Three
new Tours to Alaska for 2004!
Adak
Island and the Aleutians (May 16 – 23, 2004)
Interested in birding an area that is amongst the best for Asiatic strays
and Whiskered Auklet? Join us on this tour to the only Aleutian island
accessible for birding. Dan Wetzel will lead a group of birders to Adak
to see what exciting goodies are there in May.
Kenai Coastal Mountains and
Nome (May 30 – June 6, 2004)
The Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound are a splendid natural setting
for a rich diversity of seabirds, from Red-faced Cormorants to Parakeet
and Rhinoceros Auklets, raptors including Golden Eagles, and mammals such
as
Sea Otters, Orcas and Humpback Whales. Then it’s off to Nome for
three days of superb birding, from breeding species such as Bristle-thighed
Curlews
and
Bar-tailed Godwits to Asiatic strays, always an exciting prospect. Dan
Wetzel leads.
The Dalton Highway (June 6 – 13, 2004)
Stretching 500 miles from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay, the Dalton Highway
crosses taiga of the Yukon River Basin, arctic alpine and tundra foothills
of the spectacular Brooks Range, the wildness of the Arctic Coastal Plain,
and
ends at the
Beaufort
Sea. Birds are as diverse as Spectacled and King Eiders, Gyrfalcons, Yellow
Wagtails and Bluethroats. Mammals range from Grizzly Bears to Timber Wolves
and Muskoxen. All this amidst breathtaking landscapes, intriguing geology,
and fascinating people and history. Dan Wetzel, who knows Alaska intimately,
leads.
Trip
Report from our Hawaii Four-Island Tour Nov. 9–22, 2003
By
Richard Knapton
“ Look! Akiapola’au!” We were birding the superb Hakalau Forest
on the Big Island, a wildlife refuge of native koa and ohi’a trees with
a dense understory of ferns and forbs, and a reminder of what Hawai’ian
forests used to look like. We had heard the distinctive call of one of these
astonishing and highly endangered honeycreepers, with surely the most bizarre
beak of any passerine, and there ahead of us on a horizontal branch of a large
koa tree was a splendid adult, hacking away with its lower mandible and occasionally
probing with its long curved upper mandible. What a great bird!
The “Aki” was but one of several exciting sightings we were to
enjoy on our four island tour of the Hawai’ian Islands. Each island is
unique, each has its own flavour and charm, each has much to offer. Highlights
were many – the superb and graceful Laysan Albatrosses gliding below
and above us on the island of Kaui, the exquisite White-tailed Tropicbirds
on several of the islands, the stunning scarlet I’Iwi with its long decurved
bill, full scope sightings of another highly endangered honeycreeper, the finch-like
Palila, the charming and common Apapane with its oddly musical song, the several
smartly-plumaged introduced birds such as Red-crested Cardinals and Lavender
Waxbills, and many more equally fine sightings. We saw close to a hundred species
of birds, many of the endemics and some others that were quite unexpected,
plus a handful of mammals, reptiles and butterflies, for a very fine and successful
tour. To download a complete list of birds seen on this year’s tour
or to learn more about our tour for November
2004 click here.
Announcing
Eagle-Eye’s
support of conservation activities
What would life be like
without many of the wonderful birds and other wildlife in our life?
It would certainly be poorer. We recognize that there are many
people around the world working very hard for conservation, often in developing
countries where they face tremendous challenges. As a result, we have decided
to donate a portion of the revenue from every tour to support a non government
organization working toward local conservation in the area of the tour. This
could range from a small group working toward the conservation of an endangered
habitat to a national ornithological association involved in promoting birding
and facilitating the training of young ornithologists in a developing country.
Each case will be unique as we search out organizations in need of support
that are doing great work. As we identify these groups, we will highlight them
on our individual tour pages on our website so stay tuned! |
