|
Welcome to our April emailing!
Greetings, birding friends! There’s a particular rhythm to April that birders know well—the slow build of migration gathering speed, the layering of songs at dawn, a sense that today might outdo yesterday, and tomorrow might be even better. The landscape is waking up in earnest now, and with it comes that familiar mix of anticipation and distraction that defines the season. It’s a fine time to be paying attention.
We are getting going here at Field Guides, too. As you read this, we’ve got folks on tours in Borneo with Doug Gochfeld, in Bhutan with Jay VanderGaast, and on a private tour in the Dominican Republic with Cory Gregory & Marcelo Barreiros. Within the next couple of days, our annual Colorado Grouse odyssey embarks with Chris Benesh & Micah Riegner, while John Coons & Alex Sundvall kick off our Texas migration tour.
We’ve got quite a bit to share as you read on. We begin with an announcement marking the upcoming retirement of one of our founding guides, Bret Whitney, before turning our attention to a new Antarctic cruise itinerary. We’ll also introduce three new tours in the Old World, highlight a pair of Australasia destinations, and revisit our Galapagos tour. In addition, we feature two different ways to experience South Africa, and we close with a reminder of a new summer tour to Costa Rica that we announced last month.
As always, we’ve included our monthly Recent Photos gallery, with 130 images from tours to four continents. We also have ten reports from recent tours, 11 fresh itineraries, two new trip videos, and a list of departures over the next six months that still have space available.
Many thanks to tour participant Sid England for the eye-catching photo above of American Flamingos on our recent Mexico: Yucatan & Cozumel tour, guided by Megan Edwards Crewe & Alex Sundvall.
Our thanks as well to guide Tarry Butcher for the photo below of a Lion during last year's South Africa tour.
| | |
And now, in the “Can you believe it?” department, we have some breaking news to share: Bret Whitney—the venerable Mississippi Kite—is retiring at the end of 2027! The word has been circulating for a few months now, and Bret says, “I guess I’ve thought or said it enough times that I’m starting to believe it myself!”
The Kite has been leading tours since just out of college. Along with Rose Ann Rowlett, John Rowlett, and Jan Pierson, Bret was a founder of Field Guides, and he has had a hand in bringing many of our past and current guides—and even some office staff—into the fold. His tenure as a guide is long and storied. Bret led the first birding tours to Papua New Guinea starting in 1983 (prior to the existence of Field Guides), returning for at least five weeks nearly every year through 2000. At the same time, he was birding widely in Central and South America and designing tours across the region. Eventually, he decided to focus his guiding and ornithological research squarely on the Neotropical avifauna.
The Kite made his first migration to Brazil in 1986, and it’s fair to say he has grown deep roots in that remarkable country. In 1993, he was invited to become a research collaborator at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where he lived for two years, polishing his Portuguese to near perfection. Over the following three decades, Bret researched and developed Field Guides’s extensive program of Brazil tours, which now numbers around 15 itineraries—second only to our U.S. & Canada offerings. He is widely regarded as a pioneer of birding tourism in Brazil, and through the years many of our itineraries there have been emulated by others. Bret takes particular pride in having helped birding tourism become a meaningful force for habitat preservation and economic opportunity in Brazil, especially in underserved regions.
So, if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of traveling with the Kite—or even if you have—there’s still time. Here’s a list of his upcoming tours:
-
Brazil's Japura & Tefe Rivers: Mamiraua, Amana & the Unknown, Jul 30-Aug 12, 2026, with Bret Whitney & Micah Riegner (1 space)
-
Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus, Brazil, Sep 5-20, 2026, with Bret Whitney & Marcelo Barreiros (1 space)
-
Spectacular Southeast Brazil (Part I), Oct 16-Nov 2, 2026, with Bret Whitney & Marcelo Barreiros
-
Guyana: Wilderness Paradise I, Jan 7-19, 2027, with Bret Whitney & local guide
-
Brazil's Rio Roosevelt: Birding the River of Doubt, Jun 12-27, 2027, with Bret Whitney (waitlist available)
-
Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus, Brazil, Sep 4-19, 2027, with Marcelo Barreiros & Bret Whitney
-
Spectacular Southeast Brazil (Part I), Oct 15-Nov 1, 2027, with Marcelo Barreiros & Bret Whitney
-
Mexico: Oaxaca Valley II, Dec 19-26, 2027, with Micah Riegner & Bret Whitney
Please contact our office for more information or to sign up.
| | |
This fall we are setting off on a new Antarctic itinerary that builds on our classic voyage but adds a truly extraordinary dimension. In addition to the rich seabirding, whales, and dramatic scenery that define our traditional journey, this tour ventures farther—both geographically and experientially.
It is our Emperor Penguins in the Weddell Sea: In search of Antarctica's most iconic bird tour. Running November 23–December 6, 2026, and guided by seabird expert Doug Gochfeld, the voyage follows a similar path through the Antarctic Peninsula, with excellent opportunities for albatrosses, petrels, penguins, and marine mammals. But the centerpiece is a rare excursion to visit an Emperor Penguin colony—reached by helicopter from the ship. Weather permitting, this is an unusual chance to stand on the sea ice among the largest of the penguins, a species seldom encountered on standard itineraries.
It’s a step up in complexity and a bit more at the mercy of conditions, but if Emperor Penguin is a bird you would like to see, this is a great way to try to do so. At the moment, this departure is just a few participants short of running, so it would be fantastic if we could entice you to join!
Please contact our office for more information or to sign up.
(Photo credit: a group of Emperor Penguins in Antarctica by Joyce Takamine.)
| | Two ways to see Australasia | | |
This fall we’re offering two ways to experience Australasia, each with a different scope. One is our two-part, wide-ranging Australia tour—an in-depth look at the continent’s remarkable birdlife and landscapes. The other pairs New Guinea with Australia, offering a shorter but still rewarding introduction to both regions.
Australia: This month-long journey is our most comprehensive exploration of Australia, moving across a wide range of habitats—from tropical Queensland and the rainforests of the northeast to the Red Centre and the temperate southeast. Even without the birds, Australia holds plenty of appeal, but for birders it stands apart, with an extraordinary number of endemic families and a cast of distinctive species that quickly become familiar.
The itinerary is designed in two parts for those with limited time. Part I covers the environs of Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, southwest Australia, and Alice Springs. Part II begins in Darwin and continues to Queensland (Cairns, Atherton Tableland, Outback Queensland, and O’Reilly’s Guest House). Taken together, they form a complete birding tour of Australia.
We’ll encounter many of the country’s hallmark groups along the way: fairywrens, honeyeaters, parrots, cockatoos, and pigeons, along with lyrebirds, bowerbirds, and cassowaries. Species such as Southern Cassowary, Superb Lyrebird, and a wide array of colorful parrots and honeyeaters help define the experience, with regional specialties adding depth as we move from one part of the country to another. It’s a big tour, but a well-paced one, and for many it serves as a thorough introduction to one of the most distinctive birding destinations in the world.
| | |
New Guinea & Australia: This combined itinerary offers a shorter look at two closely linked but very different avifaunas. In Australia, we sample a range of habitats and characteristic species—parrots, cockatoos, honeyeaters, and other familiar groups—before continuing on to New Guinea for a focused introduction to one of the richest and most distinctive bird regions on Earth.
In New Guinea, the emphasis shifts to endemics and spectacle, with birds-of-paradise a central highlight alongside ploughbill, pitohui, berrypecker, mouse-warbler, and a variety of other interesting forest species. The tour doesn’t attempt to cover either region in full, but it provides a meaningful introduction to both, with a strong mix of iconic birds and representative habitats.
Please contact our office for more information or to sign up.
(Photo credits: top—Western Spinebill by guide Chris Benesh; bottom—Barred Owlet-Nightjar by participant Pete Peterman.)
| | |
We’re pleased to add a few new itineraries to the lineup this month. Keeping the schedule dynamic has always been part of the program, and these tours explore three very different corners of the world—each rich in birdlife and offering a distinct kind of experience. The first of these is a new itinerary in China, and guide Doug Gochfeld wanted to write a blurb with which to entice you.
China's Yunnan Province, Jan 9–25, 2027, with Doug Gochfeld
"Before my first trip to China, I had traveled and guided in several countries across Southeast Asia. China was always looming up there to the north—a huge land with lots of new birds, dramatic mountains, and a long, storied history, but not always the best press in the West. So I was thrilled when I finally got the chance to go…though I’ll admit, I didn’t quite know what to expect.
"That first trip was to Sichuan, and it didn’t take long for China to catapult straight into the top tier of my favorite birding destinations. Our inaugural Sichuan tour turned out to be a great success (and fun, as you can see in the photo above)—fantastic birds, beautiful scenery, solid infrastructure and lodgings, and of course, excellent food! It’s now looking like it will be an annual mainstay. And starting in 2027, we’re adding a second China itinerary: Yunnan.
"Yunnan is the most ecologically diverse province in China, sitting right at the junction of the Tibetan Plateau, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Dave Stejskal led a single Field Guides tour there back in 2015, when the region was still something of a blank slate in terms of modern ornithology and bird tourism. Ten years on, things have changed dramatically. Infrastructure and lodging have improved greatly, several sites are now regularly birded by both Chinese and international birders, and a number of locations now feature bird-feeding hides—giving us excellent looks at species that were once frustratingly hard to see in the dark forest understory.
"Along with those improved views of typically shy birds, the tour offers chances at some very range-restricted species, including Biet’s Laughingthrush, Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler, Brown-winged Parrotbill, and Yunnan Nuthatch. Some of the other fancy birds we have good chances to see include Mrs. Hume’s, Lady Amherst’s, Silver, and Kalij pheasants, Gray Peacock-Pheasant, Scarlet Finch, Red-tailed Laughingthrush, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, White-cheeked and Rufous-throated partridges, and Giant Nuthatch. And it’s not just birds—we’ll also have a shot at Black Snub-nosed Monkey and Skywalker Hoolock Gibbon, among other fun mammals.
"And in between chasing all those headliners, there will be plenty of hornbills, babblers, barbets, sibias, yuhinas, fulvettas, rosefinches, and more to keep things lively.
Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to exploring this fascinating and bird-rich region this coming January—and I hope to see some of you traveling birders out there with us!"
| | |
Georgia & Armenia, Apr 23–May 7, 2027, with Terry Stevenson
This tour explores the varied landscapes of the Caucasus, a region that sits at the meeting point of Europe and Asia and supports a distinctive mix of birdlife. From the high mountains of Georgia to the steppes, wetlands, and rocky slopes of Armenia, we’ll cover a wide range of habitats in search of the area’s specialties.
The high elevations are home to some of the tour’s most anticipated species, including Caucasian Snowcock and Caucasian Black Grouse, along with alpine birds such as Güldenstädt’s Redstart and Great Rosefinch. As we descend, the species mix shifts to include birds of more open and arid country—White-throated Robin, Menetries’s Warbler, and a variety of wheatears, larks, and buntings. Wetlands and lakes add another dimension, with waterfowl and regional specialties rounding out the list.
With strong birding throughout and a constantly changing backdrop of dramatic scenery, this itinerary offers a rewarding look at a region that remains off the radar for many birders.
| | |
West Papua: The other New Guinea, Jul 15–Aug 3, 2027, with Phil Gregory
This new itinerary focuses on the Indonesian half of New Guinea, one of the most extraordinary regions on Earth for birdlife. The tour is centered around the birds-of-paradise, and through a network of established display sites and local expertise, we’ll have excellent opportunities to watch these species as they perform.
In the Arfak Mountains we’ll search for species such as Western Parotia, Vogelkop Lophorina, and Black Sicklebill, while lowland and island sites add birds like Wilson’s and Red birds-of-paradise. Bowerbirds are another major draw, with species attending their decorated bowers, and the supporting cast is just as impressive: cassowaries, crowned-pigeons, parrots, kingfishers, and a wide array of endemic forest birds.
Compared with our Papua New Guinea tour, this itinerary offers a different slice of New Guinea’s avifauna, with a strong emphasis on display behavior and carefully selected sites that bring us close to some of the region’s most remarkable species.
For more information about either of the above tours, please contact our office and we'll be happy to assist.
(Top photo of our group in Sichuan, China by local guide Shay Xie. Middle photo of the Gergeti Trinity Church, Georgia, by guide Lajos Nemeth-Boka. Bottom photo of a Wilson's Bird-of-Paradise by Mehd Halouate.)
| | |
Few places capture the imagination quite like the Galapagos. Long before many of us take up birding, these islands have a way of working their way onto the bucket list—and for good reason.
Our tour is designed to find as many of the endemic birds as possible, along with the remarkable cast of wildlife that helped shape Charles Darwin’s thinking on evolution. From finches and mockingbirds to marine iguanas and giant tortoises, the experience is as much about the setting as the species.
We’ll travel aboard the comfortable Nemo III, with a small group and an excellent crew, enjoying good food and unhurried time in the field each day. It’s a relaxed but thorough way to explore one of the most storied destinations in the natural world. Our guides know these islands well. Mitch Lysinger, who lives in Ecuador with his family at their reserve near San Isidro, has led numerous tours here, and Willy Perez—born and raised in Ecuador—brings decades of guiding experience across the region.
| | |
South Africa offers a remarkable blend of habitats—from fynbos and the arid Karoo to montane grasslands and subtropical forests—supporting the richest concentration of endemic birds anywhere in Africa. This fall, we offer two very different ways to experience it: one a relaxed journey blending birding with wine, wildflowers, and scenery; the other a longer, more comprehensive survey for those eager to explore the country in depth and seek out its full suite of specialties. Both tours include time in famed Kruger National Park, where Africa’s iconic wildlife takes center stage—we’ll have chances for the Big Five and more, along with a host of other memorable mammals. Both itineraries should also turn up classic birds such as Secretarybird, Lilac-breasted Roller, and Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill, among others.
South Africa: Birds, Wines & Wildflowers—Join Marcelo Padua, our in-house wine expert, for a tour that pairs fine birding with the scenic and culinary pleasures of South Africa. We’ll explore the remarkable fynbos of the Cape Floral Kingdom—one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots—where proteas, ericas, and pincushions bloom among avian specialties such as Cape Sugarbird, Orange-breasted Sunbird, and Cape Rockjumper. Seasonal wildflowers can blanket parts of the west coast and the Karoo, adding to an already colorful landscape.
Along the way we’ll enjoy several tastings of excellent local wines with many evening meals, taking in the scenery at a relaxed pace while still enjoying a rewarding cross section of the region’s birdlife and mammals. It’s a varied and immersive introduction to the birds, landscapes, and flavors of southern Africa.
| | |
South Africa: Endemic-rich birding, spectacular landscapes, and a remarkably diverse flora come together on this wide-ranging survey of South Africa. Guides Tarry Butcher (who makes his home in South Africa) & Jay VanderGaast are at the helm. With more endemic birds than any other country on the continent, South Africa offers an impressive array of specialties—rockjumpers and sugarbirds among them, along with a host of distinctive bustards, larks, rock-thrushes, chats, scrub-robins, and sunbirds.
Over three weeks, our itinerary is designed to maximize encounters with these often localized species while sampling a broad cross section of the country’s habitats—from the Cape region and the Karoo to the Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal, and beyond. Along the way we’ll also encounter a rich supporting cast of more widespread African birds, from raptors and hornbills to barbets, mousebirds, bushshrikes, weavers, and bishops.
For more information, please contact our office and we'll be happy to assist.
(Top photo of a Cape Mountain Zebra in wildflowers by guide Tarry Butcher. Bottom photo of Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill by participant Robert McNab.)
| | ICYMI: Costa Rica in summer | | |
In case you missed it last month, we’ve added a new summer departure to Costa Rica (June 22–July 7) with Chris Benesh and Vernon Campos—a fresh seasonal take on one of our most popular destinations.
Costa Rica remains one of the richest birding countries in the Americas, with more than 850 species packed into a landscape that spans lowland rainforest to highland cloudforest. This itinerary samples that full range, from the Caribbean foothills and La Selva to Monteverde, Cerro de la Muerte, and the Pacific lowlands.
Expect a wide cast of Neotropical families—hummingbirds, trogons, manakins, cotingas, and toucans—with standouts like Snowcap, Great Green Macaw, Resplendent Quetzal, Three-wattled Bellbird, and Fiery-billed Aracari all in the mix.
Take a look at the tour page for the full itinerary and details.
| | Short videos from recent tours | | |
Many of our tour reports now include highlight videos featuring birds, wildlife, scenery, culture—or some blend of it all.
The first is a short highlight video full of birders and birds from our South Africa tour, operated last October and guided by Tarry Butcher & Jesse Fagan. Jesse created the video. Click here or on the Southern Double-collared Sunbird below to see the video. (Photo by Jesse.)
The second video comes from our recent Mexico's El Triunfo: Horned Guans and Quetzals tour, guided by Micah Riegner & Jorge Montejo-Diaz. Micah produced a short highlight reel of the tour that includes the namesake birds. Click here or on the Horned Guan below to view. (Photo by Micah.)
| | A short highlights video from our most recent South Africa tour. | |  | | | Field Guides merch is available! We've got shirts, hats, hoodies, mugs, stickers, tote bags, and more—all a click away at our Field Guides Store. Fashionable and functional—sure to keep you comfortable and looking spiffy—check it all out at the store. | | Reports from recent tours | | We have annotated and illustrated reports from recently completed tours linked below, each with some lovely images and some with video clips, and all with great texts by our guides. Enjoy! | | Comments from participants | | |
We carefully read each post-tour evaluation we receive from our participants, so that we can continue to offer the best possible birding experiences and service on Field Guides birding tours. Here are two representative recent comments. From all of us at Field Guides, our thanks for all your valuable feedback.
"Our overall tour experience was beyond excellent. Chris Benesh and Doug Gochfeld worked seamlessly as a team and everything went without a hitch. They ran a tight ship, but the atmosphere was always relaxed and fun. They are both excellent birders, of course, but they are also extremely knowledgeable about a wide range of natural history, and their commentary and conversations were always fascinating. Chris and Doug made sure everyone got on the birds and kept us all informed about the schedule. I was well looked after by the office staff; tour manager Nicole Cannon booked my flights and an extra night at the hotel, and she was very helpful in offering trip advice and options. Your consistently friendly and efficient customer service is one reason I keep coming back to Field Guides." E.H., Mexico: Oaxaca Valley I, 2026
"Our overall tour experience was excellent. Willy Perez had come highly recommended by guests on other Field Guides tours, and he, along with local guides Oscar and Wilson, were super guides (the WOW team!). We especially enjoyed being paddled around in the canoes looking at birds in that luscious environment. The service of the tour manager and office staff was very helpful, with always immediate and helpful responses. You have the best guides around, and the level of comfort and beauty of the accommodations was great without being overly extravagant. I would absolutely travel with these guides again. Fantastic trip!" J.H., Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge I, 2026
| | Tours with openings through September | | Each month we list in this section the Field Guides departures over the next six months that still have at least two spaces available (unless otherwise noted). | | |
Slice of California: Seabirds to Sierra: Few places in the U.S. rival California for sheer habitat diversity, and this tour takes full advantage of it. In just over a week, we sample an impressive range of landscapes—from the rich waters of the Pacific on a pelagic trip to the conifer forests and alpine slopes of the Sierra Nevada, with stops in the Central Valley and along the varied habitats of the San Francisco Bay Area.
This diversity translates to an equally wide array of birds, from shearwaters and albatrosses offshore to specialties inland such as the endemic Yellow-billed Magpie (photo by guide Chris Benesh), Wrentit, White-headed Woodpecker, and California Thrasher. It’s a fast-moving, varied tour that captures a fun cross section of California’s birdlife in a relatively short span. We offer two departures of this tour, with one essentially running the tour in reverse. The dates this year are Sep 10-19 with Chris Benesh, and Sep 15-24 with Micah Riegner.
SOUTH AMERICA
-
Galapagos: An Intimate Look at Darwin's Islands I, Jun 13-23 with Mitch Lysinger (1 space)
-
Peru's Magnetic North: Spatuletails, Owlet Lodge & More, Jun 13-25 with Dan Lane & Jesse Fagan
-
Machu Picchu & Abra Malaga, Peru, Jun 24-Jul 3 with Dan Lane
-
Galapagos: An Intimate Look at Darwin's Islands II, Jul 11-21 with Willy Perez
-
Cloudforests of Ecuador: All the Best of the Wild Northwest, Jul 20-30 with Willy Perez
-
Peruvian Rainforests of the Tambopata: Macaw Lick Extraordinaire, Jul 20-30 with Dan Lane
-
Mountains of Manu, Peru, Jul 30-Aug 10 with Jesse Fagan & local guide
-
Brazil's Japura & Tefe Rivers: Mamiraua, Amana & the Unkwown, Jul 30-Aug 12 with Bret Whitney & Micah Riegner (1 space)
-
Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus, Brazil, Sep 5-20 with Bret Whitney & Marcelo Barreiros (1 space)
-
Safari Brazil: The Pantanal & More, Sep 19-Oct 4 with Marcelo Padua & Megan Edwards Crewe (1 space)
NORTH AMERICA
-
Florida: Mangroves & Migrants, Apr 25-May 4 with Doug Gochfeld and Chris Benesh
-
Point Pelee Migration Spectacle, May 9-17 with Dan Arndt (1 space)
-
Northern Arizona's Canyons & Condor, May 16-22 with John Coons
-
Alaska: The Great Land I, May 30-Jun 12 with Micah Riegner & Sam Wilson (1 space)
-
Alaska: No Place Like Nome, Jun 24-Jul 1 with Sam Wilson (1 space)
-
Arizona's Second Spring II, Aug 3-12 with Alex Sundvall
-
Oregon: From the Coast to the Cascades, Aug 29-Sep 9 with Cory Gregory & Alex Sundvall (1 space)
-
Maine in Fall: Seabirds & Coastal Migrants, Sep 6-15 with Sam Wilson
-
Slice of California: Seabirds to Sierra I, Sep 10-19 with Chris Benesh
-
Slice of California: Seabirds to Sierra II, Sep 15-24 with Micah Riegner
-
Alaska Fall Goldmine (Part I): Rarities on the Pribilofs, Sep 23-Oct 1 with Cory Gregory
MIDDLE AMERICA & WEST INDIES
AFRICA
EUROPE
ASIA & AUSTRALASIA
To learn more about any of these tours or to hold a space, please contact our office.
| | Recently posted upcoming itineraries | | Click on any image or link below to see the detailed itinerary for the following tours. All of these itineraries are packed with information (and have a few nice photos as well). | |
Field Guides Incorporated, 4425 South Mopac Expy, Bldg 3-Ste 505, Austin, TX 78735
1+800-728-4953 • 1+512-263-7295
| | | | |
