BRUNO RENNÓ          bruno@agaminature.com

Bruno has been an active and obsessed birder since his childhood, a passion which led him to study Biology in university, with a focus on ornithology. Bruno’s main interests lie in natural history, taxonomy, biogeography and conservation, and bird vocalizations. Bruno cut his teeth as a partner in an environmental consulting firm and has been undertaking ornithological inventories since 1998. He has a keen ear for bird sounds and an intimate knowledge of the vocalizations of Brazilian birds, which has led him to make a number of significant discoveries into the distribution of Amazonian birds. He is a keen nature photographer and sound recordist, and has compiled an extensive collection of photos of Brazilian birds, including many rare, endemic, and threatened species. You can see many of Bruno’s photos on WikiAves.

Bruno’s love of birding and enthusiasm in the field is infectious, and he has what we call pé quente (a hot foot) in Brazil — an uncanny knack for connecting with rarities and target birds. He was a member of the team which represented Brazil in the first World Birding Rally in 2012.

Bruno lives with his wife and sons in the town of Itajubá in the Serra da Mantiqueira in southern Minas Gerais, right in between two of the finest birding areas in south-east Brazil, Campos do Jordão and Itatiaia National Park.

ALYSON MELO       

Alyson Melo has a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the State University of Londrina and studied the biogeography of neotropical birds during post-graduate studies at the University of Bonn in Germany. He is completing a master’s degree in Biodiversity and Conservation from the Federal University of Rural Pernambuco. Alyson has extensive experience in the fields of bird research, biodiversity conservation and ecotourism. He has coordinated ecotourism projects in the Amazon – the well-known Community Tourism Program at the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development; and in the Pantanal – projects at the Jaguar Research Center and Pantanal Wildlife Center in partnership with the NGO Tropical Nature.

Alyson has more than 20 years of experience as a birding and natural history guide, and is rightly known as one of the best guides in the Pantanal. Alyson was part of the team of guides and researchers that began tracking jaguars in the Encontro das Aguas State Park in 2006, work that led to the recognition of the Pantanal as the premier destination for jaguar watching in the world. Alyson has worked together with many of the best known nature tour operators in the world, including Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, Field Guides, Rockjumper Birding Tours, and International Expeditions. Alyson lives in Campo Grande.

FISHER MOTA DE SOUSA    

Fisher Sousa is one of the most experienced guides in the Brazilian Pantanal. He has been working with birdwatchers, nature photographers,
and ecotourists in the Pantanal since 1994, long before the region became so well-known as a must-visit, world-class destination for wildlife watching. Fisher was part of the team of guides and researchers that began tracking jaguars in the Encontro das Aguas State Park in 2006, work that led to the recognition of the Pantanal as the premier destination for jaguar watching in the world. Fisher is a certified guide registered with the Brazilian Ministry of Tourism, and he is the owner-operator of Wildlife Pantanal Tours, a tour company specializing in bespoke tours to the Pantanal and Cerrado biomes of central-west Brazil. Fisher has been guiding Agami guests in the Pantanal and elsewhere since 2017.

In the field Fisher is always great company – his endless patience, great sense of humor, and enthusiasm for (and intimate knowledge of) the natural history of the Pantanal are just a few of the qualities that make him a top-notch guide for birders, ecotourists, and wildlife photographers. Fisher lives in Cuiabá.