A
warm welcome to our 2010 brochure of birdwatching holidays,
this being our twenty-third year of operation.

*****
For
many years we have been planning a comprehensive tour to Iran
which we recently finalised. The tour takes in the majority
of the country’s important bird areas and several historical
sites within the country. Further west, we have two departures
to Syria with a special departure in March in search of Sociable
Lapwings.
In the Caribbean region we have
a one-week tour to Jamaica, the third largest
island in the Greater Antilles. The varied habitats of Jamaica
offer you twenty-eight endemic species in beautiful surroundings.
We also stay at Marshall’s Pen, one of Jamaica’s
premier birding sites. In addition to Jamaica, we have also
added a tour of the Lesser Antilles in the
Eastern Caribbean. You visit nine islands in total which hold
up to 35 endemic birds in simply breathtaking and beautiful
surroundings.
Closer to home we have two departures
to Poland which is extremely rich for breeding
birds and spring migration in early May. A visit at Easter is
a must for prospecting woodpeckers and owls. Further north we
have a six-day tour to Iceland with its fantastic
landscapes and wildlife. Due to demand we have added several
short breaks at affordable prices within the UK and Europe featuring
Ireland, France, Morocco,
Spain and Mallorca.
Japan continues
to be a popular destination and we have modified the tour slightly
to visit an area for Japanese Murrelet. In January 2010 and
2011 tours to Vietnam are planned, a country
still relatively unknown to birders from Europe. Vietnam offers
you the chance to encounter species which were recently rediscovered
during the 1990s. Further east in Asia we have brought back
our Mongolian tour with the Mongolian Ornithological
Society, an exciting and dramatic country for any birder. In
February 2011 we return to Nepal after an absence
of several years, visiting the world-famous Koshi Tappu National
Park and areas overlooked by the mighty Himalayan Mountains.
In the Americas, we have reintroduced
our tour to Long Point in Canada. Chile
departs in January 2011, another beautiful country with a wide-range
of habitats and birdlife. 
In Africa, we have departures
to Ethiopia, Morocco, Senegal,
South Africa and Uganda. These
five destinations offer you an extremely wide-range of African
birds and mammals from the Sahel in Senegal to the beautiful
scenery of South Africa. In South Africa we combine Cape Province
and Kruger National Park.
2010 sees the fifth year of Black
Isle Birding which covers all our holidays operating
in Scotland. This sector has grown significantly
over the last year and we are pleased to say that we have a
growing reputation as one of Scotland’s premier birding
companies. Jo and I operate our popular “holiday at home”
programme based at Cygnus House. Its location, overlooking the
Cromarty Firth and set in two acres of wildlife habitat, makes
it is an ideal base for visiting northern Scotland. We have
therefore extended our Scottish programme in 2010 at Cygnus
House and other destinations around Scotland including Islay,
Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland Islands and Western Isles.
We firmly
believe we offer you the best birding packages in Scotland with
the country’s top birding guides along with a friendly
and welcoming service with no hidden extras.
We look forward
to welcoming you on one of our tours whether in Europe or further
afield.

Mark
Finn - BirdWatching Breaks 