We recently completed the Lesser Antilles tour, which was an absolute blast! This is one of the more unusual Rockjumper tours in that it covers 10 islands over 6 countries. There is obviously a lot of travel involved during such a trip and we used various means – scheduled and chartered flights, inter island ferries and private speed boat. Thankfully our logistics team is excellent (and lots of fun!) and the travel all went smoothly, as it does in most cases around the islands. The islands themselves each have their own feel, with distinct cultures, cuisines, and of course, birds. There are roughly 32 endemics in the region, depending on one’s taxonomic viewpoint and our tour was successful in obtaining good views of all of them! Many of the island endemics are easily found and it is simply a case of getting to the right habitat on the island and they are easily seen. The most difficult species, each of which have perilously low world populations, are Grenada Dove, Whistling Warbler and Imperial Amazon. Thankfully we were able to have excellent encounters with all of these, although the latter two certainly took some work to find. In many cases we found all the island endemics so quickly that we had a good part of the day to engage in casual birding, or relaxing by the hotel pool, or take a dip in the ocean, so there was plenty of downtime to balance off the travel and moments of more intense bird searching. It makes for a really wonderful mix and by trip’s end, all of the group had it ranked as one of their favorite all time trips!

A few moments that stand out: an unbelievable morning on Guadeloupe with all of the birds like Bridled Quail Dove, Forest Thrush, Guadeloupe Woopdecker and others all showing well within our first half hour of birding. Once we had our fill of birding we headed off for a French picnic in a local park. A several hours wait in intermittent wind and rain, staring off across a valley with diminishing hopes when suddenly two Imperial Amazons were perched in the scope for all to admire and celebrate. Arriving to the spectacular island of Montserrat, finding the spectacular Montserrat Oriole a few minutes later and then having the rest of the day to tour this amazing island, replete with clear sky views of the smoking volcano. There were virtually no other tourists on the island and it felt as though we had the place to ourselves. These are just a few of many magic moments that made this such a memorable trip.

A dreary and bleak North American winter is the perfect time to escape to the nearby Caribbean for some Rockjumper birding adventures to kick off 2024! Starting on February 1, I led three different groups of intrepid birders to some of the best destinations the Greater Antilles has to offer. Starting off in the wonderful Dominican Republic, we trudged through wet cow pastures surrounded by forest to hunt down critically endangered Ridgway’s Hawks, sat patiently through cramping legs to get amazing views of super rare White-fronted Quail-Doves and endured a gruelling 2-hour boulder crawl starting at 3:30am to get up to the endemic Shangri-La of Zapoten where we got amazing looks at Hispaniolan Crossbill, Hispaniolan Trogon and the extremely difficult Bay-breasted Cuckoo.

Next up was a comparatively leisurely week on notoriously laid-back Jamaica. Unlike most tours, which require changing spots almost daily to max out species counts, Jamaica offers a blissful 5 nights at the same lodge, which also happens to contain about 2/3 of the endemics right on the grounds. Some of the highlights included a gorgeous Jamaican Owl on a day roost, an incredible (but failed) aerial pursuit of a White-tailed Tropicbird by a hungry Peregrine Falcon, and absolutely gobsmacking looks at over half a dozen endemic Crested Quail-Doves at the humble forest abode of a kindly rastaman who throws out grain for them.

Our final stop was majestic Puerto Rico, a true Caribbean gem with excellent food, world class beaches and an underrated tour bonus: well-maintained infrastructure! We started off in the Rio Abajo State Forest, the primary stronghold of the critically endangered Puerto Rican Amazon, and got amazing looks at a huge flock foraging on palm fruits in the trees directly overhead. We followed that up with a trip to the high elevation Maricao State Forest where we scored uncommonly good looks at the very rare endemic Elfin Woods Warbler and the unique Puerto Rican Tanager, recently split into its own family. After polishing off all the endemics we finished off the tour with an incredible afternoon of birding at a massive wetland complex where we got spectacularly close looks at no fewer than a dozen of the typically shy Masked Duck!

Ask any of the Rockjumper tour leaders who have had the privilege of guiding the China – Sichuan Birding & Yunnan Extension tours, and they’ll tell you that these trips highlight some of the most spectacular birds in all of Asia and that they together must rank as two of the best itineraries we offer. With this in mind, I set out to lead back-to-back tours earlier this year recalling my remarkable experiences from my earlier 2019 tours.

I must admit to being a little apprehensive following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the prolonged closure of China’s international borders. I knew that the birds were bound to deliver but travelling through China is never easy given the distinct cultural barriers and often restricted access to several of the core areas and national parks; and I thought COVID-19 might only lead to tighter restrictions. However, I arrived in Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan) and immediately felt a sense of welcome relief. This feeling only strengthened during our three-week tour and the birding was better than I remembered it. Sichuan and Yunnan would once again surpass all expectations.

The bulk of our time in Sichuan is spent above 2,500masl (8,200ft) extending to over 4,200masl (13,100ft) and we cover diverse habitats including lush moss-draped broad-leaved forests, extensive coniferous forests, unique bamboo thickets, and the vast alpine meadows of the Tibetan Plateau. The short extension to Yunnan adds a mid-altitude component, visiting remote sites near the borders with Cambodia and Laos. In a country with nearly 1400 recognized species (excluding Taiwan) with 69 endemics, it is remarkable to think that these two provinces combined support nearly 1000 species and over 40 of the endemics. This rich diversity is primarily linked to the massive altitudinal gradients and the resultant habitat diversity.

Pheasants are a prominent feature, and the two tours combined offer chances for an unbeatable 20 species. Top among these are the supreme Chinese Monal, highly desirable Lady Amherst’s and Golden Pheasants, White and endemic Blue Eared Pheasants, the sensational Temminck’s Tragopan, and the near-mythical Sichuan Partridge. One of the profound improvements to the tour since 2019 is that many of these species are now seen from dedicated blinds, where unparalleled viewing and photographic opportunities are had. These same hides can yield up to 40 species in a single session and now regularly play host to rarities including Biet’s (White-speckled), Barred and Buffy Laughingthrushes, Emei Shan and Scarlet-faced Liocichlas, and the endemic Slaty Bunting (to name a few). Still, nothing beats the thrill of finding a wild Tragopan in the setting of jiggered peaks and lush bamboo thickets.

Mentioning bamboo, another important group are the Parrotbills of which an incredible 11 species are possible. One site alone offers chances for Grey-headed, Grey-hooded, Great, Fulvous, Golden, Three-toed, Brown, Ashy-throated and Vinous-throated Parrotbills alone; and several of our groups this year reported seeing as many as five species in a single view. Time spent within this unique habitat also increases our chances for the endearing endemic Chinese Red Panda, just one of the many great mammals that are possible on the tour, for which we had a 100% hit rate across 4 tours this year and our group had up to 5 individuals in a single day!

For the family listers, Sichuan in particular is bound to have further appeal boasting excellent chances for the monotypic Przevalski’s Finch and Rufous-tailed Babbler. Added to these are a supporting cast of the rare Sichuan Jay, recently split Chinese Grey Shrike, sensational Firethroat, jewel-like White-browed and Crested Tit-warblers, and numerous Fulvettas, Babblers, Tits and Rosefinches.

From the breathtaking landscapes to the remarkable diversity of birds on offer, Sichuan and Yunnan have only reaffirmed their status as one of Asia’s premier birding destinations. I eagerly anticipate future adventures through these provinces and invite all birding enthusiasts to join us in discovering their avian treasures.

We last ventured to Cameroon back in 2018, largely due to covid and some civil unrest in a couple of locations. Given this it was with some apprehension that I led the 2024 tour to this amazing BIRDING destination.

Apart from the birds, many of the other aspects of this tour can be challenging. So I was pleasantly surprised with the way the tour worked out, more or less seamlessly.

There were many highlights including seeing one of only a handful of sightings of the little known Monteiro’s Bushshrike in Cameroon. We also enjoyed wonderful sightings of the key bird families – Egyptian Plover and Grey-necked Rockfowl!

The list of specials in Cameroon is long and other star birds included savanna and broad-leaved woodland species like Stone Partridge, White-throated Francolin, Violet & White-crested Turaco, Adamawa Turtle Dove, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Oriole Warbler, African Spotted Creeper, Yellow-winged Pytilia, Hartlaub’s Duck, Standard-winged Nightjar, White-spotted Flufftail, Blue-bellied Roller, Bamenda Apalis, Spotted Thrush-Babbler, White-collared Starling, and Dybowski’s Twinspot.

Cameroon boasts excellent access to some superb montane and lowland forests and together with the coastal habitats and wetlands provided a bounty of the endemics, near-endemics and other specials including Cameroon Olive Pigeon, Oriole Finch, Mount Cameroon Speirops, Grey-headed Broadbill, Mount Kupe Bushshrike, Yellow-bellied & Black-necked Wattle-eye, Crossley’s Ground Thrush, Bannerman’s Turaco, Bannerman’s Weaver, Banded Wattle-eye, Bangwa Forest Warbler, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Congo Serpent Eagle, mega Chestnut-flanked Sparrowhawk, Bare-cheeked Trogon, White-spotted Wattle-eye, Black-collared Lovebird, and so much more.

Each visit to the Upper Guinea forests of Ghana provides a wildly different experience and our 2024 trip was no different. Our 2023 trip was markedly wetter, while this year conditions could’ve been described as dry and even desolate in the warmer regions in the North, but one thing is always guaranteed, fantastic birding!

Our first day was a rather hit and miss affair as we failed to connect with many species which are normally guaranteed on a trip through Shai Hills. Thankfully these difficulties were not to be a common theme during our memorable tour.

White-crowned Cliff Chat, and Violet Turaco were seen well but briefly before lunch. Thereafter we managed to get excellent comparative views of Pied-winged Swallow sitting in the open alongside Ethiopian Swallows, a pair of obliging Mangrove Sunbird, and superb views of a pair of Red-tailed Leaflove which turned the quieter start than normal into a positive day. We then headed into the magnificent forests surrounding Kakum where we began searching for some seriously challenging birds. While the birding in these forests can be frustrating at times, given the low density of species, the rewards that come from perseverance and patience are great, resulting in excellent views of African Wood, Akun, and Fraser’s Eagle-Owls, Brown, Slender-tailed, and Fiery-necked Nightjars, Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, Yellow-billed, and Guinea Turacos, Blue-throated Roller, Black Bee-eater, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Blue Cuckooshrike, Forest Scimitarbill, Black Casqued, Brown-cheeked, Yellow Casqued, and Piping Hornbills while the mammal attractions included Pel’s Anomalure, Lesser Spot-nosed, and Mona Monkeys. Heading north, a stop at Bonkro Village produced the highlight species of the tour, the legendary White-necked Rockfowl, which delivered incredible views despite the threat of an imminent thunderstorm, while also managing to get excellent views of Red-billed Helmetshrike, as we approached the Rockfowl colony.

Mole National Park, the flagship reserve of Ghana, was our next destination. Here it was evident that the dry season had been brutal as the landscape was parched of water and a perpetual dust cloud hung over the region obscuring the sun. In these conditions, available water sources were areas of great activity, producing Grasshopper Buzzard, Greater Painted-Snipe, Black-rumped and Lavender Waxbill, Bearded Barbet, Fine-spotted and Brown-backed Woodpeckers, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Blue-bellied, and Abyssinian Rollers while the invitingly green lodge grounds held Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Red-throated Bee-eater, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, and Bruce’s Green Pigeon.

Birding in the broad-leaved woodlands of the reserve proved a little more challenging than usual but still produced Forbes’s Plover, White-throated Francolin, and Stone Partridge. The monotypic Egyptian Plover also delivered an incredible view while our excursions after dark produced a scintillating displaying male Standard-winged Nightjar, Greyish Eagle-Owl, African Scops Owl, and Northern White-faced Owl while we also experienced some incredible mammal encounters including a White-tailed Mongoose, and a couple of African Savanna Elephant mud-wallowing less than 30m from us.

The final leg of the trip took us through the forests of Bobiri Butterfly Reserve, producing African Piculet, Hairy-breasted Barbet, and Long-tailed Hawk, and the Atewa Range Forest Reserve where we were treated to excellent views of Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Red-tailed, and Grey-headed Bristlebill, Puvell’s Illadopsis, Western Bluebill, White-tailed Ant Thrush, and African Crowned Eagle before returning to Accra to complete an awesome trip which produced 383 species.

There’s no other place on Earth like Bhutan! One can usually find a similarity or equivalent in most other countries or destinations but not Bhutan. It is a world apart and a destination that we cannot recommend highly enough. This year Glen and Keith Valentine had the pleasure of leading the first of our scheduled tours together while Glen guided the second tour solo. We both have been travelling to Bhutan for many years with our first trips going back to 2007. Amazingly, not much has changed in 17 years! It’s still the same awe-inspiring and mind-blowing destination it has always been. The sense of awe, happiness and well-being that one feels daily in Bhutan is like nothing you’re likely to feel anywhere else on Earth. Add to that the incredible birdlife, scenery, culture, friendliness, hospitality and seemingly endless Himalayan forests and snow-capped peaks and one really is in for a trip of a lifetime.

As usual, the list of amazing birds encountered during the course of our two spring tours is enviable with a long selection of spectacular Himalayan avian specialties that is rivalled by few other destinations. Some of the many highlights included all 4 key pheasants (Satyr Tragopan, Himalayan Monal and Blood and Kalij Pheasants). These species are always going to be high on anyone’s wish list and we enjoyed fabulous views of every species. Other showstoppers included several Ibisbill, Wallcreeper (4 sightings on our first tour!), Critically Endangered White-bellied Heron (2 sightings on our second tour), Black-tailed Crake, Ward’s Trogon, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Pale-headed and Darjeeling Woodpeckers, Fire-capped Tit, Fire-tailed Myzornis, 6 species of Parrotbill (Great, Brown, Pale-billed, White-breasted, Black-throated and Grey-headed), the rarely-seen Collared Treepie, Rufous-throated and Long-billed Wren-Babblers, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, White-hooded Babbler, Himalayan Cutia, 25 species of Laughingthrushes, the monotypic Spotted Elachura, Beautiful Nuthatch, Crimson-browed and Scarlet Finches, Fire-tailed Sunbird and among many, many more.

In 2024, I have been lucky to travel East…. First to Cambodia in February, a destination Rockjumper had not visited in some time. It was wonderful. The people were really friendly and the food was excellent. We were lucky enough to visit some of the many temples including the incredible Angkor Wat and dine in a floating village and the birds were excellent. Wintering Sarus Cranes delighted alongside an enormous flock of some 3000 Garganey, as species I usually only see in ones and two’s!

The wetlands also produced a beautiful male Pied Harrier which glided past to the delight of the whole group. Next we birded the dry forest and some hides, some patience and perseverance by the local guides ensured we had excellent views of Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo, Bar-bellied Pitta and Siamese Fireback. Nearby grasslands produced numerous Bengal Floricans, a rare and difficult to see species as well as a flock of perhaps 100 Yellow-breasted Bunting. Usually skulking Pallas’s Grasshopper and Lanceolated Warblers also allowed good views and a boat trip along the mighty Mekong River allowed us to see Irawaddy Dolphin and the near enedemic Mekong Wagtail. Cambodia really delivered and I am sure will become a popular destination going forward. I was lucky to then travel even further east in April to China – Fujian, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces and the birding was outstanding. Stunning Cabot’s Tragopan, Pied Falconet and the extremely rare Blue-crowned Laughingthrush all showed well on our China Highlights tour on which we also saw 8 species of Parrotbill, stunning Golden-breasted Fulvetta and the best of all a beautiful and obliging Red Panda on Wawushan, the largest table mountain in Asia I understand. Sichuan cuisine was also a delight to sample. Qinghai then produced some spectacular species – being a high plateau, it was a different selection of species to that we had already encountered. Pallas’s Sandgrouse, 5 species of Snowfinch including Blanford’s and Pere David’s, excellent views of the monotypic Przewalski’s Finch or Pinktail, some super views of White-browed Tit and 2 species of Tit-Warbler, Crested and White-browed. Superb summer plumaged Pallas’s Gulls and groups of Black-necked Cranes were also very much appreciated. So heading east was hugely rewarding and successful and hearing one of the group calmly announce, I have a Panda was something I will always remember as it has been a dream to see Red Panda.

I was lucky to then travel even further east in April to China – Fujian, Sichuan and Qinghai provinces and the birding was outstanding. Stunning Cabot’s Tragopan, Pied Falconet and the extremely rare Blue-crowned Laughingthrush all showed well on our China Highlights tour on which we also saw 8 species of Parrotbill, stunning Golden-breasted Fulvetta and the best of all a beautiful and obliging Red Panda on Wawushan, the largest table mountain in Asia I understand. Sichuan cuisine was also a delight to sample. Qinghai then produced some spectacular species – being a high plateau, it was a different selection of species to that we had already encountered. Pallas’s Sandgrouse, 5 species of Snowfinch including Blanford’s and Pere David’s, excellent views of the monotypic Przewalski’s Finch or Pinktail, some super views of White-browed Tit and 2 species of Tit-Warbler, Crested and White-browed. Superb summer plumaged Pallas’s Gulls and groups of Black-necked Cranes were also very much appreciated.  

So heading east was hugely rewarding and successful and hearing one of the group calmly announce, I have a Panda was something I will always remember as it has been a dream to see Red Panda. 

China – Sichuan Birding I
22 May – 09 Jun 2025 (19 days) 
Tour Price: USD6,795 – 4 Spaces Available 

China – Sichuan Birding II
01  – 19 Jul 2025 (19 days) 
Tour Price: USD6,795 – 4 Spaces Available