Forrest Rowland’s first birding trip, at the young age of 9-years-old, was to the beautiful island nation of Trinidad, which is home of the world-renowned Asa Wright Nature Center. Among the riot of Toucans, Trogons, Hummingbirds, and tropical foliage, he found his calling. 35 years later, Forrest still spends much of the year guiding tours, conducting research, and traveling the World for the sake of birds and birding.

Not restricted to the Western Hemisphere, Forrest has lived and worked in the Sultanate of Oman, and birded in 74 countries. He has guided tours for Rockjumper Worldwide Birding, and Rockjumper Wildlife Expeditions in over 50 of those! While, Rowland’s birding expertise was centered on the North Andean countries of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru early in his career, having published articles on various aspects of birds and birding throughout the Americas, in his thirties and early forties he branched out to learn the avifauna of Africa and Asia. In the USA, Rowland has participated in research projects and led expeditions from the hottest deserts of Arizona, to the tundra of Alaska, across the nation to Ohio and the Appalachian Mountains. Forrest served as the Hawkwatch director of the Cape Henlopen Hawkwatch, collecting knowledge about raptor migration routes, land speed of migrating raptors, and altitudinal data for Wind Turbine, and collected breeding bird data for the Department of Mitigation along the Colorado, among numerous other projects.

Currently, Forrest Rowland works full-time as New World Products Director for Rockjumper Worldwide Expeditions, as well as Rockjumper Wildlife Expeditions, and continues leading a variety of tours across the globe, and organizing logistics from his home bases in Montana and Florida.