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Outings

Here is a preview at a few trips for 2010. Sit back, scroll down and shop for birds (and a better life). More trips are coming. Check back for workshops on photography, shorebirds, sparrows and other tricky birds. We're also planning the return of Bicknell's Thrush outings in 2010.


SOUTHERN FLORIDA VACATION
February 27-March 7, 2010
Here is your excuse to escape winter for a leisurely birding vacation. We'll visit Florida hotspots, including Everglades National Park, for close looks at Limpkin, Magnificent Frigatebird, Reddish Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Wood Stork, Purple Gallinule, Short-tailed Hawk, and the Kite Treble (Snail Kite, Swallow-tailed Kite, and White-tailed Kite). We'll enjoy and learn to identify tons of shorebirds, including Snowy Plover, and other waders. Other highlights include (but aren't limited to): Barn Owl, Crested Caracara, White-crowned Pigeon, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, Western Kingbird and the amazing Purple Swamphen. This trip is timed for a morning at the amazing Stormwater Treatment Area 5 (so abundant are the birds at STA-5 that people who go there emerge changed for life).

As usual, we'll avoid one-night stands in our lodging and will enjoy good company and amazing birds. Bryan has even reserved some time for simply relaxing and watching the waves. Here's a report on last year's trip.

Location: Southern Florida
Price:$2,175 for single occupancy, $1,975 for double occupancy. Includes eight nights lodging, breakfasts, park entrance fees, birding in a small group, snacks and other goodies.
Here are more details on the 2010 trip.
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MASSIVE MIGRATION: EARLY SPRING ON THE TEXAS COAST
Two Trips:
April 15-21, 2010

April 23-29, 2010
Here's another short, economical trip for amazing birds. The upper Texas coast is legendary for songbird fallouts, rafts of sandpipers and even Yellow Rails. We'll be there for prime-time fallouts of southern warblers (Hooded, Kentucky, Cerulean, Worm-eating, Swainson's and Prothonotory), most of which will be tired and at our feet. Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Roseate Spoonbill, Mississippi Kite, Yellow-breasted Chat, Summer and Scarlet tanagers and probably some surprises (last year's was a Black-whiskered Vireo) will be among our "easy" birds.

The shorebird show at Bolivar Flats is ideal for beginners to learn and experts to enjoy. You'll encounter terns (our continent's largest, smallest and a few in between) at every, um, er, turn. And we'll take a special daytime walk on a saltmarsh for Yellow Rail and perhaps Black Rail (with Seaside and Nelson's Sharp-tailed sparrows as well as Sedge and Marsh wrens among our constant companions). If that wasn't enough, the trip will also include an excursion for the rare and threatened Red-cockaded Woodpecker.

In other words, you'll be busy and will see a ton of birds in six of the most exciting days of your life. Want proof? Read Bryan's field notes for two days last year, which included an astounding encounter with 70 (he counted!) Indigo Buntings in a small field.

Here are more trip details.

Location: This outing arrives and departs from Houston. Our base will be Winnie, Texas.
Price: $1,385 for single occupancy and $1,265 for double occupancy, including six nights lodging, breakfasts, all entrance fees and other goodies. Air and ground transportation are extra.
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SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA
May 8-17, 2010

Here are only a few reasons to visit southeastern Arizona, indisputably one of our finest birding destinations, next spring: Gray Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Montezuma Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Elf Owl, Spotted Owl, Elegant Trogon (pictured to the right), Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Vermillion Flycatcher, Magnificent Hummingbird, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Mexican Chickadee, Red-faced Warbler, Pyrrhuloxia, Flame-colored Tanager, Rufous-winged Sparrow (to name only a few).

The outing takes a grand loop starting in Tucson. We swing east toward close and amazing shorebirds in Wilcox, then onward to the famous Chiricahua Mountains, where Elegant Trogans, Mexican Chickadees and Crissal Thrashers (among many other specialties) will beckon. From there we're off to the Huachuca Mountains for at least 10 species of hummingbird, Spotted Owl and (of course) many others. Our next major stop, the Patagonia area, will feature Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Thick-billed Kingbird and the world-famous Patagonia Roadside Rest, where rare birds are to be expected. Our final leg of the trip, back near Tucson, will feature the exquisite Madera Canyon, where more trogons, Botteri's Sparrows and perhaps an oddball like Black-capped Gnatcatcher.

Here are more details on the trip.
Want more? Here's a report on the 2008 trip

Price: Coming soon
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WARBLER WEEKEND AT HIGHLAND LODGE IN GREENSBORO, VERMONT
Friday-Sunday, May 28-30, 2010 (Memorial Day Weekend)
Yellow WarblerNorthern Vermont not only offers some of the best forests for northern warblers and other songbirds, it is home to the Highland Lodge, a charming country inn overlooking the crystalline waters of Caspian Lake. We'll convene at the Lodge Friday evening for a short walk and supper. We'll rise early Saturday and Sunday mornings for muffins, coffee, juice and fruit, and then head out to discover lots of birds. We'll conclude each morning of birding with brunch and discussion back at the lodge; and we'll enjoy another hearty supper on Saturday night as well. Other highlights this weekend include a wildflower walk and an evening slideshow and lecture. This trip is all about nature and nurture. It is one of our most popular outings. (Bryan even recognizes -- and accepts -- that the lodge and its fine food may be more of an attraction than birds on this outing.)

How well do we see birds on this trip? Check out the Vermont Bird Tours Gallery for Bassage's photo of a Scarlet Tanager, taken through his point-and-shoot digital camera.

Location: Greensboro
Fee: $375 per person for single occupancy and $355 per person for double occupancy. The fee includes all meals and two nights lodging, including tax and tip. (Alcoholic beverages are not included in the price.) Terms and Conditions.
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BIRDS AND BRUNCH AT HIGHLAND LODGE
Monday, May 31, 2009 (Memorial Day)
Here's a one-morning version of Warbler Weekend. We'll convene at the famed Highland Lodge early Monday morning for coffee, muffins and juice, then head out for a full morning of birding. Expect good looks at more than a dozen warbler species, including quality time with Blackburnian Warbler (pictured to the right). Other highlights on this trip range from Hermit Thrush to Lincoln's Sparrow. We've also seen everything from White-winged Scoter to Merlin, Boreal Chickadee to White-winged Crossbill. We'll conclude our morning with a relaxing brunch and lively conversation near the bird feeders at the Lodge.

How well do we see birds on this trip? Check out the Vermont Bird Tours Gallery for Bassage's photo of a Scarlet Tanager, taken through his point-and-shoot digital camera.

Location: Greensboro
Fee: $55
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FALL MIGRATION AT MONHEGAN ISLAND, MAINE
MonheganSeptember 20-23, 2010 (Monday-Thursday) or
September 25-28, 2010 (Saturday-Tuesday)

Off the coast of Maine, Monhegan Island is one of the nation's most stunning places. This tiny, island (with no cars) is a premier spot for fall migration. During this four-day outing, we'll see everything from falcons to warblers, from migrating monarchs to lounging harbor seals, not to mention a rugged coast with ocean cliffs. Highlights from our prior trips to Monhegan ranged from Clay-colored Sparrow to Dickcissel, from Northern Fulmar to Yellow-headed Blackbird. Check out the Vermont Bird Tours Gallery for a few snap-shots from last year's trip. Here are more trip details.

Location: Off Maine's Midcoast
Fee: Fees for the 2010 outing are not yet final. But the price includes ferry transportation from Port Clyde, three nights lodging, full breakfasts, wine, cheese and an unforgettable island birding experience. Terms and Conditions.
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© Vermont Bird Tours 2009
All images © Bryan Pfeiffer / Wings Photography