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.
2024 & 2025 TRAVEL
Several great trips are on the calendar for 2024 and 2025
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!
Galapagos
October 9-19, 2024 will take us to the Galapagos. TRIP FULL; WAITING LIST
After a day spent in Quito visiting sites and readying ourselves for our Galapagos adventure, MOS’ers will fly to Baltra where we will board the TipTop IV and spend the next eight days exploring these storied islands. Birding is our main objective, but we will not pass over the many other creatures inhabiting this area including those in the sea. There will be ample time for snorkeling and/or swimming the crystal clear waters. Please note we will occasionally have a ‘wet landing’.
Cost is $6,125 for 8 participants; $5,975 for 14; $5,650 for 15, at which point we will have taken over the TipTop IV.
Single supplement is $1,745; land only single supplement $245.
Deposit is $1,000.
Contact Maryanne Dolan (maryanne.dolan@gmail.com) for additional details.
Panama
April 1-11, 2025 – TRIP FULL; ADDITIONAL TRIP BELOW. Will find MOS members back among the Canopy Family of Panama. NOTE THE CHANGE IN DATES. We’ll spend the first three days at Canopy Tower, a former US Air Force observation tower converted into a birding paradise. Alas, there are NO ELEVATORS; you must be able to walk four flights of stairs. After three nights at the Towers, we proceed to Canopy Lodge, where we spend the next eight days in a whirlwind of birding. We return to the Lodge for most lunches and all dinners so there is ample opportunity to opt out and spend a quiet few hours bringing your list up-to-date, or simply strolling the grounds. Cost is $2,916.19 based on double occupancy. Single supplement is $55 per day. Trip is limited to 10 participants. A $600 deposit is required to hold a reservation.
Contact me (Maryanne.dolan@gmail.com) for a detailed itinerary.
April 8-18, 2025 – Panama with the Canopy Family. The above trip filled so fast I’ve set up another trip. It will be identical to the first including price. Cost is $2,916.19 based on double occupancy. Single supplement is $55 per day. Trip is limited to 10 participants. A $600 deposit is required to hold a reservation. Contact me (maryanne.dolan@gmail.com) for a detailed itinerary.
Peru
June 17-29, 2025 – Join fellow MOS members on a trip to Peru. From the depths of the Amazon to the heights of Machu Picchu, we’ll experience some of the best birding in the world. After a short stay in Lima for orientation and a chance to bird nearby locations, the group will head to the Amazon, where we’ll hope to see hawk-eagles. The flocks here are composed mainly of tanagers (Paradise, Green-and-gold, Flame-crested, Turquoise, Opal-rumped, and others), as well as Cream-colored Woodpecker, Gilded Barbet, Plum-throated Cotinga, and Western Striolated-Puffbird. Macaws and toucans are often seen flying along the horizon, including Chestnut-eared, Lettered, Curl-crested, and Ivory-billed Aracaris. The lodge is a short walk from the river’s edge and is located within the territory of the Infierno Community, adjacent to the Tambopata National Reserve. All rooms are open wall rooms facing the Amazon Rainforest. Electricity is available in common areas three times per day from 6 am – 8 am, 12 pm – 2 pm, and 5 pm – 10 pm. Wifi available but connection varies based on number of guests connected. Electricity can go out without warning!
The birding only gets better as we head up to Cusco for onward travel to the Sacred Valley. After a night high up on Machu Picchu, we’ll return to Cusco for more birding. We will also find time to learn a bit about the Incas and visit a weaving center. The Andes are high! Expect altitude problems. (Cusco is at 11,000 feet; Machu Picchu is 8,000.) Cost is $5895 per person based on double occupancy; single supplement of $675. To secure a spot you will need to make a $350 deposit. Trip is limited to 10 participants.
Contact Maryanne Dolan (maryanne.dolan@gmail.com) with any questions and for a detailed itinerary.
Montana
July 6-12, 2025 – Montana. TRIP FULL; WAITING LIST. An exciting tour of two halves, we will explore Glacier National Park and its mountainous biodiversity as well as the open prairies rich in bird and mammal life. Snowy peaks of mountains contrasted with rolling prairie and wildflowers. This is a trip for landscapes and scenery as much as it is for the specialty birds and mammals that call this place home.
Glacier National Park is a remote gem tucked away in the northern Rocky Mountains, and the summer is the best time to experience the jaw-dropping landscapes and diverse wildlife that make this park famous.
In addition to the truly mind-blowing mountain views, the wildlife of Glacier is equally exceptional. Sitting at the meeting point of four major ecoregions, Glacier holds a diverse array of birds. From boreal specialists like Spruce Grouse, Pine Grosbeak and Boreal Chickadee, to more ‘Pacific’ birds like Varied Thrush and Chestnut-backed Chickadee, to ‘mountain west’ classics like Western Tanager, Lazuli Bunting, Townsend’s Warbler, and Dusky Grouse, it’s quite a cross-section. And then just east of the national park, the immense shortgrass prairies of the northern great plains stretch out as far as you can see. These are home to threatened prairie specialists like Thick-billed Longspur, Baird’s Sparrow, Ferruginous Hawk and still so much more.
Join your friends at MOS to explore these iconic wildlife hotspots!
Cost is $4595 based on double occupancy. Single supplement is $1150. Deposit is $1,000. Trip is limited to 7 participants. Contact Maryanne.dolan@gmail.com for a detailed itinerary.
New Zealand
October 11-31, 2025 will take us to New Zealand. TRIP FULL; waiting list full
For 21 days we will explore the islands of New Zealand seeking out endemics, migrants and anything else in our path. Nor will we ignore the waters around New Zealand. Pelagics are very much a part of this trip. Specie targets are far too many to list on this email, but details are available here. Final cost is dependent on submission of deposits and exchange rates for that day
Trip is limited to 8 participants
Cost: US$ 7,786; single supplement US$1,174; deposit US$ 775.
Contact Maryanne Dolan (maryanne.dolan@gmail.com) for details.
South Africa
October 2025 (dates not yet determined) will find us in South Africa. We will start in Johannesburg, make our way to Mount Sheba and Blyde River Canyon – birding the whole way – until we end up in Kruger National Park where we will see a wide array of birds as well as the big cats, elephants, zebra, etc. Dates are still under discussion, as is an add-on excursion to Cape Town. Details should be available by end of April.
Our final trip for 2025 will be Texas and the Rio Grande. That trip, too, is still being developed. I hope to have details by the end of April.
