Paz A. Irola - Birdwatching Guide

Paz A. Irola

Birdwatching Guide

Paz is a passionate Costa Rican birdwatcher, citizen scientist, and field researcher.

Paz is a Costa Rican who is passionate about nature. She began watching birds in her childhood backyard in central Costa Rica, surrounded by lava flows and coffee farms. She has a degree in Social Sciences from the University of Costa Rica, but towards the end of her studies she became enchanted by the natural world and decided to train herself as a birdwatching guide and researcher.

Paz actively participates in citizen science projects, focusing on some very interesting species such as cerulean warblers, unspotted saw-whet owls, and the Cabanis's ground sparrows, which is endemic to Costa Rica. She has collaborated for several years as a field assistant and guide with Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project, led by researcher William Hilton Jr. She is also the head bander at Las Brisas Nature Reserve, a banding station that focuses on neotropical migrants.

Paz believes birding is not only an outdoor activity but a way of life, and enjoys sharing this passion with others.