Our Mission
The purpose of Wildside Nature Tours is to enhance the public's interest, understanding and appreciation of the natural wonders of our planet Earth.
We contribute to local economies, conservation efforts and environmental education. Through ethical and sustainable practices, we strive to be a role model for our clients and the tourism industry.
Leaders
Kevin Loughlin - President / Senior Leader / Photo InstructorKevin was raised to appreciate nature. Many weekends were spent with his mother exploring the Mill Grove Audubon Sanctuary—the first home in America of John James Audubon. At age six, during a family trip through the American West, Kevin became fascinated with photography as well seeing the new and different birds throughout North America. While in college, Kevin began leading student trips throughout North America.
With this love for travel, Kevin was always looking for new, exciting places to visit. During a life-changing vacation to Belize in 1993, he felt a need to share his experiences with others, he came home and founded Wildside Tours. Kevin also teaches photography and birding workshops and offers presentations for schools and clubs. Kevin’s photographs and articles have appeared in publications such as WildBird, Audubon and Philadelphia Magazines, and the National Geographic/WWF educational web site. Kevin has a knack for tailoring each trip to the group’s desires to be sure everyone has a fun and memorable experience!
Adrian Binns - Senior LeaderAdrian, a naturalist and amateur field ornithologist, grew up in Morocco and England where his birding experiences paved the way for a career in the birding community. A former tennis professional, Adrian has a background as an ecological landscape designer, where he combined his lifetime interest in wildlife with his landscape knowledge and experience, to focus on attracting wildlife through native plant communities, in particular wetlands and water gardens.
As a tour guide, Adrian has led eco-tours for a variety of organizations and tour companies to 5 continents since the early 1990’s and joined Wildside Nature Tours in 2007. As an educator he has written articles and lectured on "Landscaping for Wildlife" as well as being a regular contributor to Pond Magazines. Adrian has co-authored Big City Birding: Philadelphia in the May 2001 issue of Wild Bird magazine and produced an educational program on "Eastern Owls" for the Audubon Society. A regular at Birding Festivals, Adrian has had the pleasure of serving as a keynote speaker as well as leading field trips and putting on workshops.
Adrian is a past President of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC), one of the oldest bird clubs in the country. He was a part of the Nikon/DVOC World Series of Birding team (1997-2006) coming in 1st five times including recording 231 species in 24hrs in New Jersey in 2003. He is currently a member of the Nikon Birding Pro-staff and very fond of his EDG bins and 50mm field scope, the latest innovation in high-quality ultra light optics.
An accomplished avian illustrator and photographer, his images regularly appear in all the major birding magazines and media formats. In a 2006 issue, Wild Bird magazine named Adrian one the ‘upcoming leaders to watch’! If you have nothing better to do than flip through TV channels, you can find him on the local Philadelphia non-profit station, MIND TV, hosting a handful of short birding programs.
Glenn Crawford - Senior LeaderGlenn is a naturalist of outstanding abilities. His mastery of bird identification is excelled only by the acuity of his vision and hearing. Curious about birds as a child—he was raised in the remote village of Crooked Tree in northern Belize—Glenn began his “official” birding career as a young teenager. He was so excited about birds, he would spend days at a time in the bush studying their field marks, habits and vocalizations long before he ever owned, or knew about field guides or binoculars.
Glenn enjoyed sharing his birding experiences and when tourists began coming to his village Glenn was there to show them his birds. One tourist, so impressed with Glenn’s skills, gave him his first field guide and binoculars! Glenn became an official Belizean licensed guide in 1986, and has since continued his nature studies throughout Central America. He is a born teacher, able to converse equally in English or Spanish. Now with Wildside for over 10 years, you can enjoy Glenn’s ever present smile and energetic leadership on our Central American birding tours!
Robert Straub came to Veracruz, Mexico to witness the famed Veracruz River of Raptors migration in October, 1997, for a 3 month stay, and has been there ever since. Currently Robert lives in Xalapa, Veracruz and is the owner of an optics and birding store, called Aveoptica, perhaps the only of its kind in the country. Previously he worked for Pronatura Veracruz, starting in 1997 as a guide on birding tours, and including 4 years as the coordinator of their Tourism for Conservation program. Robert is the author of the Site Guide to the Birds of Veracruz, published by Pronatura Veracruz; a comprehensive guide to the best birding sites in the state. Robert studied biology at the University of Delaware, and worked for many years with birds as a field researcher in western United States. Robert has been the field trip coordinator for the local birding club of Xalapa (COAX) and is a founding member since its start in 2003.
Paula Mandracchia - LeaderPaula has been a student of nature her whole life, exploring the trails and creeks of eastern Pennsylvania year round as she grew up. After graduating from Eastern University with a degree in biology, she earned her teaching certificate and began her career teaching Life Science at Radnor Middle School in Wayne, PA. Later she co-taught the Watershed Program, a seventh grade academic program centering on the local environment. Other interesting positions she has held include teaching middle school students at a Navajo boarding school in Arizona and representing Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy as an environmental educator both in the field and in the classroom.
Paula is currently teaching the SEASONS Program at the Souderton Charter School Collaborative, providing middle school students the opportunity to experience the cycles of the natural world. Her love of nature and photography shines through a contagious exuberance in the field that is fun and refreshing. Join Paula on a trip to gain a new perspective on the world! Paula has been a co-leader to the following destinations: Alaska, Galapagos, Puerto Rico.
Lena Samsonenko - LeaderLena, born in Russia, came to the USA at age five where she grew up exploring the woods and meadows of New England. A graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Natural Resources, she is a recipient of the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and a finalist for both the Marshall and Rhodes Scholarships. She is currently attending the University of Connecticut working toward her Masters Degree in Anthropology, with a final educational goal of a PhD in Ethno-biology.
Lena is passionate about every aspect of natural history, including ethnobiology, mycology, wilderness survival skills, and, of course, birding. Her field journals and artwork have won awards from the American Birding Association (ABA), allowing her art to be published nationally.
A lover of languages, Lena is fluent in Russian and Spanish. She is a keen observer, enthusiastic for every moment in the field, whether studying the native plants or sketching a Chestnut-sided Warbler as it prepares to roost. A natural teacher, she enjoys sharing her knowledge of our natural world. Lena has interned or co-led to these destinations: Alaska, Belize, Panama.
Maya Wade - Leader / Youth & Family Program CoordinatorMaya was born into a family of teachers and amateur naturalists. Many youthful summers were spent at Ridley Creek State Park in search of frogs and toads, and many mornings spent birding at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Each fall her family would venture to Hawk Mountain for the annual migration.
After graduating from Drexel University with a degree in Education, Maya traveled to the Redwood Forests of California to teach environmental studies at a residential outdoor school. It was here that, while sitting alone on a redwood stump the size of a car, she saw her first Saw-Whet Owl and her life has never been the same. Birds of Prey, especially owls, became her passion.
After a summer on tiny St Simons Island off the coast of Georgia, where she taught kids about sea turtles, alligators and fiddler crabs by day, and listened for the call of the Chuck-will’s-widows by night, Maya returned to the Philadelphia area. She taught environmental science and led kayaking adventure programs for students from pre-K to adult at the Great Valley Nature Center in Phoenixville, PA. Her favorite program, of course, was with Birds of Prey.
Now teaching science at the middle school level, she now has more time for co-leading trips with Wildside! Maya has an incredible enthusiasm for all creatures great and small and loves teaching and learning about nature with kids of all ages! Maya co-leads our Galapagos Islands Family Adventure.