About

Led by a father-son team with decades of field experience, a love for teaching, and the belief that the more curious birders out there, the better.

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Our Story

FlyAway Birding was hatched in 2024, but the roots run much deeper.

Chip Darmstadt has been leading international birding trips since the 1990s, introducing generations of birders to neotropical wonders like antpittas, motmots, and manakins. For over 25 years, he served as the Executive Director of North Branch Nature Center in Vermont, where his passion for bird education and conservation left a lasting legacy.

Meanwhile, “Seabird” Sam Darmstadt was hopping remote islands in the North Pacific as a field researcher and falling in love with the science of marine ecosystems and the art of photography. A lifelong naturalist and NBNC alum, Sam gained experience guiding both in the U.S. and abroad, often alongside Chip.

Their first official trip together as FlyAway Birding took off in 2024 with a winter adventure to Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog.

It confirmed what they already knew: they work well together.

Now, FlyAway Birding offers unforgettable guided birding and nature travel around the world, blending ecological knowledge, field expertise, and a healthy dose of humor.

Two men standing on a beach with arms raised in victory, holding a camera tripod above their heads, and smiling. They are dressed in outdoor gear with binoculars, and the overcast sky is in the background.

Meet Your Guides

A smiling man in a blue puffer jacket and pink cap, wearing binoculars around his neck, standing outdoors near rocky cliffs and water.
A bird with a black head, white cheeks, and brownish-gray body perched on a branch in a forest.

Chip Darmstadt

Favorite bird: Jocotoco Antpitta

Chip first realized he was a birder during college geology camp in Wyoming, when a Calliope Hummingbird proved more interesting than rock formations. He went on to work in Costa Rica and Venezuela, chase Capuchinbirds in the Guyanan Shield, and direct the North Branch Nature Center for over two decades. He now serves as North Branch Nature Center’s first-ever “Birding Ambassador” (best job title ever), focusing on travel, education, and coffee-fueled species counts.

Chip has led trips to destinations across the Americas since 1996 and has mentored young birders through the World Series of Birding and local banding stations. He's an equal parts naturalist, teacher, and delightful travel companion.

Chip's eBird Profile
A man in outdoor gear, including a blue jacket and an orange cap, smiling while standing at the steering wheel of a boat.
A bird flying over rocks near a body of water, with mossy green background.

“Seabird” Sam Darmstadt

Favorite bird: Sabine's Gull

Raised in Vermont, Sam’s love for birding took off early - thanks to summer camps, owl banding sessions, and wintertime starling murmurations. After graduating from Brandeis, Sam worked as an avian field tech in some of North America’s wildest regions: the Alaskan interior, California’s High Sierras, and multiple North Pacific islands.

Sam has helped lead trips both domestically and abroad and is especially passionate about seabirds and shorebirds. One of his formative moments? Watching Sabine’s Gulls and Black-footed Albatrosses swirl above a sea lion carcass after an Orca attack. His favorite birding destination is “anywhere near the poles.”

Sam's eBird Profile

What We Believe

The Mission

To invite curious nature enthusiasts to explore and connect with the earth’s dazzling biodiversity by offering professionally guided birding and nature trips from your own backyard to across the globe.

The Vision

We aim to grow the global birding community, welcoming new birders into the world of birding travel, while offering seasoned pros the chance to connect with rare species, brilliant ecosystems, and one another.

We believe ecotourism can and should benefit the landscapes, habitats, and local communities we explore. We need birds in our lives and they need us to keep showing up for conservation.

The Values

We don’t just plan great birding trips. We plan them with purpose.

We prioritize local knowledge, thoughtful travel, and creating space for genuine connection - with the birds, the land, and each other. Here's what guides us:

  • Fun: Birding should be joyful, rewarding, and full of memorable moments.

  • Mindfulness: We travel with care - respecting wildlife, local communities, and one another.

  • Immersion: Our trips are designed for deep connection with nature, not just checklist ticking.

  • Flexibility: Nature is unpredictable. We plan thoroughly, but stay open to the unexpected.

  • Inclusivity: Birding is for everyone. We create welcoming, supportive spaces for all.

  • Community: We foster connection - between guests, guides, and the places we visit.

  • Comfort & Affordability: Nature travel should be both accessible and enjoyable.

  • Local Partnerships: We support lodges and guides that uplift local economies and ecosystems.

A toucan with a multicolored beak perched on a tree branch against a background of green foliage.

Join the Journey

Want trip announcements, birding tips, and behind-the-scenes moments from the field?

Stay connected - wherever the birds take us.