About
Ecologist and birder based in the Netherlands, with a soft spot for raptors, guiding, and everything in
between. My interest in nature started young and only grew from there — through a BSc in Biology and an
MSc in Forest and Nature Conservation, and into the fieldwork, guiding, and photography that fill my time
now.
Batumi Raptor Count
Since 2021 I've spent my autumns in Batumi, Georgia, counting the thousands of raptors migrating through
the Batumi bottleneck — one of the largest in the world. What started as a volunteer counter with Batumi Raptor Count
has grown into one of the biggest parts of my life: I've been a team member since 2024, co-authored research on the migration we monitor there,
and come home every season with thousands of photos of the eagles, buzzards, harriers and more passing through on their way south.
Background
Currently
Leading bird excursions across the Netherlands in my favourite birding spots, like Lauwersmeer, Veluwemeer, the IJssel delta and more
Completed
I quickly realised I wanted to head towards the ecology side of biology, and picked my courses accordingly. I took some time off along the way to go to Georgia and count migrating raptors with BRC, and finished the degree with a thesis on sex-specific migration patterns in raptors passing Batumi, also with BRC.
I continued along the ecology track, which turned out to be the right call. Every course kept me motivated to build a career in ecology. I finished in 2025 with a thesis in Georgia with BRC, on the effect of internal and external factors on peak day dynamics in raptors flying through the Batumi bottleneck, and an internship in Spain with IMIB, on the impact of climate change on alpine-specialist birds and climate refugia as a possible solution.