_New 2013 tours: 4 spaces left

A lot of you clearly like the new Field Guides offerings on tap next year. Among our seven new itineraries offered five are provisionally full but these two still have space:
Do the Charleston! Spring in South Carolina: Apr 27-May 4 with Jesse Fagan (1 space)
Ecuador's Shiripuno Lodge: Heartland of the Waorani: Sep 28-Oct 7 with Mitch Lysinger & Willy Perez (3 spaces)
And speaking of new tours, if you have an idea for a great new trip you'd like to see us add -- a destination, a particular pace or focus, or a certain combo of activities, let us know. Our Scheduling Committee is beginning work on our 2014 schedule, so your suggestions are welcome.

_October newsletter

Our latest newsletter has mailed, with a cover story by guide Peter Burke on our Belize tour (Feb), a big new batch of Fresh from the Field images, a fun article on trogon "shoe" sizes, info on Ecuador tours, images from our 2012 annual meeting, and more. It should be hitting mailboxes now.

_Birding Plus tours coming up

Looking for a birding tour with a twist? Check out our Birding Plus offerings, combining great birding with another interest. In addition to Do the Charleston! above we have 4 others in our March to May schedule:
Egypt: Mar 3-20 with Terry Stevenson & local guide
Birds & Wines of Chile and Argentina: Mar 23-Apr 6 with Marcelo Padua & local guide
Scotland: Famous Grouse in the Land of Whisky: Apr 19-May 1 with John Rowlett & local guide
Ireland in Spring -- Birds, Traditional Music & Pubs: May 9-19 with Terry & Karen McEneaney
--If they sound like fun, well, they will be!

"My wife and I greatly enjoyed the experience. We had better than expected views of Jaguar and the birding was terrific. Marcelo Padua was fun and very knowledgeable.  He had great group awareness and his skills are far in advance of his young age.  We definitely plan to travel with him again." E.H., Jaguar Spotting: Pantanal & Garden of the Amazon

_A private tour for your group? We do that!

We understand the needs of birders and birding, and we regularly handle arrangements for private trips by birding clubs & groups (8 or more) who wish to visit one of our many and varied great birding destinations around the world. We can even arrange for one of our experienced guides to accompany your group if you wish. Email or call Peggy Watson in our office at (800) 728-4953 for more details. You'll find the same courteous, knowledgeable Field Guides service, professionalism, and great value we're known for. Get your group together to head anywhere from Alaska to Argentina and Texas to Thailand with us!

_2012 Holidays: Last spaces

Our holiday tours are filling, but there are still a few possibilities:
Holiday at San Isidro, Ecuador: Dec 27-Jan 5 with Mitch Lysinger (1 space)
Arizona Winter Specialties: Dec 28-Jan 2 with Dave Stejskal (3 spaces)
Ecuador's Wildsumaco Lodge: Dec 28-Jan 7 with Willy Perez (3 spaces)
The Lodge at Pico Bonito, Honduras: Dec 30-Jan 4 with John Coons

"We had a fantastic tour. Willy Perez is an expert guide and passionate about his work. He has a great sense of humor and makes everyone feel comfortable. He is keenly aware of ALL the happenings in the forest. He made sure all of us in the group saw the birds. Willy is Numero Uno!" J. & T.M., Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge 2012

Here's a list of our Nov-Mar tours not mentioned above with one or more spaces still open. Contact our friendly office to help you get planning!

Spectacular Southeast Brazil: Nov 2-18 (Part I; 3 spaces) or Nov 16-Dec 3 (Part II; 4 spaces) with Bret Whitney & Marcelo Padua
Oman & the UAE: Jan 10-26 with Phil Gregory
Yellowstone in Winter: Jan 12-20 with Terry McEneaney (1 space)
Oaxaca: Jan 19-26 with Megan Crewe & Pepe Rojas
Colombia: The Cauca Valley and the Western & Central Andes: Jan 19-Feb 4 with Richard Webster (4 spaces)
Jewels of Ecuador: Jan 19-Feb 5 (I) with Rose Ann Rowlett & Willy Perez or Feb 1-18 (II) with Mitch Lysinger & Pepe Rojas
Northeast Brazil (Part II): Jan 23-Feb 9 with Bret Whitney & Marcelo Padua (4 spaces)
Winter Japan: Cranes & Sea-Eagles: Feb 1-16 with Phil Gregory
Best of the Pacific Northwest: Feb 2-7 with Terry McEneaney (3 spaces)
Trinidad & Tobago: Feb 15-24 with Megan Crewe (2 spaces)

"Megan Crewe is a wonderful guide.  She has extensive knowledge, and shares it so generously and in a way that helped me learn distinguishing field marks and identify new birds with more confidence. Her personality and demeanor are perfect for leading groups like this." D.M., Cape May Megan's Way 2012

Belize: Feb 17-23 with Peter Burke & John Coons (4 spaces)
Guatemala: Shade-grown Birding: Feb 20-Mar 2 with Jesse Fagan (1 space)
Philippines: Mar 1-24 with Dave Stejskal
Honduras: Land of the Emeralds: Mar 2-10 with Jesse Fagan
Brazil Nutshell: Mar 2-16 with Marcelo Padua & John Coons (3 spaces)
Southwestern Ecuador Specialties: Mar 7-21 with Mitch Lysinger (4 spaces)
Bahamas: Birds & Butterflies: Mar 12-17 with Jesse Fagan (2 spaces)
Ecuador's Wildsumaco Lodge: Mar 15-25 with Willy Perez
Colombia: Santa Marta Escape: Mar 16-24 with Richard Webster (4 spaces)
Costa Rica: Mar 16-31 with Megan Crewe (4 spaces)
Dominican Republic: Mar 17-24 with Jesse Fagan (1 space)
Ecuador Rainforest & Andes: Mar 17-31 with John Rowlett (4 spaces)
Spring in South Texas: Mar 23-31 with Chris Benesh (3 spaces)
Lesser Antilles: Mar 30-April 14 with Jesse Fagan (2 spaces)

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