Birding By Bus

12/31/2024

Been saving this one. 2024: WHAT A YEAR!

This past year you participated in some epic and remarkable tour adventures with us. We created the experiences, but YOU are the ones that were there. You kept the Birding by Bus engine purring and wheels rolling on! It wasn’t just about the birds — you took a piece of the places you visited home with you in your heart. You helped support local people and businesses. You saved birds and habitat through ecotourism. You were part of the Birding by Bus family, and that’s something we hold very special.

In 2024, you discovered the birds and culture of the Colombian Andes, Northern Colombia, Quintessential Costa Rica, Costa Rica Migrations, Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, Utqiagvik, Panama, Southern Portugal, and Southern Spain. We celebrated our 40th tour to date — and that’s no small accomplishment. Not only did we encounter 1330 species of birds with you over this past year, but together we all made precious memories to last a lifetime!

We’re so looking forward to 2025! Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all. Enjoy these video clips from our recent Premier Panama tour that visits Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge — by talented videographer, Ainsley Farrar.

12/19/2024

SPEECHLESS!

Our final tour for 2024 has come to a close and what a phenomenal trip it was. This 9-day trip to Northern Colombia also marked a big 40th tour milestone for us in just 4 years!

Exploring this region with a group of 10 Americans and Canadians, we not only got our tour participants on so many bird species and immerse them in enriching cultural activities, but also we brought holiday cheer to hundreds of local people in the communities we visited. How, you might ask?

1. We handed out over 50 pounds of clothing to children
2. Made 50 pouches full of school supplies and needed toiletries
3. Purchased essential groceries in holiday “mercado” gift bags to over 40 families
4. Treated more than 15 dogs for different parasites
5. Provided dog and cat food for dozens of animals along our route
6. Freed a caged Tropical Mockingbird (with permission from the owner that we educated)
7. Raised money to sponsor the construction of two bathrooms at a promising new birding & breakfast site in the Guajira
8. Provided birding gear to several guides, including speakers, lasers, and field guides
9. Donated two pair of binoculars to new birders
10. …And so much more!

We truly could not have done these good deeds without all of YOU out there. You were the magic that made it happen, thanks to your donations, support, and cheering us on, and we were the lucky ones that got to spread the love. PLUS— all of this while breaking the record for the highest number of bird species (310 in 9 days) our tour groups have recorded over 6 runs of this route now. Thank you all for believing in this little dream called Birding by Bus, for joining our adventures in person or virtually, and for allowing us to make the peoples’ and animals’ paths we cross a better one for all.

12/07/2024

From the historic old city streets of Cartagena, to the rhythms of the Caribbean coast, to the windswept desert scrub of the Guajira Peninsula, to the biodiverse highlands of the Santa Marta Mountains…. we are here in Northern Colombia at the start of our final tour of 2024!

December is a very special time to show our tour participants what makes this region so unique. It’s not only the start of the dry season with some of the best Caribbean weather, but it’s also the holidays! Colombia takes their December holidays to another level, with abundant lights and decorations, music, and festive celebrations everywhere you look. Cultural activities will be mixed in with our birding throughout the trip, to give the full essence of Colombia’s complement of culture and wildlife.

One of the goals of Birding by Bus, aside from a magical birding tour experience, is to leave a positive long lasting impact in the communities we visit. To that end, we’ll be donating toys, clothing, and food to in-need families along our route… making their holiday season a little more special this year.

Let the magic begin!

12/04/2024

Alaska — where we just spent the late fall month of November — definitely feels a lot like it should be early winter. Colder temperatures, shorter days, snowfall ... and hibernation sets in for bears and people alike. With the increasing hours of darkness, it should be easier to see the famed Northern Lights, but somehow we still missed them! Despite that dip, we had some great successes and a fantastic month in our favorite state.

On the birding front, November in Alaska is a big “unknown” with scant data. The state has little birding going on this time of year. Late fall migrants and wandering vagrants can still turn up, particularly young birds that are misoriented or wander further out. There’s always the potential for exciting rare bird surprises this time of year. Of which we had some EPIC FINDS and FIRSTS! (read on in the captions...)

11/28/2024

We wanted to wish everyone Thanksgiving moments that are as sweet as these extra-juicy High Bush Cranberries! Such a fun moment to encounter this Pine Grosbeak savoring some wild fruit this past month in wintery Juneau, Alaska.

November is the time to be thankful and embrace those who enrich our lives. We are very grateful for each and every one of you. From the participants that come on our birding tours to all those who have believed in Birding by Bus since the beginning, it means the world to us that are you here. You’ve all become like family and we greatly look forward to seeing each other again and exploring new destinations in nature.

We are also thankful that because of you, we’ve been able to make a positive impact in communities throughout the world and we do it from the heart. Through our travels, all of us are working together to support people, communities, natural habitats, and all the wonderful biological life within.

Warmest wishes for hope, joy, peace, good health, and love on this Thanksgiving Day!

Marc & Eliana

10/19/2024

Who 💙’s BO***ES?

Brown B***y is a pantropical seabird found in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The American Ornithological Society (AOS, 2024) just split off the eastern Pacific population of Brown B***y into a new species called COCOS B***Y due to morphological and behavioral differences! eBird should be making this taxonomic update some time this month. Who’s getting an armchair lifer?

Male Cocos Bo***es have a geographically variable white head and upper neck, a more grayish-blue bill, and a more greenish-blue gular pouch. Females have a whitish forehead and a pinkish-yellow bill. Compare this to Brown B***y in the Atlantic where both males and females have brown heads with no white, in addition to various other subtle differences. You can read more about the new b***y split at https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCprop995.htm

All Bo***es pictured here were seen off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, October 15 2024!

10/19/2024

The view from my Birding By Bus office window! I will take this as a good luck charm sign for the tour we are starting today. 🍀💚🇨🇷🌟

10/14/2024

Things that make ya go HUMMMMMM!

On our recent 12-day "Premier Panama" tour through the provinces of Bocas del Toro, Colon, and Panama, we had to work for our birds! Feeder opportunities with good close-up photos were not abundant, with most of our photography done without the use of blinds or feeders.

One exception was the excellent hummingbird platform at Canopy Tower, where we had a kaleidoscope of 7 different hummers visiting the sugar-water feeders. I took off the 2x teleconverter on my camera and shot with my new Sony 300mm f/2.8 prime lens! Who doesn't love being mesmerized by the non-stop action at tropical hummingbird feeders? -Marc

10/13/2024

Who can find a raptor in this photo that's *NOT* a BROAD-WINGED HAWK?

CIRCLE it/them and post your marked up photo in the COMMENTS! (bonus points: what bird is it?)


An incredible passage of raptors overhead by the thousands is a remarkable sight to behold. Impressive and extensive kettles of hawks, falcons, kites, vultures, and their relatives pushed through Panama this week. From high up on the upper deck of the Canopy Tower, our tour group observed what’s known as the “river of raptors”!

10/13/2024

One of the rarest and least-known bird species in Middle America, behold the *SPECKLED MOURNER*. Definitely a top-tier bird on our recent Premier Panama tour!

As long ago as the early 19th century, this bird was described as one of the scarcest of Central American birds, suggesting that modern-day rates of deforestation are not solely to blame for its perceived rarity.

Panama may be the best country to spot one, and this individual (maybe even two?) showed well, albeit briefly, on Pipeline Road earlier this week.

The Canopy Family, Panama

10/10/2024

I thought the Cuban Knight Anole was jumbo-sized as far as anoles go, but it may have some Guinness record book competition.

This Fortuna Pass Giant Anole (Anolis kathydayae) was a thrilling find in the highlands of Western Panama along the Continental Divide. Endemic only to the Fortuna Forest Reserve of Western Panama, the species was only described to science as recently as 2017. 🤙

Birding By Bus

10/10/2024

Bocas del Toro (Western Panama) served up an incredible experience from both a birding and nature perspective to water sports activities in the Caribbean to meeting some great folks! Bird highlights included several hot regional endemics like Lattice-tailed Trogon, White-tailed Emerald, Snowy Cotinga, Canebrake Wren, and Black-and-Yellow Tanager. There were not only great birds, but also sloths, primates, amphibians, and butterflies! With the warm Caribbean Sea just off the dock, we snorkeled, paddleboarded, and kayaked amongst mangroves, vibrant coral reefs and a brilliant kaleidoscope of tropical fish and invertebrates. Beyond the nature immersion, connecting with the local people and experiencing Panamanian customs warmed our hearts. The adventure continues!

10/08/2024

One of our digiscoping videos was featured in an article today by the Chicago Bird Alliance !

This year brought about a ‘Cicadapocalypse,’, which resulted in two broods of periodical cicadas emerging from the ground in North America. In the article link below, check out our footage of a White-whiskered Puffbird catching a cicada in Costa Rica during our “Quintessential Costa Rica” tour!

Digiscoped with a Leica APO Televid 82 Spotting Scope — ask us how to get equipped to shoot videos like this!

https://chicagobirdalliance.org/blog/2024/10/2/how-did-birds-react-to-cicadas

10/07/2024

Caribbean island life + Panama birding + fun expert guides = paradise!

What a tremendous week in Western Panama’s charming Caribbean coast at the world-class Tranquilo Bay. We’re here in the island archipelago of Bocas del Toro, at the epicenter of tropical biodiversity and protected reserves.

Over the last 7 days, we birded, bonded, and made several fantabulous excursions to nearby islands and to the mainland. Along with our sharp and fun Panamanian guides, we covered both the lowlands and worked our way well up into the highlands, providing a great variety of bird species — 264 just on this leg of the trip. Vamos pollitos!!!

09/27/2024

Migrating with our feathered friends, here we go southward to PANAMA!

The isthmus of Panama is a rich mixing grounds of birds and mammals from North and South America. Our upcoming 12-day tour itinerary explores the region’s incredible diversity while based at two of the most renowned birding lodges in the country: Tranquilo Bay and Canopy Tower. ONWARD!

09/27/2024

Cute. Compact. Comical. Those sexy eyebrows, superb rictal bristles, and big personalities in a little body.

Had a blast last month in the Colombian Andes with a group of birds called the Chat-Tyrants. They are small flycatchers, many of which are generally inconspicuous as they forage in the dense understory of the forest.

We saw 5 different species of the 14 in the world that exist. At Hacienda el Bosque, they’ve trained Yellow-bellied Chat-Tyrants to come to worm feeders. At Termales del Ruiz, the Crowned Chat-Tyrant has also learned this entertaining behavior. Overall a really charismatic group of birds! Can’t wait to see more of them — guess we need to visit Peru, Chile, and some new parts of South America soon (hint, hint)🙂

Seen on our Charm of the Andes tours in Colombia, Aug-Sep 2024!

Hacienda El Bosque Termales del Ruiz

09/26/2024

What's it like traveling with Birding by Bus?

Tour participant Susan Springmeyer Howe has ventured across the globe on more than 10 tours with us. Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Portugal, Costa Rica, and beyond! Here are some of her thoughts on traveling solo and her experience on our birding and cultural tours.

Thinking of dipping your toe in the international birding travel world as a solo traveler?  I have got the trip for you! Check out Birding By Bus and book your trip today. My first Birding By Bus trip was booked as a solo. I didn’t know a soul on the trip, although Marc,