Eric Hynes has been fascinated by birds and passionate about birding since he first heard the ghostly wailing of a Common Loon at summer camp in Maine more than 30 years ago. Upon completion of his B.S. at the University of Vermont, where he studied environmental studies and wildlife biology, Eric began a serious endeavor as a bird hobo that lasted more than a decade. His travels ranged across the U.S. with a number of trips to Central America as well. During this quest, Eric did everything from monitoring breeding raptors in the Snake River Canyon, to guiding for two summers in Alaska on St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs, to ground squirrel rustling in Montana, to owl banding and hawk counting in Pennsylvania.
Getting married to Christine helped settle Eric into a fulltime position at Maine Audubon but not until after a birding trip to Panama cleverly disguised as their honeymoon. As the staff naturalist and adult education coordinator, Eric taught numerous bird identification workshops and led field trips locally and abroad for Maine Audubon. His positive energy and infectious enthusiasm for all things wild has drawn many a convert to birding and conservation. Eric served several terms on the Maine Bird Records Committee.
Eric and his family now live in Telluride, Colorado where he focuses on tracking down Gunnison Sage-Grouse and rosy-finches as a scout in-residence for the Colorado Grouse tour.
Scroll down to see Eric's current schedule of tours.
Client comment
"The tour couldn't have been better. Humpback Whales breaching, gannets plunging into the ocean, Monhegan Island and the warblers...the Maine coastline and small towns along the way. In the rare event that we run out of birds, guide Eric Hynes talks natural history and greatly enriches the experience. Your tour managers and office staff are first rate." J.P., MAINE IN FALL
Photos by Eric
You might also enjoy seeing more of Eric's photos online:
Eric's Flickr photo site