Golden Gate Audubon Society

Ideas Sought for Travel with GGA

If you have been on a birding trip that was especially wonderful, experienced a terrific guide, or have a suggestion of an area to visit, please email Chris Bard with your comments. chrisbard@earthlink.net

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Travel with GGA on Two Fabulous Trips

Are you thinking of traveling outside the Bay Area? Do you want to expand your life list while experiencing a different environment or a different culture? If so, consider these new offerings, both designed especially for GGA. For more information—and a detailed itinerary—contact Chris Bard, trip coordinator, at chrisbard@earthlink.net or 510.522.5699.

The Natural History and Archaeology of Honduras

Honduras is a country of stunning beauty and stark contrasts. It is a place where, in some aspects, time has stood still, where ancient civilizations once thrived and where a traveler can still be immersed in large expanses of wilderness. The country’s location on an ecological divide between North America and southern Central America makes it a naturalist’s paradise. Honduras is the home of 740 species of birds, 800 species of orchids, and 1,000 species of butterflies.

This trip is designed to highlight the diverse habitats across parts of central and western Honduras. We will also visit the Mayan ruins at Copán, a large complex of temples and plazas surrounded by a lush jungle with abundant wildlife. Known as the “Paris of the Mayan World,” the ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our guide will be Robert Gallardo, a naturalist who has resided in Honduras since 1993. He and his wife, Irma, operate a nature center and lodge at Copán and have produced a number of natural history books and CDs. Dates of the trip are February 22 to March 3, 2011. Cost excluding airfare is $1,800 per person, which includes a $150 tax-deductible donation to Golden Gate Audubon.

Big Bend and the Texas Hill Country

A land of grand vistas, majestic mountains, and spectacular cliffs above the Rio Grande, the vast Big Bend National Park encompasses the Chisos Mountains, which rise like a wooded island from the Chihuahuan Desert. In spring, breeding birds return, and colorful eastern and western warblers and tanagers are in passage at lush oases. Regional specialties include Lucifer Hummingbird, Colima Warbler, Montezuma Quail, Zone-tailed Hawk, Black Hawk, Gray Hawk, Crissal Thrasher, Painted Bunting, Gray Vireo, and Black-chinned Sparrow.

To the east lies the Edwards Plateau, which hosts Black-capped Vireo, Golden-cheeked Warbler, Cave Swallow, Olive Sparrow, and Green Kingfisher. One evening, we will view the emergence of 10 million free-tailed bats, one of nature’s spectacles. On this trip, we’ll also photograph and identify many of the Big Bend region’s flowers, cacti, mammals, and reptiles.

The trip leader will be Mark Smith of Mark Smith Nature Tours. A keen student of nature since he was a small boy, he studied biology at Oregon State University. He has organized and led natural history tours for 25 years. Dates of the trip are April 17–26, 2011. Cost excluding airfare is $2,235 per person, which includes a $150 tax-deductible donation to Golden Gate Audubon.

Travel with the Latin America Committee on the following trip:

Birdwatching in Panamá

Join GGAS past president Steve Margolin in June 2011, for a Golden Gate Audubon/Latin America Committee birding trip to Panamá.  At the junction between two continents and in a variety of tropical habitats, we can find a broad range of neotropical birds, including trogons, toucans, manakins, cotingas, and hummingbirds.  Our guide in Panamá will be Guido Berguido, a skilled and experienced birding guide and Conservation Director of Panama Audubon Society.  Our trip, which will be Steve’s seventh to Panamá, is in the early planning stages.  For more information, please contact Steve Margolin at sgmpanama@digitalpath.net.