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Welcome to our June emailing!
Greetings, birding friends, and welcome to the official start of summer! Depending on where you call home, you’re either cranking up the air conditioning or enjoying those fleeting, beautiful mornings before the afternoon sun takes over. We’ve reached that interesting turning point in the calendar where the excitement of spring migration is safely in the rearview mirror and local birds are entirely focused on the intense business of raising the next generation. It’s the season of watermelon slices, sunscreen, earlier morning alarms to beat the heat, and finding any good excuse to sit on the porch with a cold drink to see who visits the birdbath.
Things are moving right along here at Field Guides, too. As you read this, we’ve got happy birders on tours in full swing or wrapping up in Mongolia, Alaska, Borneo, Peru, Brazil, the Galapagos, Iceland, China, and Alberta.
Below, we’re highlighting a fantastic array of upcoming fall getaways that still have space available. We start with two different ways to explore Australasia, featuring an expansive loop through Australia and an entry point into the legendary birds-of-paradise of New Guinea on our combination New Guinea & Australia tour. From there, we have a few adventures to the "Bird Continent," diving into the incredible avian endemism of Southeast Brazil and offering two grand, contrasting routes through Southern South America (Argentina and Chile). We also chart a course for the high Arctic with our Alaska Fall Goldmine tour to the Pribilofs and Utqiagvik. Lastly, we feature a classic autumn spectacle closer to home with our stalwart Cape May itinerary, and wrap things up with a list of six distinct Thanksgiving getaways ranging from a charming cloud forest hacienda in Ecuador to an ambitious expedition for Emperor Penguins in Antarctica. This emailing is brimming with opportunities for lyrebirds, cotingas, tapaculos, Ross's Gulls, penguins, migration spectacles, and much more!
As always, we've also included our monthly Recent Photos Gallery, with about 130 images from 11 tours to 13 countries on four continents. We also have a dozen reports from recent tours, 12 fresh itineraries, two new trip videos, and a list of departures over the next six months that still have space available.
Our thanks to participant Valerie Gebert for this great shot of a Ruby-topaz Humminbird from our Brazil: Bahia Birding Bonanza tour. This is a great itinerary and is full of rare birds. We’ll be running this tour again in late January with Marcelo Barreiros guiding. You can check out the link above (or in the photo) if you'd like to learn more about the tour.
Our thanks as well to guide Chris Benesh for the great photo below of a Northern Emerald-Toucanet from Part 2 of our two-part Costa Rica: Birding the Edges tour that operated last winter.
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There is still plenty of time to head "down under" with us this fall to explore the incredible avian riches of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Whether you're looking for an expansive loop through the diverse habitats of the main continent or an entry point into the legendary birds-of-paradise of New Guinea, we have two excellent options with space available.
Sep 25-Oct 15, 2026 | Chris Benesh & Alex Sundvall
Part I of our Australia tour begins in Sydney and its surrounding reserves, including Centennial Park, Cumberland State Forest, and Royal National Park. In these varied urban and forest settings, we encounter a rich introduction to eastern Australia’s birdlife, with Superb Lyrebird, Satin Bowerbird, Superb and Variegated fairywrens, Green Catbird, Rockwarbler, Australian Brushturkey, and Tawny Frogmouth among the possibilities, and Powerful Owl sometimes found at its daytime roosts.
Continuing south into Victoria, the itinerary ranges from coastal wetlands and the Melbourne region to the Grampians and inland habitats. These days bring a wide span of species, from Little Penguin, Cape Barren Goose, Brolga, Australasian Bittern, Musk Duck, and Hooded Plover to the distinctive inland birds of drier country, including Malleefowl, Striated Grasswren, Emu, Diamond Firetail, and Painted Buttonquail, along with a variety of colorful parrots and robins. Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Koala are also among the mammals regularly encountered in these landscapes.
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Oct 3-22, 2026 | Phil Gregory
This journey offers a broad introduction to the distinctive wildlife of Australia and Papua New Guinea. Beginning in tropical Queensland, we'll explore the rainforests and wetlands around Cairns and the Atherton Tableland, where species such as Southern Cassowary, Victoria's Riflebird, Great and Golden bowerbirds, and Australian Bustard are among the possibilities. We then continue to Papua New Guinea, visiting both the foothills near Port Moresby and the highlands around Kumul Lodge in search of some of the region's remarkable birds-of-paradise, including Raggiana, King-of-Saxony, Blue, and Lesser birds-of-paradise, along with a host of colorful parrots, berrypeckers, and robins. Returning to Australia, we'll finish at Lamington National Park and Royal National Park, home to lyrebirds, bowerbirds, parrots, and many characteristic birds of eastern Australia.
Please contact our office if you have any questions or are ready to sign up!
(Top photo of a Victoria's Riflebird by guide Cory Gregory; Double-eyed Fig-Parrot photographed by guide Alex Sundvall.)
| | Southeast Brazil (Parts I & II) | | |
This two-part journey can be taken in full or as either of its two separate segments, sampling the extraordinary bird diversity of southeastern Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, coastal ranges, and inland valleys—one of the great centers of avian endemism on the continent.
Spectacular Southeast Brazil
Oct 16–Nov 2, 2026 (Part I) | Bret Whitney & Marcelo Barreiros
Oct 31–Nov 16, 2026 (Part II) | Marcelo Barreiros & Micah Riegner
Part One: North of the Tropic (Oct 16–Nov 2)
The first segment moves through the northern portion of the region, where Atlantic Forest fragments, foothill valleys, and montane slopes hold an exceptional concentration of range-restricted birds. This is hummingbird and antwren country at its richest, with time in productive forest reserves and protected areas where species such as Swallow-tailed Cotinga, Frilled Coquette, Crescent-chested Puffbird, Brazilian Ruby, Three-toed Jacamar, and a wide array of antbirds, furnariids, and tanagers define the experience of the forest at close range. The route combines forest interior birding with edges and clearings where mixed-species flocks move through the canopy and understory.
Part Two: South of the Capricorn (Oct 31–Nov 16)
The second segment continues into the southern portion of the Atlantic Forest system, where coastal mountains, well-preserved forest blocks, and river valleys create a different but equally rich expression of endemism. Here we continue birding key forest habitats for specialties such as Black-fronted Piping-Guan, Hooded Berryeater, Red-necked Tanager, Green-headed Tanager, White-bearded Manakin, and Crescent-chested Puffbird, along with a deep supporting cast of Atlantic Forest antbirds, woodcreepers, and flycatchers. The landscapes open at times to coastal vistas and sierras rising directly from the ocean, with humid forest draped across steep slopes and river valleys.
For more information, please contact our office and we'll be happy to assist.
(Photo of the group searching for Sickle-winged Nightjar, courtesy of participant Karen Walz.)
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Southern South America is featured this fall with two long, contrasting routes through Argentina and Chile. From the open country of southern Argentina to the length of Chile’s desert-to-forest spine, these two tours trace some of the most dramatic landscapes in South America, with birding woven through vast steppe, icefields, deserts, and the Andes.
Oct 29–Nov 14, 2026 | Doug Gochfeld & local guide
Southern Argentina unfolds across immense, open landscapes, from the Pampas south of Buenos Aires into the arid steppe and scrub of Patagonia, and on to the windswept forests and waterways of Tierra del Fuego. In the Pampas we look for Greater Rhea, South American Painted-Snipe, Hudson’s Canastero, Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail, and Scarlet-headed Blackbird in broad grassland and wetland country. Farther south, the route crosses Río Negro and Monte scrub before reaching the sweeping Patagonian coast and steppe of the Valdés Peninsula and Punta Tombo, where wildlife, seabird colonies, and vast horizons define the experience as much as the birding. Around El Calafate and Los Glaciares National Park, glaciers and wide-open scenery form a dramatic backdrop for Hudson’s Black-Tyrant, Cinnamon Warbling-Finch, Sandy Gallito, Snowy Sheathbill, skuas, giant-petrels, and Southern Right Whale offshore. In Tierra del Fuego, southern beech forests and channels hold Magellanic Penguin, Magellanic Woodpecker, Austral Pygmy-Owl, Magellanic Tapaculo, Magellanic Plover, Kelp Goose, and Black-browed Albatross.
Nov 16–Dec 6, 2026 | Willy Perez & local guide
Chile runs nearly the full length of the continent, beginning in the stark Atacama Desert and high-altitude altiplano of the north, continuing through the high Andes and central valleys, and ending in the lakes, volcanoes, and temperate rainforests of the far south. In the Atacama and puna country we move through saltflats, desert oases, and high wetlands, looking for Andean Flamingo, Puna Tinamou, Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrant, and Andean Condor over vast Andean terrain. Farther south, the route descends through valleys and forested slopes into the Lake District and Valdivian rainforest, where lakes, dense forest, and volcanic landscapes shape the experience as much as the birding. Here we look for Chucao Tapaculo, Magellanic Woodpecker, and Slender-billed Parakeet, with coastal stops adding Peruvian Pelican, Inca Tern, and Humboldt Penguin along the Pacific.
Have questions or ready to sign up? Contact our office here.
(Photo of a Magellanic Plover courtesy of guide Doug Gochfeld.)
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Alaska Fall Goldmine: Pribilofs & Utqiagvik
Sep 23–Oct 1, 2026 (Part I) | Cory Gregory
Oct 2–6, 2026 (Part II) | Sam Wilson
This two-part Alaska journey can be taken in full or as either of its two separate segments, spanning the Bering Sea and the high Arctic from the Pribilof Islands to the far northern coast at Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow).
Part One: Pribilof Islands with Cory Gregory (Sep 23–Oct 1)
On St. Paul Island in the Pribilofs, we work a remote Bering Sea outpost at the height of migration, where Asian and North American birds move through in varying numbers shaped by wind and weather. Murres, auklets, and puffins mix with a steady flow of landbirds reaching these isolated islands, and the unpredictability of conditions is part of the experience. Time on the island is focused on coverage of key habitats and seawatching from this exposed volcanic landscape.
Part Two: Utqiagvik (Barrow) with Sam Wilson (Oct 2–6)
Above the Arctic Circle at Utqiagvik, the landscape opens into low, windswept tundra meeting the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. We look for Ross’s Gull, Snowy Owl, eiders, Yellow-billed Loon, and the possibility of Ivory Gull along the shoreline, with Polar Bear also possible in coastal areas. The scale of the Arctic is immediate here, with long horizons and constant movement along the coast.
Please contact our office for more information or to sign up.
| | Cape May during fall migration | | |
Fall for Cape May
October 3-10, 2026 | Doug Gochfeld
Cape May, New Jersey, is a magical place any time of the year, but in the fall it can be the stuff of legend. Our itinerary is timed perfectly to witness autumn migration in full swing at one of North America's premier birding hotspots.
Depending on the day's conditions, we might see squawking squadrons of Great Blue Herons rise from the marshes, stand on the hawkwatch platform as scores of falcons and hawks pepper the sky, or spot a graceful Black Skimmer tracing the coastal waters. We anticipate excellent numbers of shorebirds, double-digit warbler species, and an array of migrating raptors including Ospreys, Merlins, and Peregrine Falcons. Staying at a single comfortable beachfront hotel allows us to remain highly flexible, easily adjusting our daily route to match the weather patterns.
If you are ready to experience this classic autumn spectacle with Doug—or if you have questions—please contact our office.
(Photo of birders at Cape May courtesy of tour participant Mae Sander.)
| | Thinking about a Thanksgiving getaway? | | |
If your ideal holiday involves migrating a little farther than the dining room table, we’ve got a handful of options that swap the usual routine for birds, wild places, and a change of scenery in all the right directions—quite literally! We'll be headed to the following six destinations, and we'd love to have you along (each has at least two spaces available except Colombia).
Chile: The Classic Tour, Nov 16-Dec 6, with Willy Perez & local guide
A grand, multi-habitat traversal from the high Andes and the arid Atacama Desert down to Patagonia and the seabird-rich Humboldt Current, showcasing South America's distinct southern avifauna at a comfortable, manageable pace.
Belize: Tropical Birding, Short and Sweet, Nov 20-28, with Chris Benesh & Sam Wilson
A short, sweet, and highly accessible introduction to the Neotropics, blending boat trips along bird-rich lagoons and savannas with canopy watching around the partially excavated Mayan ruins of Lamanai and much more.
Jamaica, Nov 21-28, with Cory Gregory & local guide
A leisurely, week-long Caribbean getaway focused entirely on sweeping up the island's impressive concentration of 28 endemic bird species while based primarily out of a single hotel in the lush northeast.
Colombia's Inirida: Land of Many Waters, Nov 21-29, with Jesse Fagan & local guide (one space only!)
A short, highly specialized foray into a white-sand and terra firme transition zone where the Orinoco and Inirida rivers meet, targeting limited-range, must-see species paired with local culture and fine regional cuisine.
Holiday at San Isidro, Ecuador, Nov 21-30, with Mitch Lysinger
A classic eastern-slope Andean escape starting in the paramos of Antisana and settling into a carefully maintained, charming cloud forest hacienda, renowned for its incredible hummingbird feeders and dazzling mixed tanager flocks—as well as its delicious home-cooked meals.
Emperor Penguins in the Weddell Sea: In search of Antarctica's most iconic bird, Nov 23-Dec 6, with Doug Gochfeld
"Go big or go home," that's how the saying goes, right? Here we have an ambitious expedition to the pack ice of the Weddell Sea utilizing ice-strengthened shipboard travel and helicopters to seek out one of the world's most iconic and elusive species at its breeding colony.
Please contact our office for more information about any of the above tours or to sign up.
(Photo above of a Gray-breasted Toucan by tour participant Glenn Hodgkins.)
| | 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.
We have two highlight videos this month. The first is a collage of birds and and birders from our Panama's Canopy Tower & Lodge I tour, the first departure that began in January. It was guided by Megan Edwards Crewe, and Meegs put the video together. Click here or on the Tawny-capped Euphonia below to see the video. (Photo by participant Colleen Stubbs.)
The second video comes from our recent Ghana: Window into West African Birding tour, guided by Tarry Butcher. Tarry produced a fun highlight reel of video clips and images of the tour. Click here or on the photo of the Shining-blue Kingfisher below. (Photo by Tarry.)
| | 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.
“Birding is our primary travel interest and Field Guides does it so well! On our previous trips the guides have worked hard for every birder to get on every bird. Our overall tour experience exceeded expectations all around. Godfried Schreur and Willy Perez worked so well together, each bringing their special talents to make the tour special. There was a hike in the Gredos that was too uneven for us to manage. But after trying it, we were able to return to the parking lot and continue birding with Willy. This flexibility was really appreciated. Godfried's local knowledge added a depth beyond the birds. We enjoyed the history but that the focus always remained about the birds. The service of the tour manager and our office staff was good. Ruth Kuhl was especially helpful with air travel. This really was a wonderful trip. Some was just luck, like the perfect weather. But much was the pace, locations, and the guides.” R.S., Spain: La Mancha, Coto Donana & Extremadura, 2026
“I traveled with Field Guides about 30 years ago and had a wonderful experience, so I knew this tour would not disappoint. Our guide, Dan Arndt, was the outstanding feature of the tour. Dan scouted the areas for anticipated species and carefully directed our attention for optimum viewing. He is energetic and detail-oriented, and his picnic lunch preparation was outstanding. Special credit should go to Dan for comfortable conversation, but also for seamlessly handling the group dynamic. He adroitly accommodated a participant with Celiac disease in the rural countryside and managed a health situation so the tour proceeded unhindered. Dan showed a sensitivity for the group dynamic that should be recognized. The service of tour manager Christine Boilard and the office staff was wonderful. Christine unfailingly answered all my questions and was very helpful booking flights. I had a thoroughly satisfying experience.” T.S., Point Pelee Migration Spectacle, 2026
| | Tours with openings through November | | 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). | | |
Southeast Arizona offers a landscape of striking contrasts, where forested mountain ranges rise above desert lowlands and cool canyons carry seasonal streams into arid country. Our Arizona's Second Spring is a ten-day tour guided by Alex Sundvall (August 3-12) and designed to explore a loop through some of the region’s most productive birding areas, beginning and ending in Tucson and visiting sites such as the Santa Rita, Huachuca, and Chiricahua mountains, as well as Patagonia/Sonoita Creek, Nogales, and California Gulch. Within this diversity of habitats, we search for the full range of regional specialties that make Southeast Arizona one of the most bird-rich areas in the United States (including Five-striped Sparrow, seen above), along with occasional rarities from south of the border. The itinerary emphasizes a relaxed pace while covering a wide variety of habitats and elevations.
SOUTH AMERICA
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Galapagos: An Intimate Look at Darwin's Islands II, Jul 11-21, with Willy Perez (1 space)
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Cloudforests of Ecuador: All the Best of the Wild Northwest, Jul 20-30, with Willy Perez
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Peruvian Rainforests of the Tambopata: Macaw Lick Extraordinaire, Jul 20-30, with Dan Lane
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Northern Peru: Endemics Galore, Oct 3-22, with Dan Lane & local guide
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Spectacular Southeast Brazil (Part I), Oct 16-Nov 2, with Bret Whitney & Marcelo Barreiros
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Southern Argentina: The Pampas, Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego, Oct 29-Nov 14, with Doug Gochfeld & local guide
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Spectacular Southeast Brazil (Part II), Oct 31-Nov 16, with Marcelo Barreiros & Micah Riegner
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Uruguay: Birds & Wines in the Land of the Gauchos, Nov 8-20, with Marcelo Padua & local guide
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Chile: The Classic Tour, Nov 16-Dec 6, with Willy Perez & local guide
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Colombia's Inirida: Land of Many Waters, Nov 21-29, with Jesse Fagan & local guide (1 space)
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Holiday at San Isidro, Ecuador, Nov 21-30, with Mitch Lysinger
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Emperor Penguins in the Weddell Sea: In search of Antarctica's most iconic bird, Nov 23-Dec 6, with Doug Gochfeld
NORTH AMERICA
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Arizona's Second Spring II, Aug 3-12, with Alex Sundvall
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Oregon: From the Coast to the Cascades, Aug 29-Sep 9, with Cory Gregory & Alex Sundvall (1 space)
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Slice of California: Seabirds to Sierra II, Sep 15-24, with Micah Riegner
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Alaska Fall Goldmine (Part I): Rarities on the Pribilofs, Sep 23-Oct 1, with Cory Gregory
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Alaska Fall Goldmine (Part II): Ross's Gulls in Utqiagvik, Oct 2-6, with Sam Wilson
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Fall for Cape May, Oct 3-10, with Doug Gochfeld
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). | |
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