TOURS – UNITED STATES

Join us this April for a birding and photography tour exploring the Dry Tortugas, the keys, we’ll even be doing some urban birding in the Miami area. The Florida keys and the Dry Tortugas can be excellent migratory destinations for birds coming back from the Caribbean and Central America. When the conditions are ideal, there can even be a chance of seeing fallout in these areas. Here is a breakdown of our tour itinerary.

4/16- Arrive at the Fort Lauderdale airport no later than 1pm. We’ll begin our adventure by driving south to Miami to search for multiple species of established parakeets and Spot-breasted Oriole before having dinner and driving south to Florida City to check into our hotel for the evening.

4/17- We’ll bird down the keys beginning with a stop at the Dagny Johnson State Botanical Park and Carysfort Circle in order to find Black-whiskered Vireo, Gray Kingbird, warblers and buntings. Continue south through the keys and stop at the government building in Marathon to see Roseate and Least Terns that nest on the rooftop. Then check for key deer, or any other unusual sightings. Check into our hotel in the lower keys for the night.

4/18- Dry Tortugas Day! We’ll have to get up early and board the Yankee Freedom for our day trip to the island where we’re going to see plenty of migratory species on their way to the mainland for the spring breeding season. We’ll see several species of warbler, hummingbirds, and falcons, not to mention Masked and Brown Booby, Magnificent Frigatebird, Brown Noddy (pictured), Sooty, Royal, and Sandwich Tern. There’s also possibility for very rare sightings like the Black Noddy, Bridled Tern, and Antillean Nighthawk.

4/19- In the morning we’ll make a stop at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in search of the additional migratory songbirds, Great White and Wurdemann’s Heron, and Short-tailed Hawk. Drive back up through the keys to make a stop for any birds we may have missed on the way down. Lodging will be in Homestead/Florida City again.

4/20- A trip to Blackpoint Marina first thing in the morning to try and locate a Mangrove Cuckoo. We’ll spend the morning driving in a loop around Miami metro area and Kendall to pick up some species we won’t be able to see anywhere else including Red-whiskered Bulbul, Scaly-breasted Munia, Cave Swallow, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, and Mitred, Yellow-chevroned, and Red-masked Parakeets. Flights home in the afternoon no earlier than 1pm. Optional stop at Belle Glade for the Tricolored Munia for anyone not taking a flight and driving north on their way home.

The tour fee will be $2275 per person with a $550 singles supplement fee. That price includes transportation, hotels, the Yankee Freedom ferry, water/snacks, park entry fees, and a checklist of species seen at each location. It does not include meals, tips, or your flight to Fort Lauderdale.

This area is known as the “Warbler Capital of the World”. Songbirds gather in this area in mid-May as a stopover point before crossing Lake Erie on their way north. We’re doing this tour a little later than the prime week to try to avoid a bit of the crowding. Our first day on May 17th will be the last day of the Biggest week festival.

May 17th- I will pick you up at 7am from the Detroit airport, or any hotel in the Detroit area. It’s about an hour and 15 minutes to Magee Marsh from here. We’ll spend the day exploring the famous boardwalk in hopes of finding migratory birds such as the Scarlet Tanager, Warbling and Philadelphia Vireos, Prothonotary, Wilson’s, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Mourning, and Canada Warblers,Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and Veery. There will also be a chance to see Virginia Rail and Eastern Screech Owl.

In the evening after dinner, we’ll visit the Maumee Bay State Park in hopes of finding an American Woodcock. We will be staying in a hotel in the eastern Toledo area for 2 nights.

May 18th- We’ll make a morning visit to the Maumee Bay State Park Nature Center in hopes of finding a Virginia Rail, Sora, or Tennessee Warbler.

After lunch, we’ll visit Magee Marsh again.

After an early dinner, we’ll visit Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge visitor center and boardwalk. We’ll be looking for Blackburnian, Bay-breasted, and Magnolia Warblers, Bald Eagle, Baltimore Oriole, Indigo Bunting, and Gray-cheeked, Swainson’s, and Wood Thrush.

May 19th- Check out of the hotel and head to Oak Openings Preserve for Orchard Oriole, Lark Sparrow, and various species of warbler.

In the late morning, we can look at reported sightings and try to target anything we might have missed and hoped to have seen.

Please book your return flight no earlier than 5pm. I can take you back to the Detroit airport, or a hotel in the area once we’re finished birding for the day. We’ll have to leave the Toledo area by 2pm.

The price for this 3-day tour will be $1170 per person. This includes your transportation, 2-night hotel stay, water/snacks, any park entry fees, and ebird checklists at the end of the tour. It does not include your airfare to Detroit, meals, or tips. Please contact 609-553-0757 or email archaeopteryxtours@gmail.com to sign up for this tour.

Join Archaeopteryx Birding & Nature Tours as we explore Glacier, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone National Parks. This will be a 12-day tour, as we plan to cover a large area to see as many bird species as possible. We’ll begin our tour by flying into Billings, Montana. Our accommodations will be mid-range, comfortable hotels close to the areas inside the national parks we plan on birding. This tour has the potential to see several butterflies and various mammal species such as moose, elk, bison, coyote, wolves, foxes, pronghorn, etc. Here is the tentative itinerary for the tour:

Day 1 – Arrive at the Billings airport no later than 2pm. We’ll stop at Pompeys Pillar National Monument for some light birding and photography before heading to our hotel for the night. Expected species include American White Pelican, White-throated Swift, Warbling Vireo, Cliff Swallow, Lark Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Common Raven, and Western Wood-Pewee. Spend the night in Billings.

Day 2 – Birding in the town of Molt for grassland species such as Western Meadowlark, Vesper and Savannah Sparrows, Horned Lark, Grasshopper Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Chestnut-collared Longspur, and Long-billed Curlew. Break for lunch. Then a visit to Pictograph Cave SP for Black-billed Magpie, Violet-green Swallow, Mountain Bluebird, American Kestrel, Say’s Phoebe, Black-capped Chickadee, and Rock Wren. Spend the night in Roundup, Montana, or close to this location.

Day 3 – Begin the day birding at Lake Mason NWR for Eared Grebe, Lesser Scaup, Sandhill Crane, Red-necked Phalarope, Ruddy Duck, Redhead, Common Merganser, Marbled Godwit, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Western Grebe, and Brewer’s Blackbird
Break for lunch, then drive to our hotel in Great Falls. We’ll do a little evening birding at Benton Lake NWR if time permits for Wilson’s Phalarope, Franklin’s Gull, American Avocet, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, Common Tern, White-faced Ibis, Northern Shoveler, Yellow-headed Blackbird, California Gull, Cinnamon Teal, Western Kingbird, Baird’s Sandpiper, and Green-winged Teal. We might even get lucky enough to see a Sprague’s Pipit, Sharp-tailed Grouse, or Gray Partridge!

Day 4 – We’ll visit Benton Lake NWR again in the morning for a few hours, then drive to Glacier NP and check into our next hotel

Day 5 – Glacier NP- Saint Mary Visitor Center- Pine Siskin, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Willow Flycatcher, Rufous Hummingbird, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Hairy Woodpecker, Townsend’s Warbler, Swainson’s Thrush, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Pacific Wren, Western Tanager, American Dipper, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and Black-headed Grosbeak

Day 6 – Glacier NP- Logan Pass- White-winged Crossbill, Vaux’s Swift, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Black Swift, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Townsend’s Solitaire, Red Crossbill, Fox Sparrow, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and Townsend’s Warbler

Day 7 – Drive to Yellowstone, stay in Gardiner or West Yellowstone, stop at the National Bison Range for a break, time provided. There we should see Clark’s Nutcracker, Lazuli Bunting, Mountain Chickadee, Yellow-breasted Chat, Ruffed Grouse, Swainson’s Hawk, Lewis’ Woodpecker, and Steller’s Jay

Day 8 & 9 – Yellowstone National Park- We’ll look for mammals as well as Cassin’s Finch, Brewer’s Sparrow, Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatcher, and Black Rosy-Finch

Day 10 & 11 – Yellowstone to Grand Teton stay in Jackson (birding mostly in Grand Tetons) for Calliope Hummingbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Bullock’s Oriole, Dusky Grouse, and Williamson’s Sapsucker

Day 12 – Grand Teton to Billings via Beartooth Highway stay in Billings

Day 13 – fly home

The cost for this tour will be $6150.00 per person shared occupancy with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 participants.
5% DISCOUNT FOR TOURS PAID IN FULL 120 DAYS PRIOR TO TOUR
10% deposit is required to reserve your space.
Trip DOES NOT include airfare, meals, drinks, or tips. The cost DOES include all park entry fees, professional birding guide, shared checklists, all transportation costs, and water & snacks. Please message us directly through Facebook, or call/Whatsapp +1-609-553-0757 to book this tour with us, or to request additional information.

The climate and elevation of the Colorado Rockies create some of the most beautiful and diverse wildflower displays in North America. Along with these impressive summertime blooms, you’ll be sure to find butterflies, birds, and several species of megafauna taking advantage of the short growing season. Join Archaeopteryx tours in the summer of 2022 to explore the spruce forests and alpine meadows of the region. We’ll stay in Avon, Colorado, just outside of Vail. Besides the natural areas, there’s plenty of opportunity to visit a local brewery or distillery. Here’s a sample itinerary of the places we’ll visit in the region:

Day 1 – Arrive at the Denver airport no later than 2pm. Travel to the mountains, unpack, and do some light evening birding around the property

Day 2 – A trip to go birding and visit a whiskey distillery! Visit to the Walking Mountains Science Center for Western Wood-Pewee, Broad-tailed, Rufous, and Black-chinned Hummingbirds, Black-billed Magpie, Northern Rough-winged and Violet-green Swallows, Green-tailed Towhee, Western Tanager, Cordilleran Flycatcher, MacGillivray’s Warbler, and Western Wood-pewee. Plus various mammals such as Mountain Lion, Mountain Goat, and Beaver. There’s a whiskey distillery on the property.

Day 3 – Yeoman Park- Pine Siskin, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Warbling Vireo, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Swainson’s Thrush, Wilson’s Warbler, Stellar’ Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Common Raven, Pine Grosbeak, and Lincoln’s Sparrow Wednesday July 13th: Walk along the Salt Creek Bike Path- Black-billed Magpie, Bushtit, Brewer’s Sparrow, White-throated Swift, Mountain Bluebird, Western Meadowlark, Common Raven, Bullock’s Oriole, Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay, and Virginia’s Warbler

Day 4 – Beaver Creek Ski Area- Canada Jay, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pygmy Nuthatch, and Olive-sided Flycatcher

Day 5 – Check out of the resort and Drive back to Denver for flights home. Visit the Vail Nature Center on the way out of town to take a look at their feeders. We should find American Dipper and Cassin’s Finch, plus great views of hummingbirds, butterflies, and other backyard feeder birds.

Price for this tour will be $1750 per person double occupancy. This price includes your airport pickup/dropoff, transportation, any park entry fees, water/snacks, and a checklist of the birds seen on your tour. It does not include your airfare or meals.
*Location may change slightly based on availability at the time of booking. If Avon/Vail is not available, Winter Park may be selected, or even a different city within the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Bird species list and town amenities will be the similar.
**Date may also change slightly due to availability at time of booking

Reservation Deposits

10% deposit is required to reserve your space.

50% is due 120 days prior to start of tour.

100% is due 90 days prior to start of tour.

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT IS $500.00 UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE

Refunds and Cancellations

100% Refund 120 or more prior to start of tour.

50% Refund of total tour cost 90-119 days prior to start of tour*

25% Refund of total tour cost 60-89 days prior to start of tour*

*If total cost for tour has not been paid in full refund may not be applicable

NO REFUNDS LESS THAN  60 DAYS PRIOR TO START OF TOUR UNLESS SPOT CAN BE FILLED IN WHICH A 25% REFUND WILL BE ISSUED.

CDC and Local Guidelines for Covid-19 will be followed.

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