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Fun Birding Tours Newsletter, December 2011
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Join Us for the Belize Fun Birding Tour!
Greetings!
I'm excited to announce the dates and prices of our February 2012 Fun Belize Birding Tour! Please read on for more details. This is going to be a really exciting trip. There will be lots of birding, of course, but we'll also experience five different ancient Mayan cities and have the opportunity to take part in lots of other fun activities. It's perfect for couples where one partner is less interested in birding than the other, as there will be options for other activities most days. We'll even go snorkeling and search for manatees on the extended tour.
The next Fun Birding Workshop is on Sunday 4 December, so book now if you'd like to join us. We'll be heading for the Santa Cruz Flats, looking for Mountain Plover, raptors, sparrows and thrashers. I've found lots of exciting birds here recently and it promises to be a great day.
Have a happy and safe holiday season! :D
See you soon... Richard |
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Fun Belize Birding Tour, February 2012
 | | The ancient Mayan city of Xunantunich, above, and a Blue-crowned Motmot at duPlooy's |
We take a slightly different attitude to some birding tours. Our primary objective is to have a fantastic time!
It's true, some tours may end up with a slightly longer bird list. However, we'll see some amazing birds and we won't be far behind on numbers. But we'll do it all in a relaxed and fun way. What's more, we'll also visit five ancient Mayan cities, including Tikal in Guatemala, and enjoy activities such boat trips, nighttime wildlife adventures, botanic gardens and a first class butterfly farm, as well as allowing time to kick back and relax or take in optional canoeing, swimming, inner-tubing, horse riding and more fun stuff . There's even snorkeling and a boat trip to look for manatees on the 11 day tour, which adds a trip to the tiny tropical island of Caye Caulker.
This tour is perfect for couples where one partner is more interested in birding than the other. The focus is definitely on birds and wildlife, but we'll all take part in some other activities and there are alternatives for the non-birder most days.
We've kept the prices lower than most Belize birding tours, but we've also kept the quality high.
It all makes for an exciting and memorable Belize tour of a lifetime!
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Next Fun Birding Workshop:
Sunday 4 December - Santa Cruz Flats
We'll meet at 7:00 a.m. at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson, where we'll spend a couple of hours taking in the great birding there at present. If you want to meet us at Sweetwater anytime up to 9:00, you can do so.
 | | Mountain Plover |
We'll then move north and visit the Santa Cruz Flats, a productive area of agricultural land and sod farms south of Eloy. We'll look for Mountain Plover, which has returned for the winter, as well as raptors including Ferruginous Hawk, White-tailed Kite, Prairie and Peregrine Falcon, Crested Caracara and Burrowing Owl, all of which I've seen there in the past two weeks. There should be Mountain Bluebirds, sparrows, thrashers and lots more.
* Full day: $30 per person. We share gas costs. Upcoming Fun Birding Workshops
Heads up: there are two workshops in January! Please make a note of these dates:
- Sunday 8th January 2012
Winter Sparrows - San Rafael Grasslands & Las Cienegas - Saturday 28th January 2012
Thrashers - Buckeye Thrasher Spot - Sunday 5th February 2012
Winter Raptors (and Cranes!) - Sulphur Springs Valley - Saturday 17th March 2012
Early Spring Migration - Santa Cruz River at Tubac and Marana - Sunday 8th April 2011
Swallows - Sweetwater Wetlands and Christopher Columbus Park - Friday 25th May 2012
Night Bird Special - Mt Lemmon - Saturday 2nd June 2012
SE Arizona Specialties - Madera Canyon - Sunday 22nd July 2012
Summer Sparrows, Buntings and Grosbeaks - Montosa Canyon - Saturday 28th July 2012
Hummingbirds - Huachuca Mountains - Sunday 5th August 2012
Shorebirds - Willcox Twin Lakes - Saturday 11th August 2012
Hummingbirds - Patagonia and Madera Canyon - Saturday 25th August 2012
Warblers and Mixed Flocks - Mt Lemmon - Sunday 2nd September 2012
Hummingbirds - Patagonia and Madera Canyon - Saturday 8th September 2012
Shorebirds - Willcox Twin Lakes
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Talking Naturally Podcast
 | | The USA Episode |
A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I'd appear on the Talking Naturally Podcast, the number one show about the British birding scene, hosted by Charlie Moores. 'The Conference Calls' is a regular feature of the podcast, an amusing conversation about the latest topics in British and world birding. I was asked to talk about the differences between the British and American birding scenes, having considerable experience of both. We had a great laugh recording it and I think that comes across. So why not listen in? You can hear the program by clicking the play button on the episode's web page, or by typing Talking Naturally into iTunes. I'm on episode TN70, but they're all well worth a listen. As well as The Conference Calls, Charlie interviews conservationists from around the world to report on fascinating environmental projects, as well as prominent British and world birding experts. If you enjoy it, bookmark the Talking Naturally Website or subscribe on iTunes so you can become a regular listener. I've been a fan of the Talking Naturally podcast for ages and listen every week. Hope you enjoy it :D |
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It's Christmas Bird Count time again!
As usual, I'll be taking part in four Christmas Bird Counts this season.
Patagonia: Dec 15 Tucson: Dec 18 Elfrida: Dec 19 Atascosa Highlands: Jan 2 If you'd like to join me for any of these, or would like to take part in any of the counts, please let me know or contact the organizer for the count you're intereested in. There's a full list of Arizona CBCs on the Tucson Audubon website. and you can find CBCs all across North America and other countries too. CBCs are always fun as well as being an excellent way to get involved in one of the biggest 'citizen science' projects in the world! I encourage you all to find a count near you and get involved. I think you'll like it... |
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