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Just a little morning coffee with Fiji Parrotfinch…
10/14/2026

Just a little morning coffee with Fiji Parrotfinch…

Two birders. Two routes. One upcoming Fiji reunion!Marc’s Alaska chapter was absolutely EPIC, chasing rarities with an A...
10/13/2026

Two birders. Two routes. One upcoming Fiji reunion!

Marc’s Alaska chapter was absolutely EPIC, chasing rarities with an Asian flavor on St. Paul Island and Adak. Meanwhile, Eliana has been giving her life list a serious workout in Indonesia’s Sulawesi and North Maluku.

Now our flight paths converge in Fiji! The island life continues as we seek out more island endemics and explore this corner of Oceania, scouting for a future Fiji tour. Then it’s on to New Zealand to meet the "pollitos" and kick off our tour at the end of the month.

The Great Fall Fly-Around rolls on. Time to download more Merlin bird packs!

Fall birding on Adak: where every bird that pops off the road could be something good… and every Lapland Longspur would ...
10/12/2026

Fall birding on Adak: where every bird that pops off the road could be something good… and every Lapland Longspur would like you to believe it is.

One of those roadside surprises turned out to be a very elusive OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT! We knew it was something good the instant it flew. Getting another look? That took some work. A 1st record for Adak HORNED LARK was another exciting highlight.

Then there was the seawatching at the Loran station. Somehow, after a dozen visits to Adak, I’d never been there. LAYSAN and BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSSES, streams of SHORT-TAILED SHEARWATERS (counting 25 per second passing by for a sustained 15-20 minutes), and a whole lot of “Albatross at 1 o'clock!” It might be my new favorite seawatching spot.

COMMON SNIPE, TUFTED DUCK, SLATY-BACKED GULL, BRAMBLING, four species of loon, and killer looks at GYRFALCON helped round out the adventure. Adak is one of Alaska’s best places to see a Gyr, and that bird never gets old. Neither do the island’s regulars, from gaudy Harlequin Ducks to explosive Rock Ptarmigan to cute Pacific Wrens.

We searched spruce patches, stomped marshes, scoped ponds, checked feeders, and investigated plenty of longspurs with suspiciously high opinions of themselves. Just an absolute blast at the westernmost outpost in the Aleutians accessible to visiting birders.

Can’t wait to get back with our two Birding by Bus tour groups in spring 2027. Bird every bird!

Greetings from my latest scouting adventure in Sulawesi and Halmahera, Indonesia! (And a little bit of Java)You know a t...
10/09/2026

Greetings from my latest scouting adventure in Sulawesi and Halmahera, Indonesia! (And a little bit of Java)

You know a trip is special when every morning feels like opening a surprise gift, except the gift might be a brilliantly colored pitta, an extraordinary paradise-kingfisher, or a bird so bizarre you have to check your field guide twice to believe it’s real!

Sulawesi and Halmahera are part of Indonesia’s incredible island world, where evolution has worked its magic and the birdlife is unlike anywhere else on Earth. Think dazzling endemics, lush tropical forests, unforgettable calls echoing through the jungle, and those heart-stopping moments when a bird finally appears after a long search.

And that’s exactly why I’m here scouting so we can find the special places, figure out the logistics, discover the local gems, and work out how to turn all this wild magic into an unforgettable Birding By Bus adventure.

Because great birding isn’t just about what we see. It’s about the journey, the laughs, the shared excitement, and the moment someone in the group whispers, “THERE IT IS!”

Morning after ex-Typhoon Choi-WanAdak Island, Alaska8 Oct 2026
10/08/2026

Morning after ex-Typhoon Choi-Wan

Adak Island, Alaska
8 Oct 2026

Looking back a few weeks to our “Charm of the Colombian Andes” tour, the pinnacle of our Central Andes / Coffee Triangle...
10/07/2026

Looking back a few weeks to our “Charm of the Colombian Andes” tour, the pinnacle of our Central Andes / Coffee Triangle tour is quite literally the pinnacle.

At around 13,500 feet on Nevado del Ruiz, we enter the high páramo in search of the BUFFY HELMETCREST, a highly specialized Colombian endemic hummingbird built for life in this cold, windy, oxygen-thin world.

At 13,500 feet, you definitely notice every step and every breath. But then a tiny hummingbird appears among the frailejones and suddenly nobody is thinking about the lack of oxygen anymore.

The holy grail of the high páramo. The Buffy Helmetcrest.

The perfect climax to an incredible Andean adventure.

A canceled flight, an extra evening of birding, and a RED-BACKED SHRIKE. We’ll take that trade!Marc’s time guiding on St...
10/06/2026

A canceled flight, an extra evening of birding, and a RED-BACKED SHRIKE. We’ll take that trade!

Marc’s time guiding on St. Paul Island, Alaska, got an unexpected extension when Sunday’s October 4 flight was canceled. The birding gods apparently had one more bird on the itinerary: a juvenile Red-backed Shrike at Hutch Hill, encountered that evening by the remaining fall tour group!

Only the 6th North American record, following one each from Gambell, Adak, and British Columbia, and two from Shemya. That’s a pretty exclusive club.

Early October in the Pribilofs can turn a cold, windswept outing into the birding moment of a lifetime. You keep checking that next patch of habitat because sometimes, THIS is what’s waiting.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S399364925
https://ebird.org/checklist/S399610358

10/04/2026

Sulawesi forest waking up (sound on)

Leading the St Paul birder crew up Zap Ravine on St. Paul Island, where “just over the next hill” is both a birding stra...
10/03/2026

Leading the St Paul birder crew up Zap Ravine on St. Paul Island, where “just over the next hill” is both a birding strategy and an exercise program.

A few recent highlights: a Canvasback, a Vega Gull, and a Garganey trying to blend in with a flock of Green-winged Teal. Nice try, buddy. We’re looking at EVERY duck!

The Bering Sea bird hunt continues!

Holy Shoot! Eliana is finding some seriously good birds in INDONESIA!After arriving in Jakarta and exploring the forests...
10/03/2026

Holy Shoot! Eliana is finding some seriously good birds in INDONESIA!

After arriving in Jakarta and exploring the forests of Java, she’s now scouting northern Sulawesi. She’s well off the beaten path, right where she likes to be, especially when there are island endemics involved.

So far she’s recorded 162 species, including 114 lifers. Follow along her eBird Trip Report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/576905/815508 Sulawesi and its neighboring islands have so many unique birds found nowhere else on Earth. You have to go there to see them, and Eliana is putting in the work.

Knobbed Hornbills, Sulawesi Lilac Kingfishers, Minahasa Hooded Pitta, Purple-bearded Bee-eater, and an impressive lineup of owls have all made the list. Seeing the critically endangered Maleo was an especially big highlight.

She also squeezed in an unexpected rescue, helping free an entangled Cinnamon Bittern. And from what I’m hearing, the tarsiers have completely stolen her heart. I may have some competition from a tiny primate with enormous eyes.

Between birds, she’s checking out the sites, routes, and logistics, figuring out what would make a great adventure for our pollitos. This is how future tours begin, with plenty of exploring and messages home saying, “You NEED to see this bird!”

More updates from Eliana soon. The adventure continues!

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