MOS Sponsored Birding Travel
The MOS launched a member benefit that has received enthusiastic response: birding travel to some of the great hotspots in the world. We’re concentrating on the Americas right now, but we can expand to anywhere members might wish. And your wishes are important. If there is a spot you’ve always wanted to visit, let us know (contact Maryanne Dolan). We’ll do our best to gather enough like-minded birders to make the trip viable. With Covid coming under control, it’s time to spread our wings a bit and look for birding spots outside the mid-Atlantic region.
2023 & 2024 TRAVEL
Several great trips are on the calendar for 2023 and 2024
Pack up those bags and binoculars, MOS’ers, it’s time to set out for new and exciting adventures. There are some great birds out there just waiting to be seen!
COSTA RICA II – April 5-16, 2024
The first trip to Costa Rica filled so quickly, we arranged a second – identical to the first – trip but a few days later. April 5-16, 2024 will find MOS’ers birding southern Costa Rica in comfortable lodges often staying two nights per lodge to allow participants a chance to relax. Costa Rica is chock-full of great birds and we’ll do our best to get a good view of as many as possible. Click here for a detailed itinerary. Trip is limited to 10 participants. Cost is $3700 per person with a single supplement of $600. A $200 deposit is required to confirm a slot. Contact Maryanne.dolan@gmail.com for additional details.
Ecuador – TRIP FULL
First up is a trip to Ecuador October 13-22, 2023. Amid cloud forest, rainforest, páramo, and the eastern and western slopes of the Andes Mountains, MOS’ers will seek out as many of the country’s 1,640-plus species as possible with assistance from an expert guide on this 10-day adventure. Much of the avifauna encountered is endemic to the Chocó region. Participants will view the snow-capped Antisana Volcano, attend a lecture by a leading ornithologist, and straddle the equator at the Middle of the World Monument.
Highlights include exploring the Chocó ecoregion across a variety of protected areas, including Yanacocha Biological Reserve, Alambi Cloud Forest Reserve, Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Antisana Ecological Reserve, and others. MOS’ers will visit the famed Refugio Paz de las Aves, known as a haven for antpittas and Andean Cocks-of-the-rock. Target species include the Rose-faced Parrot, Orange-breasted Fruiteater, Chocó Vireo, Moss-backed Tanager, and Indigo Flowerpiercer. Click here for a detailed itinerary. This is a relaxed trip allowing participants to drop for a morning or afternoon to catch up on bird lists and/or just rest. Cost is $2750 per person with a single supplement of $330. This trip is limited to 8 participants. You must place a deposit ($350) to reserve a space.
Contact Maryanne.dolan@gmail.com with questions.
Costa Rica I – TRIP FULL
Next up is Costa Rica from March 24-April 4, 2024. We’ll bird southern Costa Rica in comfortable lodges often staying two nights per lodge to allow participants a chance to relax. Costa Rica is chock-full of great birds and we’ll do our best to get a good view of as many as possible. Click here for a detailed itinerary. Trip is limited to 10 participants. Cost is $3700 per person with a single supplement of $600. A $200 deposit is required to confirm a slot. Contact Maryanne.dolan@gmail.com for additional details.
GUATEMALA AND BELIZE – WITH A SIDE TRIP FOR MAYAN RUINS – TRIP FULL
Also in 2024 is a March 6-14, 2024 trip to Belize and Guatemala with a side trip to visit Mayan Ruins. Click here for a detailed itinerary.
In what are now the countries of Belize and Guatemala, the ancient Maya civilization once flourished, leaving behind cities, temples, pyramids, and observatories still standing, enshrouded in tree cover. As you seek out resident and migratory birds across a variety of ecosystems, you’ll also gain a behind-the-scenes look at Audubon’s current bird-based tourism initiatives and flyway conservation efforts in partnership with local community-based organizations. (Participants on these tours have a direct economic impact on local people and communities, help preserve IBAs, and nurture an emerging ecotourism industry.)
Highlights include: Jabiru, Yellow-headed Parrot, Yucatan Jay, and Yucatan Woodpecker, in the wetlands and pine savannas of Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Hike the trails at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Refuge, a tropical moist forest sheltering some 300 avian species, including trogons, tanagers, flycatchers, and the Yellow-billed Cacique. Examine Maya history at the Tikal, Yaxha, and Cahal Pech archaeological sites, and go birding amid the ancient structures and surrounding forests.
Cost is $3395 per person with a single supplement of $595. Trip limited to 10 participants with a leader.
Contact Maryanne Dolan (maryanne.dolan@gmail.com) for details and to sign up.