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Nikon and The Brevard Nature Alliance present Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival November 16 - 20, 2005 in Brevard County, Florida A celebration of birds and wildlife. |
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Nikon and The Brevard Nature Alliance present Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival November 16 - 20, 2005 in Brevard County, Florida A celebration of birds and wildlife. |
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I have had the good fortune to travel to all seven continents and spend time birding in many of the world's best birding area. On previous occasions I have tried to come up with a list of ten areas, but have decided that the best I can do is a list of fifteen. Each area is large in itself and includes many birding locations, but in each case I will mention a favorite site.
Asia is a region just being discovered by American birders. It is home to some of the world's most spectacular birds, fascinating cultures, beautiful scenery and great wildlife. India is a huge country with an incredible diversity. My favorite site in India is the Bharatpur reserve where, in the winter, wetlands and woodlands teem with waterbirds and passerines. Borneo is tropical Asia at its best, with extensive forests that support a dazzling array of barbets, hornbills, and pittas, as well as orangutans. The best site in Borneo is Danum Valley, where there is a lovely lodge set amid untouched extensive tropical forests. Bhutan is perhaps the most amazing Asian destination, with pristine forests and a traditional Buddhist culture. My favorite site in Bhutan is Crane Valley, where the rare Black-necked Cranes winter.
Australia and New Guinea contain a huge list of birds found nowhere else in the world. New Guinea's forests are home to some of the world's most bizarre and beautiful birds, the birds of paradise. My favorite site in New Guinea is Ambua Lodge, where it is possible to see over a dozen birds of paradise in one day. Australia is a huge country with a wonderful array of habitats that yield a fabulous variety of parrots as well as such unfamiliar families as mound-builders, frogmouths, cuckoo-shrikes and the exquisite fairy-wrens. I especially like the areas near Cairns where many tropical forest birds can be found.
Africa is probably on almost everyone's list of dream destinations and with good reason. The birding is terrific and in many areas the diversity and numbers of mammals is astonishing. Kenya has the greatest diversity of birds and also great mammal viewing, including the great wildebeest migration. My favorite site is the Rondo Mission, a lovely facility located right next to the Kakamega Forest.
Uganda is another marvelous African destination. It is one of the best places to see many forest birds as well as well as the mountain gorilla. The best site in Uganda is Murchison Falls where you have an excellent chance of seeing the huge Shoebill Stork as well as many other birds and mammals. Namibia and Botswana are a wonderful combination of great desert habitats and great wetlands. The waterhole show alone in Etosha National Park is worth the trip. My favorite site is the Shakawe fishing camp on the banks of the Okavango River, where African Fishing Eagles wake you up and Wood Owls lull you to sleep.
South America is the bird continent, boasting over a third of the world's bird species. Brazil is a huge country with a tremendous diversity of habitats and contains more endemic birds than any other South American country. My favorite site is Itatiaia National Park, where you can stay in a superb lodge that has a great hummingbird and tanager show at its feeders. Peru has one of the longest bird lists of any country and wondrous scenery. My favorite site is the Manu area, especially Manu Wildlife Lodge, which offers the best birding and wildlife viewing in Amazonia, including a terrific parrot show as hundreds of parrots come down to eat dirt. Ecuador has the largest bird list for any country its size. It also has an impressive set of lodges and protected areas in both lowland and montane habitats. My favorite site is the Tandayapa Valley just west of Quito where Tony and Barbara Nunnery have created the world's greatest hummingbird show.
Closer to home Belize and Panama both offer incredible tropical birding experiences. Either is an ideal place to start birding the tropics and to see your first woodcreepers, motmots, jacamars and puffbirds. Among the wonderful experiences in the neotropics is the army ant swarm with attendant birds. My favorite sites are Chan Chich Lodge in Belize and the Canopy Tower in Panama.
Within my own country my favorite areas are Alaska and my homeland, Texas. Alaska offers fantastic scenery, great birding and wildlife. My favorite area is Nome with its wonderful tundra birds and wetlands. Texas has a tremendous variety of habitats including the great wide open spaces of Big Bend, and the tropical woodlands of the Rio Grande Valley. My favorite site is the Upper Texas Coast, where the Bolivar flats, High Island and Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge make an unbeatable combination of bird-rich habitats.
Finally, Antarctica and South Georgia should be on every birder's list of must see destinations. These areas were Roger Tory Peterson's favorite places in the world. Vast, pristine and teeming with wildlife, Antarctica is truly awesome, but don't visit without visiting South Georgia, the crown jewel. My favorite site is Gold Harbor on South Georgia where thousands of King Penguins, soaring Light-mantled Albatrosses and bellowing elephant seals reside against a backdrop of mountains and glaciers, creating the most marvelous scene I have ever witnessed.
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