About Us

Lakeshore Nature Tours is a tour company and guide service focusing on the birdlife of North America, and regionally within Western New York. We are dedicated to providing professional and personal guidance at the most exciting and beautiful natural history destinations, including the premier birding hotspots. We specialize in sharing with you the incredible diversity and abundance of birds and nature at an enjoyable pace, as well as locating the rare and most sought-after species. Whether you're a novice or accomplished birder, our tours are designed to enhance your knowledge and appreciation, and our small group sizes ensure a pleasant experience with individual attention. If you don't see what you're looking for in our scheduled tours, or have a particular destination or species in mind, let us plan a custom tour just for you.

All tours will be led by Brett M. Ewald, a biologist and naturalist with extensive field experience. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Buffalo State College and has been studying and enjoying birds and nature for over 35 years. His passion for birds and their conservation has led to his involvement in many research and educational projects, specializing in migration and distribution patterns. These endeavors have taken him from the mountains of New Mexico to the beaches of New Jersey. A native of Western New York, his recent research efforts have concentrated on this region; he is the former Director of the Hamlin Beach Lakewatch for Braddock Bay Raptor Research, and co-authored a publication on waterbird movements on Lake Ontario. He looks forward to putting his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm to work for you.
For more information, call, email or write:
12398 Platten Road
Lyndonville, NY 14098
(716) 628-8226
BMEwald@LakeshoreNatureTours.com
If you're looking for a knowledgeable and experienced guide for a birding tour, who also knows how to make the touring fun, you can't go wrong with Brett Ewald and Lakeshore Nature Tours! Brett has an uncanny ability to spot a bird moving well back in a forested or brushy area, and the special skill to help you quickly find that one branch or trunk you need to quickly see the same bird.  In the three days I toured with him, he never missed a song and showed a remarkable talent for identifying those "confusing female warblers". (He didn't realize it, but I was secretly memorizing field marks and checking behind him in my field guide later. He got 'em all!) 

Brett truly enjoys it when his client has an exciting birding moment.   While I toured Point Pelee with him in 2002, just minutes after saying I'd like to see a Wilson's Warbler, a pretty male Wilson's popped up right in front of us. Brett might have seen dozens of Wilson's Warblers in his day, but he shared my joy at the sight. The same went for a much more common bird, the Baltimore Oriole, which I saw for the first time at Pelee. On the morning of our third day, when I should have been helping Brett find my own remaining targets, I couldn't keep my eyes off the bright male orioles, even though I'd now seen a dozen. I could see on his face that Brett totally respected that I was blown away by the bright "Tang orange" of the breeding males. 

If you have special needs like I do, and opt for one of Brett's custom tours, you'll be happy that you did. Brett knew I was hoping to see as many warblers as possible and was faced, on my last day at Point Pelee, with the knowledge that my last remaining "targets" were all skulkers or birds unlikely to be so far north. I've never seen anyone work as hard as he did that day, head down, scanning the brush where my skulkers might be, focusing hardest on a possible Louisiana Waterthrush that would have added to my list. 

Every day on a tour with Brett includes a ritual I enjoyed almost as much as the touring. Each evening, we'd go through a checklist and mark all the birds seen that day. I was amazed at how quickly he recalled every species we'd seen, and surprised at how often he remembered a bird I had forgotten. 

A Lakeshore Nature Tour birding trip with the delightful and professional Brett Ewald will be an experience you'll remember forever. If you've decided to go for some "once-in-lifetime" birding, you'll be as wise as any owl to book your trip with Lakeshore Nature Tours!

Dave - Newton, NC