TOURS – INTERNATIONAL

International Tour General Information

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.

Trips DO NOT include airfare, food, drinks, tips, or other expenses not specifically mentioned in the tour description.

A Photographer’s Dream – Central Finland in the Spring

Central Finland is home to some of the most beautiful natural settings in all of Europe. There are opportunities to see and photograph unique species of birds and wildlife. This tour will be a mixture of hiking, spending time in wildlife hides, and visiting birding hotspots, like the Jätäri Bird Watching Tower (Altushka) in the town of Kuusamo. We’ll explore the area and look for such birds as the Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Golden Eagle, waterfowl like the Smew, and other wildlife like the Wolverine, Brown Bear, and Wolves. Here is a breakdown of our daily activities:

May 3rd- Arrive at the Oulu by 2pm. We will plan to spend the night in a photography hide in Liminka. The highlights of our first photo session will be the Eurasian Eagle-Owl and the Eurasian Goshawk. Other birds that may visit include the Eurasian Sparrowhawk, White-tailed Eagle, Eurasian Jay, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Northern Nutcracker, Crested and Willow Tit, Yellowhammer, and Eurasian Bullfinch.

May 4th- After our morning photography from the hide, we’ll take a break. Then we’ll do a local birding field trip to the Liminka Bay wetlands outside the city of Oulu. In early May the expected species include the Pink-footed Goose, Taiga Bean-Goose, Smew, Common Crane, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, White-tailed Eagle, Lesser White-fronted Goose, and a possibility for Garganey, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Eurasian Bittern, and Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers.

May 5th- We’ll make the 2.5 hour drive out to the town of Kuusamo, stopping at the Latva-Juurikka Bird tower on the way. Expecting species around the tower include Whooper Swan, Common Crane, Arctic Loon, Fieldfare, and White-tailed Eagle. Continue on to the Capercaillie heated bird hide for the night near the town of Kuusamo.

May 6th- We will spend the morning in the hide photographing the Capercaillie. The photo session begins at dawn and lasts until around 8am. We will have the rest of the day to do some birding locally and do a forest hike around Konttainen. Expected species include the Hazel & Black Grouse, Mistle Thrush, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Kestrel, and Siberian Jay.

May 7th- Birding in the Kuusamo area focusing on woodpeckers. Species include the highly coveted Black Woodpecker and the shy Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker, as well as the Greater and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. Eurasian Wryneck is possible, but very rare and elusive.

May 8th- A morning of birding focusing on northern species of owls. The list includes Great Gray Owl, followed closely by Ural, Hawk, Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Boreal and Pygmy Owls. Snowy Owl is a bit more rare during the springtime, but it is possible.

Overnight hide session. This one will focus on the wolverine, brown bear, gray wolf, Eurasian lynx, and beaver. Raptor species may include White-tailed Eagle and Eurasian Goshawk.

May 9th- A trip to the Jätäri Bird Watching Tower. We will have additional chances to find Eurasian Curlew, Brambling, Willow Ptarmigan, Western Capercaillie, Smew, Velvet Scoter, and Common Snipe. Overnight hide session for the Black Grouse.

May 10th- Our last hide session and morning photography to focus on the Black Grouse before our drive back to Oulu and return flights home. We can arrive back in Oulu by noon, so please make sure your flight does not depart before 2-3pm.

The tour fee will be $3725 per person with a $350 singles supplement fee. That price includes transportation, hotels, the 3 photography hide sessions, water/snacks, park entry fees, and a checklist of species seen at each location. It does not include meals, tips, or your flight to Oulu, Finland

Have you ever wanted to visit the site of the famous Australia Zoo, home to Steve Irwin and his family? Archaeopteryx Tours can make that dream into a reality on this one-week birding and nature adventure to the Brisbane, Queensland area. This tour is designed to get a basic introduction to the birds of the Brisbane area.

Day 1 – Arrive in Brisbane no later than 2pm. We’ll pick you up from the airport and our first stop will be the Dowse Lagoon in Sandgate for our first introduction to Australian birds. At this location we should see the Australian Ibis, Rainbow and Scaly-breasted Lorikeets, Pacific Black Duck, Noisyminer, Hard head, Silver Gull, Magpie Goose, Welcome Swallow, Tree and Fairy Martins, Maned Duck, Dusky Moorhen, Australasian Swamphen, Little Pied and Little Black Cormorant, Little Corella, Torresian Crow, Chestnut Teal, Australian Brushturkey, Australasian Darter, Wandering Whistling-Duck, Australasian Grebe, Tawny Frogmouth, Masked Lapwing, and Royal Spoonbill. Check into hotel for the night, have dinner, and talk about plans for the following days of the tour.

Day 2 – A day at the Australian Zoo. Wild birds coming to the property include the Australasian Figbird, Lewin’s Honeyeater, Peaceful, Spotted, and Bar-shouldered Doves, White-throated Gerygone, Magpie-lark, Eastern Yellow Robin, Striated Pardalote, Golden Whistler, and the Silvereye.

Day 3 – Marchant Park, Brisbane for Crested Pigeon, Brown Honeyeater, Willie-wagtail, Laughing Kookaburra, Variegated Fairywren, Rufous Whistler, Australian Magpie, Straw-necked Ibis, Brown Goshawk, Galah, Pale-headed Rosella, Gray Butcherbird, Bush Thick-knee, and the Long-billed Corella.

Day 4 – Lytton Wader Roost and Wynnum Mangrove Boardwalk for the Sacred Kingfisher, Red-backed Fairywren, Gray Fantail, Rainbow Bee-eater, Australian Reed Warbler, Black Swan, Torresian Kingfisher, Yellow-faced, Blue-faced and Mangrove Honeyeaters, Mangrove Gerygone, White-faced Heron, White-browed Scrubwren, and Australian Pelican.

Day 5 – Nature Reserve on Hawkesbury Road for Noisy Friarbird, Sulfur-crested Cockatoo, Rufous Fantail, Red-browed Firetail, White-throated Treecreeper, Black-faced Cuckooshrike, Spangled Drongo, Olive-backed Oriole, Pied Currawong, Eastern Whipbird, Pied Butcherbird, and the Pheasant Coucal.

Day 6 – Eprapah Creek via Sewage Treatment Plant for the Scarlet Myzomela. Then onto the Tinchi Tamba Wetlands Reserve for Red-capped Plover, Pied Stilt, White-faced Heron, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, and Gray Teal.

Day 7 – Eagleby Wetlands for the Chestnut-breasted Munia, Gray Teal, Pacific Baza, White-breasted Woodswallow, Gray Shrikethrush, and Fan-tailed Cuckoo. Then Oxley Creek Common in the afternoon. Birds seen on this property include Brown Quail, Superb Fairywren, Tawny Grassbird, Black-fronted Dotterel, Australian King-Parrot, Little Lorikeet, and Striped Honeyeater.

Day 8 – Flights leaving in the morning. Drop off at the airport 7-8am for departing flights.

For advanced birders, I highly recommend a trip to the northeastern section of Queensland to experience seeing some of the endemic species of the province following this week. Price for this tour will be $2850 for the week (singles supplement of $600). Price includes transportation, hotel stay, water/snacks, bird checklists, and guide fee. The fee does not include meals. This tour is designed to stay in one area for the duration of the tour to avoid long road trips and hotel-hopping. We’ll be booking small groups only and we can take a minimum of 2 participants with a maximum of 5. Please contact us at archaeopteryxtours@gmail.com if you’re interested in signing up.

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