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FOR NON-BIRDERS

Don’t let the name fool you.

Wilderness Birding Adventures is not your typical, mainstream “birdwatching only” tour company! We are naturalists who happen to use birding as our number one excuse to get outdoors in Alaska. We are eager to share our natural history (as well as birding) expertise with all of our participants; you don’t have to be a birder to enjoy our adventures.  Our guides are excellent teachers who strive to balance and support the various goals of the individuals on any given trip, whether photographing wildlife and the Alaskan landscapes, or spotting a rare bird, or just learning how to identify the common ones. And for aspiring birders, there’s no better way to get started in birding than to go into the field with more experienced guides committed to enthusiastically sharing and teaching their knowledge.

We create your opportunity to enjoy an Alaska vacation with that birder in your family or the birder friend with whom you like to travel.

Our trips are so much more than birding.  Most are unbelievable adventures where wildlife viewing goes well beyond just viewing. We share the land with the wildlife and at times must change our plans because of the wildlife.  We label our trips as either:

“Birding-Focused” or
“Wilderness Wildlife & Birding”

We suggest you look most closely at all of our trips labeled Wilderness Wildlife & Birding.  Although many of our birding-focused trips are pretty hard core birding, several trips will be of great interest to non-birders, such as the Chevak Spectacled Eider Camp, Kenai Peninsula, Gray-Headed Chickadee Float, Pribilof Islands and Bhutan. 

Are you afraid of whom you might get stuck traveling with on a birding tour?

Does birdwatching in Alaska conjure images of the little old blue-haired lady stepping off the cruise ship in her sensible shoes, or the wild-haired, polyester-clad guy with binoculars whose total depth of interest consists of his life list  – and that’s all he talks about? Do these images scare you away from taking an Alaska vacation with the likes of them?  It’s time to take a second look.  Wilderness Birding Adventures tends to attract adventurous and active participants rather than those described above.  The trips most likely to attract the bird geeks are Adak, Gambell and Nome. So if you have the above phobias, perhaps you should avoid these trips!

Partly to shake those stereotypes, those who watch and enjoy birds now more commonly refer to themselves as “birders” rather than “birdwatchers.”  The clan still includes its traditional stalwarts (the characters above) but, as the fastest-growing outdoor activity in the United States, don’t be surprised to bump into anyone - from pierced punks to pinstriped CEOs - sporting binoculars.  The old stereotype is passé.  We’ll even go out on a limb to declare that birding is cool.

There are many good reasons to embrace birding.

• It is a hobby you can practice anytime anywhere on the planet no matter how old you grow.

• It gets you out into natural areas regularly and enhances your walk in the park, the tundra or the beach.

• It’s a way to pay closer attention to whatever environment you happen to be in. 

• It’s an intellectually challenging skill with a satisfying sense of mastery. 

• It can be peaceful and quiet or challenging and rugged.  

• It’s an endless learning experience that engages the curiosity and keeps the neural pathways in the brain healthy.

• It’s a great way to get the kids involved in the natural world at a young age and set them up for a lifelong path of enjoyment and reward.

And birds simply delight. Their incredible ability to fly, their behaviors, colorful plumages, awe-inspiring migrations, the remarkable variety of species and adaptations – how can we not be utterly wowed by these tiny miracles?  Not only is birding a hobby, but it is a lifelong passion for many of us gravitationally-challenged bipeds who have discovered the infinitely fascinating world of birds.  You’re never too old to start birding, and never too young.

What do I need to get started?

All you need is a pair of good binoculars, a field guide, and your curiosity.

• Good binoculars go a long way to reducing your frustration when you are starting out. They may cost a bit, but they will last many years and seriously soften the learning curve. 

• A good field guide describes and illustrates the birds, and tells you which details of each bird to look for.  

• A human guide is handy as well. Skilled at identifying local specialties, a guide can help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming identification challenges and cut to the key elements that you need to confidently identify any given bird.  They can also coach you on aspects of birding that most guidebooks don’t address, such as the “giss” (general impression of size and shape) – that intuitive element of birding that takes field experience to cultivate but can be coached by a good guide.

Find out more about our Wilderness Wildlife and Birding trips!

Kongakut River Valley, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge