Also in this issue: 3/Fresh From The Field 9/Upcoming Tours 10/2017 Tours 11/San Isidro, Ecuador

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Birding VietnamDave Stejskal

“Where should I go next?” It’s a question I’m frequentlyasked by participants interested in our southern Asiatours. They’ve had a fantastic trip to India with Terry

Stevenson or Bhutan with Richard Webster or Thailand with yourstruly and found the birdlife to be magical. They want to build on theirAsian experience while all those strange birds and new families arestill fresh in their minds. And where is a good place to do that?

Dan Lane

If you imagine the Earth as it must have beenthousands of years ago, before the arrival ofhumans, what might come to mind is a land-scape dominated by mammals in vast num-bers and great variety scattered across the

grasslands as far as the eye could see. But try topicture a different landscape, a place where insteadof mammals there were huge shaggy birds standingsix feet tall (or taller!) that grazed grasslands orbrowsed the forests—the moas—and smaller flight-less birds with long bills (somewhat like woodcocks)that fed on worm and leaflitter insects and lopedabout in an endearing manner—the kiwis. Therewere even eagles, now called Haast’s Eagle (prob-ably called something like “Yikes!” in the originalMaori), large enough to prey upon the six-foot-tallbipedal browsers. Did they soar and stoop from great heights, or werethey sit-and-wait predators like today’s Harpy and Philippine eagles?

As you’ve probably figured out by now, the placeI’m describing is Aotearoa, the land of the longwhite cloud, or, as we know it today, New Zealand.So much has changed in Aotearoa. After the firstwave of humans landed, a second wave of Euro-pean explorers and settlers arrived. With themcame dogs, cats, pigs, cattle, rats, and laterweasels, polecats, and even Australian Bushy-tailed Possums. These mammals wreaked havocon an avifauna that had no defenses against terres-trial mammalian predators, particularly whennesting. Many species went extinct.

But New Zealand’s plight has sparked some ofthe most amazing and successful mammalianeradication and captive-breeding programs world-wide to try to prevent any additional extinctions in

modern times. Smaller offshore islands, and now even peninsulasand areas protected by exclusion fences on the main islands, are

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North Island Kokako, above, one ofNew Zealand’s wattlebirds, anendemic family of five species, andat top, thousands of Bar-tailed Godwits at Miranda ShorebirdReserve. (Photos by participantsLinda Nuttall & David & JudySmith)

A pair of Bar-bellied Pittas. (Photo by guide Uthai Treesucon)

fieldguidesB I R D I N G T O U R S W O R L D W I D E

®JUNE 2016

New Zealand: The Land of Birds, Hope, and Albatrosses!

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becoming predator-free zonesthat permit native birds to breedand survive successfully. Withany luck, such efforts willreclaim larger areas of mainlandforests and allow such charis-matic New Zealand birds asStitchbird, Takahe, Saddleback,and Kokako to recolonize theirancestral homes and add theirhaunting or musical songs to thedawn chorus in the incredible

forests that still exist over much of the country! In some ways, NewZealand is a microcosm of what is happening worldwide, and it’s anamazing country to visit.

In addition to its distinctive landbirds, New Zealand acts as thebreeding ground for a huge percentage of the world’s seabirds—colonies of Australasian Gannets, at least three species of penguins,and large numbers of albatrosses, shearwaters, and petrels. Seeingthese birds just offshore on short boat rides is one of the highlights ofvisiting the country. In a three-hour pelagic when you’re never morethan about two miles from land, you can be surrounded by four-plusspecies of albatrosses, masses of “cute” Cape Petrels, the grotesquegiant petrels, and wheeling White-chinned and Westland petrels,Hutton’s Shearwaters, and more! It can be difficult to know what tolook at next!

Our tour this fall will visitsome of the wildest and loveliestparts of South, Stewart, andNorth islands as well as a few ofthe predator-free refuges, wherewe can see most of the nativelandbirds that are still extant. Wealso ply the waters around theislands on seven boat trips(including ferries betweenislands) in search of the richseabird (and other!) fauna.Finally, for those who can’t get enough of the seabirds, we offer anextension into the Hauraki Gulf north of Auckland with the maintarget of the recently-rediscovered New Zealand Storm-Petrel. As wetravel from the colder South, with its subantarctic weather systems, tothe sub-tropical North, where palm trees and tree ferns are common,we learn about the history, geology, culture, and natural history of theislands. For those who are tentative about international travel, youdon’t need to learn any other languages to get around (but a dic-tionary of “Kiwi” terms may be necessary at times), and the peopleare friendly as they can be! So why not come on down and visit thebottom of the world with me this coming November?

Dates are November 6-24 for the main tour and November 24-26 forthe Hauraki Gulf Pelagic Extension.

Field Guides has a lot to choose from, but oneplace I would suggest—one that might not be thefirst to come to mind—is Vietnam. Of all themainland Southeast Asian countries (Thailand,Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, andMalaysia), none has more endemics and regionalspecialties than Vietnam. That may be a little hardto believe, but it makes sense when you considerthat the central and southern highlands of Vietnam,effectively isolated from the other highland regionsacross Southeast Asia, are together a rich center forendemism in this region. Quite a few Vietnameseendemics have been “on the books” for years nowbut, with more field ornithologists looking moreclosely at distinctive and isolated subspecies hereand in the nearby border regions of Laos andCambodia, there’s been a flood of newly elevated species restrictedmainly to the mountains of Vietnam, principally in the highlands ofsouthern Annam Province, where we’ll be based for several daysduring our upcoming November tour. Besides the Black-hooded andCollared laughingthrushes, Gray-crowned Crocias, and VietnameseGreenfinch, we now have Indochinese Barbet (split from Black-browed Barbet), Dalat Shrike-Babbler (split from White-browedShrike-Babbler), Black-crowned Fulvetta (split from Rufous-wingedFulvetta), Orange-breasted Laughingthrush (split from Spot-breastedLaughingthrush), Vietnamese Cutia (split from Himalayan Cutia), andBlack-headed Parrotbill (split from Gray-headed Parrotbill) to look for!And there are even more potential splits out there.

In the north, within an easy drive from thecapitol of Hanoi, are two lovely forested nationalparks: Phuong and Tam Dao. (Yes, there is stillplenty of great, protected forest remaining inVietnam.) Both have comfortable accommodations,good food—and great birds! I remember well asingle spot that we visited in Cuc Phuong on ourlast tour that hosted a wealth of frugivores likeJapanese and Gray-backed thrushes, ChineseBlackbird, and a lovely male Green Cochoa, alongwith a rarely encountered Fujian Niltava—a verylocal winterer in Vietnam, but regular here. TamDao boasts an impressive list for the park, and it’s asuper place to look for a couple of scarce and localparrotbills: Rufous-headed and Short-tailed. Hanoiitself, where we begin the tour, is an excellent placeto play tourist, with many sights to see in thisthriving and historic city.

We’ll end the tour in the south in Cat Tien National Park—thesingle best place for birds in the country. Based at a delightful lodgeright in the park, we’ll have a few days to scour the forest roads andtrails here for the likes of Germain’s Peacock-Pheasant, GreenPeafowl, both Blue-rumped and Bar-bellied pittas, the fantastic DoucLangur, and much more in this expansive lowland forest.

If you can’t wait to get back to Southeast Asia, or if you’d just like toget your first taste of Asian birds, there are a couple of spaces leftthis November on our Vietnam tour, November 25-December 15.We’d love to have you join us!

New Zealand: The Land of Birds, Hope, and Albatrosses! Continued from page 1

Vietnam Continued from page 1

South Island Saddleback. (Photo byguide Dan Lane)

Takahe. (Photo by participant PaulGoldschmidt)

Blue-rumped Pitta. (Photo byguide Uthai Treesucon)

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One look at these Common Giraffes should tell you what part of the world we’rein, but just in case, we’ve included a photo of Terry Stevenson (second from left)and his recent East Africa Highlights group with a map. The tour visits some of thevery best areas of both Kenya and Tanzania, where some of the birding thrillsinclude encountering such large birds as this flashy Gray Crowned-Cranewandering the plains, or a delicately patterned Three-banded Courser, a mainlynocturnal species our tour managed to see well during the day. (Photos byparticipant Jody Gillespie)

A morning of stellar birding followedby lunch in the field is the routine onmany a Field Guides tour, and DaveStejskal’s Thailand tour is no excep-tion, with its sumptuous birds anddelicious lunches that bring raves.We’re not sure what was on the menufor this year’s tour, but a few of thebirds the group savored are picturedhere: at top, a Rusty-naped Pitta, oneof a pair of this often difficult-to-seebird; a regal Chinese Egret, not acommon sight, bottom right; and asoftly hued Orange-breasted Trogon.(Photos by guide Dave Stejskal)

Pictured here—a study in bill variation fromour recent Borneo tour. Hornbills, numerousin Borneo, are named for their fantasticalbills, and the Wrinkled, above, sports one ofthe more outrageous of the group—thoughyou might not think so upon seeing aRhinoceros Hornbill (and have a look at theGreat Hornbill on page 7). The petiteRufous-backed Dwarf-Kingfisher is indeedalmost dwarfed by his bill. The Black-and-yellow Broadbill’s beak stands out for itsblue, which looks almost painted on. Thelovely Rufous-chested Flycatcher, at right,clearly has the most conventional bill of thegroup, not fancy but serviceable for catching

the insects it feeds on. (Photos byguide Dave Stejskal andparticipant Chuck Holliday)

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What better place to enjoy your morning coffee—as some of ourGuatemala: Shade-Grown Birding group are doing here—than at Finca LasNubes, a working coffee finca where the tour spends two nights. Guide Jesse Fagan writes that among the tour favorites this year wereResplendent Quetzal (Guatemala’s national bird), Azure-rumped Tanagers,the Fulvous Owl (above right) that put on a great show, and a PheasantCuckoo, an often difficult-to-see bird, in display mode at Tikal. But theclear group favorite was this frosty-topped Pink-headed Warbler. (Photosby participants Mary Lou Barritt and David & Judy Smith)

Visiting Guyana is a little likestepping back in time—it’s a placewithout busy highways or hugeairports or bustling cities and withmuch of its interior forest intact.It’s a place where big birds likeHarpy Eagles and Rufous-wingedGround-Cuckoos, while notcommon, can be seen. The colorfulgroup on display here are alsoamong the regulars on our tour;they include an eye-poppingGolden-headed Manakin at top left,the formerly Violaceous, nowGuianan Trogon, found all over thecountry, and the glamorous GuiananCock-of-the-rock. Visit our Facebookpage for Bret Whitney’s video fromhis recent tour of a pair of Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoos. (Photos byguide Megan Edwards Crewe andparticipant Brian Stech)

Chris Benesh’s Spring inSouth Texas tour isscheduled to include thewintering WhoopingCranes before they departto their northern breedinggrounds, a few earlyspring migrants, and—asampling pictured herefrom our recent tour—species restricted to thisregion of the country, likethis rather puffed upAudubon’s Oriole, topleft, or birds of widerthough still limited range,like the Ladder-backedWoodpecker at left andthe Vermilion Flycatcherabove. (Photos by guideChris Benesh andparticipant Don Faulkner)

A visit to Ecuador’s Sacha Lodge—located in one of the most biodiverse regions ofthe Amazon basin where the number of bird species is mind-boggling—is full ofhighlights: watching parrots come into a lick, getting close views of hard-to-seecanopy species from one of the towers, making boat trips through quiet backwa-ters. Here, guide Dan Lane helps participants on a recent tour spot somethingfrom the forest floor, possibly the lovely Masked Tanager at top left, one of wellover a dozen tanager species seen, or maybe the Wire-tailed Manakin that gave thegroup a great show. (Photos by guide Dan Lane and participant Kathy Keef)

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The smart-looking bird attop, the White-necked Rockfowl(Picathartesgymnocephalus)is always ahighlight of ourGhana: Windowinto West AfricanBirding tour, andso it was againthis year withguide PhilGregory reportingthe group had “an absolute stunner hop in and pose on a rock forseveral minutes.” Observing such a little-seen bird so well is certainlyenough to take your breath away, especially when combined with othergreat sightings like four Egyptian Plovers on a sandbar, the lovely BlackBee-eater (left), widespread and a pleasure to see, and a handsomeBlue-headed Coucal. (Photos by participant Greg Griffith)

Kirtland’s Warblers keep popping up on guide Jesse Fagan’s Bahamas:Endemics & Kirtland’s Warblers tours, and though not pictured here, this NorthAmerican migrant gives an added dimension to the many restricted-rangebirds sought on the tour, birds like this endemic Bahama Oriole, above left,with a population estimated to be around 250 individuals and found only onone island. Top right, a very clean-cut Bahama Swallow, another endemic,and below, a hungry Cuban Parrot. There are four recognized subspecies ofthis bird and this one is bahamensis. (Photos by guide Jesse Fagan)

Guide Megan Crewe seems to be enjoying herself in Hawaii, eventhough she’s not on a beach. Well, there are other ways to enjoy theislands, like seeing some really great birds. The Hawaiian Islands arethe most isolated archipelago on Earth, which accounts for the morethan two-dozen endemics found there, two of which are shown here tothe left of Megan: the Hawaii Amakihi (top) and the Iiwi, a small

honeycreeper that is able to hover like a hummingbird.(Photos by guide Dan Lane)800-728-4953

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In March, guide John Coons and hisgroup spent a wonderful week birdinglowlands and foothills on our Panama’sCanopy Tower & Lodge tour. A few of thesights from the tour are pictured here:the White-tipped Sicklebill, top right, isan uncommon and strange-looking hum-mingbird that believe you me is rarelyseen this well; likewise the PheasantCuckoo below it, which can be very noisywhile at the same time stay out of sight;Orange-bellied Trogon, bottom left, is alovely local specialty at the Lodge; andwho doesn’t love the little Tody Motmot,another specialty of the foothills and thesmallest of the five motmots seen on thetour? (Photos by participants Lain Adkinsand Ed LeGrand)

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Guide Tom Johnson reports that this year’sPuerto Rico tour once again saw all of the island’s17 endemics, including the three shown here:Puerto Rican Flycatcher, a Myiarchus flycatcherat left; below the flycatcher, Puerto RicanTanager, not as colorful as some other tanagers

but one that occupies amonotypic genus; and thewinner of the bird of the tripaward, the Puerto RicanParrot, a CriticallyEndangered Amazona thatis being reintroduced on theisland. Several participantsarrived ahead of the tourand explored historic OldSan Juan. (Photos by guideTom Johnson andparticipant Larry Wright)

“It rained some almost every day,”Willy Perez writes of his recentEcuador’s Wildsumaco Lodge tour, “butwe saw the most fantastic birds andwildlife imaginable!” These includedAndean Condors, Sword-billedHummingbirds, and a SpectacledBear—and that was just the firstmorning. Pictured here, a few othersightings, from top left: a sparklingGolden-tailed Sapphire at WildsumacoLodge, one of the more than three-dozen hummingbird species seen; aBlackish Nightjar that fortunatelycontrasts with his rock; a wonderfullynamed Paradise Tanager; and a poorlynamed Common Woolly Monkey—Uncommon Woolly Monkey would bebetter. (Photos by guide Willy Perez)

It may look here asthough the GreaterPrairie-Chicken andGreater Sage-Grousebelow got into a rumbleon one of our recentColorado Grouse trips,but indeed the two havenever met, though aGreater Prairie-Chickendid tap-dance acrossthe roof of TomJohnson’s van on one of our tours, which, as Tom described it, seemedboth comical and awesome (see hisvideo on our Facebook page). Otherless flamboyant sights included Gray-crowned (left) and Brown-cappedrosy-finches sharing a feeder perchand a White-tailed Ptarmigan, right,still wearing his winter plumage.(Photos by participants SteveWakeham & Bob Reed)

We always hope for a good migrant fallout on our Texas Coast Migration Spectacletour, and this year both tours benefited from heavy rains resulting in large falloutsalong the coast—Blue-winged, Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Hooded (aboveleft), and many more. Guide John Coons—here shown birding the coastal grovesfor migrants with his group—remarked that Scarlet and Summer tanagers andBaltimore Orioles were all over the place and he knew it was going to be goodwhen one of the first warblers seen was a Bay-breasted. Migration isn’t the onlything happening on the coast in spring; there’s the Big Thicket with its southernpine specialties, shorebirds on the tidal flats, and rails, like this Clapper above,in the Anahuac NWR. (Photos by participants Neil McDonal & Pamela Gunn)

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This year marked the seventh for our Cambodia:Angkor Temples & Vanishing Birds tour with guide PhilGregory. The tour spends several days at Siem Reap,the jumping off point for visiting the magnificenttemples of Angkor Wat (pictured above) and forbirding the rich area surrounding the complex. A fewof Cambodia’s Vanishing Birds include vultures—White-rumped, Red-headed, and Slender-billed(right), all of which were seen well by Phil and hisgroup. Other sights along the way included theCrested Serpent-Eagle, above left, and—adding somecolor—a pretty Blue-tailed Bee-eater. (Photos byguide Phil Gregory and participant George Sims)

Guide Megan Edwards Crewe joined Marcelo Padua in March for our BrazilNutshell tour that visits three prime areas of Brazil—Intervales State Park forAtlantic Forest specialties like the Black-fronted Piping-Guan at top (thoughthe piping-guan may also be seen later in the tour at Iguazu Falls) and theGray-hooded Flycatcher, bottom left. The flycatcher is one of five membersof the genus Mionectes, a group with a lek mating system—behavior wedon’t usually associate with flycatchers. Brazil’s Pantanal is often regardedas one of the best places to bird in the Neotropics, and the perfectly namedHyacinth Macaws may bethe region’s signaturespecies. (Photos by partici-pants David & Sue Wrightand Charm Peterman)

Guide Richard Websterdescribed his recent Bhutantour as one of sunny days,grand vistas, good habitatfor birding, and of course,many cool birds. Amongthem, the scarce Ward’sTrogon; repeat encounterswith three fabulouspheasants—Satyr Tragopan,Himalayan Monal, andBlood Pheasant (picturedhere at right); a Rufous-necked Hornbill as well as aflock—meaning a couple ofdozen!—of the previouslymentioned Great Hornbills (topright); Golden-breasted Fulvetta,one of Bhutan’s specialties, and youcan see why from the photo above.All this while spending nearly everyday in the midst of some of themost beautiful scenery imaginable.

(Photos by guide RichardWebster and participantJohnny Powell)

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The theme of this page is not justMiddle American tours—Costa Ricahere—but tail feathers, with both theResplendent Quetzal at left and thestreamertail below exhibiting two ofthe showier versions in the avianworld. According to guide JayVanderGaast, this shimmeringquetzal was the indisputablehighlight of his recent tour. AnEmerald Toucanet at right, with thesun lighting up his colorful bill, aGreen Violetear (below the quetzal),showing well his violet ear, anobliging Mottled Owl, and a MantledHowler Monkey giving it his all,make traveling in Costa Rica hard tobeat, even for Jay after twenty yearsof birding there. (Photos byparticipants Reg David, Paul Bisson,and Greg Vassilopoulos)

When you’re showing just a handful ofJamaica’s birds like these from our tworecent tours, it takes more will power than we have not to include streamertails,two likely-to-be-split spectacularhummingbirds endemic to Jamaica. Theone at left is the Red-billed. The twoparrots are the Yellow-billed, the morecommon of Jamaica’s endemic parrots,and that’s a glowing blue Orangequitabove them, another endemic that is theonly member of its genus. The JamaicanOriole at left is also an endemic, one thatis relatively common and widespread onthe island. (Photos by guide EricHynes and participants DavidDisher & Kevin Heffernan) 800-728-4953

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Guide John Coons (at frontleft below) and his Panama’sCanopy Tower group—one oftwo tours, with Chris Beneshguiding the other—shown here birding along Pipeline Road, seemintent on something, perhaps the Red-capped Manakin at top right,one of four male manakins seen on the tour. A close view of thecanopy-dwelling Green Shrike-Vireo (at middle) is rare from theground, which is one of the advantages of a tower like that of theDiscovery Center along Pipeline. The Long-billed Hermit is not themost colorful of hummers, but its size, its long decurved bill, and itsfacial striping do cause it to be noticed. (Photos by guide DougGochfeld and participants Len & Mae Sander)

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UPCOMINGTOURS

For details, please call our office or check our web site.

September 2016

France: Camargue & Pyrenees II—September 3-13, 2016 with JayVanderGaast. Two of Europe’s finestbirding destinations combined in thiswonderful eleven-day tour, with variedhighlights and some great French food.

Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus, Brazil I& II—September 3-17, 2016 withMarcelo Padua & Dave Stejskal andSeptember 11-25, 2016 with BretWhitney & Pepe Rojas. Bird therainforests and rivers of the mightyAmazon and Negro in an unforgettablemix of forest hikes and live-aboardluxury.

Bolivia’s Avian Riches—September 3-19, 2016 (“Bountiful Beni: Bazillions ofBirds” Extension) with Dan Lane. Thespecial bird life of the Bolivian Andes;wonderful mountain scenery.

Slice of California: Seabirds to Sierra I& II—September 8-17, 2016 with ChrisBenesh and September 13-22, 2016with Tom Johnson. A diverse mix of WestCoast specialties, montane species,and pelagics in rugged and scenicsites.

Ecuador’s Shiripuno Lodge: Heartlandof the Waorani—September 22-October 1, 2016 with Mitch Lysinger. Atour to Shiripuno Lodge, gateway to theYasuni Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador’sAmazon region.

Cape May Megan’s Way I & II—September 24-30, 2016 and October2-8, 2016 with Megan Edwards Crewe.See bird migration in action at one ofthe country’s top migration hotspots.

Serra dos Tucanos, Brazil—September24-October 4, 2016 with MarceloPadua. A short but rich immersion inthe avifauna of the Atlantic Forest,based at one lovely site near Rio.

Australia—September 30-October 20,2016 (Part I) with John Coons & TomJohnson and October 18-November 2,2016 (Part II; Tasmania Extension) withChris Benesh. In two parts for thosewith limited time. Part I covers theenvirons of Sydney, Melbourne,Adelaide, Perth, southwest Australia,and Alice Springs. Part II begins inDarwin and continues to Queensland(Cairns, Atherton Tableland, OutbackQueensland, and O’Reilly’s GuestHouse). Both parts combine for acomplete tour of Australia.

October 2016

Mountains of Manu, Peru—October 1-16, 2016 with Pepe Rojas. Our in-depthtransect of the higher-elevation half ofthe Manu Biosphere Reserve.

South Africa—October 6-29, 2016 withTerry Stevenson & local guide. Endemic-rich birding, spectacular landscapes,and a unique flora are the highlights ofour energetic survey tour of thisbeautiful country.

Barrow, Alaska: Search for Ross’sGull—October 7-11, 2016 with ChrisBenesh. A short sojourn to 71 degreesNorth latitude, the US’s northernmostpoint, for the legendary Ross’s Gull,loons, eiders, and possibly even PolarBear and Ivory Gull.

Northwestern Argentina: The Chaco,Cordoba & Northern Andes—October8-26, 2016 (Rincon del SocorroExtension) with Willy Perez & JesseFagan. Comprehensive tour of the manyhabitats of the diverse northwest; manyspecialty birds.

Safari Brazil: The Pantanal & More—October 13-28, 2016 (BrazilianMerganser Extension) with MarceloPadua. The spectacular wetlands of thePantanal, with Hyacinth Macaws andJabirus, combine with the manyspecialties of Brazil’s Planalto Centralto make for the perfect first birding tripto Brazil.

Southern Argentina: The Pampas,Patagonia & Tierra del Fuego—October 25-November 11, 2016 withDave Stejskal. Superb springtimebirding tour through southern SouthAmerica amid stark and spectacularlandscapes.

Louisiana: Yellow Rails & CrawfishTails—October 27-31, 2016 with DanLane. Late-autumn tour on the GulfCoast targeting Yellow Rails and othermigrants and wintering species of theregion.

New Guinea & Australia—October 27-November 14, 2016 with JayVanderGaast. A rich and diversesampler of the best birding of NewGuinea and Australia.

Spectacular Southeast Brazil—October 28-November 13, 2016 (Northof the Tropic) with Bret Whitney & TomJohnson and November 11-27, 2016(South of the Capricorn; Iguazu FallsExtension) with Bret Whitney & MarceloPadua. The fantastic center of avianendemism in eastern Brazil, particularlywell endowed with hummingbirds,cotingas, antbirds, and beautifulscenery. Part I: North of the Tropic; PartII: South of the Capricorn, plus anoptional Iguazu Falls Extension.

Sri Lanka—October 28-November 14,2016 with Megan Edwards Crewe &local guide. A two-week introduction toAsia’s birds, including more than two-dozen species endemic to the island,with one of the country’s foremostbirders as a co-leader.

Northern Peru: Endemics Galore—October 30-November 19, 2016 withRichard Webster. Dry-season tour to oneof the least-known and most endemic-rich areas of South America. Targetsgeographic specialties as it surveys therich and diverse habitats of northernPeru, including some remote andbeautiful wild areas; camping no longernecessary.

November 2016

Birding Plus/Ireland in Fall: Birds,Traditional Music & Pubs—November3-13, 2016 with Terry McEneaney &Karen McEneaney. The birds, culture,music, and pubs of this beautifulcountry in fall.

Colombia: The Llanos & More—November 5-15, 2016 with Jesse Fagan& local guide. A tour to the rich birdingsites around Bogota including Chingazaand Chicaque national parks, plus atrip to the llanos of eastern Colombiafor Crestless Curassow, Pale-headedJacamar, and White-bearded Flycatcher,among others.

Madagascar, Mauritius & Reunion—November 5-December 1, 2016(Masoala Peninsula Extension) with Phil Gregory & local guide. In-depthcoverage of the accessible parts ofMadagascar: many endemic birds,striking lemurs, bizarre flora andchameleons, fascinating culture.Mauritius and Reunion provide anadditional bevy of rare and interestingendemics.

New Zealand—November 6-24, 2016(Hauraki Gulf Pelagic Extension) withDan Lane & local guide. Beautifullandscapes as a backdrop for nearly 50endemic birds plus a great selection ofseabirds.

Chile—November 6-26, 2016 with WillyPerez & local guide. Comprehensivesurvey tour of this visually spectacularand tourist-friendly country.

Southern India: Western GhatsEndemics—November 13-December 3,2016 with Terry Stevenson & localguide. Journey from the mammal-richlowlands of Nagarhole to the endemic-rich mountains of the Western Ghats.

Vietnam—November 25-December 15,2016 with Dave Stejskal & local guide.Intriguing survey tour to bird-rich butpoorly known Vietnam.

Holiday ToursHoliday at San Isidro, Ecuador—November 19-28, 2016 with MitchLysinger. A bird-rich holiday escapebased primarily at the very comfortableSan Isidro Lodge.

Mexico: Yucatan & Cozumel—November19-28, 2016 with Chris Benesh & localguide. A tour for the most interestingbirds of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsulaamidst its attractive Mayan sites andonly a short flight from the US.

Peru’s Rarely Explored South: High AridDeserts & Nazca Lines—November 19-December 1, 2016 with Jesse Fagan. Atour over the Thanksgiving break throughgrand Peruvian landscapes to manybirding sites south of Lima, from Cuscoand Arequipa to Lake Titicaca and Nazca.Coastal and Andean birding at its best.Lots of endemics and Peruvian near-endemics.

Iquitos, Peru: Canopy Walkways &Ancient Forests—December 17-28, 2016with Dan Lane. Two-week immersion inone of the most species-rich regions ofAmazonia, including the white-sandforests near Iquitos.

Holiday Costa Rica: Rancho Naturalista I& II—December 18-26, 2016 with MeganEdwards Crewe & local guide andDecember 30, 2016-January 7, 2017 withJesse Fagan & local guide. One-siteholiday tour based at the comfortableRancho Naturalista Lodge, withexcursions to other habitats on CostaRica’s bird-rich Caribbean slope.

Arizona Winter Specialties—December 29, 2016-January 4, 2017 withChris Benesh. Exceptional winter birdingon a short tour with numerous specialtiesand potential rarities.

Ecuador’s Wildsumaco Lodge—December 29, 2016-January 8, 2017 withWilly Perez. Exploring the riches of theeastern Andean foothills of northernEcuador for numerous specialties atWildsumaco Lodge.

Panama’s Canopy Lodge: El Valle deAnton—December 30, 2016-January 6,2017 with John Coons & local guide. Asuperb introduction to Neotropical birdsor a complement to your broader MiddleAmerican birding, all based at acharming lodge.

Trinidad & Tobago—December 30, 2016-January 8, 2017 with Tom Johnson & localguide. Wonderful introductory tour toSouth America’s bird riches, includingbellbirds, toucans, manakins, andmotmots.

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January

Yellowstone in Winter—January 1-9,2017 with Terry McEneaney & KarenMcEneaney. A winter birding, wildlife,and landscape adventure to one of theworld’s legendary destinations.

Nowhere but Northeast Brazil!—January 9-27, 2017 (Southern BahiaExtension) with Bret Whitney & DanLane. From beautiful beaches to barrenbadlands, our tour is a quest forspecialties of the endangered caatinga,chapada, and Atlantic Forest habitats.The Southern Bahia Extension offers anopportunity to see many additionalendemic birds, some of which are notseen on our Spectacular SoutheastBrazil tours.

Guyana: Wilderness Paradise I & II—January 12-23, 2017 and January28-February 8, 2017 with MeganEdwards Crewe & local guide. A surveyof the country’s vast untrammeledrainforest, with an emphasis onGuianan shield specialties and sidetrips to coastal and savanna regionsand spectacular Kaieteur Falls.

Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge I &II—January 13-22, 2017 with WillyPerez & local guide and February 3-12,2017 with Mitch Lysinger & local guide.

One-site tour to one of the mostcomfortable lodges in westernAmazonia with some of the birdiestcanopy platforms anywhere.

South Texas Rarities—January 14-20,2017 with Chris Benesh. Escape thewinter birding doldrums on our week-long tour to the bird-rich Rio GrandeValley, with specialties from kiskadeesand Green Jays to Hook-billed Kites andAltamira Orioles. And the winterpotential for Mexican vagrants isterrific!

Costa Rica: Birding the Edges—January 14-23, 2017 (Part 1) andJanuary 22-31, 2017 (Part 2) with TomJohnson & local guide. A two-partedtour to this bird-rich country exploringsites and birds not covered on ourMarch or holiday tours. (Our March touris scheduled for March 19-April 3, 2017with Jay VanderGaast)

Colombia: Bogota, the MagdalenaValley & Santa Marta—January 14-29,2017 with Jesse Fagan & local guide.Energetic, endemic-oriented (30+) tourconnecting reserves up the MagdalenaValley from Bogota to the Sierra Nevadade Santa Marta.

Thailand—January 14-February 4,2017 with Dave Stejskal & JayVanderGaast. A wide variety of forestbirds in the friendly heart of SoutheastAsia (and fabulous Thai food).

Winter Japan: Dancing Cranes &Spectacular Sea-Eagles—January 20-February 5, 2017 with Phil Gregory.Japan’s winter spectacles, including thefabulous cranes and Steller’s Sea-Eagle.

Jewels of Ecuador: Hummers,Tanagers & Antpittas I & II—January21-February 7, 2017 and March 21-April 7, 2017 with Willy Perez. Survey ofAndean Ecuador; diverse avifaunadominated by colorful hummers andtanagers and more subtle and hauntingantpittas.

Northern India: Birds, Tiger & the TajMahal—January 28-February 17, 2017with Terry Stevenson. Fantasticadventure from the Ganges plains tothe Himalayan foothills, with theBharatpur wetlands, a good chance ofTiger, and the wondrous Taj Mahal.

February

NEW/Colombia: Medellin Escape: Andes &Valleys—February 4-13, 2017 withRichard Webster & local guide. Rich forestsfrom the foothills to treeline accessed fromgood country hotels and comfortable lodgesat some of Colombia’s best privatereserves. Many Colombian endemics, butprimarily an opportunity to gorge on thebirds of the Andes after a short flightacross the Caribbean. (Also with Richard,Colombia: Santa Marta Escape—March 4-12, 2017)

Birding Plus: Birds & Wines of Chile andArgentina—February 4-18, 2017 withMarcelo Padua & John Coons. A tourcombining an exploration of the great birdsand vineyards of these two wonderfulcountries!

Cambodia: Angkor Temples & VanishingBirds—February 4-18, 2017 with PhilGregory. A “last chance” destination forsome of the large, rare Asian waterbirdsnow extinct in neighboring countries, plusadditional regional specialties and world-famous Angkor Wat.

Panama’s Canopy Tower—February 5-11,2017 (Canopy Lodge Extension) with ChrisBenesh & local guide. A toweringintroduction to Neotropical birds basedentirely at a unique lodge; quick access tofamous Pipeline Road. (And coming inMarch, Panama’s Canopy Tower &Lodge—March 12-19, 2017 with JohnCoons & local guide and Western Panama:Chiriqui & Bocas del Toro—March 18-27,2017 with Jesse Fagan)

Guatemala: Shade-grown Birding—February 10-18, 2017 (Temples of TikalExtension) with Jesse Fagan. ResplendentQuetzal, a host of hummingbirds, and

2017JANUARY-FEBRUARY

Guide Willy Perez (right) and local guides with a recent Amazonian Ecuador: Sacha Lodge tour

Araripe Manakin—nowhere butNortheast Brazil

Bicolored Antbird is a happy sightin Panama and Costa Rica as wellas further south.

(Photos by guides Willy Perez & Dave Stejskal and participants Danny Shelton, Steve James, and Larry Peavler)

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Azure-rumped Tanager set against adramatic volcanic landscape and colorfulMayan culture.

Mexico: Oaxaca—February 11-18, 2017 withDan Lane & second guide. Superb birdingwith two dozen Mexican endemics andfascinating ruins while based in lovelyOaxaca City.

Trinidad & Tobago—February 11-20, 2017with Tom Johnson & local guide. Wonderfulintroductory tour to South America’s riches,including bellbirds, toucans, manakins, andmotmots.

NEW/Owlberta: Alberta’s Owls & More—February 18-24, 2017 with Jay VanderGaast &second guide. A short tour targeting owls andother winter specialties in the boreal forests,prairies, and foothills of the Canadianprovince of Alberta.

Jamaica I & II—February 26-March 4, 2017with Jesse Fagan & local guide and March 5-11, 2017 with Eric Hynes & local guide. Aquick adventure in search of Jamaica’s 27endemics and numerous regional specialtiesat Green Castle Estate.

Borneo—February 28-March 17, 2017 withMegan Edwards Crewe & local guide. Threeprime areas in some of Earth’s richest forestswhile based in comfort right in the wild.

Holiday at San Isidro, EcuadorMitch Lysinger

Rufous-bellied SeedsnipeWe’ll look for this football-sized, high elevationdweller right up at the continental divide on ourfirst day where they inhabit a most intriguing,almost mystical, alpine habitat full of brain coral-like vegetation. Although related to shorebirds,seedsnipes look more like ptarmigans insummer plumage.

“San Isidro type” Black-banded OwlThis stunning owl graces the gardens aroundCabañas San Isidro, usually allowing very close approach as if in a staring contest. It is often referred to as the “Mystery Owl”since many experts suspect that this middle elevation form mightbe different enough from the more lowland occurring Black-banded to warrant at least subspecific status.

Black-billedMountain-ToucanA trip to the humidNeotropics just wouldn’tbe complete without atoucan of some kind orother! This trip often netsquite a few species ofthem, of which the flashymountain-toucans,restricted to Andeanslopes, are the highlights.We have a great chanceof seeing this Black-billedMountain-Toucan aroundSan Isidro and the Gray-breasted at GuangoLodge. Both are real eyecandy!

Sword-billedHummingbirdSword-billedHummingbird is a fine example of evolutionary forcesdriving a species to extremes! You have to see thishummer in action to believe its surgical ability withthat ridiculously long bill, and the feeders at GuangoLodge attract them throughout the day, and they canbe quite tame.

There’s still some space available on Mitch’s November San Isidro tour, and we hope you’ll consider joining him for a birding adventure in his

backyard. Dates are November 19-28.

(Photos by guides Mitch Lysingerand Willy Perez, and CarolinaBustamante Holguin)

Hard to believe, but Sparkling Violetearis a fairly common hummer on many ofour Ecuador and Colombia tours.

Whitehead’s Trogon—only in Borneo.

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FIELD GUIDES INCORPORATED9433 Bee Cave Road / Building 1, Suite 150 / Austin, TX 78733800-728-4953 / 512-263-7295 / fax: 512-263-0117fieldguides@fieldguides.com / www.fieldguides.com

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Then be sure to see our newslideshow of 55 species! Sampleshere include a Chestnut-breastedCoronet and Long-tailed Sylph challenging each

other in Ecuador, Fiery-throatedHummingbird (top) in Costa Rica,Crowned Woodnymph fromColombia, and Tufted Coquettefrom Trinidad. Participants LarryPeavler, Sandy Paci, Greg Griffith,and Rick Woodruff contributedthese fineimages.

Much more online atfieldguides.com/hummers— have a look!

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