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FLORIDA Winter Birding in the Sunshine
State
January 4th – 18th 2012
We’ll be visiting the Sunshine State again for a fortnight of warm sunshine
and fantastic birding. On this tour we spend time in the central area of the
state, on the Gulf Coast and in the Everglades National Park. We should find
around 170 different species of birds on this great trip and these should
include Florida Scrub Jay, Limpkin, Crested Caracara, Snail Kite, Bald
Eagle, Burrowing Owl, Short-tailed Hawk, Wood Stork, Painted Bunting,
Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill, White Ibis, Lesser Nighthawk, Scissor-tailed
Flycatcher, Whooping Crane, Sandhill Crane, Barred Owl, Red-cockaded
Woodpecker, Black Skimmer and Belted Kingfisher. Among the wintering
warblers there should be Prairie, Black & White, Black-throated Green, Palm,
Yellow-rumped and Yellow-throated along with Northern Parula, American
Redstart, Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush. There’ll also be a good
selection of shorebirds that should include Long-billed Curlew, Willet,
Snowy Plover, Wilson’s Plover, Piping Plover, Western Sandpiper and Killdeer
to name a few.
Our ground cost of £1,499 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all ground transport, all nature reserves and national park entry
fees and the services of the tour leader. Flight Cost - Manchester to Orlando £400 with Virgin Airlines. Single room supplement £200.
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LANCASHIRE HOTSPOTS
January 23rd – 27th & February 20th – 24th 2012
A 5 day / 4 night break based on the Fylde Coast, ideally situated to
explore many excellent sites in one of the UK’s premier winter birding
locations. We'll spend time on both sides of the Ribble Estuary, at Marton
Mere LNR, Leighton Moss RSPB, Martin Mere WWT, the Over Wyre area, Morecambe
Bay, Bowland and other sites in search of mind boggling numbers of waders,
wildfowl, birds of prey and woodland birds. Amongst the species we can
reasonably expect to see are Bittern, Merlin, Hen Harrier, Red-throated
Diver, Long-eared Owl, Little Egret, Peregrine, Whooper Swan, Bewick’s Swan,
Common Scoter, Little Owl, Barn Owl, Kingfisher, Red Grouse, Dipper, Cetti’s
Warbler, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Mediterranean Gull, Short-eared Owl,
Goosander, Hawfinch and Water Rail with a selection of geese that could
include Greenland and Eurasian White-fronted, Bean, Barnacle and both Pale
and Dark-bellied Brents along with a scarcity or two that during winter 2011
on the Fylde alone have included species like Great White Egret, Great
Northern Diver, American Golden Plover, Velvet Scoter, Red-necked Grebe,
Slavonian Grebe, Snow Bunting, Waxwing, Ring-necked Duck and Iceland Gull.
Our Lancashire Hotspots tours are available any Monday – Friday during
January, February, November and December on request for a minimum of 2 and a
maximum of 5 participants with scheduled departure dates detailed on our
tours list. Any participants beyond the first 5 bookings will have to use
their own transport. Long weekends also available.
The tour cost of £449 includes all hotel accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, packed lunches, all transport and the services of the tour leader /
guide and is based on a minimum of 2 bookings. Single room supplement £60. |
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COSTA RICA
January 24th – February 7th
2012
A fabulous birding destination, Costa Rica has one of the biggest list of
birds of any country in the world, and is only the size of Wales. On this
tour we visit many sites and different habitats in search of in excess of
300 different species. These sites will include the foothills of Cordillera
de Guanacaste, the tropical dry forest of Santa Rosa NP, Palo Verde NP, the
wetlands at Palo Verde, the Monteverde Cloudforest, the Tilaran Mountain
Range, the Arenal Conservation area, the Caribbean Lowlands and the
Talamanca Cloud Forests. The species that we hope to find will include
Crested Guan, White Whiskered Puffbird, Amazon Kingfisher, Long-tailed Silky
Flycatcher, Flam-throated Warbler, Emerald Toucanet, Fiery billed Aracari,
Slate throated Redstart, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Volcano
Junco, Scarlet Macaw, Great Green Macaw, Cinnamon Becard, Lesser Greenlet,
Magnificent Hummingbird, Volcano Hummingbird, Black-throated Trogon, Blue-crowned Motmot, Tropical Gnatcatcher and numerous different Tanagers.
Our ground cost of £2,199 includes all accommodation, all meals, all ground
transport, all nature reserve and national park entry and the services of
the tour leader and local guides. Flight Cost - £600 Manchester to San Jose.
Single room supplement £320.
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DUMFRIES
February 9th – 10th 2012
A 2 day visit to Dumfries where we’ll visit sites that’ll include
Caerlaverock WWT, Mersehead RSPB, the Solway Coast, the Ken Dee marshes and
Bellymack Hill Farm in search of an array of birds with wildfowl, waders and
raptors all likely to feature prominently. Amongst those species that we’ll
be hoping for will be Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Merlin, Smew, Scaup,
Purple Sandpiper, thousands of Barnacle Geese and Greenland White-fronted
Geese along with Yellowhammer, Tree Sparrow and Brambling.
Our tour cost of £179 includes overnight accommodation with breakfast and
dinner, all transport by road and the services of the tour leader / guide
and is based on a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 bookings. Entry to Nature
Reserves not included. Single room supplement £10. |
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WADER ID
February 11th – 12th 2012
Another chance to learn how to identify with confidence, those tricky and
confusing winter waders. Our weekend course, with an overnight stay, will
enable you to learn about how plumage differences, behaviour, habitat
preferences and size can make winter wader identification much easier.
Our weekend cost of £159 includes overnight accommodation, all meals, all
weekend transport and wader identification tuition from the weekend guides.
Single room supplement £15.
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NEPAL
February 14th – 25th 2012
A great 12 day visit to the lowlands of Nepal where we’ll have 3 bases
leaving us ideally situated to enjoy around 300 species of birds along with
many mammals that, with a huge amount of luck, could include Royal Bengal
Tiger. We spend time in Kathmandu, the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve and the
Chitwan National Park. Birds that we hope to encounter will include Red-flanked Bluetail, Fire-tailed Sunbird, White-tailed Nuthatch, Orange-barred
Warbler, Nepal Cutia, Kalij Pheasant, Orange-gorgetted Flycatcher, Spotted
Forktail, Plumbeous and White-capped Water Redstarts, Ibisbill, Brown
Dipper, Collared Scops Owl, Brown Fish Owl, Siberian Rubythroat, Oriental
Pied and Indian Grey Hornbills, Pygmy Wren, Shikra, Crested Serpent Eagle,
Amur Falcon, Collared Falconet, Red-necked Falcon, Brown Crake, Watercock,
Cotton Pygmy Goose, Black Bittern, Black Ibis, Oriental Darter, Asian
Openbill, Spot-billed Duck, Rufous and Grey Treepies, Pallas’s Gull, Bay-backed Shrike, Hooded and Indian Pittas, Grey-headed Lapwing and Indian
Courser.
Our ground cost of £1,875 includes all accommodation, all meals, all ground
transport and transfers, all National Park fees and government taxes and the
services of the tour leader and local guides. Return flight cost -
Manchester to Kathmandu £520 with Qatar Airline. Single room supplement
£400. The accommodation is, by western standards, simple and basic ( but
clean ) on this tour and includes a few nights in tented rooms where toilets
and showers are shared and not en suite. |
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LANCASHIRE HOTSPOTS
February 20th – 24th
2012
See above for details of this and our January tour.
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GHANA
February 18th – March 4th 2012
A truly stunning 16 day trip with day after day filled with numerous
incredible and highly sought after birds. Ghana covers a variety of habitats
from coastal wetland lagoons and saltpans on the Gold Coast to primary
Guinea tropical rainforest where the world famous Kakum Canopy Walkway is
found. We can expect about 400 different species as we visit these different
sites and habitats. Amongst them should be gems such as Yellow-headed Picathartes, Black Dwarf and Grey Hornbills, Violet and Green Turacos, Rosy
and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters, Blue-bellied and Rufous-crowned Rollers,
Barred Owlet, Copper Sunbird, Flappet Lark, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Green Hylia, Violet-backed Hyliota, Sabines Puffback, Ushers, Yellowbill, Little
and Shrike Flycatchers, Grey-headed, White-breasted and Chestnut-breasted Negrofinches, Sharpes Apalis, Preuss’s Golden-backed Weaver, Palm Nut
Vulture, Congo Serpent Eagle, Black Sparrowhawk, Brown Nightjar, Frasers
Eagle Owl, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Red-chested Goshawk, Fire-bellied Woodpecker,
Western Bluebill, Hartlaub’s Duck, African Finfoot, Forbes Plover, Egyptian
Plover, Four-banded Sandgrouse, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Narinas Trogon, Red-billed Dwarf, Brown-cheeked and White-crested Hornbills and Red-thighed
Sparrowhawk to name but a few!
Our ground cost of £2,299 includes all accommodation, all meals, mineral
water, all ground transport, all nature reserve and national park entry fees
and the services of the tour leader and local guides. Return flight cost -
Manchester to Accra £600. Single room supplement £250. |
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SOUTHERN IRELAND
March 1st – 6th 2012
A 6 day / 5 night trip by sea to Southern Ireland where our birding will
take us to various locations in search of an array of excellent wintering
species. We’ll sail from Liverpool or Holyhead to Dublin.
We can expect a sprinkling of scarce and rare birds on our travels and these
usually include transatlantic wildfowl and gulls as well as the more usual
flocks of divers, geese, seaduck and corvids such as Hooded Crow and Chough.
On previous tours the rarities have included Laughing, Ring-billed,
Thayer’s, Kumlien's and American Herring Gulls, Smew, Ring-necked Duck,
Barrow’s Goldeneye, Lesser Scaup, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon,
Ferruginous Duck, King Eider and Forster’s Tern along with the more usual
Great Northern and Black-throated Divers, Long-tailed Ducks and Glaucous and
Iceland Gulls. Geese should include Pale-bellied Brent, Pink-footed,
Barnacle and Greenland White-fronted. Also possible are Stejneger’s Scoter
should it return for a 3rd winter and House Crow should it stay in residence
near Cork.
Our tour cost of £795pp includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport from the Fylde Coast with pick ups en route, return
sea crossings and the services of the tour leader and is based on a minimum
of 4 bookings. Single room supplement £75.
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SLIMBRIDGE WWT & SOMERSET LEVELS
March
13th – 15th 2012
A 3 day / 2 night visit to the south west where we’ll spend time at
Slimbridge WWT, the Forest of Dean, the Somerset Levels, the Cotswold Water
Park and New Fancy Viewpoint. We’d hope to see a great selection of birds
and we’ll target Hawfinch, Goshawk, Crossbill, Smew, Red-crested Pochard,
Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Bewick’s Swan, Merlin, Barn Owl, Bittern, Lesser
Spotted Woodpecker and Cetti’s Warbler with a chance of Great White and
Cattle Egret too. There is also a reasonable chance of Otter on this tour.
Our tour cost of £359 includes 2 nights accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport by road and the services of the tour leader and local
guides and is based on a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 bookings. Entry to
nature reserves not included. Single room supplement £30. |
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NORTHUMBERLAND
March 20th – 22nd 2012
A 3 day / 2 night visit to the north east will produce great birds as we
visit numerous sites such as Hartlepool, Seahouses, Chevington, Hauxley,
Bamburgh, Budle Bay, Saltholme, Teeside and moorland in County Durham.
Species to enjoy will hopefully include Black Grouse, Long-eared Owl, Common
and Velvet Scoters, Red-throated Diver, Mediterranean Gull, Red-necked
Grebe, Purple Sandpiper, Long-tailed Duck, Smew, Red Grouse and many
different species of geese and waders.
Our tour cost of £259 includes 2 nights accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport by road and the services of the tour leader / guide
and is based on a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 bookings. Entry to nature
reserves not included. Single room supplement £30.
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SPEYSIDE SPECIALITIES
March 26th – 30th
2012
A 5 day / 4 night break based in Grantown on Spey will leave us ideally
situated to explore the best of the early spring birds of this fabulous
area. As well as the Speyside locations, we’ll visit sites that are good for
seaduck and White-tailed Eagle. On this tour we can expect species to
include Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, White-tailed
Eagle, Golden Eagle, Surf Scoter, Slavonian Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Long-tailed Duck, Hen Harrier, Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver, Velvet Scoter, Purple Sandpiper, Snow
Bunting and with luck Scottish Crossbill. There’s also an outside chance of
an early summer visitor such as Osprey or Ring Ouzel. There’ll be mammals
too and these should include Pine Marten, Badger and Red Squirrel. We’ll
spend 3 nights in Speyside and 1 night on the west coast on this tour.
The tour cost of £625pp includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport from the Fylde with pick ups en route, evening visit
to a hide to see mammals and the services of the tour leader and is based on
a minimum of 4 bookings. Single room supplement £60. |
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TEXAS – THE GULF COAST & RIO GRANDE
VALLEY
April 11th – 25th 2012
A great 2 week tour of the best of Texas in springtime. We’ll be ideally
placed to experience the fabulous spring migration as we base ourselves at
Winnie, Rockport, Brownsville, McAllen and Zapata during the fortnight. We
can expect 20 – 30 species of multicoloured warblers including Cerulean,
Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Nashville, Parula, Black-throated Blue, Blue-winged, Prothonotary, Yellow-throated and Hooded along with Orioles, Vireos,
Tanagers and Herons and Egrets at the High Island sites, typically Mexican
species such as Green Jay, Brown Jay, Olive Sparrow, Clay-coloured Robin,
Plain Chachalaca, Ringed Kingfisher, Great Kiskadee, Golden-fronted
Woodpecker, White-tipped Dove, Audubon's Oriole, Altamira’s Oriole,
Chihuahuan Raven and Greater Roadrunner along the Rio Grande and thousands
of shorebirds at Bolivar and Rollover Pass. There’ll also be numerous
raptors that’ll include Bald Eagle, Crested Caracara, White-tailed Hawk,
Ferruginous Hawk, Harris’s Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk and Mississippi Kite. Other
great birds will include Painted Bunting, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher,
Vermillion Flycatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Least Grebe, Sora, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black-bellied and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Neotropic
Cormorant, Elf Owl, Cactus Wren, Inca Dove, Couch’s Kingbird, Buff-bellied
Hummingbird and Long-billed Thrasher.
Our ground cost of £1,349 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all ground transport, all nature reserve entry and the services of
the tour leader / guide. Return flight cost - Manchester to Houston £550with
KLM. Single supplement £200.
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HUNGARY & TRANSYLVANIA
May 4th – 15th
2012
This excellent 12 day / 11 night tour takes in the Bukk Hills and Hortobagy
Plain in Hungary and the hills and mountains of Transylvania in Romania. We
spend 6 nights in Hungary and 5 nights in Romania. We’d expect in the region
of 170 species of bird on this trip as well as mammals that should include
European Brown Bear. Amongst the birds will be Saker, Wallcreeper, Eastern
Imperial Eagle, Red-footed Falcon, Ferruginous Duck, Great Bustard,
Montagu’s Harrier, Common Crane, White-tailed Eagle, Aquatic Warbler,
Moustached Warbler, Pygmy Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Ortolan Bunting, Rock
Bunting, Rock Thrush, Scops Owl, Crag Martin, Alpine Swift, Rock Thrush,
Lesser Grey Shrike, Golden Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle,
Nutcracker, Honey Buzzard and Black Stork along with the more familiar
Hawfinch, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Night Heron, Purple Heron, Capercaillie, Little
Bittern and Hobby. There’s also a chance of woodpeckers such as Syrian, Grey-headed, Black, Three-toed, White-backed, Lesser
Spotted, Middle Spotted and
Wryneck.
Our ground cost of £1,519 is based on a minimum of 8 bookings and includes
all ground transport by minibus, all accommodation, all meals, snacks and
coffee / tea, all national park and nature reserve entry fees, evening visit
to a private hide to see Brown Bear and the services of the tour leader and
Hungarian guide, local guides and driver. Return flight cost - £230
Manchester to Budapest and Tirgu Mures to Budapest. Single room supplement
£200.
***4 places left on this tour*** |
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LESVOS – Spring Birding in the Aegean
May 5th - 12th 2012
An excellent week long trip to the bird rich Greek island of Lesvos where
the spring migration will be in full swing. An array of great birds is
likely during the week and species should include Red-footed Falcon,
Kruper’s Nuthatch, Cinereous Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Rock Nuthatch,
Rock Sparrow, Cretzschmar's Bunting, Greater Flamingo, Roller, Golden
Oriole, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Olive-tree Warbler,
Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Ruppell’s Warbler,
Little Crake, Spotted Crake, Scops Owl, Short-toed Eagle, Red-rumped
Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Rock Thrush, Blue Rock Thrush, Black-eared Wheatear,
Ruddy Shelduck, Black Stork, Masked Shrike, Long-legged Buzzard, Rufous Bush
Robin, Isabelline Wheatear, Collared Pratincole, Temminck’s Stint, Little
Bittern, Eleanora’s Falcon, Stone Curlew, Lesser Kestrel and Nightingale
amongst them.
Our ground cost of £699 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport by road and the services of the tour leaders. Return
flight cost - Manchester to Mytilene £350. Single room supplement £120.
Early booking is recommended for this tour as accommodation in the best
areas usually books up very quickly.
***3 places left on this tour***
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KAZAKHSTAN – The Very Best of Central
Asia
May 6th – 19th 2012
Kazakhstan is located on the border between the western and eastern
subdivisions and has for a long time been renowned for it’s superb array of
birds that feature numerous rare Western Palearctic species. The great
diversity of habitats range from huge canyons to endless steppe and large
Spruce forests. These habitats hold species that can be found nowhere else
in the Western Palearctic or are extremely difficult to find elsewhere. We
visit many sites such as the Kaskelen Ila-Ala-Tau NP, the Charyc Canyon,
Sorbulak Lake, the village of Konshengel, Topar, Big Almaty Lake, the Cosmic
Ray Station and Astana,on this excellent 14 day tour in search of species
that include Azure Tit, Grey-crowned Goldfinch, White-crowned Penduline Tit,
Siberian Meadow Bunting, Blue-capped Redstart, Blue Whistling Thrush,
Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Upland Buzzard, Mongolian Finch, Asian Crimson-winged
Finch, Caspian Plover, Macqueen’s Bustard, White-winged Woodpecker, Shikra,
Eversmann’s Dove, Saxaul Sparrow, Turkestan Tit, Red-headed Bunting, Ibisbill, Himalayan Rubythroat, Brown Dipper,
Güldenstädt's Redstart
Wallcreeper, Pallid Harrier, Black Lark, Sociable Plover, White-winged Lark, Songar Tit and Brown and Altai Accentors to name but a few.
Our ground cost of £1,799 includes all ground transport by minibus and 4WD,
all accommodation, all meals, mineral water up to 3 litres per day, entrance
to all national parks, the services of the tour leaders and local guides.
Return flight costs - London to Almaty £600 ( shuttle from Manchester to
London arranged on request ). Single room supplement £250. |
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EASTERN POLAND
May 9th – 16th 2012
Another superb visit to the forests and marshes of Eastern Poland where
wildlife still occurs in profusion and the pace of life is something to be
enjoyed by those of us who live in countries such as the UK. The list of
birds that we’ll hope to see is long and full of quality. In the forests
we’ll hope for Three-toed, White-backed, Black, Grey-headed, Syrian, Middle
Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Red-breasted and Collared
Flycatchers, Pygmy Owl, Icterine Warbler, Crested Tit, Golden Oriole and
Honey Buzzard while parkland and villages will hold good numbers of
Hawfinch, Wryneck, Barred Warbler, Common Rosefinch and Thrush Nightingales.
Damp woodlands and meadows will have Corncrakes, River Warblers, Great
Snipe, Citrine Wagtails and Bluethroats. In the marshes, open areas and
wetlands there’ll be Penduline Tit, White-tailed Eagle, Black Stork, Aquatic
Warblers, Montagu’s Harriers, Hobby, Lesser spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted
Eagle, Common Crane, Black, Whiskered and White-winged Terns, Savi’s
Warbler, Grasshopper Warbler and Great Reed Warbler. Mammals are also
possible with Elk almost guaranteed. On previous tours we’ve seen Wolf,
Beaver and Pine Marten.
Our ground cost of £899 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all ground transport, all national park / nature reserve permit
fees and the services of the tour leader, local guides and driver. Return
flight cost - Manchester or Liverpool to Warsaw £170. Single room supplement
£120.
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SPEYSIDE, MULL & IONA
May 15th – 21st
2012
On this 7 day / 6 night tour to the Scottish Highlands and Islands we’ll
visit Speyside and the islands of Mull and Iona in search of excellent birds
such as Corncrake, Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Red Kite, Capercaillie,
Ptarmigan, Dotterel, Snow Bunting, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Red-throated
Diver, Great Northern Diver, Black-throated Diver, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian
Grebe, Hen Harrier and Scottish Crossbill along with mammals such as Pine
Marten, Red Squirrel, Badger and Otter We’ll spend 3 nights in Speyside, 2
nights in Oban and a night on Mull on this excellent trip.
Our tour cost of £849 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport from the Fylde coast with pick ups en route, sea
crossings between Oban and Mull and Mull and Iona, evening visit to a hide
to see Pine Marten and Badger and the services of the tour leader. Single
room supplement £100. |
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ESTONIA
May 22nd – 29th 2012
An excellent week long birding holiday focusing on the late spring migration
and breeding species of Estonia with many sought after species of birds
along the way. Our tour departs from Manchester with flights to Tallinn via
Helsinki and will have three different bases so that we’ll be ideally
situated to enjoy the array of bird species in a variety of habitats.
Amongst the species that we’ll hope to find will be Short-toed, Spotted and
White-tailed Eagles, Tengmalm’s, Pygmy and Ural Owls, Three-toed, Black,
White-backed, Grey-headed and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Parrot Crossbill,
Nutcracker, Hazel Grouse, Black Grouse, Capercaillie, Great Snipe,
Corncrake, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Crane, Thrush Nightingale, Smew, Caspian
Tern, Red-necked Grebe, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Long-tailed Duck, Honey
Buzzard, Penduline Tit, Garganey, Black Stork, Goshawk and Bittern.
Our ground cost of £1,149 includes all accommodation, all meals, all ground
transport and the services of the tour leader and local guides. Return
flight cost - £350 from Manchester to Tallinn. Single room supplement £150.
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FINLAND & ARCTIC NORWAY
May 23rd – June
6th 2012
A great 2 week trip into Northern Europe where we’ll spend time in some of
the best birding areas on the continent. Our tour starts in Finland and
travels on into the Varanger Fjord in Arctic Norway before returning to
Finland. There’ll be nights spent in Helsinki, Utsjoki, Ivalo, Luosto,
Kuusamo and Oulo. There’s a long list of sought after species that we’ll be
hoping for and these will include Capercaillie, Willow Grouse, Hazel Grouse,
Three-toed Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Tengmalm’s
Owl, Pygmy Owl, Ural Owl, Hawk Owl, Great Grey Owl, Eagle Owl, Thrush
Nightingale, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, River Warbler, Dotterel, Rough-legged
Buzzard, Black, White and Red-throated Divers, Jack Snipe, Long-tailed Skua,
Red-flanked Bluetail, Smew, Lapland Bunting, Bluethroat, Pine Grosbeak,
Arctic Redpoll, Brünnich's Guillemot, Steller’s Eider, King Eider,
Gyrfalcon, Red-throated Pipit, Long-tailed Duck, Shorelark, Waxwing,
Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, Parrot Crossbill, Terek Sandpiper, Rustic
Bunting and Common Crane.
Our ground cost of £2,145 includes all ground transport, all accommodation
with breakfasts and dinners, all nature reserve and national park entry and
the services of the tour leader and local guides / drivers. Return flight
cost Manchester to Helsinki and internal flight £350. Single room supplement
£240. |
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SHETLAND, ORKNEY, SPEYSIDE & MULL
June
8th – 23rd 2012
A fantastic 16 day / 15 night tour exploring the stunning highlands and
islands of Northern Scotland and beyond. We’ll spend time birding in some of
the UK’s most scenic locations and these sites will include mainland
Shetland where we’ll spend 3 nights, Fair Isle where we’ll spend 2 nights,
Fetlar, Orkney where we’ll have 3 nights, various sites around Speyside
where we’ll have 3 nights and the wonderful Isle of Mull where we’ll spend 2
nights. There’ll also be a couple of nights in Oban and a night at sea.
There’ll be many avian highlights on this trip and amongst them will be Red-necked Phalarope, Golden and White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier, a chance of
Corncrake, seabirds galore, Black Grouse, a chance of Capercaillie, Crested
Tit, Slavonian Grebe, Osprey, Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Red
Kite, Ring Ouzel, Storm Petrel and a chance of Scottish Crossbill. We can
also expect a sprinkling of rare and unusual species particularly in the
Orkneys and Shetland. Mammals will also feature and we have an excellent
chance of Pine Marten, Otter, Red Squirrel and Badger. As well as the
wildlife there’s much archaeological interest on this trip and we’ll visit
the well known sites in the northern isles.
Our tour cost of £1,799 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport by road, all inter island crossings by sea, evening
trips to see Pine Martens, Badgers and Storm Petrels and the services of the
tour leader and is based on a minimum of 5 bookings. Single room supplement
£200. This tour is now fully booked up.
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PICOS DE EUROPA
August 29th – September
7th 2012
This tour is now fully booked up. |
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BULGARIA – Autumn Migration on the Black
Sea Coast
September 14th – 21st 2012
A week on the Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria where we have one hotel base at St
Konstantin near to Varna which leaves us ideally situated to explore
numerous excellent sites such as the Kaliakra Headland, Bolata Valley, Cape
Emine, Bourgas Lakes and Saltpans, Lake Shabla and Durankulak Lake, Mandra
Lake, the Poda NR, Balcik, Kavarna and Atannassovsko NR amongst many others.
The birding is always excellent here and is concentrated on the spectacular
autumn migration along the coast. Raptors will feature and may include
Lesser Spotted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Re-footed Falcon, Goshawk,
Osprey, Long-legged Buzzard, Montagu’s Harrier, Honey Buzzard, Booted Eagle,
Black Kite, Hobby and Short-toed Eagle. There’ll also be plenty of wetland
species such as Dalmatian and White Pelicans, Pygmy Cormorant, Ferruginous
Duck, Slender-billed Gull, Caspian Gull, Purple Heron, Bittern, Night Heron,
Squacco Heron, Savi’s Warbler, Great Reed Warbler and Great White Egret and
good waders seen on previous tours have included Terek Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Marsh Sandpiper and Bulgaria’s 2nd
ever Buff-breasted Sandpiper found by our guides. There’ll also be woodland
birds such as Black Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Hawfinch, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Short-toed Treecreeper. Other notable species may include Bee-eater, Eagle Owl,
Black Stork, Bearded Tit, Red-backed Shrike, Quail, Roller, Golden Oriole,
Red-rumped Swallow, Red-necked Grebe, Calandra Lark, Woodchat Shrike,
Woodlark and Tawny Pipit.
Our ground cost of £679 includes good hotel accommodation with breakfasts
and dinners, all transport by minibus throughout the tour and the services
of the tour leaders and guides and is based on a minimum of 6 bookings.
Return flight cost from Manchester to Varna £350. Single room supplement
£120.
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SHETLAND & FAIR ISLE
September 29th –
October 8th 2012
Another visit to the fabulous northern isles where we spend time on mainland
Shetland and Fair Isle and usually visit one or two other islands such as
Fetlar or Unst. What we see on this trip cannot be predicted as what birds
turn up and where is totally dependent on weather systems. However, there’ll
be an almost guaranteed selection of rare and scarce species that on our
last couple of trips included a couple of Pallid Harriers, Pallas’s
Grasshopper Warbler, Citrine Wagtail, Melodious Warbler, Barred Warbler,
Common Rosefinch, Lapland Bunting, Turtle Dove, numerous Yellow-browed
Warblers, Velvet Scoter, Red-backed Shrike, Coues's Arctic Redpoll, Surf
Scoter, Alpine Swift, Lesser Grey Shrike, Isabelline Shrike, three Little
Buntings, Rose-coloured Starling, Hawfinch, Black-headed Bunting and a
Solitary Sandpiper on the way home.
Our tour cost of £1,549 includes return sailings from Aberdeen to Lerwick
with overnight cabins, all inter island sea crossings, all accommodation
with dinners and breakfasts and some lunches, all transport by road from the
Fylde Coast with pick ups en route, return flights from Ting wall on
Shetland to Fair Isle and the services of the tour leader / guide and is
based on a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 bookings. Single room supplement
£170. There are 2 nights at sea, 3 nights on Fair Isle and 4 nights on
mainland Shetland on this tour. Early booking is advised. |
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ISLES OF SCILLY, CORNWALL
October 11th –
18th 2012
Another autumn visit to the gorgeous Isles of Scilly where there will
hopefully be a good selection of scarce and rare birds to enjoy along with
beautiful island scenery. The Scillies are a rarity hotspot in autumn as
weather systems bring great birds from the east and the west at this time of
year. Just what turns up cannot be predicted but on our October 2011 trips
we had American Golden Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Black Kite, Honey Buzzard,
Snow Bunting, Upland Sandpiper, Firecrest, Short-toed Lark, Rose-coloured
Starling, Northern Waterthrush, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Pectoral Sandpiper,
Least Sandpiper, Red-backed Shrike, Red-throated Pipit, Bluethroat, Wilson’s
Snipe, Jack Snipe, Olive-backed Pipit and Subalpine Warbler with Yellow-browed Warblers, Turtle Dove, Wryneck, Little Egret, Kingfisher, Lapland
Bunting, Short-eared Owl, Merlin and Black Redstarts as a supporting cast.
Major rarities on pre 2011 visits are too numerous to list but have included
gems such as Red-eyed Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Eyebrowed Thrush,
Cream-coloured Courser, Radde’s Warbler, American Robin, Blackpoll Warbler,
Greenish Warbler, Arctic Warbler, Bobolink, Black-eared Wheatear and Buff-breasted Sandpiper.
Our tour cost of £899 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all return transport by road from the Fylde Coast to Penzance,
return helicopter flight from Penzance to St.Mary’s IOS, 2 inter island boat
trips and the services of the tour leader / guide and is based on a minimum
of 4 bookings. Transport is available for a maximum of 5. Single room
supplement £90. Early booking is advised.
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HUNGARY – Crane Spectacular
October 13th
– 20th 2012
This excellent week long tour visits various excellent sites in the
Hortobagy National Park and the Bukk Hills and targets not only the
incredible autumn migration of thousands of Common Cranes but also great
species such as Saker, Great Bustard, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Pygmy
Cormorant, Penduline Tit, Ferruginous Duck, Lesser White-fronted Goose,
White-tailed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Rock Bunting,
Black, White backed, Middle spotted, Syrian, Lesser spotted and Grey headed
Woodpeckers, Rough legged Buzzard, Great Grey Shrike, Ural Owl, Short-toed
Treecreeper and Hawfinch. On previous tours we have also seen Wallcreeper
and Greater Spotted Eagle but these species cannot be guaranteed.
Our ground cost of £899 includes all accommodation with breakfasts, dinners
and packed lunches, all transport by minibus, all national park / nature
reserve permit fees and the services of the tour leaders / guides. Return
flight cost from Manchester to Budapest £200. Single room supplement £160. |
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NEW ZEALAND
October 24th – November 14th
2012
A return to New Zealand for fabulous wildlife and stunning scenery. New
Zealand is rich in seabirds and marine mammals and has a number of endemic
land birds. Our excellent 3 week tour visits the best sites on North Island,
South Island and Stewart Island where we’ll see great species such as Tui,
Kea, Morepork, Saddleback, Stitchbird, Wrybill, Fernbird, NZ Falcon, Grey
Warbler, Bellbird, Blue Duck, Rock Wren, Brown Creeper, Yellowhead,
Whitehead, NZ Robin, Fantail, Long-tailed Cuckoo, Rifleman, Takahe, Weka,
Pukeko, Kaka and NZ Pigeon. There’ll also be at least 3 different species of
Kiwi, numerous waders and seabirds will include many different species of
Albatross, Petrels and Shearwaters along with Yellow eyed, Fiordland Crested
and Blue Penguins.
Our ground cost of £3,295 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all boat trips and pelagics, all ground transport, all nature
reserve / national / conservation fees and the services of the leaders and
guides and is based on a minimum of 6 bookings. Return flight cost
Manchester to Auckland and internal flights Auckland to Christchurch and on
to Stewart Island £800. Single room supplement £350.
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MULL & ISLAY
November 26th – December 2nd
2012
A 7 day / 6 night trip to the west coast of Scotland to enjoy the best
winter birding that these two islands offer. On Islay there’ll be a goose
spectacular with thousands of Barnacle, Greenland White-fronted and Pink-footed Geese with a good chance of something more unusual such as Snow,
Ross’s or a genuine vagrant Canada Goose. There’ll also be raptors on Islay
with Hen Harrier, Merlin and Peregrine amongst them and other good birds
will include Chough, Twite, Snow Bunting and Purple Sandpiper. We can also
expect good numbers of seaduck such as Common Scoter and Scaup with a good
chance of Long-tailed Duck and Velvet Scoter too. On Mull we’ll target White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Great
Northern Diver, Hen Harrier, Black
Guillemot, seaduck and both Glaucous and Iceland Gulls. There’s an excellent
chance of Otter here too. On our way back home we also plan to spend time in
Dumfries where we’ll visit sites such as Caerlaverock WWT for geese and
raptors and we’ll also see numerous Red Kites. Wintering ducks on recent
trips to Dumfries have included Ring-necked, Smew and Ferruginous Duck.
Our tour cost of £749 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport by road, sea crossings and the services of the tour
leader / guide and is based on a minimum of 4 bookings. Single room
supplement £75. |
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LANCASHIRE HOTSPOTS
November 19th – 23rd
& December 3rd – 7th 2012
Another chance to join us on one of our popular Monday – Friday 5 day breaks
when we explore the very best of Lancashire’s fabulous winter birding
Hotspots. See our January 2011 and February 2011 tours for full details.
5
days / 4 nights £449 includes all accommodation with breakfasts, dinners and
packed lunches, all transport and the services of the leader / guide and is
based on a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 bookings. Single room supplement
£60.
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NORFOLK COAST
December 10th – 17th 2012
A week long visit to Norfolk, with a day in Suffolk, should produce an array
of great birds that should include Common Crane, Bittern, Smew, Shorelark,
Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Snow Bunting, Twite, Golden Pheasant, Dartford
Warbler, Avocet, Spoonbill, Velvet Scoter, Mediterranean Gull, Long-tailed
Duck, Bearded Tit, Red necked and Slavonian Grebes, Great Northern Diver and
thousands of geese of up to 10 different species that will include White-fronted and Bean. There’s bound to be scarce and rare birds too and on
recent visits these have included Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, Rough-legged
Buzzard, Black Brant, American Wigeon, Two-barred Crossbill, Waxwing, Great
Grey Shrike, Northern Harrier and Red-breasted Goose.
Our tour cost of £769 includes all accommodation with breakfasts and
dinners, all transport by road and the services of the leader / guide and is
based on a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 5 bookings. Single room supplement
£75. |
