The fact that Algonquin Park has approximately seven thousand insect species in the park might sound insignificant to some, but without the insects, the pollination of plant life would not happen and the habitats in which the birds and animals live would no longer exist. The varied vegetation provides both animal and bird life with vital resources. Also found in the park, are two forest types, namely the coniferous forests and southern hardwood forests, creating a home for a vast number of different birds. Visitors and avid bird watchers can therefore look forward to seeing birds such as the Brown Thrasher, Indigo Bunting, Spruce Grouse, Wood Thrush, Boreal Chikadee, Gray Jay, Common Loon and many others that form part of the 272 species in the park. In addition, the Algonquin Provincial Park offers bird related programs such as Birds in Winter, Owl Prowl and Bird Adaptations. Talks are also held in the evenings in the park’s outdoor theatre, covering a wide variety of topics related to the park. Guided tours are available as well as a bird species checklist.

After a day of bird watching visitors can explore other features at the park, such as the picnic areas, stores, bookstore, backpacking trails, museum, art centre, restaurants and beaches. There are also a few lodges in the park enabling visitors to extend their stay and maybe explore the breathtaking bird life found along the rivers on the canoe routes. Bird watching in Canada is a rewarding experience and the Algonquin Park offers visitors everything they could need for an unforgettable bird watching adventure and family vacation.

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The Introduction to Birdwatching 2009 will start at 12:00 pm in the afternoon and take an hour and a half to complete. For more information in regard to the park and future events, kindly visit the website at http://www.prospectpark.org/.

Date: 24 October 2009
Venue: Prospect Park
City: New York
Country: United States of America

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First time bird watchers and avid birding enthusiasts will be able to enjoy this festival that is focused on sharing the spectacular birdlife of Monterey with visitors. For more information, kindly visit the festival website at http://www.montereybaybirding.org/ .

Date: 24 – 27 September 2009
Venue: Watsonville Civic Plaza
City: Monterey
Country: North America

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So for birding fun, seeing rare birds, supporting conservation and buying great accessories such as sculptures, bird toys, binoculars and booking your next eco-holiday, get down to the British Birdwatching Fair. For more information, visit the bird fair website at www.birdfair.org.uk .

Date: 21 – 23 August 2009
Venue: Egleton Nature Reserve
City: Oakham, Rutland
Country: United Kingdom

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Some of the more popular bird watching sites include Khok Kham, the Khao Kieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Doi Chiangdao Wildlife Sanctuary, Khao Pra-Bang Kam Wildlife Sanctuary, Chiangsaen and the Koh Similan National Park. Although there are various bird species that overlap in all the provinces, some bird species prefer specific provinces according to landscape and food supply.

In the Samutsakhon Province for instance, the habitat is blanketed in fish ponds, swamps, mangroves and mudflats, luring species such as the Nordmann’s Greenshank, Streaked Weaver, Malaysian Plover, Ruddy-Breasted Crake, Pheasant-Tailed Jacana and the Asian Dowitcher to this region. Birds such as the Large Hawk Cuckoo, Asian Golden-Weaver, Forest Wagtail and Black Blaza prefer the woodlands and rice fields of the Nakhonpratom Province, while Grey Peacock Pheasants, Blue-bearded Bee-eaters, Violet Cuckoo, Green Magpie and White-hooded Babbler feel at home in the forests, by water streams and waterfalls located in the Petchburi Province.

Some of the larger national parks have a variety of habitats within their borders, having a larger variety of birds in one area. The Khao Yai National Park, in North-Eastern Thailand, gives visitors the opportunity to see birds such as the Siamese Fireback, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Coral Billed Ground Cuckoo and many more. Other breathtaking species to be seen in Thailand include the Black-backed Forktail, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Long-tailed Minivet, Collered Owlet, Hume’s Pheasant, White-bellied Redstart, Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, Sapphired Flycather and the Crested Tree Swift. In general, many national parks have more than two hundred different species of bird living and breeding within the park, giving visitors the experience of a lifetime. To see truly amazing bird life, Thailand is the perfect bird watching destination.

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There are a number of different travel companies that are already offering bird watching tours in Turkey. The country’s diverse geography provides a number of different bird habitats, making for excellent variety. In fact, it is the diversity of ecosystems combined with the country’s location between several migratory routes which have provided the massive abundances of birds that this country enjoys. Here you will find deciduous and coniferous forests, arid steppe, coastal areas, mountains and much more. Many birds can claim this beautiful part of the world as their permanent home. Many others regularly stop in Turkey en route from Europe to Africa and back each year. No wonder bird watching in Turkey is fast gaining a reputation for excellence!

The Turkish wetlands are often considered to be the most important ecosystems for wild birds. Many different species can be found in Manyas Kuscenneti, which is situated south of the Marma Sea and is regarded as being the most important wetland area in the country. The 64 hectare lake is home to more bird species than anywhere else in the country. Well over 60 different species make their way to Manyas Kuscenneti each year to breed. Other prime wetland areas include Sultansazligi, Izmir Kuscenneti, Yumurtalik, Akyatan, Agytan, Egirdir and Beysehir, amongst others. Rivers also provide an important habitat for birds, and here you will find that the Euphrates certainly isn’t the only one. Many river deltas, such as the Kizihrmak and the Göksu, simply cannot be overlooked when it comes to bird watching in Turkey. The country is also home to a wonderful number of mountain ranges which feature alpine meadows with heavily forested lower slopes. The most enjoyable bird watching experience to be enjoyed in the mountains can arguably be found at Soguksu National Park. Olympos National Park is also absolutely fantastic.

There is more than 8 000 km of coastline in Turkey, which features sandy beaches, salt marshes, jagged cliffs and more. This is yet another exciting part of the country’s natural habitat worth exploring as it is teeming with birdlife. If you would like to go on a bird watching tour in Turkey, you should definitely choose your seasons carefully. Spring is generally the best time to go bird watching, though it helps to go just before or after holiday season as this not only saves money but makes for a less stressful holiday. Book your ticket now to make the most of the abundant natural birdlife in the beautiful country of Turkey.

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If you live in the U.S. or Canada and you love birds, you might want to consider getting involved with Project FeederWatch. In doing so you will not only enjoy some great bird watching, but you will be helping conservationists in their on-going efforts to monitor bird populations.

By now you’re probably wondering what Project FeederWatch is about. Basically it’s a massive bird survey that takes place during the course of the winter months. Most people monitor the feeders in their own backyards, but you can also do some quality bird watching around other bird feeders in community areas or nature centers. Volunteers involved in the project basically count the highest numbers of the various species that they find feeding at their feeder of choice periodically. They then relay the information back to scientists and conservationists who find it invaluable in helping to track the broad scale movements for winter bird populations. It is also helpful in establishing the abundance of the various bird species and in helping find any long-term trends in bird distribution. The entire project is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies, which is located in Canada, and has thus far been a very successful initiative.

Probably one of the great things about Project FeederWatch is that people of various ages, skill levels and backgrounds can participate in it. Families may use it as a way to bond and get closer to each other while children can make it an exciting holiday project. Older individuals are definitely not excluded, while entire groups of people such as classrooms, youth groups and bird clubs regularly participate in this annual activity. Retired persons also find that it is a great way to feel useful again and enjoy nature at the same time, while nature centers get involved because they recognize the importance of this kind of research. Each person involved donates just $15, which is used to for things like staff support, web design, materials, data analysis and a year-end report. The entire project is funded by these donations. In return for their investment, participants get a research kit, which contains a bird identification poster, a wall calendar, instructions on what to do, data forms and a guide to bird feeding. They also get the satisfaction of knowing that the bird watching they are doing in their own back yard is making a big difference to bird populations around the world.

If you’re interested in getting involved in Project FeederWatch, you can simply log onto the official website and join at any time. The 2008-2009 bird watching season started on November 8 and will continue all the way through until April 3 next year. So make the most of your holidays and get involved with this great initiative!

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Not many people know much about Guyana. This sleepy little country shares its borders with Venezuela, Suriname and Brazil. Despite the fact that its neighbors are well-known, Guyana tends to stay rather isolated from commercial endeavors. And perhaps that is a good thing – for it may well be the reason why this small part of South America is a birder’s paradise!

On arrival you may notice that the past history of the country has had a strong influence on its current inhabitants and way of life. It has a strong English colonial heritage and so the current culture is closer to that found in the Caribbean rather than the Latin culture that flourishes elsewhere in South America. The little strip of beach that can be found here is not the sort of place that is frequented by sun-lovers and water-sport enthusiasts. The muddy shores serve birders and local inhabitants much better. One of the most interesting things about Guyana is that 90 percent of the country’s inhabitants live along the coast. That leaves much of the forested interior completely unpopulated and undisturbed.

Little wonder then that there are just over 800 species of birds living in Guyana. The wonderful climate and topography provides suitable habitats for a wonderful variety of birds. Coastal waters give way to mangroves and marshes before turning into tropical rainforests that become interspersed with savannahs and mountains. This is the point where the legendary Guiana Shield (one of only four pristine tropical rainforests in the world) meets the Amazon Basin and you can be sure that there is plenty of plant, animal and bird life worth seeing here!

The roughly 800 species of birds found in Guyana come from as many as 72 different bird families, so there is plenty of variety for the birding enthusiast. Hardcore birders will be pleased to know that there are even more species living here that have yet to be identified. Some of the bird families you can expect to find in Guyana include herons, hawks, eagles, falcons, rails, sandpipers, caracaras, gulls, skimmers, terns, swifts, parrots, hummingbirds, ovenbirds, woodpeckers, nighthawks, nightjars, woodcreepers, cotingas, tyrant flycatchers, typical antbirds, emberizine finches and new world blackbirds. Clearly there is no shortage of great birding sights here! The country’s capital city, Georgetown, is a great place to start your birding activities since it is home to more than 200 of the various species found in the country. So if you’re looking for a great birding holiday, look no further than Guyana. You’ll find your stay cost effective and the bird life will be unforgettable!

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If you’re looking for a great weekend’s activity for the whole family, you’ll find that the North West Bird Watching Festival is exactly what you’re looking for. This great event will prove to be both educational and recreational, helping families to reconnect with nature whilst at the same time helping them to buy out time from stressful lives and learning more about how to look after our endangered wildlife.

The North West Bird Watching Festival will be hosted by the Martin Mere Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and promises to be a truly spectacular event. This is a great way to get your whole family out in the open air and to teach them to appreciate nature. It also provides a great setting for building up familial bonds and improving the education of adults and children alike. As a social event, it provides everyone – young and old – with an opportunity to make new friends. Anyone interested in bird watching, photography or conservation should definitely make this festival a part of their plans for the end of the month. In fact, any nature lover – no matter how little or how much you enjoy getting back to basics – can make the most of this festival and enjoy themselves. You’ll be able to relax, unwind and even do a little bit of shopping during the course of your visit to this great birding festival.

So what sort of activities have been planned for the North West Bird Watching Festival? Well, no birding festival is complete without an interesting selection of guest speakers and workshops to help visitors learn more about the natural environment that they are enjoying so much. An emphasis will also be put on photography, with a workshop in photograph manipulation easing a lot of budding photographers into this aspect of modern photography. A number of stands will be set up at the festival and will have clothing, binoculars and second hand books, among other things, for sale. You may even be able to pick up a bargain birding holiday for the family! Those who enjoy a more hands-on experience will enjoy the swan feeds that take place at 3 and 3:30 pm in the afternoons. The North West Bird Watching Festival will take place on November 29 and 30. Make the most of this great event by ensuring that you’re there to enjoy it!

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For many bird lovers it seems like the sort of thing dreams are made of – giving up everything to enjoy a year spotting some of the most rare birds in some of the most exotic locations around the globe. Welsh ornithologists Alan Davies and Ruth Miller have done just that. They’ve sold their home and belongings, quit their jobs and set off to break the bird-spotting world record.

The pair of ornithologists met each other as officers with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Their journey together may have started simply enough, but no one would have guessed where it would end up taking them. As part of their goal to break the current record of 3,662, which was set in 1995, Alan and Ruth have set off on a year-long tour that has taken them to the far-flung corners of the globe. They started their journey by selling their house in Llandudno and they used the proceeds to fund their little odyssey. They then set off in hot pursuit of migrating birds, following them to countries such as Finland, Canada and Ethiopia. Their travels across Africa have taken them into some notoriously dangerous territory where common people openly carry AK47 rifles. They have seen a lot in their travels and it seems they don’t regret their decision one bit. The bird they are hoping will help them beat the old record was a sighting of the Blue Bonnet Parrot which they spotted in New South Wales, Australia. They have spotted as many as 3,666 different bird species to date.

One of the rarest birds they have spotted in their travels was the Sidamo Lark in Ethiopia. This small bird is found in only about one square kilometer of desert in that country. They have also seen other stunning birds, such as an Andean Condor, a Burrowing Owl and a Vermilion Flycatcher. While the trip has had its highs, it has also had its lows, and while in Vancouver, Canada, their car was broken into and their video camera complete with footage of the Blue Cotinga and other rare birds spotted in Panama was stolen. They also didn’t budget for the extreme credit crunch that hit this year and so ran out of funds about half way through the year. Nevertheless, they are making the most out of their time abroad and they still plan to travel to India, South Ecuador and Malaysia. They also hope to beat the 4,000 barrier along the way. Unfortunately, their efforts won’t make it into the Guinness Book of World Records because it would have been impossible to ensure that an independent adjudicator was present with each new sighting, but they have tried to film or photograph as many of the sightings as possible and will be submitting their record to the American Bird Association.

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