Sundarbans (Bangladesh) Masked Finfoot 12th to 16th Apr 2023 (2 Viewers)

[greyfantail]

Hi Everyone,

I am organizing a boat tour in the Sundarbans to search for Masked Finfoot, to take place between the 12th and 16th of April 2023.

Masked Finfoot is critically endangered - the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh is now the only accessible area where there is a good chance of finding it.

The boat tour will be with Pugmark Tours and Travels - two groups of birders did their Masked Finfoot boat tour in December and one (so far) in January - all were successful.
The tour is on a live-aboard houseboat, using a smaller boat to search side-creeks for the Finfoot.

The boat tour is expensive to do solo but the larger the group, the more affordable it becomes.

I might book anything from a 3 Day/3 Night tour to a 5 Day/4 Night tour depending on how many people I can get (and what their budget constraints are).

A longer trip is preferable since it often takes several days (at least) of searching to find a Finfoot.
Also there is 7-8 hours of travel time on the houseboat (to and from the starting point at Khulna) to get to the right areas in the Sundarbans.

Please let me know if you are interested.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[pbjosh]

Hi Everyone,

I am organizing a boat tour in the Sundarbans to search for Masked Finfoot, to take place between the 12th and 16th of April 2023.

Masked Finfoot is critically endangered - the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh is now the only accessible area where there is a good chance of finding it.

The boat tour will be with Pugmark Tours and Travels - two groups of birders did their Masked Finfoot boat tour in December and one (so far) in January - all were successful.
The tour is on a live-aboard houseboat, using a smaller boat to search side-creeks for the Finfoot.

The boat tour is expensive to do solo but the larger the group, the more affordable it becomes.

I might book anything from a 3 Day/3 Night tour to a 5 Day/4 Night tour depending on how many people I can get (and what their budget constraints are).

A longer trip is preferable since it often takes several days (at least) of searching to find a Finfoot.
Also there is 7-8 hours of travel time on the houseboat (to and from the starting point at Khulna) to get to the right areas in the Sundarbans.

Please let me know if you are interested.

Cheers,
Michael

I wish you a lot of luck! I organized the first December group and in the end we were 9, making the cost of the boat quite reasonable.

I am overdue to finish a trip report and put it on cloud birders but will try to do so soon. In the meanwhile feel free to drop me a line if I can help.

Cheers,
Josh

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hi Everyone,

I am organizing a boat tour in the Sundarbans to search for Masked Finfoot, to take place between the 12th and 16th of April 2023.

Masked Finfoot is critically endangered - the Sundarbans mangrove forest in Bangladesh is now the only accessible area where there is a good chance of finding it.

The boat tour will be with Pugmark Tours and Travels - two groups of birders did their Masked Finfoot boat tour in December and one (so far) in January - all were successful.
The tour is on a live-aboard houseboat, using a smaller boat to search side-creeks for the Finfoot.

The boat tour is expensive to do solo but the larger the group, the more affordable it becomes.

I might book anything from a 3 Day/3 Night tour to a 5 Day/4 Night tour depending on how many people I can get (and what their budget constraints are).

A longer trip is preferable since it often takes several days (at least) of searching to find a Finfoot.
Also there is 7-8 hours of travel time on the houseboat (to and from the starting point at Khulna) to get to the right areas in the Sundarbans.

Please let me know if you are interested.

Cheers,
Michael

Projected cost for e.g four people?

I've long wanted to do this trip.

 

[Dave Boyle]

I wish you a lot of luck! I organized the first December group and in the end we were 9, making the cost of the boat quite reasonable.

I am overdue to finish a trip report and put it on cloud birders but will try to do so soon. In the meanwhile feel free to drop me a line if I can help.

Cheers,
Josh

I'm going to be kicking myself for the rest of my life for not being able to make this trip!

 

[greyfantail]

Hi Andy,


Cost per person for a group of 4:

3 Day/3 Night US$ 970
4 Day/4 Night US$ 1210
5 Day/4 Night US$ 1450


Cost per person for a group of 7:

3 Day/3 Night US$ 720
4 Day/4 Night US$ 910
5 Day/4 Night US$ 1200


Cost per person for a group of 10:

3 Day/3 Night US$ 600
4 Day/4 Night US$ 790
5 Day/4 Night US$ 1000


Cost per person for a group of 12:

5 Day/4 Night US$ 900


The largest group Pugmark Tours can take on their larger houseboat is 12 people.
They only sent quotes for groups of up to 10 people for the 3D/3N and 4D/4N tours.

The cost includes the cost of the boat tour itself and forest entrance fees of US$ 40 per person per day.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[greyfantail]

Hi Josh - Thanks!

I think you already did the hardest part in organizing the first non-commercial group and finding a spot for the Finfoot (where it seems they are still being seen, hopefully they hang around there for a few more months!).

Cheers,
Michael

 

[temmie]

If your title said "March" instead of April, I would be very tempted.

 

[Andy Adcock]

If your title said "March" instead of April, I would be very tempted.

I haven't looked at this trip for a number of years but, wouldn't April be the onset of the monsoon?

Genuine interest from me though.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I wish you a lot of luck! I organized the first December group and in the end we were 9, making the cost of the boat quite reasonable.

I am overdue to finish a trip report and put it on cloud birders but will try to do so soon. In the meanwhile feel free to drop me a line if I can help.

Cheers,
Josh

Did you connect!!!

 

[temmie]

I haven't looked at this trip for a number of years but, wouldn't April be the onset of the monsoon?

Genuine interest from me though.

Premonsoon, from what I experienced in the north east of India: some days with rain but definitely not pouring rain. So it should be ok.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Premonsoon, from what I experienced in the north east of India: some days with rain but definitely not pouring rain. So it should be ok.

I've been in S. India as late as mid April and the weather was unbearably humid with plenty of rain. Is the Finfoot easier to see when breeding or not?

From Wiki - In Bangladesh, the breeding season was observed to extend from June to September.

 

[greyfantail]

Hi Andy,

Glad to hear you are interested - I can send you a PM with some more details if you like?

Whether the Finfoot might be easier to find during the Monsoon while breeding is something that I have wondered about myself.

But Birdquest and Birdtour Asia go in December and/or February.
I hope this means that looking outside the monsoon is the way to go.

In any case, I am planning to visit NE India in early April this year, so looking for the Masked Finfoot after that trip avoids having to fly out from Australia again.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Andy Adcock]

Hi Andy,

Glad to hear you are interested - I can send you a PM with some more details if you like?

Whether the Finfoot might be easier to find during the Monsoon while breeding is something that I have wondered about myself.

But Birdquest and Birdtour Asia go in December and/or February.
I hope this means that looking outside the monsoon is the way to go.

In any case, I am planning to visit NE India in early April this year, so looking for the Masked Finfoot after that trip avoids having to fly out from Australia again.

Cheers,
Michael

Yes, please PM me, my only concern is the date.

 

[Andy Adcock]

James Eaton has comment privately regarding date.

'Bangladesh - finfoot is there year-round, so can go as you like, though note it can take several days to find one, and could be missed quite easily. April would be rather warm (a slight understatement perhaps), sat on a sampan all day in that heat, but some people prefer the heat to the cool!

 

[Andy Adcock]

Just nailed it today on the third day of trying!

 

[Mysticete]

Just nailed it today on the third day of trying!

Your going after the Finfoot right now?

 

[Andy Adcock]

Your going after the Finfoot right now?

Just got home today, took us over two days to see it and we also found a Pied Thrush which isn't even in the Helm guide to Bangladesh.

 

[Mysticete]

Glad to see you are feeling a lot better than. Wasn't that long ago that you despaired of ever doing any birding travel after your hospital stay. Bangladesh is a hell of a choice to choose as your first foray back into exotic birding!

 

[Andy Adcock]

Glad to see you are feeling a lot better than. Wasn't that long ago that you despaired of ever doing any birding travel after your hospital stay. Bangladesh is a hell of a choice to choose as your first foray back into exotic birding!

Thanks but it was a largely sedentary trip with four days of the week spent sitting on a house boat. I'll be going in to hospital again for a minor procedure in the nest two weeks but the drugs have me under control for now, touch wood.

Bangladesh is without doubt, of the 80 or so countrries I've done, the one I'd least like to go back to so I'm glad we didn't dip.

The success of a few non commercial tours recently, may see many more people trying for this bird but from what we were told, the tour operator is pretty, fully booked next year.

 

[Jos Stratford]

Bangladesh is without doubt, of the 80 or so countrries I've done, the one I'd least like to go back to so I'm glad we didn't dip

Not been to Bangladesh, but of the 110 or so countries Ive done, Pakistan is the one I'd least like to go back to ...I think a common issue