Our mission

Yellowbilled Tours birding field trips are designed and led by the skilled, inquisitive and attentive guide, Rich Cimino. YBT transports you to these unique sites in self driven comfortable vehicles in small groups, offering something for everyone at affordable prices. Our specialized birding experience offers you a plan for an enriching experience that’s dedicated to your comfort and tailored to your birding interests. The small group venue and specialized trips per your needs offer getting to know other birders establishing friendship for years to come.

Rich Cimino

Birding in Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite National Park
Birding in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park

Rich has years of birding experience in Northern California. I am inspired by the joy of birding and the fun it brings, while appreciating nature for the value it brings to our lives. I have a strong interest in citizen science, and eBird has opened new habits for my birding style and tour leadership. My interests include habitat conservation, photography, sustainable and organic gardening, and Ecotourism, which are all woven into my field trips. Conversation about these topics helps us craft a friendship.
With my years of professional experience in industry management within a business organization. Additionally, I have years of experience as a volunteer organizing Audubon birding tours throughout California. I decided to create a bird-touring company, Yellowbilled Tours. With years of experience leading field trips, I can guide you to many of North America’s critical birding areas year-round, tailored to your needs.  My trips cover California, as well as Nome and Barrow, Alaska, the Southwestern states of the United States, including the Mojave and Sonoran deserts, and the Intermountain West of Nevada. Fall Migration field trips take place in New Mexico and Arizona. Each spring, we lead birders to Wisconsin or New Mexico for spring warbler migration. In 2013, we began exploring Southern Europe for its birding hotspots. After 6 years of birding the Mediterranean coast of France, we are offering BIRDING IN FRANCE this year, 2023. Go to the YBT web page Birding California to view my 2024 life list totals for California, United States, and North America.

YBT field trips embrace local sustainable Eco-tourism, which is defined by the *The International Ecotourism Society (TIES)” as responsible travel into local communities and natural areas which conserve the environment and improve the welfare of the local people”.

I will guide you to the birds you are seeking.

Rich Cimino of Larkspur and other watch for birds during a birding walk with Marin Audubon at the Las Gallinas Ponds in San Rafael, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2024. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)

After 8 years as conservation leader for the Ohlone Audubon Society (thirty-five years a member), I decided to retire (Jan 1, 2014) from the volunteer position to devote more energy and focus on Yellowbilled Tours and the clients I serve. I have played an integral part in avian biological surveys as part of state and county land planning of wind turbine and solar farm management. In addition, I retired as the Christmas Bird Count compiler for Eastern Alameda County, and as a 12-year volunteer for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory in Marin County, a Friends of the Springtown Preserve a rare plant preserve in Livermore, Calif and the East Bay Regional Parks Golden Eagle Survey team 2013. I presently volunteer and board member of the Friends of Olompali a non-profit supporting Olompali historical Park, in Novato, Ca. leading monthly bird walks. I am a founder and current leader of the Vaux’s Swift annual fall survey team of Northern California.

Residing in Marin County and am active in leading bird trips throughout Northern California, including unique areas of Sonoma, Napa and Alameda County- Pine Flat Rd., Mines Road, Patterson Pass, Sunol Wilderness, San Francisco Bay shoreline and into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the remote eastern California Counties.

Jane Bodle Tuolumne Meadow Yosemite National Park

Janet Bodle has recently joined Yellowbilled Tours. After retiring from 35 years as a Family Physician in Corte Madera/Larkspur and is happy to be able to devote time to the logistics of YBT. Having a BA and MA in Zoology from U.C. Davis, she has had a life-long interest in nature. She has volunteered as a docent at the California Academy of Science, the Marin Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Program, and the Audubon Canyon Ranch Heron (ACR) and Egret Project. The ARC Heron Egret rooky has been a survey site for six years under Janet dedicatated leadership. In 2016, she completed the Master Birder program through the California Academy of Science and Golden Gate Audubon Society. Janet has been a board member and volunteers for The Olompali People a non-profit supporting California State Parks – Olompali Park.