BIRD TOURS with a sense of place
What is ethical birding?
Do you love to watch birds? Do you particularly love to learn about them, watch their behaviour and understand their lives – by appreciating their habitat, their history, and the other animals and plants that share their world?
Do you love to watch birds ethically, with little disturbance to their natural behaviour?
Join us for an ethical bird tour with a sense of place. We love to take time to watch the birds, and time to enjoy the spirit of a place. Because a bird is not alone – it needs an ecosystem to support it. Watching leads to understanding, and understanding leads to better protection for our birds.
Our style of bird watching is comfortable. Early morning and late afternoon walks and drives are high on our list of things to do; middle of the day is for relaxing over lunch and (sometimes) for taking a siesta. We allow time for looking at plants, scenery, other animals, people, culture and history where it is relevant and important. As much as possible we give you options so you can bird your way.
“We don’t really do ‘targets’ to the exclusion of all else. However, we do know what birds are likely each day, what is rare and high-profile, and we love to show you as many birds as possible. Our Bird Guides do extensive research before each tour, checking recent sightings of high priority species. We won’t drive past the Wilkins Rock-wallaby for a slim chance of seeing a Yellow Chat. We can’t ignore the breaching Long-finned Pilot Whales to get back to ‘proper birding’. Because birds are part of nature, and nature is not our servant.” Janine Duffy, Echidna Walkabout Bird Guide.
Anyway, often you find what you want when you are relaxed, well-rested and happy and when everyone around you is happy too.
We do lists, and our lists include mammals, reptiles, birds and often, dragonflies and butterflies.
Read on about our in-depth, ethical bird tours.
Maximum Wildlife
7 to 21 days of birds, mammals & reptiles across the continent – from the lyrebirds of the rainforest, parrots of the desert Outback, kookaburras of the coast, to the brolgas of the Top End.
Tawny Frogmouths & Sandpipers
2 days near Melbourne birding in the Australian Bush of the You Yangs and Port Phillip Bay’s RAMSAR listed shorelines and wetlands
Private or group tour.
Forest : Cockatoos & Lyrebirds
4 days in the rainforests, mountains & coastlines of East Gippsland
Desert : Parrots & Emus
4 days of desert birding in the Outback, near the borders of Victoria and New South Wales
Coast : Bristlebirds & Kookaburras
3 days of coastal birding on the famous Great Ocean Road
5 big lessons the endangered Malleefowl taught me
Malleefowl are big, diamond encrusted….and endangered! Right there in front of me was one of the world’s rarest birds. A Malleefowl. Having spent much of my young life in the Mallee I knew all about Malleefowl but I’d never seen one. Everyone in the Mallee talks about...
5 reasons to learn birds at the Katherine Bird Festival
Come to the Katherine Bird Festival this September There’s lots of great reasons why you should learn birds in Katherine — and they’re not all bird related! Do you love colourful birds? The most psychedelic of them all may be Australia’s tiny Gouldian Finch (pictured...
Mallacoota Birders Big Weekend March 2021
Four days, 43 birders, 151 bird species, 3 boat trips, $1275+ for bushfire recovery, a truckload of fish & chips and quite a few bottles of wine… this was the second annual Mallacoota Birders Big Weekend over Labour Day Holiday, 5 – 9 March 2021. We were so busy!...
Our Bird Guides
Martin Maderthaner
Senior Bird Guide
Martin is a serious birder with quick eyes. He has watched birds all over the world, particularly in his home continent Africa.
eBird top birder ranking:
#4 East Gippsland: 240 species
#43 Victoria: 372 species
Australia: 436 species
#55 South Africa: 575 species
Total birds seen: 1412
eBird profile: https://ebird.org/profile/NDk5NzMw/world
Janine Duffy
Senior Bird Guide
Janine is a serious birder with a good ear, and a particular love of small bush birds. She also adores seabirds and pelagic trips!
She loves to encourage beginner birders, and believes in fostering an inclusive birding community.
She is Admin for two birding groups on facebook: Women Birders Australia and Mallacoota Birds.
eBird top birder ranking:
#6 East Gippsland, VIC: 234 species
#64 Victoria: 346 species
#10 North-east Top End, NT: 171 species
#91 Northern Territory: 247 species
#251 Australia: 532 species
Total birds seen: 1241
eBird profile: https://ebird.org/australia/profile/Mzc0NjU0/world
Roger Smith
Senior Bird Guide
Roger has been watching birds his whole life, and has a particular love for raptors and birds of the inland, where he grew up. He also loves the native pigeons and doves.
Roger’s eBird lists are included here: https://ebird.org/profile/MTE1OTM5OA/AU
Brett Howell
Bird Guide
In just 4 years Brett has become a very skilled birder, with a great eye and quick recall. His recent trip to South America added a new dimension to his birding experience. Watch this space!
eBird top birder ranking:
#36 East Gippsland: 170 species
#193 Victoria: 293 species
Australia: 383 species
Total birds seen: 785
eBird profile: https://ebird.org/profile/NzUzMTg5/world
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