Cat is a nature guide in the Inala guiding team.
Before Inala, Cat worked in Lamington National Park in lush subtropical Queensland as a bird guide and prior to that as a war & wildlife tour guide in the remote and windswept Falkland Islands. Cat has travelled widely and has a passionate and diverse background in nature guiding. She also has a strong grounding and love for Botany, being used as unpaid labour in her parents Garden Nursery in Scotland from a very young age.
Initially coming down to speak at the Bruny Island Bird Festival 7 years ago, Cat was immediately smitten by the island and moved here with her partner to continue to soak up the magic.
Cat has been the coordinator for the last two Bruny Island Bird Festivals in which Inala is one of the the three partners.
"A guide on a nature conservation trip can make or break the experience. I can not say enough about how wonderful Cat was and how she made our experience so amazing. She is so knowledgable about each individual species but also how they fit into their ecological niches. She is so patient- I don't know how many times I asked her what a particular bird call was and she never seemed impatient or peeved. We all felt that we could ask her about anything and either get a wonderful answer or if she didn't know the answer said she would look it up. Sharing meals with us was very special as well - it gave us time to review what we had seen that day and prepare for the next adventure. She allowed us to make changes to the schedule and go at our own pace. Truly she make our experience one I will always treasure."
"Bird tour at Inala Bruny island What an amazing experience the highlight of our holiday in tasmania
We stayed at Inala in a wooden chalet in the reserve snd booked a tour with cat Davidson one of the birding guides at Inala I learnt so much and saw so much truly fantastic I felt the birds came first with the way the reserve is run and the way the tour was conducted, as a birder this was important to me. We saw more at Inala in 3 days than the rest of the holiday put together and we were in Tasmania for 3 weeks. I could highly recommend the tour and stay to everyone who is interested in birds both beginners and experienced they would get so much out of it. Ethical birding at its best I am so glad I eventually got to Inala and that I booked a tour"
" My husband and I enjoyed a great morning exploring the Inala property with the brilliant nature guide Cat. As ecologists we were eager to tick off as many Tasmanian endemic birds as possible and learn about Bruny’s natural assets. Cat’s knowledge extended well beyond the birds leaving us with a wealth of knowledge and an eagerness to return to enjoy this stunning part of the world. Cat helped us tick off a bunch of endemic birds including the much sought after forty-spotted pardalote."
"We had an amazing day out with Cat, one of the best bird guides we have ever had the pleasure of being with. She has vast knowledge and is excellent at spotting birds. But more than this. She is excited and genuinely loves the birds and animals of Bruny Island and Australia. She fills you with enthusiasm and you come away feeling that you really have seen a bit of the true Tasmania. The whole company has the ethos of protecting and caring for the animals. Wish we could have stayed longer! Couldn't recommend it enough."
"Cat is a simply marvellous guide: extremely knowledgable without being overbearing and highly personable. She is certainly a great credit to your organisation. We saw nearly all of the Tasmanian endemic birds, quolls, penguins to name just a few of the highlights. It was a very special experience, the memories of which will stay with us both for a long time. I can't thank Cat enough for such a great experience."
"The rest of our adventures in Tasmania and around Melbourne were all measured against our outing with you...it set the bar and we really appreciate that you agreed to take us out on such short notice! Our tally, under any circumstances, was amazing, and after all the information we gained from you, we were far more successful exploring everything on our own."
"Cat, the tour guide, set a lovely pace as we wandered the property and discussed not only the wildlife but the history of the property. Her conversation displayed a deep knowledge and passion for the environment in general and the property in particilar. Overall a great time was had, 10/10 would recommend."
