Wildlife/Bird Location Recommendations

[Melissa]

My husband and I will be going on vacation in May. I would like to spend some of the time doing photography. My main interest is wildlife/birds.

I don't have a target animal. I would love to see/photograph larger birds (like herons, egrets, etc.) or other wildlife. (I think if cost was no issue, I would opt for an African Safari. But from my brief research, that seems pretty costly. Maybe some day. )

Unfortunately, I cannot tolerate high temperatures. So anything above 30°C/86°F would be too hot. (Around 18-25°C/64-77°F would be ideal.)

I would rather somewhere where I can just casually walk around myself rather than hire a guide, unless it is for a specific animal.

I'm open to just about anywhere, but, want to keep cost in mind. Even within Canada would be fine, but another country might be more interesting. I would be interested in other photography subjects as well, such as nature, landscape, architecture, etc.

Any recommendations and/or tips? Thanks!

 

[West Coast Birder]

How about Manu National Park in Peru? It will be the dry season in May and I looked up temperatures and it will be towards the upper end of your tolerance around 30C. You can also visit Machu Pichu maybe when you are there. Manu is supposed to be one of the most biodiverse places in the hemisphere if not the world. Disclaimer: I’ve never been there. It is on my short list of places to visit though. Others may have better suggestions.

 

[joayne]

Costa Rica is a bird paradise, especially around the Arenal Volcano and the transportation costs are not that outrageous.
There are Eco Tours that are available. It was the highlight of my trip..

 

[davholla]

One thing that might help with the heat - and I can't cope either is

Amazon Sign In

You need to keep soaking it every hour so but it is good.

 

[mike.cambridge]

I'm as biased because I love safaris so much, but 10 days in Kruger, South Africa isnt **that** expensive - not compared to some tours, so dont completely write it off, it'll probably be about 3.5-4k USD per person for a long week in the park. For example - https://www.safaribookings.com/tours/t670 . I've stayed in all those camps and they're lovely, you get a private truck with your own driver so can ask them to look out for birds instead of lions (after you've spent some time with lions of course, they're amazing!) and it looks like food is included too.

(massive disclaimer - I havent used this site and have only spent 5 minutes on it.. let me know if you want to talk to the people I actually used before I started self-organising trips!)

 

[Melissa]

One thing that might help with the heat - and I can't cope either is

Amazon Sign In

You need to keep soaking it every hour so but it is good.

@davholla Thanks, but that link didn't work for me. Could you tell me the name of the product, please?

 

[joayne]

Melissa, I think David is referring to something like This
You soak them in water and they cool you down

 

[Melissa]

Melissa, I think David is referring to something like This
You soak them in water and they cool you down

Ah, okay, thanks!

 

[davholla]

@davholla Thanks, but that link didn't work for me. Could you tell me the name of the product, please?

Sorry it was "Brrnoo Cooling Vest, PVA Adjustable Summer Outdoor Cooling Vest For Men And Women,High Temperature Clothing For" it was £17

Good but looks a bit silly - I will be using it this summer though.

 

[Archibald]

For a cool vacation, Newfoundland would be perfect!!

BC is cool too, and has great birding. Check out the Reifel Bird Sanctuary just south of Vancouver. There is a Great Blue Heron rookery in Chilliwack (need a good tele lens for those, though).

Here is a map of hotspots in the Lower Mainland. I got this info from the Web some years ago.


01. Lighthouse Park
15 km N of 01. Vancouver Bird Checklist Area
02. Jericho Beach Park
2 km NE of 13. Boundary Bay Dyke
03. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
04. Iona and Sea Islands, Richmond
05. George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
06. Roberts Bank, Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and Brunswick Point, Delta
07. B.C. Ferry Routes
08. Ambleside Park
N of 08. Cypress Provincial Park
09. Stanley Park
10. Queen Elizabeth Park
11. Fraser River Park
12. Lulu Island, Terra Nova Natural Area and Richmond Trails
13. Boundary Bay, Delta - 64th to 112th
14. Boundary Bay Regional Park, Delta
15. Point Roberts (Washington State)
16. Mount Seymour Provincial Park
17. Maplewood Conservation Area
18. Barnet Marine Park
19. Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
20. Burnaby Lake Regional Park
21. Deer Lake Park
22. Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park
23. Burns Bog Area, Delta
24. Serpentine Fen, Surrey
25. Blackie Spit, White Rock Waterfront
26. Pitt Wildlife Management Area and Vicinity, Pitt Meadows
27. Minnekhada Regional Park and Pitt-Addington Marsh, Coquitlam
28. Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam
29. Golden Ears Provincial Park
30. Campbell Valley Regional Park, Langley

 

[KD_Reno]

Melissa, your temperature requirements are similar to my wife’s. It’s very hard to find places like that .

Alaska in the summer is fantastic, but May might be a little early. Anywhere along the US Pacific coast should be good, but warmer inland as you go south. South Texas or Florida have great birding and photo ops, but you won’t like the weather.

Also consider humidity. Around here my wife often soaks a bandana with cold water, and puts it around her neck. It does help, but the relative humidity can get down into single digits, and evaporative cooling works great. It works in Florida, but only until the water in the bandana gets warm.

 

[Mr Roboto]

Do you like warblers?
If so, consider something very close to you: https://www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com/
I go every year and it is my main destination (most of my warbler images posted here are from there).

Magee Marsh (https://www.mageemarsh.org/) which is a big part of the event is considered "one of the top ten bird watching sites in the country" by the Ohio Ornithological Society. It's the only place on earth where the warblers will often land within arms reach as they hunting for insects, and the trees sometimes "drip with warblers".

Visitors come from all over the world. I've met some very nice, excited people over the years. It gets very busy during the BWIAB (biggest week in American birding) so I start going from late April.

If the birding is slow (activity changes day-to-day, even hour-by-hour as they come in waves), you can check out nearby Cuyahoga Valley National Park, visit the Bass Islands, or check out Cleveland.

 

[Archibald]

Some of us Ontario people know about the Magee Marsh. I have seen photos of the place with photographers standing 6 deep during migration season. It is crazy. So we avoid Magee Marsh.

It is indeed a relatively short trip for those living in southwestern Ontario, but it's a 9 hour drive from Ottawa.

We have our own migration hotspot here in Ottawa at a place called the Ridge. It is along the Ottawa River, and affords great views of wildlife from an elevated path.

 

[Mr Roboto]

Some of us Ontario people know about the Magee Marsh. I have seen photos of the place with photographers standing 6 deep during migration season. It is crazy. So we avoid Magee Marsh.

It is indeed a relatively short trip for those living in southwestern Ontario, but it's a 9 hour drive from Ottawa.

We have our own migration hotspot here in Ottawa at a place called the Ridge. It is along the Ottawa River, and affords great views of wildlife from an elevated path.

Yes, very true about the crowds at Magee. But the crowds are thick in spots (more rare the bird = larger the crowd) so I just stay away from them and find my own birds. But after getting my shots, I often find that I had become surrounded by people lol.

 

[Melissa]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, everyone! I am considering all of them.

If anyone else has any suggestions, please feel free to add them as we are still completely undecided.

 

[great grandma Rosalie]

May is a little late, but Costa Rica in the mountains isn't that hot. But most of the migrating birds will probably be back in Canada by then. How about Yellowstone - although it will be a little late to make reservations to stay there for this year. I had to make reservations a year in advance to stay in the park. Grand Teton NP is adjacent if you run out of things to see in Yellowstone. Or maybe Ecuador-the Galapagos. The water there is very cold. Temperatures in the daytime are likely to reach around 82°F (28°C) on average, and at nighttime, the average is around 65°F (18°C). There is lots of wildlife and birds off the port for Lima Peru and May would be their November.

 

[Dragonspeed]

For a cool vacation, Newfoundland would be perfect!!

BC is cool too, and has great birding. Check out the Reifel Bird Sanctuary just south of Vancouver. There is a Great Blue Heron rookery in Chilliwack (need a good tele lens for those, though).

Here is a map of hotspots in the Lower Mainland. I got this info from the Web some years ago.

View attachment 139704
01. Lighthouse Park
15 km N of 01. Vancouver Bird Checklist Area
02. Jericho Beach Park
2 km NE of 13. Boundary Bay Dyke
03. Pacific Spirit Regional Park
04. Iona and Sea Islands, Richmond
05. George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
06. Roberts Bank, Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal and Brunswick Point, Delta
07. B.C. Ferry Routes
08. Ambleside Park
N of 08. Cypress Provincial Park
09. Stanley Park
10. Queen Elizabeth Park
11. Fraser River Park
12. Lulu Island, Terra Nova Natural Area and Richmond Trails
13. Boundary Bay, Delta - 64th to 112th
14. Boundary Bay Regional Park, Delta
15. Point Roberts (Washington State)
16. Mount Seymour Provincial Park
17. Maplewood Conservation Area
18. Barnet Marine Park
19. Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area
20. Burnaby Lake Regional Park
21. Deer Lake Park
22. Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park
23. Burns Bog Area, Delta
24. Serpentine Fen, Surrey
25. Blackie Spit, White Rock Waterfront
26. Pitt Wildlife Management Area and Vicinity, Pitt Meadows
27. Minnekhada Regional Park and Pitt-Addington Marsh, Coquitlam
28. Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam
29. Golden Ears Provincial Park
30. Campbell Valley Regional Park, Langley

North 40 Dog Park/Reserve in Delta has Bald Eagles up until March (I think)

 

[Dragonspeed]

Ecuador. Cloud Forest near Mindo - Hummers!
Tanzania - Safari around Northern Circuit, I saw 50 new species of bird (to me) Big and small.

 

[great grandma Rosalie]

I was in Tanzania in May in 2018 and it was too cold to swim. I was surprised. I was more interested in animals than birds but we saw plenty of birds One day in Tanzania

 

[Dragonspeed]

I was in Tanzania in May in 2018 and it was too cold to swim. I was surprised. I was more interested in animals than birds but we saw plenty of birds One day in Tanzania

That IS surprising! Every May that I have been there, the water has been "bathtub warm"