A
Chronological List of Upcoming Birding &
Nature Tours
Focus On Nature Tours has been conducting birding & nature tours to various, interesting
places (with good birding) since 1990.
The approach with FONT birding tours is
to do our best to provide good, enjoyable tours for groups that normally
maximize at 6 to 8 people.
Upcoming tours, (with availability noted):
ICELAND,
a tour on a fascinating island with much to see and enjoy. During
this tour in the past, we've seen and enjoyed Gyrfalcons at a nest. There's no place we
go that's like Iceland! Seabirds (many!) at their nesting sites, Marine Mammals,
and spectacular scenery. Check out the photos in our web-site. June
6-15, 2008 $US 2,995, plus air.
MEXICO, a 10-day birding & nature tour in the area of the
Yucatan
peninsula, including visits to 3 unesco biospheres, protected areas wonderful
form wildlife, and to some Mayan sites, also with wildlife, and to the island of
Cozumel - to each of these places for endemic & specialty birds. June 14-24,
2008 $US 2,395, plus air.
(2 PLACES available)
Costa
Rica (tour CR-2), a Summer Birding Tour, to places in the country
with some of the best Neotropical Birding anywhere. At a time not only good for
birds, but for people, such as teachers, who just can't go when others do in the spring &
winter. During our previous summer tours, nearly 400 species of birds have been
seen. To be our 28th birding tour in Costa Rica. June
24-July 6, 2008 $2,895, plus air.
PANAMA, a week of fine birding in the Canal Basin, including Gamboa & Pipeline Road, and various sites closer to South America, in eastern Panama province & Darien. July 6-14, 2008 $US 2,895, plus air to/from Panama.
BRAZIL (tour BR-2), a birding & nature tour to spectacular places for both - birds & nature: Iguazu Falls and the Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul, where during previous tours we've seen many birds and some animals that were great to see. This will be our second tour in 2008 for the "Jabiru & Jaguar", two of the species we've seen in the past (the Jabiru every time, the Jaguar during two of our most-recent tours). Among the birds will be some large ones, including the largest of the world's macaws, the largest of the toucans, and, in fact, the largest of American birds (it does not fly). July 26-August 9, 2008 $US 3,175, plus air. (2 PLACES AVAILABLE)
BRAZIL (tour BR-3), a birding tour that can be combined with the previous tour,
to prime places for birds in Southeast Brazil, notably
Itiatia, Ubatuba, & Intervales. At each of these locales, there are a number of Brazilian endemic
& specialty birds, with good assortments of hummingbirds, tanagers,
flycatchers, and furnariids. Also; toucans, trogons, and thrushes. August
9-17, 2008 $2,895, plus air.
(The Brazilian tours BR-2 & BR-3 can be combined,
July 26-August 17, with the price of $4,895, plus air.)
ARIZONA, USA, A fine birding tour in the mountains and the desert. At a great time of year for birds: a number of hummingbirds, flycatchers, warblers, sparrows, hawks and owls, a trogon, and more. August 28 -September 5, 2008 $US 1,995, plus air to/from Arizona. (1 PLACE AVAILABLE)
BULGARIA, a late-summer European birding tour, at a time & places very good for birds on their southbound migration. For birds of all sorts: waterbirds, shorebirds, landbirds, and in the sky: raptors, storks, and more. Add in an assortment of eastern Europe specialties, and the Eagle Owl. August 29 - September 6, 2008 $US 2,095, plus air. This tour followed by an optional extension to Turkey & the Bosphorous, for the outstanding migration of birds that occurs there that time of year.
WEST
COAST USA (Washington State & central California)
(a week-long birding tour, about equally split between Washington State and
central California).
During this tour, there are 2 pelagic trips one offshore from Washington, the
other from California.
This will be our 14th time for this tour. It is at a prime-time for
bird rarities, and as always, if something rare is about, an effort is made for
it. Such birds, during this tour in the past, have included Little Curlew,
Mongolian Plover, Long-toed Stint, and White-winged Tern.
Pelagic rarities have included Red-tailed Tropicbird and Laysan Albatross.
Cumulatively, 327 species of birds have been seen during this tour. And 59
species of mammals. The complete list is in our web-site.
September 5-14, 2008 $US2,195, plus
air.
SWEDEN,
a week in the southern region known as Skane, at a peak time for a bird
migration that's phenomenal. In all, 158 species of birds have been seen during
this tour, including raptors, waterbirds, shorebirds, and landbirds in large
numbers as migrants.
September 20-26, 2008 $US 2,895, plus air.
(SPACE STILL AVAILABLE)
(This tour can be done
either independent of, or in conjunction with, the following Iceland tour.)
ICELAND, one of our favorite destinations, this tour to be 16th there. At a time good for birding, and the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis. Birds this time of year include those in flocks, either migrating or about to, and some vagrants. Specialties sought include White-tailed Eagle, Gyrfalcon, and Ptarmigan. September 26 - October 4, 2008 $US 3,195, plus air. (TOUR FILLED) (This tour can be done either independent of, or in conjunction with, the preceding Sweden tour)
BRAZIL
(tour BR-4), in two very different regions of the country, the
states of Minas Gerais & Rio
Grande do Sul. The latter is the southernmost Brazilian state, near
the border with Uruguay. Birds to be sought will be endemics and specialties of
the regions, including the rare Brazilian Merganser, but there will be many
more. An assortment of mammals is possible, too, such as Maned Wolf, Giant
Anteater and various monkeys. We've done this tour a few times, and we've always
seen many, many birds.
October 5-19, 2008. $US 3,375, plus air.
Optional Extension: For Birds & Animals of the
Brazilian Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul (tour
BR-4A), October 19-23.
$US 1,495,
plus air. During our tour there in 2006, mammals that we saw included: Jaguar,
Ocelot, Pantanal Cat, Maned Wolf, and Brazilian Tapir, in addition to Giant
Anteater, Marsh Deer, and Crab-eating Foxes & Raccoons. Also during the
night excursions we saw numerous owls and nightjars.
ARGENTINA,
A land with birds named
Horneros, Canasteros, Negritos, Gallitos, Doraditos, & Rayaditos.
Tour AR-2: Southern Argentina (in 3 regions of Patagonia): November
9-22, 2008 $US 3,695, plus air.
Optional Extension: CHILE Short-stay: Nov
22-26 (following AR-2): including High Andes, a pelagic trip,
birding in various habitats: $US 1,095.
CHILE,
with birding in some areas that are very different from each other in the Andes,
the forested Lake District, Patagonia
including Tierra
del Fuego, and in the Far-North
including the Atacama Desert. The tour
includes:
2 pelagic trips, one from central Chile, the other in the Far-North. Birds range
from albatrosses and condors, to tapaculos and shorebird specialties including
dotterels, Magellanic Plover, and the Diademed Sandpiper-Plover.
Tour
CH-Short-Stay (High Andes & a pelagic trip on the Pacific): November 22-26,
2008: $US 1,095, plus air
Tour CH-1A (Andes, a pelagic trip, & Lake District): November 22 - December 1, 2008:
$US 3,195,
plus air
Tour CH-1B (Far-North): December 1-5, 2008
$US 1,295, plus air
Complete Tour CH-1A&B:
November
22-December 5, 2008, $US
3,990
plus air, including the optional Far-North extension.
GUATEMALA, Our Festive Holiday Birding & Nature Tour in the Highlands & Lowlands, including the Mayan ruins at Tikal: December 26, '08 - January 5, '09: $US 2,795, plus air.
JAPAN,
in the winter,
to be our 33rd birding tour in Japan.
To the islands of Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and
Amami (the last of these optional),
including a day-long pelagic onboard a ferry between Honshu
& Hokkaido. During this tour, we've always seen the rare
Blakiston's Fish-Owl, large numbers of Steller's and White-tailed
Eagles, and cranes (as many as 7 species). A complete list of birds is in
our web-site. January 12-24 (not
including Amami) or January 12-28, (including
Amami), 2009.
(SOME SPACE AVAILABLE)
$US 3,895, plus air (with Amami), $US 3,395, plus air (not with Amami) .
The optional extension January 24-28, 2009 to
the southern Japanese island of Amami is for a number of bird specialties &
endemics, including Lidth's Jay, the "Owston's or Amami Woodpecker",
Amami Thrush, Amami Woodcock, and possibly Saunder's Gull and Black-faced
Spoonbill.
THE CARIBBEAN, a birding & nature tour in the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (tour WI-1), preceding our special tour in the northern LESSER ANTILLES. For endemic & specialty birds, and Hispaniola has many. In the Dominican Republic, there are over 25. February 1-8, 2009. $US 2,295, plus air.
THE
CARIBBEAN, a special tour in the northern LESSER
ANTILLES (tour WI-2), following our tour in the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC (tour
WI-1). On each of these of the islands to be visited,
in the Lesser Antilles, there are endemic & specialty
birds. On BARBUDA
there's an endemic warbler; on MONTSERRAT there's an
endemic oriole; on GUADELOUPE there's an
endemic woodpecker. On DOMINICA,
there are 2 endemic parrots. During the tour, we will see a nice number of
endemic & specialty birds. February 8-16, 2009. $US
2,795, plus air.
BELIZE,
a birding & nature tour, in a small but great country for both birds
& nature, to places in the interior & along the coast. February
19-28, 2009 $US 2,095, plus air.
Northern COSTA RICA (tour CR-1), a birding & nature tour from the highlands to the lowlands, from the Caribbean rainforest to the dry Pacific coast, and in between. In addition to the rainforest, includes a number of habitats, and, for good measure, a volcano and a boat-ride along a tropical river. Birds will be many, ranging from those as small as hummingbirds to as large as a Jabiru. February 28 - March 8, 2009 $US 2,395, plus air. (This tour can be combined with the March 7-16 tour in southern COSTA RICA & adjacent PANAMA: combination price $US 3,995, plus air)
Southern COSTA RICA & Western PANAMA, (tour CR-2), in the southern part of Costa Rica, where birds have a "southern tint" (cotingas, tanagers, hummingbirds, woodcreepers, antbirds, and furnarids, to name a few). Also in the mountains the beautiful Resplendent Quetzal. To be our 28th birding tour in Costa Rica. In western Panama, the highlands & lowlands in the province of Chiriqui. March 7-16, 2009 $US 2,395, plus air.
BRAZIL
(tour BR-1), a birding & nature tour, including a spectacular place for both - birds
& nature: the Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul,
where during previous tours we've seen many birds and some animals that were
great to see. This will be our first tour in 2009 for the "Jabiru
& Jaguar", two of the species we've seen in the past (the Jabiru
every time, the Jaguar during two of our most-recent tours). Among the
birds will be some large ones, including the largest of the world's macaws, the
largest of the toucans, and, in fact, the largest of American birds (it does
not fly).
March 11-20, 2009 $US 2,895, plus
air. With an optional extension in Southeast Brazil: until March
24, 2009 Price with the
extension: $US 3,595, plus air.
THE CARIBBEAN, PUERTO RICO (Tour WI-3), To be our 28th tour on the island, during which we'll see the nice assortment of endemic & specialty birds, in addition to having a good time! March 30 - April 4, 2009. $US 1,975, plus air.
THE
CARIBBEAN, a tour in the LESSER
ANTILLES (tour WI-4), for endemic & specialty birds on the
islands of ST. LUCIA, ST. VINCENT, and DOMINICA.
Among those endemic birds, there are rare Amazon parrots on each of
the 3 islands. April 4-12, 2009. $US
2,295, plus air.
GUATEMALA
,
with birding in a Land of Mayas & Motmots. In the highlands, and in the
Peten lowlands, including a stay at
Tour can be done in 2 parts or in combination.
Tour 1A, in the Highlands: April 14-21, 2009
$2,195, plus air;
Tour 1B, in Peten, including Tikal: April 21-26,
2009 $1,695, plus air to/from Guatemala.
Combination: April
14-26, 2009
$US 3,195, plus air to/from Guatemala.
JAPAN, in the spring, with birding in central & southern Japan, including a visit to a small island that's a magnet for migrating birds, Hegura, off Honshu in the Sea of Japan. On the southern islands of Nansei Shoto (Amami & Okinawa) and in Kyushu, we'll be going for bird specialties & endemics: Fairy Pitta, Lidth’s Jay, Amami Woodcock, Pryer’s Woodpecker, Okinawa Rail. May 9–26, 2009 $US 3,395, plus air.
ICELAND,
a tour on a fascinating island with much to see and enjoy. During
this tour in the past, we've seen and enjoyed Gyrfalcons at a nest. There's no place we
go that's like Iceland! Seabirds (many!) at their nesting sites, Marine Mammals,
and spectacular scenery. Check out the photos in our web-site. June
5-14, 2009 $US 2,995, plus air.
SPAIN,
2009 will be our 15th
year (having done 24 birding tours) in this country with castles, cuisine, and
culture. During our previous tours: 4 species of vultures including Lammergeier,
Spanish Imperial and 4 other species of Eagles, Eagle Owl, Wallcreeper, both
Great and Little Bustards, both Marbled and White-headed Ducks, to name just a
few of the 288 bird species that have cumulatively been seen during FONT tours
in Spain. 3 tours as follows:
SP-1: Extremadura & Gredos Mtns: June
12-19, 2009
$1,995, plus air.
SP-2: The Pyrenees Mtns & Ebro Delta: June
19-26, 2009
$1,975, plus air.
SP-3: The Canary Islands: June
26 - July 1, 2008
$1,795, plus air.
Combinations: SP-1&2: June
12-26, 2009
$2,990, plus air.
SP-2&3: June 19 - July
1, 2009
$2,990, plus air.
SP-2,3,4: June 12 - July 1,
2009
$3,990. plus air.
JAPAN, Birding in Southern Japan on the islands of Kyushu & Nansei Shoto (Okinawa & Amami), with a solar eclipse: July 12-26, 2009 $US2,795, plus air. (JUST A FEW PLACES STILL AVAILABLE)
* * * * * * * *
Note: Some prices subject to change. Prices in effect at time of
registration guaranteed.
* * * * * * * *
If you're interested in any of our tours,
please call us
toll-free at 1-800-721-9986 or e-mail font@focusonnature.com
We'll be glad to hear from you!
We enjoy birding, and travel, and when you're with us, you'll know it.