Nature Travel Specialists

08/21/2024

Some images from Barrow, Alaska, out on the spit. Cloudy and gray, so average images, but I'll take it as I had no expectation at all of seeing Polar Bears.

12/03/2023

A few more photos from my most recent Guyana tour with Naturalist Journeys. This was a private tour for friends Charles Duncan and Laura Blutstein plus new friends Bob & Evie. Gray-lined hawk, Bat Falcon and Great Potoo.

08/25/2023

My son left here on the weekend to spend a10 days in Trinidad & Tobago with his partner Nicky. It made me think of my own travels there in 2017, so looked at my photo file, only to discover just 3 photos! Apparently I had never got around to editing them. So started to do that today. Here are some of the results, plus a couple of the older edits. Orange-winged Parrot, Trinidad Motmot, White-tailed Nightjar, Tufted Coquette, Purple Honeycreeper.

06/05/2023

Interested in Cuba? I have time available later this year for private tours to Cuba. Custom itineraries that are fully compliant with the legal US requirements to travel there. Fifteen tours since Dec 2015 - experience, local knowledge and local experience matters. Top of the line private accommodations, restaurants and local guides. Fully accompanied by myself throughout. Birding, nature, culture. DM or call 251 367 2948.

04/24/2023

Some pictures of the tiny Bee Hummingbird in Cuba from my tour last March.

12/09/2022

The October Guyana tour was a huge success, wonderful, Hoatzin and Guianan C**k-of-the-Rock views plus another 200 or so species. here are a few photos. Hoatzin, C**k-of-the-Rock, Ameiva lizard, Wedge-capped Capuchin.

11/20/2022

I'm leading a birding (and other wildlife) tour starting February 22 to Guatemala. This will be my fourth time there and I'm excited to get back. Guatemala has great birds including Resplendent Quetzal, Ocellated Turkey and, of course, the beautiful near-endemic Pink-headed Warbler. We'll also look for mammals while throughout we are in the midst of the still extant Maya culture, as most of our time is spent in the highlands around Lake Atitlan including staying in Santiago de Atitlan, a community of Maya people. We'll check for the whereabouts of deity Maximon while here. And no trip to Guatemala is complete without seeing the beautiful small city of Antigua, a World Heritage Area, with its views of Volcan de Fuega, constantly active with gas and ash eruptions every 20 minutes or so. For those with extra time there is an extension to the center of the ancient Maya world, Tikal, which is also a great birding area. Please join me on this rich and varied tour. Message, call 251 545 3900 or email at [email protected] for more information.

11/20/2022

A couple just returning from a very long tour to Australia and New Zealand and a family about to leave for Australia made me think about some of my earlier trips there. A few photos of what Australia offers the birder and nature lover.

07/06/2022

I am leading a tour in October 13-25 to the most unspoiled wilderness in South America - Guyana! I have been wanting to get back there for several years. While only #157 on tourist visits to world countries, even this belies the truth, as most of these are ex-pats making visits home - Guyana counts as tourists anyone who has not lived there within the past 12 months, even if they are a citizen. We spend most of our time in southern Guyana, some 200 miles away from the capital Georgetown, in both the rainforest including the wildlife rich Iwokrama area and the open Rupununi savannah. Our birds range from the amazing hoatzin through Pomapadour Cotinga and Guianan C**k of the Rock to Harpy Eagle. Mammals include Black spider Monkey, Giant River Otter and Giant Anteater. We'll also be make a special trip for the highly endangered and rare Sun Parakeet. We only have a couple of spaces left on our maximum 8 group. Contact me for more information by Messenger, email [email protected] or phone 251 545 3900.

06/19/2022

Getting our full return to Cuba together for the end of this year and 2023. New birding and non-birding small group and private tours, brand new herping tours to both Western and Eastern Cuba. A wonderful new, or rather completely rebuilt, ecolodge at Banao wowed both my guide Luis and myself. There is nothing else like it in Cuba, the first true ecolodge in the country similar to those in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador. I spent time checking new casas particulares and paladares, and looking at changes in familiar sites we classically visit. Also sorting out the mess that is the new currency situation. But while sad for Cuba and our friends in business there the low numbers of visitors, likely to continue, mean no crowds at both wildlife sites and cultural sites. Latest group tours out shortly, but contact us now for private tours designed to your interests, from specific wildlife - birds, reptiles etc - to more culturally oriented. All tours both private and group fulfill all legal requirements for US residents.

06/08/2022

In MIA in lounge with just 50 minutes until it's back to Cuba! First time since Feb 2020. Either 15th or 16th time yet so excited. If you and friends want to see Cuba and it's birds or just Havana and Vinales, or wherever, contact us for fully US legal tours and muchos anos de experienca! (Sorry about no diacrit on anos n).

04/29/2022

CUBA LAST MINUTE DISCOUNT

June 9 to 18 Cuba birding tour special last minute discount. All endemics targeted, very small group. all inclusive from Havana. Havana, La Guira, Vinales, Zapata, Cienfuego, Trinidad/Banao. All possible endemics targeted.

To book and more information call 251 545 3900, email [email protected], text 251 367 2948 or FB messenger.

02/26/2022

Panama's Darien in July! I'm leading a tour to the remote Darien July 29 to Aug 5. Birds and mammals. Excellent accommodation and the best local guides. Call 251 545 3900, email andrew .com or message me for more information.

12/20/2021

Our next tour to Cuba is March 18-30. Join us! Call 251 545 3900 or email [email protected]

12/13/2021

I'm setting up a tour to a new destination for next November - Chiapas, the most southern state in Mexico. Chiapas is rarely visited, but has great birds and other wildlife, extensive rainforest, Mayan temples including the amazing Bonampak murals and Mayan people still living on their traditional lands. We'll be covering all of these aspects - of course emphasizing birds and wildlife - plus visiting the unique town of San Juan Chumula near San Cristobal de las Casas. Please message or email if you are interested. There will be just 8 spaces available.

12/13/2021

Further to the post below, Tufted Coquettes from the same tour.

01/27/2020

Introducing our new Mongolia Snow Leopard Wildlife and Birding Tour. - https://mailchi.mp/4529ee7f73eb/join-us-in-peru-this-november-4038877

01/27/2020

Starting March 1 Nature Travel Specialists will both match and reduce our clients' air travel carbon offset. If you book your own travel for one of our private or group tours send your air ticket receipt showing you paid the airline's carbon offset and we will deduct it from your invoice. In addition we will also pay the same amount to our own offset program. If we consider that a particular airline had either no carbon offset or the program they use is questionable as determined by a reputable third party source we will advise you not to pay via the airline and we will donate that amount plus our match to our own offset organization.

01/15/2020

There has been a map of Australia doing the rounds on social media supposedly showing the extent of the fires. It is almost totally incorrect. Here is a map showing where the fires are or in many cases were. Green denotes tourist areas not impacted by the fires, orange partially impacted and red severely impacted. Overall any area with no color or green has not been impacted by the fires over the last 3 months..

12/21/2019

Another view of a Marvelous Spatuletail, this time perched, which is not easy to photograph as they like to do so within the tangly part of the forest, not on the edge or exposed. Unfortunately it makes it even darker as far as photos go. Hence the messiness of this deeply cropped photo, and the need for flash. But I take what I can get.

12/11/2019

Coquettes are aother tiny hummingbirds whose lavish adornments are always a pleasure to see. This Rufous-crested Coquette was no exception.

12/11/2019

Starting to look at the relatively few photos I took in Northern Peru last month. As mentioned below, hummingbirds were a focus and we saw over 40 species. Many under gray skies, so while they scintillated in person, slow speeds due to poor light and the dull conditionsmade photography a bit difficult, meaning flash was often necessary. Naturally one of the main target birds was Marvellous Spatuletail. This small hummer tries to avoid other hummers, almost all of which are larger than it, so perches are usually within the foliage, and time at feeders is brief often due to being chased away. Here's one male when it had more than 4 or 5 seconds to get a feed.

09/29/2019

Another bird from my recent exploratory to the Manu Road area of Peru. Both lodges I stayed at - Wayqecha and Villa Carmen - provided great birding and photo ops and are highly recommended. Here's a Black-banded Owl who conveniently called from adjacent to my guide's cabin at Villa Carmen in the middle of the night, so next night we were out looking. Found him being mobbed by birds, after which he flew to a couple of different roosts.

09/26/2019

We have a couple of spots on our November 22 11 day tour to Norther Peru. It's a hummingbird focused tour, though not at all exclusively, traveling from Cajamarca to Tarapoto. Featured will be time at Marvelous Spatuletail leks, and lots of feeder time at a number of places for a variety of hummers (plus of course more natural photos in nearby shrubs and trees). We expect about 50 species of hummers, plus several Ant-pittas, owls, tanagers and lots more. It's a reasonably relaxed pace, as we cover the straight through driving time of 9 hours from Cajamarca to Tarapoto in 9 days. Suitable for all levels of birders and maximum six participants.

09/23/2019

Lat one for today from Peru. Blue and Yellow Macaw in late day light bringing out rich yellows. We are setting up a tour for next year, so please contect if interested, as dates are not established and can be set to coincide with your own availability to travel if you contact us early enough.

09/23/2019

More from Peru. Photographing birds was pretty difficult while I was there, either cloud meaning very dull conditions, especially in the rainforest, so high ISO - 1600 and above - pretty much the norm; which also meant slow shutter speed and wide-open end of the lens so little depth of field to give some latitude. Or, bright sun on birds zipping in and out of shade so often partially lit with many stops of light across their body. In the case of the Booted Racket-tail this is one fast bird, with very short stays at the flower and often making long jumps between flowers. It's interesting that the combo of camera and light features give a harsher look that is almost flash-like, though flash was not used. Note in southern Peru the Racket-tail has brown not white boots.

09/22/2019

Starting to look at photos from my exploratory trip to the Manu Road area of southern Peru I'm just back from. A few great lodges experienced, and some good birding; more to come on upcoming new tours. But we do have a tour to northern Peru with a couple of spaces available in late November, traveling from Cajamarca to Tarapoto with an special interest in seeing (and photographing for those interested) hummingbirds, including lekking Marvelous Spatuletails. We expect between 45 and 50 hummer species for the tour, plus of course lots more other birds. In the meantime, here's a few first photos of Andean C**k of the Rock from Manu. They love dark places such as gorges with shafts of light to show off their colors, which can change dramatically with the light that falls on them. Strange looking (and sounding) birds, and always difficult to photograph. Enjoy.

08/13/2019

Dauphin Island Wildlife

Dauphin Island Wildlife

A page for sharing the wildlife and nature of Dauphin Island.

04/06/2019

Three quick photos from current Cuba trip, all Cayo Coco. Royal Tern, Brown Pelican, Cuban Black Hawk. All fresh out of the camera, only cropped. Finally able to upload Black Hawk image

12/27/2018

Volcan de Fuego 2018

For those who didn't join us in Guatemala last month, here's what you missed out on from the rooftop terrace of our small hotel in Antigua where we sat with drinks an snacks before dinner. Thank you Dave and pat Beebe for the superb video combining Dave's photos and Pat's video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4F5wZecNdA&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2A9uwn3kK8cxX_8Pa3aIsl1lOOQ27jlPsmd-hBzhCzd4S8BxvuufrL5Bo

Fuego (fire) volcano contues to erupt since June 2018. We watched it erupt at night from the roof top terrace of our hotel in Antigua, Guatemala. A Darker He...