April 2025: Tanzania
A truly stupendous bird and mammal tour in East Africa, and a return to her childhood home for Julia! Highlights too many to mention, but included multiple Servals, Black Rhino, numerous Cheetahs and Lions, Bat-eared Fox, Secretarybird, multiple owls and bustards, several stunning longclaws, plus weavers and whydahs in breeding plumage, and endemics like Ashy Starling, Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Maasai Apalis, Broad-ringed (or Kilimanjaro) White-eye, Yellow-collared Lovebird, Grey-crowned Helmetshrike and Beesley's Lark.
December 2024: Fuerteventura
Another dead easy Canarian winter trip: the endemic Canary Islands Chat seen at close range, plus a vagrant Eastern Yellow Wagtail, African Houbara, degener African Blue Tit, Egyptian Vulture, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, stacks of great endemic plants and insects, and migrant swarms of Plain Tiger butterflies and Striped Hawk-moths.
December 2023: Tenerife
An easy return trip to the Canaries for some winter sun: all the endemics seen, including Tenerife Blue Chaffinch, Bolle's and Laurel Pigeons, plus exploration of Mt Teide and an exciting boat trip with turtles and pilot whales.
May 2023: Türkiye
A brilliant week of archaeology, birds and other wildlife in south-west Türkiye: White-throated Robin, Black-headed Bunting, Finsch's Wheatear, Krüper's and Western Rock Nuthatches, a stack of amazing migrants and resident birds at Acigöl, and various endemic subspecies. Add in spectacular Greek ruins at Ephesus, Laodicea, Hierapolis and elsewhere, and this was a very memorable week.
February 2022: Florida
A quick hit of winter sun in the States West Indian Manatee, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Florida Scrub-jay, Burrowing Owl, Wilson's and Piping Plovers, Wild Turkey, Least Bittern, Prothonotary Warbler and many other wintering passerines, and masses of waterbirds and raptors in the Everglades.
May 2019: Estonia
A short Euro break to the Baltic: Great Snipe, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Citrine Wagtail, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Arctic migration and lots more.
July 2018: Canada
High mountains, pine forests, lakes and glaciers. Orcas! Plus lots more mammals, & both migrant and resident montane birds. Also badlands & dinosaurs!
August 2017: Romania
An action-packed and hot 11-dayer in SE Europe, with mountain and wetland birds, loads of insect life, and the much-desired highlight of European Brown Bear.
June 2016: Pantanal & Iguazu
Two weeks back in Brazil (and Argentina!) 14 years after our original visit there. Pantanal was just as amazing, with the added bonus of Jaguar and Ocelot, plus the stunning Iguazu Falls into the bargain.
December 2014: Oaxaca
A superb endemic- and migrant-filled trip to the "thin bit" of Mexico - big highlights included Rosita's Bunting, Sumichrast's Sparrow, Nava's Wren, Giant Wren and Lesser Ground Cuckoo - plus a top pelagic!
December 2013: Thailand
Two wonderful weeks back in the tropics - Giant Nuthatch, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Great Hornbill, Siberian Blue Robin and field full of Palearctic British vagrants. Plus Gibbons!
July 2013: Mallorca
A three-day mini-Euro-twitch for Eleonora's Falcon, but also featured Balearic Warbler, Balearic Shearwater, Scopoli's Shearwater, Cinereous Vulture, Audouin's Gull and barely tickable Red-knobbed Coots.
April 2013: Crete
A fairly low-key (and windy!) trip to the largest of the Greek islands - lots of migrant birds (including Thrush Nightingale and Collared Flycatcher, plus lots of Red-footed Falcons), butterflies and endemic plants - plus masses of orchids.
September 2012: Iceland
A mainly non-birding Geo field trip, but some good quality birds nonetheless - including Harlequin Duck, various Arctic migrants and residents, and the Aurora Borealis.
April 2012: Taiwan and Hong Kong
An endemic-packed trip to Taiwan (both rare pheasants - Mikado Pheasant and Swinhoe's Pheasant, all available endemic species and most of the endemic forms, plus Black-faced Spoonbill), followed by a four-day whistle-stop tour of Hong Kong - featuring Mai Po - 36 waders in a morning, including the holy trinity: Nordmann's Greenshank, Asian Dowitcher and Spoon-billed Sandpiper!
August 2011: Namibia, Botswana & Zambia NHS
Our fourth overseas trip with the boys in as many years, this time we visited a trio of stunning southern African countries with good ol' Rainer and Rockjumper Birding Tours. Stacks of superb species and experiences - Black Rhino, Sable Antelope and Roan Antelope, Rockrunner, Herero Chat, Hartlaub's Spurfowl, three MORE Puff Adders to add to the three in South Africa in 2009, and a national bird "first" for Namibia - see the report to find out more....!
April 2011: Pyrenees
A two week meander around the steppes of Aragon and the Spanish Pyrenees. More frustration and finally partial satisfaction with Dupont's Lark, plus Bearded Vulture, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and all the Spanish specials.
May 2010: Finland
A very brief five day trip in northern Finland, including a Finnature owling trip with Great Grey Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Eurasian Pygmy Owl and Black Woodpecker. Other highlights were Siberian Jay, lots of Black-throated Divers, Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, and at last, after missing it ten years ago, a Western Palearctic tick for Julia in the form of singing Red-flanked Bluetail!
March 2010: Morocco NHS
Another fabulous overseas Natural History trip, with thirteen of our students and the ever excellent Rainer Summers, our "exclusive" Rockjumper guide. First and foremost, we succeeded in seeing the ultra-rare Northern Bald Ibis, but also enjoyed a near-complete set of desert specialities (including two ticks for Julia - African Desert Warbler and Maghreb Wheatear), plenty of mini-beasts (including scorpions and ant species), fossils and even a meteorite!
December 2009: Ecuador
Three hectic (and sometimes wet!) weeks in the Andes, rainforests and Galapagos Islands - the usual Neotropical overload, but particular highlights had to be 45+ species of hummingbirds, including Tourmaline Sunangel, Velvet-purple Coronet, Empress Brilliant, Great Sapphirewing and Ecuadorian Hillstar. Galapagos highlights were numerous - Galapagos Petrel, bustling seabird colonies, Galapagos Penguin, Darwin's finches and more besides.
June/July 2009: Papua New Guinea
An unbelievable four-week jaunt around the fabled island of New Guinea - 354 species (94% of them lifers!), including 21 birds of paradise, 29 pigeons (including Southern Crowned Pigeon & Nicobar Pigeon), 25 parrots (including Pesquet's Parrot and Eclectus Parrot), Palm Cockatoo, 15 kingfishers (including 2 kookaburras and 4 paradise-kingfishers), both painted-berrypeckers, over half of New Guinea's (and thus the world's) berrypeckers, Wattled Ploughbill, Papuan Treecreeper, four bowerbirds and Black Sittella.
May 2009: Scotland
A short break in the Highlands of Scotland (not strictly overseas...). Star species included European Otter, European Pine Marten, Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Scottish Crossbill, White-tailed Eagle, Corn Crake and stacks of seabirds - amongst others!
March/April 2009: South Africa NHS
A follow-up to last year's India school trip - this time we took 14 boys from our school NHS to see Southern Right Whale, Great White Shark, Cape Rockjumper (and many, many more endemic birds), plus the "Big Five" and loads more in Kruger NP. Ably led by our friend Rainer Summers of Rockjumper Birding Tours, we saw a total of 350 bird species!
October 2008: The Isles of Scilly
Well, it's sort of overseas.... A fab rarity-packed week on the magical Isles of Scilly - the top highlight was undoubtedly a highly unexpected Snowy Owl, ably backed up by Red-flanked Bluetail, two Grey-cheeked Thrushes, White-rumped Sandpiper and a good few other scarce bits and pieces.
July 2008: Uganda and Rwanda
A comprehensive three-week Rockjumper trip around western Uganda, with a side-trip to Rwanda in search of the mythical Mountain Gorilla. Over 500 species of birds recorded, including 19 Albertine Rift endemics, and such megas as Shoebill, African Finfoot, Great Blue Turaco, Uganda Woodland Warbler, White-spotted Flufftail and Ituri Batis.
April 2008: Southern Morocco
A brisk 10 day tour of the mountains and deserts of southern Morocco, with a couple of days on our own at the end. Highlights included Levaillant's Woodpecker, Red-necked Nightjar, Northern Bald Ibis, Seebohm's Wheatear, Moussier's Redstart, Desert Sparrow, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, Lanner Falcon at the nest and more.
February 2008: Northern India NHS
A great 10-day trip to Delhi, Bandhavgarh and Agra with 14 keen and excited Winchester College students. Megas included 8 Bengal Tigers, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, White-capped Bunting, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Blue-capped Rock Thrush and 190+ others.
December 2007: Ethiopia
A quick-fire visit to this wonderful country in the Horn of Africa - several Abyssinian endemics, including Wattled Ibis, Banded Barbet, White-collared Pigeon and Ethiopian Oriole, plus an excellent range of east African savannah, mountain and lake birds. And mammals too - Lesser Kudu, Beisa Oryx and the regionally endemic Soemmerring's Gazelle.
October 2007: Madagascar
An absolutely awesome visit to the "eighth continent" - we found ourselves overwhelmed by 120+ endemic birds (including at least five endemic families: couas, ground-rollers, Cuckoo-roller, mesites and asities!), and heaven knows how many endemic plants, insects, and chameleons - and don't forget the lemurs, too!
October 2007: Mauritius
The mythical island of the Dodo (RIP) and the Pink Pigeon (OOL - on our lists!) was a very pleasant stopover on our way to and from Madagascar (see above). Most endemics nailed including the stunning Mauritius Olive White-eye, Mauritius Cuckoo-shrike and Mauritius Bulbul, plus megas such as Mascarene Swiftlet and White-tailed Tropicbird, the latter completing our world list of these pelagic aeromeisters.
September 2007: UAE & Oman
Simon only once again (more sniff) - 17 lifers including such megas as Crab-plover, Great Knot, Sooty Falcon, Sooty Gull, Jouanin's Petrel, Menetries's Warbler, Bridled Tern, White-cheeked Tern and Saunders's Tern and Desert Whitethroat. Cool - except it was extremely hot....
September 2007: Gambia
Simon only (sniff) on a week's return trip to West Africa - lots of colourful, west African birds, including two turacos, six kingfishers, White-shouldered Black Tit, Northern Crombec, Senegal Batis, and best of all a Hudsonian Whimbrel!
July 2007: Peninsular Malaysia
Our first trip to SE Asia, and a hill- and forest-birding spectacular, with stacks of amazing birds, from trogons and broadbills, to Crested Fireback, Bat Hawk, Malayan Whistling Thrush, Malayan Partridge, Great Slaty Woodpecker, Blyth's Hawk-Eagle and Slaty-backed Forktail.
May 2007: Poland: Biebrza Marshes
A stunning five-day break - highlight unquestionably Great Snipe for a life tick, but also Aquatic Warbler, White-winged Tern in abundance, Savi's Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Marsh Warbler and Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Montagu's Harrier, White-tailed Eagle, Common Crane, Whiskered Tern, Great White Egret, and several Elk.
A tremendous mix of endemic, Neotropical and Nearctic birds against a backdrop of Mayan ruins. Ocellated Turkey, Rose-throated Tanager, Black Catbird, Cozumel Vireo and Cozumel Emerald, Yucatan Wren, Mexican Sheartail and numerous "Yank" migrants, including many wood warblers, such as Black-and-white , Magnolia , Yellow-throated , Kentucky , Hooded and Chestnut-sided.
The Neotropical birding was absurdly easy and luxurious, with stacks of superb birds - Red-billed Tropicbird, Masked Booby, Scarlet Ibis, Pinnated Bittern, Striped Owl, White-tailed Sabrewing, Oilbird, Bearded Bellbird, White-throated Spadebill, Grey-throated Leaftosser, Moriche Oriole - and a self-found first for T&T: Lesser Goldfinch.
December/January 2005/6:
The Canaries
It was a great little endemic-fest - Fuerteventura Stonechat, Bolle's Pigeon and Laurel Pigeon, Blue Chaffinch, Tenerife Robin, Canary Islands Chiffchaff and Canary Islands Goldcrest, Atlantic Canary, Plain Swift, Berthelot's Pipit, African Blue Tit, Houbara Bustard, Cream-coloured Courser and Black-bellied Sandgrouse - plus a Blue-winged Teal!
December/January 2004/5: Sri Lanka
This was an amazing island endemic special. Highlights included Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Sri Lanka Whistling Thrush, Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon, Green-billed Coucal, White-faced Starling, Blue-faced Malkoha, Kashmir Flycatcher, Sri Lanka Frogmouth and Pied Thrush. The whole trip, however, was overshadowed by the tsunami on our day of arrival.
It was a fantastic and highly successful journey in central and eastern Europe - we saw 202 species in July. White-backed Woodpecker, Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker and all the other European woodpeckers, Saker Falcon, Long-legged Buzzard, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, Great Bustard, Greenish Warbler, Aquatic Warbler, Moustached Warbler and River Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Common Rock Thrush, Alpine Accentor and Lesser Grey Shrike, plus Wild Boar, Elk, Alpine Marmot and European Bison!
This was an 'easy' Mediterranean trip, but it nevertheless produced three lifers for Simon and eight for Julia: highlights included Krüper's Nuthatch and Western Rock Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Rüppell's Warbler, Cinereous Bunting and Cretzschmar's Bunting, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Pallid Harrier and Red-footed Falcon.
July/August 2003:
Peru
There was more mega-diversity in the Neotropics - 533 species were seen. Pelagic, desert, Andes, Amazon. Big highlights included Humboldt Penguin, Andean Condor, Inca Tern, Andean Cock-of-the-rock, Sword-billed Hummingbird and Giant Hummingbird, Pavonine Quetzal, Lyre-tailed Nightjar, Giant Conebill and White-bellied Cinclodes.
April 2003:
Spain
It was a near rerun of our 1999 trip, but this time we focused on just two areas - Extremadura and the Coto Donana. We added in the Sierra de Gredos as an extra, and with distinctly variable weather, the differences were striking! Star birds: Red-knobbed Coot, Marbled Duck, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Western Orphean Warbler and Bonelli's Warbler, Western Reef Heron and the best-looking raptor of all time!
August 2002:
Brasil
Was this the ultimate birding trip? It was a simply incredible three-weeker to the SE Atlantic rainforests (a.k.a. Endemic City), the Pantanal, Chapada dos Guimaraes, Alta Floresta and Serra das Araras. Birds? Only 630 species, including cripplers like Hyacinth Macaw, 11 toucans, 28 hummers, 6 trogons, 17 woodcreepers, 16 antshrikes, 29 antbirds/wrens, 11 manakins, 9 owls, 11 nightjars, Black-and-gold Cotinga, Buff-throated Purpletuft, Zigzag Heron, and an undescribed species of forest falcon. There were 47 endemics too...
It was a superb two weeks in the northern hotspots of one of our favourite countries. The Ranthabore / Bharatpur / Nainital / Corbett loop produced stunning species like Ibisbill, Wallcreeper, Great Thick-knee, Spotted Forktail, Great Hornbill, Siberian Crane, Tickell's Thrush, Brown Fish Owl and Dusky Eagle-Owl, Red-billed Blue Magpie and Common Green Magpie, Siberian Rubythroat, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Scaly-breasted Cupwing, White-crested Laughingthrush, and three high-altitude accentor species.
It was a fantastic two-centre trip to the Nearctic realm - the searing deserts of Arizona contrasted with the cool offshore waters of northern California. There were some real stunners in Arizona, such as 9 species of hummingbird, including Berylline Hummingbird, Green Kingfisher, Mexican Chickadee, Olive Warbler and Red-faced Warbler, Elegant Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Greater Roadrunner, Least Bittern and Five-striped Sparrow. California was just as good, with Wandering Tattler, Surfbird, Yellow-billed Magpie, Laysan Albatross and Black-footed Albatross, Guadalupe Murrelet, South Polar Skua, Tricolored Blackbird, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, and an all-time California Long-tailed Skua day count. All that before we mentioned Grey Whale, Blue Whale and Humpback Whale!
It was a short Euro-break to the (very) frozen north for a few much-needed WP birds. There was considerable success - Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Ural Owl and Eurasian Pygmy Owl, White-tailed Eagle, Black Woodpecker and Grey-headed Woodpecker and Western Capercaillie.
December 2000:
Gambia
This was a return to Africa after Kenya 1997. We had a near clear-up of the classic West African package destination - including megas like White-crested Tiger Heron, African Crake, Little Gull, Yellowbill, Greyish Eagle-Owl, Green-headed Sunbird and Sudan Golden Sparrow.
It was Simon's first and probably only overseas business trip - he was a teacher! A very brief day spare in New York produced several goodies, such as Hooded Merganser, Tricolored Heron, Tree Swallow and American Woodcock.
This was a long dreamt-of trip to the boreal forest and the Arctic north. Highlights included Great Grey, Ural, Tengmalm's and Northern Hawk Owls, Siberian Jay, Siberian Tit, White-billed Diver, King and Steller's Eiders, Gyrfalcon, Brünnich's Guillemot, Hazel Grouse, Long-tailed Skua, masses of breeding waders, plus Arctic Redpoll, Bohemian Waxwing, Little Bunting, Rustic Bunting, Lapland Longspur and Snow Bunting, and many more. It was unreal.
We had just a week on one of the Mediterranean's 'endemic islands', enough to see Corsican Finch and Corsican Nuthatch, plus Yelkouan Shearwater, Marmora's Warbler, Italian Sparrow and endemic forms of Dartford Warbler and various others, plus excellent plants.
Thiswas an excellent ten-day 'clear-up' of southern and south-central Spain. Spanish Imperial Eagle, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Spectacled Warbler, Great and Little Bustards, Lesser Kestrel, Cinereous Vulture and Black-winged Kite were among the many star birds seen.
This was a great trip to this 'easy' Oriental hotspot, along with our good friends Chris Mills and Jacky Harris. Highlights included three days at the (then) newly-established Backwoods Camp, with Indian Pitta around the tents, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Orange-headed Thrush, Grey-necked Bunting, Jungle Owlet, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Banded Bay Cuckoo and Blue-faced Malkoha.
