The Amazon basin has perhaps the greatest diversity of life forms on Earth, and the opportunity to stay for a week at a place like Sacha Lodge in Ecuador’s Amazonian rainforest really brings us face-to-face with that diversity.  On our last morning there on my recent summer tour, for instance, we canoed out across the cocha, then walked the boardwalk to the finca, just as we’d done a bunch of times already.  And yet we still added more than half-a-dozen new species to our birdlist!  I even got a lifer (Black-banded Crake!), despite having walked that boardwalk 50-plus times on my numerous past visits.

We had great views of the beautiful and distinctive Rufous-bellied Euphonia at point blank range from the wooden tower. (Photo by guide Dan Lane)

Birding from the canopy tower. (Photo by guide Jan Pierson)

On the metal observation towers—of which there are three connected by a walkway—there was a steady stream our first morning of great canopy birds including, among the 50 or so species we saw, Black-headed Parrot, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Golden-collared Toucanet, Lettered Aracari, Plum-throated and Spangled cotingas, and Flame-crested, Turquoise, Masked, and Opal-crowned tanagers.  On our second visit a big canopy flock passed by at eye level, getting us up close and personal views of a great mix of birds: Purplish Jacamar, Red-stained Woodpecker, Chestnut-winged Hookbill, Moustached Antwren, Elegant Woodcreeper, Pink-throated and Black-capped becards, and Green-and-gold Tanagers among them.  Species that are difficult to see from the forest floor like Yellow-browed Tody-Flycatcher, Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin, and Pygmy Antwren showed up just a few feet away from us in the canopy, and stunners like Ringed Woodpecker, White-browed Purpletuft, and Paradise Tanagers made our climb to the top more than worthwhile!

Of the many other sightings we enjoyed during our week-long stay, I will also just mention our wonderful views of Chestnut-headed Crake, a shy and skulking species that is rarely seen so well.  That was just one of a trio of incredible crake encounters, as we also had amazing views of both Gray-breasted Crake and the Black-banded mentioned above—for a rare hat trick of difficult crakes!

We saw hundreds of these Cobalt-winged Parakeets at Sacha's interior parrot lick. (Photo by guide Dan Lane)

Dates for our 2011 tours to Sacha include two winter and two summer tours. To read more, visit our Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge tour page.   From there you can see a fun slideshow of great Sacha birds and places by clicking on the photo mosaic on the left side of the page.  And you can check out the upcoming tour schedules for our Sacha guides by clicking on their photos in the right-hand column of the tour page.

Our July e-mailing is posted! Included are links to our July recent photos gallery (new pics from Borneo, Venezuela, Ireland, and Montana), a fresh slideshow (2010 Alaska) and a link to a fun article from our July newsletter, plus recently posted 2011 itineraries and 2010 triplists, info on our 2010 holiday tours, and more. You can see it all by clicking on the link or images below—enjoy!

July 2010 E-mailing

The complete itineraries for our 2011 Bhutan tour (April 8-29) and our 2011 Antarctica, South Georgia & the Falklands cruise (January 5-26) are ready, along with those for Virginias’ Warblers (June 1-5) and Texas Coast Migration Spectacle (two departures: April 16-22 and April 23-29). [Other recently posted 2011 itineraries to Colombia, Cambodia, Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Ghana, Guatemala, Mexico: Yucatan & Cozumel, South Texas, and Colorado Grouse are listed below.]

The 2011 tour will mark guide Richard Webster’s 11 consecutive year of leading our spring Bhutan trip full of great Himalayan birds (think beautiful pheasants, Ward’s Trogon, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Fire-tailed Myzornis, and much more) amongst hillsides bedecked with flowering rhododendrons and magnolias—a true spectacle. Add a backdrop not only of the imposing Himalayas but also of Bhutan’s distinctive culture and the imposing architecture of the dzongs and you have quite an experience to remember.

Dates are April 8-29, 2011. Click on the map to visit the tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary in PDF file format.

Antarctica hardly needs any introduction as a great destination for a birding holiday, but the key is all in the itinerary, which must include the highlight, South Georgia Island.  Guide George Armistead returns to lead our 2011 tour aboard the Plancius.  It’ll be a fantastic combination of seabirds, marine mammals, spectacular land- and seascapes, and wild solitude. There’s no other trip like it.

Dates are January 5-26, 2011. Click on the map to visit the tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary in PDF file format.

VIRGINIAS’ WARBLERS
(June 1-5, 2011)

Unsurpassed locale for breeding wood-warblers; cool, mountain climate in both beautiful states on our birding tour; optional visit to Monticello.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

TEXAS COAST MIGRATION SPECTACLE
(April 16-22, 2011 or
April 23-29, 2011)

The migration mecca of High Island plus specialties of the Big Thicket and myriad waterbirds and shorebirds.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Other Recently Posted 2011 Itineraries below:

COLOMBIA: CAUCA VALLEY/WESTERN & CENTRAL ANDES
(January 15-31, 2011 or
February 19-March 7, 2011)

Energetic, endemic-oriented birding tour connecting reserves up the Cauca Valley from Medellin to Cali.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

CAMBODIA
(February 19-March 3, 2011)

A “last chance” destination for some of the large, rare Asian waterbirds now extinct in neighboring countries, plus additional regional specialties and famed Angkor Wat.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
(April 25-30, 2011)

Golden-cheeked Warbler, Tropical Parula, and Black-capped and Gray vireos head the list of enticing birds to be sought on our tour to the wildflower wonderland of the Edwards Plateau.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

TEXAS’S BIG BEND & HILL COUNTRY
(April 23-May 2, 2011)

Our birding tour for Colima and Golden-cheeked warblers, Montezuma Quail, and other southern borderland specialties in Texas’s grand desert mountain landscapes.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

GHANA
(March 19-April 2, 2011)

An exciting new birding destination for Field Guides, featuring excellent opportunities for a number of West African endemics and other highly prized avian species. Foremost perhaps among those endemics is the legendary White-necked Rockfowl, Picathartes gymnocephalus, a sensational prize.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

GUATEMALA: SHADE-GROWN BIRDING
(February 23-March 5, 2011)

A birding tour for numerous Middle American specialties, among them Resplendent Quetzal, a host of hummingbirds, and Azure-rumped Tanager, set against a dramatic volcanic landscape and colorful Mayan culture.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and nearby Cozumel Island combine rich tropical birding with a spectacular cultural setting. Here the ways and history of the Maya are reflected in the impressive structures they left behind. We’ll have a chance to savor these magnificent ruins at Coba, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal as well as to search for some of Mexico’s most spectacular birds.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Magnificent Whooping Cranes, lots of South Texas specialties, and spring hawk migration on this exciting birding tour. We’ll begin in Rockport, then move to the Rio Grande Valley and such well-known sites as Santa Ana and Bentsen.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

There is no better place in North America to find prairie-chickens, sage-grouse and other gallinaceous birds than in the state of Colorado, and no better time of year to find them than in April. Our short birding tour seeks them all in this exciting and popular spring tour.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

North Carolina played a great host to us in 2010 for our Birding Plus North Carolina: Petrels & the Deep Blue Sea tour. We spent three days out in the Gulf Stream and also birded some wonderful southern forests and swamplands.  We wound up with a nice list, well balanced with seabirds, landbirds, shorebirds, and various mammals—and almost all of the southeastern specialty birds one can hope to see in North America.

Studying the Wilson's Storm-Petrels was one of the greatest treats that the ocean provided us. (Photo by guide George Armistead)

Conditions were pretty good for our pelagic trips; the seas were calm and we found some warm, blue water not as far out as we’d anticipated and the birds were fairly steady.  Black-capped Petrels were present in good numbers, we had a brief but satisfying encounter with a Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, nice views of Cory’s and Audubon’s shearwaters, hundreds of Wilson’s Storm-Petrels, a few Pomarine and Parasitic jaegers, and Bridled and Arctic terns, among others.  Over the course of our three trips we saw several Ocean Sunfish, Loggerhead Sea-Turtles and a brief Leatherback (probably measuring over seven feet long!), a Hammerhead Shark, several White Marlin, lots of Short-finned Pilot Whales, and three species of playful and entertaining dolphins.

We enjoyed a satisfying encounter with this King Rail, whose mate was calling from the cattails. (Photo by guide George Armistead)

Back on land we managed great views of Clapper, Virginia, and King rails in a single morning, and then in Alligator River connected with a bird that is always a major target on this trip—Swainson’s Warbler.  The bird was actively chipping as it carried food to its nest. and in the process we all managed great views of this swamp denizen.  Alligator River held other treasures as well, including a “Wayne’s Warbler” (the coastal race of the Black-throated Green), a black bear, three species of snake, and three turtles seen in less than an hour.

We finished up in Southeast Virginia with a visit to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel for some lovely Purple Sandpipers and a nice close nest of an American Oystercatcher; from there we continued to the Great Dismal Swamp, where we found a Prothonotary Warbler nest containing three young.

Dates for our next tour are May 21-30, 2011; to read more, visit our North Carolina tour page.  From there you can see a fun slideshow of great North Carolina birds and places by clicking on the photo mosaic on the left side of the page.  And you can check out the upcoming tour schedules for guides George Armistead and Jesse Fagan from our guide page—just click on their photos.

The complete itineraries for our new 2011 Colombia: The Cauca Valley, Western & Central Andes tour (two departures: January 15-31 and February 19-March 7) and our new 2011 Cambodia tour (February 19-March 3) are ready. [Other recently posted 2011 itineraries to Texas Hill Country, Big Bend, Ghana, Guatemala, Mexico: Yucatan & Cozumel, South Texas, and Colorado Grouse are listed below.]

Following the launch of our two successful 2010 Colombia itineraries earlier this year, Richard Webster has finalized our third distinct route (shown at right) to this birding destination, visiting the Cauca Valley and the Western and Central Andes for numerous endemics among a great mix of more widespread Andean gems.  Think everything from Chestnut-capped Piha and Red-bellied Grackle to Gold-ringed Tanager and Fulvous-dotted Treerunner.

Click on the map to visit the tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary in PDF file format.

At right is a map of our Cambodia tour route reaching from the capital city of Phnom Penh  in the south to Siem Reap and famed Angkor in the northwest and Kratie on the Mekong River in the east. An ancient land with a rich and sometimes dark history, Cambodia is nestled between Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam and covers an area roughly equivalent to that of North Dakota or Missouri. Our birding highlights should include everything from Giant and White-shouldered ibises to Mekong Wagtail and numerous others.

Click on the map to visit the tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary in PDF file format.

Other Recently Posted 2011 Itineraries below:

TEXAS HILL COUNTRY
(April 25-30, 2011)

Golden-cheeked Warbler, Tropical Parula, and Black-capped and Gray vireos head the list of enticing birds to be sought on our tour to the wildflower wonderland of the Edwards Plateau.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

TEXAS’S BIG BEND & HILL COUNTRY
(April 23-May 2, 2011)

Our birding tour for Colima and Golden-cheeked warblers, Montezuma Quail, and other southern borderland specialties in Texas’s grand desert mountain landscapes.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

GHANA
(March 19-April 2, 2011)

An exciting new birding destination for Field Guides, featuring excellent opportunities for a number of West African endemics and other highly prized avian species. Foremost perhaps among those endemics is the legendary White-necked Rockfowl, Picathartes gymnocephalus, a sensational prize.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

GUATEMALA: SHADE-GROWN BIRDING
(February 23-March 5, 2011)

A birding tour for numerous Middle American specialties, among them Resplendent Quetzal, a host of hummingbirds, and Azure-rumped Tanager, set against a dramatic volcanic landscape and colorful Mayan culture.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and nearby Cozumel Island combine rich tropical birding with a spectacular cultural setting. Here the ways and history of the Maya are reflected in the impressive structures they left behind. We’ll have a chance to savor these magnificent ruins at Coba, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal as well as to search for some of Mexico’s most spectacular birds.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Magnificent Whooping Cranes, lots of South Texas specialties, and spring hawk migration on this exciting birding tour. We’ll begin in Rockport, then move to the Rio Grande Valley and such well-known sites as Santa Ana and Bentsen.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

There is no better place in North America to find prairie-chickens, sage-grouse and other gallinaceous birds than in the state of Colorado, and no better time of year to find them than in April. Our short birding tour seeks them all in this exciting and popular spring tour.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Guide George Armistead returned from our second Alaska tour (co-led with Dave Stejskal) with some great new images, and he has put them together in an online slideshow. For a little armchair travel to the Pribilof Islands, Nome, Seward, and Barrow, visit the link below and enjoy! (From the gallery page, click on the “Slideshow” button toward the upper right to see the images full screen.  You can control the slideshow speed by choosing Slow, Med, or Fast at the upper left above the thumbnail images.)

George’s Alaska 2010 slideshow

The complete itinerary for our new 2011 Ghana tour (March 19-April 2, 2011; think rockfowl!) is ready, so it’s time to study up a bit on this West African destination.

At right is a map of our tour route in the country (the dashed lines are for the optional extension), nestled between Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Togo on the Gulf of Guinea.  It sits just north of the Equator, is roughly the size of the state of Michigan, and has as its official language English.  And of course it’s a great destination for birding, with the highlight being the fantastic White-necked Rockfowl.

Click on the map to visit the tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary in PDF file format.

Other Recently Posted 2011 Itineraries below:
Guatemala
Mexico: Yucatan & Cozumel
Spring in South Texas
Colorado Grouse

GUATEMALA: SHADE-GROWN BIRDING
(February 23-March 5, 2011)

A birding tour for numerous Middle American specialties, among them Resplendent Quetzal, a host of hummingbirds, and Azure-rumped Tanager, set against a dramatic volcanic landscape and colorful Mayan culture.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and nearby Cozumel Island combine rich tropical birding with a spectacular cultural setting. Here the ways and history of the Maya are reflected in the impressive structures they left behind. We’ll have a chance to savor these magnificent ruins at Coba, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal as well as to search for some of Mexico’s most spectacular birds.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

Magnificent Whooping Cranes, lots of South Texas specialties, and spring hawk migration on this exciting birding tour. We’ll begin in Rockport, then move to the Rio Grande Valley and such well-known sites as Santa Ana and Bentsen.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

There is no better place in North America to find prairie-chickens, sage-grouse and other gallinaceous birds than in the state of Colorado, and no better time of year to find them than in April. Our short birding tour seeks them all in this exciting and popular spring tour.

See our tour page for more information, or go directly to our itinerary (PDF file).

We’ve added the following triplists from recent Field Guides tours, all in PDF file format, in the past few weeks. Enjoy reading some of our recent reports from the field!

VIRGINIAS’ WARBLERS — Jun 2-6, 2010

ARIZONA: BIRDING THE BORDER I — May 14-23, 2010

ARIZONA: BIRDING THE BORDER II — May 15-24, 2010

Birding Plus NORTH CAROLINA — May 15-24, 2010

Birding Plus IRELAND IN SPRING — May 6-16, 2010

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC — Apr 24 – May 1, 2010

LESSER ANTILLES — Apr 10-24, 2010

SPRING IN SOUTH TEXAS — Mar 27 – Apr 4, 2010

ECUADOR: RAINFOREST & ANDES I — Mar 14-28, 2010

MEXICO: COLIMA & JALISCO — Jan 16-24, 2010

Note: When you click on a PDF file link, the file should either open automatically in your browser or else download and open automatically with Acrobat Reader, if you have that installed.  If you need to pick up the free Acrobat Reader software from Adobe to read PDF files, you can get it here.