Read the blog article 'Getting to Know our Guides - Dominic Rollinson'
Senior Birding Guide and Administrative Assistant
Dom grew up in Zululand in northeastern South Africa, where his passion for birding began at a young age. Soon birding the savannas and forests of Zululand was not enough, and family trips were organized to obscure birding destinations throughout the southern African subregion, from the Cape to Malawi.
In 2012 Dom moved down to Cape Town, where he undertook a PhD under Peter Ryan and Ross Wanless, investigating seabird mortality from tuna longline fisheries off South Africa. He took the scenic route to obtain his PhD, which involved spending many months onboard longline fishing vessels while conducting research as well as scientific excursions to many subantarctic islands and Antarctica itself. The results of his PhD dissertation have shed more light on the foraging ecology of seabird species susceptible to longline bycatch and, most importantly, what precautionary measures can be taken by fisheries to reduce seabird bycatch. His time at sea allowed him to tick many of the subregion’s and Southern Ocean’s spectacular seabird species.
Dom recently co-authored the 5th edition of the best-selling Sasol Birds of Southern Africa field guide which is one of the subregion’s most comprehensive and detailed bird field guides. He is currently serving on the South African National Rarities Committee, along with his Birding Ecotours colleague Dylan Vasapolli.
Dom really enjoys the competitive side of birding and is a self-confessed lister. Big Birding Days up in Zululand are always the most anticipated days of the year for him, while driving hundreds of kilometers to see a rare bird does not seem at all crazy.
The last few years of guiding for Birding Ecotours have opened up many new exhilarating birding destinations (particularly African destinations) for Dom and he is looking forward to the many more exciting opportunities and adventures with Birding Ecotours.
