Birdwatch Readers Holiday – 7 nights
The endemic Azores Bullfinch and the range-restricted Atlantic Canary are the star landbirds, although the superb track record of the islands for American vagrants – both passerines and waterbirds – means that we should expect the unexpected during our visit. Add to that some exciting seabirds, and this island-hopping tour offers a unique new dimension to birding in the region.
This holiday is been run in conjunction with Birdwatch magazine, visit the Birdwatch website
Leader: Dominic Mitchell.
Itinerary
| > Day 1 | We will depart London Gatwick in the morning on a direct flight to São Miguel, the largest island in the Azores. Arriving at Ponta Delgada in the afternoon, we should be in time to head east across the island to Furnas, where a male Wood Duck has been resident in recent years. We will also check Lagoa das Furnas for any Nearctic vagrants that may be present, and should see Atlantic Canary and the local subspecies of Common Buzzard, Chaffinch and Goldcrest. If there is still daylight remaining, we will check the harbour near our hotel for waders, gulls and terns – last year’s trip discovered the first Whitewinged Black Tern for the islands. |
| > Day 2 | After an early breakfast, we will visit Serra da Tronqueira in the mountainous east of the island to search for the endemic and Critically Endangered Azores Bullfinch. This species is very thinly spread on the slopes near Pico da Vara, and can be difficult to locate in poor weather, but we will check previously productive spots carefully. We then return to Ponta Delgada, visiting several small estuaries en route, in time for an afternoon flight to Terceira. This island is a wader hotspot, with the quarry pools at Cabo da Praia frequently hosting wayward strays from North America. These have included flocks of Whiterumped and Semipalmated Sandpipers and ‘megas’ like Hudsonian Godwit and Shortbilled Dowitcher. Night on Terceira. |
| > Day 3 | Today we will return to Cabo da Praia and closely check all shorebirds at this superb location. Semipalmated Plover has regularly been found here, but almost anything could turn up. We will also visit other sites on the island, checking gulls, terns and wildfowl for possible vagrants and looking offshore for Cory’s Shearwater and other seabirds. Quail is another possibility. Night on Terceira. |
| > Day 4 | If tides and time permit we will call in briefly at Cabo da Praia before heading to the airport for our mid-morning flight to Corvo. This remote outpost has recently produced many notable vagrant American passerines. In the exceptional autumn of October 2005 these included White-eyed Vireo – a first for the Western Palearctic. We will look hard in some of the likely spots for sheltering migrants and vagrants. Night on Corvo. |
| > Day 5-6 | We have two full days birding on Corvo, where migrants will continue to be our main focus. This ‘Fair Isle of the Azores’ offers unique potential for our group to find its own vagrants. If the wind has been in the west the birding could be exceptional, with warblers, vireos, buntings, sparrows and icterids all possible. Last year’s trip listed Great Blue Heron, Semipalmated and American Golden Plovers, Spotted Sandpiper and Red-eyed Vireo among its many highlights. Nights on Corvo. |
| > Day 7 | We will spend our final morning on the island searching the more productive migrant traps before taking an early afternoon flight back to São Miguel. We should have time to visit sites in the west of the island, where we have a last chance to add any Nearctic shorebirds, wildfowl and herons to our trip list. Last year this included Western Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and Ring-necked Duck, and there is always the chance of an American ‘mega’. Night in Ponta Delgada. |
| > Day 8 | We have an early start to return to the airport for our direct flight back to London Gatwick, arriving late morning. |
Dates & Prices
| All prices are per person (£) based on twin sharing but we can also quote for single supplements. | |||||||||
Date |
Price |
||||||||
7th -14th October 2008 |
£1,149 |
||||||||
| Accommodation: Residencial Matriz (Sao Miguel), Varandos do Atlantico (Terceira), Commodore Guesthouse (Corvo) |
|||||||||
Price includes:
All economy class air travel as per itinerary, all pre-paid airport and departure taxes, ground transport by minibus, hotel accommodation with en-suite facilities and breakfast, services of Birdwatch tour leader, pre-tour information pack and day-to-day bird checklist..
Price excludes:
Travel insurance (from £21 per person), lunch and dinners (allow £10-20 per day), drinks, laundry, souvenirs and other items of a personal nature. There is a singleroom supplement of £88 (please note that single rooms may not be available on Corvo).
T: 017687 75672
US Toll free 1-800-490-0446
E: info@azoreschoice.com