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Big trip - where to go in May? (1 Viewer)

G

grahamknight10

Active member
Hi

I am looking for suggestions for a big birding / wildlife trip for next May? I have been to quite a few places in Europe, so further than that, and have up to two weeks available. I am not really sure about weather conditions or rainy season in more tropical areas eg Central / South America?

Many thanks
Graham
 
May will be the start of the dry season in the Pantanal, so perhaps consider that, especially if you are keen on including other wildlife besides birds.
 
A good tip is to look at where the big bird tour companies go in May - they tend to go to places at the best time of year.

Steve
 
May starts stabil weather in Bolivia and northern Argentina.
I was whole May for mounatin climbing in Bolivia.
Northern Argentina is close to tropics.
see also page form Guy Cox
http://www.toucanbirding.com/birding-calendar/

But 2 weeks is very short for such long trip.

May is also excellent for many European areas like Corse and Greece.
In Corse You will have smell of many spices on many places of the island.
In both area is possible to go to higher areas, if it get hot in valleys.
 
I think the locations named above all sound exciting, however you also have to take into account that May is the best month for birding in the temperate zones of the Northern Hemisphere, not because of the weather (which might vary, depending on location), but because of the birds themselves being more conspicuous. So that includes most of Europe except perhaps the extreme north and south, but it should also be true for places in Asia and North America. I'm just saying this because most people's holidays (at least around here) tend to be during other seasons and thus, they rarely have the opportunity to experience optimal birding conditions in another country or continent in the Holarctic.
 
Point Pelee in Ontario would provide a host of American Wood Warblers plus flycatchers, tanagers and so on with a few days up at Algonquin providing some more boreal species such as Evening Grosbeak, Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker plus Beavers and Moose.

Magee Marsh in Ohio also gives a plethora of warblers, thrushes, tanagers, cuckoos and so on migrating with excursions to south of the state increasing chances of warblers that only occur further north as scarce over shoots, such as Yellow-throated Warbler, Hooded Warbler and Kentucky Warbler whilst Cerulean Warbler has a few breeding sites. A trip to Michigan to the north can provide Boreal species, such as the grosbeak, chickadees, Purple Finch as well as being in breeding areas of the rare Kirtlands Warbler and the wonderful birding locations of the Amish lands where Bobolinks and Upland Sandpipers display.

Both these destinations have great infrastructure, birding news networks and easy to do with some fantastic birding.

both these locations are at their prime from end of the 1st week of May till months end.
 
Two weeks would also be sufficient for a fine trip in the northeastern USA. Those warblers are excellent.

The advice for South America in May is "stay home and read a book!"
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. North America is definitely in the lead right now although I picked up quite a lot of warblers in Central Park a few years ago. Where is particularly good on the west coast?
 
You might give a thought to Southeastern Arizona. Migration is still going on, and the hummingbirds can be amazing.
 
Steve Lister said:
A good tip is to look at where the big bird tour companies go in May - they tend to go to places at the best time of year.

Steve
Click to expand...

This is good advice. Most go to the tropical regions of Central/South America and South East Asia or Africa between November and April. I think for May your best bet would be a trip to North America as others have mentioned. Have a look at Arizona or one of the states further north for the migrating Warblers arriving.
 
Thank you again for the replies - I looked where the tour companies go in May and most are in Europe.

At the moment California looks like the favourite, but one more question.... How about Cape Town and Western Cape in May? (I have been to the eastern side of South Africa)

Thanks
Graham
 
grahamknight10 said:
.., but one more question.... How about Cape Town and Western Cape in May? (I have been to the eastern side of South Africa)
Click to expand...
It's the start of the autumn rainy season if that matters to you; also quite a few birds may not be singing then. I'd have assumed October-November would be a better time to go there (tho' I've never been!).
 
May is a great month to do the Langtang/Gosainkund trek in Nepal, a really superb birding destination (if you enjoy walking!).
 
andyadcock said:
I don't think that Langtang is suitable for anyone other than hardcore trekers yet after the earthquake?

I found this

http://www.markhorrell.com/blog/201...village-two-years-after-the-nepal-earthquake/


A
Click to expand...

Interesting and thoughtful article, also upsetting for anyone who remembers Langtang village.
It does advocate tourism as a way of helping the local economy get back on its feet, and says it is again possible to do 'tea-shop' trekking. What isn't clear is how much of the forest downstream of Langtang has been flattened. When I visited (back in late March 1989(!)) I found relatively well preserved (compared to Annapurna region) and bird-rich Rhododendron forests with decent understorey - if these have gone then there may be less reason to visit the valley from a birding perspective. However, it is also worth heading further up the valley, not sure if there is any accommodation there these days though (we slept in a cave...) - I saw Ibisbill at Langsisa and Kyangjin. Kessler's Thrush (which wasn't in my fieldguide) around Langtang was the other highlight.
If the OP decides to visit Nepal, don't neglect to go to Chitwan, which is in the lowland Terai region and will give you a very different avifauna, not to mention 1-horned rhino. Back in '89 it was easy to organise a trip to a lodge from Kathmandu, with private car transfer - others will give you much more up-to-date info, although I see the place we stayed (Chitwan Jungle Lodge) is still in business!
 
kb57 said:
What isn't clear is how much of the forest downstream of Langtang has been flattened....
Click to expand...

Also wonder about the effect on the endemic Langtang Larch Larix himalaica? I'd think it is unlikely to have become extinct as a result of this, but who knows??
 
Nutcracker said:
Also wonder about the effect on the endemic Langtang Larch Larix himalaica? I'd think it is unlikely to have become extinct as a result of this, but who knows??
Click to expand...
My admittedly very hazy recollection might be that any larch forests were further up the valley from the Rhododendron, maybe sadly in the area to the south of the river which the article suggests have been flattened - I don't recollect walking through much or any larch forest, from what I remember the trail was mostly on the north bank. I'll check through my old notebook - I was recording plants at the time, at least those which I could identify like Rhododendron arboreum and Daphne bhuloa.
From a bird perspective a lot of the records I transferred to Scythebill have 'Lama Hotel' as the location, that seems to have been a particularly bird-rich day on the trek.
Starting to realise that unless the OP is seriously considering a Langtang trek this is going seriously off-thread...
 
Keeping an Asian theme going, now that Rufous-headed Robin is off the cards, May becomes an excellent time for Sichuan...
 
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