Avocet Tours

10/22/2024

After hearing all sorts of Cloud-forest Pygmy-Owls and Peruvian Pygmy-Owls, we finally saw one today on our Avocet Tours trip to NW Ecuador. This bird, a Peruvian Pygmy-Owl was seen near Puerto Quito. Oct 22, 2024.

10/22/2024

A rather stunning bird seen on our Avocet Tours NW Ecuador tour was this Red-headed Barbet. Seen at the fantastic Mashpi/Amagusa Reserve, this bird, along with many tanagers, hummingbirds and other tropical delights added up to 153 species seen/heard on Oct 21.

10/21/2024

This little cutie is an Ornate Flycatcher. Flycatchers are often a family of birds that are considered rather drab in plumage, but not necessarily so in the tropics. This bird, at Pacha Quinde Reserve in the cloud forest of Ecuador was a hit with my Avocet Tours group. October 2024

10/21/2024

The fruiteaters, of which there are a handful of in Ecuador, are related to cotingas. They're denizens of forests where they are often hard to spot due to their green coloration. This bird, a Green-and-black Fruiteater, was seen nicely by my Avocet Tours group at Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge the other day. October 2024.

10/21/2024

The Sword-billed Hummingbird. The bird with the longest bill to body ratio in the world. On the first day of our Avocet Tours Ecuador tour we saw this, and many other hummingbirds, at Zuro Loma Reserve, outside of Quito. October 2024.

10/20/2024

Another of Ecuador's stunning hummingbirds, the Great Sapphirewing. This, of the larger hummingbird species out there, was seen at Yanacocha Reserve, where we saw many other species of hummingbirds, such as Shining Sunbeam, Buff-winged Starfrontlet and Golden-breasted Puffleg, to name a few. Avocet Tours October 17, 2024.

10/20/2024

A gorgeous female Collared Inca feeds on a flower at Zuro Loma Lodge in NW Ecuador. On our last tour to Ecuador in 2023, we tallied 50 species of hummingbirds. We'll see how we compare this year. We're off to a roaring start. Avocet Tours October 17, 2024

10/20/2024

On the first day of our Avocet Tours tour to NW Ecuador, we had amazing views of three antpittas, Chestnut-naped Antpitta, Equatorial Antpitta, and Tawny Antpitta are being seen. The antpittas are a family of birds renowned for being elusive and hard to see. Zuro Loma Reserve. Ecuador, October 17, 2024.

10/20/2024

Ecuador has a lot of amazing birds, and top of the list of bright and colorful families of birds are the tanagers. This little beauty is a Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, a fine specimen to find on the first day of 14 day Avocet Tours trip to NW Ecuador. Zuro Loma Reserve, Ecuador. Oct 17, 2024.

08/31/2024

https://www.avocettours.ca/tours/western-ecuador-choco-endemics-limited-space-available

Space available on our mid-October departure to Ecuador. 500 species of birds, and fantastic photo opportunities. $250 off tour price if you mention you saw add in your email to me. [email protected]

October 16, 2024 to October 30, 2024 — 14 days Tour Leader: Chris Charlesworth Two weeks in one of the most ecologically diverse countries in the entire world. Approx. 1700 species of birds have been seen in Ecuador! We may see up to 50 species of dazzling hummingbirds on this tour, including the...

08/27/2024

We have a few spaces still left to fill on our early October departure to Saskatchewan where we will witness the spectacle of Fall migration as thousands of geese and other waterfowl, as well as Sandhill Cranes and endangered Whooping Cranes! Book now and save $200 CAD on the trip. Email us at [email protected] and mention you saw this note on Facebook Avocet Tours

October 01, 2024 to October 06, 2024 — 5 days Tour Leader: Chris Charlesworth Massive numbers of migrating Sandhill Cranes expected, along with one of the world’s rarest living birds, the Whooping Crane as they move south to wintering grounds. We saw a whopping 157 Whooping Cranes in one day on...

07/04/2024

One can never get too much puffin, is the rumor I heard. I actually only took about a dozen photos so far all trip. I couldn't resist though, when up close and personal with an Atlantic Puffin. Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland. July 2024. Ian Cruickshank Avocet Tours

07/04/2024

Atlantic Puffin. Bonavista Peninsula, NF. July 2024. with Ian Cruickshank and Avocet Tours

05/28/2024

Avery Bartels fantastic account of the tour he led to Borneo for Avocet Tours is now up on our blog. Check it out!

Tales and photographs of the adventures of Avocet Tours

03/30/2024

Blog post from our recent tour to Cuba is up!

Tales and photographs of the adventures of Avocet Tours

03/03/2024

I had an objective today, to find a friend a Northern Pygmy-Owl. I'd say we succeeded. S.E. of Kelowna, British Columbia. March 2, 2024.

02/10/2024

A Swamp Sparrow takes a peek at us as we walk past at Brazos Bend State Park on our recent tour to Texas. Photo taken by tour participant Kathy Nuszdorfer. January, 2024.

02/10/2024

A photo from our recent tour to Texas and the Rio Grande Valley. These Greater Roadrunners were two of about a dozen we saw at Falcon State Park! Photo taken by participant Kathy Nuszdorfer. January, 2024.