Getting Back To Basics On Bird Watching Holidays

So you may be thinking the time is just right to expand your horizons and book one of those dedicated bird watching holidays. After all, years of birding have already made you into somewhat of an expert. In fact, you most likely already have journal upon journal filled with an exhaustive list of all the birds you can possibly sight in your backyard, your neighbour's backyards, the parks and all the places where birds are in the immediate vicinity - right? Not to mention all the equipment you've piled up through the years.

Here's a tip: what will really serve you well is to go back to the basics and sharpen your skills before you go on those bird watching holidays. Before going after those resplendent quetzals and other rare avis you'll be off to see on holiday, let's review a few the basics, and the reasons you'll want to keep them in mind.

The "Keep Your Eye On The Bird"rule

Going on bird watching holidays in a country such as South Africa, Brazil or Costa Rica can be exciting - especially since there are probably more bird species than you've ever seen back home. We don't really blame you for wanting to flip through field guides and reach for photography equipment every time a bird comes into view, but it's not really a very good idea. You don't just want to avoid startling your object, you want to make sure you don't startle every other bird and bird species in the biome.

The "Record Your Observations" rule.

Also known as the 'keep pen and small notebook/journal handy and be sure to use it rule', this is one rule many people going on bird watching holidays take for granted. That may be fine when you are only hoping to sight one or two species, but in nature reserves or conservations areas where there are hundreds of birds around, it's a bit harder to keep on top of.

With all the high-tech gadgetry involved in modern-day birding, there is a growing dependence on them for simple tasks like recording observations. The trouble with that is pretty simple: gadgets fail. And if they fail on bird watching holidays in the rainforest, wetlands and savannah, it's not simply a matter of popping to the nearest convenience store to change a dead battery or memory card.

The "Keep It Simple" rule

While this applies to clothing, equipment, movements and other necessary essentials of birding, we'll discuss how it applies to equipment and packing for bird-watching holidays. Why? It's obvious really - practicality. Too much equipment will simply cost you more to fly or sail with. Also, most birding excursions involve long walks around unfamiliar terrain, and too much equipment can be cumbersome. You don't really want to be dropping your most expensive camera in the humid jungles or dense wilderness.

Too many people waste their time fiddling with settings, or fumbling around and deciding which particular piece of equipment to use - thus missing out on the wonders all around them. The joys of bird watching holidays are best experienced in the moment, not three days later while trying to remember what you took pictures of as you try to catalogue your photos. Of course, if you're a professional photographer this rule may not apply, but you'll still want to keep it in mind.

As with many endeavours, the basics are always useful to remember - whatever level of expertise you may attain. Keep them in mind, and you'll be sure to have fun on your bird-watching holidays!

By: Byron Palacios

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Byron Palacios is a Tour Manager for Naturetrek, a tour operator specialising in expert-led natural history and bird watching holidays worldwide. Naturetrek bring over 25 years of experience to their bird watching tours in some of the most spectacular regions on Earth.