What is your favorite bird species?
Ever since I first saw it at the Sax Zim Bog years ago, the Great Gray Owl has been my absolute favorite bird. Owls have always fascinated me, and the regality of the Great Gray Owl never ceases to amaze me.
What is your name, and where do you live?
My name is Kyle Gebhart. I live in Lafayette, IN. I have been in my current position as the Parks Naturalist with West Lafayette Parks since the fall of 2023. I previously worked for South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks as a seasonal naturalist at Custer State Park and as a temporary interpretive ranger with Tennessee State Parks at Cummins Falls State Park. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife and Fisheries from Tennessee Tech University.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, and more to come.
Eastern Screech Owl
How long have you been a bird guide?
I have been leading bird walks/day trips at the park I manage for coming into 3 years now, and have led programs and wildlife/birding tours in my previous jobs.
Barred Owl
How did you get into bird guiding?
As a park naturalist, part of my job is to teach people about our wildlife and ecology. Since birding is my favorite hobby, having the opportunity to be a guide in my daily job allows me the opportunity to offer guided trips.
Pine Grosbeak
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
Like: Being able to put people on birds that really excite either them or me. Dislike: planning a trip to a particularly well-known stopover location for sandhill cranes, expecting to see 20k+ birds in early December, and not seeing a single crane the entire time.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that are the most interesting for visiting birders?
- American White Pelican (migration)
- Eastern Screech Owl
- Long-eared Owl
- Peregrine Falcon
- Sandhill/Whooping Crane
- Migrating Warblers in Spring
- Bald Eagle
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow
- Occasional Migrating vagrants (whistling ducks, long-tailed ducks, rare shorebirds, etc.)
Coppery-tailed Trogon
Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip
I offer free bird walks over migration season at the park I manage, Celery Bog Nature Area, as well as guided daytrips with our park’s van to local hotspots and extended birding trips to other regions of the United States. My Saturday free bird walks usually last 1-1.5 hours, depending on the season. April and May walks can go longer due to the large number of migrants present. A Global Big Day trip may last 5+ hours and would include visiting several local hotspots in the greater Lafayette area.
Extended guided trips include owling at Sax Zim Bog in northern Minnesota (6 days, 5 nights) as well as spring migration birding in the Sky Island region of Arizona (10 days, 9 nights)
Black Phoebe
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Choose spring or fall migration. Spring migration is best if you are new to birding and are still learning your fall plumages. Winter is very good if you want to see many bald eagles at one location. As the rivers north of us freeze, bald eagles make their way down to our section of the Wabash River to catch fish in the still open water. Sometimes several dozen eagles can be seen roosting in one or two trees at the river.
If any readers of 10,000 Birds are interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
My working email is Kgebhart@westlafayette.in.govand my office phone number is 765-775-5172. The local walks/daytrips and off-site extended guided trips that I offer through the West Lafayette Parks Department can be found here: Catalog – City of West Lafayette Parks & Recreation – find the yellow “programs” tab to find my programs. All our birding/wildlife viewing trips are under the “Wildview Expeditions” subtab of the programs tab in our catalog.
Anna’s Hummingbird
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
Since we are a municipal park department, we do not aim to make large profits on our trips. Our goal is only to recoup our costs and create just a little extra to continue conservation and programming efforts at our parks. This allows us to offer extended guided trips at prices that are very competitive compared to other guiding services.
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