What countries or regions are good for solo birding? (1 Viewer)

[lgonz1008]

A lifetime challenge would be to SEE Barred, Choco, Highland, Tawny-breasted, Hooded, Berlepsch’s, Taczanowski’s, Black, and Tepui, along with Little Nothura and Dwarf Tinamou.

I’ve seen 2 from that list and heard 5 more. Barred might be the hardest in the whole family? I guess with money and will you could get access to a Tepui. The others with a lot of patience are all doable. Could spend a LOT of time (perhaps months or years?) and never even hear Barred is the impression I have of it.

Considering the eBird puts this in their species description of Barred Tinamou:

"Very rare and poorly known tinamou of remote lowland rainforest. Existing records suggest that it favors areas with sandy soil. Rather small for a tinamou, with a chestnut head, a black back, wings marked with rusty bars, dingy underparts, and a pale throat. Few birders have ever seen it, and even hearing one requires some luck."​

Without a single photo and only 6 observations linked to the species, I'd say it's a pretty rare bird for sure.

The problem with Tepui outside of it being a Tinamou, is the fact that it's only been reported in Venezuela (a no-go country) and there hasn't even been a glimpse of a report in the other parts of it's limited range.

 

[jurek]

A lifetime challenge would be to SEE Barred, Choco, Highland, Tawny-breasted, Hooded, Berlepsch’s, Taczanowski’s, Black, and Tepui, along with Little Nothura and Dwarf Tinamou.

Wait until you get an IR scope, as Jan said. If it works like with some other mammals and birds, tinamous would be readily findable. BTW, I am not certain of seeing a bird only in an IR scope would count as a sighting.

 

[opisska]

We have actually found a Great Tinamou in Carara NP with the IR - and saw it then in visible light. I wouldn't be able to ID from IR alone - in any dense environment, you only see that something is there, but you don't really see even the shape in IR, because it's broken up by the branches in foreground to a million small pieces. But I wouldn't moatly ID birds with IR even in open field!

The beauty of IR in rainforest is that it's usually quite shady, often it's cloudy, so you don't get the normal mess from the Sun's heat and can use the IR during the day as if it were night. It helps immensely in finding birds that are just sitting on the ground and not moving, such as the aforementioned Great Tinamou was. It also brought us our first antpitta there. It's still not easy, we got these results only because my wife is now really trained in using it.

 

[pbjosh]

I don’t have a thermal scope yet but will soon enough. I don’t think it would have gotten me any more tinamous but it’s certainly a possibility for the future. I have 23 seen Tinamou species and 9 heard only. With one exception the heard only species have never been anywhere I could have hoped to see them. The one time though - well perhaps - was pretty warm though. That’s perhaps one more Tinamou across 1000+ days in the neotropics. I’m more planning to use it at night and at dawn. And I anticipate stumbling on roosting tinamous much more than finding calling ones.

 

[jurek]

It depends from what IR you have, but a mid-sized bird, like a tinamou could be visible in IR from >100m. The problem is leaves obscuring the bird (e.g. it would be useless in tall grass) but on an open forest floor, one can see things from rather big distance.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

Possibly bear in mind that almost all the info you are getting is people's birding experiences in those countries before COVID. In some of those countries some fundamental things might have changed with regard to what would be the sites to visit and what is/isn't possible without a guide.

I'm very much from the "what's a guide?" school of birding, and have done almost all my world birding guide free. Yes, you won't get the 'numbers', but I find DIY infinitely more rewarding... But much of what I've been able to do in some countries might not actually be logistically possible as of recently .. I don't know.

 

[simmojunior]

I agree with comments on here. I have done many places in Europe and Peru, New Zealand, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Sri Lanka etc...without guides and it is great fun. Some solo, some with friends, some by public transport and some by hire car. You are not going to see every last thing or know every call but you may find some completely different things than a standard tourist itinerary. Guides may have set targets in set spots but my ignorance of these has found me Green Cochoa, Great Argus, Fruithunter, Long-tailed Potoo etc... away from known stakeouts. We found 620 species in 3 weeks in North Peru with the only guides the ones that came free with entrance tickets.

It depends on what sort of birding you want rather than where you are. If you are targeting, guides are helpful. There are times where I have been driving round bad tracks failing to find Ural Owl in Estonia or Pin-tailed Sandgrouse in Spain where I wish I had a guide. Equally, there are days where I have been in the jungle and identified 50 new birds where I could not care less that I didn't have a guide!

 

[lgonz1008]

Possibly bear in mind that almost all the info you are getting is people's birding experiences in those countries before COVID. In some of those countries some fundamental things might have changed with regard to what would be the sites to visit and what is/isn't possible without a guide.

I'm very much from the "what's a guide?" school of birding, and have done almost all my world birding guide free. Yes, you won't get the 'numbers', but I find DIY infinitely more rewarding... But much of what I've been able to do in some countries might not actually be logistically possible as of recently .. I don't know.

That's very true, I've birded around the US without any sort of a guide in the Covid world and it was pretty much the same as before Covid, but not sure if that's just because little changes have happened in the country compared to nations that depend on ecotourism as a life line.

I'm still using guides if I go to a place for a limited time or it's a place that I know I can't get by on my own, but I want to have more experiences where I am the one that finds the lifer by myself. I've done that plenty within Florida but seeing my first Canada Jay or Varied Thrush earlier this year by just looking up where to go and being lucky, gives me a thrill that few times do I experience with a guide (mostly because I have sensory overload from all the new lifers I just got handed to me).

 

[lgonz1008]

I agree with comments on here. I have done many places in Europe and Peru, New Zealand, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, Sri Lanka etc...without guides and it is great fun. Some solo, some with friends, some by public transport and some by hire car. You are not going to see every last thing or know every call but you may find some completely different things than a standard tourist itinerary. Guides may have set targets in set spots but my ignorance of these has found me Green Cochoa, Great Argus, Fruithunter, Long-tailed Potoo etc... away from known stakeouts. We found 620 species in 3 weeks in North Peru with the only guides the ones that came free with entrance tickets.

It depends on what sort of birding you want rather than where you are. If you are targeting, guides are helpful. There are times where I have been driving round bad tracks failing to find Ural Owl in Estonia or Pin-tailed Sandgrouse in Spain where I wish I had a guide. Equally, there are days where I have been in the jungle and identified 50 new birds where I could not care less that I didn't have a guide!

Being able to find Green Cochoa and Great Argus alone is a great argument of why to bird on your own! I think I need to do more of that balance style, first time in a region or country? Go on your own and see what you can find (chances are you'll see most of your first time targets if you know where to look), but the second or third time around, just give the guide a targets list and go nuts seeing those missed gems from previous trips.

Of course, countries that are no-go for solo traveling can still be good for guided traveling (thinking of places like China, Gabon and Guyana here).

 

[Earnest lad]

I have enjoyed solo birding in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Flights can be v. inexpensive, as can accommodation. Driving is safe and car hire is reasonable. These are very safe countries to visit. Many people speak at least some English and some speak a lot of English. There are loads of trip reports online. Also the Gosney booklets are a fantastic source of info about where exactly to find birds. Another advantage of this region is that some of the birds will be familiar. Others that are rare in the UK can be more easily found in those countries.

 

[njlarsen]

Being able to find Green Cochoa and Great Argus alone is a great argument of why to bird on your own! I think I need to do more of that balance style, first time in a region or country? Go on your own and see what you can find (chances are you'll see most of your first time targets if you know where to look), but the second or third time around, just give the guide a targets list and go nuts seeing those missed gems from previous trips.

Of course, countries that are no-go for solo traveling can still be good for guided traveling (thinking of places like China, Gabon and Guyana here).

When in a completely new place I have often gone for a guide the first half day or day and then been without for the rest of the trip. Sometimes that teaches me the sound of some of the common birds I do not afterwards need to use time to actually see so that I can see other things without the guide.
Niels

 

[njlarsen]

We have actually found a Great Tinamou in Carara NP with the IR - and saw it then in visible light. I wouldn't be able to ID from IR alone - in any dense environment, you only see that something is there, but you don't really see even the shape in IR, because it's broken up by the branches in foreground to a million small pieces. But I wouldn't moatly ID birds with IR even in open field!

The beauty of IR in rainforest is that it's usually quite shady, often it's cloudy, so you don't get the normal mess from the Sun's heat and can use the IR during the day as if it were night. It helps immensely in finding birds that are just sitting on the ground and not moving, such as the aforementioned Great Tinamou was. It also brought us our first antpitta there. It's still not easy, we got these results only because my wife is now really trained in using it.

Maybe I was just lucky but both Great Tinamou and Antpitta in Carara without IR and without guiding.

Niels

 

[lgonz1008]

I have enjoyed solo birding in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Flights can be v. inexpensive, as can accommodation. Driving is safe and car hire is reasonable. These are very safe countries to visit. Many people speak at least some English and some speak a lot of English. There are loads of trip reports online. Also the Gosney booklets are a fantastic source of info about where exactly to find birds. Another advantage of this region is that some of the birds will be familiar. Others that are rare in the UK can be more easily found in those countries.

Sounds like great places, especially for the British birder, Red-breasted Goose is usually the bird I link with that region, but I could be wrong.

 

[lgonz1008]

When in a completely new place I have often gone for a guide the first half day or day and then been without for the rest of the trip. Sometimes that teaches me the sound of some of the common birds I do not afterwards need to use time to actually see so that I can see other things without the guide.
Niels

True, even when I go to different habitats between each day of birding, getting used to the calls of certain common species always made it easier on the second day since you tend to remove those calls as part of the background (best example I can think of is Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher or Northern Mockingbird here in South Florida, they are ubiquitous with almost any habitat here and unlike say a Blue Jay, their calls are common but don't disturb you from the birds you want to hear/see)

 

[Earnest lad]

Sounds like great places, especially for the British birder, Red-breasted Goose is usually the bird I link with that region, but I could be wrong.

Yes they are: there is the famous Hortobagy in Hungary, and the Danube Delta in Romania, not to mention many places in Bulgaria. The sheer abundance of birds is reportedly much better than , say, Spain. The Red-breasted Goose is of course a winter visitor.

 

[pbjosh]

Of course, countries that are no-go for solo traveling can still be good for guided traveling (thinking of places like China, Gabon and Guyana here).

What makes any of those three no-go for solo travel?

 

[pbjosh]

Maybe I was just lucky but both Great Tinamou and Antpitta in Carara without IR and without guiding.

Niels

I don't think Great Tinamou or Streak-chested Antpitta are great challenges in the grand scheme of neotropic birds (and I wouldn't expect you to think so either!). While guides are helpful if you don't know an area or a group of birds, as we all seem to agree, I think that learning bird song and learning tropical birding will get you further than a thermal scope with respect to a lot of Antpittas and Tinamous. I've only ever seen 1 bird species thanks to thermal, Everett's Thrush in Borneo. However, there have been several times owling where it could have been handy.

My next big trip already has at least one scope going so I don't have any pressure to get one but will... beyond seeing more nocturnal birds more readily, I'm keen to reduce the amount of playback and light used and thus reduce my disturbance. All around a great bit of kit.

 

[opisska]

I have been researching Kenya for a few days now and just decided to buy the tickets. The country is expensive as hell but really looks surprisingly open to independent travel - you need a car to be independent in national parks - and a 4x4 for a lot of places (as they reportedly won't even let you in without one) but all the parks allow independent unguided entry, so it looks quite fun. Well, you'll see in about a month - or earlier, if it's really bad and I will get cell reception

 

[lgonz1008]

What makes any of those three no-go for solo travel?

China is mostly how difficult it is to access most of the good birding spots without a good understanding of Mandarin (only speak English and Spanish here), plus many parts of the country are limited on what tourists can and can't visit unless they are with a guide from China (kind of what happens for Cuba if you want to visit any of the protected areas). Plus not to mention how bad the driving would be.

As for Gabon and Guyana, it's a combination of difficult to coordinate on your own, country has limited connection, so it's best (and likely safer) to ask a local guide to create and itinerary for you and have them join you since the regions are mostly composed of lowland rainforest habitat with high levels of endemism/little known species. So it just seems like a better option overall, but then again, I'm sure there's a few birders out there that would still try it on their own like the "Budget Birders" couple, but definitely not countries I'd feel comfortable doing on my own (Papua New Guinea is also in that list but that one is usually seen as a tours=safe option).

 

[lgonz1008]

I have been researching Kenya for a few days now and just decided to buy the tickets. The country is expensive as hell but really looks surprisingly open to independent travel - you need a car to be independent in national parks - and a 4x4 for a lot of places (as they reportedly won't even let you in without one) but all the parks allow independent unguided entry, so it looks quite fun. Well, you'll see in about a month - or earlier, if it's really bad and I will get cell reception

Enjyo the country, will look forward to the pictures and if possible a trip report!