Borealis Birding tours are currently available as pre-scheduled group tours and also by request. I also have several tours through WINGS BIRDING TOURS and EAGLE-EYE TOURS that I would love to have you along on!
Tour Schedule 2022-2023
Arizona in Winter — EAGLE EYE TOURS
- January 23-31, 2022
- January 31- February 8, 2022
Winter in Arizona is full of delightful birding opportunities! Many species of waterfowl, raptors, sparrows and flycatchers migrate into southeastern Arizona for the winter. A cohort of Mexican vagrants are more easily found in the winter than summer months like Rufous-backed Robin and Rose-throated Becard. Day-time temperatures are very pleasant and dry and the tour is a relaxed pace with some light to moderate elevation walking through some incredibly scenic mountain canyons.
South Texas: Whooping Cranes & the Lower Rio Grande Valley — EAGLE EYE TOURS
- February 9-17, 2022
A nine day romp through south Texas with the focus on seeing Whooping Cranes at close range on a guided boat tour into the coastal saltmarshes, the exotic looking birds of the Rio Grande Valley, dry country Chihuahuan desert birds and wintering concentrations of waders, shorebirds and migrant waterfowl.
Colorado: Lekking Grouse — WINGS
- 4 April to Thursday 14 April 2022
April is a spectacular time of year in Colorado. Late winter and early spring combine stunningly beautiful snowcapped peaks with the first blush of green on the river-edge cottonwoods and prairies. It’s also the time when the five lekking grouse species—Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater and Gunnison Sage-Grouse, and Lesser and Greater Prairie-Chickens—are engaged in their amazing foot-stomping, cackling, hooting, and/or moaning displays. Mammals will be well represented too: we may see Bighorn Sheep, Pronghorn, Elk, Moose, and Coyote.
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Texas Spring Migration and Hill Country — EAGLE EYE TOURS
- April 17-25, 2022
A fantastic run to the Texas coast to witness the peak of migration and then out to the Hill Country to seek out the endangered and highly localized Golden-cheeked Warblers and Black-capped Vireo. Amazing totals of migrating birds can be observed at the world famous High Island and other nearby sites.
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Pacific Coast Seabird Cruises from Southern California to Vancouver — WINGS
- April 29- May 3, 2022
Albatrosses, Pterodromas, and Seabirding in Comfort! When major cruise companies reposition their boats from winter to summer cruising schedules, the cost of these staging cruises are often remarkably reasonable. Recently West Coast birders have used these cruises as a comfortable platform to look for offshore species, including several pterodroma petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels. On this cruise we have a reasonable chance of encountering Hawaiian, Murphy’s and Cook’s Petrels among many others.
Arizona: Owls and Warblers — WINGS
- Sunday 8 May to Monday 16 May 2022
Southeastern Arizona is one of North America’s great birdwatching destinations, particularly during mid-May when birdsong and breeding activity are typically at their peak. From the rich Sonoran Desert around Tucson to the cool sycamore-lined canyons of the Huachuca Mountains, and the high-elevation forests of the Chiricahua Mountains, the region has remarkable natural beauty. Equally remarkable is the natural diversity of this region. We’ll visit virtually all the major birding locations and could encounter as many as nine or even ten species of owl and 11 species of hummingbird, as well as most of the specialties restricted to this part of the Southwest.
North Carolina: Pelagics and Pineywoods — WINGS
- May 25- Jun 1, 2022
This surf and turf frolic along the Outer Banks of North Carolina offers a diverse selection of sought after species on both land and sea. With two back-to-back day-long seafaring excursions aboard the Stormy Petrel II, we’ll head out for species such as Black-capped Petrel, Audubon’s Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, and jaegers. Rarities such as Fea’s Petrel and other Pterodromas, White-tailed Tropicbird, and Masked Booby are possible. After our two days of pelagic magic, we’ll turn inland to the Pineywoods with their diverse collection of southern warblers, including Swainson’s Warbler, as we search for the North American breeding endemic Bachman’s Sparrow, Brown-headed Nuthatch and the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker.
Michigan & Minnesota: Breeding Warblers and other boreal birds — BOREALIS BIRDING
- June 2023
Day-long excursions targeting the diverse assemblage of breeding warblers of the Lake Superior basin, highlighted by the conservation success story of seeing the rare Kirtland’s Warbler. Other species we’ll be looking for include Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, Le Conte’s Sparrow, up to 24 other members of the warbler family including Connecticut and Golden-winged Warblers and the scenic glory that is the North Woods in the summer!
Southeast Arizona: Birding the Sky Islands — EAGLE EYE TOURS
- July 23- August 1, 2023
One of my most engaging adventures, we will explore the rugged mountain islands of south Arizona, a dynamic time of year known as second spring, when the late summer rains initiate a bloom and breeding season on this Sierra Madrean landscape. This is a naturalist’s playground and we will be looking for a wide range of birds and animals like Hummingbirds, Flycatchers, Becards, Trogons as well as butterflies, herptofauna and mammals in these incredibly scenic mountains.
New Jersey: Cape May Migration Tour — WINGS
- Tuesday September 23-29, 2023
Cape May found at the southern tip of New Jersey is one of those legendary locations with a rich birding history and is one of the birdiest places on the eastern seaboard! We’ll bird a variety of habitats including salt marshes, brushy woodlots and extensive beaches. Hordes of migrating songbirds, massive movements of sea & shorebirds, as well as being one of the premier hawk-watching locales in North America, featuring a famous Peregrine Falcon flight.
New Jersey: Cape May Migration Tour — EAGLE EYE TOURS
- Monday October 4-10, 2021
Cape May found at the southern tip of New Jersey is one of those legendary locations with a rich birding history and is one of the birdiest places on the eastern seaboard! We’ll bird a variety of habitats including salt marshes, brushy woodlots and extensive beaches. Hordes of migrating songbirds, massive movements of sea & shorebirds, as well as being one of the premier hawk-watching locales in North America, featuring a famous Peregrine Falcon flight.
Arizona in Winter — EAGLE EYE TOURS
- November 10-28, 2023
Winter in Arizona is full of delightful birding opportunities! Many species of waterfowl, raptors, sparrows and flycatchers migrate into southeastern Arizona for the winter. A cohort of Mexican vagrants are more easily found in the winter than summer months like Rufous-backed Robin and Rose-throated Becard. Day-time temperatures are very pleasant and dry and the tour is a relaxed pace with some light to moderate elevation walking through some incredibly scenic mountain canyons.
- 4 March to 15 March 2023
A birder’s paradise, Belize is a tropical gem full of exotic mesoamerican birds with several endemics to the Yucatan Peninsula. We will travel over the course of 12 days through this small and charming country, staying at some of the fantastic birding lodges as well as exploring some of the ancient Mayan ruins, stunning waterfalls and extensive forested lands along the Caribbean slope. Some of our target species include Jabiru, Sungrebe, Ocellated Turkey, Hawk-Eagles, Lovely Cotinga, Tody Motmot, numerous species of tanagers and Orange-breasted Falcon!
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Pacific Coast Seabird Cruises from Southern California to Vancouver — WINGS
- April 29- May 3, 2023
Albatrosses, Pterodromas, and Seabirding in Comfort! When major cruise companies reposition their boats from winter to summer cruising schedules, the cost of these staging cruises are often remarkably reasonable. Recently West Coast birders have used these cruises as a comfortable platform to look for offshore species, including several pterodroma petrels, albatrosses, and storm-petrels. On this cruise we have a reasonable chance of encountering Hawaiian, Murphy’s and Cook’s Petrels among many others.
Vancouver to Alaska Seabird Cruise— WINGS
Tuesday 2 May to Wednesday 10 May 2023
This 8-day Princess cruise, which goes from Vancouver to Juneau and Skagway, then loops through Glacier Bay National Park and then across the Gulf of Alaska to take port in Whittier (Anchorage). When in deep offshore waters we’ll look for an excellent variety of pelagic species including Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Pink-footed Shearwater, Laysan Albatross and, if we are lucky, Short-tailed Albatross. While in the Inside Passage (the vast interconnected waterways between the islands of Southeast Alaska) we’ll likely encounter Ancient Murrelets and Cassin’s Auklets, Horned and Tufted Puffins among many others. The scenery is stunning, particularly when we arrive to Glacier Bay, where our primary target, Kittlitz’s Murrelet, may be feeding in the sediment-heavy meltwater that run off the tidewater and other glaciers that ring the bay. Mammals we might encounter include several species of whale such as Blue, Fin and Humpback Whales. As we travel the inner passage, sightings of Orca, Sitka Black-tailed Deer, Brown Bear and Mountain Goat are all likely.
North Carolina: Pelagics and Pineywoods — WINGS
- May 25- Jun 1, 2023
This surf and turf frolic along the Outer Banks of North Carolina offers a diverse selection of sought after species on both land and sea. With two back-to-back day-long seafaring excursions aboard the Stormy Petrel II, we’ll head out for species such as Black-capped Petrel, Audubon’s Shearwater, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, and jaegers. Rarities such as Fea’s Petrel and other Pterodromas, White-tailed Tropicbird, and Masked Booby are possible. After our two days of pelagic magic, we’ll turn inland to the Pineywoods with their diverse collection of southern warblers, including Swainson’s Warbler, as we search for the North American breeding endemic Bachman’s Sparrow, Brown-headed Nuthatch and the endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker.
Borealis Birding 