Every avid birder wants to fulfill the dream of going on a birding excursion, so they check out birding tours. They relish the prospect of interacting with other bird lovers from all over the world.
However, keep in mind that there are many types of tours, depending on your destination. And there are many experienced companies that arrange these trips to numerous locations.
In fact, some of these touring businesses specialize in specific regions of the world and cater to birders of all levels, from beginners to experts.
There are bird watching tours going to just about every corner of the world. You can find these birding trips to destinations all over the U.S., Israel, South America, Alaska, Hawaii, New Zealand, Trinidad & Tobago, and Madeira to list just a few.
You name a place and more than likely there’s a gathering of bird watchers going there. Tours for bird enthusiasts are arranged even for remote places like Morocco, Coastal Kenya, Botswana, Madagascar, Mozambique, Falkland Islands and many, many more.
There are agencies that offer photo combination bird and nature tours where you visit birds and animals in their natural habitats. One such company, Exotic Birding, states that their photo tours “differ from traditional nature photo workshops in that there is no classroom instruction or formal critique of participant photographs. Instead, we concentrate our efforts on making environmental portraits, that is, portraits of birds and animals in their natural environments.”
Other combination tours that incorporate bird watching include cruises, the rainforest, safari/wildlife, glacier tours in the Antarctica, island vacations and eco-tours.
Then there are those organizations that offer birding tours only. Each of these tours is usually led by an experienced bird guide who typically resides in the area. Of course, you can also arrange to have a customized tour with companies that specialize in such itineraries. Just make sure you book your travel with a reputable company because these tours can be expensive.
There are tours for birders that take place throughout the year. So you can book a tour to watch birds any time of year. Because in some place, in some region of the world bird lovers are gathering in pursuit of their beloved pastime. Birding tours are oblivious to the seasons.
Peru is Great for Bird Watching
Bird Watching in Peru
Birders from all over the world converge for birding in Peru. Arguably the world’s best destination for bird watching, Peru claims around 1,800 species of birds and boasts quite a list of sought after birds.
Can you imagine being on a bird watching trip in this birders’ paradise? The mind-boggling assortment of birds is like an aphrodisiac for bird lovers. Just picture yourself seeing thousands of different types of birds. Visualize your joy when you catch sight of the endangered White-bellied Cinclodes. That would be an event any birding expert would never forget. That’s what birding in Peru is like.
Or how about seeing even one of the 42 new species of birds that have been discovered in Peru over the past years? It is, possible, you know. In the Allpahuayo-Mishana reserve they discovered three new species. According to PromPeru, some of these birds migrated to Peru after becoming extinct elsewhere.
It’s impossible to list the many diverse birding hotspots in Peru. Some of these areas are quite difficult to reach and takes days of travel. They include Chiclayo-Cajamarca Circuit, Macapomarcocha, Tampopata, Huascaran National Park.
Two prominent gathering places for bird watching in Peru are Manu Biosphere Reserve and Paracas National Reserve. Home of Peru’s national bird, the spectacular orange plumaged Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Manu houses about 1,000 species of birds—more than one-tenth of all the birds on Earth.
If you delight in seeing mysterious and rare birds, you’ll hold your breath in wonder when you get a glimpse of the Rock Parakeets, the beautiful Bearded Mountaineer Hummingbird, Sand-colored Nighthawks. Top off your trip to Manu with a visit to macaw lick where you’ll see hundreds of brightly colored macaws and parrots. Visiting Manu is a bird lover’s ultimate birding experience and it’s quite a spectacle, to boot.
More than two hundred species of birds make the Paracas National Reserve their home including the Andean Condor, the world’s largest flying bird and the beautiful Chilean Flamingo.
PromPeru claims the second highest number of bird species in the world; world record for the number of bird species seen in a single day; more than 400 of Peru’s birds have more than one subspecies; more macaw clay licks than any other country and so much, much more…
Indeed, it’s every bird lover’s ecstasy. Bird aficionados would delight in birding Peru.
Costa Rica Birding
Birding in Costa Rica
Ask any passionate bird lover to make a wish list of locations they’d love to go bird watching and there’s no doubt that birding Costa Rica would be right there in the top places.
That’s simply because the country is rich with birds, having more than 800 species, which represents about one-tenth of the total numbers in the world. That’s certainly more than the entire North America.
Of these 800 plus species, more than 50% reside in the country. The remainder represents migrants, especially water birds and shorebirds, that breed in North America.
You can see the very attractive tropical species of birds such as parrots, trogons and toucans on just about any day in Costa Rica.
In fact, many serious bird watchers travel to Costa Rica just to see the brilliant Resplendent Quetzal. Reputed to be the most beautiful bird in the American continents, this splendid bird is from the Trogan specie and is protected in four of Costa Rica’s national parks. A look at this beauty with its iridescent body will take your breath away. (Incidentally, it’s the national bird of Guatemala).
Others birds you’ll see are Boat-billed Herons, parakeets, pelicans, macaws (although of the 15 species, only two species make Costa Rica their home) and a variety of hummingbirds. If you’re an admirer of hummingbirds you’ll revel in the number of sightings when you bird watch in Costa Rica.
The spectacular Fiery-throated Hummingbird (only found in Costa Rica and Panama) is one of the delightful species of hummingbirds that capture birders attention. You may even be lucky enough to see the gorgeous Purple-throated Mountain-gem. Just the names of these birds create images of beauty and splendor.
The primary birding regions in Costa Rica are the Southern Pacific lowlands (where many South American species such as the parrots reside), the northern Pacific lowlands, the interior highlands and the Caribbean lowlands.
Naturally, there are tour companies that offer guided tours for birders. Some even specialize in bird watching programs. Just prepare to have your breath taken away when you go birding Costa Rica.