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Southeast Arizona is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the United States.  Habitats include the Sonoran Desert with its dramatic columnar cacti, the Chihuahuan desert with its grasslands and desert scrub, and the dramatic “Sky Islands” where species from the Rocky Mountains and Mexico’s Sierra Madre come together.  During our journey, we’ll explore most of these habitats, encounter a great diversity of plants and animals, and enjoy fine weather at one of the richest times of year.  We’ll visit many of the birding and wildlife hotspots – Madera Canyon, the Patagonia area, Huachuca Canyon, and the San Pedro River.

Broad-billed Hummingbird by Eric Schroeder

Species we’re likely to see include elegant trogon, gray hawk, zone-tailed hawk, vermilion flycatcher, painted redstart, Grace’s, Lucy’s, red-faced and other warblers, three species of Myiarchus flycatcher (ash-throated, brown-crested, and dusky-capped), thick-billed kingbird, northern beardless tyrannulet, greater pewee, yellow-eyed junco, up to seven species of hummingbirds, many sparrows (five-striped, Botteri’s, rufous-winged, black-throated, rufous-crowned), Scott’s oriole, and many others.

In addition to birds, the area is well known for its butterfly diversity.  While May is not the peak season for butterflies, we should see as many as 15 – 20 species.  Mammal diversity in the area is also high, and we’ve seen 20 species on past trips.  And of course, with this being the Southwest, we may see as many as 10 species of reptiles.

This trip is led by naturalist and bird guide Mark Pretti, a long-term, much loved tour guide for GGBA.

If you are interested in this trip, please contact Dawn from GGBA  first.  She will put you in touch with Mark Pretti. This trip is currently FULL.

Please note that the Duquesne House in Patagonia (where we’ll be for 2 nights) has only 4 rooms and that a single will only be possible if you stay at a nearby home.  The single supplement for this trip is $200 if you share at Duquesne and $275 if you don’t share.…

With optional Southern Patagonia extension. Birding Chile is a quest aimed at discovering the endemics and specialties of this 3,000-mile long and narrow biogeographical country.  Chile is a land of huge contrasts, truly a geographic extravaganza. On this birding adventure we will explore Chile’s incredibly diverse habitats and marvel at some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth, while enjoying top-class hotels and cuisine.  From Mediterranean scrub to the windswept steppes of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia, our search for the avian specialties of this long and narrow country will take us from the high Andes to the cold and productive waters of the Humboldt Current in the Pacific. We will find many interesting species, some of them with very restricted distributional ranges and some endemic to the country.

Trip dates are January 21 – 31, 2022, with an optional Southern Patagonia Extension from  January 31 – February 5, 2022.

Trip Highlights:

• Three (3) pelagic trips and 4 ferry rides offering great opportunities for pelagic specialties of the eastern Pacific and Southern Ocean.
• The magnificent Andean Condor and Magellanic Woodpecker and stunning waders including Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, Magellanic Plover, Tawny-throated Dotterel, Rufous-chested Dotterel and Two-banded Plover.
• Up to nine endemic species including Slender-billed Parakeet, Crag Chilia, Moustached Turca and White-throated Tapaculo. We will also search for the quasi-endemic Chestnut-throated Huet-huet.
• A spectacular system of national parks and nature reserves protecting some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Heart of Chile Cost Structure:

4 to 5 guests @ US $5,331 per person, based on double room occupancy.

6 to 7 guests @ US $4,168 per person, based on double room occupancy.

8 guests @ US $3,588 per person, based on double room occupancy.

Single room supplement @ US $550.

Southern Patagonia Extension Cost Structure:

4 to 5 guests @ US $2,324 per person, based on double room occupancy.

6 to 7 guests @ US $1,862 per person, based on double room occupancy.

8 guests @ US $1,621 per person, based on double room occupancy.

Single room supplement @ US $273.

Click HERE for the full itinerary.

For more information, or to sign up for this trip, contact Dawn Lemoine at travelprogram@goldengatebirdalliance.org.  Please do not contact the vendor first.…

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Back by popular demand! On this trip to Namibia and Botswana with Birding Ecotours, you will traverse amazingly diverse ecosystems from the Atlantic Ocean to the Namib Desert, the Erongo Mountains, Etosha National Park with its huge salt pan, the mixed woodland of the Caprivi Strip, and finally the Okavango Delta. This diversity ensures an unusually high number of mammal and bird species. Mammals we may encounter include Lion, Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe, Black Rhino, Honey Badger, and a huge array of antelope species. Target birds include Pel’s Fishing Owl, Blue Crane, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Martial Eagle, African Pygmy Falcon, and various bee-eaters, kingfishers, babblers, and larks (for a complete list of birds from our 2019 trip, click here). 

Please refer to the itinerary below. For questions or to sign up, contact Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengateaudbon.org. Please do not contact the trip vendor first.

If you would like to convert the local currency to USD, please click here. …