Josh Engel - 2002

Josh grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and he knew from a young age that birding and travel would factor heavily in his future.  He crossed the country to attend college in California, where during his senior year he was awarded the Schantz Brothers Foundation scholarship.  Helping identify birds for festival-goers on the Homer Spit was one of his first experiences guiding birders, and there was no going back.  After graduating from college, he found a job guiding birders in Ecuador for an international birding tour company, before moving to South Africa where he spent nearly four years as a full-time guide, leading trips throughout Southern Africa, Madagascar, Asia and beyond.  He eventually moved back to Chicago, where after years of working as an ornithologist at the Field Museum, he founded his own birding tour company, Red Hill Birding, in 2016.  Visit this link to learn more about Red Hill Birding.