VA Birders,
I'd also like to point out a wonderful resource for traveling birders, Birding
Pal: http://www.birdingpal.org/, a network of international ;(and domestic)
birders. Many of the birders on Birding Pal are happy to share info or "guide"
visiting birders free of charge while others are professional guides seeking
the almighty dollar (or Euro, Yen, whatever).
I have had great success with Birding Pals here in the States as well as abroad
and I would strongly recommend it as a first reference when planning a birding
trip. In fact, I have recently been in contact with a gentleman in Japan who
has offered to take me out for two solid days of birding in Kyoto and Osaka
next month. If you're working with a budget similar to mine, that is wonderful
news! Especially in a country as expensive as Japan.... Even when I have not
had such wonderful luck, I have been able to get great information from some
expert birders in out of the way places. Happy trails......
Will McPhail
Washington, DC
--- On Tue, 10/27/09, Peter Burke <redclayrambler@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
From: Peter Burke <redclayrambler@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Va-bird] birding far from home (marginally O.T.)
To: "William Leigh" <leightern@xxxxxxx>, stevejohnson2@xxxxxxxxxxx, "VA bird
2007" <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 2:34 PM
And, if you go to fatbirder.com, that site has (i) numerous country-specific
subsites & (ii) for many of those countries, a list of local birders willing
take visitors out (both for fun & for pay). In Mali I met an expatriate birder
who was quite happy to spend a Saturday morning showing me local birding places.
Peter Burke
From: William Leigh <leightern@xxxxxxx>
To: stevejohnson2@xxxxxxxxxxx; VA bird 2007 <va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tue, October 27, 2009 3:22:01 PM
Subject: Re: [Va-bird] birding far from home (marginally O.T.)
Interesting list. All of your reasons seem reasonable to me. Spending money on
local birding experts is a form of eco tourism which is also a positive.
William Leigh leightern@xxxxxxx
From: stevejohnson2@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:06:32 -0400
Subject: [Va-bird] birding far from home (marginally O.T.)
I realize this is somewhat off-topic. But I can rationalize it as
applying here in Virginia as well. If someone comes to bird here,
from out-of-state, here are some reasons why they should consider
getting someone to show them around. And, if any of you plan to bird
in a strange place, the same advice applies.
I spent 4 days last week in the Bahamas, and on one morning, I
employed a local guide. It was the first time I've ever done so, and
I assembled a list of reasons why I recommend it.
- Steve Johnson
Fairfax, VA
1) A local guide knows the right places to go, and to avoid.
(Example: the storefront with the coconut feeders)
2) A local guide saves you time spent distinguishing similar species,
by telling you one of them doesn't normally occur there.
(Example: Bahama Yellowthroat vs. Common Yellowthroat)
3) A local guide helps you recognize special birds by their calls
(Example: Thick-Billed Vireo)
4) A local guide can teach you about the local environmental and
natural history
(Example: when the Anhingas started appearing at New Providence
Island; how the Cuban Grassquits arrived)
5) A local guide can inform you about local conservation efforts
(Example: efforts to improve access to Harold & Wilson Ponds)
6) A local guide can help with transportation
(Example: liability, familiarity with local roads and traffic)
7) A local guide can reduce/avoid delays
(Example: adapting the tour plan when a lengthy rain shower
threatened one location)
Some or all of this may be patently obvious to many people. For
example, my wife seemed to appreciate it well before I did. She's the
one who told me I ought to go ahead and spend some money for a guide.
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