Erich Boenzli

Guide & Content Editor

Erich Boenzli is a Swiss-born lifelong birder. He is a former LearJet captain for 20+ years, has interned at the Swiss Ornithological Institute, is currently the Bucks County co-coordinator for the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas, tour guide/host for Hillstar Nature, and curator/editor of Life List: A Birding Podcast newsletter.

He grew up in Switzerland and says that his father introduced him to birding, mushrooming, and everything nature around the time he started walking. Throughout his life, he has always found time to participate in bird banding projects, monitoring breeding sites, surveys, and migratory counts.

When asked to describe himself, Erich says, “When I was not in school, I was somewhere in the forest, climbing trees, checking out bird nests, or stalking foxes to take pictures. At 21 years old, after serving in the Swiss Army, I backpacked solo around the world for a full year. That’s when my curiosity gene really exploded. The food, the smells, the sites, the people, the culture, the wildlife... I wanted to learn everything about it.” Due in part to his extensive international travel, Erich is fluent in English, German, and French.