Bird Travel Archives - Distracted Birder

2023 Birding Summary (Late Post)

distractedbirder — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 02:53:43 +0000

Last year’s birding started with the most anticipated trip of my life, but a few work trips added little sprinkles of feathered friends to fluff out my life list. India In January, I traveled to Asia for the first time. I spent about 3 weeks in India on a tour with Rockjumper Birding. My priorities went something like this: tigers, gharial, Indian rhinoceros, birds. Luckily, we hit all the targets AND saw about 400 birds. It was a really great trip with a great group. But the tigers were, by far, the bird of the trip. I will die on this hill Hawaii In April, I was extraordinarily lucky to be able to go to Hawaii for work. And most of my time was spent in a small room discussing paperwork, which was very exciting. But I did spend a weekend exploring the big island, including a day tour of a permit-only National Wildlife Refuge and a day at Volcanoes National Park. Of course, the refuge tour was for birds. If you have a chance to see several native honeycreepers in Hawaii, you go see effing honeycreepers. There are rules. That’s one of the rules. Note: If you’re on the big island, you should see honeycreepers at the national wildlife refuge. It’s a relatively accessible tour and can be done in less than a day, with a guide who can’t be beat for local knowledge or ability. You should see them because these remaining species are up against what may very well be insurmountable odds; their very survival, at this point, deserves your appreciation. On top of that, they’re highly evolved for very specific behaviors and habitats. They’re just interesting AF – and if that’s not enough, they’re also beautiful. Puerto Rico Okay, I was back in Puerto Rico for a week in May, and mostly I saw aquatic species. But I did spot a few birds along the way! Including an endangered blackbird and our only remaining native parrot species. We’ll call that a win. Texas I didn’t concentrate on travel or birding much in the second half of the year. I have a crazy puppy. Let’s not discuss it. But south Texas was a great opportunity to easily add several new species to my life list, so my binoculars were at the ready. I was super lucky to be joined by a coworker who is an avid birder, and we went on a couple excursions together between meetings. Awesome new birds include the Green Jay, Baird’s sandpiper, and the golden fronted woodpecker. A few “easy” species eluded me, but I was really happy to see so many different birds and habitats during this short work trip. Results New bird species: 326 Total 2023 species: 484 Life list total: 2506 Heck yeah! My life list clicked over 2500 this year! When I saw how many species I still needed after India, I was convinced I wouldn’t make it without another birding adventure. I was lucky to have some neat, albeit short, trips later in the year, though. Not only did I end up documenting more than 2500 birds… but they were really diverse, interesting birds, too. So many endemics (on islands) and new Asian species! It was a good year. And also, there were TIGERS… And tigers were without a doubt, emphatically, undeniably the “bird of the tour”. And the bird of the week or the year or my life. Tigers always win. #teamsherekhan😊

The post 2023 Birding Summary (Late Post) appeared first on Distracted Birder.

Birding Tours: Finding the Best Guide for Your Travels

distractedbirder — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 17:50:58 +0000

I always use the same birding tour company when planning a big trip. Why? Because they’re great. And also because I’m lazy. This technique can work for you too! But maybe not. Who am I to tell you how to live your life? Now get out there and bird, folks. But first, find a good bird guide! Decisions, Decisions Okay, look. There are loads of companies out there providing wildlife-oriented tours, especially of the feathered persuasion. Birding companies aren’t remotely rare. So I’m just going to tell you who I’ve used before (and recommend), and a tiny bit about why (when I feel like it). And, full disclosure, no tour company is paying me for my assessment so my opinion is my own. Believe it or not, my 5-person readership simply is not going to impress any travel corporation. Global Companies Based in North America, you could go with VENT or Wings. Quite frankly, these aren’t in my budget. Also, I might have heard that some of their tours lean a little heavily on the luxury and less on the actual wildlife sightings. I’m not judging if you use them anyway. It’s just not a price I could pay. Also based in North America, there’s Pitta Tours, and Hillstar Nature Tours. And loads of others. Many Audubon chapters do domestic or international trips. And there is Field Guides, similar in scale and offerings to VENT and Wings but more like international counterparts in terms of price tag. I’ve never used a domestic company, even one that provides international options. Because I’ve never paid for a domestic birding trip. And, I’ve no idea if this remains true, but (ten years ago) the North American companies seemed to always come with a higher price tag. My birding tours started with Ecuador, and I went with the cheapest option at the time. You’ll find many, many options for birding tours – regionally based (like South America) or global. When I was in Ecuador, I found a tour based out of one private reserve. It was just more affordable than other competitors at the time. The Bird Guide/Company I Use Pretty soon, I found Rockjumper Birding Tours, which does a reasonably priced catalog of trips (especially in Africa, as they’re based in South Africa). And I’ll recommend them, because I think they provide good value for the product. Especially in Africa. But if you’re getting one of their great, well-traveled guides, then it’s a great value anywhere. Now, to be clear – there’s a caveat in that sentence. I’ve been on Rockjumper tours before when the guide was new to the country. And it didn’t make the trip a mistake, per se, but it definitely highlighted how amazing and prepared the local guide was! And since I can do what I want, I’ll share info for those guides/companies, too. Some “Local” Birding Options Weird observation: Most countries require a local guide! What’s that mean? If you can find a locally based company, you’ll probably cut out some extra costs. Will the guide be as good or speak your language as well? Hard to decipher with the overwhelming options online. I’ve not found it to be easy information to assess or access, honestly. But these are two that were used on my Rockjumper tours and were great, including having excellent bird guides on our tour. Uganda You couldn’t go wrong with Livingstone Safaris. The owner is just amazing as a birder, can put together gorilla and chimpanzee treks for you too, and is an all-around friendly, approachable guy. This man went to every local establishment in the Buhoma area to find ice, because I twisted my knee on my gorilla trek. Then he did it again to ensure I could treat my injury properly. Then he provided a separate, less taxing birding option for me while I was injured. And on our last day, he made sure our lunch was local fare so we’d have a Ugandan dining experience to end our tour. Everyone on our tour loved this guide! Truly, I can’t recommend him enough. Brazil Birding Pantanal is fantastic. Especially if you’re focusing on the Pantanal and Cerrado, this company is more than capable of providing an exceptional experience. Giuliano was a great, experienced guide and (like most of the local guides) handled all the logistics. The lodges got progressively more comfortable, the birds were great, and few critters are more impressive than the jaguar. That cat has swagger. Hawaii If you’re going to Hawai’i (The Big Island, specifically), and you don’t want to dedicate yourself to weeks of birding among the islands… you can at least see honeycreepers with Jack Jeffrey. He knows all the history of the refuge where native honeycreepers can be found, is super communicative, and has surprisingly good rates for day tours. Our one-day trip to Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge is definitely the best one-day birding tour I’ve experienced. Other Options… and Related Warnings There are also wildlife trip options from luxury companies to the big group travel companies like gadventures and Intrepid. Now, anyone could possibly provide a quality African safari or Galapagos adventure without being a died in the wool wildlife tour company… so I’m not saying you can’t use those companies. But seriously, if you’re a birder? Don’t use those companies. You will not focus on birds. They’ll probably point out hummingbird gardens and hornbills and cranes. Ya know, the flashy stuff. But you won’t be actively seeking them out. You won’t know when to look for specific birds you’ll never have a chance to see again. If you do go with those companies and really want to see a lot of birds, speak up and make your interests known to any guides! You won’t see as much as a birding tour, but you might mitigate your losses a little bit. If you want culture with a very specific wildlife thing (i.e., gorilla trek), then tours with these companies are likely just fine. I used Intrepid before for a cultural trip and had a great time! I’ve also met fellow travelers who also had great wildlife tours with Intrepid, although – again- tours were not specifically aimed at birding. Bird’s the Word If you want to really focus on seeing all the wildlife, especially if birding is the purpose of your trip… Bite the bullet, pay extra, and get a bird guide who is going to do everything in their power to make sure you SEE. the. DANG. GHARIAL. That’s what great guides do. At least the ones at Rockjumper. (And that’s why I keep using them for my tours!) Note: As I was reminded many times in India, gharial are not birds. But if you pick the right tour, you can get wildlife along with birds. If you pick the right guide, they’ll be accommodating when you’re obsessed with crocodiles. Happy birding!

The post Birding Tours: Finding the Best Guide for Your Travels appeared first on Distracted Birder.

Hey Tiger: Random Photographic Update

distractedbirder — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:24:12 +0000

I am about to break every SEO rule by basically saying nothing and using zero keywords. I know, I’m blowing minds over here. But I never update… though I should. And I took a birding trip to India that I really do want to post about. I know I really should. Yet it takes me about a billion months to curate photos, so that’s my excuse for why updates never happen. With that in mind, I’m posting this photo now. Because it’s my site, and I can post useless content. That’s how the internet works! I present to you: A WILD TIGER. This handsome adult was spotted with his mate at Ranthambhore National Park. He was a “non-tourist” tiger. He was beautiful. I am sharing this because this particular travel experience is something I have dreamt of for, literally, decades. I am very likely to share this again, because he brings me joy. More to come…

The post Hey Tiger: Random Photographic Update appeared first on Distracted Birder.