7WB-blog

Bucket List Birding.

You are perhaps a beginner with birding or bird photography, and you have always liked traveling abroad. Until now, it is likely that you perhaps have watched and photographed the birds in your vicinity, or at the most at some hotspots in your own country.
But as you enjoy holidays abroad, you wonder if there is a reasonable way to combine your travel with some birding. You have a bucket list of places you want to visit. You may even have a bucket list of birds and mammals you want to see.
How can you include some birding on your overseas holiday without not getting overwhelmed and without feeling intimidated by hardcore birders who seek to see everything single lookalike little brown job on the planet?
You want to see some of the more spectacular and iconic birds and mammals of the destination and also have time to get a feel of the country and the place you are visiting. It is quite clear that the regular 2-3 week hardcore birding tour is not your cup of tea.
Below are some strategies that you can copy. I have used these premises to set up the itineraries for our 7 Wonders Birding tours and overseas holidays with my non-birding spouse. These strategies work very well for new birders/bird photographers and non-birding spouses and extremely well for experienced birders with little time, who have given up seeing every species on the planet (like myself) and want to prioritize to experience the most iconic birds first.
Bucket List Birding is becoming a thing.

Time and Flexibility

Say you have two weeks for your first overseas holiday where you want birding or bird photography be part of the experience. My recommendation is that you plan only part of it for birding.  My favorite strategy is to do a combination of five days of birding and other activities before and after.  It does not have to be overly expensive if you only book a guided service for the best birding.
When it comes to traditional tourism setting it up on your own without intermediaries with services such as Trip-advisor, Booking and Airbnb have never been easier. There are many activities and experiences you can sign up for at all destinations.
The main reason why the 7WB tours are usually just 5 days is to allow time before and after to do other stuff. And even if 5-day birding tours can be, or rather should be, quite intense to get the most bang for the buck, five days is a manageable portion that a new birder (and even non-birder) can handle quite well.  For serious birders, it is always possible to do an extension.

Fixed program with culture and birds 

Another strategy is to book a cultural program, perhaps for the entire two weeks, but make sure there are several free birding days. Contact local guides to set up birding programs for a few hours, half a day or a full day.  The drawback is that perhaps the free time is not planned where the birding is the best.
A few birding companies offer birding and culture combined, so it is a good idea to seek these out if you have a longer time. In Peru, for instance, Kolibri Expeditions has a 17-days tour that gives you Inca culture and Machu Picchu, gourmet food, Nazca Lines, Titicaca Lake, and the Amazon – as well as lots of birds too. The itinerary is flexible with some optional birding and even tiered pricing to allow you to select comfort level.

Choose a bucket list location – then find out what the best birds are in the area.

The New 7 Wonders of the year 2000 competition highlighted several sites for people’s bucket lists of places to visit. The New 7 Wonders consist of:
  • Machu Picchu in Peru.
  • Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
  • Chichen Itza pyramid in Yucatan, Mexico.
  • Petra in Jordan.
  • Coliseum in Rome.
  • Taj Mahal in India.
  • Great Wall of China.
There is also the book “1000 places to see before you die” that have inspired people to travel, as well as the movie Bucket List from 2007 starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson.
While all those places are truly magic, some magic is lost, with many people having the same idea. Mass tourism, if not managed well, is not good for the planet.
Ecotourism is a different thing, though. Throwing in some birding puts everything in a larger perspective. Also, it helps mitigate the flight shame of your carbon footprint flying all over the world to satisfy your “selfish” wanderlust.
Besides, mass extinction and habitat destruction can only be effectively prevented when nature has value. Those reserves and many species we are visiting depend and owe to the eco-dollars their existence. Local people are making their livelihood when you are visiting the nature lovers.
Destinations that include the most famous locations make for a good strategy to persuade (lure) the non-birder in your family to go on a holiday where you also get a fair share of birding.
As we have shown with our 7WB tours, there is excellent birding close to all the New 7 Wonders, and one can build birding trips around these. Other historical sites such as Alhambra in Spain, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Tikal in Guatemala, or the pyramids and temples of Ancient Egypt make a great backdrop for a short birding holiday.

Choose a bucket list of birds or mammals – then find out what other attractions there are.

Trips can also be planned the other way around. The main attraction of the tour may be special birds such as Andean Cock of the Rock, Marvelous Spatuletail, Shoebill, Steller’s Eagle, Harpy Eagle, Philippine Eagle, Rockfowl, Cassowary or some Birds of Paradise – or special mammals like Jaguar, Tiger, Snow Leopard, Orangutan, Gorilla, Blue Whale, Koala, Tasmanian Devil or simply a Big Five Safari in Africa.
The short trips can be built around these extraordinary animals.  Of course, you will see a lot of other birds and mammals on such trips and many of the special endemics, but undoubtedly, it is not hardcore clean-up trips.  You are aware of the time limit and will give priority to your principle target(s).  Making such a short wildlife trip with specific targets and specific challenge becomes very contagious to new birders.  There is awe and wow constantly on such trips.
Before and after your bucket list wildlife, search Airbnb or Tripadvisor for other experiences you can do in the destination.  If you are the birder in the family and your better half have other interests, make sure to explore other things together that are not bird-related. Maybe a museum, a winery, some art, a city tour or a fancy restaurant. Doing things together and sharing the experience is much more rewarding for couples than having separate programs during the holiday.

My top 7 favorite destinations for new birders/bird photographers.

  • Pantanal. The best place in the world to see Jaguar. Other wildlife usually seen include Giant Otter, Capybara, Tapir, Giant Anteater, Ocelot, Caimans, and Yellow Anaconda. Also magnificent birding with large and photogenic birds such as Hyacinth Macaw, Jabiru, Sunbittern, Agami Heron, and many more.  This is a fantastic trip also for new birders and non-birding spouses because of lots of wow factor.
  • Japan in the Winter.  Japan is another world. Culturally it is so strange, but yet familiar. Tokyo is almost like it is a parallel world.  Courtesy, honesty, and clean wherever you go. Visiting Japan in the winter gives you a flocks of Steller’s Eagle and White-tailed Eagle on the pack-ice, dancing snow-white Japanese Red-crowned Crane on the white snowy fields, the immense Blakiston’s Fish-Owl coming to fish bait next to a hide, and the famous hot-spring bathing Snow Monkeys.  All possible in just five days. It is extremely popular with bird-photographers, especially Chinese, so hides and hotels fill up very fast.
  • Australia – Tasmania. All major Australian wildlife in just five days. I made this trip with my non-birding wife, and she came up with the bucket list that included Tasmanian Devil, Platypus, Koala, Kangaroo, and Little Penguin. Between the Melbourne area and Tasmania, we managed to get all the targets and Wombat, and I got all the endemic Tasmanian birds.  In season one can also get Echidna quite easily.  With more time, one can make extensions to the Great Barrier Reef and bird eastern Australia for Lyrebird, Cassowary, and special Australian bird families.
  • Machu Picchu – Peru.  Close to a million people visit each year, yet few know that it is a prime birding destination with Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, Torrent Duck, White-capped Dipper, and many hummingbirds. Additional nearby are sites like Abra Malaga and Salcantay road with many endemics, wetland sites for waterbirds, and the Apurimac canyon for Andean Condors. There are a bunch of almost equally impressive Inca sites such as Ollantaytambo, Pisac, and Sacsayhuaman.  The area is inviting for walking and hikes, and of course, there is also the famous Inca Trail.
  • Taj Mahal – India. I lured my non-birding wife to join me on a bird tour to India. I said: It is only 5 days with Tiger, that long-snouted Crocodile in the Ganges called Gharial or Gavial, Taj Mahal……and a bunch of birds. She said: When are we going?  There are several jeep safaris in Rhantambore NP for tigers, birds, vibrant wildlife, and additional birding in the wetlands of Keoladeo NP near Bharatpur with lots of big birds as Pelicans, Cranes, Storks, Kingfishers, ducks, etc. On the second day, my wife was somewhat bored but decided to rent a bike and check out all the Hindi temples where the monks feed the monkeys and other animals.
  • Borneo. A top wildlife destination with Orangutan and Proboscis Monkeys, Giant Flying Squirrels, and many special birds, especially many Broadbills and Hornbills. There is also a completely endemic Bornean bird family – Borneo Bristlehead. Explore the rain forest from the forest trails, on a canopy walkway, or by boat on the Kinabatangan River.
  • Uganda. Chimpanzee, Gorilla, and Shoebill on the same short trip. Plus a bunch of other iconic African wildlife and many regionally endemic birds.

Top 7 runner up destinations where the cultural attraction is the main draw

  • Egypt – visit Cheops Pyramid and the Sfinx at Giza, of Cheops pyramid and the Sphinx, the marvelous Cairo Museum, the Temples in the valley of the Kings, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel, plus a cruise on the Nile are must-sees anyone interested in historical sites around the world. All while birding in the early mornings and afternoons.
  • Rome. In three days, you can do a jam-packed cultural experience with Three days of culture visiting the Vatican, St Paul’s Cathedral, Sistine Chapel, Forum, Coliseum, Pantheon, Borghese Gallery, Fontana di Trevi, Spanish stairs, the catacombs and an Angel and Demons tour full of mystery and the remaining two days go for the true European endemic bird Rock Partridge, possibly Brown Bear and some seabirding for Scopoli’s Shearwater (split from Cory’s by some) and Yelkouan Shearwater, as well as Sardinian Warbler. 
  • Guatemala. Of course, it is the Maya ruins of Tikal and the charming city of Antigua surrounded by volcanoes that are the main draw for non-birders. However, within this short circuit, one can still Great Curassow, Ocellated Turkey, Orange-breasted Falcon, Horned Guan, and Pink-headed Warbler on a five-day tour.
  • Yucatan. Chichen Itza may be the most well know site, but Calakmul is much wilder. Within a week, one can visit both and get all the regionally endemic birds as well as the possible endemics on Cozumel island.
  • China. The Great Wall of China, the Terracotta Army, and the Forbidden city can be combined with natural highlights such as Golden Snub-nosed Monkey, Crested Ibis, and perhaps Baer’s Pochard.
  • Andalucia. Alhambra in Granada and the Cordoba Mesquita are perhaps the most well known cultural sites in Southern Spain. However, the birding is outstanding with many raptors and vultures, including Spanish Imperial Eagle and Lammergeier. But perhaps the highest-ranking bucket list species in the area is the Iberian Lynx.
  • Cambodia. The fascinating Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious monument, built as a Hindu temple in the early 12th century but gradually transformed to a Buddhist Temple. It is the most important tourist attraction of Cambodia and obviously on many people’s bucket list. But there is also excellent birding available nearby, including the White-shouldered and White-winged Ibis.

Don’t hesitate to contact us on kolibriexp@gmail.com if you have questions about the tours that 7 Wonders Birding offers. We can offer these on a customized basis as well.

Do check my 15-minute video where I explain how the 7 Wonders Birding – Bucket List Birding concept works.