fieldguides · Colombia: Cali Escape Oct 22-31 Jesse Fagan & local guide Australia - Part Two Oct 23-Nov 7 John Coons Spectacular SE Brazil, Part One: North of the Tropic Oct 26-Nov

B I R D I N G T O U R S W O R L D W I D E

Also in this issue: 2/2018 Schedule 4/Fresh From The Field 10/Upcoming Tours 11/In Your Words

fieldguides®APRIL 2017

It’s already time to look to next year! In this issue we areexcited to bring you our 2018 schedule, featuring a richdiversity of birding itineraries to far-flung destinations aswell as closer to home. Listed on pages 2-3 you’ll find133 advertised tours, though we have additional,unlisted departures of popular tours “waiting in the

wings” should our advertised dates fill early, as often is thecase. Our 2018 efforts will also include numerous privatetours that various among you are arranging for your group of6 or more. We look forward to all of these trips next year!Novelty is always fun, and there are 12 cool new tours in

2018: Florida for its many must-see birds from Snail Kite toMangrove Cuckoo; Oregon for exciting and scenic Pacific NWbirding; Southeast Ecuador: Orange-throated Tanager &Foothill Specialties and Ecuador’s Deep NW Lowlands, eachfor hard-to-find avian specialties; Amazonian Ecuador: NapoWildlife Center providing a fresh view of the easternlowlands; The Heart of Chile for a shorter trip that

concentrates on the Central region; Antarctica, the Falklands &South Georgia for an amazing combo of seabirds, marinemammals, and landscapes; Israel: Spring Migration Spectacleto observe the northward mass movement of raptors andnumerous other species; Wild Kenya: A Tented Camp Safari toget us right in the middle of the birds and wildlife; NortheastIndia: Eaglenest, Kaziranga & More for very diverse birding attwo well-known destinations in Arunachal Pradesh andAssam; and two “Birding Plus” itineraries for all youbirder/oenophiles in Beyond the Ports of Portugal: A Birds &Wine Tour and France’s Loire Valley: Birds, Chateaux & Wine. There are many fantastic birds and destinations to share

with you, and we’ll delight in seeing reports from these varioustours. What will mean the most to us are the quality of yourexperience and the success of our service, in the field andfrom our Austin office. Here’s to the best of each in the yearahead.

—From all of us at Field Guides, good birding!

Bret Whitney’s Nowhere But Northeast Brazil tour goup at the remote Rasoda Catarina, a vast series of redrock canyons that are the breeding groundsof Lear’s (Indigo) Macaws, waiting for the birds to become active. It’s aonce-in-a-lifetime chance to commune with Lear’s Macaws right in theirliving room, and one very few naturalists have experienced. (Photo by guide Bret Whitney)

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JANUARY 2018Costa Rica: Birding the Edges - Part I Jan 6-15 Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge Jan 12-21 South Texas Rarities Jan 13-19 Guyana I Jan 13-24 Colombia: Bogota, the Magdalena Valley, and Santa Marta Jan 13-28 East Africa Highlights: Kenya & Tanzania I Jan 13-Feb 2 Thailand Jan 13-Feb 3 Costa Rica: Birding the Edges - Part II Jan 14-23 Jewels of Ecuador: Hummers, Tanagers & Antpittas I Jan 20-Feb 6 Winter Japan: Cranes & Sea Eagles Jan 26-Feb 10 Guyana II Jan 27-Feb 7 New/The Heart of Chile Jan 27-Feb 10 New/Antarctica, the Falkland Islands & South Georgia Cruise Jan 31-Feb 21

FEBRUARY 2018Colombia: Medellin Escape Feb 3-12 Panama’s Canopy Tower Feb 4-10 Cambodia: Angkor Temples & Vanishing Birds Feb 10-24 Owlberta: Alberta’s Owls & More Feb 17-23 Trinidad & Tobago I Feb 17-26 Mexico: Oaxaca Feb 24-Mar 3 New/SE Ecuador: Orange-throated Tanager & Foothill Specialties Feb 24-Mar 5 Jamaica I Feb 25-Mar 3 Borneo I Feb 27-Mar 16 Namibia & Botswana Feb 27-Mar 18

MARCH 2018Belize: Tropical Birding, Short and Sweet Mar 3-10 Brazil Nutshell: Intervales, Iguazu Falls & the Pantanal Mar 3-17 Jamaica II Mar 4-10 Southwestern Ecuador Specialties: Jocotoco Foundation Reserves Mar 4-18 Spring in South Texas Mar 10-18 Colombia: Santa Marta Escape Mar 10-18 Costa Rica Mar 10-25 Panama’s Canopy Tower & Lodge Mar 11-18 New/Israel: Spring Migration Spectacle Mar 14-25 Puerto Rico Mar 17-23 Jewels of Ecuador: Hummers, Tanagers & Antpittas II Mar 17-Apr 3 Western Panama: Chiriqui & Bocas del Toro Mar 18-27 Hawaii Mar 29-Apr 7 Ghana: Window Into West African Birding Mar 29-Apr 17 Bahamas: Endemics & Kirtland’s Warbler Mar 31-Apr 6

APRIL 2018Colorado Grouse I Apr 7-17 Bhutan Apr 7-26 Texas Coast Migration Spectacle I Apr 14-20 Colorado Grouse II Apr 14-24 New/Northeast India: Eaglenest, Kaziranga & More Apr 20-May 8 Texas Coast Migration Spectacle II Apr 21-27 Texas’s Big Bend & Hill Country Apr 21-30 Hungary & Romania: The Best of Eastern Europe Apr 21-May 7 Do the Charleston! Spring in South Carolina & Northern Georgia Apr 22-28 New/Beyond the Ports of Portugal: A Birds and Wine Tour Apr 23-May 5 New/Florida Apr 28-May 5

MAY 2018Arizona Nightbirds & More I May 3-7 Point Pelee Migration Spectacle May 5-12 Spain: La Mancha, Coto Donana & Extremadura May 5-17 Classical Greece May 5-19 Arizona Nightbirds & More II May 10-14 Arizona: Birding the Border I May 11-20 Spring in Cape May May 13-19 Arizona: Birding the Border II May 19-28 Uganda: Shoebill, Rift Endemics & Gorillas May 19-Jun 8 Pennsylvania’s Warblers & More May 22-27 Maine May 26-Jun 3 Alaska I - Part One (Pribilofs & Denali) May 31-Jun 8 Central Peruvian Endemics: The High Andes May 31-Jun 16 Mongolia: The Gobi Desert, Steppe & Taiga May 31-Jun 17

JUNE 2018Kenya Safari Spectacular Jun 1-25 Northern Arizona’s Canyons and Condor Jun 2-7 New/France’s Loire Valley: Birds, Chateaux & Wine Jun 2-10 Alaska II - Part One (Pribilofs & Denali) Jun 7-15 Alaska I - Part Two (Nome, Seward & Barrow) Jun 7-17

2018TOURS2018 looks to be a busy year for Field Guides, with133 advertised departures to destinations aroundthe globe. For full details of individual tours,including complete itineraries and triplists from past tours, visit our web site. And if you have anyquestions, please email us or call our Austin office.We look forward to seeing you in the field.

Bugling Sarus Cranes on our Northern India tour; see page 6 for more Indiaphotos. (Photo by participant Becky Hansen)


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Tom Johnson & Cory Gregory

Willy Perez & local guide Chris Benesh Dave Stejskal & local guide

Jesse Fagan & local guide Terry Stevenson

Jay VanderGaast & Uthai Treesucon Tom Johnson & Cory Gregory Willy Perez Phil Gregory Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide Marcelo Padua & Marcelo Barreiros

Tom Johnson & Bret Whitney

Richard Webster & local guide Chris Benesh & local guide Phil Gregory & Doug Gochfeld

Jay VanderGaast & John Coons Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide Chris Benesh & Cory Gregory Mitch Lysinger Eric Hynes & local guide

Dave Stejskal & local guide Terry Stevenson

Megan Edwards Crewe Marcelo Padua & Marcelo Barreiros

Tom Johnson & local guide Willy Perez

Chris Benesh Richard Webster & local guide

Jay VanderGaast & local guide John Coons & local guide Doug Gochfeld & local guide

Tom Johnson & Cory Gregory Mitch Lysinger Jesse Fagan

Dan Lane Phil Gregory & local guide

Jesse Fagan

Tom Johnson & Cory Gregory

Richard Webster & Megan Edwards Crewe John Coons

Eric Hynes & Doug Gochfeld Phil Gregory & local guide

John Coons Chris Benesh & Cory Gregory Terry Stevenson & local guide

Jesse Fagan Marcelo Padua & Godfried Schreur

Doug Gochfeld & Mitch Lysinger

Tom Johnson

Jay VanderGaast Godfried Schreur & Chris Benesh

Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide Dave Stejskal John Coons

Tom Johnson & Doug Gochfeld Dave Stejskal Jesse Fagan

Tom Johnson Eric Hynes & Cory Gregory

Chris Benesh & Doug Gochfeld Dan Lane & Dave Stejskal Phil Gregory & local guide

Terry Stevenson

John Coons Megan Edwards Crewe & Marcelo Padua

Tom Johnson & Cory Gregory Chris Benesh & Doug Gochfeld

JUNE 2018 continuedBrazil’s Rio Roosevelt: Birding the River of Doubt Jun 9-23 Bret WhitneyAlaska II - Part Two (Nome, Seward & Barrow) Jun 14-24 Tom Johnson & Cory GregoryMachu Picchu & Abra Malaga, Peru Jun 15-24 Jesse FaganAlta Floresta & the Pantanal, Brazil Jun 22-Jul 8 Marcelo Padua & Marcelo BarreirosPeru’s Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More Jun 23-Jul 4 Dan Lane & Jesse FaganThe Norwegian Arctic: Spitsbergen & the Svalbard Archipelago Jun 26-Jul 8 John Coons & local guideBorneo II Jun 26-Jul 13 Megan Edwards Crewe & local guideNew/Amazonian Ecuador: Napo Wildlife Center Jun 29-Jul 8 Mitch Lysinger & local guide

JULY 2018Newfoundland & Nova Scotia Jul 1-11 Chris Benesh & Cory GregoryPapua New Guinea Jul 1-19 Jay VanderGaast & Doug GochfeldIceland Jul 6-15 Godfried SchreurGalapagos: An Intimate Look at Darwin’s Islands Jul 7-17 Willy Perez & local guideJaguar Spotting: Pantanal & Garden of the Amazon I Jul 14-25 Marcelo Padua & John CoonsNew/Wild Kenya: A Tented Camp Safari Jul 14-29 Terry StevensonCloudforests of Ecuador: All the Best of the Wild NW Jul 16-26 Willy PerezArizona’s Second Spring I Jul 21-30 Chris BeneshJaguar Spotting: Pantanal & Garden of the Amazon II Jul 21-Aug 1 Marcelo Barreiros & Jesse FaganMountains of Manu, Peru Jul 29-Aug 7 Dan Lane

AUGUST 2018Brazil’s Mouth of the Amazon and Lower Rio Xingu Aug 3-18 Marcelo Padua & Jay VanderGaastArizona’s Second Spring II Aug 4-13 John CoonsPeruvian Rainforests of the Tambopata Aug 6-19 Jesse Fagan & local guide

SEPTEMBER 2018France: Camargue & Pyrenees Sep 1-11 Megan Edwards Crewe & Godfried SchreurSlice of California: Seabirds to Sierra I Sep 6-15 Chris BeneshBolivia’s Avian Riches Sep 7-23 Dan LaneEthiopia Sep 7-27 Terry Stevenson & Dave StejskalSlice of California: Seabirds to Sierra II Sep 8-17 Tom JohnsonNew/Oregon Sep 8-17 Cory GregoryRio Negro Paradise: Manaus, Brazil Sep 8-22 Bret Whitney & Marcelo BarreirosMorocco Sep 10-26 Jesse Fagan & Godfried SchreurEcuador’s Shiripuno Lodge: Heartland of the Waorani Sep 20-29 Mitch LysingerCape May Megan’s Way I Sep 22-28 Megan Edwards CreweSafari Brazil: The Pantanal & More Sep 22-Oct 7 Marcelo Padua & Marcelo BarreirosNew/Ecuador’s Deep NW Lowlands Sep 28-Oct 6 Willy PerezRemote Rio Tapajos, Brazil Sep 29-Oct 10 Bret Whitney

OCTOBER 2018Northern Peru: Endemics Galore Oct 3-21 Dan LaneAustralia - Part One Oct 5-25 Chris Benesh & Doug GochfeldSouth Africa Oct 7-27 Terry Stevenson & Joe GroselNew Guinea & Australia Oct 11-29 Jay VanderGaastColombia: Llanos & More Oct 13-23 Jesse Fagan & local guideNorthwestern Argentina Oct 13-31 Willy Perez & Cory GregoryColombia: Cali Escape Oct 22-31 Jesse Fagan & local guideAustralia - Part Two Oct 23-Nov 7 John Coons Spectacular SE Brazil, Part One: North of the Tropic Oct 26-Nov 11 Bret Whitney & Marcelo BarreirosSri Lanka Oct 26-Nov 12 Megan Edwards Crewe & local guideSouthern Argentina Oct 30-Nov 15 Dave Stejskal & Tom Johnson

NOVEMBER 2018Louisiana: Yellow Rails & Crawfish Tails Nov 1-5 Dan Lane Birding Plus/Ireland in Fall Nov 1-11 Terry McEneaney & Godfried SchreurBrazil’s Cristalino Jungle Lodge Nov 1-12 Marcelo PaduaMadagascar Nov 3-25 Phil GregoryMachu Picchu & Abra Malaga, Peru II Nov 9-18 Jesse FaganSpectacular SE Brazil, Part Two: South of the Capricorn Nov 9-25 Bret Whitney & Marcelo BarreirosSerra dos Tucanos, Brazil Nov 10-20 Marcelo PaduaNew Zealand Nov 11-29 Dan Lane & local guideChile Nov 11-Dec 1 Willy Perez & local guideHoliday at San Isidro, Ecuador Nov 17-26 Mitch LysingerHoliday Mexico: Yucatan & Cozumel Nov 17-26 Chris Benesh & Cory GregoryVietnam Nov 24-Dec 14 Dave Stejskal & Doug Gochfeld

DECEMBER 2018Holiday Costa Rica: Rancho Naturalista I Dec 21-29 Cory Gregory & local guideChristmas in Oaxaca Dec 22-29 Tom Johnson & Dan LanePanama’s Canopy Camp: Lowland Darien Dec 28-Jan 5 John Coons & local guideTrinidad & Tobago II Dec 28-Jan 6 Doug Gochfeld & local guideArizona Winter Specialties Dec 29-Jan 4 Dave StejskalPanama’s Canopy Lodge: El Valle de Anton Dec 29-Jan 5 Chris Benesh & local guideHoliday Costa Rica: Rancho Naturalista II Dec 29-Jan 6 Megan Edwards Crewe & local guideHoliday at Ecuador’s Wildsumaco Lodge Dec 29-Jan 8 Willy Perez


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Spend a week with Willy Perez (or Mitch Lysinger) at Ecuador’s Sacha Lodge and you’ll experience an Amazonianrainforest packed with avian treasures—plus a plethora of other wildlife. On Willy’s recent tour there, theScarlet Macaws above (among 4 macaw species seen) put on quite a show when they came to drink at the claylick. The colors are just amazing! The Ladder-tailed Nightjar, to the right of the macaws, is so well camouflagedit’s easy to miss, while in contrast, the outlandish Hoatzin is more of an in your face bird. The Long-billedWoodcreeper, left, was seen by the group from the lodge dining room, which is why you hear the guides alwayssaying, “Bring your binoculars to meals.” (Photos by guide Willy Perez and participant Kathleen John)

Tom Johnson writes that his recent Trinidad & Tobagotour enjoyed the full suiteof marquee species theislands are known for,including a few picturedhere, all of them dazzling.For starters, at top left, aRed-billed Tropicbird in

graceful flight; Blue-backed Manakin, at leastfive of which came in to feed on fruit trees inthe Tobago highlands; the little, almost clown-like Tufted Coquette; and the simply stunningmale Purple Honeycreeper, one of thosecommon birds you never tire of. (Photos byguide Tom Johnson and participants Dixie Mills& François Grenon)

With its good Mexicanfood, occasional Mexicanvagrants, and numerousresident species that—within the US—arefound only in the region,South Texas is asatisfying place to bird.Shown here, someevidence of that (thoughsadly, no food) fromChris Benesh’s recentSouth Texas Rarities tour:a White-collaredSeedeater, top left, anda Green Kingfisher, topright. The Rose-throatedBecard, left, is known tobreed in Texas but israrely seen there, andthe Yellow-crownedNight-Heron is a finebird no matter where yousee it. (Photos by guideChris Benesh andparticipant KarenLintala)

Seeing winteringSandhill Cranes,especially hugeconcentrations of them,is always a highlight ofour Arizona WinterSpecialties tour, butthis year the tour got alittle extra sparkle inthe form of the Streak-backed Oriole at left, avisitor from Mexico the group saw in Portal, which,come to think of it, is not much of a flight fromMexico. This was a good year for FerruginousHawks, with about a dozen seen on our recent tour,including the dark morph above. (Photos by guideChris Benesh and participant Dan Ellison)


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The group shown here—DaveStejskal and Jay VanderGaast’srecent Thailand tour (that’s Jay infront with the scope)—is viewing aSiamese Fireback, one of the severalfancy pheasants possible on our tour,and also Thailand’s national bird.The Fireback was a little slowshowing up this year, but persistencepaid off. Other features of the tripinclude many groups unfamiliar to usin the New World, such as hornbills,broadbills, pittas, andmore, some quitebeautiful as you can seefrom the Blue Pitta attop left and the ScarletMinivet below it, andsome with a more subtlecharm, like this Silver-breasted Broadbill, right.(Photos by guide DaveStejskal and participantsRandy Siebert & ReggieDavid)

White-tipped Sicklebill feeding at aHeliconia flower and a scope view of atiny male Green Thornbill; a pair ofOrange-bellied Trogons hovering to pluckfruit from a tree; a Tody Motmot sittingpatiently as we watched it in the scope—what could be finer than spending the

New Year at Panama’sCanopy Lodge withJohn Coons (shownhere with local guideDanilo Rodriguez)? Thevery, very rosy RosyThrush-Tanager, topright, usually adifficult bird to seewell, was one of a pairthat perched in theopen; there wereseveral impressiveLineated Woodpeckers,top left, and theBarred Puffbird—oneof three puffbirdspecies seen—posednicely. (Photos byparticipant HowardPatterson)

New guide Cory Gregory joined Dan Lanefor this February’s Oaxaca, Mexico tour, acombination of impressive ruins, distinctivefood, a variety of habitats, and a number ofendemic birds. The boldly-colored SlatyVireo below was, along with the Dwarf, oneof two endemic vireos seen well. Other birdsights enjoyed along the way included aPlain-capped Starthroat feeding a fledgedyoungster; a hovering White-tailed Kiteagainst the bluest sky at Monte Alban, oneof the ruin sites we visit; and a standoutRed Warbler, another Mexican endemic anda trip favorite. (Photos by guides Dan Lane& Cory Gregory)


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Guides Jay VanderGaast andChris Benesh and their groupcompleted our inaugural Owlberta: Alberta’s Owls &More tour, which targets owlsand winter specialties of thisCanadian province, and herewe have photos (compli-ments of participant PieterPoll) of three of the six owlspecies the group spotted. At left, a hunting Great Gray Owl—which inhabitsnorthern regions around theglobe and is sometimescalled the Ghost of theNorth; at bottom left, aSnowy Owl; and lastly, aNorthern Hawk Owl.

These happy people were part of Willy Perez’s recent Jewels of Ecuador:Hummers, Tanagers & Antpittas tour, and they’re smiling because they’re in Ecuador’s Tandayapa Valley, ahummingbird heaven with the likes ofthe Sparkling Violetear at far right.Other birds the group enjoyed were theLanceolated Monklet, above, a tiny birdthat is often difficult to see, and thisWhite-bellied Antpitta, one of theantpitta species found at San Isidro on the East Slope of Ecuador’s Andes.(Photos by guide Willy Perez andparticipants Charm Peterman, PetePeterman & Benedict De Laender)

Willy Perez’s Ecuador’sWildsumaco Lodge tour,scheduled over the NewYear, tallied almost three-dozen hummingbirdspecies over the courseof the tour, but the realstandouts, according toWilly, were the maleWire-crested Thorntails—one at left—which is notto take anything away from the others,hummers like this Golden-tailed Sapphire,above right. Many other fine birds were seenas well: Red-headed Barbet, above left, (aswell as Gilded Barbet, one of the favoritebirds of the trip) and Spotted Nightingale-Thrush, a widespread species that is oftendifficult to see well. (Photos by participantMyles McNally)

Terry Stevenson’s Northern India tour combines Tigers and the Taj Mahal withmany outstanding birds. In addition to seeing four Tigers at Ranthambhoreand visiting the incomparable Taj Mahal, other highlights this year werebugling Sarus Cranes at Bharatpur (see page 2 for a photo), huge birds thatstand as high as six feet (water levels were good this year at the park and inaddition to the cranes, there were hundreds of other waterbirds), showyKalij Pheasants, which allowed for very good looks, and Ibisbill, below left.(Photos by participant Becky Hansen)


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Like the India trip, Phil Gregory’s Winter Japan: Cranes & Sea Eagles tourenjoyed crane spectacles; the favorite of the six crane species seen wasRed-crowned, an iconic bird in Japan and a delight to see dancing onsnow. The imposing Steller’s Sea-Eagle, below, 110 of them, gave closeviews, as did the Blakiston’s Fish-Owl, left, which sat for 45 minutes ona snowy evening. The Snow Monkeys, or Japanese Macaques, wereanother tour highlight,not just because theyare such appealingcreatures, but becausewe have the opportunityto watch them bathingin the warm waters ofthe hot springs. (Photosby guide Phil Gregoryand participant KenHavard)

Megan Edwards Crewe’s two recent Guyana: Wilderness Paradise tours variedsome, as you would expect, in what each group saw, but both saw manywonderful birds characteristic of such a wild country. The Harpy Eagle, ajuvenile shown here at bottom right, was seen by all, as was the alwaysreliable Kaieteur Falls. The cock-of-the-rock below is the Guianan, one oftwo species in the genus, and the one that can be seen in Guyana (and forcomparison, the other, themore widely distributedAndean, is pictured on page8); next to it, a Caica Parrot.But the star of any trip toGuyana is the place itself, atrue wilderness where muchtravel is still by river, andthat’s Megan and tourparticipant Marshall Dahlheading somewhere birdy.(Photos by participants AnnUrlanda, Linda Nuttall & TomHammond) 800-728-4953

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Known as the Three Brothers, this distinctive formation is a landmarkfound in the Chapada Diamantina, a geologically spectacular region ofbutte-like escarpments and deepvalleys that Bret Whitney and hisgroup visit on our Nowhere But Northeast Brazil tour. It’s also hometo many endemics, including two shown here—a simply dazzlingHooded Visorbearer feeding at flowers, and Sincora Antwren, whichwas described to science only a few years ago, though it wasrecognized as a new species by Bret in the last century. With only500 breeding pairs surviving, the Lear’s (Indigo) Macaws are a raresight indeed, and a lovely one as you can see from their photoabove. (Photos by guides Bret Whitney & Marcelo Barreiros andparticipant Robin LaFortune)

Tom Johnson, joined by CoryGregory, had a great time thispast January in Costa Rica: Birdingthe Edges. Sights included manylovely tanagers, including thisEmerald above. The Brown-billedScythebill, left of the tanager,was a tour favorite, in partbecause it was seen so well.Speaking of seen well, EmeraldToucanets at banana feedersmake for close viewing that allowsyou to pick up all the detail in the bird’s amazing face. Fiery-throated Hummingbird reallysparkles when seen in the rightlight. (Photos by guides TomJohnson & Cory Gregory)

“How many cock-of-the-rockphotos are too many?” RichardWebster asks in his Colombia:Medellin Escape tour report,where this cock (below), anAndean, is from (and checkpage 7 for its cousin, theGuianan). There’s little doubtthe group had great looks.White-mantled Barbet, left, is a Colombian endemic, seenhere feeding in fruitingcecropia trees. BeautifulWoodpecker is anotherendemic—endemics are hardto avoid in Colombia—and thisis the way you hope to see it.(Photos by guide RichardWebster)


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Forty-five species of hummingbirds,among them the regal Black-tailedTrainbearer above—that’s one thing tolove about Jesse Fagan’s recentColombia: Bogota, the Magdalena Valley& Santa Marta tour, but there’s muchmore: Bogota Rail (above right), a localendemic seen super well this year;Russet-throated Puffbird making a mealof a large toad; and a very fine lookingSaffron-headed Parrot. (Photos by par-ticipant Jose Padilla-Lopez)

Doug Gochfeld joined Phil Gregory this year for Cambodia: Angkor Temples& Vanishing Birds, a tour Phil designed that visits, and birds, Angkor Watas well as a good cross section of Cambodia. The Critically EndangeredBengal Florican, above left, gave the group good views, including thisclose flyby of a male transitioning into breeding plumage; right of theflorican, Greater Adjutants, huge, Jabiru-sized storks, at a nest; a prettyBlue-throated Flycatcher for color; and Doug (at back) and a couple oftour participants getting ready to go after those adjutants. (Photos byguides Phil Gregory & Doug Gochfeld)

Visiting Panama’s Canopy Tower with aguide like Chris Benesh is a rewardingexperience, as you can see from thesephotos of this year’s trip. Restricted toPanama and Colombia, Golden-collaredManakin, above, performs one of the moreelaborate dances at his lek; the Long-billed Hermit looks even longer billed withits tongue out—maybe it should be calledLong-tongued Hermit; Black-throatedTrogon is certainly one of the prettiest of the trogons; and a fuzzy, juvenileSpectacled Owl. (Photos by guide ChrisBenesh and participant Paul Demkovich)

Our two Holiday Costa Rica:Rancho Naturalista tours arealways popular—who doesn’twant to celebrate Christmas orNew Year’s with a ResplendentQuetzal?— and our most recenttours with Megan EdwardsCrewe and Jesse Fagan were noexception. A few of the birdsenjoyed included: Sunbittern, awonderful sight and a bird youdon’t always see this well; aGreen-breasted Mango, one of twenty orso hummers—including White-tippedSicklebill for one group and Snowcap forboth—fanning out his distinctive rustymaroon tail; and a sharp-looking RufousMotmot. (Photos by participants SheilaPera & Mike Crewe)


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July 2017

East Africa Highlights: Kenya & Tanzania—July 1-21, 2017 with Terry Stevenson.Combines the richest birding and mammalspots in Kenya and northern Tanzania:Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Great RiftValley, Kakamega Forest, and more. Animpressive diversity of habitats, many withspectacular scenery.

Newfoundland & Nova Scotia—July 2-12,2017 with Chris Benesh & Cory Gregory.Boreal specialties, seabird colonies, andnumerous breeding landbirds in thebeautiful Canadian Maritimes.

Papua New Guinea—July 6-23, 2017 withJay VanderGaast & Doug Gochfeld. Birds-of-paradise and bowerbirds are the crownjewels of one of the most remarkable birdfaunas, set against a fascinating culturalbackdrop far removed from our own.

Machu Picchu & Abra Malaga, Peru I &II—July 7-16, 2017 with Jesse Fagan andAugust 3-12, 2017 with Jesse Fagan & CoryGregory. Southern Peru’s east-slope,temperate birding at its best featuringseveral endemics and scenic Andean puna;also Machu Picchu and great subtropicalbirding on and near lovely hotel grounds.

Galapagos: An Intimate Look at Darwin’sIslands II—July 8-18, 2017 with Willy Perez& local guide. A must for any naturalist andbirder; small-group, broad coverage of theislands with plenty of time for the birds,exploring, and photography.

Jaguar Spotting: Pantanal & Garden of theAmazon—July 9-20, 2017 with MarceloPadua. This short but action-packed Braziltour features the Pantanal at its best, a nicetaste of southern Amazonian birds, andexcellent chances of seeing a Jaguar.

Peru’s Magnetic North: Spatuletails, OwletLodge & More—July 15-26, 2017 with DanLane & Jesse Fagan. A 12-day taste ofnorthern Peru’s east-slope Andes! Fivenights at Owlet Lodge; much time in thefield.

Arizona’s Second Spring I & II—July 22-31,2017 with John Coons & Cory Gregory andJuly 29-August 7, 2017 with Chris Benesh.An ideal time for visiting one of the bestbirding regions in North America: great forlocal specialties and Mexican vagrants.

Iquitos, Peru: Canopy Walkways & AncientForests—July 25-August 5, 2017 with DanLane. Two-week immersion in one of themost species-rich regions of Amazonia,including the white-sand forests nearIquitos.

August 2017

Great Rivers of the Amazon II: Birding theMadeira-Tapajos Interfluvium—August 1-16, 2017 with Bret Whitney & Tom Johnson.Live-aboard luxury on an adventurous tourthrough the lower Madeira-Tapajosinterfluvium of central Amazonian Brazil; beready for the unexpected!

Brazil’s Mouth of the Amazon: MexianaIsland, the Lower Xingu & Carajas—August5-20, 2017 with Marcelo Padua & DaveStejskal. Two-week tour through diversehabitats around the mouth of the mighty RioAmazonas as we seek most of the endemicsof lower Amazonia.

September 2017

France: Camargue & Pyrenees I & II—September 2-12, 2017 with Megan EdwardsCrewe & Marcelo Padua and September 6-16, 2017 with Jay VanderGaast. Two ofEurope’s finest birding destinationscombined in this wonderful eleven-day tour,with varied highlights and some greatFrench food.

Ecuador: Rainforest & Andes—September3-17, 2017 with Willy Perez. Highlights ofthe best of Ecuador’s rainforest birding atSacha Lodge combined with two excitingdestinations in the Andes, theMindo/Tandayapa area and San Isidro.

Slice of California: Seabirds to Sierra I & II—September 7-16, 2017 with Chris Beneshand September 12-21, 2017 with Tom Johnson.A diverse mix of West Coast specialties,montane species, and pelagics in rugged andscenic sites.

Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus, Brazil—September 9-23, 2017 with Bret Whitney &Dan Lane. Bird the rainforests and rivers ofthe mighty Amazon and Negro in anunforgettable mix of forest hikes and live-aboard luxury.

Morocco—September 11-27, 2017 with JesseFagan. Endemic, rare, and specialty birds fromcoastal wetlands and towering cliffs to theAtlas Mountains and the northwest corner ofthe Sahara.

NEW/Papua New Guinea & New Britain inStyle—September 16-October 3, 2017 withPhil Gregory. A new itinerary to explore theendemic birds and specialties of New Britainin addition to numerous highlights on themain island of New Guinea itself.

Ecuador’s Shiripuno Lodge: Heartland of theWaorani—September 21-30, 2017 with MitchLysinger. A tour to Shiripuno Lodge, gateway tothe Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador’sAmazon region.

Cape May Megan’s Way—September 23-29,2017 with Megan Edwards Crewe. See birdmigration in action at one of the country’s topmigration hotspots.

Safari Brazil: The Pantanal & More—September 23-October 8, 2017 (BrazilianMerganser Extension) with Marcelo Padua &Willy Perez. The spectacular wetlands of thePantanal, with Hyacinth Macaws and Jabirus,combine with the many specialties of Brazil’sPlanalto Central to make for the perfect firstbirding trip to Brazil.

Alaska Fall Goldmine: Ross’s Gulls inBarrow & Rarities on St Paul—September30-October 9, 2017 with Tom Johnson & DougGochfeld. A cool-weather fall adventure tothe far north. We’ll start with a treasure huntfor Asian migrants (and American ones too!)on St. Paul Island in the Bering Sea beforespending several days at Barrow above 71degrees North latitude, the US’s northernmostpoint, looking for the legendary Ross’s Gull,loons, eiders, and possibly even Polar Bearand Ivory Gull.

NEW/Brazil’s Remote Rio Tapajos—September 30-October 11, 2017 with BretWhitney & John Coons. Nine days ofexplorations on the upper reaches of a majortributary of the Amazon based on a luxuriousfloating hotel.

October 2017

Australia—October 9-29, 2017 (Part I) withChris Benesh & Jesse Fagan and October 27-November 11, 2017 (Part II; TasmaniaExtension) with John Coons & Tom Johnson. Intwo parts for those with limited time. Part Icovers the environs of Sydney, Melbourne,Adelaide, Perth, southwest Australia, andAlice Springs. Part II begins in Darwin andcontinues to Queensland (Cairns, AthertonTableland, Outback Queensland, andO’Reilly’s Guest House). Both parts combinefor a complete birding tour of Australia.

Namibia & Botswana—October 10-29, 2017with Terry Stevenson. Southwestern Africa’sbird specialties, striking scenery, wilderness,and the famed game of Etosha and theOkavango Delta.

Peruvian Rainforests of the Tambopata:Macaw Lick Extraordinaire—October 12-23,2017 with Dave Stejskal. Three-site tour tothe most species-rich rainforest on Earth.Largest known macaw lick, canopy walkwayand towers, eagles, and monkeys.

Serra dos Tucanos, Brazil—October 23-November 2, 2017 with Marcelo Padua. Ashort but rich immersion in the avifauna ofthe Atlantic Forest, based at one lovely sitenear Rio.

Louisiana: Yellow Rails & Crawfish Tails—October 26-30, 2017 with Dan Lane & CoryGregory. Late-autumn tour on the Gulf Coasttargeting Yellow Rails and other migrantsand wintering species of the region.

Great Rivers of the Amazon I: Exploring theRio Aripuana—October 27-November 11,2017 with Bret Whitney. A rarissimoopportunity to bird the magnificent yet poorlyknown Aripuana River, including several sitesnever visited by ornithologists.

New Guinea & Australia—October 27-November 14, 2017 with Jay VanderGaast. Arich and diverse sampler of the best birdingof New Guinea and Australia.

Upcoming

TOURSFor details, please contact our office or check our web site.

A stunning Reddish Hermit that blends perfectly with the flowers he’sfeeding on. (Photo by participant Rick Woodruff)


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Winter Japan: Dancing Cranes & Spectacular Sea-Eagleswith Phil Gregory“The Snow Monkeys in the hot springs. The Red-crowned Cranesjumping and bowing and posturing as they landed. The largest owl inthe world guarding his fish pond with snow building up on his head.Phil, the kind and patient guide who helped me see my 4000th lifer.The driver, Jun, who not only kept us safe on snowy roads but wasalso good at finding new birds. And the lovely sweet people on ourtour.” —M.C.

Guyana: Wilderness Paradise with Megan Edwards Crewe “The Harpy Eagle at the nest was incredible! The Guianan Cock-of-the-rock lek was an experience to remember. The night owling was a fun adventure. The boat trips along the rivers of Guyana…wereteeming with birds and wildlife, and Kaieteur Falls…is a spectacle tobe seen and enjoyed. The Orange-breasted Falcons perched besidethe falls didn’t hurt any either.”—L.N.

Costa Rica: Birding the Edges with Tom Johnson and Cory Gregory“There were so many excellent features of the tour—the fabulouscolors of a dizzying array of birds and the guides patiently and care-fully showing them to us. The boat rides were great, as was the openfield birding… Trail birding was more difficult for us, but that was wellbalanced with opportunities at feeding stations, where the birds were,so to speak, sitting ducks.” —P.S.

Thailand with Dave Stejskal and Jay VanderGaast“Thailand has beautiful parks, fantastic bird diversity, excellent food,and pleasant weather. Our guides, Dave and Jay, were the best inknowing the birds and introducing us to them. We loved this adventure!” —J.K.

Jewels of Ecuador: Hummers, Tanagers & Antpittaswith Willy Perez“You can see a lot of birds—there were birds everywhere—but youhave the time to enjoy them, while staying at nice lodges with goodfood. Transport is in a comfortable bus, and there is enough space tobring what gear you need. And having Willy as your guide—for me it is easy to give him the highest score.” —B.L.

Trinidad & Tobago with Tom Johnson“In Trinidad, we saw dozens of Bananaquits, gorgeous Green Honey-creepers, nearby bonking bellbirds, and scores of Scarlet Ibis, Oilbirds,and Red-footed Boobies; we saw Red-billed Tropicbirds beingharassed by Magnificent Frigatebirds, Blue-backed Manakins andRed-legged Honeycreepers like ornaments on a tree, and enoughantbird skulkers and cryptic flycatchers to hone our birding skills. Andour guide, Tom Johnson, has all the knowledge and bird-finding skills,and in addition, a warm and engaging personality.” —J.R.

FIELD GUIDES TOURS IN YOUR WORDS

Our thanks to the hundreds among you who have sentus post-tour evaluations recently. We read every one andtake your comments seriously. And we’re pleased that,overwhelmingly, you report excellent tour experiencesand interactions with our guides and Austin office staff.We’ll keep working hard to earn your kudos this yearand beyond. Below are a few of your recent remarks.

From the top: Our Winter Japan group after watching the Snow Monkeys; oneof our Guyana groups (with John Coons) birding along the river; from CostaRica: Birding the Edges, a Fiery-billed Aracari tossing back a piece of fruit; aCoppersmith Barbet emerging from a roost hole in Thailand; a Long-tailedSylph feeding on an Abutilon flower on one of our Jewels tours; Scarlet Ibiscoming in to roost in Trinidad. (Photos by guides Tom Johnson & Phil Gregoryand participants Peter Relson, Daphne Gemmill & Reggie David)


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snapshotsfrom recent toursA lot of birds, a lot of fun...

(Photos by guides Cory Gregory & Mitch Lysingerand participants Daphne Gemmill, BonnieSchwartz, Bob Sprague & Amy Levengood)


Documents

fieldguides · Colombia: Cali Escape Oct 22-31 Jesse Fagan & local guide Australia - Part Two Oct 23-Nov 7 John Coons Spectacular SE Brazil, Part One: North of the Tropic Oct 26-Nov