What got you into birding?
My brother. He had started birding a couple of years before I did, and as an annoying young brother I tagged along and joined him wherever he went. My brother is still in the business, as co-director of the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. Since I started birding, as a kid, I was fascinated by the power of migration, and by the rich avian diversity found in every corner in Israel, even inside my hometown, Jerusalem. From a very young age I was super interested in identification, and started searching for and finding rarities when I was 12. Since I was a teenager, I took birding up a level, and started working as a guide and in surveys. I very soon understood that’s what I want to do when I grow up. Luckily, I still work in the profession I love so much, and it gives me pleasure.
What attracted you to a career in tourism?
I started guiding in bird clubs and then tours when I was very young. It always excited me to show people new and fascinating wildlife phenomena. It also allowed me to appreciate again common but beautiful birds that, as a rarity hunter, one tends to ignore. After living in the UK, I opened to the world even more, and I am very happy to join the Rockjumper family.
Do you have any other hobbies?
Well, I live, eat, drink and dream birds. I have three young children and a dog, which leaves little time for hobbies. However, I enjoy cycling, hiking (with bins around my neck) and good food.
Are you a keen bird photographer?
Yes, I am. You will always find me with my big camera on my shoulder, even when I’m tour leading. As a conservationist, I appreciate the importance of a good photo. And if it’s mine – even better! I am an ‘opportunistic’ photographer: I don’t sit in hides for days on end. I’d rather walk or drive around and photograph what I encounter. I have good field skills so I manage to get decent photos I think. I especially enjoy photographing rarities and identification challenges.
Are you a lister?
I am very keen on my Israeli list. Before leaving to the UK I was in the top three, but dropped down a few places while I was away. Now it’s time to catch up! Apart from that, I keep a Western Palearctic list, but I am not that keen on it. I’d rather spend my birding holidays outside of the Western Palearctic, where I can get some proper birding done. When I lived in the UK, I did twitch a bit but not massively, only birds that really caught my attention. I don’t really keep a world list. I try to record all my birds on eBird, and that allows me to track how many birds I have seen. I am really interested in taxonomy and identification, so I guess listing is part of the game.
What are your strengths as a tour leader?
I am a very passionate tour leader, and take it very seriously to make sure that all my participants get to see the birds. I work hard on tours! I am pretty good at spotting birds, and try not to fail with target species. I think that tour participants like me. I try to make sure that also after the birding day is done, all my participants are happy and are well-attended. Because of my varied experience and background in conservation, professional birding and academic research, I think I can engage in an interesting conversation.
Learn more about Yoav here: http://www.yoavperlman.com/