Armed with garage sale-bought binoculars and a field guide 20 years out of print, Ilya developed a keen interest in birds during his early teens. Without ever looking back, his world has since revolved around birds for over 15 years. Fascinated by migration and hopelessly addicted to large congregations of birds, Ilya developed a particular interest in shorebirds. Ilya has birded extensively across Canada and the United States, with occasional forays to the neotropics and elsewhere. But to him, there is no better birding day than one spent watching and listening to thousands of shorebirds frantically chatter and feed on the mudflats of the Fraser River Estuary near his hometown of Vancouver, BC.
Ilya primarily guides day-trips around Vancouver for individuals and small groups, but has also guided during large conventions such as the American Birding Association and Western Bird Banding Association as well as several pelagic trips off the west coast of Vancouver Island. In addition to moonlighting as a birding guide, Ilya is a Registered Professional Biologist and works full-time for an environmental consulting company, specializing in avian inventories.