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BIRDING TOURS

BIRDING TRIP REPORTS

Silver-eared Mesia - © James F Wittenberger and Exotic Birding LLC Fischer's Lovebird - © James F Wittenberger and Exotic Birding LLC Long-crested Eagle - © James F Wittenberger and Exotic Birding LLC Black-fronted Piping-Guan - © Laura L Fellows and Exotic Birding LLC Jocotoco Antpitta - © James F Wittenberger and Exotic Birding LLC Lined Forest-Falcon - © Laura L Fellows and Exotic Birding LLC Ocellated Turkey - © Laura L Fellows and Exotic Birding LLC Floreana Mockingbird - © Laura L Fellows and Exotic Birding LLC

Trip reports help people learn what to expect on a tour before the tour takes place. A prior tour does not necessarily have the same itinerary and may not have been led by the same guide. Nevertheless, a trip report does give one an idea of what to expect when visiting a birding locale. With that said, we provide trip reports of a few tours we've conducted as well as a few familiarization trips we've been participants on. Only one of us, Jim Wittenberger, writes trip reports and we don't expect our birding guides to write them for us, so we cannot provide reports of every tour we conduct. The only reports we produce are those tours where Jim has participated. Below are links to trip reports we have written.

2023 Central Peru Birding Tour
Birding tour to the Andes of central Peru including coastal areas north of Lima, Lago Conococha, Huascaran National Park, Carpish Tunnel, Bosque Unchog, Junin, Shollett Forest, Ulcumano Ecolodge, Satipo Road, Andamarca Valley, Hacienda Armorique, Marcopomacocha, and Santa Eulalia Valley.

2019 Northern Colombia Birding Tour
Northern Colombia Birding Tour to Barranquilla, Isla Salamanca, Minca, El Dorado, Los Flamencos, the Perija Reserve, and sites in between.

2019 Ethiopia Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to central Ethiopia covering Sululta Plain, the Ankober Escarpment, Aledeghi Wildlife Reserve, Awash National Park, the lakes region south of Addis Ababa, Bale Mountains National Park, Negele, Yabelo, and Gibe Valley National Park.

2017 NE Brazil Scouting Trip
2017 Scouting Trip to Northeast Brazil

2017 Costa Rica Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to La Ensenada, Monteverde, Tarcoles area, Osa Peninsula, Talamanca Highlands, Tapanti National Park, Braulio Carrillo, La Selva, Los Chiles, Arenal National Park, Celeste Mountain Lodge, and Heliconias Mountain Lodge.

2017 Namibia Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to Namibia covering the central plateau, central coastal area, Etosha National Park, the Zambezi region (Caprivi Strip), northwest Botswana, and Livingstone, Zambia.

2016 West Papua Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to West Papua New Guinea.

2016 Bali & Sumba Island Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to Bali and Sumba Island in Indonesia

2016 Sulawesi & Halmahera Birding Tour
Birding tour to the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and Halmahera.

2016 Papua New Guinea Birding Tour
Birding tour to Papua New Guinea and New Britain.

2016 Borneo Scouting Trip
Scouting trip covering Sabah, Borneo.

2016 Philippines Birding Tour
Birding tour to the Philippines covering central Luzon, Bohol, Cebu, northern Mindanao, and Palawan.

2016 Vietnam Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to Vietnam covering North Vietnam, central Annam (Dalat Plateau), and southern Annam (Cat Tien National Park).

2015 Sicily Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to western and eastern Sicily during fall migration.

2015 Thailand Scouting Trip
Six week scouting trip covering all of Thailand.

2014 Peru Birding and Photography Tour
Birding tour to Villa Wetlands, Pucusana, Machu Picchu, Abra Malaga, Carrizales, Lake Huaypo, Cusco, Lake Hualcarpay, Manu Road, Manu Biosphere Buffer Zone, and Puerto Maldonado

2014 Northeastern Tanzania Birding Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to northeastern Tanzania birding locales including the vicinity of the North & South Pare Mountains, Mkomazi National Park, West Usambara Mountains, and Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambara Mountains.

2014 Tanzania Birding & Mammal Safari
Scouting trip to the major game parks and other birding sites of north-central Tanzania including Arusha, Tarangiri, Ndutu, Serengeti, Speke Bay, Ngorongoro, and Gibb's Farm.

2012 Kenya Birding & Mammal Safari
Private tour to Nairobi National Park, Gatamaiyu Forest, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Kitale, Kakamega, Masai Mara, and Mt Kenya

2012 Peru Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to the highlands of central Peru, Manu Road, and the Tambopata region of the Peruvian Amazon.

2011 SE Brazil Endemics Tour
Birding tour to Rio Grande do Sul, Intervales, Itatiaia, Ubatuba, Guapiacu, and Caraca, Brazil

2011 Colombia Fam Trip
Familiarization trip to Yellow-eared Parrot Reserve, Rio Blanco, and areas around Bogota, Colombia

2010 Ecuador Birding Tour to Esmeraldas
June birding tour to Esmeraldas in northwest Ecuador, covering Rio Palenque and Rio Canande Reserves, and also the east-central Andes around Macas including Sangay National Park and the Trans-Cutucu Road.

2010 Southern Ecuador Birding Tour
June birding tour to southern Ecuador, including roadside birding in the central highlands and visits to El Cajas National Park, Yunguilla Reserve, Buenaventura Reserve, Jorupe Forest Reserve, Utuana Reserve, Tapichalaca Reserve, Zumba, Podocarpus National Park (both Cajanuma and Bombuscaro sections), Copalinga, and Cordillera del Condor.

2008 Guyana Scouting Trip
November scouting trip to Georgetown, Dadanawa, Karanambu, Rock View Lodge, Surama, Atta Rainforest Lodge, and Iwokrama Field Station.

2008 Guyana Fam Trip
April familiarization trip to Georgetown, Iworkrama Field Station. Atta Rainforest Lodge, Surama, Rock View Lodge, Karanambu, Dadanawa, and Kaieteur Falls in Guyana.

2008 Belize & Tikal Birding Tour
January birding tour to Hidden Valley, Tikal, Mayflower-Bocawina National Park, Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Reserve, Blue Hole National Park, and Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary

2007 Northern Ecuador Birding Tour
Birding tour to Yanacocha Reserve, Mindo Valley, Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary, Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Bellavista, Antisana Reserve, Papallacta Pass, Guango Lodge, San Isidro, Guacamayos Ridge, upper Loreto Road, Archidona Road, El Para Reserve, and Napo Wildlife Center.

2007 Galapagos Birding & Photo tour
Birding and natural history tour to the Galapagos Islands. Islands visited on tour were Baltra, Genovesa, Isabella, Floreana, Champion Islet, Espanola, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, and North Seymour.

2007 Brazil Scouting Trip
Scouting trip to Cristolino Lodge, the Pantanal, and SE Atlantic Forests of Brazil.

2007 Costa Rica Highlights Birding Tour
Spring birding tour to the Talamanca Mountains, Los Cusingos, the Pacific Coast, Carara, La Selva, and Braulio Carrillo.

2007 Panama Highlights Birding Tour
Spring birding tour to the Canal Zone and Chiriqui Province in western Panama.

2006 Northern Ecuador Birding Tour
Scouting trip to Mindo Valley, Milpe, Bellavista, Tandayapa Valley, Yanacocha Reserve, Tumbaco Valley and other areas around Quito, Papallacta Pass, Papallacta Water Plant, Guango Lodge grounds, San Isidro grounds, Guacamayos Ridge, El Para Reserve, Upper and Lower Loreto Road, and Yasuni National Park plus the private reserve around Napo Wildlife Center in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Napo River) region.

2006 Southern Ecuador Birding Tour
Fall birding tour to southern Ecuador, including the roadside within Manglares-Churute National Park, Buenaventura Reserve, Jorupe Forest Reserve, Utuana Forest Reserve, Catamayo Valley, Cajanuma and Bombuscaro sections of Podocarpus National Park, Tapichalaca Reserve, El Cajas National Park, Yunguilla Reserve, Santa Elena Peninsula including Ecuasal Salt Ponds, and roadsides en route between locales.

2006 Costa Rica Highlights Birding Tour
Spring birding tour to the Talamanca Mountains, Los Cusingos, La Selva, Braulio Carrillo, and Carara.

2006 Belize Birding Tour
Spring birding tour to Hidden Valley, Caracol Archaeological Site, Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Reserve, Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary, and Lamanai Archaeological Site

2006 Panama Highlights Birding Tour
Spring birding tour to the Canal Zone, Chiriqui Province of western Panama, and the Punta Patino Forest Preserve in Darien Province of eastern Panama.