WWF Travel flocks to top birding sites
Aug 3rd, 2010 by wwftravel
Hyacinth macaws pair up in Brazil's Pantanal. © Michel Gunther/WWF-Canon
Like sports fans in a pub arguing over the greatest plays of all time, bird-watching aficionados could debate the world’s top birding destinations until the geese fly South. The Internet is spilling over with top 10 lists and message board banter.
From a travel and conservation standpoint, we like the approach of British birdwatcher and birding magazine columnist Dominic Couzens.
In his book “Top 100 Birding Sites of the World” (University of California Press) he chooses destinations that not only provide good sightings, but also are spots “where one might have the greatest experiences looking for them.” He admits that this approach may cause debate – even rile emotions – but we agree that seeing birds and other wildlife is about the “intrinsic richness” of the overall experience, not necessarily about a checking off a long list of avian species.
WWF offers tours to a good number of the destinations on Couzens’ must-see list. Among them (in alphabetical order by country):
The Pantanal, Brazil: The Brazilian reserve is as well known among birders for its forest and scrub species as it is for its wetland birds. The stunning hyacinth macaw is among the most noteworthy residents – one WWF works actively to protect.
Outer Hebrides, Britain: Often considered a best-kept secret among travelers, the Outer Hebrides is an important zone for massive colonies of sea birds. At least one-quarter of the entire global population of northern gannets reside here, as do tens of thousands of pairs of northern fulmars, Atlantic puffins, common guillemots, great skuas and others.
Churchill, Canada: It’s a piece of cake to watch the birds of the “true tundra” during a visit that can prove to be both “noisy and visually stunning,” Couzen writes of the city on the shores of the Hudson Bay.
Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica: Full of top-notch forest birds, including the sought-after quetzal.
In the Galápagos, male frigatebirds inflate their pouches to attract mates. © Martin Harvey/WWF-Canon
The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador: Landing in top spots on must-see lists for a variety of reasons, the Pacific Ocean archipelago affords up-close observations of fearless and endemic species, including the blue- and red-footed boobies, flightless cormorant, waved albatross, Darwin’s finch and frigatebird.
Taveuni, Fiji: Couzens notes that the South Pacific island is “blessed with a number of staggeringly colorful birds.”
Tikal, Guatemala: The forest surrounding the temples at Tikal is one of the top places in all of North and South America to see larger bird species that “tend to disappear as soon as people move into an area with guns and traps,” Couzens writes. The great curassow and crested guan are two to look for.
Minor white pelicans and lesser flamingos mingle on Lake Nakuru in Kenya. © Donald Miller/WWF-Canon
Great Rift Valley, Kenya: The lake here swarms with vast flocks of flamingoes, and the valley overall has a substantial number of birds. Couzens says he likes this region because “it is perfectly possible to find corners of the national park that you can more or less have to yourself.”
Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar: Though more famous for its noteworthy resident lemurs, the island nation off the eastern coast of mainland Africa offers “prime-quality” birding. More than 70 endemic species are found in Pèrinet Reserve. “There is nowhere better,” Couzens writes, “to become giddily immersed in the delights of birding in Madagascar.”
Gomantong Caves, Malaysian Borneo: Sunset brings a “shift change” to the remote caves on the world’s third-largest island – a “rush hour” that makes for “an interesting spectacle.” Bats stream out by the thousands, swiftlets nest high in the caves and predatory birds (including rufous-bellied eagles, bat hawks and peregrine falcons) descend to take advantage of the flying feast.
Stewart Island, New Zealand: Wading birds dominate intertidal zones on this island, which is 85 percent occupied by Raikura National Park. But the Stewart Island kiwi (locally called the “tokoeka”) is what draws birders from around the world. The 20,000 or so individuals on the island exhibit unusual habits, including feeding during the day and living together in families.
Papua New Guinea: The island is home to at least 10 different types of the bird of paradise – a species Couzen aptly calls “famed and incomparably weird and wonderful.”
The Serengeti Plains, Tanzania: “The magic of the Serengeti,” Couzens writes, “is in no way exaggerated.” Its megafauna isn’t limited to the big-name mammals either. Birds are equally plentiful.
Excellent post, this guide to the best places is brilliant and i will be working my way through these i have no doubts!