Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ (Birding and Birdwatching tour In tnhe Brazil)

1) What is the difference between Birding and bird watching?
Both, birdwatching and birding mean the same: observation of wild birds in nature. Birders or birdwatchers are persons who dedicate to this activity, for scientific propose or for leisure.

2) What is a Bird watching expedition?
It is an expedition with the propose of observe and research wild birds in nature. To observe birds is to learn and discover seeing the wonders of nature; it is to understand every small part of ecosystems in nature. Bird watching is adventure, exciting, discovers, and is the emotion to feel it every moment. It is to share adventures with known friends and with new friends. It is fun, the pleasure to do what you like in very beautiful places, without destroying nature and without any kind of problems.

3) What does Bird watching offer?
Birding offers amusement in the middle of nature.
Birding offers satisfaction and relax. Observe birds increase the interest to search birds
Birding offers health. Walking uphill or downhill. Participants acquire physical resistance, without effort, because his attention is on birds. After a session of Birdwatching you can realize that you walked a significant area.
Birding offers Family integration. Frequently, fathers and sons or close relatives keep together for generation through Birding. Elder people can incentive and stimulate younger relatives the interest for wildlife and for the conservation of nature.
Birding offers company. Bird observation is an activity the provide company. Experienced birdwatchers like to share their knowledge, for this reason, birdwatchers are always welcomed.
Bird watching offers Loneliness. Birding guarantee special pleasure for those who want to observe birds alone. Birdwatching is relax, adventure, discovering in groups or alone.

4) Who can participate of birding's expeditions?
All kind of people with different style of life and all ages. What they have in common is the spirit of adventure, love for nature, love for living in nature and enthusiasm to observe incredible birds in exotic places in the Amazon Rainforest or another places in the Brazil.

5) What kind of expeditions are offered?
Bird watching Expeditions can vary between 3, 6 to 8 days, up to 10-days safaris. They are centralized basically in birds, but in the middle of excursion we can find different kind of mammals like dolphins, monkeys and others, which enrich more the excursion. Some expeditions are based in one, two or three different places, but we pretend that time must be enough to learn about life of birds and its natural history. Other expeditions are projected like a research expedition, visiting a number of places in order to obtain an evaluation more accurate of birds in a specific area or region. We also offer expeditions focused in rare birds in an specific area. The routine of this expedition go birdwatching reflect its specific goal: the rare bird. Some of these expeditions require overnight in jungle camps in very remote places where bird are found.
6) Are you offers Bird watching itineraries for Amazon rainforest and Pantanal?
Yes, we have very nice itineraries for Amazon Rainforest, such as: Anavilhanas´ Islands, Right bank Amazonas River, Ariau River, Jau National Park and many others. But we are offering itineraries do not only for Amazon Rainforest. No only Amazonas, but we are offering Birding itineraries for to Pantanal.
7) Have you itineraries for Birdwatching in other parts of Brazil?
Yes, we have itineraries for other parts Brazil such as: Pantanal, Alta Floresta, Emas and Chapada dos Guimarães National Parque, Serra das Araras located Mato Grosso State. Caatinga and Atlantic forest (Bahia), Foz de Iguaçu (Paraná State), Itatiaia National Parque (São Paulo) and Ubatuba Reserve (Minas Gerais State). Please contact us for more details.

8) If my group want a non-available Bird watching destination, can you organize it for us?
Yes. In case you have the interest for a particular destination that is not considered a regular tour, keep in touch with us and tell us about your plans. We can organize it for you and your group.

9) In case I want a Birdwatching tour for two days, can you provide it?
Yes, please contact our office and tell us about your plans go Birding trip in two days.

10) What is the minimum number of participants to run a Bird watching trip?
Because of logistic reasons we can run an expedition with a minimum of one persons (privative tour) and the maximum of 12 participants, excluding leaders, is required for a Birding tour to depart. For a small number of participants, the boat, depending of excursion, can be smaller according to number of persons involved.

11) Do you offer private Birding trip?
Yes. We organize private Birdwatching tours for Birdwatchers Clubs and group of friends. Our Birding expeditions are projected to accommodate private groups, leaded by a Birdwatcher-leader and a translator. Please contact our staff if you want a private expedition. We customize expeditions for clients who want to do it by his own risk. We provide the service of a jungle-leader to escort him. We offer an itinerary adjusted to his needs.

12) If me want a privative tour can you offer?
Single clients with specific target species in mind can also have a private tour at a suitably adjusted rate.

13) How can I know characteristic of each Birding trip?
Our on line catalog informs areas offered and a detailed description of each Bird watching trip. For more detailed excursion, itinerary and accommodations, please contact our office.

14) What is the advantage to travel in a group go birding?
Traveling with a group offers a social integration, in which you can share your excited experiences, and you help others and also others help you. At the end of the day there are a lot of experiences to be shared. There are more eyes to help to focus on a bird, and to travel in remote areas with a group are less scared and less expensive.
Go Birding in a group is not for all persons, but if your goal is to maximize your pleasure of observing birds under the orientation and leadership of a specialist and also to share your experience with others birdwatchers, then traveling with a group is your perfect choice.

15) Are there any reason to know that I must do my Birdwatching tour with you?
Yes. We offer a high quality of Birding services, planned and escorted by specialist naturalist. Our excursions are educational, we give especial personal attention and we offer a very reasonable price.
Compare and you will confirm what we say. We work with Hotels, lodges, transportation companies and local river companies that supply us with all we need to operate the excursion. Our company is new and small, and our clients are very important to us.

16) Who are the Birding guides?
We have professional natives birding guides bilingual. Our team is formed by persons that like to do the expedition as an unforgettable experience for each participant.

17) What is included in each Birding trip?
All ground transportation start from Manaus or From Cuiabá and come back, all overnights a comfortable jungle Lodge, all meals, full board, outings as described, boat ride (when requested), native birding guide service; park fees and bilingual guide service.

18) What is not included in each Birding Trip?
Beverages, medical costs or hospitalization, insurance costs, personal expenses as laundry servive, phone calls, International or Internal Tickets, visa fees, any transfers not mentioned in the itinerary or any other personal item and Reserves Fee: Lages Reserve (US$ 5 per person), Jau National Park (US$ 25).

19) What do I need to do a Birding Tour?
No special ability is required for go Bird watching with us. All you must need is enthusiasm, a sense of adventure and physical ability to match with expedition chosen, as we describe in itinerary.
20) What do I need to carry with me in Birding tour?
A pair of binoculars for your own use is required. A field-guide, a hat or a cap and a notebook. The filed-guide is a book with assorted technical information about birds with respective illustration to help participant to identify bird in field. The small notebook is needed to register observation of birds. This is important tool to check observation, because when you try to make a detailed description you will need to observe bird very carefully. We provide a checklist of birds that could be seen in field.

21) What kind of binoculars do I need for to go birding?
Any binoculars are better than none. You can start with whatever you have. If you want advice on choosing the best binoculars for birding, you can to look in birding optics section in internet.

22) What's a field guide?
A field guide is a little book that's packed with information about birds. It's the next best thing to an expert birder by your side. It describes and shows pictures of the birds, and it tells you which details of each bird to look for. There's good advice on what to get in our birding bookstore.

23) How do I sign up for a tour?
You can sign up over e-mail at infotour@birding.com.br to make a reservation or contact us in our Web page.
24) What are combined itineraries?
They are different Birding itineraries combined, where the visitor are finishing a and starting other, following.
25) What is to included in each Bird watching tour?
All ground transportation start from Manaus or From Cuiabá and come back, all overnights a comfortable jungle Lodge, all meals, full board, outings as described, boat ride (when requested), native birding guide service and translator (Amazonas); park fees and bilingual guide service (Pantanal).

26) What is not Included in the Birding Tours?
Beverages, medical costs or hospitalization, insurance costs, personal expenses as laundry servive, phone calls, International or Internal Tickets, visa fees, any transfers not mentioned in the itinerary or any other personal item and Reserves Fee as such Lages Reserve (US$ 5 per person), Jau National Park (US$ 25) and others, depending the itinerary choisen.

27) When is confirmed a Birding trip?
When a visitor confirms his participation.

28) Where do you watch birds?
We have around seven itineraries for go Birding in Amazon Forest. Please, look at our pag “Brazil’s Destinations”. Or on trips you take specifically to see birds that live in a certain environment, such as on a Amazon Forest or Pantanal, terra firme forest or flooded forest.

29) Who watches birds?
People of all ages watch birds. It's an activity you can keep doing all your life, in any part of the world. Birding is the fastest-growing outdoor activity in America. According to a survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 70 million Americans report that they watch birds. And more are taking it up all the time.

30) Does birding contribute to science?
Birding also fulfills another basic instinct—the quest for knowledge. Bird watching is about acquiring knowledge. Not just about birds' names, but also about their songs, their behavior, and how they relate to the rest of nature. It's a perfect opportunity to enjoy a unique human pleasure—the successful exercise of lore. In fact, amateur birders often get to make real contributions to scientific knowledge. Today, much of what ornithology knows about birds has come from the observations of ordinary but dedicated birders.

31) Is birding expensive?
Compared to other sports, bird watching is not expensive. A notebook, a field guide, and binoculars - all together will cost less than a good pair of athletic shoes. And they'll take a lot longer to wear out. We assume you have a hat.

32) How can I learn more about birding?
Join a local bird club and go for a walk with other birdwatchers; Subscribe to a magazine devoted to birding, such as Bird Watcher's Digest; Order some DVDs or videos on bird watching. But don't spend too much time watching the TV screen! Get outside and look at the actual birds. By all means, get your hands on a good bird book (also known as a field guide). Or get two or three. Each one gives you something none of the others has. The most important, is start noticing the birds around you.