World of birds
Fancy a bird-filled trip to Eastern Europe or Scandinavia? Look no further than our World of Birds reader tours for 2023!
OUR World of Birds reader tour programme has been longestablished and popular. Working in association with a select group of specialist birding tour operators, we offer destinations and departures with the promise of some fantastic birding and, importantly, excellent value for money. With travel becoming easier again, we have started to put together another exciting schedule of holidays for 2023 and beyond.
Next year, an early spring eightday tour starting on 25 March to western Sweden should bring the memorable sight (and sound) of many thousands of Common Cranes and Whooper Swans as they stage in the area before dispersing to breed. We have several days to soak in the spectacle, before we move further north to explore the old-growth forests in search of Scandinavian specialities such as Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Ural,
Great Grey, Eurasian Pygmy and Tengmalm’s Owls and Black, Greyheaded and Eurasian Three-toed Woodpeckers.
Then, 29 April-8 May sees us head to Bulgaria for some classic spring birding. Dividing our time between the mountains and the coast, we will search for breeding Wallcreeper in a spectacular gorge and should also encounter a wide range of raptors, including Cinereous Vulture and Levant Sparrowhawk, as well as tracking down newly arrived breeders such as Semicollared Flycatcher, Barred Warbler and Masked Shrike. Moving on to the coastal wetlands, we will be treated to a host of heron species, Pygmy Cormorant and both Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans.
Our tour to beautiful Herzegovina from 14-25 May is a guaranteed departure and based in the historic town of Mostar. A wide range of different habitats are within easy reach of our accommodation and the spring birding will be fantastic at this time. Leisurely days in the field should reveal flocks of European Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles, shrikes and a fine array of warblers, as well as special resident species such as Rock Partridge, Sombre Tit and Western Rock Nuthatch. This holiday includes all meals and local wines and is superb value on many levels.
In late December 2022, we will be publishing our free online World of Birds travel guide. It will be packed full of information on exciting destinations, including Tasmania and Colombia, as well as features on the greatest migration spectacles and where to see the most iconic birds from across the globe. If one thing’s for sure, it’ll whet your appetite for an adventure.
Full details on how to read this guide will be published in the January 2023 issue of Birdwatch. In the meantime, feel free to log on to www.birdguides.com to check out detailed itineraries for the numerous holidays listed above, and start planning your birding trip for 2023. ■