Dan Gardoqui 
has been called a mimic thrush, a skilled mentor, and a pioneer in the field of bird language. His study and practice of the language of birds began in the late 1980’s when a family member gave him a Peterson Field Guide to the Birds, a pair of old binoculars, and told him he could go spot owls in the park near his suburban New Jersey home.
As luck would have it, Dan then stumbled into Jon Young, who was teaching at his high school at the time. Repeated failure during a quest to get close enough to a deer to touch it unnoticed, Jon told him to listen to the Blue Jays to find the deer. In short time, the mobbing calls of crows and “sneak” calls of jays helped him succeed in these dual missions.
Dan is the founder of Lead with Nature – where he offers nature-based solutions to individuals, businesses and nonprofits via consulting, coaching, talks, guided walks and guided nature travels. Dan is also a co-founder of White Pine Programs a succesful, nature-connection nonprofit in New England. He has contrivbuted to multuple field guides, wildlife projects and is the science and audio editor for What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World. Dan is a registered Maine Guide, Wilderness First Responder, Certified Wildlife Tracker, forager and hunter. To get a sense of Dan’s take on bird language, watch the award-winning short video “The Birder.”