Santa Marta

Santa Marta

This trip is designed for birders who haven’t traveled abroad previously, but its wide variety of target birds makes it suitable for both beginning birders and seasoned veterans. It can be combined with the Araucana Lodge trip, but it’s a self-contained itinerary—a trip that will ensure your first international birding experience is a great one.

Why Colombia? Easy. It’s the birdiest country on earth, with 1,930 species—almost 20% of the world’s total in 1% of its landmass, with new species still being discovered and new records being announced regularly. There are several reasons for this: Colombia is tropical yet it also has ample elevation changes due to the Andes; it has both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts; it has a wide range of different habitats, and different habitats ensure a wide range of bird species.

This tour begins and ends in the city of Barranquilla, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, a very different part of Colombia than our tour at Araucana Lodge. The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is the highest coastal mountain in the world and one of the most important endemism centers in the world, with 22 species of birds restricted to it. Join us on a search for many of these endemics, including Santa Marta Screech-owl, antpittas (four species), tapaculos (two species), foliage-gleaners (two species), Brush-finches (two species), parakeets, (five species) sabrewings (two species), bush-tyrants (three species), seedeaters (nine species), and, of course, a huge array of warblers (thirty species!), and tanagers (fifty-four species!)

This trip will also take us to Isla Salamanca, Tayrona, and Los Flamencos National Parks, where birding through mangroves and coastal wetlands along  the ocean and in dry scrub forest should yield species such as the near endemic Buffy Hummingbird, the endemic Chestnut-winged Chachalaca, Russet-throated Puffbird, the near endemic Chestnut Piculet,  Bicolored Conebill, Tocuyo Sparrow, and Panama Flycatcher.

View Trip Birdlist Here…

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, “The Pearl of the Indian Ocean,” is one of the most beautiful countries in Asia, a tropical utopia with breathtaking scenery.  This island nation lies off of the southeast tip of India with the Bay of Bengal to the north and Indian Ocean to the south. It’s well known for its wild Asian elephants, its own subspecies of leopard, and a list of more than 20 mammal species in the wild.  A safe, friendly and wonderful country to travel to, you won’t want to miss the excellent food, ancient dagobas (or thupa/stupas), and of course, the birds!

Your guide for this tour will be Upali Ekanayake, the senior most Ornithological Tour Leader in the country with more than 30 years of field experience.

On this trip, you’ll be visiting areas of lush rainforest, village orchards, dry woodland, scrub forest, freshwater wetlands, farmland, coastal pools and city parks. Sri Lanka is a country that is not only a wonderful birding location but also an experience that reminds birders that variety is just as exciting as a high level of endemism.

Sri Lanka Blue Magpie by Cris Heins

Birders come here for Sri Lanka’s bird list of over 430 species, of which 233 are resident and include 26 endemic. Most of the resident species are shared with the Asian mainland. A further 198 species have been recorded as migrants to the country. Of the migrants, about 100 species regularly visit the country; the rest are occasional visitors and vagrants.

Sri Lanka is a must for birders wanting to see exciting endemic birds such as Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Serendib Scops Owl, Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill, Spot-winged Thrush and Red-backed Flameback. With superb south Asian birds that include Malabar Trogon, Great Thick-knee, Indian Pitta, Malabar Pied Hornbill and Jerdon’s Nightjar, this is a trip that not only provides quality but quantity too.

And if you love wildlife, then you’ll be heading out on a safari at some of the country’s best national parks, including Udawalawe National Park, Wilpattu National Park and the famous Yala National Park. Yala NP has the highest density of leopards anywhere in the world, and this gives you a good chance of spotting one! 

Over the course of the trip,  you’ll enjoy world-class birding and mammal-watching, delicious cuisine, and the warm hospitality this beautiful island country offers.

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Grouse Extravaganza (Colorado)

Grouse Extravaganza (Colorado)

Want to see six species of grouse in one state? Need a Gunnison Sage-Grouse on your life list? Have you always wanted to see a White-tailed Ptarmigan? Would you like to experience the amazing spectacle of an early morning lek?

Colorado birding in April is fantastic! The Grouse and Prairie-Chickens are dancing on their leks, the Central Flyway is alive with the hopes of a new year and the mountains are refreshed with the warming days of spring.

Never seen a lek?  The males dance, blow up air sacks, hoot and holler, charge their rivals, and try to impress the ladies. You will see it all! This tour highlights Gunnison and Greater Sage-Grouse, Sharp-tailed and Dusky Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan, and Greater Prairie-Chicken.

Join Sue Riffe, owner of She Flew Birding Tours on this 8 days/7 nights of birding in beautiful Colorado.  

Cost per person double occupancy is $2995. Single supplement is $600.  Please see the detailed itinerary for all of the exciting details.

Ready to register?  Have questions?  Contact Dawn at travelprogram@goldengatebirdalliance.org.  (This trip is so special, Dawn was the 1st participant to sign up!)…

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, and Monasteries 1

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, and Monasteries 1

Fire-tailed Myzornia by Chubzang Tangbi

Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. We will visit a range of environments varying from sub-tropical at 150m to alpine at over 4,500m. On this 19-day trip, expect to see between 350 and 400 species of birds and 10-15 species of mammals. Our Bhutanese guide
from Langur Eco Travels will not only introduce you to the fauna but also the flora of Bhutan (we’re visiting during the spring rhododendron bloom) and its culture (our trip includes visits to several famous sites, including the Tiger’s Nest Monastery). For questions and registration contact Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengatebirds.org 

Cost of the trip is $6,025 (double) and $6,475 (single), which does not include the cost of internal or international flights (see the itinerary for information on these.

Complete description and itinerary can be viewed here. Please do not contact the vendor first.
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Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, and Monasteries 2

Bhutan – Birding, Mammals, and Monasteries 2

Fire-tailed Myzornia by Chubzang Tangbi

Bhutan, a country roughly the size of Maryland, has almost 600 species of birds. Over 70% of its land is forested with 25% protected by National Parks. We will visit a range of environments varying from sub-tropical at 150m to alpine at over 4,500m. On this 19-day trip, expect to see between 350 and 400 species of birds and 10-15 species of mammals. Our Bhutanese guide

from Langur Eco Travels will not only introduce you to the fauna but also the flora of Bhutan (we’re visiting during the spring rhododendron bloom) and its culture (our trip includes visits to several famous sites, including the Tiger’s Nest Monastery). For questions and registration contact Eric Schroeder at travelprogram@goldengatebirds.org 

Cost of the trip is $6,425 (double) and $6,875 (single), which includes a flight from Bangkok to Bhutan. (see the itinerary for more information).
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