WINGS E-mail Newsletter

Morocco in Fall

Birds congregate wherever springs emerge in Morocco's southern desert. Photo: Bryan Bland.

November 6-13, 2009: Based at one hotel for all but one night, we have plenty of opportunities for relaxing time off and optional sightseeing trips to complement this tour's exciting birding. Agadir lies on the Atlantic coast, far enough south to enjoy a warm winter climate, and the surrounding areas hold large numbers of wintering European birds and interesting African residents. We'll sample the many different habitats in easy reach of Agadir: sandy and rocky seashores, reed-fringed estuaries, cultivated valleys, dramatic mountains, and open desert. The estuaries south of town are two of the best sites in all Morocco, and the mountains host some fascinating specialties. We’ll spend one night at an oasis beyond Goulimime, the gateway to the Sahara, in search of southerly desert species, and we'll enjoy a pelagic trip out of Agadir. Bryan Bland leads.

Our winter week in Morocco packs an impressive range of experiences into seven lively days, with a typically amazing quality-and-quantity trip list starting right at the airport. You can read more on line about Bryan's latest tour to this magical, magnificent country.

Panama: The Canopy Tower and Lodge

Flowers and feeders at the new Canopy Lodge attract Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds among an impressive selection of tropical birds. Photo: Gavin Bieber.

November 21 - December 2, 2009:  Panama is one of those fortunate places where two great avifaunas meet, making for an exceedingly rich birding experience. Our trip is planned for the drier season of Panama’s autumn, when the diverse assemblage of Neotropical residents is joined by  wintering migrants from North America. The acclaimed Canopy Tower serves as a delightful home base, from which we'll explore several remarkable birding areas including Pipeline Road, arguably the best birding in Central America: over 400 species have been recorded from this single locality. After our week at the Tower, we’ll relocate to the newly constructed Canopy Lodge, two hours west of Panama City in the Talamancan Foothills. Here we’ll find extensive cloud forest and a substantially new suite of birds. Gavin Bieber leads.

Read more about last year's exciting tour, and browse the impressive bird list for a sense of what awaits in Panama's avian wonderland.

India: The South and the Andaman Islands

The rich forests of Nadugani are among the destinations we'll visit in search of this tour's endemics and specialties. Photo: Paul Holt.

November 29 - December 13, 2009 (with Andaman Islands Extension to December 20):  India has long fascinated naturalists and travelers, and it’s easy to see why. The fabulously rich wildlife, the cultural and geographic diversity, and the Indian people themselves combine to make this a fascinating place to visit again and again. Compared with the north, southern India hasn't been explored much by visiting birdwatchers, a fact that is all the more surprising considering the high number of species that are endemic to peninsular India or shared only with neighboring Sri Lanka. Southern India is strikingly different from the north in so many ways: life is seemingly more relaxed and a good deal more genteel. The magnificent coastline is caressed by balmy tropical winds and nurtured by monsoon rains. On this tour we’ll visit some of southern India’s startlingly rich nature reserves and spectacular resorts in search of the region’s special avifauna. We’ll spend time in India’s three southernmost states, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala; we’ll birdwatch near tea plantations in the Western Ghats and Nilgiri mountains; and we’ll study shorebirds on the Coromandel coast and hunt for endemics in several of the region’s best national parks. Our exciting optional excursion to the Andaman Islands takes us to the home of another 19 endemics. Paul Holt leads.

The variety of exotic sites and sights on this tour has to be seen to be believed--as do the birds of the sun-drenched tropics. 

Venezuela

Our three days in Henri Pittier National Park can turn up many of Venezuela's endemic and nearly endemic birds, among them the beautiful White-tipped Quetzal . Photo: David Fisher.

Venezuela contains a surprising cross-section of habitats, from lowland Amazonian rainforest to barren, snow-capped Andean peaks. Our tours--to the Andes, Llanos, and Coast Range and to the Tepuis and Imataca Forest Reserve--feast on a rich helping of tropical birds, up to 600 species including screamers, potoos, tapaculos, euphonias, and hemispinguses. As David Fisher reports, it can be hard to drag yourself away at the end of a birding visit to this sophisticated, modern, and dazzlingly bird-rich country: 

We started this year at El Vigia, a chance to do some birding at the base of the west side of the Andes. We quickly found a small colony of Pygmy Swifts nesting in palm trees. Confined to the Maracaibo Basin, this species was a lifer for everyone present, including both leaders. Our lodge for the night was in the cloudforest at the top of the La Azulita road. The feeders attracted large numbers of hummingbirds, and over the course of two lunches and a breakfast we watched Buff-tailed Coronets, Orange-throated Sunangels, Collared Incas, and Speckled Hummingbirds at point-blank range. The Lazuline Sabrewing was somewhat shyer, but everyone got a good look at it in the end. Walking down the La Azulita road, we found a male Crested Quetzal. Endemic Rose-crowned Parakeets were in the garden of our lodge....

Each habitat we visit in Venezuela has a different avifauna, and so it's no wonder that the species list for our tours is a long one. You can read the full 2009 reports from our Andes, Llanos, and Coast Range and our Tepuis and Imataca Forest tours on line. Join David and Judy Davis in March 2010 for your own Venezuelan adventure!

The Dominican Republic, with Puerto Rico Extension

Colorful Hispaniolan Parakeets greet us on the grounds of our Santo Domingo hotel. Photo: Chris Wood.

Gracious hospitality, excellent cuisine, and as many as 44 island endemics make the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico a true Caribbean paradise. Gavin Bieber reports on this year's very successful tour, which encountered all but one of the sought-after endemics:

Our 2009 tour tallied all 28 possible endemic species in the Dominican Republic, and on Puerto Rico we encountered all but the Puerto Rican Parrot, extremely difficult to see during the breeding season. Palmchats, the sole member of the family Dulidae, were common on Hispaniola, and we recorded three of the five species of todies, another family endemic to the Caribbean. From Hispaniolan Trogon to three species of quail-dove, from Ridgway’s Hawk to Ashy-faced Owl, from two snazzy woodpeckers to the elegant La Selle Thrush, and from charismatic cuckoos like Puerto Rican Lizard-Cuckoo and Bay-breasted Cuckoo to such real skulkers as Eastern and Western Chat-Tanagers, this tour offered us a wide range of species in an impressive diversity of habitats....

Gavin is already looking forward to the 2010 tour, and his full narrative and the tour's extensive bird list make it obvious why. Join him March 4-10 for another visit to these startlingly beautiful islands.

Costa Rica in March

The stunning Turquoise-browed Motmot reaches the southern limit of its range in Costa Rica. Photo: Gary Rosenberg.

Modern, politically stable, and proudly democratic, the tiny Central American country of Costa Rica harbors avian riches entirely out of proportion to its size, as our latest tour discovered:

It is remarkable how diverse and varied this tiny country is, and our trip list of nearly 470 species in just twelve days of birding is eloquent testimony to the high-quality birding available in Costa Rica. This wonderful trip took in the high central mountains, the Pacific lowlands, Monteverde with its famous cloud forest, and the Caribbean lowlands from Arenal Volcano to the La Selva Biological Station; it was just too bad that it finally had to end....

Join Rich Hoyer March 24 - April 6 for another tour to the best birding sites the country has to offer--along with the excellent hotels and lodges, delicious food, stunning scenery, and friendly people that make Costa Rica a perennial favorite. You can read more about our latest springtime tour on line.

Minnesota and North Dakota

Midwestern marshes teem with the flashy colors and raucous voices of Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Photo: Chris Wood.

June 8-16, 2010: An abundance of avian treasure awaits anyone who leaves the beaten path to bird the lush springtime landscapes of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Marshes teem with waterbirds, and woodlands and prairies ring with birdsong. We may find a dozen species of flycatchers and 15 kinds of sparrows, and we’ll pay particular attention to the breeding warblers: 25 species can be expected, with as many as 30 possible. We can hope for such highlights as Connecticut, Mourning, Golden-winged, Canada, and Cerulean Warblers, and Baird’s, Nelson’s, LeConte’s, and, with luck, Henslow’s Sparrows. On at least one evening we’ll search for Great Gray Owl, and on another for the enigmatic Yellow Rail. We spend most of our time far from the hustle and bustle of the city, amid the tranquil charm of the northwoods and prairie potholes. Chris Wood leads.

June, and birdsong pours out of every bog, woodlot, prairie, grassland, and wetland … and there's always the unexpected. Read more about Chris's latest tour, then join him to enjoy the birds of a midwestern spring.

China: Sichuan

White Eared-Pheasant is a magnificent denizen of the mountains of Wolong. Photo: David Fisher.

June 13 - July 3, 2010:  Right in the heart of the Middle Kingdom, Sichuan Province reaches from the subtropical lowlands of the Red Basin and evergreen foothill forest to alpine meadows and dramatic snow-capped peaks. This is a fabulously bird-rich region, home to some two thirds of China’s endemic birds and the majority of its Giant Pandas. On this exciting trip to the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, we’ll concentrate on seeing the endemic and near-endemic species, as well as sampling the cuisine, the hospitality, and the dramatic scenery for which this region is justly famous. The rich diversity of habitats and a well-developed tourist infrastructure make Sichuan a supremely appealing destination for traveling birders. Paul Holt and Wang Qinyu lead.

Each of the numerous sites on this tour has its own brand of charm and its own special birdlife. Read about our latest tour here , and if that doesn't persuade you to come along, the bird list almost certainly will.

California: The Southern Sierra and Kern River Valley

The sadly declining Tricolored Blackbird is a striking near-endemic in California. Photo: Paul Lehman.

June 16-22, 2010: The Kern River Valley, the best riparian habitat remaning in the entire state of California, still supports several endangered and threatened species and subspecies, such as Yellow-billed Cuckoo and “Southwestern” Willow Flycatcher. Many otherwise scarce species, such as Lawrence’s Goldfinch, are usually numerous here. In addition to the riparian habitats, the oak woodlands and chaparral of the surrounding foothills have a number of species nearly unique to California. A short distance to the east lies the Mojave Desert, with an entirely different set of birds, and to the north is the great Sierra Nevada, one of the most spectacular ranges in North America and home to a wide variety of habitats. Based in Kernville for all six nights, we’ll have ample time to explore all these habitats. Jon Dunn leads.

This year's tour is underway as you read this. Jon's complete 2008 report captures the experiences and excitement of birding California, with its fine haul of near-endemics and specialties.

Germany: Birds and Art

Mainz's sandstone cathedral towers over the city. Photo: Wikipedia Commons.

April 28 - May 14, 2011: Many of the cultural and artistic sites that make Germany a dream destination for travelers are also outstanding areas for birds. White Storks and Eurasian Kestrels nest on churches and monasteries, and gardens and forests surrounding the palaces and hunting lodges of long-dead monarchs provide nesting grounds for passerines and Germany’s famous wealth of woodpeckers. Serins sing from the rooftops of Mainz, Dippers hunt Freiburg’s urban streams, and Hooded Crows patrol the streets of Berlin. There’s wilder country here, too: Bavaria’s high mountains can produce Alpine Chough and Snowfinch in some of the most spectacular scenery Europe has to offer, while the marshes and moors of the Pomeranian plain and Baltic coast have breeding Common Crane and Red Kite. Our leisurely Grand Tour is intended for travelers whose interests extend to nature, art, and history. Participants can choose to sit out any of the scheduled activities to pursue their own interests or simply to relax. Like our other Birds and Art tours, this adventure combines comfortable accommodations, late mornings, a relaxed pace, and supreme flexibility as we seek to provide a “whole landscape” experience for birders and non-birding companions alike. Rick Wright leads.

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.

The August 2009 issue of "Kenya Birding" includes Edwin Selempo's fine portrait of a Hinde's Babbler and Brian Finch's account of Red-winged Francolins in the Masai Mara. Our next Kenya tour is scheduled for January 13-17--to coincide with an annular solar eclipse.

Jon Dunn will deliver the keynote address at the Fall Meeting of the Iowa Ornithologists' Union, October 16-18 in Centerville.

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. WINGS is happy to welcome Melody Kehl and Laurens Halsey to the roster of leaders who can be booked on line.

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

Just for Fun

Music of the spheres? (Be patient, it can take a while to load.)