Birdwatching Breaks 2020 - Amazon S3 · Barrow, Denali National Park and the remote Pribilof Islands.During the winter of 2020 a wonderful tour of the Lesser Antilles takes in nine

BirdwatchingBreaks 2020Over 30 years of guided tours

BLACK ISLE BIRDING – SCOTLANDScotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Scottish Highlands – spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Scottish Highlands – autumn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Scottish Highlands and Aberdeenshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Caithness and Orkney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Islay at New Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Mull, Tiree and The Uists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Shetland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Scotland . . . . . . . . . . . . Western Isles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

AFRICAEthiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birds and Mammals of NE Africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Rwanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . Albertine Rift endemics and mammals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Senegal . . . . . . . . . . . . . SE Senegal and Dindefello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Senegal . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pelagic and The Sahel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

ASIA AND AUSTRALASIAAustralia . . . . . . . . . . . . Northern Territory, Alice Springs & Singapore . . . . . . . . . 42Japan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kyushu and Hokkaido . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birds of Lake Baikal and Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

EUROPEBulgaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spring migration in the Balkans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Cyprus . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birds of the Eastern Mediterranean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Camargue and Corsica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northern Ireland and Donegal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Norway . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter birds of the High Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autumn migration at Falsterbo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

THE AMERICASAlaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Last Frontier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . Pampas, Iguazú and North East Argentina . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . Long Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . The World's Best birding country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Lesser Antilles . . . . . . . . Birds and islands of The Caribbean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Front cover: Bald Eagle Photo: George MatzBack cover: Red-necked Phalarope Photo: George Matz

Layout and design www.russellturner.org Printed by Speedprint, InvernessCopyright © Birdwatching Breaks 2019

Destinations

2 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com ☎ 01381 610495

☎ 01381 610495 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com 3

January 2020Senegal . . . . . . . . . . SE Senegal & Dindefello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . January 10-23Colombia . . . . . . . . . . The World's Best Birding Country . . . . . . . . . . . January 11-25

FebruaryJapan . . . . . . . . . . . . Cranes, owls and eagles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 7-22

MarchEthiopia . . . . . . . . . . . Birds and mammals of Ethiopia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March 6-20France . . . . . . . . . . . . Camargue and Corsica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March 7-14 Scotland . . . . . . . . . . Highlands & Aberdeenshire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . March 28-April 4

AprilNorway . . . . . . . . . . . Winter birds of the High Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 4-10Cyprus . . . . . . . . . . . Birds of the Mediterranean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 4-11Scotland . . . . . . . . . . Spring in the Highlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . April 25-May 2

MayScotland . . . . . . . . . . Mull, Tiree & The Uists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 3-10Bulgaria . . . . . . . . . . Spring in the Balkans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 4-14Canada . . . . . . . . . . . Long Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 7-16Scotland . . . . . . . . . . Birds of Caithness and Orkney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 11-17Siberia . . . . . . . . . . . Lake Baikal and Buryat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 22-June 5

JuneAlaska . . . . . . . . . . . . The last frontier . . . . . . . . . . . . June 13-28 (extension to July 1)

AugustAustralia . . . . . . . . . . Northern Territory & Alice Springs . . . August 27-September 12

SeptemberScotland . . . . . . . . . . Autumn migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 19-26Sweden . . . . . . . . . . . Migration at Falsterbo . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 26-October 3Scotland . . . . . . . . . . Western Isles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . September 27-October 3

OctoberArgentina . . . . . . . . . Pampas, Iguazu and North East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 2-15Shetland . . . . . . . . . . Autumn in the Northern Isles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 3-10Ireland . . . . . . . . . . . . Northern Ireland & Donegal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 17-24

NovemberSenegal . . . . . . . . . . Pelagic birds and the Sahel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 6-14 Lesser Antilles . . . . . . Islands of the Caribbean . . . . . . . . . November 20-December 4

DecemberRwanda . . . . . . . . . . Birds of the Albertine Rift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 5-17Scotland . . . . . . . . . . Islay at New Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . December 30-January 4

January 2021Senegal . . . . . . . . . .SE Senegal & Dindefello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .January 13-26

FebruaryJapan . . . . . . . . . . . . Cranes, owls and eagles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 5-20

Tour Calendar

A warm welcome to our 2020 brochure ofbirdwatching holidays, this being our 33rdyear of operation.

In 2020, we have introduced new tours tointeresting countries around the world, allof them having had an inspection trip eitherby us or our local tour operators.

In Asia and Australasia, we have desti-nations to Australia, Japan and RussianSiberia. For those who wish to witness thewinter wonderland of Japan, we have toursin February 2020 and 2021. The countrycontinues to be a popular destination andwe have modified the winter tour slightly tovisit an area for Japanese Murrelet. Siberiais repeated in 2020 after our visit to thisstunningly beautiful region of Russia withequally impressive bird life. Later in theyear we return to the Northern Territories ofAustralia along with the red centre aroundAlice Springs. I have added a few days inSingapore a surprisingly bird-rich destina-tion to add diversity.

In Africa, we have departures to

Ethiopia, Senegal and Rwanda.These des-tinations offer you an extremely wide rangeof African birds and mammals from theSahel in Senegal to the birds and mam-mals of Rwanda. Rwanda is a small coun-try in Central Africa and relatively unex-plored for birds and wildlife. We have a tourhere December 2020. In Senegal we havea new tour taking in a pelagic trip off Dakarand the Sahel region along the SenegalRiver. Ethiopia has been reinstated with acomprehensive tour taking in the majorbirding sites of this beautiful country.

In The Americas, a birding tour toColombia, the world’s best birding country,is planned for January 2020. Later in theyear we visit the last frontier state ofAlaska, a comprehensive tour taking iniconic birding destinations of Nome,Barrow, Denali National Park and theremote Pribilof Islands. During the winter of2020 a wonderful tour of the Lesser Antillestakes in nine of the Caribbean islands andtheir endemic birds. In October 2020 a new

Welcome to Birdwatching Breaks 2020

Grasshopper Sparrow, Canada Photo: Simon Papps


tour is being offered to NE Argentina wherevisits to the pampas, lakes and Iguazú Fallsis bound to produce a long bird list andspectacular vistas.

Closer to home, we have departures toBelgium, Bulgaria, Canary Islands, Cyprus,France, Greece, Ireland, Spain andSweden. These countries offer you greatbirding among spectacular countryside andvistas. Extreme Northern Norway is beingoffered in April – a prime time to watchsome spectacular winter birds of the HighArctic. In 2020 a week-long tour to south-ern France and the island of Corsicashould provide exceptional winter birdingand two European endemics. Other toursinclude the Canary Islands with its endem-ic species and seabirds where we visit fourislands in total. I have reintroduced our tourto Northern Ireland and Donegal inOctober for late migrants and winter birds.

Falsterbo in Sweden in late September isoffered again for the spectacular migrationof birds.

2020 sees the 15th year of Black IsleBirding which covers all our holidays oper-ating in Scotland. This sector has grownsignificantly over the last few years and we

are pleased to say that we have a growingreputation as one of Scotland’s premierbirding companies. Jo and I operate ourpopular “holiday at home” programmebased at Cygnus House. Its location, over-looking the Cromarty Firth and set in twoacres of wildlife habitat, makes it an idealbase for visiting northern Scotland. Wehave several other Scottish tours to Islay,Shetland and Fair Isle and an island spe-cial visiting Mull, Tiree and The Uists.

I firmly believe we offer you the best bird-ing packages in Scotland, with the coun-try’s top birding guides, along with a friend-ly and welcoming service with no hiddenextras.

The team at Birdwatching Breaks looksforward to welcoming you on one of ourtours.

Finally, my thanks go to Russell Turnerfor proof-reading our 2020 brochure and forthe layout and design.

Mark FinnBirdwatching Breaks

Cygnus House Gordons Mill, Balblair

Black Isle, Ross-shire IV7 8LQScotland

Birding in Siberia Photo: Jo Finn



Mark Finn lives on the Black Isle in Scotland and is the principal leader ofBirdwatching Breaks having formed the company in May 1987. In 2005, Markset up Black Isle Birding for tours based in Scotland. Mark originally trained inhotel management and catering before pursuing careers in the MerchantNavy, industrial catering and, finally, as a sales representative. He has trav-elled widely in search of birds both whilst leading trips and on reconnaissancetrips for future tours. His travels have taken him to a wide variety of destina-tions around the world. Mark is also a member of the Scottish OrnithologistsClub. In between leading tours, Mark deals with the administration work ofBirdwatching Breaks. He has a keen interest in sport, particularly cricket andsoccer, and enjoys wine and good food.

Harriet Kemishiga lives in Kampala, Uganda. Harriet is Uganda’s onlyfemale bird guide and one of the directors of Harrier Tours. Her passion forwildlife and birds started when she was a little girl growing up with her grand-father at the edge of Kibale National Park. Harriet has successfully guidedmany birding trips in Uganda and Rwanda since 2003. She has also workedfor the avian vocalisation centre recording sounds of rare species that have notbeen recorded to science. Harriet is probably one of the best birding guideswithin Africa today with an incredible knowledge of birds and sounds within hernative Uganda.

Anders Faugstad Mæland lives in central Norway and has been a birderfrom a young age. Anders has established himself as a professional guide inNorway and taken part in a wide variety of ornithological surveys and biodi-versity projects. He was the main ringer and migration counter at Jomfrulandbird observatory from 1997-2011 before setting up Norwegian Birding. Andershas an intimate knowledge of his native Norway and its abundant wildlife,especially in the far north of the country.

Igor Fefelov lives in Irkutsk, Siberia. Igor is a skilled bird guide and natural-ist having written several papers on waders and swifts which occur aroundLake Baikal. Igor has an interest in anything concerning the natural world. Hisability, professionalism and personality are second to none making him anideal guide for Birdwatching Breaks in this huge area of Russia.

Assen Ignatov is one of the most experienced birdwatching and wildlifeguides in Bulgaria. He has an MSc in biology from the University of Sofia andnow he works in National Natural History Museum Assen. He is also an excel-lent wildlife artist with many paintings and drawings in numerous books, cal-endars and others. He leads birdwatching, wildlife, butterflies and photographytours.

Birdwatching Breaks Leaders


Mike Jarvis lives in Darwin, Australia and operates his own birding compa-ny. He has been a nature enthusiast from his earliest memory and has lived inPerth, Geraldton and Carnarvon on the west coast. Mike and his wife Jennyare Wildcare volunteers and care for injured and orphaned wildlife, mainlybirds and reptiles. With decades of research, observation and wildlife experi-ences behind him, he enjoys the privilege of sharing this with others by lead-ing tours to wild places in Darwin and the Top End.

Simon MacLaughlin lives near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands and iscurrently a warden for the RSPB. Simon has worked in conservation for manyyears and has a vast knowledge of forestry and the wildlife than occurs withinit. Simon has a good knowledge of birds and is exceptionally good with peopleand his enthusiasim and passion for wildlife. He is a welcome addition to theBirdwatching Breaks team.

Ass Ndiaye lives in Dakar, Senegal. Ass has worked with BirdwatchingBreaks since we initiated tours to Senegal in the mid-1990s. Ass is a skilledbirder with a happy knack of locating unusual birds. He has a particularly goodeye for raptors and owls. Ass lives with his wife and young son and is an avidfollower of football, particularly the English Premier League.

Simon Papps lives in Waltham Abbey, Essex. Simon is a vastly experiencedbirder having travelled to a wide range of countries in pursuit of birds. He wasformerly the sub-editor at Birdwatch Magazine, the highly respected monthlypublication for birders. Currently, Simon works as the Commissioning Editor forNatural History Books at New Holland Publishers based in London. Away frombirding, Simon enjoys all sports, but particularly football.

Jane Stylianou lives in Nicosia, Cyprus. Jane has been interested in birdssince the age of five and has continued birdwatching since moving to Cyprusin 1985. She has worked as a Development Officer for BirdLife Cyprus for overfour years and is currently carrying out field work and doing conservation-based projects on a freelance basis. Together with another local birder, Janeoperates Cyprus Birding Tours.

Our holidays are friendly and exciting andrun by professional guides with a passionfor birding and natural history. Our guideshave a professional background from bod-ies like the RSPB or other conservationorganisations. On overseas tours we uselocal ornithologists who are highly experi-enced in the country they operate and workin. Our groups are based on a ratio of eightclients to one leader.

All tours have inspection trips before weoffer them to our clients

We cater for all abilities of birders, frombeginners to those with more experienceand clients who wish to visit more adven-turous countries around the globe in theirquest of birds. Our tours range from shortbreaks in Europe to weeks in Scotland andEastern Europe. Generally speaking,African and Asian tours are up to 15 daysand those to Australia and South Americaof 16-28 days duration. To participate in ourtours you need to have a reasonabledegree of fitness for the tour you select. Ifyou wish to know more about a tour wehave bird lists and tour reports or, in thecase of inspection trips, a general informa-tion package. You can access these by vis-iting www.birdwatchingbreaks.com or sim-ply contact us by phone, or mail. On book-ing your Birdwatching Breaks holiday wesend you all the relevant information includ-ing flight details, accommodation, maps,what to take with you, health and visa reg-ulations, titles of field guides and where toobtain them.

A typical day

with Birdwatching Breaks

Naturally we spend most of our time in thefield but this does vary on each tour. In tem-perate climates we generally have break-fast early and take a packed lunch with usfor the day. Returning in the evening, we tryto allow you at least one hour before dinnerto shower and freshen up. In Africa,Australasia, parts of Asia and South

America, birds are most active at dawn,hence we start birding at this time. We usu-ally arrange coffee or tea before going outand come back mid-morning for brunch. Incountries with a hot climate we take a sies-ta in the middle of the day or travel betweensites. We return to birding late afternoonwhen bird activity starts again. To balanceearly starts we try to return earlier in theevening. Before dinner, we have drinks andgo through the daily log of birds observed.

Where to stay

We endeavour to stay in hotels, lodges andfamily homes as close as possible to areasof birding interest. Wherever possible, westay in accommodation reflecting the char-acter and atmosphere of the country weare visiting rather than ’standard type’hotels. Rooms have private facilities unlessotherwise stated. In some locations withouta tourist infrastructure, facilities may beshared or, in areas without permanentaccommodation, a chemical toilet and bushshower are used. Hotels around the worldare phasing out single rooms and accom-modating clients in double/twin rooms. Thishas, in effect, pushed up the price of a sin-gle room quite considerably. If you are asingle traveller, please consider sharing aroom. If you have ticked twin-bedded roomon your holiday booking form but we areunable to find you a suitable roommate, asingle room supplement will apply. Food isimportant to our clients and is on a half-board basis of breakfast and evening mealwith a packed lunch in the field. We try toensure food is based upon the cuisine ofthe country we are visiting. On occasionswhere half-board in not available, you canchoose from a la carte menus. If this is thecase, we make an allowance for eveningmeals.

What the tour price includes

Tour prices are fully inclusive of accommo-

Holidays with Birdwatching Breaks


dation, meals, guidance, entry permits intoreserves, tips and taxes. Not included inyour tour price are air fares which are quot-ed separately with our best estimate of thefare. Also not included are credit card andbaggage charges (where applicable),drinks, laundry and telephone bills, visafees and travel insurance and items of apersonal nature and any relevant fuel sur-charges.

Flights

Because of fluctuating fuel prices it isbecoming very difficult to obtain accuratequotes for airfares. Tour prices are brokendown into two elements – the basic cost ofthe tour which includes everything exceptthe cost of the international and internalflights and secondly our best estimate ofthe air fares when the tour was costed.Please advise us if you wish us to bookyour flights. When we send invoices for thetour, we will only charge you the exact air-fare and hope that many of these will benear the price quoted in our brochure.

Arranging your own flights

You should arrive at least one hour beforethe main group or be booked onto the

same flight. On departure, flight timesshould be after or at the same time as thegroup. Birdwatching Breaks are not respon-sible for your own flight arrangements andyou must ensure you have adequate travelinsurance in place to cover your flights.

Flying from regional airports

On some occasions flights from regionalairports and those which connect with theLondon hubs cost more thanLondon/London flights. Whilst we arehappy to arrange these for you, where pos-sible, the additional charge will be passedon to you.

Your money

paid to Birdwatching Breaks

Air holidays and flights in our 2020brochure are ATOL protected by the CivilAviation Authority. Our ATOL number is4324. In the unlikely event of our insolven-cy, the CAA ensures you are not strandedoverseas and will arrange to refund you forany monies paid in advance toBirdwatching Breaks. Visit the ATOL web-site www.atol.org. UK for further details.

In accordance with Passenger protectionpolicy for insolvency cover in respect of the

American Redstart Photo: Simon Papps


Package Travel & Linked TravelRegulations 2018 all passengers bookingwith Birdwatching Breaks are fully protect-ed for the initial deposit and subsequentlythe balance of all monies paid to us, includ-ing repatriation costs, arising from cancel-lation or curtailment of your travel arrange-ments due to the insolvency ofBirdwatching Breaks. There is no require-ment for Financial Protection of day trips,and none is provided. Consumer aware:Your booking is insured by IPP Ltd and itspanel of insurers. This insurance is onlyvalid for passengers who book and paydirectly with/to Birdwatching Breaks. If youhave booked and/or paid direct to a TravelAgent for a holiday with BirdwatchingBreaks please request proof of how thebooking is secured as this will not be cov-ered by IPP Ltd in this instance. ThisInsurance has been arranged byInternational Passenger Protection Limitedand underwritten by Liberty MutualInsurance Europe SE. For further informa-tion please go to www.ipplondon.co.uk

CLAIMS PROCEDURE: You must notifyIPP as soon as practically possible givingfull details of what has happened quotingthe name of your Travel Operator: IPPClaims at Cunningham Lindsey OakleighHouse 14-15 Park Place Cardiff CF103DQ, United Kingdom. Telephone: +44(0)345 266 1872 Email: [email protected] or online athttp://www.ipplondon.co.uk/claims.asp

Credit cards

We accept most major credit cards with theexception of American Express. Credit cardpayment is ideal for late bookings and air-line seats which we have to secure quicklyif departure is imminent.

Passports and visas

You must be in possession of a currentpassport with a minimum of 6 months torun after your chosen holiday has ended. Ifyou are applying for a new passport, thequickest and most efficient process isthrough your local high street post office.This process, in some cases, may take upto 8 weeks. With regards to visas, manycountries, particularly in the underdevel-

oped world, require you to have a visa inorder to enter the country. BirdwatchingBreaks will supply you contact addresses,email and phone numbers in order for youto obtain the correct visa. This should bedone when you receive your final docu-mentation from us around 12 weeks beforedeparture. If you are a non-UK national,British Subject or live overseas, you areresponsible for obtaining your own visafrom your country of residence.

Health

The majority of tours in Europe do notrequire compulsory vaccinations whenentering from the UK. We do recommendthat your injections are current for polio,hepatitis A and tetanus. Travel to Africa,Asia and parts of South America requireprotection against yellow fever (if comingfrom an infected country), typhoid, diphthe-ria and tuberculosis. The threat of malariaaround the globe also makes a course ofanti-malaria tablets a necessity. We willadvise you in our final documentation of thehealth requirements you need to enter thecountry. We would also recommend youconsult your doctor/surgery to confirm thecurrent requirements.

Travel insurance

It is a legal requirement that you have ade-quate travel insurance. On your bookingform we require proof of travel insurancebefore we process the final documentation.Insurance covers and protects you whilston tour and also if you have to cancel priorto holiday commencement through illnessor accident. If you are over 65 (in somecases 70) you are subject to additionalinsurance premiums.

Foreign office advice

The Foreign Office Advice website is atwww.fco.gov.uk or on television informationpages. Generally speaking this is good,sound advice but on occasion it may beinaccurate or harsh in its message. If youcancel through advice from the ForeignOffice, your insurers may not cover theclaim of your cancellation withBirdwatching Breaks.


Welcome to Black Isle Birding, one ofScotland’s premier birding companies spe-cialising in the Scottish Highlands,Speyside, Mull, Tiree, Islay, Lothian,Shetland and the Western Isles.

We offer you the following services:■ Accommodation at Cygnus House on afull board basis using locally producedmeat, fish and vegetables. Complimentarydrinks and wine at the table■ Excellent location on the Black Isle over-looking the Cromarty Firth and Udale Bay■ No single room supplement at CygnusHouse■ Wi-fi access in all rooms■ Visits to areas of the extreme north andislands for birds and other wildlife■ Complimentary travel by 9 seat minibuswith individual seats and seatbelts■ Small group size with one leader■ One of Scotland’s top birding guides withup-to-date knowledge of where to find andshow you the country’s birds■ Complimentary pick-up services fromInverness Airport or Inverness railway sta-tion

Flights to Inverness area available fromBirmingham, Bristol, London Heathrow,London Gatwick, London Luton,Southampton and Manchester. If usingFlybe, many flights are via Manchester toInverness.

Day trips, private tours and RSPBGroups are also catered for. Please con-tact us for details.

Cygnus House, our base, is situated onthe Black Isle, north of Inverness, the capi-tal of the Highlands. Inverness has goodair, rail and road connections with the restof Britain and Ireland. When we collect youfrom the airport or railway station, we makethe short journey across the KessockBridge and onto the rolling farmland andforests of the Black Isle to Cygnus House.This gives you a feel of the area andscenery and the idyllic surroundings wherewe live. Our home is located next to UdaleBay RSPB Reserve and is surrounded by a

variety of habitat including rough grass-land, saltmarsh, woodland, farm land, estu-arine mud and river and eco-friendly gar-dens. This combination of habitats ensuresa healthy birdlife throughout the year. In thegarden and adjacent area we have record-ed over 155 species of bird to date, with themost unusual species being Snow andGreenland White-fronted Geese, AmericanWigeon, Hobby, Common Quail, Glaucousand Little Gulls, Pomarine Skua, Red-rumped Swallow, Blue-headed Wagtail,Marsh Warbler, Hawfinch and the Northernraces of Eurasian Bullfinch and LesserRedpoll. From early April until the end ofSeptember, Ospreys regularly fly over thehouse to fish in the Cromarty Firth.Numerous bird feeders attract a variety ofspecies throughout the year includingGreat Spotted Woodpecker, Tree Sparrow,Eurasian Siskin, tits, Brambling, ReedBunting and Yellowhammer. The wintermonths bring Waxwing, Fieldfare, Redwingand Mistle Thrush. Mammals using the gar-den on a regular basis include PineMarten, Badger and Roe Deer

Our base is ideally situated for visitingthe remote and beautiful counties ofCaithness and Sutherland, Wester andEaster Ross, Speyside, Moray Firth coastand the mountains and forests ofCairngorm and Speyside.

Our Scottish programme also includestours to Mull, Tiree and the Uists,Aberdeenshire, Caithness, Fife, Islay,Orkney and Shetland, many of which canbe combined with your stay at CygnusHouse.

Black Isle Birding – birding holidays in Scotland

Pine Martens at Cygnus House


Day 1: Travel to Cygnus House, our homesituated on the Black Isle and overlookingthe RSPB reserve of Udale Bay. Dependingon tides, we check Udale Bay for wildfowl,waders, gulls and terns. On the lower gar-den, flocks of Pink-footed Geese linger intoearly May before embarking on their longflight to Iceland. Feeders have EurasianSiskin and Eurasian Tree Sparrow whilemigrants include Barn Swallow, HouseMartin, Grasshopper and Sedge Warblers,Common Whitethroat and CommonCuckoo. Northern Wheatear, EurasianLinnet and Yellowhammer occur on theentrance track. In the evening you have ahigh chance of observing Pine Marten andBadger.

Day 2: Wester Ross is our destination, anarea of huge bays and low cliffs huggingthe Atlantic Ocean. En route we stop forSlavonian Grebe, Red Kite and wildfowl.Along the valley bottom, lochans andmarshes may have Whooper Swan,Eurasian Wigeon, Common Scoter andWood Sandpipers. Our journey takes us toremote areas of Wester Ross with breedingWhite-tailed Eagles, and Loch Ewe wherethe sea loch attracts Red-throated andBlack-throated Divers, auks and ArcticTerns. Poolewe often has Greenshanksand other waders, plus the possibility of

Otters. Nearby, an isolated village is reli-able for Northern Gannet, NorthernFulmar, European Golden Plover, gulls,Fieldfare and Redwing, White Wagtail andTwite.

Day 3: A visit to Strathconon for CommonSandpiper and Northern Wheatear, and inthe birch woodlands for Blackcap, Woodand Willow Warblers. Later in the morningwe visit a private estate which hasCommon and Scottish Crossbills and, onoccasions, Parrot Crossbill. We traveltowards Bonar Bridge for Goosander andRed-breasted Merganser. The moors andbirch forest beyond offer us Red Grouse,Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, Tree Pipit andWhinchat. Loch Fleet is reliable forOsprey, ducks and waders. Embo is closeby with an old jetty and rocks which attractwaders at high tide including PurpleSandpiper, Common Knot and Sanderling.We end the day at Nigg Bay for Black-

Northern Scotland and the Highlands

Spring in the Highlands

Saturday April 25th – SaturdayMay 2nd 2020Leader: Mark FinnGroup size: 7 Birds: 125-145

Dates

Birding in springtime in the Highlands of Scotland is an exciting and rewardingexperience. Our base on the Black Isle gives easy and quick access to the majorbirdwatching areas of Northern Scotland and Speyside. Cygnus House and theadjacent fields, shore and woodland have so far recorded 155 species of birdssince 2003. During your stay we visit the Cairngorm Mountains in search of RockPtarmigan, Snow Bunting and Eurasian Dotterel. Nearby, the ancient Caledonianpine forests host Capercaillie and a wide range of breeding and resident species.During the spring, we embark on Black Grouse safaris, and further north visit theflow country of Caithness and Sutherland for waders, owls and harriers. On thewest coast, interesting species present are Great Northern, Red-throated andBlack-throated Divers, White-tailed Eagles and, from late April, Corncrakes. Theseabird colonies on Handa are present from April. During spring rare migrants areregularly found and have included White-billed Diver, Ring-billed Gull, Blue andGreen-winged Teals, Smew, King Eider, Snowy Owl, European Bee-eater, EurasianHoopoe and Great Grey Shrike on previous tours. Please note the followingitinerary is subject to change due to tides and other factors.■ This tour can be combined with Mull, Tiree & The Uists on page 23


tailed Godwit, Whimbrel and other wildfowland waders.

Day 4: A change of scenery today as wehead into Sutherland and to the island ofHanda. Our journey takes us past lochswith beautiful Black-throated Divers.Beyond Ullapool, the scenery becomesmore dramatic and rocky. Handa isaccessed by boat from Tarbat. On arrival,we walk around the island on boardwalksand footpaths. Moorland sectors haveimpressive numbers of Great and ArcticSkuas, Common Snipe and CommonStonechat. Handa, however, is famous forbreeding seabirds on its high-vertical sand-stone cliffs. We can expect NorthernFulmar, Black-legged Kittiwake, CommonGuillemot, Razorbill and Atlantic Puffins.After leaving Handa we head to Durness,the most north-westerly village in mainlandBritain. After dinner, we can check mead-ows for calling Corncrakes and, on thebeach, migrant Black-tailed Godwits andSanderling along with Barnacle and Pink-footed Geese and Whooper Swans.Rarities occur on a regular basis at

Durness with Little Stint, Yellow Wagtail,Ring-necked Duck and Common Crane inrecent years. Accommodation for the nightis at Durness.

Day 5: Loch Eriboll is our first destination,a large sea loch holding Great Northernand Red-throated Divers in summerplumage and, on recent tours, White-billedDivers. Nearby, the Hope Valley is reliablefor Golden Eagle and Redwing. We followthe coast, stopping at Dunnet Bay, a regu-lar haunt of divers, Long-tailed Duck,Greater Scaup, Great and Arctic Skuasand Sandwich Terns. St John’s Pool is aproductive area for birds, attracting Arcticand Common Terns, Whimbrel and scarcebreeding ducks of Northern Scotlandincluding Gadwall and Northern Shoveler.Unusual species on recent visits have beenGarganey, Lesser Scaup and Ring-neckedDuck. In late April we may find lingeringGreenland White-fronted Geese. Later, wetravel to Broubster Leans, located in theflow country of Caithness where we shouldencounter Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl,European Golden Plover and Dunlin.


Wood Sandpiper Photo: Jo Finn




Return to the Black Isle with stops fordivers, ducks and Common Scoter on loch-side pools.

Day 6: Nairn is our destination todaywhere the deep waters of the CromartyFirth attract migrant seaducks includingLong-tailed Duck and in recent years KingEiders. Portsoy is further east inAberdeenshire and is a regular and reliableplace for migrating White-billed Divers.Lossiemouth often has shorebirds includ-ing Common Knot, Sanderling andSandwich Terns fishing in the bay. LochSpynie is a new reserve managed by theRSPB and often attracts interesting birds inthe spring. Later in the day, we venture intothe Findhorn Valley for Peregrine Falcon,Golden Eagle, European Golden Ploverand White-throated Dipper, the latter pre-ferring boulder-strewn rivers. Along the Farr

Road we may find Merlin and parties ofRed Grouse.

Day 7: Corrimony is our first stop today, aremote reserve of woodland and moors.Our main interest is in locating BlackGrouse, which finds a stronghold here.After breakfast a visit to the CairngormMountains. Recent changes have permit-ted us to walk out from the PtarmiganRestaurant, which is accessed by the funic-ular railway, to search in the boulder fieldsfor Rock Ptarmigan, Ring Ouzel, EurasianDotterel and Snow Bunting. In AbernethyForest, a reserve of Caledonian pinesinterspersed with lochs, our main interest isto observe Capercaillie, a rare and declin-ing species and we may encounter Coaland Crested Tits, Eurasian Treecreeper,Tree Pipit and Common Redstart. Nestingboxes on the lochs lure CommonGoldeneye while Greylag Goose andGoosander are regularly observed.

Day 8: Depending on flight and traveltimes, a visit to the Black Isle Forest isplanned for woodland birds including RedKite, Common and Scottish Crossbills,Crested Tit and Lesser Redpoll.

Tour Price: £995Deposit: £150This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,complimentary pre-dinner drinks andwine at Cygnus House and Durness,complimentary transport, Cairngormrailway and any boat fees.

Not included: insurance and itemsof a personal nature. Entry intoRSPB reserves if you are a non-member. Drinks purchased in hotelsaway from Cygnus House

Prices

Red Grouse Photo: Jo Finn


Day 1: Arrive at our home situated on theBlack Isle and overlooking the RSPBreserve of Udale Bay. Feeders haveEurasian Siskin and Eurasian TreeSparrow while lingering migrants includeBarn Swallow and Common Chiffchaff.Northern Wheatear, Eurasian Linnet, Twiteand Yellowhammer occur on the entrancetrack. In Udale Bay we may find SlavonianGrebe and Greater Scaup. Chanonry Pointis an excellent viewing point for sea birds inthe right wind conditions. If these are blow-ing, we may observe Great and ArcticSkuas, Common, Arctic and SandwichTerns, Razorbill and Common Guillemotand the most northerly Bottle-nosedDolphins in Britain.

Day 2: Wester Ross is our destination, anarea of huge bays and low cliffs huggingthe Atlantic Ocean. Before reaching thewest coast, we visit Applecross, a remotevillage. Our main interest here is low-levelRock Ptarmigans which reside on the boul-der fields. Further along the coast, a villagehas White-tailed Eagles. Gairloch andRubha Reidh hug the rocky coastline ofWester Ross with the former holding con-centrations of Black-throated Divers andother seabirds. Rubha Reidh is a notedseawatching point and, if the winds arewesterly, we expect a wide range ofseabirds. Poolewe attracts waders at hightide including Greenshank. Further alongthe coast, fields regularly host GreylagGeese and Twite.

Day 3: Today we visit Abernethy Forest, areserve of Caledonian pines interspersedwith lochs. Our main interest is to observeCapercaillie, a rare and declining species.In the pinewoods themselves we mayencounter Woodcock, Coal and CrestedTits, Eurasian Treecreeper, EurasianBullfinch, and Scottish and ParrotCrossbills. Later in the day, we venture intothe Cairngorm Mountains for RockPtarmigan, Red Grouse and Snow Bunting.A stop at the Ness Islands in Inverness ismade for Goosander, Dipper and GreyWagtail.

Day 4: A change of scenery today as wehead to Caithness and visit Noss Head andDunnet Bay, two migration hot-spots. AtNoss Head, bushes and shrubs around thelighthouse are attractive to Ring Ouzel,Whinchat, Common Stonechat, Blackcap,Common Whitethroat, Willow Warbler andPied and Spotted Flycatchers. Rarermigrants regularly appear includingWryneck, Bluethroat, Red-breastedFlycatcher and, perhaps, Yellow-browedWarbler. Dunnet Bay is further west, attract-

Autumn in the Highlands

Saturday September 19th -Saturday September 26th 2020Leader: Mark FinnGroup size: 8 Birds: 120-140

Dates

Autumn birding in the Highlands of Scotland is an exciting and rewardingexperience. Our base on the Black Isle gives easy and quick access to the majorbirdwatching areas of Northern Scotland and Speyside. During your week, we visitthe Cairngorm Mountains in search of Rock Ptarmigan and Snow Bunting. It isalso an optimum time to visit Caledonian pine forests for Capercaillie and partiesof Crested Tits. Other specialities which are easier to see in September includeBlack Grouse, Scottish and Parrot Crossbills and the first winter thrushes of theautumn. On the Moray Firth and North Sea coasts, the main arrival of geese andducks starts along with good seabird passage in north/south easterly winds. If theformer are blowing we expect Sooty Shearwaters, Great and Arctic Skuas andpossibly rarer species in Pomarine Skua and Sabine’s Gulls. Coastal scrub andbushes along the east coast often lure migrants at this time of the year.■ This tour can be combined with the Western Isles on page 28.



ing gulls which have includedMediterranean, Sabine’s and Bonaparte’s inrecent years. Within the bay we may see thefirst returning Common Scoters and Long-tailed Ducks. St John’s Loch is a privatelyrun nature reserve attracting wildfowl andterns. On our return south, we visit Emboand Loch Fleet for waders and wildfowl.

Day 5: Corrimony is our first stop today, aremote reserve of woodland and moors.Our main interest is in locating BlackGrouse, which finds a stronghold here.Near Dingwall we visit a private estate forCapercaillie and other woodland birdsincluding Common and Scottish Crossbillsand Lesser Redpoll. On our return to theBlack Isle, a river complex may have RedKite, Osprey and migrant shorebirds.Depending on tides, a visit to Udale Bay isplanned where shorebirds occur includingBar-tailed Godwit, Common Knot andDunlin. Pink-footed Geese, EurasianWigeon and Eurasian Teal numbersincrease in September and attract huntingPeregrine Falcons.

Day 6: Today we travel to the coastaltowns of Lossiemouth and Burghead inMoray. Burghead Bay probably holds thelargest concentration of seaducks inBritain. October sees good numbers ofLong-tailed Ducks arriving to join Commonand Velvet Scoters and, in recent years,Surf Scoters. Along the shore Arctic andSandwich Terns may be present. The rockyforeshore at Burghead often has PurpleSandpiper. Lossimouth is reliable for gulls,terns and waders including Little Stint,Curlew Sandpiper and Greenshank. LochSpynie, nearby, has waterbirds and migrantpasserines and the possibility of CommonOtters.

Day 7: We travel to Easter Ross and visitPortmahomack for Purple Sandpiper andRuddy Turnstone. Tarbatness is close by,an important migration point. From thepoint we should see Red and Black-throat-ed Divers, Red-breasted Merganser,Common Eider, Common Scoter and Long-tailed Duck. Stubble fields regularly attractWhooper Swans, migrant geese, PeregrineFalcon and Merlin. If winds are from aneasterly direction, Sooty Shearwater,Great, Arctic and Pomarine Skuas andlarge numbers of auks occur. We end theday at Nigg Bay for Black and Bar-tailedGodwits, Common Knot and other wildfowland waders.

Day 8: Depending on flight and traveltimes, a visit to the Black Isle Forest isplanned for woodland birds includingCommon and Scottish Crossbills, CrestedTit and Lesser Redpoll.

Tour Price: £975Deposit: £150

This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,complimentary pre-dinner drinks andwine at Cygnus House,complimentary transport and anyboat fees.

Not included: insurance and itemsof a personal nature. Entry intoRSPB reserves, if you are a non-member. Drinks purchased in hotelsaway from Cygnus House.

Prices

BohemianWaxwings

Photo: Jo Finn


Day 1: Arrive at Cygnus House situated onthe eastern half of the Black Isle, overlook-ing the RSPB Reserve of Udale Bay, for afour-night stay. Feeders in our garden arewell stocked, attracting Eurasian TreeSparrow, Eurasian Siskin, Brambling andother common garden birds. The lower gar-den regularly has Eurasian Sparrowhawk,Common Buzzard, Yellowhammer andReed Bunting. Further inland, on the exten-sive farmland of the Black Isle, we shouldencounter Red Kite. As dusk falls, we havean excellent chance of observing huntingBarn Owl. Mammals at Cygnus Houseinclude Pine Marten and Badger, both ofwhich occur on a regular basis.

Day 2: Udale Bay is situated in theCromarty Firth, which is literally on ourdoorstep, an exceptional area for birds. Thedeeper water sections have Red-throatedDiver, Slavonian Grebe, Red-breastedMerganser, Greater Scaup and BlackGuillemot. The new reserve at Nigg Bayattracts thousands of geese and shorebirdsincluding Eurasian Oystercatcher, EurasianCurlew, Common Knot, Dunlin and Bar-tailed Godwit. Tarbatness is a long spit ofland jutting into the North Sea. Fieldsattract geese, swans, finches and buntingsand predatory Peregrine Falcon andMerlin. Off the coast, we should see divers,

seaducks, auks and gulls. Loch Eye, on ourreturn journey, is an important roosting sitefor Greylag and Pink-footed Geese andWhooper Swan.

Day 3: This morning we travel southwardsinto Speyside and Abernethy Forest.Species of interest include Common,Scottish and Parrot Crossbills, Crested andCoal Tits. With luck, we may encounter therare and declining Capercaillie along foresttrails. Later in the day, we head towards theCairngorm Mountains where we have achance of locating Red Grouse, RockPtarmigan and parties of Snow Buntings atlow levels. Early migrants including RingOuzel and Northern Wheatear oftenappear around the lower car park.

Day 4: Early morning visit to Corrimony forlekking Black Grouse followed by visits toGruinard Bay and Little Loch Broom inWester Ross. Travelling through the coun-

Late Winter birds of theHighlands and Aberdeenshire

Saturday March 28th – SaturdayApril 4th 2020Leader: Mark FinnGroup Size: 7 Birds: 120-135

Dates

The wild and dramatic scenery of the Scottish Highlands and the adjacent NorthSea and Atlantic Ocean coasts offer some of the finest winter birding in Britain.You are visiting at the optimum time for concentrations of divers, sea ducks,geese and other wildfowl along the coast and inland lochs. In the forests andglens we have a chance of observing Capercaillie, Black Grouse and birds of prey.On beaches and exposed headlands we can expect flocks of waders, finches andbuntings. Aberdeenshire is one of the largest counties of Scotland, situated in thenorth-east of the country. It has an extremely long coastline bordering the NorthSea, and several headlands which attract migrants. Your tour takes in some ofScotland’s most important bird areas including Loch of Strathbeg, Rattray Headand the Ythan Estuary. In recent years, Aberdeenshire has built up a reputation forrare migrants with Snow Goose, Buff-breasted and Pectoral Sandpipers and Red-breasted Flycatchers being recorded.■ Travel arrangements should be into Inverness and out of Aberdeen.

Scotland


Scotland

tryside, we pass fast-flowing rivers and dra-matic mountain ranges to reach the heavi-ly indented coastline of Wester Ross. Anisland in Gruinard Bay may have White-tailed Eagles. We have excellent chancesof locating Red-throated, Black-throatedand Great Northern Divers. Other speciespresent include Barnacle Goose, CommonEider, Golden Eagle, Common Guillemotand Razorbill. Passerines are few but mayinclude Lesser Redpoll and Twite.

Day 5: Today we head south-east towardsAberdeen via the coastal town of Portsoy -a reliable staging post for White-billedDivers. Girdle Ness, an exposed promonto-ry jutting into the North Sea, attracts GreatNorthern Diver, Great Skua and possiblyreturning Sandwich Terns. As we headnorth, we stop at the River Don for waderswith Ruff and Black-tailed Godwits beingpossible in late March. Travel to Peterheadfor a three-night stay.

Day 6: Rattray Head has a good reputa-tion for migrants among the nettles anddocks. Regular migrants include Redwing,Fieldfare, Common Chiffchaff andGoldcrest while the beach attracts SnowBuntings, and on occasions Horned Lark.Loch of Strathbeg is nearby, one of the pre-mier RSPB Reserves in Scotland for wild-fowl and waders. We should see WhooperSwan, ducks, Pink-footed and GreylagGeese plus Barnacle and GreenlandWhite-fronted Geese and occasional Snowand Pale-bellied Brent Geese. Marshesand scrub lure hunting Short-eared Owl,Merlin and Peregrine Falcon. Recent rari-ties have included Garganey, EurasianSpoonbill, Great Egret, Little Gull, Green-winged Teal and Common Crane.

Day 7: Today we visit the Ythan Estuaryand Sands of Forvie, an interesting tidalarea of mud flats, beaches, sand dunesand moor. Ythan is an important stagingpoint for ducks including CommonGoldeneye and Long-tailed Duck and inrecent years King Eiders. The commonerwaders occur in roosts along the river.Offshore waters have Red-throated Diver,Greater Scaup and Common and VelvetScoters. In the afternoon a visit to Haddo

Country Park, with its woodland and wet-lands, is planned. The former has GreatSpotted Woodpecker and variable numbersof Brambling and Eurasian Siskins. If timepermits, we revisit Loch of Strathbeg for thespectacle of roosting geese and swans.

Day 8: Return to Aberdeen visiting BlackDog en route. Extensive sandy beachesborder the North Sea. Offshore we shouldfind Common Eider, Common, Velvet andoccasional Surf Scoters. Transfer toAberdeen airport for early afternoon con-nections to the rest of Britain.

Tour Price: £1,395Deposit: £150

This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,complimentary drinks at CygnusHouse, complimentary transport andany boat fees.

Not included: insurance and itemsof a personal nature. Drinks in hotelsat Peterhead. Entry into RSPBreserves if you are not a member.

Prices

Purple Sandpiper Photo: Anders Mæland


Day 1: This morning we head north alongthe A9 towards Thurso, the largest town inCaithness. We have an afternoon ferry toOrkney with a good selection of seabirds:Northern Gannet, Manx Shearwater, fourspecies of auks and the possibility ofmigrant Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas ifthe winds are favourable. On arrival inStromness we transfer to Kirkwall the maintown of the islands for a four-night stay.

Day 2: Today we start our exploration ofMainland with a visit to the old red sand-stone cliffs of Marwick Head. During Maythe cliffs are home to Black-leggedKittiwake, Common Guillemot, Razorbill,Rock Dove and Northern Raven. TheLoons RSPB Reserve is close by wherebreeding ducks include Northern Pintail,Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler. Alsopresent in the marsh are Arctic Tern,Common Redshank and displayingCommon Snipe. In the afternoon a visit toBirsay Moors, which is an important areafor Hen Harrier, Merlin, Short-eared Owland Red-throated Divers.

Day 3: Today we visit the island of Hoywhich is fairly mountainous in nature andholds little in the way of human population.Our interest is in the moorland birds whichcome to breed in the northern part of theisland and includes substantial numbers ofGreat and Arctic Skuas. Other speciesinclude Golden Plover, Dunlin, EurasianCurlew, Common Stonechat and Twite. Avisit to the towering cliffs of St John’s Headis productive for auks including AtlanticPuffin, Peregrine Falcon and rarely White-tailed Eagles.

Day 4: A check of Kirkwall Harbour for anylingering Iceland and Glaucous Gullsbefore heading into East Mainland. DeerSound is an important area holding GreatNorthern Diver and seaducks during mid-May. On the foreshore we should findmigrant waders including Sanderling andRuddy Turnstone. Our journey continuessouth to South Ronaldsay and Burraywhich is linked by the famous ChurchillBarriers. This is a good area for lingeringBlack-throated Diver and Slavonian Grebe.If the winds have been southerly or easter-ly in nature migrants may be located. Inrecent years this has included CommonCrane, Woodchat Shrike, Bluethroat, PiedFlycatcher and Common Redstart.

Day 5: Head to Stromness for the ferryback to Scrabster. On arrival we can checkthe harbour for Common Eider, BlackGuillemot and possibly Iceland Gulls. Wefollow the coast, stopping at Dunnet Bay, aregular haunt of divers, Long-tailed Duck,Greater Scaup, Great and Arctic Skuasand Sandwich Terns. St John’s Pool is aproductive area for birds, attracting Arcticand Common Terns, Whimbrel and scarcebreeding ducks of Northern Scotlandincluding Gadwall and Northern Shoveler.Unusual species on recent visits have beenGarganey, Lesser Scaup and Ring-necked

Birding at the top end of Scotland

Monday May 11th – Sunday May17th 2020Leader: Mark FinnGroup Size: 7Birds: 120-140

Dates

This is a new tour visiting the north-easterly corner of mainland Scotland and thenearby Orkney Islands. Caithness is relatively unknown for birds but it has severalimportant sites in a small area. Just across the Pentland Firth are the OrkneyIslands with its seabird colonies and important populations of breeding species.Please note you should stay in Inverness on the nights of May 10 and 17.

Caithness and Orkney


Caithness and Orkney

Duck. Later, we travel to Broubster Leans,located in the flow country of Caithnesswhere we should encounter Hen Harrier,Short-eared Owl, European Golden Ploverand Dunlin. Transfer to Thurso for twonights.

Day 6: A change of direction today as wecross the county boundary of Caithnessinto Sutherland, a large and sparsely pop-ulated area of Britain. Our first stop is theHope Valley - a reliable area for GoldenEagle, Greenshank, Eurasian Woodcockand in some summers Redwing andBrambling. The marshy areas around LochHope often have Whooper Swan. AtDurness, the most north-westerly village inmainland Britain, migrant Bar-tailedGodwits and Sanderling are joined on thebeach by Sandwich and Arctic Terns.Slightly inland the water meadows ofBalnakeil often have lingering Barnacleand Pink-footed Geese and WhooperSwans. Rarities occur on a regular basis atDurness with Ring-necked Duck, CommonCrane, Little Stint, Western Yellow Wagtailand Red-breasted Goose in recent years.

Return to Thurso via Bettyhill where thefields often hold Whinchat and Twite.

Day 7: We check areas in and aroundThurso before making our way south toInverness. Along the way are stops at Brorawhere the estuary attracts unusual birds inspring, notably Little Gull. Loch Fleet is fur-ther south with nesting Ospreys and a wideselection of waders and wildfowl. The tourconcludes in Inverness later in the day.

Tour Price: £1,595Single room: £100Deposit: £150

This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,complimentary transport and anyboat fees.

Not included: Drinks, insurance anditems of a personal nature.

Prices


Pink-footed Geese Photo: Jo Finn

Day 1: This morning we travel to Argyll andBute from Edinburgh and Glasgow andalong the shore of the spectacular LochLomond. Our journey takes us throughincreasingly spectacular scenery toLochgilphead and eventually to the ferryterminus at Kennacraig. The ferry crossingoffers us Great Northern, Red-throated andBlack-throated Divers, Northern Gannet,Common Guillemot and Razorbill. Onarrival at Port Askaig or Port Ellen, wemake the journey to our accommodation atBridgend, which is ideally situated forexploring the island and views towardsLoch Indaal.

Days 2-4: Islay has many places in whichto observe birds in a wide variety of habitat.Loch Gruinart, situated at the head of a sealoch amidst low lying hills and moorland, isfamous for Greenland White-fronted andBarnacle Geese. Careful scanning of thegoose flocks may reveal annual but rarevisitors in Cackling and Snow Geese fromGreenland and Canada. With thousands ofgeese present their presence attracts goodnumbers of raptors including: PeregrineFalcon, Merlin, Hen Harrier and, on occa-sions, Golden Eagle. The reserve hasareas which flood, attracting wildfowl andwaders which usually include flocks ofNorthern Lapwing, European GoldenPlover, Eurasian Curlew and on occasionswintering Ruff and Greenshank. LochGruinart is blessed with a well-placed hidewhere we watch hundreds of winteringducks including scarcer species such asGadwall, Northern Shoveler and NorthernPintail. The drier islands attract wintering

Common Snipe and the uncommon WaterRail. The surrounding dykes and damperareas attract Barn Owl and EurasianWoodcock at dusk, along with the specta-cle of geese coming in to roost.

Ardnave Point, a remote peninsula, jutsout towards Colonsay. The loch often hasWhooper Swans, Common Goldeneye,Tufted Duck and, occasionally, vagrantGreen-winged Teal and Ring-necked Duck.The machair at Ardnave has Red-billedChough and Twite and Snow Buntingsalong the sandy shoreline.

Loch Indaal, a large sea loch with mudflats, beaches, rocky promontories andseveral piers, almost severs Islay in two.Greater Scaup are numerous along withsmaller numbers of Great Northern, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers,Slavonian Grebe, Common Scoter, Long-tailed Duck and Common Goldeneye.Rocky beaches and mud flats attractPurple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Bar-tailedGodwit, and Common Knot. The mud atBridgend is one of the best areas forwaders and we may locate uncommonbirds for Islay including Pink-footed Goose,Pale-bellied Brent Goose, Red-breastedMerganser, Grey Plover and in some win-ters the Icelandic race of Black-tailed

New Year in the Inner Hebrides

Wednesday December 30th 2020 -Monday January 4th 2021Leader: Mark FinnGroup size: 8Birds: 90-115

Dates

The island of Islay is located in the large and spectacular region of Argyll andBute. Islay is one of the largest islands in the Inner Hebrides chain and is literallyjust north-west of Ireland. The mild climate attracts thousands of wintering geese,mainly Barnacle, and the distinctive race of White-fronted Goose on the fields andmoors. Islay is almost split into two by the large sea loch of Loch Indaal. This inturn is an important wintering area for divers, grebes, seaducks and waders,which find a mild climate to spend the winter in.

Islay



Islay

Godwit. Near Bridgend the fast-flowingrivers attract Grey Wagtail and occasional-ly White-throated Dipper. A large freshwa-ter loch often holds Little Grebe and thecommoner ducks.

Woodland on Islay is generally stuntedand old, attracting Blue, Great and Long-tailed Tits, Eurasian Treecreeper andGoldcrest. In the open fields Fieldfare,Redwing, Mistle and Song Thrushes formlarge flocks before making the short migra-tion across to Ireland.

In the south of Islay we visit the harbourat Port Ellen, which is sheltered from theworst of the elements. This is a reliablearea for wintering Glaucous and IcelandGulls although their numbers vary fromyear to year. The maltings around the coastattract Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer.

The Mull of Oa is close by, a RSPBreserve with important populations ofGolden Eagle and Red-billed Chough andin recent years the huge White-tailedEagle.

Islay does have a good track record for rar-ities and we will look for these if they turnup during our stay.

Day 5: Today we take the morning ferryback to the mainland at Kennacraig andtravel to Glasgow and Edinburgh where thetour concludes late afternoon.

Tour Price: £1,695Deposit: £200

This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals, ferryfares, transport and guidance.

Not included: insurance and itemsof a personal nature. Entry intoRSPB reserves if you are a non-member.

Prices

Greater Scaup Photo: Jo Finn


Days 1-2: After leaving Inverness, wepass through Skye and on to the port ofUig. On arrival, we transfer to Balranald sit-uated on the north-west coast of NorthUist. The area is made up of crofts usingtraditional farming methods, thus ensuringa healthy population of Corncrakes fromlate April and resident Corn Buntings.Lochs and marshes have Whooper Swan,Eurasian Teal, Gadwall and Tufted Duck.Nesting waders comprise NorthernLapwing, Common Redshank, RingedPlover and Dunlin. Aird an Runair, close by,is an excellent sea-watching point particu-larly in spring when, in favourable weatherconditions, Northern Fulmar, ManxShearwater, European Storm and Leach’sStorm Petrels and Pomarine Skuas passoffshore. Eurasian Dotterels are occasion-ally seen resting on the machair.Benbecula is situated between the twolarger islands. From the coast road weshould see a variety of species includingRed-necked Phalarope, Common Eider,Long-tailed Duck and, in May, Common,Arctic and Little Terns along with harassingArctic Skuas. Three nights on Benbecula

Day 3: Loch Druidibeg is our destination, arather harsh landscape of shallow lagoons,marshes, and machair and dune systems.On the lagoons we should find Black-throated Diver, Whooper Swan, GreylagGeese and a wide range of ducks. On sur-rounding moors we have a chance of find-ing Golden Eagle, Merlin, Short-eared Owland Hen Harrier. Agricultural land aroundthe loch may have Common Redpoll, Twiteand Corn Bunting. In the afternoon, a visitto an indented sea loch with patches ofwoodland is planned. We have excellentchances of Golden and White-tailed Eaglesand a range of passerines including WillowWarbler and endemic subspecies ofDunnock and Wren. Nearby, on the AtlanticOcean coast, sheltered bays and beacheswith seaweed attract Pale-bellied Brent

Springtime on the islands

Sunday May 3rd – Sunday May10th 2020Leader: Mark FinnGroup Size: 8 Birds: 120-140

Dates

The islands of Mull and Tiree are situated off the western coast of Scotland inArgyll and Bute. We also visit the rugged and remote Ardnamurchan Peninsula.Tiree is the most westerly of the islands with habitats ranging from machair to lowwet moorlands. The island has significant numbers of nesting ducks, terns andshorebirds and Corncrakes, which can number over 300 calling males. Mull is alarge mountainous island dominated by rugged peaks and indented coastal lochswith White-tailed and Golden Eagles in high densities. The sea crossing betweenOban and Tiree is exceptional for seabirds and cetaceans. The Outer Hebrides,straddling the western coast of Scotland, is an area of outstanding natural beauty.This tour visits the remote islands of Barra, South Uist and Benbecula. Habitatranges from the wind-lashed west coast to upland moors and bogs and, on theeastern seaboard, indented sea lochs. In recent years, the islands have built up areputation for rare and unusual species. Extensive coverage of the islands hasalso revealed a rich vein of migrants and vagrants. On recent tours we have foundour clients White-billed Diver, Surf Scoter, Laughing and Bonaparte’s Gulls, Greyand Red-necked Phalaropes, Snowy Owl, Long-tailed and Pomarine Skuas, Black-billed Cuckoo and Red-rumped Swallow.■ This tour starts and finishes in Inverness, which has good flight connectionswith the rest of Britain. Clients should book accommodation in Inverness on thenights of May 2 and 10.■ This tour can be combined with the Scottish Highlands on page 12.

Mull, Tiree and the Uists


Geese and lingering Glaucous and IcelandGulls, while shorebirds gather in huge con-centrations.

Day 4: Morning ferry from Eriksay boundfor Barra, the southernmost island of theWestern Isles. The waters around Barrahave recently been mooted as a potentialmarine reserve as they hold good numbersof Great Northern Diver, Razorbill,Common and Black Guillemots and otherseabirds. Eoligarry is a good spot forGolden Eagle and the adjacent seas usual-ly hold Black-throated and Red-throatedDivers. Barra has a few small reedbedswhich attract Sand Martin, Sedge Warblerand, on occasions, Whinchat. Any standsof mature trees are worth checking onBarra as they often have migrants. Later inthe afternoon, we make the ferry crossingto Tiree our base for two nights.

Day 5: We start our initial exploration ofTiree with a visit to Loch a’Phuill, a large,shallow lagoon bordered by farmland andflower meadows. Loch a’Phuill often hasCommon Tern, Water Rail, EurasianWigeon, Common Teal, Tufted Duck andrarer breeding species in Northern

Shoveler and Northern Pintail, whilstWhooper Swans occasionally over-sum-mer. On our return to Scarinish, a stop atThe Reef is productive for flocks of north-bound European Golden Plovers andprospecting Arctic Terns. Balephetrish Bayhas Great Northern Diver, Arctic and LittleTerns, Sanderling, Ringed Plover andRuddy Turnstone. Farmland is an importantfactor on Tiree for nesting Common Snipe,Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, CommonRedshank, Rock Dove, Eurasian Skylark,Raven, Hooded Crow, Twite, Reed Buntingand substantial numbers of Corncrakes.Tiree holds around 300 pairs of this rareand declining species and we have excel-lent opportunities to locate one giving itsdistinctive ’crex-crex’ calls during daytime.

Day 6: From Tiree we board a morningferry bound for Oban, our base for the nexttwo nights. Sea birds from the ferry includeNorthern Gannet, Manx Shearwater,European Storm-petrel, Great, Arctic,Pomarine and, occasionally, Long-tailedSkuas, Common Guillemot, Razorbill andAtlantic Puffin. Cetaceans are oftenobserved and Atlantic White-sided Dolphin,Harbour Porpoise, Minke Whale and the


Atlantic Puffins Photo: Jo Finn

huge Basking Shark are all possible. FromOban we head south to Loch Nell, anenclosed freshwater loch surrounded bywoodland. On the loch, Little Grebes andMute Swans are present with the nearbywoodlands alive with the songs of WillowWarbler, Common Whitethroat, Blackcapand, sometimes, Pied Flycatchers. GlenLoran is nearby, a site for Whinchat, GreyWagtail and the highly localised GardenWarbler.

Day 7: Oban is the departure point for Mulland we make a day trip to the island.Reaching Mull, we head to Lochdon, asmall shallow sea loch. Common and ArcticTerns fish on the loch edge while residentspecies include Red-breasted Merganserand Common Eider. White-tailed Eagle andCommon Buzzard are frequently seenhunting overhead or sitting in large trees.Passage waders occurring in Lochdon usu-ally include Grey Plover, Sanderling, Knot,Bar and Black-tailed Godwits, GreenSandpiper and Ruff. Glen More is a long,wide, open valley flanked by mountainsand patches of conifer plantations. GlenMore is an important area for birds on Mulland an optimum site for upland species.Careful scrutiny may reveal Golden Eagle,Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl and Raven.Lower down in the valley, Eurasian Curlew,Common Cuckoo, Whinchat, CommonStonechat, Wood Warbler and NorthernWheatear breed. Before returning toCraignure, we visit the capital of Mull -Tobermory. This picturesque town is hometo Dipper and, on occasions, white-wingedgulls. Return to Oban for the night.

Day 8: We leave Oban and head north tothe remote and rugged Ardnamurchanpeninsula. Our main interest isGlenborrowdale, an oak wood with standsof pines and adjacent moors. Typical wood-land species include Common Redstart,Wood Warbler and Spotted Flycatcher. Onthe moors, we may find Golden Eagle, HenHarrier, European Golden Plover, RingOuzel and Whinchat. We return toInverness in the late afternoon where thetour concludes.

Ground Price: £1,995Single room: £150Deposit: £200

This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals, ferryfares, complimentary transport andguidance.

Not included: insurance and itemsof a personal nature. Entry intoRSPB reserves if you are a non-member.

Prices

Great Skua Photo: Jo Finn



Shetland

Days 1-4: Our base is at SumburghHead, which is ideally situated for visitingthe southern half of Mainland Shetland.The hotel gardens often have migrantsand is a rarity hotspot itself. Our preciseplan is dependent on the prevailing weath-er conditions and news of recent arrivals.We visit a number of sites in the southernpart of Shetland mainland. SumburghHead and Grutness are well known formigrants which may include SiberianStonechat, wheatears, Marsh Warbler,Richard’s Pipit, Red-backed Shrike andEurasian Wryneck. Open ground andstone walls are important for tiredmigrants and we search these for anythingof interest, especially warblers, thrushesand flycatchers.

Pool of Virkie attracts waders withBlack-tailed Godwit and Curlew Sandpiperbeing regular visitors and occasional rari-ties including Killdeer. Nearby gardenslure migrants which have included

Western Bonelli’s Warbler. Virkie willowsare a reliable spot for Yellow-browedWarbler, a regular autumn migrant on theislands. They are often joined by annualmigrants in the form of Barred and IcterineWarblers, Red-backed Shrike andCommon Rosefinch. Rarer species notedin recent years include Lanceolated andArctic Warblers, Red-flanked Bluetail andGreat Snipe. Quendale Mill with its habitatof damp vegetation can sometimes begood for warblers with recent records ofRiver and Syke’s.

Places such as Scatness, Exnaboe andToab are locations likely to be on theagenda for interesting migrants. Many ofthe species associated with Fair Isle arepossible, and mouth-watering raritiesoften appear at these locations during theautumn. Rarer species seen in this areahave included Pallid Harrier, Buff-breastedSandpiper and Citrine Wagtail. Loch ofSpiggie attracts wildfowl includingCommon Goldeneye, Eurasian Wigeon,Whooper Swan, Greylag Geese and in2018 Pied-billed Grebe and Lesser Scaup.

Autumn migration in the Northern Isles

Saturday October 3rd – SaturdayOctober 10th 2020Leader: Simon MacLaughlinGroup Size: 8Birds: 100-120

Dates

The remote Shetland Islands are closer to Scandinavia than the Scottish mainlandand are approximately 90 miles in length. The islands have in recent years seen asurge in birders seeking to find their own rarities in a stark but beautifullandscape at the very northern tip of the British Isles. The list of rarities found inrecent autumn tours is impressive with many species from the east which makelandfall on migration. If the winds are of a westerly direction there is the prospectof species from North America. We have two bases on Shetland giving us goodaccess to all the birding sites.■ The following itinerary is only a guide and it is likely diversions to see rare birdswill be made.■ Please note it is advisable to arrive in Shetland on October 2nd.

Radde’s Warbler Photo: Neil Norvock


We also explore other locations furthernorth on the mainland with the plantationsof Kergord, Vidlin and Voe having morecover than much of Shetland and henceoften encourage tired migrants to linger alittle longer. Recent visits have producedLong-eared Owl, Brambling and Red-breasted Flycatcher. The numerous mus-sel farms attract Slavonian Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Red-breasted Merganser,Common Eider and more recently SurfScoter and King Eider.

Days 5-7: These three days have beenset aside to explore the extreme north ofShetland with visits to the islands of Fetlar,Yell and Unst. Our base is at Saxa Vord. Allof the islands have easy access via ferryservices and their remoteness and birdingpotential is huge. Unst is the most norther-ly of the islands and we concentrate on thesycamore plantations and gardens atNorwick, Uyeasound and Baltasound.Recent visits have produced sightings ofLesser Whitethroat, Eastern Yellow andCitrine Wagtails, Blyth’s Reed Warbler andBarred Warbler. There is always some-thing unexpected with the possibility ofSnowy Owl or a vagrant wader from NorthAmerica. Yell is the second largest of theislands with Yell Sound being important forpassage and wintering birds includingCommon Eider and Long-tailed Duck.

Fetlar is a small and compact island wherea search of gardens and crofts may beproductive for migrants. Recent sightingshave included Olive-backed Pipit andGreenish Warbler. It is also possible tohave falls of Redwing, Fieldfare and, morerarely, Ring Ouzel during our visit.

Day 8: Travel back south to Lerwick withbirding stops en route. The tour concludesafter lunch in order to catch connectingflights back to mainland UK.


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,complimentary transport, permit fees,guidance, tips and taxes.

Not included: travel to and fromShetland, accommodation inShetland on October 2nd, drinks,insurance, and items of a personalnature.

* Please refer to our terms andconditions relating to flights.

Prices

Common Eiders Photo: Jo Finn

Shetland


Day 1: Morning departure from Inverness,passing over Skye to Uig for a ferry cross-ing to Lochmaddy on North Uist. En route,a short stop at Broadford Bay on Skyewhich is one of the few areas with exten-sive areas of mud and grass islands.Waders may be numerous and we will beon the lookout for rare migrants which inrecent years have included Little Stint andCurlew Sandpiper. The bay is also a regu-lar stopping off point for Pale-bellied BrentGeese and overhead skeins of Pink-footedGeese heading east and south. As ourjourney passes through the mountains, it ispossible to have views of eagles and otherraptors. On arrival in North Uist, we checkVallay Strand, a huge inter-tidal area, forwaders and wildfowl and the possibility ofAmerican vagrants. Transfer to our base onBenbecula for four nights.

Days 2-3: The Uists have a range of habi-tat from shallow lagoons, marshes,machair and dune systems to the open seaand sandy beaches. Our main interest is inlocating migrants from Europe and NorthAmerica. In recent years The Range andnearby Loch Bee have hosted Pectoral,

Buff-breasted and White-rumpedSandpipers and Grey and Wilson’sPhalaropes. On lochs and sheltered seabays, we may find Great Northern, Red-throated and Black-throated Divers and awide range of ducks including Long-tailedDuck, Greater Scaup and CommonGoldeneye. The return passage of waderscomprises Purple Sandpiper, CommonKnot, Dunlin, Sanderling and RuddyTurnstone. On surrounding moors and highpeaks, we have a chance of finding White-tailed and Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon,Merlin, Short-eared Owl and Hen Harrier.Agricultural land holds Twite, Snow Buntingand, sometimes, Lapland Buntings. RubhaArdvule is a noted seawatching point inwesterly winds, providing close views ofseabirds including Leach’s Storm Petrel

Western Isles

Autumn migrants on the edge of Europe

Sunday September 27th –Saturday October 3rd 2020Leaders: Mark Finn Group Size: 8 Birds: 100-120

Dates

The Outer Hebrides, straddling the western coast of Scotland, is an area ofoutstanding natural beauty. This tour visits Lewis and Harris in the north and thesouthern islands of North and South Uist and Benbecula. Habitat ranges from thewind-lashed west coast to upland moors and bogs and, on the eastern seaboard,indented sea lochs. In recent years, the islands have built up a reputation for rareand unusual species. Extensive coverage of the islands has also revealed a richvein of migrants and vagrants from North America. Anything can and does turn upon these remote islands of Scotland. On recent tours we have found our clientsWhite-billed Divers, Surf Scoter, Laughing and Bonaparte’s Gulls, Grey and Red-necked Phalaropes, Snowy Owl, Long-tailed and Pomarine Skuas and Red-rumpedSwallow. If wind conditions are favourable, you can expect close views of Leach’sStorm-petrel, Sabine’s Gull and rare waterbirds from North America; LesserYellowlegs, Pectoral and Buff-breasted Sandpipers, American Coot, Lesser Scaupand Ring-necked Duck have been seen regularly in recent years.■ This tour starts and finishes in Inverness which has good flight connectionswith the rest of Britain. Clients should book accommodation in Inverness on thenights of September 26th and October 3rd.■ This tour can be combined with our Scottish Highlands autumn tour on page 15.


and, on occasions, Sooty Shearwater andSabine’s Gulls. Various lochs may haveWhooper Swan and wildfowl includingAmerican Wigeon and Ring-necked Duckin recent autumns. Stands of bushes mayharbour migrants and occasional rarities.Loch Aynort has mature trees, a rare habi-tat on the lower islands. Careful searchingin the right weather conditions may revealthe presence of Spotted and PiedFlycatchers, Willow Warbler, Blackcap,Goldcrest, Common Redpoll, CommonCrossbill and the local races of Dunnockand Eurasian Wren.

Day 4: Today a day trip is planned to theisland of Barra, which is the most southernof the Western Isles. In recent years theisland has built up a reputation for attract-ing rare birds from North America and Asia.Any patch of bushes or trees are worthchecking for regular migrants includingYellow-browed Warbler, Pied and Red-breasted Flycatchers and, perhaps, theirregular Ring Ouzel. In addition to thesespecies, Barra holds reasonable numbersof Golden and White-tailed Eagles whilstthe sheltered bays attract divers and sead-ucks.

Day 5: Travel to North Uist and cross the

Sound of Harris into Lewis and Harris. Ourmain destination is the Butt of Lewis and itsadjacent fields, lochs and scrub. Seabirdswe may encounter from the ’Butt’ includeManx and Sooty Shearwaters, Europeanand Leach’s Storm Petrels, Sabine’s Gull,Great and Arctic Skuas and, possibly,Cory’s and Great Shearwaters. Nearbyfields sometimes attract vagrants including,in recent years, American Golden Plover,Pectoral and Buff-breasted Sandpipers andRuff among the hundreds of EuropeanGolden Plovers. Passerines are few butmay include migrant Snow and LaplandBuntings. The harbour at Stornowayattracts gulls and the possibility ofGlaucous and Iceland Gulls. To the north ofthe town a small freshwater reservoirattracts Long-tailed Ducks whilst offshorewe have good chances of finding skuasand other seabirds in onshore winds.Transfer to Stornoway for two nights.

Day 6: This morning we check the groundsof Stornoway Castle for any recentlyarrived migrants. We spend the remainderof the day exploring sites along theexposed western shore of Lewis. Raremigrants are always possible; in recentyears these have included Barred Warbler,Citrine Wagtail, Isabelline Shrike andEurasian Wryneck. If the wind is blowingonshore, we have further opportunities towatch south-bound seabirds from the Buttof Lewis.

Day 7: Morning ferry to Ullapool, sea-watching en route. Transfer to Invernesswhere the tour concludes later in the day.

Western Isles


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,guidance, tips and taxes, transportand ferry fares.

Not included: insurance, drinks anditems of a personal nature.

Prices

Ruddy Turnstone Photo: Jo Finn


Day 1: Fly to Addis Ababa, with arrivalearly the next day. Transfer to the centre ofthe city for a night’s stay.

Day 2: Today we head to Debre Birhan,travelling through farmland attractingEgyptian Vulture, Tawny and SteppeEagles, Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers,Thick-billed and Fan-tailed Ravens andflocks of wintering Red-throated Pipits. Onarrival at Debre Birhan, we explore theroad to Ankober. On lower fields we canexpect Streaky Serin and Ortolan Buntings.The road climbs steeply through woodland,fields and traditional villages. Overhead we

may locate Lammergeier and MountainBuzzard plus flocks of Alpine and ScarceSwifts. Our main interest is finding AnkoberSerin, a scarce Ethiopian endemic. Night atDebre Birhan.

Day 3: A visit to the Jemma Valley whichholds Harwood’s Francolin, a rareEthiopian endemic. The cliffs and boulder-strewn slopes of the Jemma Valley mayhave White-billed Starlings, StonePartridge and the extremely rareSalvadori’s Serin. In gorges with smallbushes, we hope to locate Foxy Cisticola,Speckle-fronted Weaver and Black-throat-ed Firefinches. The monastery of DebreLibanos is adjacent to mature woodlandholding Banded Barbet, African LemonDove and White-cheeked Turaco. Nearby, agorge attracts White-winged and MockingCliffchats, Ruppell’s Chat and, in scrubbyareas, Erckel’s Francolin. On our return toAddis Ababa, we explore the Suluta Plain,an important habitat for Blue-wingedGoose, Wattled Ibis and Spot-breastedLapwing.

Ethiopia

Birds and wildlife of the Rift Valley

* Friday March 6th – Friday March20th 2020Leaders: Mark Finn and local guidesGroup Size: 8 Birds: 390-450

* This tour may depart one day earli-er/later due to flight schedules fromthe UK.

Dates

Ethiopia is located in north-eastern Africa, a mountainous country with the GreatRift Valley being a prominent feature. Our tour covers the migration period whenbird activity and migration is at its peak. A highlight of Ethiopia is the remote andbeautiful Bale Mountains National Park, home to Ethiopian Wolf. This tour toEthiopia promises outstanding birding and sightings of rare mammals in theEthiopian Highlands.■ Please note the itinerary below is sometimes subject to change.

Rouget’s Rail Photo: Jo Finn


Day 4: Today we join the Dijbouti road andvisit the seasonal crater lakes aroundDebre Zeyit. Chelekleka is an importantarea for Greater and Lesser Flamingos,passage ducks and shorebirds. Hora Lakeis nearby where we may find Black-wingedLovebird, White-breasted White-eye, Grey-headed Batis and African Yellow Warbler.Transfer to Awash National Park and visitthe acacia scrub and riverside camp-grounds. The former has White-headedBuffalo Weaver and Nile Valley Sunbird.Along the river, we can expect Bruce’sGreen Pigeon, Nubian and BeardedWoodpeckers and Sulphur-breastedBushshrikes. As dusk starts to fall, weshould find Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse,Arabian, Kori, Black-bellied and Buff-crest-ed Bustards and, on occasions, the rareHartlaub’s Bustard. Two-night stay atAwash Station.

Day 5: Today we join the Kudu Loop trackrunning through acacia trees and past iso-lated villages. Typical birds of the areainclude Red-bellied Parrot, Gillet’s Lark,Ashy Cisticola and Somali Fiscal. The

Fantalle Mountains dominate the land-scape, a semi-dormant volcano resulting ina habitat of lava-flows and deep fissures.Interesting birds in this unique habitatinclude Sombre Chat, Blackstart, Yellow-throated Serin and Bristle-crownedStarling. Later in the day, we travel throughthe Sababer Plains where we should findBlack-headed Lapwing, Superb Starling,Cyprus Pied, Pied and IsabellineWheatears and Striped Kingfisher.

Day 6: After breakfast, we make the jour-ney to Sodore where the River Awash isbordered by mature trees and gardens.Open areas have Clapperton’s Francolinand Ethiopian Sawwings. By the river,migrants include Lesser Whitethroat,Thrush Nightingale and resident Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, White-browedCoucal and Slender-billed Starlings. Laterin the day, we travel to Lake Langanowhere the grounds of the hotel are excel-lent for birds, including many migrants fromEurope and Asia. A steep escarpmentattracts Little Rock Thrush. Scrub luresBoran Cisticola, Ruppell’s and Lesser

Ethiopia

Vulturine Guineafowl Photo: Jo Finn


Ethiopia

Masked Weavers and Red-billedFirefinches.

Day 7: Bale Mountains National Park isour destination and the town of Goba. Enroute we pass through farmland used forcereal production and sheep grazing. Birdsof prey can be numerous including EasternImperial Eagle, Lanner Falcon and LesserKestrel. Grass verges attract White-col-lared Pigeons, Ethiopian Longclaw, Red-breasted Wheatear and Alpine Chats whilstscrub lures Moorland and Chestnut-napedFrancolins and Cinnamon BrackenWarblers. In the forest of Dinsho we expectto find White-backed Black Tit andAbyssinian Ground Thrush. Goba is ourbase where we have a two-night stay.

Day 8: Beyond Goba is an extensive standof juniper forest, home to AbyssinianCatbird, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher,African, Abyssinian and Bare-facedThrushes, Abyssinian Woodpecker and theendemic sub-species of Brown WoodlandWarbler. Colourful Ruppell’s Robin-chatsfrequent the roadside. In the park itself,

pools attract remnant populations of RuddyShelduck, Wattled Crane and endemicRouget’s Rail. Our main objective is to findand study Ethiopian Wolves hunting formole rats. Less than 600 of these impres-sive animals survive. Return to Goba,revisiting the forest for Tacazze andMalachite Sunbirds. Fields in and aroundGoba have Black-winged Lapwing,Erlanger’s Short-toed Lark andGroundscraper Thrushes.

Day 9: We retrace our steps towards themain road at Awassa with a visit to LakeAwassa for close views of White Pelican,Fulvous and White-faced Whistling Ducksand Grey-headed Gulls. In the more shel-tered areas of reeds we may find AfricanPygmy Goose, Lesser Moorhen and White-backed Duck. Flooded fields lure wadersand African Snipe. Transfer to AregashLodge for an overnight stay.

Day 10: Today we pass through acaciaand desert-like habitats to the remote townof Negele. Around Negele, woodland holdsthe spectacular Ruspoli’s Turaco, White-

Stresemann’s Bush Crow Photo: Jo Finn


Ethiopia

winged Collared Dove, Juba Weaver andBrown-rumped Bunting. Overnight atNegele.

Day 11: Early start to visit the Liben Plainswhich hold several interesting birds in dry,open country. The plains support Heuglin’sBustard, endemic Sidamo Larks, RufousShort-toed Lark, Tiny Cisticola and GoldenPipit. Flowering shrubs attract Hunter’sSunbird. Transfer to Yabelo for two nights.

Day 12: Yabelo is an important junctiontown in the middle of a red sandstone land-scape dotted with termite mounds and aca-cia trees. Around the hotel complex, Red-winged and White-crowned Starlings nestin old buildings. Several spectacular birdsoccur south of Yabelo, notably the charis-matic Stresemann’s Bush Crow and partiesof colourful Vulterine Guineafowl. Acaciasattract Pygmy Falcon, Grey Wren Warbler,Shelley’s, Magpie and Golden-breastedStarlings, Red and Yellow Barbet andBlack-billed Woodhoopoe. After lunch, wevisit a traditional area for White-tailedSwallows, Crested Francolin, Yellow-necked Spurfowl and African Black-headedOrioles. Birds of prey can be numerousaround Yabelo and include Lappet-facedand White-headed Vultures, Wahlberg’sEagle and migrant Lesser-spotted Eagles.

Day 13: A travelling day to the city ofAwassa, an important area for birds andwildlife. On arrival, an exploration of thegrounds may produce African SpottedCreeper, Grey and Bearded Woodpeckers,Pringle’s Puffback and Blue-headedCoucal. Overnight at Awassa.

Day 14: Morning visit to Lake Awassa andthe fish quay. The latter has Yellow-billedKite, Black Egret, Black Crake and, in sur-rounding large trees and scrub, Black-winged Lovebird, Banded Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird and Eastern Black-head-ed Oriole. Lake Awassa, although small insize, is a regular haunt of Pink-backedPelican, African Pygmy Goose, MarshHarrier and migrant ducks and warblers.After lunch, we transfer to Wondo Genetwatching the rocky hillsides for Long-billedPipit and grasslands holding Grey-backed

Fiscal, Woodchat Shrike and Plain-backedPipit. On arrival at Wondo Genet, wesearch the grounds for Dark-headedOriole, White-breasted White-eye andSilvery-cheeked Hornbills. Overnight atWondo Genet.

Day 15: Pre-breakfast walk into the forestfor Yellow-fronted Parrot, Half-collaredKingfisher, Crowned and Hemprich’sHornbills and Abyssinian Hill Babblers.Along the tracks, we may encounterMountain Wagtail, Yellow-bellied Waxbilland Eastern Olive Sunbird. Further up thetrack, we have a chance of locating NarinaTrogons. In the afternoon, we head back toAddis Ababa and the Ghion Hotel. Itsextensive gardens attract Blue-breastedBee-eater. After a farewell dinner, we trans-fer to the new airport for our flight home toEurope where arrival is early on the follow-ing day.

Ground Price: £3,995Single room: £210Deposit: £400*Air Fare: £500

This holiday is fully inclusive offlights, accommodation and meals,transport, entrance and permit fees,guidance and tips.

Not included: drinks, insurance anditems of a personal nature and anyfuel surcharges.

*Please refer to our terms andconditions relating to flights

Prices


Days 1-2: We have a flight to Kigali, thecapital of Rwanda, with arrival on Day 2.Transfer to Akagera National Park in east-ern Rwanda which is close to the borderwith Tanzania. En route we shouldencounter the commoner birds of the coun-tryside: Hamerkop, Sacred and HadadaIbis, Augur Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle,Village, Black-headed and Vieillot’s BlackWeavers. The journey passes throughlarge tracts of agricultural areas whereGrey-backed Fiscals reside whilst patchesof marsh and reeds attract Fan-tailedWidowbird and Carruther’s Cisticolas. Fournights at Akagera Lodge.

Days 3-5: Akagera National Park wasfounded in 1934 to protect animals andother wildlife using a mixed combination ofgallery forest, swamps and lakes. Almost500 bird species can be found in the park.A boat trip on Lake Ihema should reward uswith views of Rufous-bellied Heron, andpapyrus-loving Lesser and Greater SwampWarblers, Slender-billed Weaver, andSwamp Flycatcher. The lakes also offer usthe chance of Shoebill although thisspecies has become scarce here in recentyears. Other species we may see includeGoliath, Black-headed, Striated, andSquacco Herons, Little Bittern, Grey-crowned Crane, African Openbill, AfricanDarter, Black Crake, Wattled, Long-toedand Senegal Lapwings, Water Thick-knee,Blue-headed Coucal, and Giant Kingfisher.In the forests and savannah we have achance of locating Black-chested, Brown,

and Western Banded Snake Eagles, White-headed Vulture, Ross’s Turaco, Black-col-lared and Red-faced Barbets, Bennett’sWoodpecker, Bare-faced Go-away Bird,and Klaas’s, Red-chested, and BlackCuckoos. In the grasslands we search forBlack-bellied Bustard, Red-neckedFrancolin, Red-billed and occasionallyCardinal Queleas.

Day 6: Transfer to Nyungwe ForestNational Park. En route stops at papyrusswamps may produce Papyrus Gonolek,White-winged Warbler and the uncommonPapyrus Canary. In roadside marshes wesearch for another rare regional endemic -Grauer’s Swamp Warbler. Arrive atNyungwe Top View Hotel, our base for fivenights.

Days 7-10: The next few days are spentexploring the forests of Nyungwe. Withinthe reserve several well maintained trailsallow access to this extensive forest, one ofthe largest remaining within Africa.Albertine Rift endemics occurring inNyungwe include Handsome Francolin,

Rwanda

Birds and mammals of Rwanda's National Parks

Saturday December 5th - ThursdayDecember 17th 2020Leader: Harriet Kemishiga and localguidesGroup Size: 8 Birds: 300 - 350

Dates

Rwanda is a small country, around a fifth the size of England. Despite this thecountry is blessed with extensive areas of forest, lakes and swamps which in turnattract many species of birds and mammals. Rwanda is a wonderful destinationfor wildlife tourism and an excellent area to watch Mountain Gorillas. Our tourvisits Akagera National Park, a mix of wetlands and forest, and the bird-richNyungwe Forest National Park. We expect to see almost twenty-five of the range-restricted Albertine Rift endemics. Birding within Rwanda is still in its infancy andthis tour could well bring a few surprise species within the extensive forestsystems.


Great Blue and Ruwenzori Turacos, White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Barred Long-tailedCuckoo, Chestnut Owlet, Olive and Elliot’sWoodpeckers, Stripe-breasted Tit, Red-collared Babbler, Archer’s and White-bel-lied Robin Chats, Doherty’s Bush-Shrike,Mountain Masked, Black-faced, Chestnut-throated, and Collared Apalises, RwenzoriBatis, Grauer’s and Short-tailed Warblers,White-tailed Blue-flycatcher, Chapin’sFlycatcher, Rwenzori Apalis, Purple-breasted and Regal Sunbirds and StrangeWeaver. Birding in dense forest can bechallenging but a wide range of birds ispossible. We should encounter Black-and-white Casqued Hornbills, Cinnamon-chest-ed Bee-eaters, Pink-footed Puffback andmore skulking species in the form ofAfrican Hill Babbler, Dusky Crimsonwingand Grauer’s Warbler. Walking along roadsand trails can be productive for AfricanBroadbill, Willard’s Sooty Boubou,Mountain Oriole, Mountain Illadopsis,Archer’s Robin and Red-faced WoodlandWarbler. On the canopy walk we search forBlack-billed Turaco, Kivu Ground Thrushand Purple-headed Sunbird. Along thewaterfall trail we have chances of GreyApalis, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Yellow-belliedWattle-eye and Yellow-eyed BlackFlycatcher. Almost anything may turn up atthis undiscovered forest.

Day 11: Today we return to Kigali after afinal visit into the forest.

Day 12: Travel to the swamps of Gahangaand Gashora for our final full day inRwanda. Areas near sugar cane factoriescan be productive for Blue-headed Coucal,Red-faced Cisticola, Papyrus Canary andWhite-winged Warblers. Gashora is animportant bird area in Rwanda holding sev-eral species of migrants from Europe plusCape Wagtail, African Snipe, Red-chestedCuckoo and Carruther’s Cisticola.

Day 13: Morning flight back to the UK witharrival on the same day.

Rwanda

Augur Buzzard Photo: Jo Finn


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,transport, guidance and taxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance,airport departure taxes and items ofa personal nature. Visa to enterRwanda.


Prices


Day 1: Fly to the new airport south ofDakar. On arrival, we transfer to the sea-side village of Popenguine for a two-nightstay.

Day 2: Dawn visit to the coastal scrubreserve of Popenguine where we shouldfind Blue Rock Thrush and European CragMartin, rare visitors from Europe. To thesouth of Mbour is Lac Sarene bordered byfarmland and just inland from the AtlanticOcean. Lac Sarene is an incredible area forwaders, wildfowl, terns and gulls withrecent visits recording Greater PaintedSnipe, Marsh and Curlew Sandpipers andhigh numbers of wintering Ospreys fromEurope. Recent visits have produced rarerspecies, notably Great Snipe and CitrineWagtail. In the surrounding acacia wood-land we should locate a wide range of win-tering warblers and flycatchers. Later in theafternoon we visit Lac Somone for closeviews of waders and terns and the possibil-ity of the scarce Brown Sunbird.

Day 3: After breakfast, we travel toWassadoo via Tambacounda, the largestcity in eastern Senegal. En route we mayencounter the beautiful African Swallow-tailed Kite, Dark Chanting Goshawk and, inthe dry acacia woodland, Black-belliedBustard, Black Scimitar-bill and Piapiac.

Seasonal pools adjacent to the road luresmall birds to drink including Cut-throatFinch, Exclamatory Paradise and Pin-tailedWhydahs, Sudan Golden Sparrow, VillageIndigobird and hunting Shikra. NearTambacounda we may locate SenegalBatis, Yellow Penduline Tit, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver and the uncom-mon and localised Brown-rumped Bunting.As dusk falls, we should encounter Four-banded Sandgrouse. Three nights atWassadoo.

Days 4-5: The area is home to over 300species of birds, some of the more inter-esting being Bateleur, Martial Eagle,Denham's Bustard, Egyptian Plover andViolet Turaco. The Gambia River meandersslowly through the region with extensivevegetation along the banks, sand-bars andbanks attracting Saddle-billed and Woolly-

Senegal

Birds of SE Senegal and Saloum

Friday January 10th – ThursdayJanuary 23rd 2020Wednesday January 13th –Tuesday January 26th 2021Leader: Mark Finn and Ass NdiayeGroup Size: 8 Birds: 260-320

Dates

Senegal is one of West Africa's most stable countries with a heavy Frenchinfluence dating back to colonial days. The first half of the tour concentrates onthe little-visited far east of the country on the border with Guinea Conakry atWassadoo and the almost unknown Dindefello region on the border with Guineaand Mali. The former area is the most reliable in West Africa for the beautifulEgyptian Plover and the localised African Finfoot. Dindefello also holds significantnumbers of mammals and over 220 species of birds, making it one of the premierwildlife areas of West Africa. Our final destination on this tour is Saloum NationalPark, an area of inter-tidal rivers, scrub and savannah. The range of bird species inSenegal is impressive - Arabian and Savile’s Bustards, Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, African Swallow-tailed Kite, Fox Kestrel, Adamawa Turtle Dove andKulikoro Firefinch to name a few. Birdwatching Breaks has operated in excess of25 tours to Senegal since the 1990s and is pleased to offer these unique birdingtours at a peak time for birdlife.


necked Storks, African Finfoot, Giant andShining-blue Kingfishers, White-headedLapwing and Oriole Warbler. In recent visitswe have seen Pel's Fishing Owls at one ofthe few known sites in West Africa. Duringour stay within the park, we make severalexcursions to birding hotspots. Savannahhabitats offer us Helmeted Guineafowl,Stone Partridge, Black-headed Heron,Hadada Ibis, Palm-nut Vulture, Short-toed,Beaudouin's, Brown and Banded SnakeEagles, Bateleur and Black-crownedCrane. Also present in the savannah inlower numbers are Sun Lark, Pied-wingedSwallow and a wide range of estrildids -Black-bellied and Black-faced Firefinchesand Black-faced and Black-rumpedWaxbills. Wassadoo also has patches ofgallery forest holding Red-thighedSparrowhawk, Green Turaco, Spotted andWahlberg's Honeyguides, Little Green andBuff-spotted Woodpeckers, Swamp PalmBulbul, Green Crombec and CrimsonSeedcracker. Wassadoo attracts manybirds, with previous visits recording Red-throated, Green and Northern CarmineBee-eaters, Greater Honeyguide, Grey-

headed Bushshrike, Red-shoulderedCuckoo-shrike, Yellow-bellied and SenegalEremomelas, Swamp Flycatcher, White-crowned Robin-chat, Blackcap and BrownBabblers, Lesser Blue-eared Starling,African Pied Wagtail, Orange-cheekedWaxbill, Broad-tailed Paradise Whydah,Vitelline Masked Weaver and PygmySunbird.

Day 6: This morning we continue our jour-ney south towards the border with Guineaand Mali.The habitat starts to change slow-ly as the border has cliffs, gallery forest andravines. In the afternoon we visit the forestand bush area of Samecouta. This is aninteresting place where we may find therare Senegal Lapwing, Lanner Falcon,Violet Turaco and Black-rumped Waxbill.Our base for the next three nights is in theregional town of Kedougou.

Days 7-8: Our main interest is visiting theDindefello Nature Reserve, formed by apartnership of the Jane Goodall Instituteand the Rural Community of Dindefello toprotect an isolated population of chim-

Senegal

Greater Blue-eared Starling Photo: Jo Finn


Senegal

panzees. It also protects areas of forests,cliffs and waterfalls which are rare habitatswithin Senegal. Rare species occurringinclude Fox Kestrel, Narina's Trogon,Mocking Cliff-chat, Neumann's Starling,Dybowski's Twinspot and KulikoroFirefinch. Several recent surveys havefound species at the edge of their ranges orrare migrants from Europe. These haveincluded Black Stork, Red-chestedGoshawk, Red-thighed Sparrowhawk,Common Buttonquail, Forbes's Plover,Rock Martin, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush,Olive Sunbird and Wilson's Indigobird. Inother areas, we may encounter Guinea andViolet Turacos, African Cuckoo, NorthernWhite-faced Owl, Fanti Sawwing, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Singing, Short-winged andRufous Cisticolas, Green-headed Sunbirdand Cinnamon-breasted Bunting. In theevenings the balcony viewing point of ourhotel should give us views of Long-tailedand Standard-winged Nightjars and Pearl-spotted Owlet.

Day 9: A travel day back towards Kaolackand on to Keur Saloum where we have afour-night stay.

Days 10-12: Today we head to SaloumNational Park, an extensive region offorests and mangrove swamps. As weapproach our hotel, we expect to find BlackWoodhoopoe, Fork-tailed Drongo, Fine-spotted Woodpecker, African and Bruce'sGreen Pigeons. On one morning, depend-ing on tide times, we take a boat tripthrough mangrove swamps and visit isolat-ed sandbars. The hotel quay sometimeshas Blue-breasted Kingfisher and GoliathHeron. Shorebirds are numerous andinclude White-fronted, Kentish, Commonand Little Ringed Plovers, CurlewSandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, EurasianOystercatcher and Greenshank. On previ-ous visits, we have observed White-crestedBittern, White-backed Night Heron, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Shikra, Bronze Mannikin,Brown Babbler, Klass's Cuckoo, WesternGrey Plantain-eater, Greater and LesserHoneyguides, Lavender Waxbill and BrownSunbird. An afternoon visit is planned to aforested area where birds of prey abound.We may find Grasshopper Buzzard, Brown

and Baudouin's Snake Eagles, Short-toedEagle, Grey Kestrel, African Hobby andPalm-nut Vulture. Open areas attractEuropean, Blue-cheeked and, occasional-ly, Little Green and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters. On one evening, we visit a hugeraptor roost site which holds hundreds ofAfrican Swallow-tailed Kites, LesserKestrels and possibly three species of har-riers - Marsh, Montagu's and Pallid.

Day 13: Today we return to Popenguineand visit a series of wetland lagoons adja-cent to the coast where it is possible to findwintering Audouin's and MediterraneanGulls and, in recent years, Franklin's Gullsfrom across the Atlantic. Anything is possi-ble here and recent rarities have includedAmerican Golden Plover. The dry acaciawoodland holds many of Europe's warblershere on their wintering grounds.

Day 14: A remote lodge is visited for thescarce Black Scrub Robin whilst the near-by coast is a reliable spot for Pallid andWhite-rumped Swifts. Later today we returnto Dakar for flights to Europe with arrivalearly the next day.


This tour is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,transport, park entrance fees andpermits, guidance, tips and taxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance anditems of a personal nature.


Prices


Senegal

Day 1: Fly to Dakar and transfer toPopenguine for an overnight stay.

Days 2-4: Dawn visit to the coastal scrubreserve of Popenguine where we shouldfind Blue Rock Thrush and European CragMartin, rare visitors from Europe. On thecliffs we have a chance of watchingGosling's Buntings. Yellow-billed Kite isabundant in the region and on our journeynorthwards birds of prey can be numerousand include Lappet-faced, Ruppell'sGriffon, Hooded and White-backedVultures. Near St Louis itself, we shouldfind Red-necked Falcons in roadside palmtrees. For the next few days we are basedat Ranch de Bango and Djoudj NationalPark from where we explore sub-SaharanSenegal. The grounds of the ranch offerexcellent birding with regularly seenspecies - Western Red-billed Hornbill,Grey-headed Kingfisher, GreyWoodpecker, Blue-naped Mousebird,Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red-billed Firefinch,Beautiful and Scarlet-chested Sunbirds,African Silverbill, Sudan Golden Sparrowand Long-tailed Glossy Starlings. WinteringPalearctic migrants are common andinclude Melodious, Subalpine and WesternOlivaceous Warblers, Common Redstart,Red-throated and Tree Pipits. Our base,adjacent to the Senegal River, is a havenfor waterbirds - Long-tailed Cormorant,Squacco and Purple Herons, Purple

Swamphen, Spur-winged Lapwing, AfricanFish Eagle, Malachite and Pied KingfishersAfrican Jacana, Winding Cisticola,Abyssinian Roller and Senegal Coucal. Athorn forest regularly has roosting Long-tailed Nightjars. The drier ground is hometo Senegal Thick-knee, Black-billed WoodDove, Little Bee-eater and Grey-headedSparrow.

Marigot One: This is, in effect, a private-ly run nature reserve. Our main interesthere is in locating the internationally scarceSavile's Bustard. Other sub-Saharan birdspresent include Marsh, Montagu's and,occasionally, Pallid Harriers, BarbaryFalcon, Cream-coloured and Temminck'sCoursers, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse,and Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark. A lakeattracts shorebirds and many species ofheron, including Black Heron. A stop atdusk may give us Verreaux's Eagle Owl, alocal resident.

Marigot Two and Three: We spend a

Pelagic birding and the Birds of The Sahel

Friday November 6th – SaturdayNovember 14th 2020Leader: Mark Finn and Ass NdiayeGroup Size: 8 Birds: 200-250

Dates

Senegal is one of West Africa's most stable countries with a heavy Frenchinfluence dating back to colonial days. The coastline has two important wetlandsof international importance which are protected in the form of national parks. Thenorth of the country has a wide belt of Sahel holding several species which prefersub-desert habitats while the south is primarily savannah dotted with stands ofacacia trees and secondary forest. We visit Djoudj National Park which is awetland where Palearctic migrants winter in their thousands. The range of birdspecies in this little-known country is impressive, Arabian and Savile's Bustards,Goliath Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, African Swallow-tailed Kite, Little GreyWoodpecker and Cricket Warbler all being found regularly on recent tours.Birdwatching Breaks has operated several tours to Senegal since the 1990s and ispleased to offer these unique birding tours at a peak time for birdlife.


Senegal

day in this area and typical species includeNorthern Anteater-chat, Black and Rufous-tailed Scrub Robins, Senegal Batis, Long-tailed and Chestnut-bellied Starlings,Green Woodhoopoe and Blue-napedMousebird. If cattle are present, we mayfind Yellow-billed Oxpeckers. Patches ofacacia trees are home to specialisedSahelian birds - Cricket Warbler, SennarPenduline Tit and Little Grey Woodpecker.Other birds may include Great,Intermediate and Little Egrets, Sacred andGlossy Ibis, Common Snipe, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit, Black Crake and CollaredPratincole. We have further opportunitiesfor bustards in this area.

Djoudj National Park: Djoudj NationalPark is the third most important wetland inthe world. We have two nights here in apurpose-built camp just outside thereserve. En route we travel through acaciaforest looking for Striped Kingfisher,Vieillot's Barbet, and Desert Wheatear. The

hotel grounds attract many interestingspecies - Speckled Pigeon, NorthernCrombec, Village Indigobird, Yellow-backed, Village and Little Weavers and win-tering Eurasian Wryneck. We take a boatsafari into one of nature's wonders. Ourboat takes us along a branch of theSenegal River, which is alive with birds, toa colony of White Pelicans. This area usu-ally holds large numbers of ducks andherons. Seasonal lakes in Djoudj attractMarsh Harriers and Striated Heron, king-fishers, Black Crake, and Yellow-billedStork. Other highlights include Black-crowned Night Heron, White-faced andFulvous Whistling-ducks, Osprey, Caspian,Gull-billed, Black and Whiskered Terns andthe range-restricted River Prinia. Lac deKahr and Grand Lac hold Greater and,sometimes, Lesser Flamingos. Grand Lacalso holds thousands of Garganey withlesser numbers of Eurasian Teal, NorthernShoveler and Northern Pintail. Isolatedtrees on the surrounding desert landscape

African Spoonbill Photo: Roger Ridley


Senegal

provide hunting perches for migrantPeregrine and Lanner Falcons. The parkhas what is possibly the only protectedarea for Arabian Bustard, a species underconstant threat from hunting and, in thisarea of Africa, greatly endangered. On thereturn to Ranch de Bango, roadsidelagoons may hold Eurasian and AfricanSpoonbills, Spur-winged and EgyptianGeese, Greater Painted Snipe and shore-birds including Avocet, Marsh Sandpiper,Temminck's Stint and Black-winged Stilt.

Days 5-6: Richard Toll and Podor: A newroad running east towards the town ofRichard Toll allows us to explore the exten-sive Senegal River floodplain and theSahelian environment. Among the manybirds that we may encounter here areAfrican Pygmy Goose, Black-shoulderedKite, Montagu's and Pallid Harriers,Wahlberg's, Short-toed and BootedEagles, Kittlitz's Plover, Common Quail,African Reed Warbler, Short-eared Owl,Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, KordofanLark, Singing Bush Lark, AfricanQuailfinch, Desert Cisticola, Grey-backedEremomela and, occasionally, HoopoeLark. This is also a known area for Arabianand, in some years, Denham's Bustard. Tothe east of Richard Toll and towards thesettlement of Podor several species occurwhich are hard too see elsewhere in thecountry. The dry grasslands with scatteredbushes are reliable for Cricket Warblersand the shy Fulvous Babbler. The habitatsaround Podor offer us the chance toobserve the rarely seen Golden Nightjar,Little Grey Woodpecker and winteringCream-coloured Coursers. Nights inRichard Toll

Days 8-9: Today we travel south towardsthe capital city of Dakar. There are severalbirding locations along the way includingTechnopole which is a failed shoppingcomplex with lakes and reedbeds. Carefulscanning of the grass islands and shallowpools may produce a variety of gulls includ-ing Audouin's and Mediterranean andoccasionally stragglers from North Americawhich has included Franklin's in recentyears. Waders can be numerous and oftenreveal the presence of rarer species which

in recent years have included Buff-breast-ed Sandpiper and American GoldenPlover. On Day 9 we take a pelagic trip offDakar where the deep cool waters of theNorth Atlantic attract a variety of species. Inthe right weather conditions we shouldencounter Cape Verde and Scopoli'sShearwaters, the uncommon Baroli'sShearwater, Pomarine, Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas, a wide range of terns com-prising Caspian, African Royal, Common,Arctic, Roseate, Little and Sandwich, thelatter being quite common. Other possibili-ties incude Grey Phalarope and rarerspecies such as Bulwer's Petrel, Leach's,Wilson's and Madeiran Storm Petrels,South Polar Skua and Sabine's Gull. Nightsin Popenguine

Day 10: This morning we travel south tovisit birding areas near the coastal city ofMbour (or take the boat trip if weather con-ditions have been poor). Habitats includeseveral patches of acacia scrub which areattractive to recently arrived migrants fromEurope and may include Bluethroat,Spotted and Pied Flycatchers and IberianChiffchaff. Several small ponds dot thelandscape which attract a wide range ofwaterbirds including numerous ducks andwaders. Later in the day we return toPopenguine to freshen up and travel to theairport for our late night flight back to theUK.



Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature.


Prices


Days 1-3: Fly to Darwin the largest town inthe sparsely populated Northern Territory,arrival is on Day 3.

Day 4: We start by visiting East Point forreturning shorebirds. A walk through mon-soon forest may reveal Rainbow Pitta, Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Varied Triller and BrownWhistler. A boardwalk through the man-groves often has Red-headed Honeyeater,Broad-billed Flycatcher and CollaredKingfisher. Savannah woodland habitatholds Forest Kingfisher, Double-barred andLong-tailed Finches and Red-tailed BlackCockatoo. Later we drive out to Fogg Damfor Blue-winged Kookaburra. The dam hasMagpie Geese, egrets, Pied Heron, RoyalSpoonbill, White-browed Crake and Black-necked Stork. On the forest edge we look forCrimson Finch, Rufous-banded Honeyeater,Lemon-bellied Robin, Sacred Kingfisher andPaperbark Flycatcher. Another area of fringewetlands is attractive to Arafura Fantail andShining Flycatcher. We stop at AdelaideRiver Bridge and search for MangroveGolden Whistler then continue to the MaryRiver Wilderness Retreat, our base for thenight. In the evening we may see and hearBush Thick-knee, Tawny Frogmouth andBarking Owl.

Day 5: We leave early for Kakadu NationalPark searching out some Kakadu escarp-ment endemics - Chestnut-quilled RockPigeon and White-lined Honeyeater. Otherspecies today include Partridge Pigeonand Northern Fantail. We head to ouraccommodation at Jabiru.

Day 6: We start the day at BurrungguiRock where we should find Banded Fruit-dove, Sandstone Shrike-thrush andSandstone Helmeted Friarbird. Otherspecies include Emerald Dove, NorthernRosella and Spangled Drongo. Later weembark on a river cruise for sightings ofBrolga, Radjah Shelduck, Wandering andPlumed Whistling-ducks, Green Pygmy-goose, Rufous-crowned Night Heron,Comb-crested Jacana, Royal Spoonbill,Azure and Little Kingfishers, and Buff-sidedRobin. Night at Cooinda

Day 7: We leave Jabiru via the KakaduHighway with Australian Bustard on flatopen plains. We visit Gunlom and searchfor more endemic species and explore anarea where a pair of Red Goshawks haverecently bred, and another location forSilver-backed Butcherbirds. Continue toPine Creek which has Hooded and Red-winged Parrots, Grey-crowned Babbler andGreat Bowerbird. Night at Pine Creek.

Day 8: We check out early from ouraccommodation at Pine Creek and headdown to a waterhole on the Fergusson

Australia and Singapore

Northern Territory, AliceSprings and Singapore

Wednesday August 26th - SundaySeptember 13th 2020Leader: Mike Jarvis, Mark Finn andlocal guidesGroup Size: 8Birds: 250-300

Dates

Birdwatching Breaks are pleased to offer you this unique opportunity to visit thetropical habitats around Darwin in the Northern Territory, Alice Springs in the redcentre of Australia and finally the amazing habitats in and around Singapore. Ourtours starts in Darwin, the city having several interesting areas for birds, and thenvisits the world famous Kakadu National Park before moving to Alice Springs forsome hard-to-see Australian birds including the scarce Grey Honeyeater. Our finalbirding stop is in Singapore where we have three days in this extraordinary areafor birds in SE Asia.


River a reliable area for Gouldian Finch.Other target species here are Banded, Bar-breasted and Rufous-throatedHoneyeaters, Cockatiel, Varied Lorikeet,and sometimes Budgerigar. We then headsouth to bird around Katherine township.Near the Victoria River Roadhouse weexplore the river’s edge for Yellow-rumpedMannikin and Purple-crowned Fairy-wren.Night at Victoria River Roadhouse.

Day 9: We continue west where the habi-tat changes dramatically as we travelthrough magnificent escarpment countrywhere raptors include Wedge-tailed Eagle,Black-breasted Buzzard, Spotted Harrierand Square-tailed Kite, there are recentrecords of the rare Grey Falcon in the areatoo. There are many waterholes attractingStar, Zebra and Crimson Finches, CrimsonChat and Red-browed Pardalote. TimberCreek has Purple-crowned Fairywren,Pictorella and Yellow-rumped Mannikins,Yellow-tinted and Black-chinnedHoneyeaters. The airfield sometimes hasCrimson Chat and Inland Dotterel.

Day 10: We check out early and have abush breakfast at old Victoria River cross-ing. We continue west along VictoriaHighway through magnificent ranges andsandstone outcrops. This is great raptorcountry and we search the skies for Black-breasted Buzzards and Wedge-tailedEagles. On the Western Australian borderis our westernmost park - Keep RiverNational Park. Here we search for SpinifexPigeon, White-quilled Rock-Pigeon andSandstone Shrike-thrush, before continu-ing on across the border into WA. Night atLake Argyle.

Day 11: We meet the boat at 5.30am forthe five-hour birdwatching cruise on LakeArgyle. Unique birds we hope to see on thiscruise include Yellow Chat, AustralianPratincole and a great variety of waterbirdsand shorebirds. We explore areas betweenLake Argyle and Kununurra looking forGouldian and, Star Finches, Yellow-rumped, Chestnut-breasted and PictorellaMannikins. Overnight at Kununurra.

Day 12: We explore areas around


Red-collared Lorikeet Photo: Rob Gully


Kununurra where Australian Reed Warbler,various finches, honeyeaters and water-birds are found. Later in the day we fly backto Darwin for an overnight stay.

Day 13: Morning flight to Alice Springs inthe red centre of Australia where we have athree-night stay. On arrival we make an ini-tial exploration of Simpson’s Gap NationalPark, an interesting mix of red rocks, scruband desert habitats with sparse vegetation.Central Australian birds using the areainclude Pied Butcherbird, WesternGerygone, Grey-headed Honeyeater,Zebra Finch, Black-faced and LittleWoodswallows and Dusky Grasswren. If ithas rained recently we may find nomadicspecies in Budgerigar, Diamond Dove,Rufous Songlark and Painted Firetail.

Days 14-15: These two days will be spentsearching for the specialties that occuraround Alice Springs. The local sewageworks often have the only water for milesaround and attract rare migrants ornomadic Australian birds. Of particularinterest are Bourke’s Parrot, White-browed

Treecreeper, Rufous-crowned Emuwren,Slaty-backed Thornbill, Banded Whitefaceand three very localised honeyeaters -Black, Pied and Grey. In addition to thesewe should also locate Yellow-billedSpoonbill, Little Buttonquail, AustralianCrake, Black-tailed Native-hen, SpinifexPigeon, Mallee Ringneck, White-wingedand Splendid Fairywrens, Redthroat,Inland Thornbill, Singing, White- plumedand Yellow-throated Honeyeaters, Red-capped and Hooded Robins and LittleCrow.

Day 16: Fly to Singapore via Darwin witharrival later the same day.

Day 17: Today we head to Changi villagewhere on recent visits Sunda PygmyWoodpecker, Yellow-crested Cockatoo andTanimbar Corella may be found with Red-breasted Parakeets. Pulau Ubin is anisland which has so far avoided the mod-ernisation of Singapore. The coast hereattracts Collared Kingfisher, Oriental PiedHornbill, Olive-backed Sunbird and AsianGlossy Starlings. At the eastern end a


Australian Painted Snipe Photo: Rob Gully


boardwalk allows us to walk around pristinehabitats for White-rumped Sharma, Straw-headed Bulbul and Ashy Tailorbird. Themany palms attract Laced Woodpecker. Inthe afternoon we visit Pasir Ris Park, whichcan be good for Spotted Wood and BuffyFish Owls. Other species may includeCommon Flameback, Pied Triller, Golden-bellied Gerygone and Asian Koel. We endthe day at Lorong Halus which may haveLong-tailed Shrike, Blue-tailed Bee-eater,Daurian and White-shouldered Starlings,Lesser Coucal and Sooty-headed Bulbul.

Day 18: An early departure to the CentralCatchment Nature Reserve, home toOriental Scops Owl and Brown Hawk Owl,whilst Large-tailed Nightjars roost on thegolf course. The tower hide allows viewsover the forest with Long-tailed Parakeet,Olive-winged and Red-eyed Bulbuls, AsianFairy Bluebird, Asian Paradise Flycatcher,Chestnut-bellied Malkoha, Greater GreenLeafbird and Orange-bellied Flowerpeckerall being possible. Sungei Buloh is animportant area for birds with its mudflatsattracting migrant waders and the man-groves holding kingfishers - Common,Stork-billed and White-throated. KranjiMarsh is our final destination whereMalaysian Hawk Cuckoo, Pied Triller,Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker reside.

Day 19: A morning visit to Bukit Batok, the

only area of primary lowland forest inSingapore. Several interesting speciesoccur including Black Baza, Blue-rumpedParrot, Blue-winged Pitta, FerruginousFlycatcher, Buff-vented Bulbul, Short-tailedBabbler, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker andCrimson Sunbird. The main aim is to find afruiting tree which may attract Pink-neckedGreen Pigeon, Black-naped Oriole andLineated Barbet. A walk through the forestmay be productive for Pin-striped Tit-bab-blers, Yellow-vented Bulbul and Dark-necked Tailorbird. Later in the day, we flyfrom Singapore back to Europe with arrivalon the next morning.


Ground Price: £6,495Single room: £600Deposit: £600*Air Fare: £1,215

This holiday is fully inclusive offlights, accommodation and meals,transport, boat trips, permit fees,guidance, tips and taxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature. A visa toenter Australia.


Prices

AzureKingfisher

Photo:Rob Kelly


Days 1-2: We fly to Tokyo, arriving on themorning of Day 2. On arrival, we travel toTokyo station and take the bullet train toKaruizawa for a two-night stay. Karuizawa isa picturesque town situated in the foothills ofthe Japanese Alps. We make an initialexploration of woodland and forest habitatsfor Brown Dipper, Japanese Wagtail,Oriental Turtle Dove, Oriental Greenfinch,Hawfinch, Brambling and Rustic Buntings.

Day 3: This morning we walk the foresttrails of Karuizawa searching for the rareCopper Pheasant. Feeders attract JapaneseGreen Woodpecker, Long-tailed and Pallas’sRosefinches, Japanese and Varied Tits,Japanese Grosbeak and Meadow Bunting.Near the river, we may locate JapaneseAccentor and, in trees laden with mistletoe,Japanese Waxwings. During the afternoonwe explore rural roads around Karuizawa insearch of Japanese Green Pheasant.Patches of mature woodland often haveWhite-backed Woodpecker and winteringDaurian Redstarts.

Day 4: Today we travel back to Haneda air-port for an internal flight to Miyazaki inKyushu. On arrival, we transfer to Hyuga.Night at Hyuga.

Day 5: Our main interest today is the near-endemic Japanese Murrelet which is bestviewed by taking a short boat trip offshore.After seeing the murrelet, we travel to Mi-ike, a forested area of evergreens anddeciduous trees surrounding a volcaniclake. En route there is a short diversion to acoastal wetland which has on recent visitsproduced sightings of Oriental Stork, Baer’sPochard and Long-billed Dowitcher. At Mi-ike we walk along the paths with views ofDaurian Redstart, Red-flanked Bluetail andGrey and Yellow-throated Buntings. A camp-ground is productive for Japanese Green,Pygmy and White-backed Woodpeckers,Olive-backed Pipit, Varied Tit and JapaneseGrosbeak. En route to Izumi we may locateMandarin Duck, Chinese Bamboo Partridgeand Russet Sparrow. On arrival, we have atwo-night stay in Izumi.

Japan

Winter birds in the Land of the Rising Sun

Tour A: Friday February 7th –Saturday February 22nd 2020Tour B: Friday February 5th –Saturday February 20th 2021Leader: Mark FinnGroup Size: 8 Birds: 155-175

Dates

Japan is a huge archipelago stretching along the northern Pacific Ocean. Our tourconcentrates on four contrasting regions: Kyushu, Hokkaido, Katano on the Sea ofJapan and Karuizawa in the Japanese Alps. This winter tour to Japan shouldproduce many memorable highlights in a country steeped in its own tradition andculture. Interesting species present in winter include Pacific Diver, White-napedand Hooded Cranes, Baikal Teal, Blakiston’s Eagle Owl and impressiveconcentrations of Steller’s and White-tailed Eagles.

This is probably the most comprehensive Japanese winter tour available today,taking in a wide range of habitats and sites. Birdwatching Breaks has been runningtours to Japan since 1996, totalling 20 tours to date. Mark Finn has an extensiveknowledge and experience of Japan’s unique birdlife and where to find it. Over theyears, Birdwatching Breaks has built up trust with local Japanese birdwatchers,making the company one of the market leaders to this wonderful country.■ The following itinerary is sometimes subject to change due to ferry schedulesfrom Nagoya.


Day 6: This morning we visit Arasaki cranereserve, with wintering Hooded and White-naped Cranes and, possibly, Sandhill,Common, Demoiselle and Siberian Cranes.Extensive estuarine habitats at Arasakiattract Japanese Cormorant, IntermediateEgret, Black-eared Kite and wildfowl.Agricultural fields are a winter home toGreater Painted Snipe, Japanese Skylark,Oriental Rook, Daurian Jackdaw and Rustic,

Black-faced and Meadow Buntings.Gardens and hedgerows of Arasaki attractPale Thrush, Hawfinch, Oriental Greenfinchand Japanese Grosbeak. In the afternoon,we visit a boulder-strewn river holding Long-billed Plover, Crested Kingfisher, Blue RockThrush and Japanese Wagtail.

Day 7: An early start today as we travel toAriake-kai, a coastal bay north of Arasaki,

Japan

Steller’s Sea Eagle Photo: Jo Finn


which has extensive areas of mudflats, riverestuaries and agricultural fields. At high tidewe study roosting and feeding Saunders’Gulls, Black-faced Spoonbills and shore-birds. Deep-water channels hold FalcatedDucks. Muddy dykes usually have SpottedRedshank and Marsh Sandpipers withChinese Penduline Tits in the reeds. A rem-nant patch of marsh near Saga is reliable forJapanese Green Pheasant, EurasianWoodcock and Ruddy Crake. Transfer toSaga for the night.

Day 8: Today we revisit Ariake-se beforeheading north to Shikanoshima Island whichis reached via a causeway. Shikanoshima isa regular haunt of Red-throated, Black-throated and Pacific Divers whilst shelteredbays offer a safe refuge to Black-neckedGrebe, Smew, Greater Scaup and otherwildfowl. Shikanoshima is a reliable area forwintering Japanese Bush Warbler, PaleThrush and, on offshore stacks, JapaneseCormorants. Transfer to Fukuoka for ourflight to Komatsu on the Sea of Japan for atwo-night stay.

Days 9-10: Our main interest is the wet-lands and rice fields of Katano bordering theSea of Japan. Although small in size,Katano attracts geese and ducks in winterincluding the globally-threatened BaikalTeal. Other species occurring on a regularbasis include Middendorf’s Bean and White-fronted Geese, Eastern Marsh Harrier andGrey-headed Lapwing, whilst rarities com-prise Tundra Bean and Lesser White-frontedGeese, Siberian Crane and Swan Goose.Along the Sea of Japan, we search for Red-necked Grebe, Ancient Murrelet and otherseabirds. Woodlands around Katano holdthe commoner Japanese birds and, onoccasions, Chinese Grosbeak andJapanese Waxwings. Nearby, a floodedwoodland gives us a good chance of seeingthe rare Solitary Snipe. On Day 10 we takethe express train to Nagoya where we boarda comfortable ferry bound for Tomakomai inHokkaido. We have two nights aboard infirst-class en-suite cabins.

Day 11: A whole day seawatching in theNorth Pacific Ocean. We can expect White-

Japan

Red-crowned Cranes Photo: Jo Latham


billed and Pacific Divers, Laysan Albatross,Streaked and Short-tailed Shearwaters,Ancient Murrelet, Pomarine and South PolarSkuas, Black-tailed Gull and Red-neckedand Grey Phalaropes. Rarities may includeShort-tailed Albatross and Tristram’s Storm-petrels. We also have a chance of observingNorthern Fur Seals and Pacific White-sidedDolphins.

Day 12: Before docking at Tomakomai, wemay see Least Auklet and Common andBrunnich’s Guillemots. Transfer to Chitoseairport for an internal flight to Kushiro. Onarrival we travel to Nemuro, our base forthree nights. Furen-ko should provide uswith Grey-headed Woodpecker, Marsh Titand other woodland species. In Nemuroitself we may locate parties of BohemianWaxwings.

Day 13: Our main interest today is the shel-tered bays and estuaries en route to CapeNosappu overlooking the Kurile Islands. TheNemuro Straits concentrates divers, seaducks, gulls and alcids. We should findPelagic Cormorant, Harlequin Duck,Spectacled Guillemot, Least Auklet and,possibly, Long-billed Murrelet. The frozencapes have Steller’s and White-tailedEagles and the harbours, Glaucous andGlaucous-winged Gulls. In the afternoon, wevisit Cape Kiritappu, an exposed peninsulajutting into the Sea of Okhotsk where a pri-vate house with feeders often has AsianRosy Finches. Off the cape, we may seeRed-necked Grebe, Red-faced Cormorant,Black and Asiatic Scoters and Long-tailedDucks. At the end of the day, we visit a pri-vate farm for Blakiston’s Eagle Owl.

Day 14: Today, we head north towardsNotsuke Hando, a remote peninsula. Odaitofeeding station allows a close approach toWhooper Swans. On our journey north, wecheck harbours for Smew. Depending on theseverity of the winter, we may find Short-eared Owl and Snow Buntings. At NotsukeHando hundreds of Steller’s Sea Eaglescongregate on the ice or in bare trees, atruly spectacular sight. Also present areWhite-tailed Eagle, Slaty-backed andKamchatka Gulls, Greater Scaup, CommonGoldeneye and Common Mergansers. Ice-

free rivers are home to Brown Dipper. If wehave not managed to see Blakiston’s EagleOwl, we will make a short diversion toRausu.

Day 15: We leave Nemuro and visit Tanchono Sato, a feeding area for Red-crownedCranes. In January this delightful bird oftendances in the snow accompanying itself withbugling calls. After this finale, we headtowards Kushiro Airport for an internal flightto Tokyo and our final night in Japan.

Japan

Tour AGround Price: £4,995Single room: £400Deposit: £500*Air Fare: £1,550

Tour B (provisional)Ground Price: £4,995Single room: £400Deposit: £500*Air Fare: £1,550

This holiday is fully inclusive offerries, accommodation and meals,transport, guidance and taxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature, airpassenger duty taxes, excessbaggage and fuel surcharges.


Prices


Day 1: Fly to Ulan-Ude via Moscow wherearrival is early on Day 2.

Day 2: Ulan-Ude is the capital and maincity of the Buryat Republic and lies on theSelenga River, which flows into LakeBaikal. After checking into our hotel, wemake an initial exploration of the area.Common birds within the city includewheeling flocks of Pacific Swifts and BaikalWagtail. The Selenga River has sandyislands attracting migrant waders includingMarsh, Green and Wood Sandpipers andwaterfowl. Willow scrub is attractive toDaurian Partridge, Azure Tit, ChinesePenduline Tit and Azure-winged Magpies.Return to Ulan-Ude for the night.

Day 3: This morning we travel southwesttowards the city of Gusinoozersk where wehave a two-night stay. En route we stop ata riverside woodland where should find ourfirst Radde’s Warblers, SiberianRubythroat, Lesser Spotted Woodpeckerand Long-tailed Rosefinches. Another areaof fields with bushes should reveal rarerspecies in Chestnut-eared Bunting andIsabelline Shrike. Our journey takes us to alarge wetland surrounded by reeds. This isan important area for birds with the openwaters attracting ducks including AsiaticScoter, Black-necked Grebe and rafts ofCommon Goldeneye. Raptors use the areaon a regular basis and include EasternMarsh, Hen and possibly Pied Harriers. In

the stands of reeds we should find EasternWater Rail and observe Oriental Reed, andon occasions Paddyfield Warblers. The drycountry surrounding the lake attractsCitrine and Eastern Yellow Wagtails, AsianShort-toed and Greater Short-toed Larks.We end the day by birding along the roadtowards Beloozersk with Eastern ImperialEagle, Amur Falcon, Isabelline Wheatearand Rock Petronia all being possible.

Day 4: An early departure today as weexplore the two lakes near Beloozersk. Theopen steppe habitat attracts DemoiselleCrane, Cinereous Vulture, Steppe Eagle,Upland Buzzard, Eurasian Hobby, Blyth’sPipit and displaying Eurasian Skylark,Mongolian and Horned Larks. Our maininterest is the lakes that host hundreds ofRuddy Shelduck, Whooper Swan,Slavonian and Black-necked Grebes andnumerous ducks which may include Long-tailed Duck and Smew. The lakes occa-sionally hold the very rare Swan Goose. Onthe muddy margins of the lake we may findmigrant shorebirds including Pacific

Russia

Lake Baikal, taiga, forests and wetlands

Friday May 22nd – Friday June 5th2020Leaders: Igor Fefelov and Mark FinnGroup Size: 8Birds: 160-180

Dates

This Birdwatching Breaks tour brings us to central Siberia, Lake Baikal and theBuryat Republic on the border with Mongolia. As the vast evergreen forests ofRussia’s Siberian taiga extend southward toward Mongolia, the ground rises andthe terrain becomes more varied. The border between Siberian Russia andMongolia is a natural divide here, with rugged hills and mountains forming aseries of ranges between the sprawling Russian forests to the north and rollingsteppes to the south. About midway along this border is Lake Baikal, situated in aregion of unsurpassed beauty, its forested shores dominated by the snow-cladpeaks of the Khamar-Daban, Sayan, and Barguzin Mountains. Birding in this areaof Russia is still relatively unknown and it gives you the opportunity to find andstudy birds that are major rarities further west in Europe.


Golden Plover, Red-necked, Long-toedand Temminck’s Stints, Eastern Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, and sum-mer breeders - Pied Avocet and LittleRinged Plover. We also check riversidewoodland with cliffs for migrant passerines,Golden Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Azure Tit,Meadow and Black-faced Buntings.

Day 5: Today we travel back to Ulan-Udevia an area of riverine woodland wheremigrants may include Dark-sidedFlycatcher, Siberian Blue Robin and LittleBuntings. Beyond the village of Orongoy avisit to seasonal lakes may be productivefor Eurasian Bittern, White-winged Tern,Eurasian Curlew, Spotted Redshanks andcolonising Pallas’ Buntings.

Days 6-7: Today we travel north towardsVydrino and Utulik on the shores of LakeBaikal where we stay for two nights. Thetaiga forest has a plethora of interestingspecies - Oriental Cuckoo, White-backedand Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Red-flanked Bluetail, Olive-backed Pipit, Dark-sided, Asian Brown, Mugimaki and TaigaFlycatchers, Radde’s, Arctic, Yellow-

browed, Pallas’s, and Two-barred GreenishWarblers, Siberian Blue and Swinhoe’sRobins, and Black-faced Bunting.Uncommon species that are known tooccur in the forests near Vydrino includeYellow-browed Bunting, Siberian Jay,White’s, Eye-browed and SiberianThrushes and, above the forest, White-throated Needletails. On the morning ofDay 7 we revisit the forest before headingin a westerly direction to the village ofUtulik. The gardens here hold the common-er birds plus Daurian and CommonRedstarts, Eurasian Nuthatch and Azure-winged Magpie. An area of forest nearbymay be productive for the scarce SiberianBush Warbler, Olive-backed Pipit,Lanceolated Warbler and CommonRosefinch. Stands of silver birch dominatethe area where we should locate the attrac-tive Chestnut Bunting, Oriental Turtle Dove,Eurasian and Baikal Bullfinches, Hawfinchand various woodpeckers. On one after-noon we take the ski-lift to an area of conif-erous forest for migrating Oriental HoneyBuzzards, Spotted Nutcracker and Three-toed Woodpecker.

Russia

Steppe Eagle Photo: Jo Finn


Day 8: Kultuk is on the shores of LakeBaikal and is a noted migration hotspot withrecent visits recording Grey-tailed Tattlerand Green Sandpiper and the near endem-ic Mongolian Gull. The grass edges of thelake sometimes attract Pallas’s Reed andLapland Buntings. Offshore, large flocks ofAsiatic Scoter, Goosander and CommonGoldeneye are often present. The habitatstarts to open up into farmland dotted withseasonal lakes that are attractive toGarganey, Wood, Marsh and GreenSandpipers and displaying Common Snipe.The large lakes near Arshan lureDemoiselle and Common Cranes alongwith Eastern Imperial Eagle and Black-eared Kites. Two-night stay at Arshan.

Day 9: Today we visit the Tunka marshes,an area dominated by snow-capped peaks,patches of woodland, grass meadows andseveral small lakes with reedy margins.Before reaching Tunka, the bushes areworth checking for Siberian Rubythroat,

Tree Pipit and Pine Bunting. In the mead-ows Richard’s Pipits are common whilststands of trees and scrub hold EurasianWryneck, Northern and Brown Shrikes andperhaps a returning Thick-billed Warbler. Awalk around Tunka Marshes may revealEurasian Bittern, Common Pochard,Greater Spotted Eagle, White-winged Tern,Siberian Stonechat and singing Yellow-breasted Buntings.Tunka is also reliable forcalling Japanese Quails, although ourchances of seeing one are slim. Scarcerbirds occurring at Tunka include BlackGrouse, White-tailed Eagle, EasternBuzzard and Little Gull.

Day 10: A morning visit to the birch forestand river habitats at Arshan. The leaf covershould be minimal giving us a good chanceof Pallas’s, Dusky and Radde’s Warblers,Red-flanked Bluetail, Siberian Blue Robin,Willow, Coal and Long-tailed Tits. Highabove us in the forest we should locateWhite-throated Rock Thrushes giving their

Russia

Common Rosefinch Photo: Jo Finn


distinctive songs. In the village itself wemay find Taiga Flycatcher. After lunch wetravel to Irkutsk, one of the largest cities ofSiberia and also known as an open muse-um with its authentic wooden houses. Thecity is built on the shores of the AngaraRiver, a tributary of the Yenisey River. Two-night stay in the old city by the river.

Day 11: Irkutsk is blessed with a widerange of habitats, from forests to marshes,and several river systems. Our first birdingspot is the extensive marshes of Novo-Leninsky within the city boundary. This is atruly wonderful place for birds with the wil-low scrub and birch attracting Bluethroat,Yellow-breasted and Eastern ReedBuntings and Siberian Stonechats. In themarshy grasses we have excellent chancesof locating Pallas’s Grasshopper andLanceolated Warblers giving their distinc-tive songs. On the shallow pools wildfowlabound and may include the scarceFalcated Duck. The drier meadows heregive us the opportunity to find EurasianBitterns in the open with NorthernLapwings and possibly migrant waders. Inthe poplars Fieldfares occasionally breedwhilst the pylons sometimes attractOspreys on migration. Over the lakesCommon Tern of the race longipennis(sometimes split as Siberian Tern) occurwith colourful White-winged Terns.Depending on time, we may have anopportunity to visit other areas of the city.

Day 12: Today we travel east to BolshoyeGoloustnoye, a remote village on the north-ern shores of Lake Baikal. Our first stop isin the meadows at Ushakovka River, a reg-ular haunt of Swinhoe’s Snipe which givesits aerial display flight above the fields. Inthe longer grasses Corncrakes give theirdistinctive calls. Mature trees attract BlackWoodpecker. Along the river we have achance of Azure Tit, Siberian Chiffchaff,Tree Pipit, Oriental Crow and the extraordi-nary songs of Swinhoe’s Robins that aredelivered from the tops of pine trees. Ourjourney takes us through mature forestholding Eastern Buzzard, Oriental HoneyBuzzard, Peregrine Falcon and Red-throat-ed Thrush. Transfer to the village ofBolshoye Goloustnoye where our base is in

an attractive guesthouse for two nights.

Day 13: The village attracts Hill Pigeon,Barn Swallow of the race tytleri, LesserWhitethroat, Thick-billed Warbler, Blyth’sPipit and a colony of Daurian Jackdaws. Onthe shores of Lake Baikal we may find Red-breasted Merganser and Mongolian Gull. Inthe short-cropped grasses Northern andrarer Pied Wheatears occur. To the north ofthe village an open steppe-like habitatattracts Booted and Imperial Eagles,Isabelline Wheatear and Richard’s Pipits. Acareful scan of the rocky outcrops mayreveal the highly localised Godlewski’sBunting giving its distinctive song.

Day 14: After breakfast we head backtowards Irkutsk. An open area with highcliffs is good for Golden Eagles but ourmain interest is in the taiga forests that bor-der the road. These undisturbed forests arehome to a wide range of birds and, withluck, we should connect with HazelGrouse, Oriental and Common Cuckoos,Mugimaki, Asian Brown and Dark-sidedFlycatchers, Siberian Rubythroat, SiberianBlue and Swinhoe’s Robins, EurasianNutcracker and many others. Return toIrkutsk for our last night in Siberia.

Day 15: Fly to London via Moscow witharrival later the same day.

Russia


This holiday is fully inclusive offlights, accommodation and meals,transport and permit fees, guidance,tips and taxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature. Visarequired for Russia.


Prices


Day 1: Morning flight from the UK to Sofia,the capital of Bulgaria. On arrival we trans-fer to the Rhodope Mountains. En route weshould encounter European HoneyBuzzard, White Stork, Red-backed Shrikeand Black-headed Buntings recentlyarrived from their wintering grounds inIndia. Transfer to our hotel in a quiet andremote location for two nights.

Day 2: The focus of our explorations todayis the Trigrad gorge near the Greek border.Beside a swiftly flowing river a spectacularvalley gradually narrows into a steep-walled gorge. Our main target here is thebutterfly-like Wallcreeper which feeds onsheer rock faces. We should also find PallidSwift, Eurasian Crag Martin, Red-rumpedSwallow, Black Redstart and SpottedNutcracker.

Day 3: Today we travel through some mag-nificent mountain scenery to Krumovgradfor three nights. Krumovgrad is located inthe Eastern Rhodope Mountains, an areaof rich biodiversity, and is widely consid-ered to be one of the best places to findlarge birds of prey. During the transfer thereare opportunities to find Black Stork,Spanish Sparrow, Lesser Grey Shrike,Red-rumped Swallow and Eurasian ScopsOwl. Other species we are likely toencounter include European Turtle Dove,Grey and White Wagtails, Firecrest,Eurasian Jay, European Serin and RockBunting.

Day 4: Today a visit to Stouden Kladenets.

Perhaps the greatest attractions of the dayare Eurasian Griffon, Egyptian andCinereous Vultures attending a feeding sta-tion. Other possible birds include Short-toed Eagle and Black Kite. The rocky habi-tats and stunted trees attract Black-earedWheatear, Woodchat and Masked Shrikesand a range of warblers - Sardinian,Eastern Subalpine, Eastern Olivaceous,Barred, and Eastern Orphean.

Day 5: Dolna Kula is a scenic area withwoodland and bushes. It is important forHawfinch, Blue and Rufous-tailed RockThrushes and Rock Nuthatch. Small treesand scrubby slopes attract Cirl, Ortolanand Corn Buntings, Eurasian GoldenOriole, European Roller, EurasianWryneck, and Common Nightingale. Wealso search for the scarce Sombre Tit andChukars calling from rocky hillsides.

Day 6: This morning we head towardsBurgas on the Black Sea coast for a two-night stay and stop en route for EasternImperial Eagle and to explore dry hillsides,home to Isabelline Wheatear and Olive-tree Warbler. Gradually the landscape flat-tens out and becomes more intensively

Bulgaria

Spring migration in South-East Europe

Monday May 4th – Thursday May14th 2020Leader: Assen IgnatovGroup Size: 8 Birds: 180-210

Dates

Bulgaria, with its biodiversity, is indeed a unique birding destination with visits tomarshes and lakes and the riverside habitats of the River Danube and the BlackSea with its diverse habitats. Our tour starts in Sofia and then goes south towardsthe border with Greece and the Rhodope Mountain range, home to Wallcreeperand other mountain birds. Our tour then meanders towards the Black Sea coastvia the attractive interior of Bulgaria, which is dotted with picturesque villages andchurches. This tour should produce around 200 species of birds and a selection ofmammals.


farmed, the cereal crops being ideal habitatfor Montagu’s Harriers. Burgas is a largeport and main harbour for Bulgaria’s fishingfleet. During our stay in the area we explorethe surrounding freshwater lakes, brackishlagoons and saltpans.

Day 7: Our morning starts with a visit toPomorie salt pans where we expect tolocate Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt,Sandwich and Common Terns and KentishPlover. The pans are situated on the ViaPontica migration route, a stopover for aconsiderable number of birds. The BourgasLakes have extensive reed beds, floodedmeadows, marshes, low hills, and oakforests. Colonies of Pygmy Cormorants,Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis and EurasianSpoonbills are found in the reeds. Over 500pairs of Pied Avocets nest whilstMediterranean Gull and Yellow-leggedGulls are numerous. Gull-billed Terns canbe found among Sandwich Terns which areencouraged to nest on artificial islands.Also present in the reeds are Great Reed,Savi’s and Cetti’s Warblers and BeardedReedlings with Eurasian Penduline Tits util-ising the willow trees. Other species weshould see around Burgas include LittleBittern, Black-crowned Night Heron,Garganey, White-tailed and Lesser SpottedEagles, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, LittleGull, Little Tern, Black-headed Wagtail andSpotted Flycatcher.

Day 8: We drive northwards to Kavarna fora two-night stay. On the way an oak wood-land has Semi-collared Flycatcher. This isalso a good area for Levant Sparrowhawk,Short-toed Treecreeper, Black and MiddleSpotted Woodpeckers.

Day 9: This morning we visit LakeDurankulak, which holds a selection ofbirds including Squacco Heron,Ferruginous Duck and Collared Pratincole.The prime attraction is Paddyfield Warbler,here at the westernmost limit of its range.In complete contrast are the dramatic lime-stone cliffs at Cape Kaliakra which hasPied Wheatear, Alpine Swift, Calandra andGreater Short-toed Larks and nomadicRosy Starlings. Off the coast we shouldsee European Shag and YelkouanShearwaters. At the end of the day we mayfind Eurasian Eagle Owls on the cliff.

Day 10: We have time for birding in theKavarna area before driving west to Vetrenfor an overnight stay. Srebarna NatureReserve is famous for the endangeredDalmatian Pelican. Various waterfowl occurincluding Ferruginous Duck. The deadtrees attract White-tailed Eagles. In theevening Eurasian Scops Owl call in thelodge grounds and Golden Jackal is pres-ent in the area.

Day 11: Transfer to Bucharest and depar-ture back to the UK

Bulgaria


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,transport, guidance and taxes.



Prices

White Stork Photo: Jo Finn


Day 1: Morning flight to Larnaca airport.The rest of the day is spent aroundLarnaca Salt Lake and the LarnacaSewage Pools and their surrounds to checkfor migrating waders including possibleGreater Sand Plover. Transfer to our hotelin Larnaca.

Day 2: We explore the Akrotiri Peninsulataking in Zakaki Marsh, Lady’s Mile,Bishop’s Pool, Akrotiri Salt Lake, AkrotiriGravel Pits, coastline, and Phassouri ReedBeds. At this time of year, the area shouldbe alive with migrant passerines, wadersand herons. Regular species include LittleCrake, Collared Pratincole, Little Bittern,Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, CollaredFlycatcher and various wheatears.Interesting breeding birds include BlackFrancolin and Ferruginous Duck. Later inthe day, we visit Germasogeia Dam for theendemic Cyprus Warbler.

Day 3: We drive to Paphos and then to theAkamas area and Evretou Dam. Villagesen route are used by hunting Bonelli’sEagle and Long-legged Buzzard. Then wetravel to the Polis-Latchi area, stopping atPolis Reed Beds and the Baths ofAphrodite to search for Masked Shrike,Common and Thrush Nightingale, Red-rumped Swallow and Savi’s Warbler.Migrating raptors may be possible, includ-ing Lesser Spotted Eagle. Inland, we visitNeochorio village and the Smyies areaincluding Agias Minas. Return to Limassol

via Kannaviou Dam and Forest where wemay find the endemic Cyprus Wheatearand breeding Cretzschmar’s Bunting.

Day 4: This will be spent on the easternend of the island as we travel to CapeGreco and Agia Napa Sewage Works. Thescrub vegetation here holds many migrantsincluding Ruppell’s and Subalpine Warbler,Eurasian Wryneck, Rufous-tailed RockThrush, European Roller and several racesof Yellow Wagtail. This is a good spot for theresident Spectacled Warbler. Migrating rap-tors include Pallid and Montagu’s Harrier.Paralimini Lake and Sotira Pools attractcrakes and herons. On the way back toLimassol, we stop at Oroklini Marsh, one ofthe island’s best sites for Spur-wingedLapwing.

Day 5: Today, we head west to explore thePaphos Plain and Asprokremmos Damarea. We visit the Paphos Sewage Works,Ezousas Pools, and Mandria. All can holdsurprises during migration with Mandria agood place to check for Bimaculated andCalandra Larks. Asprokremmos Dam and

Cyprus

Spring migration in theEastern Mediterranean

Saturday April 4th – Saturday April11th 2020Leader: Jane Stylianou Group Size: 8Birds: 130-155

Dates

Situated in the Eastern Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus is an ideal stagingpoint for migrant passerines, water birds and birds of prey during the spring. Avisit in April gives the opportunity to see a wide range and variety of birds. Manyspecies of wheatear including Black-eared, Desert and Hooded occur. Ruppell’s,Subalpine, Barred, Eastern Orphean and Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler are regularwhile Isabelline Shrike, Cream-coloured Courser, Trumpeter Finch, Baillon’s Crake,Caspian Plover and Cinereous Bunting are among the less regular but almostannual rarities. Cyprus has three full breeding endemics - Cyprus Scops Owl,Cyprus Warbler and Cyprus Wheatear. The tour will cover both mountain andcoastal areas and is based in the coastal city of Larnaca.


its surrounds will be checked for migrantherons, crakes and waders while the wood-ed utility area often has passerines -Ortolan Bunting, Pied, Collared, and, onoccasions, Semi-collared Flycatchers.Nearby, Anarita Park is a site used bymigrating Lesser Kestrel and residentBonelli’s Eagle.

Day 6: We visit the Troodos Mountains forthe endemic subspecies - Cyprus Coal Tit,Eurasian Jay, and Short-toed Treecreeper.We travel via Souni, Omodhos and Pachnawith stops at Platres, Troodos Square,Livadhi tou Pashas and Kannoures Track,which holds Masked Shrike, OlivaceousWarbler, Pallid Swift and CommonCrossbill. Eurasian Crag Martin is also pos-sible. Returning to the coast, we visitKensington Cliffs and nearby CuriumStadium to search for the few remainingGriffon Vultures on the island. Eleonora’sFalcon could be present, as should AlpineSwift together with both Sardinian andCyprus Warblers.

Day 7: We start today at Paphos Headlandfor a morning walk around this famousmigration area. Wheatears, shrikes, war-blers, several yellow wagtail races andGreater Short-toed Larks use the area dur-ing spring. Another migration staging pointto be checked further north is CapeDrepanum. We also check a few Paphossites for roosting Cyprus Scops Owl. Aprobable return to either Mandria or Akrotiriis scheduled for later in the day to check forthe arrival of new migrants into the area.

Day 8: Checking out of our hotel, we driveto Kivisilli fields where we should findLesser Kestrel, Red-footed falcon andMontagu’s Harrier. Nearby Kiti Dam will bechecked for waterbirds and its woodedareas usually hold Great Spotted Cuckoo,Golden Oriole, Wood and Eastern Bonelli’sWarbler. Transfer to Larnaca Airport for anafternoon flight to the UK.

Cyprus

Ground Price: £1,995Single room: £125Deposit: £200*Air Fare: included


Not included: drinks, insurance, anditems of a personal nature, airpassenger duty taxes and fuelsurcharges.


Prices

Cyprus Scops Owl Photo: Jane Stylianou


Day 1: We take an early morning flight toMarseille and transfer to our base atBeaucaire. En route we should see our firstLittle and Great Egrets, White Storks, andbirds of prey such as Common Buzzardand Marsh Harrier. If time permits we willmake an initial exploration of the northernpart of the Camargue.

Days 2-4: During our stay we explorethree main areas with our daily routinedetermined by the weather and our suc-cess in finding our target species.

We will have plenty of time to explore theworld famous Camargue, France’s largestwetland. Greater Flamingos are among themost famous inhabitants and are present ingood numbers. Wintering species fromnorthern Europe include large numbers ofducks which may include Ferruginous Duckand Red Crested Pochard, Common Craneand perhaps Bewick’s Swan also likely.Raptors include Marsh and Hen Harriers,with White-tailed Eagle and GreaterSpotted Eagle also occurring on an annualbasis. The extensive reedbeds hostEurasian Bittern and Glossy Ibis withpasserines including Penduline Tit, Cetti’sWarbler and, with luck, MoustachedWarbler.

Inland from the Camargue is La Crau asteppe-like habitat that is home to groupsof Little Bustard and Pin-tailedSandgrouse. Great Grey Shrike, Eurasian

Thick-knee and Calandra Lark are furtherpossibilities.

Les Baux de Provence, is a small towndating back to medieval times and which isperched on top of a huge rocky outcropwith high cliffs. It is known as a regular win-tering site for Wallcreeper with other possi-bilities including Alpine Accentor, CragMartin, Black Redstart, Wood Lark,European Serin and Blue Rock Thrush.

On one day we visit the impressive forestand montane habitats of Mount Ventoux.The road passes through areas of foresthome to Firecrest, Crested and Coal Tits,Short-toed Treecreeper, Common Crossbilland with luck perhaps the impressive BlackWoodpecker. The upper slopes of themountain above the tree-line offer usAlpine Accentors and the uncommonWhite-winged Snowfinch. Nearby the Pontdu Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct, is aregular site for Rock Petronia.

Day 5: This morning we return to Marseilleand fly to Bastia in the north-east of

France

Winter birding in the Mediterranean

Saturday March 7th - SaturdayMarch 14th 2020Leader: Simon MacLaughlinGroup Size: 8 Birds: 120-135

Dates

This tour covers the French region of Provence-Alpes-Cote-d’Azur, a beautifularea close to the Mediterranean Sea and the island of Corsica. We visit thelimestone hills of Les Alpilles and the wetlands of the Camargue which in winteroffer some superb birding for desired species such as Wallcreeper, Citril Finch,Alpine Accentor, Little Bustard and spectacular concentrations of wildfowl fromfurther north and east. This area is bound to produce a few surprises in winter,with recent tours encountering Greater Spotted Eagle and wintering Richard’sPipits. Corsica is located further south in the Mediterranean Sea and offersmemorable birding amid some spectacular mountainous landscapes. In particularit hosts two endemic birds: Corsican Nuthatch and Corsican Finch, with otherexciting possibilities including Marmora’s Warbler, Audouin’s Gull and maybe evenLammergeier.


Corsica. Etang de Biguglia is our first bird-ing stop. Spotless Starlings and Red Kitesshould be easily encountered. The lake isimportant for waterbirds and we should findTufted Duck, Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes. A few Sandwich Terns canusually be found, whilst we have an excel-lent chance of seeing Audouin’s Gull.Transfer to the old, historic town of Corte,our base for the next three nights.

Day 6-7: Corte is conveniently placed forexploring the mountainous centre ofCorsica which is dominated by pine woods,rocky gorges and areas of marquis. Ourmain interest is in locating the island’s twoendemic birds: Corsican Nuthatch andCorsican Finch. We also expect to find aselection of woodland species including thelocal koenigi subspecies of Eurasian Wren.In the low marquis scrub we search forMarmora’s Warbler and Eurasian Wryneck.The mountains of central Corsica hold afew pairs of Lammergeier. Other specieswe hope to see include EurasianSparrowhawk, Golden Eagle, Blue RockThrush, Cirl Bunting, Northern Raven,White-throated Dipper and on the highestslopes Yellow-billed Chough. A visit to theeast coast coastal lagoons should revealCommon Sandpiper and Little RingedPlover. Areas of scrub host Sardinian

Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Blackcap andperhaps some early returning springmigrants. If there are onshore winds wemay see Yelkouan and Cory’s Shearwatersand the local race of European Shag.

Day 8: We return to Bastia and fly back toMarseille on the French mainland. In theearly afternoon, we fly back to Londonwhere the tour concludes.

France


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals, transportand permit fees, guidance, tips andtaxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance,baggage and credit card charges,items of a personal nature and anyrelevant fuel surcharges.


Prices

Spotted Nutcracker Photo: Jo Finn


Day 1: The tour commences in Belfastfrom where we head to Castle Espie.Strangford Lough is famous for its thou-sands of Pale-bellied Brent Geese and,occasionally, Black Brant which feed onexpanses of eel grass. Waders use thelough on a regular basis with huge num-bers of Eurasian Oystercatcher, CommonRedshank, Dunlin, Red Knot and Bar-tailedGodwits. Adjacent fields harbour CommonStonechat, Linnet, Twite, Tree Sparrow andReed Bunting. One-night stay at CastleEspie.

Day 2: After breakfast, we head westtowards the Myroe Levels in CountyLondonderry. In recent autumns, the levelshave attracted White-rumped, Buff-breast-ed and Pectoral Sandpipers, and AmericanGolden Plover among flocks of EuropeanGolden Plovers. Lough Foyle is close by, animportant area for Whooper and Bewick’sSwans, Pale-bellied Brent, GreenlandWhite-fronted and Greylag Geese and con-centrations of Eurasian Wigeon and otherducks. Transfer to Letterkenny in Donegalfor a two-night stay.

Day 3: This morning we drive north toMalin Head, the most northerly point inmainland Ireland. If north-west winds are

blowing, we expect a range of seabirdsincluding Manx and Sooty Shearwaters,Leach’s Petrel, Sabine’s Gull, Great andArctic Skuas and, possibly, Little Auks.Grassy areas around Malin Head regularlyattract Red-billed Choughs. In the after-noon, we visit Lough Swilly, a long sealough with a variety of habitats. Shallowerwaters lure Great Northern and Red-throat-ed Divers and Slavonian Grebes.Shorebirds are few but we may find moreunusual species in Ruff, Little Stint andSpotted Redshank, and wintering‘Icelandic’ Black-tailed Godwits. Raptorspresent include Common Buzzard,Peregrine Falcon, Merlin and, on occa-sions, Short-eared Owls. Lough Swilly reg-ularly attracts wildfowl from North Americawith recent sightings of Ring-necked Duckand Lesser Scaup.

Days 4-5: An early start in order to catch

Ireland

Autumn migrants and birdsof N Ireland and Donegal

Saturday October 17th – SundayOctober 25th 2020Leader: Mark FinnGroup Size: 8Birds: 100-120

Dates

Northern Ireland and Donegal are relatively under-watched by visiting birders fromthe United Kingdom. This tour is timed to maximise the opportunity to locatescarce species from North America and the southbound migration of geese,swans and wildfowl from further north and east. Our tour takes in a diverse rangeof habitats including Strangford Lough and Lough Beg, Bann Estuary and LoughFoyle. We also spend a few days birding in Donegal, the most north-westerlycounty in the Republic of Ireland. Our main objective here is visiting the remoteisland of Tory and the rugged north-west coast of Donegal. Malin Head is anexcellent sea-watching point in favourable conditions whilst Lough Swilly attractsa wide range of water birds. Recent rarities at this time of the year have includedSnowy Owl, American Golden Plover, Buff-breasted and Baird’s Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitcher and Black Brant.■ Please note you should arrive in Belfast on the evening of October 16th. Theitinerary below is subject to change due to weather conditions and incoming flighttimes from Inverness.


the ferry across to Tory Island, situatedeleven kilometres off the Donegal coast.The island is isolated with a population of afew hundred Gaelic-speaking people. Dueto its unique geographical location, any-thing may appear in this under-watchedbirding location. There is very little in theway of cover on the island apart from lowbushes and stone walls. We hope to locatepasserine migrants which have in the pastincluded Grey Phalarope, Barred andYellow-browed Warblers, Common Redpoll(Greenland races), Common Rosefinch,Snow and Lapland Buntings and a host ofseabirds passing offshore. If a westerly air-flow is blowing, the possibility of NorthAmerican passerines is high. Two-nightstay on Tory Island. Seawatching off Torycan be productive for Great, Pomarine,Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas, EuropeanStorm and Leach’s Storm Petrels.

Day 6: Today we leave Tory Island. Onceon the mainland, we continue westwards toSheskinmore Loch adjacent to the AtlanticOcean. Sheskinmore has a wide range ofhabitats in a relatively small area and hasthe potential to attract North Americanpasserines. Other species we mayencounter include Greenland White-frontedand Barnacle Geese, Common Redpoll,Snow Bunting and, occasionally, LaplandBuntings. Transfer to Bruckless for twonights.

Day 7: Today we travel to the town ofDonegal and Donegal Bay, the latter beingan important region for birds. En route wevisit Killybegs Harbour, the centre ofIreland’s deep-sea fishing fleet. Althoughthis is early in the ‘gull season’, we maylocate American Herring, Iceland andGlaucous Gulls. Careful scanning ofDonegal Bay may reveal Black-throatedDiver, Common, and more rarely Velvetand Surf Scoters, Greater Scaup, Long-tailed Duck, Common Eider and Red-breasted Mergansers. Along the shore,Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Sanderling,Greenshank and Bar-tailed Godwits occurin varying numbers.

Day 8: We leave Donegal, enter NorthernIreland and visit the Bann Estuary near

Coleraine which has a reputation for rarewaders with records of Long-billedDowitcher and Wilson’s Phalarope.Commoner waders comprise Dunlin, Knotand Curlew Sandpipers. Lough Beg isnearby, adjoining Lough Neagh, the largestbody of fresh water in the British Isles. Ourinterest is along the north-west shore ofLough Beg which attracts a wide range ofshorebirds with Little Stint, Common andJack Snipe and the possibility of NorthAmerican vagrants. Open water holds div-ing ducks, mainly Common Pochard, TuftedDuck and Common Goldeneye. Overnightstay at Portstewart.

Day 9: After breakfast, we make the shortjourney to Belfast airport where the tourconcludes.

Ireland


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,transport, ferry fares and guidance.

Not included: flights to and fromBelfast (it is recommended to fly inand out of Belfast City Airport),insurance and items of a personalnature.

Comfortable accommodation with en-suite facilities within Ireland.Guesthouses at Letterkenny and ToryIsland. Transport by 9-seater minibus.Short to medium walks on roads,tracks and footpaths. Warm clothingand stout waterproof footwear arerecommended.

Prices


Day 1: Fly to the mining town of Kirkenesin extreme Northern Norway. On arrival wedrive towards the taiga forest in the Pasvikvalley where our base is at Svanvik for twonights. The vegetation of Pasvik is domi-nated by pine and birch forests.

Day 2: We birdwatch along the border withRussia and in the Pasvik National Park.Some of the species we look for includeEurasian Capercaillie, Black Grouse, PineGrosbeak, Siberian Jay, Siberian andWillow Tits, Arctic Redpoll and the northernrace of Eurasian Bullfinch which oftenforms small flocks. Birds of prey includeMerlin and White-tailed Eagle. We alsohave a good chance of seeing Northern

Hawk and Short-eared Owls and, if it is agood rodent year, Great Grey Owl.Resident species of interest include GreatSpotted, Lesser Spotted and Three-toedWoodpeckers and Bohemian Waxwing.

Day 3: Drive towards the Varanger penin-sula and through the Tana Valley. As wecross the Tana Valley with its rocky out-crops we should keep an eye out forRough-legged Buzzard, Golden Eagle andNorthern Hawk Owls, which are a distinctpossibility along the road. Stunted willowsattract flocks of Arctic Redpolls. At the high-est point of the road the edges and anyexposed rocks may have Willow and RockPtarmigans, both of which will be in their‘white’ winter plumage as we approach ourbase at Batsfjord for the next two nights.

Day 4: Today is spent birding aroundBatsfjord and Berlevåg. The landscape andscenery is quite dramatic with snowfields,frozen lakes and Arctic tundra. The fishingport of Batsfjord has Steller’s, King andCommon Eiders at close range along withLong-tailed Ducks and Goosander. In theafternoon we drive slowly towards the iso-lated settlement of Berlevåg. This can be a

Norway

Eider ducks and the Aurora Borealis in Varanger

Saturday April 4th – Friday April10th 2020Leaders: Anders Mæland Group Size: 7Birds: 60-90

Dates

This tour concentrates on the wintering birds of Northern Norway and along theborder with Russia. At this time of the year daytime temperatures can be low, evenin early April. We have exceptional opportunities to watch and observe manyfamiliar and uncommon European species birds that winter in and around theVaranger Fjord, which includes several species of owls, ducks and High Arcticspecies.■ Please note you should arrive in Oslo on April 3rd as the flight to Kirkenes isearly on the 4th.

Pine Grosbeak Photo: Anders Mæland


productive area in late winter for Merlin,Gyrfalcon and Rough-legged Buzzard. Theharbour at Berlevåg often holds large num-bers of gulls which may include Glaucous,Iceland and the northern races of Herring.In recent years both Ivory and Ross’s Gullshave put in an appearance. Shorebirdspresent include Purple Sandpiper.

Day 5: Today we drive back over themountains towards the spectacularVarangerfjord, a huge indented sea lochwhere White-tailed Eagles are particularlynumerous. Stops along the shore atNesseby, Varangerbotn and VestreJacobselv allow good vantage points intothe fjord where we should find White-billedand Red-throated Divers, Common andVelvet Scoters, Black Guillemot and thethree eider species. Transfer to Vadso fortwo nights.

Day 6: This morning we visit the fishingport at Vardø for a trip to the fantastic birdscliffs at Hornøya. It is a short boat trip fromthe harbour to the cliffs where Commonand Brunnich’s Guillemot, Razorbill,Atlantic Puffin, Black-legged Kittiwake and

European Shag all breed. Later in the daywe visit Svartnes and Kiberg harbours insearch of anything we may have missedearlier in the tour.

Day 7: Return to Kirkenes for our flightssouth to Oslo and on to London with arrivallater the same day.

Norway


This holiday is fully inclusive ofaccommodation and meals,transport, permit fees, guidance, tipsand taxes.

Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature. Night inOslo and meals on the 3rd.


Prices

Steller’s Eider Photo: Anders Mæland


Day 1: Clients should arrive atCopenhagen (Denmark) international air-port on the morning of September 26th.From Copenhagen we drive across thebridge connecting Denmark and Swedenand turn south to Falsterbo, our base forthe week.

Days 2-7: Falsterbo is a charming village,surrounded by wetlands, meadows andsmall woodlands. On the north-west side ofthe peninsula extends a tiny strip of land,covered with sedge and salt marsh vegeta-tion. The migration is at the most intensefrom late September to the middle ofOctober. Barnacle Goose, Brambling,Common Chaffinch, Woodpigeon, Blue Titand Starling are the most numerousspecies. Eurasian Siskin, European Linnet,Meadow Pipit, Common Eider andEurasian Wigeon are just some of themany other species that migrate in largenumbers.

The raptor migration is perhaps the mostfamous attraction. Here you can see most

of the North European species during asingle day. Common Buzzard and EurasianSparrowhawk are the most numerous inSeptember and October when the dailynumbers can reach several thousands.Other common raptors at this time are RedKite, Hen Harrier, Merlin and EurasianKestrel. Rarer species which occur on aregular basis include Pallid Harrier, BlackKite, Peregrine Falcon, White-tailed Eagleand Golden Eagle.

On the west side a sandy beach stretch-es all the way south to Nabben. East andNorth is an area of mudflats uncoveredduring low tide which attracts thousands ofDunlin and other waders. During our stay

Sweden

Autumn migration at Falsterbo

Saturday September 26th –Saturday October 3rd 2020Leader: Anders MælandGroup size: 7Birds: 110-130

Dates

Falsterbo is located at the end of a narrow peninsula in south-west Sweden. Dueto its unique geographical location migrant birds are literally funnelled down tothe point when they have to decide to migrate across the Baltic Sea or stay untilconditions are right. The birding week and itinerary is dependent on the weathersituation. We mainly stay on the peninsula when the conditions are good formigration. On some days we explore the wonderful Baltic Sea coastline andseveral lakes and wetlands in the province of Skane.

Broad-billedSandpiper

Photo: AndersMæland


we see less common species - LittleRinged Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper,Curlew Sandpiper and Pied Avocet. This isalso a good area for resting terns, gulls,waterfowl and pipits.

A short drive inland takes you throughthe countryside, to beech forests, mead-ows and lakes. The bird fauna here is quitedifferent from that on the Falsterbo penin-sula. Some of the species you can find areGreat Crested Grebe, Black and GreenWoodpeckers, Bearded Reedling, MarshTit, Hawfinch and Common Kingfisher.Large flocks of geese rest and feed andmay include Tundra and Taiga Bean Geeseand increasing numbers of Greylag Geese.Another feature of the area are migrantCommon Cranes which can occur in hugenumbers, feeding in the meadow andfields. The nutritious lakes Krankesjon andVombsjøen are attractive for waterfowl andother freshwater species includingWhooper Swan, European White-frontedGoose and, in some autumns, the rareLesser White-fronted Goose. Many birds ofprey linger in Southern Scania, waiting forideal migration weather. With some luck

rare species like Red-footed Falcon, Lesserand Greater Spotted Eagles can beobserved from strategic watching points.

Day 8: A final morning birding aroundFalsterbo before returning to Copenhagenfor flights back to Britain.

Sweden





Prices

Black Woodpecker Photo: Pandion Wildlife Tours


Day 1: Fly from the UK to Anchorage viaSeattle. Arrival is later the same day.

Days 2-3: Morning flight to Barrow, themost northerly city in Alaska, which hasaccess to the Arctic tundra - a magnet forbreeding birds. Our main targets includeSteller’s, Spectacled and King Eiders andstunning Red-necked and Grey Phalaropesin their breeding dress. The roadside lakesand small ponds attract Pacific Diver,Pectoral, Semipalmated, and WesternSandpipers, Dunlin and Long-billedDowitchers. We also have good chances offinding White-billed Divers in breedingplumage whilst the tundra itself attractsSnowy and Short-eared Owls andPomarine Skua if it is a lemming year.Other birds in and around Barrow includeflocks of Snow and Lapland Buntings,Arctic and Common Redpolls.

Day 4: A final morning birding aroundBarrow followed by a flight to Anchoragewhere we overnight. On arrival we visitWestchester Lagoon, a reliable spot forRed-necked Grebe, American Wigeon,Greater Scaup, Bald Eagle, Greater andLesser Yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit, andShort-billed Dowitcher.

Day 5: Today we travel north through ahabitat of black spruce and willow scrub to

the eastern end of the Denali Highway.Along the way stops are made for SpruceGrouse, Bohemian Waxwing and, with luck,Northern Hawk-Owl. Our overnight stop isat Paxson with a mix of tundra habitatsholding Trumpeter Swan and the scarceand localised Smith’s Longspur.

Days 6-7: An early departure this morningto bird along the Denali Highway. En routewe should encounter Spruce Grouse,Bohemian Waxwing, Arctic Warbler, andfurther opportunities of Northern HawkOwl. Trails near the park entrance holdGrey Jay, Varied Thrush, Golden-crownedSparrow, White-winged Crossbill andCommon Redpoll. Our base for the nexttwo nights is on the edge of Denali NationalPark. On Day 7 we enter the park andutilise the shuttle buses for a round tripwhere we hope to encounter WillowPtarmigan, Gyrfalcon, Golden Eagle, Long-tailed Skua and Northern Shrike. Mammals

Alaska

Birds of the High Arcticand Bering Sea

Saturday June 13th – Sunday June28th (extension to the Pribilofsuntil July 1)Leader: Mark Finn and local guidesGroup Size: 8Birds: 140-180

Dates

Alaska is geographically separated from the rest of the United States and is thelargest in size of all the states. The habitats range from vast forests and glaciersto rugged mountains and tundra. This range of habitats in turn attracts a widerange of species to breed. Our tour takes in the major birding sites of Alaskawhich includes the tundra habitat around Barrow, home to the endangeredSpectacled Eider. Nome is another isolated town with literally three roads runningout of it, we will explore these for a wide range of sought-after species includingBristle-thighed Curlew and vagrants from Asia. In the interior of Alaska is Denali, astate park with spectacular scenery and vistas including Mount McKinley, one ofthe highest peaks in North America. Some of our time is spent around Anchoragewith its varied habitats and a few days at Seward where seabirds can be numerousin the inlets. Finally we have an optional extension to the Pribilof Islands whereclose encounters with auks and seabirds are guaranteed.


are a star draw with Grizzly Bear, Reindeerand Elk being of interest.

Day 8: Depart from Denali and travel backto Anchorage. We will be on the lookout forany recently burnt areas which give thegroup chances of locating American Three-toed and Black-backed Woodpeckers,Boreal Chickadee and Bohemian Waxwing.There are many lakes supporting GreatNorthern Divers and in some yearscolonies of Bonaparte’s and CommonGulls. Night in Anchorage.

Day 9: This morning we visit various parksand forested areas around Anchoragelooking for White-winged Crossbill, AlderFlycatcher, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Hairy andDowny Woodpeckers. In the afternoon wetravel in a southerly direction to the town ofSeward. The route passes through moun-tain scenery and on to the Kenai Peninsula.Seward has large areas of Sitka Sprucewhere many species find a toehold inAlaska. Careful searching should revealRufous Hummingbird, Chestnut-backedChickadee, Varied Thrush, Townsend’s

Warbler, Fox Sparrow and Pine Grosbeak.Two nights in Seward.

Day 10: We spend the day birding inResurrection Bay and Blying Sound, aspectacular region dominated by glaciersand deep water habitats to the south ofSeward. Several large seabird colonies arehome to Tufted and Horned Puffins,Rhinoceros Auklet, Ancient Murrelet,Brunnich’s and Common Guillemots andBlack-legged Kittiwakes. If we encountergroups of Marbled Murrelet we may find theuncommon Kittlitz’s Murrelet among them.Marine mammals present include Steller’sSea Lion, Sea Otter and Humpback Whale.

Day 11: A final morning birding aroundSeward with a visit to the Exit Glacier andits numerous trails. It is possible to locateSteller’s and Grey Jays, Hermit and VariedThrushes, American Dipper, NorthernWaterthrush, Orange-crowned, Townsend’sand Wilson’s Warblers and White-wingedCrossbill. Later we head back to Anchoragewith a stop at Potters Marsh for SlavonianGrebe, Sandhill Crane, Alder Flycatcher

Alaska

Bristle-thighed Curlew Photo: George Matz


and Rusty Blackbird. Night in Anchorage.

Day 12: Morning flight to Nome, which issituated close to the Barents Sea. Nomehas three dead-end roads which run out invarious directions for us to explore. Our firstvisit is along the Teller Road where road-side pools have Red-breasted Merganserand Common Gull. Low scrub and bushesmay reveal White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Grey-cheeked Thrushand Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers. Patchesof lichen-covered rocks allow Horned Larksto breed along with nesting shorebirds,notably Pacific Golden Plover, WesternSandpiper and Red Knot.

Day 13: Morning visit to the Nome Riverwhere we should locate Arctic and AleutianTerns and Cackling Geese. The roadtowards Cape Nome often has Long-tailedSkuas. At the cape a scan of the sea mayprovide views of Pelagic Cormorant andshowy Harlequin Ducks. Safety Sound isclose by, an area attractive to Surfbird,Black Turnstone and Sandhill Cranes. Thelow scrub often has Lapland Bunting andArctic Warbler here at the end of its exten-sive eastern range. The Council Road

meanders on towards a bridge which oftenhosts Gyrfalcon, American Pipit and Say’sPhoebe. At the end of the road a patch ofpine forest should have Ruby-crownedKinglet, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers and Rusty Blackbirds.

Day 14: Kougarak Road is our destinationthis morning where the hillsides are hometo American Golden Plover, Bristle-thighedCurlew and the Hudsonian race ofWhimbrel. The road also allows us to seeBufflehead, Sharp-shinned Hawk,Northern Waterthrush and AlderFlycatcher. Back in Nome we can check forAmerican Wigeon, Black and White-wingedScoters and any other species we mayhave missed.

Day 15: Fly back to Anchorage for anovernight stay

Please note: The Pribilof extension issubject to weather which can causedelays or cancellations.

Days 16-17: Flights back to Europe viaSeattle where arrival is on the followingday, or fly to St Paul in the Pribilof Islands

Alaska

Red-breasted Nuthatch Photo: Simon Papps


for a two-night stay. On St Paul Island weexplore the numerous seabird colonieswhich offer exceptionally close views. StPaul is renowned for Parakeet, Least andCrested Auklets, Horned and TuftedPuffins. We should also see the range-restricted Red-faced Cormorant and Red-legged Kittiwake along with RockSandpipers and Glaucous-winged Gulls. StPaul holds very few passerines but it mayinclude Grey-crowned Rosy-finch, Laplandand Snow Buntings. Rarer species whichoccasionally turn up on the islands includeSabine’s Gull, Emperor Goose andMackay’s Bunting. St Paul also has a repu-tation for vagrants from Asia and hopefullysome may be present during our stay.

Day 18: A final morning on St Paul andthen fly back to Anchorage for the night.Departure is the following day back toEurope.

Alaska

Ground Price: £6,495Single room: £1,000Deposit: £600*Air Fare: £1,275

Pribilof Extention: £2,400Deposit: £250*Air Fare: included

Please note single rooms are notalways available on the PribilofIslands and Barrow.


Not included: Visa to enter USA,drinks, insurance, and items of apersonal nature.


Prices

Sandhill Crane Photo: George Matz


Days 1-2: Fly to Buenos Aires with arrivalon the morning of Day 2. Afternoon birdingin Costanera Sur Nature Reserve marshes,located by the Rio de la Plata and a fewminutes from downtown Buenos Aires.White-tufted Grebe, Coscoroba and Black-necked Swans, Rosy-billed Pochard, SilverTeal, Rufous Hornero, Rufous-belliedThrush, Chalk-browed Mockingbird, Red-crested Cardinal and Black-and-RufousWarbling-Finch are among the species weshould see.

Days 3-4: Early departure to SanClemente del Tuyú, birding the pampasgrasslands on the way. Our route takes usthrough extensive areas of grassland dot-ted with pools. The main birding areas wevisit are at the Punta Rasa migratory birdreserve and other areas near our base.Species we may encounter include a mix ofmigrants from North America and residentspecies. Interesting birds occurring on aregular basis include Spotted Tinamou,Buff-breasted and White-rumpedSandpipers, Southern Screamer, Snowy-crowned Tern, Black Skimmer, AmericanOystercatcher, Hudsonian Godwit, Greaterand Lesser Yellowlegs, Red Knot,American Golden Plover, Olrog’s Gull, Dot-winged Crake, South American Painted-Snipe, Field Flicker, Firewood Gatherer,Hudson’s Canastero, Bay-capped Wren-spinetail, Warbling Doradito, Correnderaand Hellmayr’s Pipit and Scarlet-headedBlackbird. Two nights at San Clemente delTuyú.

Days 5-7: After some early morning bird-

ing we return to Buenos Aires to catch aflight to Posadas. Upon arrival, transfer toan estancia in the Iberá marshes for athree-night stay. The Iberá marshes areone of the largest wetlands in the world andour base is located at the very heart of thisamazing area. We go birding in the morn-ing and afternoon in subtropical grass-lands, woods, and of course the wetlandsthemselves, which we’ll also explore on aboat trip. The list of birds is impressive andwe have good chances of locating the fol-lowing species: Greater Rhea, Red-wingedTinamou, Jabiru, Plumbeous Ibis,Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Pinnated andStripe-backed Bitterns, Azure Gallinule,Rufous-sided Crake, Large-billed Tern,Savanna Hawk, Little and Scissor-tailedNightjars, Striped Cuckoo, Black-and-whiteMonjita, Strange-tailed Tyrant, CrestedDoradito, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant,Donacobius, Ochre-breasted Pipit, Purple-throated Euphonia, Yellow-billed Cardinal,Green-winged Saltator, Wedge-tailed andLesser Grassfinches, seedeaters, Yellow-rumped Marshbird and Chopi and Scarlet-headed Blackbirds.

Day 8: After another morning birding theforests and marshes of Iberá, we drive to

Argentina

NE Argentina: The Pampas,Iberá wetlands and Iguazú

Friday October 2nd – ThursdayOctober 15th 2020Leaders: Simon Papps and localguidesGroup Size: 8Birds: 300- 330

Dates

Our tour of Argentina covers the northern part of this huge country. Afterdeparting from the capital city of Buenos Aires we travel through large swathes ofpampas, which are internationally important for birds. The huge wetlands in thispart of Argentina offer superb birding and, combined with nearby forests andmarshes, a large bird list is likely. Our final stop is at the world famous IguazúFalls - remarkable place to visit and a fitting finale to the trip.


Posadas, on the shore of the Paraná river.Night in Posadas.

Days 9-10: Morning birding near thehotel. Check out and continue our waynorth towards a forest lodge located nearUrugua-í Provincial Park. Birding willbecome more exciting as we start dealingwith a greater diversity of forest habitatsand their numerous associated birdspecies. Morning and afternoon birding theforest trails of the reserve which hold anamazing range including Solitary Tinamou,Black-fronted Piping-Guan, Rusty-margin-ed Guan, Pauraque, Short-tailedNighthawk, Slaty-breasted Wood-Rail,Maroon-bellied Parakeet, Blue-wingedParrotlet, Great Dusky Swift, Black-facedand Surucua Trogons, five species of tou-cans, twelve species of woodpeckers,Lesser Woodcreeper, White-eyed andBlack-capped Foliage-gleaners, Tufted andSpot-backed Antshrikes, Plain Antvireo,Rufouswinged Antwren, Short-tailedAntthrush, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow, threespecies of manakins (Blue, White-beardedand Band-tailed), Southern Antpipit, Long-tailed Tyrant, Yellow Tyrannulet, Three-striped Flycatcher, Sirystes, White-throatedSpadebill, Eared Pygmy-Tyrant, Grey-hooded Flycatcher, White-winged Swallow,White-necked Thrush, Creamy-belliedGnatcatcher, Streamside Warbler, Black-throated Grosbeak, Giant Cowbird, Red-

rumped Cacique, Blue Dacnis, Chestnut-bellied Euphonia, Blue-napedChlorophonia and tanagers includingGuira, Green-headed, Magpie andChestnut-headed.

Days 10-11: After another morning bird-ing the forest around the lodge, we move toPuerto Iguazú, planning to arrive in theafternoon. If time permits, we visit thefamous hummingbird feeders in town. OnDay 11 we have a full day at the mightyIguazú Falls. A well designed network ofwalkways lets us approach the falls toenjoy magnificent views of the river andforest. Birding here is excellent, with poten-tial highlights including Black-frontedPiping-Guan, Common Squirrel-Cuckoo,Toco Toucan, Rufous Gnateater, Plush-crested Jay, various tanagers includingBlue Dacnis and Swallow Tanager, a widevariety of antbirds and the iconic sight ofGreat Dusky Swifts flying in behind the tor-rents of water. If conditions are suitable thephenomenon of clouds of thousands of but-terflies of hundreds of different species isone of the most astonishing sights in thenatural world.

Day 12: Check out and fly back to BuenosAires for connecting flights back to Europe.Arrival is on the following day.

Argentina

Spot-billed Toucanet Photo: H R Goñi



Not included: drinks, insurance, anyrelevant airport departure taxeswithin Argentina and items of apersonal nature.


Prices


Day 1: We fly from London to Toronto inthe Canadian province of Ontario. Onarrival, we transfer to Orilla for a two-nightstay.

Day 2: A visit to the beautiful wilderness ofAlgonquin Provincial Park. Near the parkentrance, fields attract mixed flocks of spar-rows: White-crowned, Chipping, Savannahand White-throated. The forest edge hasEastern Phoebe, Northern Raven and GreyJay. Opeongo Road is a good area forAmerican Black-backed Woodpecker andRuffed Grouse, while Boreal Chickadeeand Spruce Grouse are both possibilities.Other species include Rose-breastedGrosbeaks and Golden-crowned Kinglets.Spruce Bog Trail has tame Black-cappedChickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatchesand mammals in the form of Moose andGroundhog.

Day 3: We start our exploration of CardenAlvar by visiting Kirkfield Lift Lock whichhas Cliff and Northern Rough-wingedSwallows. Nearby, a check of meadowhabitats may reveal the presence ofNorthern Harrier, Wilson’s Snipe, UplandSandpiper, Cedar Waxwing, the endan-gered eastern race of Loggerhead Shrike,Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink.Patches of marsh are worth checking forthe highly localised Sedge Wren and wemay hear the calls of Yellow, Virginia andSora Rails and glimpse an American

Bittern. Drier sections of the marsh withscrub may attract Golden-winged Warbler,Indigo Bunting and Clay-coloured and FieldSparrows whilst in recent years raritieshave included Lark Sparrow and PrairieWarbler. Transfer to Port Rowan

Day 4: Long Point is our first destinationtoday. This site is world famous for migrantsongbirds and rarities which occur duringspring migration. Falls of migrants occurwith regularity at the time of our visit. Onearea of woodland, on a good day, can holdin excess of a hundred species. On occa-sions it can be difficult to know where tolook next as birds of every colour adorn thetrees. For many, however, it is the flocks ofwarblers which are the biggest draw. AtLong Point in springtime you stand the bestchance of observing large mixed flocks ofthese birds which are always stunning bothin their diversity and in the brightness oftheir plumage. Several species occur on aregular basis: Magnolia, Black-throatedBlue and Black-throated Green Warblers,Palm and Mourning Warblers, American

Canada

Spring migration at Long Point, Ontario

Thursday May 7th – Saturday May16th 2020Leader: Simon Papps Group size: 6 Birds: 160-190

Dates

Following past successful visits to Long Point in Ontario, we are once againreturning to this beautiful, bird-rich area of Canada. For those fortunate to havewitnessed it, a fall of North American songbirds in springtime is an exciting andmemorable experience. Warblers, orioles, tanagers and grosbeaks frequentlyabound, their colours and characters defying adequate description. This holidayoffers the opportunity to encounter many such visually stunning species. Our visitis timed to coincide with the spring migration of songbirds, mid-May being theprime period. We also search for breeding species in southern Ontario andlingering winter migrants around the Great Lakes. We have extended the tour bytwo days to visit the Algonquin and Carden Alvar areas which hold several scarcespecies and migrants during May.


Redstart, the enigmatic Black-and-whiteWarbler and the stunning BlackburnianWarbler. Other species which are regularlyrecorded include Baltimore Oriole, IndigoBunting, Scarlet Tanager, Grey Catbird,Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher andAmerican Robin. The undergrowth can bealive with Grey-cheeked and Swainson’sThrushes, Ovenbirds, Lincoln’s and White-throated Sparrows. Rarities encounteredon previous tours include Worm-eatingWarbler and Harris’s Sparrow. We visitLong Point and Old Cut several times dur-ing the week in order to stand the greatestchance of witnessing songbird migration atits best.

Day 5: Today we head straight for WilsonTract, an area of old Carolinian forest. It willbe an early start to this birding hotspot withbreeding Yellow-billed and Black-billedCuckoos, Blue-winged, Black-throatedBlue, Cerulean, Prothonotary and HoodedWarblers and Louisiana Waterthrush.

Broad-winged and Cooper’s Hawks canalso be found. Nearby, an old orchard holdsEastern Bluebirds and meadows are hometo Grasshopper and Vesper Sparrows.Later in the day, after a stop at Long Pointto discover the state of the day’s migration,we progress to nearby Port Rowan andbirdwatch around the pond and the ceme-tery where Orchard Orioles occur on a reg-ular basis. Port Rowan sewage ponds areclose by where shorebirds rest on theirnorthward migration. Wilson’s Phalarope,Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper andShort-billed Dowitcher often turn up alongwith American Black Tern and CommonNighthawk. Lake Erie itself often has GreatNorthern Diver, Ring-necked Duck, LesserScaup, Redhead and Caspian Terns.

Day 6: After a visit to Long Point to checkon the day’s migration potential, we headnorth-east to Turkey Point. En route, wevisit Spooky Hollow which, along with typi-cal woodland species, provides the oppor-

Canada

Blackburnian Warbler Photo: Simon Papps


tunity to discover Black-throated Green,Blackburnian, Cerulean and CanadaWarblers and, on occasions, LouisianaWaterthrush, Carolina Wren and Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Turkey Point itself is anexcellent site for shorebirds, gulls andterns. We can expect Killdeer, GreaterYellowlegs, Solitary and SpottedSandpipers. The overlook of Turkey PointMarsh is a reliable site for Wood Duck andthe impressive Bald Eagle. Along the road-side we search for Red-belliedWoodpecker and Carolina Wren. The forestat Normandale should provide us withLeast Flycatcher, Black-throated GreenWarbler, Nashville Warbler, and Wood andHermit Thrushes.

Day 7: After our morning visit to LongPoint we progress to the extensive areas ofwetlands at Big Creek Reserve and HahnMarshes. Several species of interest arepresent including American Bittern,American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal,

American Black Duck, Sandhill Crane,Forster’s Tern, Purple Martin, Marsh Wrenand Common Yellowthroat. Woodlandtracts sometimes have a few migrantsincluding Brown Creeper, Red-breastedNuthatch, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, AcadianFlycatcher and Solitary Vireo.

Day 8: Rondeau is west of Simcoe, apeninsula facing south-west into Lake Erie.Rondeau is a noted migration hotspotalthough not as well known as Long Point.The entrance road can be a reliable placeto see Great Horned Owls. However, ourmain interest is the feeders outside the vis-itor centre. On our last visit we recordedRuby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed,Red-bellied, Downy and HairyWoodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatch,American Goldfinch, White-crownedSparrow, Rose-breasted Grosbeak andNorthern Cardinal. A walk along a board-walk through a swamp should provide uswith Prothonotary Warbler and Winter

Canada

Yellow-rumped Warbler Photo: Simon Papps


Wren. There are several trails at Rondeauproviding good access to woodland, scruband the shore of Lake Erie. Walking alongSouth Beach Trail, we may encounter FieldSparrow, Pileated Woodpecker, Bay-breasted Warbler, Common Yellowthroatand Brown Thrasher. After an early dinner,we return to Rondeau to observe theremarkable display flight and feedingactions of American Woodcocks. CommonNighthawk is also a distinct possibility asdusk falls.

Day 9: Today we head towards BackusWoods to look for Blackburnian, Canada,Cerulean, Blue-winged and Black-throatedGreen Warblers. Backus Woods also pro-vides us with a chance of locating Red-shouldered Hawk, Wild Turkey, Barred Owl,Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and OrchardOriole. Lakeland Drive follows the shorelineof Lake Erie with several vantage points.We may locate lingering Bufflehead off-shore and Semipalmated Plovers along themuddy shore. Fields and weedy areas mayhold Savannah Sparrow, EasternMeadowlark and Bobolink.

Day 10: After a final visit to Long Point, wehead for Niagara Falls. Sightseeing atNiagara will be arranged to suit the group.Visually, the falls are a stunning spectacle

with rainbows in the spray. The force of thefalling water is astounding. Nearby are tow-ers that have been erected to give the verybest viewpoint from which to survey thefalls. Niagara is noted for Bonaparte’s Gullsand Double-crested Cormorants. Thegorge below the falls attracts Ring-billedGulls in their thousands and, occasionally,Great Black-backed Gull. We then travel toToronto Airport for our flight home witharrival on the next morning.

Canada


This holiday is fully inclusive offlights, accommodation and meals,transport, permit fees, guidance, tipsand taxes.

Not included: Visa to enter Canada,drinks, insurance, and items of apersonal nature.


Prices

American Woodcock Photo: Simon Papps


Day 1: Flight from London Heathrow toBogotá, arriving in the evening. Transfer toa hotel in the north of the city for one night.

Day 2: Bogotá is located at an altitude ofaround 2,300m, nestled in a large plateauin the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. Wehave an early start to visit La Florida,which holds three endemic birds: BogotáRail, Silvery-throated Spinetail andApolinar's Wren. There is also a goodchance of Subtropical Doradito, NobleSnipe, Rufous-browed Conebill and thelocal race of Least Bittern. We alsobecome acquainted with widespreadspecies such as Roadside Hawk, Blue-and-white and Southern Rough-wingedSwallows, Great Kiskadee, Fork-tailed andVermilion Flycatchers, Masked and Black-crowned Tityras, Buff-breasted Wren,Black-billed and Pale-breasted Thrushes,Saffron Finch, and wintering Blackburnianand Canada Warblers. We then catch alate morning flight from the nearby airportto the city of Riohacha, which is the settingfor parts of several novels by GabrielGarcía Márquez, including One HundredYears of Solitude. The nearby LosFlamencos Sanctuary on the GuajiraPeninsula is an important coastal wetlandand dry forest reserve created to protect alarge population of American Flamingosand numerous other birds includingherons, waders, Wood Stork and RoseateSpoonbill. Scarlet Ibis can usually be foundin the small flocks of White Ibis. Scatteredtrees and brush by the lagoons may pro-

duce Scaled Dove, Glaucous Tanager,Grey Kingbird and Yellow Oriole.

Day 3: We spend the morning birding inthe Guajira desert near Los Flamencos.Inland, xerophytic scrub dominates, whichis very productive for Guajira specialtiesrestricted to north-east Colombia andnorth-west Venezuela. These includeRufous-vented Chachalaca, Bare-eyedPigeon, Buffy Hummingbird, Russet-throat-ed Puffbird, Chestnut Piculet, White-whiskered Spinetail, Slender-billed Inezia,Orinocan Saltator, Pileated Finch, TocuyoSparrow and Vermillion Cardinal. We alsosearch for Crested Bobwhite, Blue-crowned and Brown-throated Parakeets,Green-rumped Parrotlet, Black-crestedAntshrike, White-fringed Antwren andNorthern Scrub-Flycatcher. By around11am the scorching desert sun is overpow-ering, so we head west, and ascend to thefamous El Dorado reserve in the SierraNevada de Santa Marta for a three-nightstay.

Colombia – Central Andes and Santa Marta

Endemics and antpittas in theworld's best birding country

Saturday January 11th – SaturdayJanuary 25th 2020Leader: Simon Papps and localleaderGroup Size: 6Species: 450-500 including up to 42endemics

Dates

Colombia is home to a staggering total of over 1,900 bird species - more than anyother country on Earth - and the world’s best birding country is once again safeand open for business. This tour, which has been specially designed to see aslarge a selection of species and as many endemics as possible, will begin at thelegendary endemism hot-spot of Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast, and thenfocus on the various cordillera of the central Colombian Andes. The wonderfulbirdlife, combined with friendly people, good food, quality accommodation,efficient infrastructure and varied geography, from the High Andes to theCaribbean coast, make Colombia arguably the number one birding destinationanywhere in the world.


Days 4-5: The Sierra Nevada de SantaMarta is the jewel in the crown ofColombian birding and is home to no lessthan 19 endemic bird species, including therecently described Santa Marta ScreechOwl. Birding around the lodge is productivefor Santa Marta Brush-Finch and CrestedOropendola. Hummingbirds include theuncommon endemics, Blossomcrown andSanta Marta Woodstar. Tanagers visit thefeeding trays, with Black-capped Tanagerand Blue-naped Chlorophonia being possi-ble. The lodge clearing, with a view of theCaribbean below, is a good place forScarlet-fronted Parakeets and White-rumped Hawks. Black-fronted Wood-Quail,Santa Marta Toucanet, White-tippedQuetzal, Strong-billed Woodcreeper,Streak-capped Spinetail, Grey-throatedLeaftosser, Santa Marta Antpitta, Golden-breasted Fruiteater, Black-hooded Thrushand White-lored Warbler are present inforests adjacent to the lodge. Many of theendemics are found at higher elevations

above the lodge, including Santa MartaParakeet, White-tailed Starfrontlet, Rusty-headed Spinetail, the distinctive endemicsubspecies of Rufous Antpitta, Brown-rumped Tapaculo, Santa Marta Bush-Tyrant, Santa Marta Mountain-Tanager,Yellow-crowned Whitestart and SantaMarta Warbler. The peaks of the sierra - thehighest in Colombia - are usually visible inthe early morning. Watching the skies mayreveal the presence of Scaly-naped Parrotsand raptors including Andean Condor,Black-and-chestnut Eagle and Semi-col-lared Hawk.

Day 6: We bird down the road towardsMinca this morning looking for speciessuch as Black-backed Antshrike, Golden-winged Sparrow, Golden-fronted Greenlet,Coppery Emerald and Rosy Thrush-Tanager. The little known Santa MartaSabrewing is occasionally seen here. Wethen take a flight from Santa Marta toColombia's second largest city, Medellín,


Blue-naped Chlorophonia Photo: Simon Papps


and from here head west, crossing over thewestern Andes. The Chocó rainforest inwestern Colombia contains one of thehighest concentrations of range-restrictedbiodiversity in the world, with many birds,plants and amphibians at risk of extinction.We will be based in the comfortable LasTangaras lodge for the next three nights.The endemic Crested Ant-Tanager is regu-larly seen in the lodge garden.

Days 7-8: We will have two full days toexplore the reserve proper, where we willlook for a number of endemics such as theChocó Vireo, Gold-ringed Tanager, Black-and-gold Tanager, Chestnut Wood-Quail,Red-bellied Grackle and Alto de PisonesTapaculo (a species not yet officiallydescribed!). Other specialty species of thearea include Beautiful Jay, Black Solitaire,Fulvous-dotted Treerunner, Black-chinnedMountain-Tanager, Orange-breastedFruiteater, Toucan Barbet and White-head-ed Wren. We will also visit a hummingbirdfeeding station within the reserve where wewill see Velvet-purple Coronet, Violet-tailedSylph, White-tailed Hillstar, EmpressBrilliant, Purple-throated Woodstar, andTawny-bellied Hermit.

Day 9: After a final morning's birding atLas Tangaras, we head back over themountain pass to the pleasant colonialtown of Jardin for a two-night stay, stoppingen route to look for the endemic GreyishPiculet in some degraded forest fragmentsby the roadside.

Day 10: The reserve above Jardin is thebest place to find the spectacular and criti-cally endangered endemic Yellow-earedParrot (c.350 birds). Munchique Wood-Wren has recently been discovered hereand we have a good chance of seeing thiscritically endangered Colombian endemic.The forests are also home to theColombian subspecies of AcornWoodpecker, White-browed Spinetail,Chestnut-crowned Cotinga, Golden-facedWhitestart, Black-and-white Seedeater andTanager Finch. Groups of White-cappedTanagers are occasionally found.

Day 11: The next morning we visit aforested valley for the endemic Red-belliedGrackle if we have missed it at LasTangaras. Alternatively, we will visit a lek ofAndean Cock-of-the-Rock which, incongru-ously, is situated just five minutes' walkfrom the town centre. In the afternoon, wedrive down the Central Andes to the city ofManizales, in the so-called coffee zone(although in fact coffee is grown over muchof the country), for a two-night stay.

Day 12: A full day in the hills aboveManizales at the magical Rio Blancoreserve which is home to a large variety ofendemics and specialties representative ofthe Central Cordillera. Cabins at thereserve entrance are festooned with hum-mingbird feeders and we expect to see upto ten species, including TourmalineSunangel and the diminutive White-belliedWoodstar. Birding activity is exceptionallygood with large mixed-species flocks fre-quently encountered. Flocks contain anincredible diversity of furnarids, tanagersand flycatchers, including TyrannineWoodcreeper, Dusky Piha, HandsomeFlycatcher, Golden-faced Whitestart,Oleaginous Hemispingus, Buff-breastedMountain-Tanager and Grass-greenTanager. Understory flocks in areas of


Buff-tailed Coronet Photo: Simon Papps


bamboo are of particular interest andinclude Plushcap, Black-earedHemispingus, Yellow-billed Cacique, Black-billed Peppershrike and Masked Saltator.Other highlights include the noisy Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, PowerfulWoodpecker, Northern Mountain-Cacique,Black-collared Jay and White-cappedTanager. This is also a good area for par-rots, including Rusty-faced Parrot, Golden-plumed Parakeet and the endemic Rufous-fronted Parakeet. The skulking Ocellated,Blackish and Spillmann's Tapaculos andChestnut-naped Antpitta can sometimesbe tempted into view. Rio Blanco's high-light, however, is its antpitta feeding station.Chestnut-crowned and the endemicBrown-banded Antpittas are regular whileSlate-crowned and the endemic BicolouredAntpittas are occasional visitors. We havedinner at the cabins and stay after dark forRufous-banded Owl and White-throatedScreech-Owl.

Day 13: An hour's drive from Manizales,the road up to Nevado de Ruiz NationalPark passes through elfin forest andparamo where we search for a very specialhigh-elevation hummingbird - the remark-able Bearded Helmetcrest. Other specieswe may encounter are Viridian Metaltail,Tawny Antpitta, Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant,Stout-billed Cinclodes and GlossyFlowerpiercer. Lower down, the road pass-es Laguna Negra, a glacial lake that ishome to Andean Duck and Andean Teal.Golden-breasted Puffleg, Andean Tit-Spinetail, White-chinned Thistletail, Black-backed Bush-Tanager and many othersalso occur. The park entrance road passesthrough elfin forest patches, home of thescarce and elusive endemic Rufous-front-ed Parakeet. This forest also has Rainbow-bearded Thornbill, Andean Pygmy-Owl,White-browed Spinetail, Crowned Chat-Tyrant, Ocellated and Paramo Tapaculos,Golden-crowned Tanager, Scarlet-belliedMountain-Tanager and Pale-naped Brush-Finch. In the afternoon, we drive to the LaSuiza lodge in the Otun-Quimabya region-al park, near the city of Pereira, for a two-night stay.

Day 14: Today we visit Otun-Quimbaya

reserve which holds the Cauca Valley andCentral Cordilleran endemics Cauca Guan,Chestnut Wood-Quail, MulticolouredTanager, Crested Ant-Tanager and GreyishPiculet. Other key species in the upper sub-tropical and montane forest includeMoustached Puffbird, Bar-crestedAntshrike, Moustached Antpitta, Chestnut-breasted Wren and Slate-colouredSeedeater. Two trails and a road passingthrough the forest are good for findingHighland Motmot, Red-ruffed Fruitcrow andAndean Cock-of-the-Rock. Mixed flocksmay contain Moustached Puffbird, Streak-capped Treehunter, Bar-crested Antshrike,Rufous-breasted Flycatcher andPlumbeous-crowned Tyrannulet. The cabinarea is good for Great Antshrike,Whiskered Wren, Golden-rumpedEuphonia and Flame-rumped Tanager,while the river is home to Torrent Duck andWhite-capped Dipper. The road continuesto El Cedral where a mule trail leads up tocabins at La Pastora, an area for DuskyPiha, Flammulated Treehunter, MaskedSaltator, Golden-fronted Whitestart, White-capped Tanager and Black-collared Jay.

Day 15: After another morning's birding atOtun-Quimbaya, we take a flight fromPereira to Bogotá and connect with a flightback to the UK. Arrival is on the followingmorning.




Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature, fuelsurcharges.


Prices


Day 1: A morning flight to St John’s inAntigua where we have a three-night stay.

Day 2: Today, a short flight to Barbuda, adry, flat island north of Antigua, whichmakes up the other half of this two-islandcountry. Our main interest is locating theendemic Barbuda Warbler. Other specieswe may find include Lesser Antilleanendemics - Green-throated Carib andLesser Antillean Bullfinch. Barbuda is alsohome to a large colony of MagnificentFrigatebirds, Brown Pelican, Brown Booby,Royal Tern, West Indian Whistling Duck,Black-whiskered Vireo, Golden Warbler(split from Yellow Warbler) and CaribGrackle. Return to Antigua either by air orferry.

Day 3: This morning we embark on a shortflight to Montserrat, an island which waspartially destroyed by the Soufriere HillsVolcano which erupted in 1995. Our maininterest is the Montserrat Oriole found inthe Central Hills Reserve. Other speciespresent include Purple-throated Carib,Brown Trembler, Pearly-eyed Thrasher andthe shy Forest Thrush. With a little luck, wemay find the uncommon Bridled Quail-doveand Antillean Crested Hummingbirds. Morewidespread species on Montserrat areRed-billed Tropicbird, Little Blue Heron,Great and Snowy Egrets, AmericanKestrel, Merlin, Common Ground Dove andMangrove Cuckoo. Return to Antigua forthe night.

Day 4: Antigua has several lagoons andsaltpans which we can explore this morn-ing. The island holds a good population ofWhite-cheeked Pintail and CaribbeanCoot. Wintering shorebirds from the HighArctic include Greater and LesserYellowlegs, Willet and Solitary Sandpipers.Among the resident species, we may findBlack-crowned and Yellow-crowned NightHerons, Wilson’s Plover, Great Blue, LittleBlue, Tricoloured and Green Herons and

Lesser Antilles

Endemics and birds of the Eastern Caribbean

Friday November 20th – FridayDecember 4th 2020 Leader: Mark Finn and local guidesGroup Size: 8Birds: 135-155

Dates

The Lesser Antilles island group straddles the Eastern Caribbean region betweenthe Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In total, we visit nine islands: Antigua,Barbuda, Montserrat, Dominica, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad andTobago. Most islands have at least one endemic bird species with St Luciaholding the largest number of seven. Our travels take us to some trulybreathtaking areas in this little-watched area of the world for birds. You can expectto observe many of the Caribbean region’s endemic birds plus several which areshared with the larger islands of the Western Caribbean.

Barbuda Warbler Photo: Antigua Tourist Board


White-crowned Pigeon, which reaches thesouthern end of its range on Antigua. Laterin the day, we take a flight south to theforested island of Dominica for a three-night stay.

Days 5-6: Today we start our explorationof Dominica by travelling from Portsmouthto the Northern Forest Reserve on thelower slopes of Morne Diablotin. Dawn isthe best time to encounter the uncommon,endemic Red-necked Parrot from a view-point. A little more time and luck is requiredto locate the extremely rare Imperial Parrot,probably the hardest of the Lesser Antillesendemics to see. The reserve has exten-sive trail systems bordered by tree fernsand huge trees. Species we expect to findinclude Lesser Antillean Swift, Blue-head-ed Hummingbird, Lesser Antillean Peewee,Lesser Antillean Flycatcher and DominicaHouse Wren. As we wander around thetrails, sightings of Caribbean Elaenia,Scaly-breasted Thrasher, PlumbeousWarbler, Red-legged Thrush and AntilleanEuphonia should be possible. Lower downin the mango stands, we search for theuncommon Lesser Antillean Saltator and

Scaly-naped Pigeon. Returning toPortsmouth, we should see more wide-spread species - Broad-winged Hawk,Ruddy Quail-dove and the impressiveBelted and Ringed Kingfishers. The coastroad also offers us Roseate Tern, CliffSwallow, Caribbean Martin and TropicalMockingbird. On the morning of Day 6, wehave another visit to the Northern ForestReserve in case we have missed anythingon the previous morning. In the afternoonwe visit Portsmouth on the coast roadwhere we may find Grey andSemipalmated Plovers, Spotted Sandpiper,Lesser Black-backed Gull, Yellow-billedCuckoo and Scaly-breasted Munia. Standsof scrub may hold wintering AmericanRedstart.

Day 7: Depending on flight times, weexplore another area on Dominica beforemaking the short flight to St Lucia and atwo-night stay.

Days 8-9: St Lucia is an island dominatedby lofty peaks rising from the CaribbeanSea. The island also has seven endemicbirds which we hope to find. Our main inter-

Lesser Antilles

Trinidad Motmot Photo: Barry Lancaster


est is the Edmund Forest Reserve holdingSt Lucia Parrot, St Lucia Warbler, St LuciaBlack Finch and St Lucia Oriole. On Day 9we visit the dry north-eastern area of StLucia for the localised and rare St LuciaWren. We also have further opportunitiesfor St Lucia Peewee, White-breastedThrasher and Bridled Quail-dove. Otherspecies we may see include Purple-throat-ed and Green-throated Caribs, GreyTrembler, Bare-eyed Thrush and Black-whiskered Vireo. On the afternoon of Day9, we make the short flight across to theisland of St Vincent where we stay for twonights.

Day 10: St Vincent is a mountainousisland with extensive stands of forest. Ourmain interest is in locating the threeendemic birds - St Vincent Parrot, StVincent Wren and the beautiful WhistlingWarbler. Other species we may find includeCommon Black Hawk, Cocoa Thrush,Grenada Flycatcher, Lesser AntilleanTanager and Eared Dove.

Days 11-12: This morning we fly to

Grenada, the most southerly of the LesserAntilles. Our target species here is thehighly endangered Grenada Dove. We con-centrate our search in the southwest of theisland at Mount Hartman Estate. Otherspecies include Rufous-breasted Hermit,Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-belliedSeedeater and Shiny Cowbird.

Day 13: Today we fly to Tobago, the south-ernmost island of the Lesser Antilles chain,for a three-night stay. On arrival we head tosouthwestern Tobago to visit Hilton andBon Accord and the Grafton Caledonia BirdSanctuary. We should observe LaughingGull, Royal Tern, Smooth-billed Ani, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Tropical and GreyKingbirds, Caribbean Martin, Bare-eyedThrush, Tropical Mockingbird, ScrubGreenlet, Bananaquit, Blue-grey Tanager,Black-faced Grassquit, Carib Grackle, andCrested Oropendola. At the GraftonCaledonia Bird Sanctuary we may findRufous-vented Chachalaca, Blue-crownedMotmot, Olivaceous Woodcreeper,Fuscous Flycatcher, Blue-backed Manakin,and Scrub Greenlet.

Lesser Antilles

Copper-rumped Hummingbird Photo: Barry Lancaster


Day 14: We start the day by visiting theGilpin Trace high in the central range ofTobago. Montane forest birds are the focusof our visit and include White-tailedSabrewing, Blue-backed Manakin, Yellow-legged Thrush, Rufous-ventedChachalaca, Ruby-topaz Hummingbird,Collared Trogon, Red-crownedWoodpecker and White-fringed Antwren.Later in the day, we visit The Tobago MainRidge Forest Reserve where the cool mon-tane forests hold Great Black Hawk,Orange-winged Parrot, Rufous-tailedJacamar, Stripe-breasted Spinetail,Venezuelan Flycatcher and Rufous-breast-ed Hermit.

Day 15: Early morning flight to Trinidadand onward connections to the UK.

Lesser Antilles



Not included: drinks, insurance,items of a personal nature and anyrelevant fuel surcharges. All airportdeparture taxes from each island arepayable locally.


Prices

Red-necked Parrot Photo: Barry Lancaster



Birdwatching BreaksBooking

Form 2020


Birdwatching BreaksBooking

Form 2020


Terms and ConditionsBirdwatching Breaks, founded in May 1987, is the trad-ing name of Mark Finn. The terms and conditions listedbelow form the contract between Mark and his clients.

Reservation: A reservation is made when the bookingform and deposit have been confirmed by BirdwatchingBreaks. Bookings by telephone should be confirmed inwriting or e-mail and received within seven days accom-panied by the appropriate deposit. To secure air flightsbooked within 72 days of departure, we require full pay-ment (of the flights) by credit card. In return, you receivea confirmation invoice with details of the holiday youhave chosen, departure dates and airline timings ifknown at the time of booking. We agree to operate yourholiday as stated in our 2019 brochure. The contract isdeemed to have been made at Cygnus House, GordonsMill, Balblair, Ross-shire, Scotland and is therefore gov-erned by Scottish law and is subject to the exclusivejurisdiction of Scottish courts.

Balance: The balance for all bookings is twelve weeksbefore the holiday is due to commence. In the case ofholidays in Scotland, the balance is due eight weeksbefore holiday commencement. If the balance has notbeen paid by the appropriate date, we regard your holi-day as being cancelled. Cancellation charges would belevied.

Cancellations: A cancellation can only be accepted inwriting or by e-mail and takes effect on the date wereceive it at Cygnus House. Cancellations receivedtwelve weeks or more before the holiday commence-ment will involve the loss of deposit. If, however, flightshave already been bought and paid for, these will becharged to you and it is your responsibility to try andobtain a refund from either the airline or your insurancecompany. Thereafter, the following charges will apply:

Over 96 days before departure - deposit only40-95 days before departure - 80%Under 40 days until the day of departure - 100%

Tours: We do everything in our power to ensure all ourtours are operated as advertised. However, situationsmay arise which are outside our control and these maynecessitate change. If such circumstances arise, wereserve the right to alter or curtail the itinerary. Wereserve the right to alter the tour or substitute leaders oraccommodation if necessary.You will be informed if thisaction takes place. If major changes to the tour takeplace, we will inform you and advise the following: 1/accept the new arrangements 2/ an alternative holidayif available (with you paying any additional sums oralternatively Birdwatching Breaks refunding you the dif-ference) 3/ cancelling your chosen tour for a full refund4/ compensation for a major change made byBirdwatching Breaks which is: above 95 days - nothing,14-94 days - £30, under 14 days - £50. A major changeis defined as a significant change of itinerary. At the timeof going to print, airlines currently flying to the stateddestinations on the days quoted and internal flightschedules have been checked. It is beyond the controlof Birdwatching Breaks if airlines change their schedule

which may necessitate us amending the stated itinerary.Change of UK airports excludes the London hub ofHeathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. No compensa-tion is due from Birdwatching Breaks where cancella-tion or change results from unforeseeable or unusualcircumstances beyond our control. This includes war orthreat of war, terrorist activity, riots, civil disorder, natu-ral or nuclear disasters, epidemics, fires, adverseweather conditions, strikes by air traffic controllers in theEuropean Union and elsewhere in the world, no fuelavailability preventing carriers, hoteliers and other sup-pliers from carrying out their duties. In addition to theabove, no compensation is payable if the balance is notpaid on time or the tour is cancelled due to insufficientbookings. Save for the above compensation in (4) wewill be under no further liability to you. We reserve theright to change any of the prices in our 2019 brochurebefore we enter into a contract with you. If there is achange, we will notify you by e-mail or in writing.Birdwatching Breaks reserves the right to cancel toursup to 6 weeks before departure if sufficient numbers arenot obtained. In this event, we can offer you an alterna-tive holiday or a full refund of monies paid.

Flights: Because of fluctuating fuel prices, it is becom-ing very difficult to obtain accurate quotes for airfares.Tour prices are broken down into two elements - thebasic cost of the tour which includes everything exceptthe cost of the international and internal flights and,secondly, our best estimate of the air fares when thetour was costed. When we send invoices for the tour,we will only charge you the exact airfare and hope thatmany of these will be near the price currently quoted inour 2019 brochure.

Party Size: The minimum size of group necessary forour tours to operate is four. If the party size is notattained, the client will be informed in writing eightweeks before holiday commencement.

Birds and Mammals: The birds and mammals men-tioned in this brochure are only a guide to what youmight expect to see on the tour you have selected.Whilst many additional species will be seen, we areunlikely to see every species mentioned in our text.However, you should see a good proportion of them ifyou participate fully in the tour and have reasonableeyesight.

Liability: We have taken all reasonable steps toensure holidays published in our 2019 brochure havebeen properly arranged. The travel agents, vehicle hireoperators, hotels, motels and restaurants we use arereputable. We will accept liability as a direct result of ournegligence or breach of contractual duty in makingarrangements for you, including acts or omissions byour agents. We will accept liability for death, bodilyinjury or illness arising out of our proven negligence orthat of our employers or our sub-contractors or suppli-ers or their servants and/or agents, providing they wereacting in the scope of their employment at the time.Claims in respect of the above matters shall fall withinthe exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Scotland. All


claims must be made in writing to us within 28 days ofyour return from holiday. We do not accept liability foranimal or snake bites, as we have no control over them.We cannot accept liability for claims arising out of car-riage by air and sea. We have no control over the carri-ers concerned and you are subject to their terms andconditions, some of which exclude or limit liability inrespect of death, injury, delay and loss of baggage. Wedo not accept liability for delays in air flights, ship sailingtimes or other conveyances used in carrying out ourtours. We accept no responsibility for losses or addi-tional expenses due to delay or changes in flights or lostairline or ferry tickets, other services, weather, activevolcanoes and ash clouds, strikes, terrorism activity,war or Acts of God. All such losses will be borne by thepassenger. Birdwatching Breaks is not responsible forloss, damage or theft of luggage, cameras, binoculars,telescopes and personal belongings, or for accidents orillness, death or personal injury. We accept no claimsarising out of your own acts or omission or those of athird party not connected with the provision of your hol-iday. For your own protection it is highly advisable tohave adequate insurance cover. This is a legal require-ment.

Visiting countries: At all times it is advisable to fol-low the customs of the country you are visiting andcomply with the laws and regulations which may be inforce. You must conduct yourself in a manner deemedby the leader to be compatible with the tour.Birdwatching Breaks reserves the right to send anyclient home, at their own expense, if they disrupt thetour through unreasonable or unacceptable behavior.We will make no refund, nor pay or be liable for anycompensation.

Surcharges: All our prices are based on exchangerates at the time of going to press and we reserve theright to make reasonable adjustments if the pound fallsin value or foreign rates fall below what our prices arebased on. In certain circumstances we may levy a sur-charge on tour prices involving departure taxes, landingfees, transport costs including fuel, scheduled airfaresand any other airline surcharges and ground agent andtour operator increases. We will absorb any minor fluc-tuations of up to 2% of the full tour price. Anythingabove this will be surcharged until 10% is reached. If thelatter is reached, you are entitled to cancel your book-ing for a full refund. To exercise this right, you mustinform Birdwatching Breaks in writing or e-mail within 14days of the invoice date.

Fuel Surcharges: If any fuel charges are passed onto us by airlines on booking flights in conjunction withyour holiday, we reserve the right to pass these on toour clients. We have no control over oil prices and thevolatile nature of the airline industry as our prices arebased on fares and other factors nearly a year inadvance.

Currency: We plan our tours many months in advance.Our prices are based on tourist exchange rates fromThe Post Office on July 12th 2019. All rates are equal to£1.00 sterling. £1.00 is equal to €1.09 and US$1.23 AllEuropean/Middle East destinations, with the exceptionof the United Kingdom are based on Euro rates. In theAmericas, rates are based on US$ rates. Asia, with the

exception of Japan, is based on US$ rates. Otherwise,the following rates apply: Australian Dollar 1.74,Canadian Dollar 1.58, Japanese Yen 128.86,Norwegian Kroner 10.21, Swedish Krona 11.17. Allother destinations not listed above use US Dollars, Euroor Pounds Sterling.

Booking and Financial Security: BirdwatchingBreaks holds an ATOL (Air Travel Operators Licence)Number 4324 issued by Civil Aviation Authority. Thislicence means that we are fully bonded against financialinsolvency for packages which include flights. We arenot in a position to name the operator or state the typeof aircraft or its destination. The Civil Aviation Authorityis a government-approved organisation. Anybody book-ing a holiday through Birdwatching Breaks can do sowith complete financial security. Our bonding arrange-ments guarantee your holiday will continue in the unlike-ly event of our insolvency.With regard to holidays involv-ing land-based travel, you are covered by InternationalPassenger Protection (IPP) details are on page 10.

Your Financial Protection: When you buy an ATOLprotected flight or flight inclusive holiday from us you willreceive an ATOL Certificate. This lists what is financial-ly protected, where you can get information on what thismeans for you and who to contact if things go wrong."“We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOLCertificate, will provide you with the services listed onthe ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative). In somecases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to doso for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL hold-er may provide you with the services you have boughtor a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). Youagree to accept that in those circumstances the alter-native ATOL holder will perform those obligations andyou agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid byyou under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder.However, you also agree that in some cases it will notbe possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, inwhich case you will be entitled to make a claim underthe ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer whereapplicable).”For land based travel you are covered byIPP

Hand Luggage on Aircraft: Please note many air-lines are extremely strict about the amount you can takeon board with you. The maximum weight allowance is10 kilograms (subject to change) in the case of low costcarriers. To keep the weight down, pack your tripod inyour main case, in addition to any books you do notneed in transit. Any sharp implements such as scissors,penknives and screwdrivers should be packed in yourhold luggage.

Complaints: If you have any complaints on tour,please notify the leader so that they can be addressedimmediately. If this is not done to your satisfaction,please notify us by writing or e-mail within 28 days ofyour return.

Names and addresses: We keep these on our com-puter systems for use by Birdwatching Breaks and noother parties. If you wish to be removed from our data-base, please contact us at the relevant address. Yourdetails are kept secure by us and conform with currentdata protection rules May 2020

Enjoy a relaxing Scottish

break with

Black Isle Birding

Birdwatching holidays from

the Borders to Shetland

www.birdwatchingbreaks.com

Documents

Birdwatching Breaks 2020 - Amazon S3 · Barrow, Denali National Park and the remote Pribilof Islands.During the winter of 2020 a wonderful tour of the Lesser Antilles takes in nine