WHERE DOES BIRDING WITH A CAMERA FIT?

pure birdwatchers who are not interested in anything other than birding. And our dedicated birding tours will continue to cater to this core interest group. But we also see a need for a new product line to provide for the many folks whose interests have shifted; not shifted much, but enough to make a difference in the way they want to watch birds, and the way that they travel.

Pure birdwatchers can celebrate this development, as it means that cameratoting birdwatchers are less likely to sign up for a strictly birding itinerary, preferring our ‘Birding with a Camera’ products. Other companies resistant to the changing nature of birding will claim that they have been serving the best interests of birdwatchers with a photography bent for years. But that is doubtful.

Birdwatchers who love photography want to be on a trip where they get to see lots of birds, and take loads of photos. They want a guide who is topnotch, who knows the vocalizations, taxonomy and identifying features. But they also want a guide who knows how to photograph birds, understands lighting, camera gear and can teach basic photo processing.

If you have found yourself at the back of the line in a birding group, feeling guilty about trying to get that shot or not wanting to hold the group up, then maybe you no longer belong on a pure birding tour (although Tropical Birding will always continue to service that important market), and would do much better surrounded by like-minded hybrid birdwatcher-photographers.