WINGS E-mail Newsletter

China: The Southeast in Winter

A boat trip to Poyang Hu is likely to produce Ruddy Shelduck and White-throated Kingfishers. Photo: Will Russell.

December 19, 2009 - January 2, 2010:  Outstanding among China’s myriad variety of birds are its fabulously evocative cranes, and we expect to see Siberian, White-naped, and Hooded Cranes at Poyang Hu National Nature Reserve, and majestic Red-crowned Cranes on the edge of the Yellow Sea. At Fuzhou, we have a very good chance to see the critically endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper. The supporting cast includes a world-class list of waterbirds: thousands of Swan Geese, hundreds of Falcated Ducks and Baikal Teal, and huge parties of Oriental Storks; we also stand a good chance of encountering Scaly-sided Mergansers at their most reliable wintering site. Other specialties should include spectacular Mandarin Ducks and diminutive Pied Falconets, and we have a chance of seeing the rare Baer’s Pochard, demure Saunders’s Gulls, and perhaps even a Swinhoe’s Crake. Songbirds, too, will impress; among the expected endemics and near endemics are Reed Parrotbill, Chinese Gray Shrike, Red-billed Starling, and Chinese Penduline Tit. Paul Holt and Wang Qingyu lead.

China has come a long way in the past decade. Besides offering an increasing number of comfortable hotels, this fascinating country now boasts an impressive transport infrastructure, and we’ll make good use of it on this unusual tour. You can read about last year's tour on line, and be sure to visit the photo gallery, too. 

Mexico: San Blas Mangroves and Forests

Yellow-winged Cacique is one of the many tropical species that make our San Blas tour as rewarding as it is relaxing. Photo: Steve Howell.

January 8-16 and January 21-29, 2009: Not far from the US, the coastal fishing village of San Blas, Nayarit, has long been famous for its rich and decidedly tropical avifauna. From our base in town we’ll explore nearby palm and thorn forests, oak woods, coffee fincas, mangroves, freshwater marshes, beaches, coastal lagoons, and inshore waters. These habitats host birds ranging from Blue-footed Booby and Collared Plover to Russet-crowned Motmot, Fan-tailed Warbler, and the little-known Mexican Woodnymph. Other highlights among the many possibilities, including 25 Mexican endemics, are Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Rufous-necked Wood-Rail, Mexican Parrotlet, Cinnamon Hummingbird, Black-throated Magpie-Jay, San Blas and Purplish-backed Jays, and Golden Vireo.  Steve Howell leads.

Based at an exceptional hotel with a fine restaurant, a swimming pool, and a staff that knows birders, our San Blas tours combine wintertime relaxation with an excellent introduction to Mexican birding. Read more about Steve's latest visit to the varied habitats of Nayarit.

Belize: The Birds of Chan Chich

The main plaza of Chan Chich is a great place to see not just a wide variety of tropical birds but also many striking butterflies, such as this Erato Heliconian. Photo: Michael O'Brien.

January 9-16, 2010:  The jungles of northwestern Belize, the largest tract of contiguous forest north of the Amazon, stretch into Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the west. Within this wilderness stands what is perhaps the finest lodge in all of Central America, Chan Chich, situated on the main plaza of an ancient Mayan ceremonial site. Hunting has been prohibited here for many years, and the abundance and diversity of wildlife is difficult to imagine. Breakfast or lunch on the verandah might be accompanied by sightings of Ocellated Turkey, Mealy, Red-lored and Brown-hooded Parrots, Stripe-throated and Long-billed Hermits, Scaly-breasted and Rufous-tailed Hummingbirds, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Yellow-olive and Ochre-bellied Flycatchers, Red-capped and White-collared Manakins, Blue-gray and Yellow-winged Tanagers, Yellow-throated and Olive-backed Euphonias, White-collared Seedeater, and Montezuma Oropendola! The Chan Chich area also supports the largest populations of Belize's five cat species. Black Howler Monkeys roar from treetops surrounding the lodge, and troops of Spider Monkeys are seen regularly. A relaxed naturalist could have a wonderful experience here without ever leaving the main clearing. Rich Hoyer leads.

There are few places in the world where such high-quality accommodations and food are found so close to such superb habitat. You can read on line about our latest tour to this magical location, and review the dazzling variety of birds seen here.

Thailand

 The dapper White-throated Laughingthrush is resident in the forests of Khao Yai National Park. Photo: Jon Dunn.

 January 29 - February 6, 2010 (Peninsular Thailand and Gurney's Pitta) and February 6-24, 2010 (Coast to Highlands): Thailand is one of the most fascinating and ornithologically exciting countries in Asia. A wide variety of habitats and an extensive park and sanctuary system support a huge number of resident species and a rich array of Palearctic migrants. Our Coast to Highlands tour samples habitats from marshy plains and mangrove coastlines to the forests of Khao Yai and the cool mountains near the northern capital of Chiang Mai. In the Thaton Highlands, we visit the country’s extreme northwest, where a number of new species await. Our new tour of Peninsular Thailand spends most of its time in lowland forest, secondary growth, and cultivated lands at Khao Nor Chuchi, where our primary aim is to see the critically endangered Gurney’s Pitta. We’ll also spend parts of two days at Khung Chin Waterfall in Khao Laung National Park, and we’ll take three boat trips: one to Similan Island, home to the distinctive and terrestrial Nicobar Pigeon, and another to Pida Island in the Pi Pi Island group, where three species of frigatebird come to roost. Our final boat trip takes us to Krabi Bay on the west coast of the peninsula, where we’ll explore mangrove forest, open mud, and sandflats amid delightful limestone karst scenery. Jon Dunn leads.

Our Thailand tours offer the very best introduction to Southeast Asia's astonishingly varied birdlife. Jon's report from last year's tour is on line, as is the impressive bird list accumulated by our tours to this fascinating country.

Guatemala: Horned Guan and Pink-headed Warbler

Horned Guan, one of the rarest and most bizarre of the cracids, inhabits the steep slopes of San Pedro above glistening Lake Atitlan. Photo: Rick Wright.

February 10-16, 2010, with Tikal Extension to February 19:  Just a three-hour flight from the US, the highlands of Guatemala’s Pacific slope are famous worldwide for two birds: the improbable-looking Pink-headed Warbler and the critically endangered Horned Guan. Less well known are the astonishing concentrations of boreal migrants—especially wood warblers—that share these cool forests with a vast selection of Central American specialties. Though our tour specifically targets the warbler and the guan, we also take time to enjoy fully the diversity of the region’s birdlife and to appreciate the charm of baroque Antigua. Our short Tikal Extension takes us even further back in time and into tropical lowland habitats with a completely new suite of birds. Watching Ocellated Turkeys, parrots, and perhaps even the local Orange-breasted Falcon pair among the ruins of one of the greatest cities ever built in the New World is an experience no birder should miss. Bryan Bland and Hugo Enriquez lead.

Colorado: Lekking Grouse

The spring display of Greater Prairie-Chicken is one of the natural world’s most amazing sights and sounds. Photo: Chris Wood.

April is a spectacular time of year in Colorado. Late winter and early spring meet with stunningly beautiful snow-capped peaks and the first blush of green on the river-edge cottonwoods. It’s also the time when the five lekking grouse—Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse, and Lesser and Greater Prairie-Chickens—are engaged in their amazing foot-stomping, cackling, hooting, and moaning displays, as Chris Wood reports:

Spring in the Colorado Rockies and Plains is as unpredictable as it is beautiful. Our 2009 tour experienced the full cornucopia of weather conditions, from heavy mountain snows that closed roads to a half-day of raging winds that recalled the days of the dust bowl. Fortunately, most days were filled with beautiful “Colorado Blue” skies, and temperatures even reached 70F. And if the weather was varied, the birds were even more so. Finding all of Colorado’s lekking grouse is always a special treat. But there was so much more....

Designed to take advantage of the intersections of geography and the seasons, our Colorado tour boasts an impressive species list . You can read Chris's full report here, and  be sure to admire his photos from the state's plains and mountains.

Texas: The Upper Coast

The spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher--the "Texas bird-of-paradise"--is widespread and common on the Texas Upper Coast. Photo: Stéphane Moniotte.

There may be no better birdwatching in North America than the great visible migration spectacle of the Upper Texas Coast. As Jon Dunn notes in his report from our latest tour, the migrants alone would draw birders to the area, but the area's pinewoods and cypress swamps are also home to some of the continent's most sought-after breeders:

Our tour managed to see 26 species of wood warbler, including Golden-winged and Cerulean, plus breeders like Prairie and Swainson’s Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrush. Even more color was added by the many Scarlet Tanagers, Orchard and Baltimore Orioles, and Indigo and Painted Buntings. Our rail walk at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge produced views of multiple Yellows and a single Black Rail....

Jon returns to the Upper Texas Coast in April , right at the peak of migration and just as many resident species begin their breeding activity. Read more about this tour to some of the best migration spots on the continent.

Florida: The Keys and the Dry Tortugas

The graceful Swallow-tailed Kite is a stunning sight over the pine scrub of south Florida. Photo: Chris Wood.

Abundant migrants, an impressive range of breeding specialties, and a chance at the odd Caribbean vagrant make late April the ideal time for a birding visit to South Florida and the Keys.  Our springtime tour also includes a day trip to the magnificent seabird colonies of the Dry Tortugas, making this the perfect getaway at the perfect time of year, as the report from our 2009 tour shows:

We spent two days working our way to Key West, seeing a number of the Keys specialties en route. We saw the local race of Yellow Warbler, sometimes referred to as Golden Warbler, as well as a nice roost of White-crowned Pigeons, a few Gray Kingbirds, Black-whiskered Vireo, and everyone’s favorite bird of the trip, a stunning Mangrove Cuckoo. Key West itself was hopping with migrants, including fourteen species of warblers and a beautiful male Western Spindalis....

Join Will Russell April 24 - May 1 for this newly revised tour featuring birds rarely or never found elsewhere in the US and Canada. The extensive bird list and appealing photo gallery make it clear why Florida is one of the most popular of springtime birding destinations.

Ecuador: A Week in Paradise

Hummingbirds, such as this dazzling Purple-throated Woodstar feeding just inches away, are a remarkable highlight of all our tours to Ecuador. Photo: Rich Hoyer.

February 13-21 and July 3-11, 2010:  The Andes of western Ecuador have some of the best and most accessible birding in all of South America. This short tour, based entirely at a single, extremely comfortable lodge, visits such famous and easily birded localities as the Tandayapa Valley, Mindo, Los Bancos, and the Pedro Vicente Maldonado area, all within 15-45 minutes of the lodge. Our seven days of birding should produce more than 300 species, possibly including some of western Ecuador’s most celebrated: Giant Antpitta, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Club-winged Manakin, and, at one set of feeders, as many as 20 species of hummingbird. Jon Feenstra leads in February, Steve Howell in July.

Séptimo Paraí­so Lodge provides extremely comfortable lodging, a fine restaurant, and remarkable bird diversity just out the door. Join Jon or Steve (or both--why not?) for a relaxing and bird-filled week in the cloud forests of Ecuador. Or consider another of our outstanding tours to this birding mecca: La Selva Lodge or The High Andes to the Coast with Gavin Bieber in January, and San Isidro with Jon Feenstra in February.

Kenya

The unforgettable jewel of Kenya's rivers and marshes is the brilliant Malachite Kingfisher. Photo: Brian Finch.

June 16-30 and November 17 - December 1, 2010 : The vast expanses of East Africa have long been part of every traveler’s dreams: rolling grasslands dotted with acacia trees, mountains such as Kilimanjaro rising above the limitless horizons, and riparian forests harboring colorful birds and troops of monkeys. Of course, the large mammals of the East African plains come immediately to mind, too, and in Kenya it is still possible to see huge concentrations of animals along with 500 or more species of birds. Our tour visits Nairobi, Tsavo, Amboseli, and Mt. Kenya National Parks and Lakes Baringo and Nakuru, and ends up in the spectacular Masai Mara National Reserve—the Africa of everyone’s imagination. Brian Finch and Edwin Selempo lead.

Kenya is justly famous for its memorable landscapes, comfortable climate, and welcoming people. Based at luxurious lodges in the heart of the best birding areas, we can count on a vast species list as part of a truly unforgettable birding experience.

Arizona: Second Spring

Aptly named and greatly sought-after, Elegant Trogons breed in the cool, sycamore-lined canyons of Arizona's Sky Islands. Photo: Jon Dunn.

July 7-17, 2010: Southeast Arizona's spectacular mountains rise like islands above the deserts and grasslands, and northern birds follow the peaks southward to overlap with species that reach their northernmost outposts in the canyons. In the "second spring" of July and early August, the desert is reborn: The vegetation becomes green again, temperatures moderate, and there is a resurgence of birdsong and activity. Birding in Arizona is excellent throughout the summer months; a visit in mid-July offers excellent opportunities to study grassland sparrows and increased chances of seeing the rarer hummingbirds and possibly some early fall migrants. Jon Dunn leads.

A special highlight of our 2010 tour is the chance to spend three nights at Casa de San Pedro, a lovely inn near Sierra Vista with a wonderful pool, busy feeders, and easy access to some of the best birding in southeast Arizona. This year's tour was highlighted by the continuing Sinaloa Wren--the first fully documented north of Mexico--and splendid views of the classic Arizona specialties, breeding birds, and migrants.

Fairest Britain

The British Birdwatching Fair is the international event of the year for anyone interested in birds and birding. Photo: Rick Wright.

August 2010: The British Birdwatching Fair , held each year since 1989 at Rutland Water Nature Reserve, has to be seen to be believed. Hundreds of exhibitors and tens of thousands of visitors come together in an utterly inimitable phenomenon. A full program of lectures, demonstrations, and workshops fills the huge tents and competes with the offerings of booksellers, tour operators, artists, and optics companies--and there are even some birds to be seen on the lake just outside. We'll spend a day at the fair, then travel a short distance to Norfolk, where from our base in world-famous Cley we'll enjoy an impressive selection of autumn migrants and perhaps a rarity or two. Bryan Bland and Rick Wright lead.

WINGS Aloft

WINGS and Sunbird have a new Facebook page. Bookmark the link to check in on the latest from the field--and if you're on Facebook, too, become a fan and post your own comments, photos, and questions.

Rich Hoyer's review of Birdsongs of the Pacific Northwest appears in the latest issue of Western Birds.

Greg Greene, Steve Howell , Rich Hoyer, Jake Mohlmann , and Rick Wright led extremely successful field trips at October's American Birding Association Conference in Veracruz, Mexico, in October. Steve also delivered a lecture, "The Birth of a Bird Guide," on the field work and writing of the Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America.

You can keep up to date with what's being seen in southeast Arizona and reserve private guiding services on line at our new AZ-Birding website. 

Rick Wright will be delivering the Annual Banquet Lecture of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club in Philadelphia November 19.

Thanks to those of you who have added photos to the WINGS flickr group!

Just for Fun

There's just nothing anyone could possibly add to this.