Hiring a bird guide on holiday (1 Viewer)

[bonxie birder]

I have a reasonable size list and that is despite my lack of birding expertise. I do travel to good bird locations around the world and that certainly helps, although it is almost exclusively with my non birding wife. However I am convinced that the primary reason that my list has quality as well as quantity is almost exclusively down to the assistance of a local bird guides. Not cheap, I invariably pay $200 a day for guide and car/driver, but a good guide is worth their weight in gold. Most places we go to will be the only time we go and so I feel a need to do the best I can. In Brazil, Flores and Vietnam to name but a few, guides took me to places that I would never have been able to get to and when there were to try and find exactly what I wanted. I anccept that there are good guides and less good guides.
I would be interested to know if anyone here, birds alone and whether they feel they see all they want. Or whether the feeling is that a guide is essential.

 

[simmojunior]

I have a reasonable size list and that is despite my lack of birding expertise. I do travel to good bird locations around the world and that certainly helps, although it is almost exclusively with my non birding wife. However I am convinced that the primary reason that my list has quality as well as quantity is almost exclusively down to the assistance of a local bird guides. Not cheap, I invariably pay $200 a day for guide and car/driver, but a good guide is worth their weight in gold. Most places we go to will be the only time we go and so I feel a need to do the best I can. In Brazil, Flores and Vietnam to name but a few, guides took me to places that I would never have been able to get to and when there were to try and find exactly what I wanted. I anccept that there are good guides and less good guides.
I would be interested to know if anyone here, birds alone and whether they feel they see all they want. Or whether the feeling is that a guide is essential.

It depends where you are but often it is quite rewarding to find birds without a guide. Ultimately, it depends whether your priority is to explore or rack up as big list as possible. Guides vary in quality, can be expensive and can reduce flexibility.

Some places a guide is essential for safety, access or because bird(s) in question would be impossible without knowing precise spot (e.g. roosting owls). In other places, such as when birds are viewed from public hides / at feeding stations, guides add little value. So much information is freely available online though. You often see different things to guided trips if guides have set routes / locations. For example, in north Peru in 2017, I stumbled on all sorts of strange things (eg Plumbeous Euphonia) in strange locations that I doubt a guide would have found. Though, on other hand, there were times when guide would have been helpful such as finding track to get to Ash-throated Antwren.

 

[earlytorise]

I am convinced that the primary reason that my list has quality as well as quantity is almost exclusively down to the assistance of a local bird guides

Would the reasons also include help with identifying? I asked the same question to a friend who told me that that was the main benefit of guides in e.g. Latin America. It's not possible to memorise all the calls in advance (of a holiday).

 

[Peter.home]

I only use a guide if it is the only way to get to a site, or for safety reasons.

Much prefer to go about my own pace.

My other consideration is that I often spend time photographing other wildlife, butterflies, flowers etc. I've come to the conclusion that it's not really fair on the guide who is trying to build up a reputation of showing his clients as many birds as possible, if I'm not fully on board

So I often don't see as many birds, but it's more than made up for with other animals and wild flowers

 

[Mysticete]

I rarely use guides if I am birding in the US or Canada, however if traveling abroad I think they are a great option. A good local guide will not only have up to date intel on tough species, but they will also have the experience to recognize birds by call that a visiting birder just won't, and can quickly get you on birds that you would otherwise miss. And as a bonus, they can help with logistics and I don't have the stress of driving and navigating in a unfamiliar country.

My reasoning for using guides is also I am not rich. In all likelihood, if I go to a place I probably won't ever visit it again. So I really want to make sure I get the most out of a trip and not leave disappointed. I think it's a better investment in the long run to pay for a guide then have to pay for a return trip because I missed that special bird.

 

[foresttwitcher]

I bird alone and am fully aware that I miss out on some birds, probably quite a lot in fact, but I get more enjoyment out of finding my own stuff (with help from research and other's advice / locations) but I prefer to use my own time as I want - even if I sometimes regret it later - and don't run the risk of spending time with someone who I find I don't get on with.

 

[bonxie birder]

I bird alone and am fully aware that I miss out on some birds, probably quite a lot in fact, but I get more enjoyment out of finding my own stuff (with help from research and other's advice / locations) but I prefer to use my own time as I want - even if I sometimes regret it later - and don't run the risk of spending time with someone who I find I don't get on with.

Tbh I have twice had a guide that I was disappointed with and felt that they both changed the agreed conditions while we were out birding. Once in Morocco and the other in Turkey, although the former took me to small rock filled field where I saw 6 species of lark. I would never have found that precise location on my own.

 

[Montereyman]

I have had the best results with area specific guides who are familiar with their bit of turf and walk it day in and day out. I found a great guide in Monteverde in Costa Rica and also Daniel Dietrich at Point Reyes in California. Daniel knew where to find owls during the day that are hiding from great horned owls as well as where to find otters that hunted in both fresh water ponds and also along the shore in the Pacific Ocean. The river otters were hunting as a pack which was completely new to me.

Group tours have been of very limited success as their guides or group leaders cannot be expected to know a large area very well and I have experienced this in many places.

 

[kb57]

I enjoy birding solo, when I can take as much or as little time as I feel at a site / getting a photo / trying to see a difficult species. But I'm not a great spotter (my casual birder partner is much better!) and particularly not great at detecting birds in woodland habitats, and miss a lot in tropical forest habitats in particular - in wetlands and more open habitats, I feel more confident on my own. I also enjoy doing my own research and working things out for myself.
That said, the few occasions when I've used guides have been great, getting me onto birds I'd never have seen on my own, and also feeling like I was experiencing the area through the knowledge of a local, including things like the places we ate and the people we met along the way. But travelling alone, guides work out expensive - I'd definitely be open to doing a small group tour in the future to split costs and benefit from a few more observers, using local guides where there's a real benefit in doing so.

 

[LRP]

Hi - although I’ve been interested all my life it’s only now that I’m getting a little more serious about birding ( and finally time permits ) . I am also travelling quite extensively on a very limited budget . I would love to use a guide at every opportunity but unfortunately budget does not often allow. I have learnt that whilst a guide helps me on the first few places , if you are staying in a relatively unvaried habitat the joy of finding and identifying a bird yourself is immense .. However it takes time .. which is often against you when you are travelling . Merlin and bird are gamechanging tools
It’s really difficult to find other birders in your exact location when talking worldwide trips unless it’s planned well in advance . Travelling alone often means that the cost of a driver and a guide is prohibited but when you can get one I find them mostly fabulous . Occasionally unfortunately you do get overpriced , without the in-depth knowledge general tour guides - but that is part of travelling I guess -like nature- not everything can go to plan . If I can ever help Anyone who finds themselves in a similar position to me please ask .
I have found the community here to be very helpful .
Finally on that point .. can anyone give me their top hits to aim for should they find themselves in India ?? Thank you

 

[kb57]

Hi - although I’ve been interested all my life it’s only now that I’m getting a little more serious about birding ( and finally time permits ) . I am also travelling quite extensively on a very limited budget . I would love to use a guide at every opportunity but unfortunately budget does not often allow. I have learnt that whilst a guide helps me on the first few places , if you are staying in a relatively unvaried habitat the joy of finding and identifying a bird yourself is immense .. However it takes time .. which is often against you when you are travelling . Merlin and bird are gamechanging tools
It’s really difficult to find other birders in your exact location when talking worldwide trips unless it’s planned well in advance . Travelling alone often means that the cost of a driver and a guide is prohibited but when you can get one I find them mostly fabulous . Occasionally unfortunately you do get overpriced , without the in-depth knowledge general tour guides - but that is part of travelling I guess -like nature- not everything can go to plan . If I can ever help Anyone who finds themselves in a similar position to me please ask .
I have found the community here to be very helpful .
Finally on that point .. can anyone give me their top hits to aim for should they find themselves in India ?? Thank you

Fully agree with your sentiments and approach to birding - the only thing I would say is if you are new to birding, or just getting more serious, then there is a lot to learn from going out birding with other more experienced people - ID skills, fieldcraft - so if you can join up with others, either at home or on your travels, it would probably be beneficial.
Although I bird solo or with my partner now, as a returning birder after a long hiatus, as a young learner I benefitted greatly from going out with more experienced birders, as well as going on local bird club / natural history society field trips. Admittedly Merlin and eBird make things a lot easier now, although Merlin sound ID doesn't work everywhere.

WRT India my information is decades out of date, but Bharatpur wetlands was always a key site. Back in the day I just got a guy on a cycle rickshaw to take us there from the town, but I guess it's a bit more organised now . Looking beyond that, the main centres of avian diversity and endemism are the Western Ghats and Himalayas / NE foothills. National parks in SW India like Mudumalai are accessible and get you into some great habitat. NE India - beyond Darjeeling - was more or less inaccessible to westerners in the past, but now is the place to go - plenty of trip reports on Cloudbirders and advice on Birdforum from people who've been there.

 

[KenM]

Although I’ve twitched (“mostly” in the past),
Birding for me has always been a FYO affair.
It’s the “hunting” often negative, but when you score…there’s nothing to touch it! 👍

 

[LRP]

Fully agree with your sentiments and approach to birding - the only thing I would say is if you are new to birding, or just getting more serious, then there is a lot to learn from going out birding with other more experienced people - ID skills, fieldcraft - so if you can join up with others, either at home or on your travels, it would probably be beneficial.
Although I bird solo or with my partner now, as a returning birder after a long hiatus, as a young learner I benefitted greatly from going out with more experienced birders, as well as going on local bird club / natural history society field trips. Admittedly Merlin and eBird make things a lot easier now, although Merlin sound ID doesn't work everywhere.

WRT India my information is decades out of date, but Bharatpur wetlands was always a key site. Back in the day I just got a guy on a cycle rickshaw to take us there from the town, but I guess it's a bit more organised now . Looking beyond that, the main centres of avian diversity and endemism are the Western Ghats and Himalayas / NE foothills. National parks in SW India like Mudumalai are accessible and get you into some great habitat. NE India - beyond Darjeeling - was more or less inaccessible to westerners in the past, but now is the place to go - plenty of trip reports on Cloudbirders and advice on Birdforum from people who've been there.

Thank you so much- I’m very pleased to hear about Darjeeling area and NE India as it’s definitely on the list as there seem to be so many national
Parks there! Bharatpur also key - I was thinking Corbett too…

 

[MKinHK]

Having guided in the past for groups and individuals (in Hong Kong and China) and birded with and without a guide (in a few countries) I agree with much of what has been said above. The smart tour companies use local guides to connect with tough birds in specific locations.

As I get older I care less about cleaning up in any location, and love finding my own birds - even if that is less pure now that eBird has many birds nailed to a specific location - but I will long cherish a guided dash in Peru along the truly scary mountain roads from Lima at sea level to see Diademed Sandpiper Plover on a mossy bog above 4000 metres in the Andes and getting back to town in time for my evening flight.

I especially appreciate a guide when I get off a long flight and don't want to drive tired in a country where I don't know the culture of the road.

I also find I learn a lot about the places I'm birding in through talking to the guide and this considerably enriches my experience as I enjoy understanding the context. Multi-skilled guides who can show my non-birding wife other things of interest and choose a good restaurant also help to make a good trip into a great trip.

Its also worth considering that you're putting money into the economy, and that guides are often involved in conservation or NGO work and depend on the guiding to cover the gaps that typically low conservation salaries may leave in a monthly budget.

Cheers
Mike