Diego Calderón Franco (es)

(Photo Marcos de La Oz @marcosguevara10)

Today his biology is much simpler and more romantic: focused on the natural history of birds, understanding Colombian geography through them, and knowing more about their behaviors, distribution ranges, and nesting, among others. In 2007 Diego founded COLOMBIA Birding, the oldest Creole birdwatching company in the country, with which he guides and offers trips to all corners of Colombia, in addition to guiding in other Latin American countries. In the field, Diego makes videos with a technique called digiscoping, with which he not only captures birds but orchids in situ, landscapes, and nature in general that he shares on @diegoCOLbirding.

Diego has explored hidden places such as the Serranía de Pirre in Darién, the lowlands of Putumayo, the Serranía de Perijá, and the Guyanese white-sand forests in Mitú where he has found several new records of birds for the country, and has had the privilege to participate in the description of a couple of new species of birds for science. Diego stars in THE BIRDERS, a beautiful documentary about birds, music, and culture in Colombia, as well as National Geographic’s BIRDWATCHING WITH FARC where he teaches us how birds connect people; Recently, Diego is part of THE BIRDERS SHOW on YouTube. Diego has been sharing his life experiences in his talk “Pajariando con FARC” which invites reconciliation and building a new Colombia.

We are The Birders Show, or simply “the show of the birders”, and we have been behind a novel Colombian initiative that aims to democratize bird watching, making this passion more accessible, fun and attractive for everyone. In an ever-changing world, the dynamics of birdwatching have been evolving rapidly, and we firmly believe that with the show we are helping to make a positive difference. For the first time in an official but relaxed chat, we’ll tell you exactly what The Birders Show is all about, sharing the stories behind our most notable achievements, the challenges we’ve faced, and some epic behind-the-scenes moments. We especially want to share with all attendees our vision of how we believe we can continue to help make birdwatching increasingly accessible to everyone. The Birders Show belongs to all of you!