Private and Small group Birding tours
To be in the business of showing your clients our beautiful world and its spectacular birds is such a privilege.
On every journey we take, there are so many moments that we want to capture and share. Our idea with this blog is to share a bit of the wonderful experiences we encounter on every tour. We hope you enjoy the journey with us and join us on a tour sometime.
BirdLife South Africa recently announced that the Cape Rockjumper Chaetops frenatus is the Bird of the Year for 2021. We here at Nature Travel Birding can’t think of a more fitting candidate!
Totally restricted to the fragile fynbos biome of southwestern South Africa, the strikingly beautiful Cape Rockjumper is not only a South African endemic, but its genera and family (it has a sister species, the Drakensberg Rockjumper) are also endemic to the country.
The thrush-like or babbler-like, ground-dwelling Cape Rockjumper gets its name from its habit of hopping from boulder to boulder with incredible agility in its natural rock-strewn mountain fynbos habitat. The Latin frenatus refers to the “bridled” or black-and-white head pattern.
It forages on the ground, probing with its bill, eating mainly invertebrates (caterpillars, beetles, flies and worms), but also small lizards and amphibians. Usually there is pair in an area, but they can also occur in small family groups. Although fairly easy to spot when it sits on an exposed boulder, they can sometimes be rather secretive. The easiest way to locate it is by its piercing , piping pee-peepee-pee-pee-pee song.
The Cape Rockjumper breeds as a monogamous pair in a co-operative manner, sometimes with helpers. The nest is built by both sexes and consists of an untidy bowl of grasses, twigs, lichen, animal fur and seeds. It is usually placed on the ground at the base of a rock. Usually 2 eggs are laid and after 3 weeks the chicks hatch. They stay on the nest for a further 3 weeks and are helped along by adults for up to a month afterwards.
Currently the Cape Rockjumper is considered as Near Threatened on the IUCN RedList 2017, with the species’ main threats being habitat destruction, climate change, invasive vegetation species and diseases. Some authorities actually believe the species will soon be upgraded to the even more serious Vulnerable category.
In a media release, BirdLife said the following, “During 2021, BirdLife South Africa will create awareness about the Cape Rockjumper through the production of an informative poster, the development of learning resources for schools that are free to download from the BirdLife South Africa website (www.birdlife.org.za), articles in African Birdlife magazine, social media posts, presentations to interested groups, and the sale of merchandise.”
For your chance to see this unique and iconic South African species, join us on one of our expert-guided, small-group South African birding tours. For more information, hop on over to https://naturetravelbirding.com/birding-tours-south-africa/
It’s a premier birding destination in South America and for very good reason. Ecuador boasts a bird list of over 1,800 species with a variety of faunal zones, each with its characteristic birds.
The Chocó is an Eco-region and biodiversity hotspot in Northern Ecuador that holds the largest number of restricted-range birds of any Endemic Bird Area in the Americas, with an incredible 62 species being endemic to the area. Definitely one of the top worldwide birding hotspots and worth packing your camera and bags to join our next tour for this amazing birding experience.
Nature Travel Birding’s guide, Will Haffey, based in the United States, put together a virtual birding tour of Northern Ecuador. The virtual tour shares birding in Northern Ecuador from Will’s perspective as expert-guide, giving a good idea of what to expect from our Tour Itinerary.
And, of course, for those who’s been privileged to have been to Ecuador, a chance to reminisce on the memories of the wonderful birding opportunities and maybe enticing you into planning your next trip to revisit the birders’ paradise with us in July 2021.
For more info on this tour, go to Ecuador Birding Tour or get in touch with a specialist at info@naturetravelbirding.com
Birding in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia offers fantastic birding opportunities with many endemic, special and localised species featuring on every serious birder’s wish. On top of the wonderful birding you can expect to see several hundred avian species, along with many mammals, other fauna and flora and some superb classic African safari landscapes.
Marc Cronje’s virtual Namibia, Botswana & Zambia Birding tour will give you an overview of this exciting tour from his perspective as expert-guide. The virtual tour will give you a good idea of what to expect if your planning to join this tour and is also a great throwback for those who’ve been there, taking you back to those special places and moments.
To join the Namibia, Botswana & Zambia Birding Tour in 2021, you can book for our set departure dates in February, June or November or we can customize this tour for you and book a date that suits your travel dates.
The Northern Kruger is known to be the area where you are likely to see rare antelopes like Roan Antelope, Tsessebe and Sable Antelope. Herds of African Elephant and African Buffalo depend on the rivers here for water, and predators such as Lion, Leopard and Spotted Hyaena concentrate where prey is abundant.
But it’s not all about the wildlife. The renowned Kruger Park is the best birding destination in Southern Africa with more than 500 bird species.
In the north, the Pafuri area is regarded by some visitors as the most enchanting corner of the Kruger, and is undoubtedly the most important locality for birds in the park, especially for rare vagrants and birds from tropical Africa
Sharing expert-guide, Marc Cronje’s Virtual Birding Tour in the Northern Kruger will give you a good idea why this has to get a place on your Birding to-do list.
If you want to join us on a Birding Tour in the Kruger Park, South Africa, get in touch with us on info@naturetravelbirding.com.
Whether you are visiting the Kruger for a few days or only go out birding on a day tour, the birding opportunities in this world-renowned park is astonishing.
We’re talking the best birding destination in Southern Africa with more than 500 bird species- that is about 60% of the species found in the entire Southern African sub-region!
Combined with the grand chance to encounter the famous Big Five and other wonderful mammals and creatures while surrounded by beautiful African landscapes, it’s a birding opportunity not to be missed.
Expert-guide Marc Cronje has put together a virtual tour of the Southern Kruger area showing you some awesome photographs and telling the story of the magic of a birding tour in the Kruger.
Get in touch for more information about our Birding Tour opportunities to the Kruger Park. You can talk to an expert at info@naturetravelbirding.com.
In the heart of Asia lies a pristine and remote wilderness with only three million inhabitants. Mongolia is a birder’s paradise with chances to see iconic birding and wildlife species which of course include the elusive Snow Leopard. This is a bucket-list experience with a capital B! Take a sneak peek of what to expect in the gallery below:
Join us on 12 May 2021 when we embark on a wonderful adventure to Mongolia. Let’s go Birding.
Browse to the Mongolia Snow Leopard & Birding Tour on our website to see what the trip is all about. Get in touch with us on info@naturetravelbirding.com to get more info about this or any other briding tour
On our last trip to India we again realized this is such an incredible destination and if you’re into birding, it definately needs a place on your wishlist.
We want to give you a sneek peak of what you can expect here with a virtual tour compiled by our expert-guide Marc Cronje. This will not only give you an insight of what the tour is all about but it will surely entice you to join us on the next tour in 2021.
For more info about this tour get in touch with us at info@naturetravelbirding.com
Costa Rica is a diverse birding destination with over 850 species of which seven are considered endemic and 19 are globally threatened.
You won’t get a better picture of what a tour is all about than from the expert-guide himself. We are sharing Marc Cronje’s virtual tour of his experience of Costa Rica to give you a peak of what you can expect from this extraordinary tour.
You can join us on the fabulous birding experience in 2021. For more info browse to Costa Rica Birding Tour or get in touch with our expert team at info@naturetravelbirding.com
If Uganda is on your list of birding destinations, this is a must watch! Our expert guide, Marc Cronje, takes you on a virtual tour, showing you beautiful Uganda and of course the spectacular birding opportunities and finds.
Sharing his personal experience of our Uganda Birding Tour will be more than enough to entice you to join the next birding tour in 2021.
For more info on this or any of our Birding Tours, get in touch with us on info@naturetravelbirding.com.
Birding photographs are certainly some of the most satisfying to browse through. The colours and small detail on every species can mesmerize you for hours. There is only thing that beats this and that is seeing these birds in there natural habitat in real life.
To go birding anywhere in the world is an exhilarating experience, always awaiting the chance to see that one that you have been waiting to see for so long or to see your favourite bird again. And just as you think you have seen the most beautiful or most extraordinary bird, you see one that’s even better…
Sharing some of our favourite birding photographs with you from all over the globe.
Join us on your next birding trip for unforgettable personalized birding experience. Get in touch with our team to start planning the perfect trip on info@naturetravelbirding.com