wildlife tours Archives - 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!

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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…

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Jaguar Safari in the Pantanal: The Best of Brazil

distractedbirder — Sat, 03 Jul 2021 14:47:14 +0000

I decided to take a trip to Brazil based almost entirely on the appeal of the Pantanal. I’m not sure how well-known this site is to the general public, but it is a tremendously popular ecotourism destination. There’s plenty of cool critters and beautiful birds to see in Brazil, but the most people come to the lowlands for one specific target – one of those charismatic big cats everyone loves to see. It’s almost certain that a visit to the Pantanal will include a search for the Jaguar. That Darned Cat I had never seen a big cat before my trip to Brazil. At that point, my only trip to Africa was to Ethiopia – not a “Big 5” destination. And of course I’d love to see every Panthera this world has to offer. I’m just a bit slow to get started. At the time, videos of male jaguars preying upon black caiman had experienced quite a moment of internet popularity. This is unlikely to be a tourist’s view of the cat, of course. This big cat with beautifully patterned fur is near threatened, having lost about 40% of its historic range. Besides, visitors have to have realistic expectations! Any glimpse of this secretive predator would be exciting. Populations are most stable in equatorial South America, especially the Amazonian rain forests of Peru. Despite larger populations in the Amazon, the Pantanal in Brazil has the reputation for providing the best opportunity for observing a jaguar in the wild. I booked an available tour. The itinerary included 10 days in the Pantanal and Cerrado (plus an extension into the Amazon basin). Granted, this was a birding tour. But we’re talking a birding/wildlife tour now. On trips like this, the birders tend to be less driven to get the highest bird numbers and have a broader interest in wildlife. The Wetlands The Pantanal begins just south of Cuiabá, a city in the western Brazilian state of Mato Grasso. It’s the largest tropical wetland in the world. It covers most of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but extends into much of Mato Grasso and crosses borders into Bolivia and Paraguay. The Pantanal is protected by the Ramsar Convention and a portion is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pantanal is a depression, a large delta of converging rivers. It is seasonally flooded and supports a diverse ecosystem of vegetation and dense wildlife populations. But it’s also a threatened system – particularly from cattle ranching and logging. Cattle ranching is the dominant land use across the entire wetland. (And, as a special added concern, sometimes predators aren’t welcome in landscapes where they might prey on livestock.) Destination: Porto Jofre From Cuiabá, we head south on the Transpantaneira, the two-lane dirt highway connecting Poconé to Porto Jofre. Porto Jofre is, quite literally, the end of the road. It’s actually north-central in terms of the Pantanal, but this is a northern access point from Mato Grasso. This is a long day of travel. In fact, Porto Jofre was our second destination. We had already driven for hours after leaving Cuiabá to arrive at our first lodge near the Rio Claro. This was the second stretch, but it was still a lengthy drive on a dirt road. It did include a nice lunch stop and great birding, though. In central and South America, the bird feeders frequently include fruits. This stop was no exception, and we were delighted to see hungry araçari eating lunch. After hours of driving (with birding stops), we arrived at Porto Jofre in the early evening. This was our most anticipated destination of the entire tour. There wasn’t much opportunity for birding on the grounds this night. But we were excited for the following day, which would begin the search for wildlife along the river. Jaguar Safari The next morning, we boarded the boat from our dock on the Rio São Lourenço to search for our prime target. This is not the serene excursion you might be picturing – imagine, instead, numerous motorboats heading out on the river throughout the day. Each is searching for the same elusive cat. A sighting leads to frantic calls over the radio, and all boats descend upon the same location. The moments are filled with anticipation of seeing the cat and dread that our arrival will be too late… One… Finally, the call came for a location somewhat close to us – our driver raced over in time to see a beautiful adult Jaguar striding along the river’s edge. She was the first big cat I had ever seen, and she was perfect. I couldn’t stop shaking; the sight of her filled me with a rush of relief and happiness that was surprising to me. She soon started walking, stalking along the banks of the river and moving in and out of sight behind the vegetation. We were told she had cubs and was hunting for them, although we did not spot them at the time. All the spectators watched her walk the bank for hundreds of meters, slowly boating along to keep her pace. Eventually, she stalked away, tracking inlets where boats could not float. Two… Once she had disappeared, we ventured away down the river to observe more wildlife. But, as luck would have it, she re-appeared not long after. This time, she was simply sitting at rest on a small sandy point. After a few moments, the cat began walking again. Unfortunately, she didn’t venture very far down the bank before she disappeared from view. Three! The day’s river tour was eventful with a number of great wildlife observations, in addition to our two jaguar sightings. It was about time to end the day when another call came over the radio. We weren’t far from the reported location, so our captain sped down the river to try to see jaguar a third time. As we approached the location, we saw a neat row of boats – waiting. They motioned for us to stop, and so we sat motionless, staring across a channel of water. Soon, between us and those aligned boats, the head of a jaguar appears. The cat was swimming across the river! The mother had already crossed – this was the second cub. We only really saw its head as it swiftly paddled through the water. But it was remarkable – to see how easily and quickly those cats can swim! Cost/Benefit: Are Jaguar Tours Good? Heck, I can’t be certain about this. It probably requires some research, and even then the decision to seek out this type of activity would come down to personal interest/comfort. Honest assessment, there’s probably potential for tourism to wreak havoc here, same as anywhere. If people want to see the cats, they might need more places to stay, might need more boats on the water. At some times, maybe there already are a large number operating in a finite linear space. But whether you see cats crossing the water or prowling on the water’s edge, you can only get as close as your captain allows. The cat will always have more options for movement than the tourists, even if there’s an annoying number of boats out on the water. And lodges do not seem to dominate the landscape. There are a few options in Porto Jofre, but the development is still at low densities and minimal. On the other hand, the allure of the jaguar does provide clear economic value to an ecologically sensitive area, which doesn’t hurt when there are economic powerhouses vying for the same landscape. And the tourists are coming to see the cats, giving a remarkable incentive to support conserving the habitats and land use that would keep them around. Bottom line: Like in all ecotourism activities, it’s good to be thoughtful about choosing a conscientious tour operator. But given the lower potential for tourists to directly impact the cats, it does seem sensible to give the wetlands (and their threatened wildlife) a distinct, measurable economic value. This is in addition to any intrinsic value of the ecosystem. Unfortunately, that type of value is not universally respected. The Wildlife Parade As lovely as seeing the jaguar was, it was only the highlight of a tremendous day on the river. We saw herons trying, unsuccessfully, to devour an utterly enormous catfish. Elegant swallow-tailed kites swooped around us, catching insects in mid-flight. Osprey perched above us, enjoying its recent catch. And, one of the most common sights was families of capybara, watching us from the bank. This Otter Be Good… If any critter were to secure a Number 2 spot on our “Best Wildlife of the Day” list, it would have to be the Giant Otter. Note: We did not actually make a “best wildlife of the day” list. The best on this day was pretty clear to everyone with a pulse. Also, no more lists are allowed. We probably spend more than an hour reviewing the bird checklist each night… (yep, that is actually a thing we do!) We watched a family of Giant Otters as they swam together, eating a meal of fish. As we watched, they climbed out of the river to return to their bank den. As some continued swimming nearby, one otter dug sand from the den entrance. Then, others stalked around the nearby bank, blatantly marking their territory. It was a tremendous production of natural history theatre. Porto Jofre – Day Two Our itinerary included two days of in the Porto Jofre area. Since we’d seen the jaguar on our first day on the river, most folks opted for bird walks on our second day. We saw a good number of birds, including some lovely Toco Toucans, grey ibis, and wetlands full of lily pads and wading birds. But the most engaging species was not hard to spot on the grounds of our lodge – the Hyacinth Macaw. There was even a statue of a macaw on the grounds, although I assumed at first that the statue was just honoring a beautiful local bird. We didn’t see any on our first day at the lodge. But, as it turns out, the statue was an omen of many sightings to come. Once macaws were spotted in the trees outside our rooms, they seemed to be in every tree. And, in typical macaw fashion, they seemed to be laughing at us from their high perches. These are simply spectacular parrots, large and brilliantly colored. I am a sucker for a blue bird; I just can’t help myself. Beyond the grounds and the wetlands, we continued to explore small trails just off the entrance road. Short walks led to a number of new songbirds in the understory of small forest tracts and shrubby edges. We did take some short drives to increase our trail access, but there was plenty habitat to explore and keep us birding through the day. For Your Consideration When to Go Although I’ve heard Porto Jofre can actually be a fairly busy place, we were lucky that there were probably less than ten boats on our section of the river this day. I’m sure timing is important here for both the crowds and the possibilities of seeing jaguar in the Pantanal, so it’s worth consideration – especially if large numbers would lessen your enjoyment of the experience. In the wet season, typically October-April, many of the grasslands are flooded. This is also during the southern hemisphere’s spring and summer, so these months are generally warmer and rainier. During this time, you’d have less hiking opportunities and wildlife might be more dispersed. In drier periods, water bodies might be more limiting as the precipitation wanes. The fauna tends to be concentrated and easier to spot/access. My tour took place in mid-August, which is dry season and winter in the southern hemisphere. So if you want drier weather, good temperatures, and better wildlife viewing… you’ll probably shoot for...

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