Raptours

RAPTOURS® L.L.C. runs guided raptor watching tours worldwide. These are to places that have special raptors and usually last six or seven days.
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RAPTOURS® is now owned and operated by Sergio Seipke and was restarted as a revamped and expanded tour company at the suggestion, encouragement, and support of world raptor authority Bill Clark. Sergio started leading raptor tours in 2006 as a means to fund field research for his book project: Raptors of South America (Princeton University Press, in prep.), and decided to organize this activity in

to a formal business in 2012. RAPTOURS® often targets some of the most elusive, sought-after, and difficult-to-see species in the raptor world, as well as spectacular raptor concentrations, such as world-class migration bottlenecks. RAPTOURS® destinations, some current, some in the near future, include Argentina, Australia, Belize, Bolivia, Ecuador, Israel, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nepal, Tanzania, Thailand, Panamá, PNG & the Solomon Islands, Paraguay, Perú, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sulawesi & Halmahera, and Venezuela. In addition to our international tours RAPTOURS® will continue to offer and expand on raptor tours in the USA as well. Examples are the Skagit Flats of Washington, The Snake River in Idaho, southeastern Arizona, the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, and Cape May, New Jersey. Group sizes at RAPTOURS® are smaller (usually 3-10) than those of most birding tours, guide-to-passenger ratio is usually 1:3 or better, we travel in 4-passenger vehicles whenever possible, share technical presentations and slide shows in the evenings, discuss field identification information (sometimes unpublished!) and raptor ecology and conservation as we watch the birds. We take pride in running intimate small tours at which people stop and watch the birds for long enough, and frequently enough, to actually learn something about them. RAPTOURS® also designs and runs custom raptor tours upon request. Contact us to discuss your group's goals and we'll put together a tour or expedition that will meet your needs. Visit http://raptoursllc.com to learn more about our coming raptor tours, or e-mail us at [email protected] to request information or to discuss your raptor-watching goals. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

07/30/2024

Wanna watch local and migratory raptors and hundreds of other bird species in Thailand, including Spoon-billed Sandpiper? Join us in October in this once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Join Luke Tiller and Games Punjapa on this 14-day birding adventure to engimatic and bird-rich Thailand. Target 35+ species of raptors and 300+ species of birds including Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshank. 21 October—3 November 2023.

12/05/2023

SENEGAL RAPTOR TOUR, 3-16 March 2024

ONLY 3 PLACES LEFT -- DON'T MISS OUT!!!

SING UP NOW. See link in comments...

Fifty-one species of diurnal raptors occur in Senegal, 47 of which are believed to migrate in at least part of their range. The Arid and Moist West African woodland and savannas that dominate the landscape provide suitable habitat to a host of bird species. This tour visits all the top birding locations in the country including Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, Kaolack, Kousmar Island, where we will wait for the multi-thousand bird flocks of Scissor-tailed Kite and Lesser Kestrel to settle for the night, Wassadou, an area of impressive raptor diversity, and the Niokolo-Koba National Park of 913,000 ha, where the raptor community of 26 resident and 12 migrant species remain “intact and in natural state”. We added a new destination: the Kedougou area, and the Dindefelo Natural Reserve, where we will target the handsome Fox Kestrel. This tour has been designed to target 40 species of diurnal birds of prey including three Critically Endangered vultures occurring in Senegal: Hooded Vulture, White-backed Vulture, and Rüppell’s Vulture.

12/04/2023

SENEGAL RAPTOR TOUR, 3-16 March 2024
A Western Africa Raptor Crossroads
Only 5 Places Left

CONFIRMED DEPARTURE !!!

Fifty-one species of diurnal raptors occur in Senegal, 47 of which are believed to migrate in at least part of their range. The Arid and Moist West African woodland and savannas that dominate the landscape provide suitable habitat to a host of bird species. This tour visits all the top birding locations in the country including Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary, Kaolack, Kousmar Island, where we will wait for the multi-thousand bird flocks of Scissor-tailed Kite and Lesser Kestrel to settle for the night, Wassadou, an area of impressive raptor diversity, and the Niokolo-Koba National Park of 913,000 ha, where the raptor community of 26 resident and 12 migrant species remain “intact and in natural state”. We added a new destination: the Kedougou area, and the Dindefelo Natural Reserve, where we will target the handsome Fox Kestrel. This tour has been designed to target 40 species of diurnal birds of prey including three Critically Endangered vultures occurring in Senegal: Hooded Vulture, White-backed Vulture, and Rüppell’s Vulture.

11/19/2023

Our Senegal Raptor Tour, 3-16 March 2024 is a solid GO! Check it out …

https://www.raptoursllc.com/tours/senegal-raptor-tour

11/11/2023

To all veterans: thank you for your service!

11/07/2023

Our next Senegal Raptor Tour, 3-16 March 2024 is filling up fast! Don't miss out. Learn more...

https://www.raptoursllc.com/tours/senegal-raptor-tour

Read the 2023 Tour Report...

https://www.raptoursllc.com/2023-sengal-tour-report

All photos © Yeray Seminario

10/25/2023

Today we had our first session at Khao Dinsor during our Raptor Thailand Tour. And it didn't disappoint! More than 3.000 Black Baza, good numbers of Jerdon's Baza, dozens of Oriental Honey-buzzards, striking Crested Serpent-Eagles and beautiful Pied Harriers, together with lots of accipiters: Chinese and Japanese Sparrowhawks, Shikras and even a Besra! Eastern Buzzard, Rufous-winged Buzzard and Greater Spotted Eagles were also some of the highlights of the day.
Check out some of today's pictures by one of the tour leaders on the ground, Yeray Seminario
Do you want to join us next year in one of the best raptor migration flyways in the world? Check out our tour page: https://www.raptoursllc.com/tours/thailand-raptor-tour

10/25/2023

Today we had our first session at Khao Dinsor during our Raptor Thailand Tour. And it didn't disappoint! More than 3.000 Black Baza, good numbers of Jerdon's Baza, dozens of Oriental Honey-buzzards, striking Crested Serpent-Eagles and beautiful Pied Harriers, together with lots of accipiters: Chinese and Japanese Sparrowhawks, Shikras and even a Besra! Eastern Buzzard, Rufous-winged Buzzard and Greater Spotted Eagles were also some of the highlights of the day.

Check out some of today's pictures by one of the tour leaders on the ground, Yeray Seminario

Do you want to join us next year in one of the best raptor migration flyways in the world? Check out our tour page: https://www.raptoursllc.com/tours/thailand-raptor-tour

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07/25/2023

FLASH SALE! Experience the best raptor migration in SE Asia AND watch hundreds of other bird species ranging from broadbills to sunbirds and stunning bee-eaters! We are looking for someone (male or female) willing to share a room with another participant of the same gender. Last spot at discount price. BOOK NOW!

03/19/2023

We recently finished our Raptours trip to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the main focus was to experience the best Raptor Migration in Western Europe. We also looked for other bird specialities of this part of the world, like the rare Northern Bald Ibis, the Red-knobbed Coots and the only European colony of Little Swift.

However, according to the participants, the culture, history, gastronomy and the scenery were as good as the birds! All in all, a very enjoyable trip in one of the raptor hotspots of the world.

See some pictures from this tour below by tour leader Yeray Seminario

02/11/2023

01/24/2023

Spain, Arizona, and Washington State await for you! Don’t miss out on these fantastic birding trips!!!

10/28/2022

10/18/2022

The Strait of Gibraltar is one of the best spring raptor-watching destinations in the Old World. Impressive numbers of raptors crossing the Strait, returning from Africa onto Europe to breed, need to overcome the 9-mile long water crossing. As thermal currents develop only weakly over water, soaring raptors lose altitude as they progress across the Strait. By the time they reach the European shores they can be flapping a few feet above the waves. As a result of this, a larger proportion of birds are seen flying lower, even below eye-level, and a lot closer than in autumn affording great looks and photo ops.

Here are some pictures of our latest Strait of Gibraltar Raptor Tour, March 2022. Enjoy!

10/16/2022

INTRODUCING THE LOWLANDS OF NEPAL RAPTOR TOUR

1-17 February 2023

The bird-rich, high-productivity grasslands, cultivation fields, and sal forests in the lowlands of Nepal, at the foothills of the mighty Himalayas, are a wintering paradise for a host of Palearctic bird species, including many raptors. Many species gather in good numbers at selected locations. For years we have scouted these locations and this tour is the distilled result of this effort. We have designed this tour to target some 400 species of birds, including 45+ raptor species. Many charismatic mammals can be seen as well including One-horned Rhino, Swamp Deer, …and we’ll also take a chance on Leopards and Bengal Tiger! This 17-day tour will be conducted at a leisure pace with lots of time to watch individual birds, and observed bird and mammal behavior.

Photos: Pallas's Fish Eagle, juvenile © Dheeraj Chaudhary -- Bonelli's Eagle, juvenile © Javi Elorriaga

Learn more with the link in the comments below...

10/09/2022

Information-based raptor conservation at its best!

A new and improved website from the Raptor Population Index Project has launched, sharing scientific trend analyses from decades worth of North American raptor count data. In addition to Hawk Mountain, the RPI project collaborators include Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), HawkWatch International, and Birds Canada.

Check out the new site at rpi-project.org, and learn more about the launch and new features at hawkmountain.org/news/science/new-collaborative-raptor-population-index-website-features-migration-count-trends-and-raptors-at-risk-analyses

10/05/2022

We still have one spot open for our November Raptor Field Techniques Course! Learn all about raptor research field skills, including trapping methods, handling, banding, blood sampling, broadcast call surveys, telemetry, and more. No experience necessary!

Details and registration at https://hawkmountain.ticketleap.com/raptor-field-techniques-course-nov-2022/details

10/01/2022

Join tour leader Yeray Seminario in our NEW Senegal Raptor Tour, 1-14 February 2023, and target 350+ species of birds including 40 species of diurnal raptors!

07/28/2022

New study—based on 4.4 million citizen science records—shows that species competition may play a role in shaping Neotropical hawk-eagle’s geographical and altitudinal distribution. Ornate Hawk-Eagle occupies a wider altitudinal range in regions where Black-and-chestnut Eagle is absent. This is why we eBird!

Read the original Science article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl7242

06/09/2022

VERACRUZ RIVER OF RAPTORS, 1-12 OCT 2022

- Taking signups now -

The world’s largest raptor count of between four and seven million migrating raptors have been recorded per season in recent years at Veracruz, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Most were Swainson’s Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, and Turkey Vultures, but many other species are also tallied in smaller numbers. We will sample this migration, as well as the great variety of Neotropical raptors found nearby.

To learn more about this exciting tour please use the link below...

https://www.raptoursllc.com/tours/veracruz-river-of-raptors-tour

11/18/2021

The Strait of Gibraltar is only 9 miles wide but it represents a challenge to birds that seldom fly over water. Every spring thousands of raptors overcome this dreadful obstacle in their northbound migration from Africa into Europe. From 12-20 March 2022 we will witness this Nature’s spectacular event together with a small group of hawkwatchers. Only 5 places remain open, and it is not too late to join in. Visit this website and learn more about this exciting raptor adventure!

http://www.raptoursllc.com/tours/hmana-gibraltar-raptor-tour

Address

Lincoln, NE
68510

Website

http://raptoursllc.com/

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