It would surprise you to know that birds are almost as ancient as Dinosaurs dating back to 200 million years. No doubt we are much newer species on this planet as compared to the ancient birds and for those who are extremely fond of them nothing better than getting your backpack with your DSLR camera and capturing these exotic creatures and marvelling their beauty. In case you want to get a glimpse some of the most anticipated and beautiful birds you’ll have to travel around the globe to sites known for birdwatching. Below we list out seven such places around the globe known for birdwatching.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Situated at the north-eastern tip of South Africa Kruger Park is one of the most exciting safari destinations in South Africa. This habitat is visited by over 200 migrant species from different parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. The best time for birdwatchers to visit the place is between October and March as most of the migrant birds visit it during this time. Most of the birds are frequently accessible far North in the sandveld and tropical riverine bush. The park is well known for its diversity of raptors such as Bateleur Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Lilac Breasted Rollers and Starlings. Other notable birds are Grey Lourie, also known as ‘go away birds’ due their tendency to warn you in case it spots a hunter, Green Backed Heron, Yellowbilled Stork, Hamerkop, Yellowbilled Hornbill, and may more of such birds unique to Africa.
Pichincha, Ecuador
Located in Ecuador Pichincha is host to about 1,600 species of birds. Covered by tropical rainforests, cloud forests and other habitat it comes as no surprise that this site has the richest diversities of birds. The Tandayapa valley in this province is home to a variety of humming birds, Plate-billed Mountain-Toucan, Toucan Barnet and tanagers. You can spot Moss-backed Tanager, Lanceolated Monklet and Choco Trogon in the Milpe reserve. The good thing is you can find a number of eco-lodges and birds guides easily in this area.
Manu National Park
One of the largest parks in South America, Manu is located in the south-east of Peru. Recognized by UNESCO as world heritage site this national park is still not easily accessible and is still untouched by civilization. The biosphere reserve is host to more than 850 different species of birds. The park hosts a number of birdwatching programs from 5 days up to 23 days. Some of the important sites to visit include the Huarcarpay Lake, Acjanacu pass and Pillahuata. Some of the rare birds characteristic to this region include Hudsonian Godwit, Rush Tyrant, Puna Tapaculo, and many more. You will also find some of the most beautiful and colorful birds such as Golden collared tanager, Paradise Tanager and blue necked tanager.
Big Bend National Park
Spread across 800,000 acres of Chihuahuan desert, Bind Bend National Park is host to mountains, deserts and rivers and falls in the migration route of a number of birds. Some of the birding hotspots in the park include Rio Grande village, Santa Elena Canyon, Sam Nail Ranch and Terlingua Abajo. There are more than 450 types of birds in such different hotspots and include the types of Mexican Mallard, black-capped vireos, Colima warbler, Lucifer hummingbird etc. While Colima warblers can be easily spotted in April, August hosts a number of species of humming birds and in winters you can find winter sparrows and waterfowl.
Orkney Islands, Scotland
Host to some of the most beautiful seabirds, Ornkey is a renowned place for birdwatching. The site is host to a variety of species, which include seabirds, passerines, waterfowl, divers, raptors, wading birds and owls. Seabirds are in majority and include fulmars, kittiwakes, razorbills and guillemots. These are breeding birds and can be found on the sandstone ledges from April to July. Passerines include thrush, blackbirds, linnet, chaffines and skylark. The autumn and winters are visited by divers from Canada, Iceland and Greenland.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea is famous for its Birds of Paradise that are unique to this island. The place is host to more than 700 different species of birds which include sea birds, freshwater species and migrants. There are 43 different species of Birds of Paradise identified across the globe out of which 38 are found in Papua New Guinea. Some of the better known destinations for birdwatching here include Ambua Lodge with over 200 species of birds, Karawari Lodge along the Karawari River , Rondon Lodge and Bensbach Lodge. One of the most anticipated birds of this region is Victoria Crowned Pigeon, a beautiful and largest living pigeon.
Rift Valley, Kenya
Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site is host to 5000 million birds belonging to about 350 different species of birds. The valley consists of a chain of alkaline lakes that host up to 2 million Lesser Flamingos as well as Greater Flamingo. Some of the other known birds sighted in this region include Gabar Goshawks, , Marabou Storks, Shikra and Paradise Flycatcher.