MEET OUR TEAM
Greater Roadrunner © Greg Lasley
Expert Guides. Unforgettable Adventures.
Great birding tours begin with great guides. Our team brings decades of field experience, regional knowledge, and a shared passion for helping guests discover more - not only the birds, but the habitats and places that make each destination extraordinary.
Oscar Carmona
Founder & Lead Guide
With more than 35 years of birding experience and over 20 years as a professional guide, Oscar brings a blend of expertise, warmth, and calm presence to every tour. His passion for birds has taken him throughout North America, Mexico, and Central America, building an exceptional depth of field experience and a lasting appreciation for the landscapes, ecosystems, and seasonal rhythms that make each birding destination unique.
As the founder of Birding Texas & Beyond, Oscar oversees route planning, scouting, logistics, and guest experience, ensuring every itinerary reflects the company’s commitment to quality and extraordinary birding experiences.
Ariel Carmona
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
As co-founder and managing partner of Birding Texas & Beyond, Ariel oversees much of what happens behind the scenes to turn each tour from an idea into a well-planned journey. From tour development and reservations to communications, logistics, marketing, and the many details that go into preparing each departure, she helps ensure that guests have a smooth experience from their first inquiry through their return home.
Working alongside Oscar, Ariel helps shape the company's destinations, itineraries, and overall direction. Her love of travel, nature, and discovering new places plays an important role in the company's approach—creating journeys that combine exceptional birding with memorable destinations and experiences.
Cameron Cox
Lead Guide & Field Identification Expert
Cameron is a respected author in the birding world. He wrote Terns of North America and co‑authored the Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching, two widely used resources that reflect his mastery of identification, migration, and coastal birding. His ability to translate complex concepts into clear, engaging explanations is one of the reasons guests love learning from him.
With more than two decades of birding experience across North America, Cameron is known for helping guests see more — not just more species, but more detail, more behavior, and more of the story behind each bird.
Troy Hibbitts
Lead Guide & Field Naturalist
Troy’s enthusiasm for the natural world is contagious. He has birded in all 254 counties of Texas, a testament to both his dedication and his deep connection to the state’s diverse habitats. He also serves as an eBird reviewer for five counties in Southwest Texas, supporting data quality and helping birders across the region contribute meaningful observations.
In addition to his birding expertise, Troy has an eclectic naturalist background that enriches every tour. He is deeply knowledgeable about reptiles, amphibians, dragonflies and damselflies, butterflies, scorpions, and regional mammals, bringing a broader ecological perspective that guests find both fascinating and memorable.
Tom Ford-Hutchinson
Lead Guide & Bird Identification Specialist
Tom has been birding for more than 30 years and is known for his field identification skills, deep knowledge of North American birds, and enthusiasm for helping others improve as birders. He currently holds the Orange County, California Big Year record, serves as an eBird reviewer, and has authored articles for the American Birding Association on challenging identification topics and notable records.
In addition to birding, Tom is an accomplished wildlife photographer and works professionally as a scientist in drug development. His birding travels have taken him throughout the world, and he ranks among the top eBird birders in the ABA Area and Southern California.
Bruce Aird
Guide & Field Co-Leader
With nearly 45 years of birding experience across Mexico, Canada, England, Scotland, Germany, Austria, and Hungary, in addition to the United States, Bruce brings an exceptional depth of field knowledge to every outing. He has also accumulated more than 15 years of experience leading field trips in California guiding for local Audubon chapters, the San Diego Birding Festival, and the Salton Sea International Bird Festival. His long history of community involvement reflects both his expertise and his commitment to helping others grow as birders.
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​Bruce serves as a Field Co‑Leader and Tour Host on select Birding Texas & Beyond tours. Because he specializes in providing additional field support, he is added to tours when group size, guest needs, or tour complexity benefit from a second guide or a tour host.