ford and have benefited greatly from his local knowledge and birding skills. I am usually short on preparation for these trips so Trevor's help with ID and song has been invaluable. Trevor's interests go beyond birding, however, and mirror some of my own back on my home patch in the UK. I remember fascinating discussions about wader roosting behaviour and the threats that development in Pumicestone Passage poses to these vulnerable birds. He even indulged me in my love of sea-watching from coastal headlands during a memorable passage of Short-tailed Shearwaters that we observed during a three-week period, and that found us a lot of difficult seabirds. I would thoroughly recommend Trevor as an amiable companion and mentor on visits to Oz."

RB, London, UK.

"Trevor's excellent local knowledge and good field skills were a tremendous help in seeing so many of the special birds and other flora & fauna in SE Queensland during a most enjoyable two-week visit" 

R&S, Norfolk, UK.

"When I first moved to Bribie Island in 2003 I was not familiar with the birds I was likely to see in the area around Buckley's Hole, so I was fortunate that a local resident recommended Trevor's book "Birds of Buckley's Hole Conservation Park" as a reference. This book helped to make it easier to positively identify new sightings as well as to question and/or discount unlikely ones. Some time after this, Trevor and I began to communicate via email and he was a wonderful mentor as I frequently asked him to either confirm a sighting for me or make suggestions for a bird I was unable to recognise. I still do this. He regularly shares his sightings with me including the rare and exciting ones, and equally I tell him what I have seen.

On World Wetland Day, 2 February 2008, the Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association (BIEPA) held a morning tea at Buckley's Hole for members, and Trevor was invited as a bird expert. Despite the rain, he generously spent several hours with individual members showing them the local birdlife as well as addressing the group and answering questions. It was obvious to us all that Trevor really enjoys sharing his expertise in bird- watching.

Thanks to Trevor's knowledge and enthusiasm I have developed a real passion for bird-watching and have learnt to be much more observant when trying to identify new species. If you get the chance to go bird-watching with this man, I urge you to go!"

CB, Bribie Island, QLD, Australia.

"My wife and I have known Trevor for many years and have travelled with him numerous times. We have always found him to be great fun, very knowledgeable about both the birdlife and other life in general. He also has a great sense of humour and a big heart. We highly recommend him."

R&DA, Clinton, Tennessee, USA.

"I have known Trevor Ford since 1991 when he and I toured SW Australia for three weeks. Within this highly successful trip, we achieved sightings of Noisy Scrub-bird, Western Bristlebird and Western Whipbird, a very difficult trio, at Two Peoples Bay in just three days. This kind of success became the norm for several later trips to Venezuela, South Africa and elsewhere in Australia, where Trevor's bird observation skills seldom failed to find our sought-after birds. In 1998-99 I had a base at his home during a nine month career break so got to know him and his wife, Kym, very well. It was at this time that his well-known 'Guest List' came into being; a way to encourage the many birders who came to stay to find what they could and be included. Within a short time, the list was extended to include mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, dragonflies and more so that visitors were able to increase their knowledge and appreciation of these also. Throughout this time, Trevor's ability to lead people to more species was always evident but when he added himself to the list, you couldn't catch him up."

DD, Kerikeri, New Zealand.

"Over the past decade, I have spent many enjoyable hours in the bush with Trevor. His broad experience birding around the globe, contributes to the intelligent and analytical manner in which he carries out his craft."

TS, Mooloolah Valley, QLD, Australia.

"My visit to Queensland was made all the more successful by the guiding skills and the advice from Trevor Ford. Without his expertise we would never have been able to enjoy seeing such a wide range of birds and mammals. His pre -visit write ups were excellent and the itinerary was perfect for our needs."

DL, London, UK

"Sitting at Buckley's Hole several years ago with a telescope in front of me and a field guide on my knee and not getting far with the birds about me I chanced upon Trevor on an adjacent seat. And what a fortunate meeting that was. In no time at all I had filled a page of my notebook with the birds I had been struggling with and felt that sense of satisfaction a birder knows when he learns new birds.

Since that day I have used Trevor's vast knowledge of Australian birds on almost a yearly basis and have got to know all his birding haunts on Bribie and the surrounding districts very well. My overall list for this area must now be well over 120 species and I haven't only seen these birds but I have learnt them too, all thanks to Trevor.

In April 2009, over a short walk on Bribie Island with Trevor, I was treated to over 40 species, all great views and all due to his sharp eyes and keen hearing and his overall knowledge of what he was looking at. It was during this visit that I hope I encouraged him to do more bird guiding as his talents in this direction have so far lain dormant.

But birding is not all Trevor offers. He also possesses considerable wit and much insight into conservation and life generally so is good fun even when birding is over. I look forward to further time with Trevor, and with his wife Kym, on my next visit to Bribie Island and can wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone wanting to learn the many birds of the Sunshine Coast."

SC, Orewa, New Zealand.

"I have known Trevor Ford for over 15 years and have been lucky to have him show me some of the birds and other wildlife in Queensland. I found him to be a very skilled field observer and very knowledgeable on where to find various species of scarcer birds and on their identification. He is also good fun to be with on trips out birding."

LB, Norfolk, UK.

"Trevor Ford is a cranky old Pommy bastard that enjoys nothing more than belittling and upsetting fellow birders, as any visit to birding-aus will attest to. He does know a bit about birds but seems to prefer the dull, colourless ones, particularly those dreary waders, as it seems he regards bright plumage as being an unnecessary aid to identification, oversimplifying the process for novices that haven't put in their time in the field. Similarly, he regards any suggestions for improvement in the tedious game of soccer (or 'football' as he likes to call it), such as widening the goals to allow more scoring, as commercialisation and being 'American'. In his favour, Mr Ford does appreciate a good bottle of red and a curry, he does have a charming, lovely wife and he is very worldly, going on 8 - 10 holidays a year to various parts. And while his birding credentials have been bolstered by the release of the renowned 'Birds of Buckley's Hole and the Pumicestone Passage', his reputation remains burdened by his inability to secure a sighting of the Purple Cochoa, regarded generally as the 'birder's bird' of the world, seen only by those of supreme skill and intelligence. He tries hard though."

TO'R, Nambour, QLD, Australia

"Thanks, Trevor, for some wonderful birding - over 120 species; 3 new species. Trevor has a good personality and is a birding expert with tremendous knowledge of the area and the birds within the area. If you need a guide this is the man for the job. Enjoyed every minute of our birding trips. Thanks again, Trevor."

BM, Highbury, SA, Australia.

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