NatureScape Tours

	BIRDING WEEKENDS
	Shorter Birding Trips For Hard-To-Find North American Species
	Our Birding Weekends are short trips, generally no more than four or five days long, devoted to finding those secretive, local or rare species of North America that even experienced birders can find troublesome. Birding Weekends aim to find the declared target species—we are tireless in our efforts to get you unsurpassed looks of these difficult-to-locate birds. We strive to find each target species before searching for more common birds from ‘want lists’ provided by each tour’s participants. Consequently, our Birding Weekends are quite target oriented and not designed to run up a big bird list (although we ALWAYS try to see everything possible). As such, these trips are most rewarding to birders wishing intimate experiences with the rare birds of North America or more experienced birders looking to fill a few gaps on their life list. Nobody is more committed to providing you with memorable and fun birding adventures. We want each and every tour you take with NatureScape Tours to be a highlight of your birding life. We’re certain you’ll find the many personal, customized touches we provide add much toward your enjoyment of every event with NatureScape Tours. NatureScape Birding Weekends are true small group outings—we restrict the number of registrations on our birding weekends to four to seven participants per trip (we have only one or two exceptions where the limit is eight). There is nothing more frustrating while birding than being behind a crowd of people and missing a coveted species as you waited for your turn at the scope or because you couldn’t see the bird from the back of the line. We’re determined that you will NEVER have such incidents with NatureScape Tours. Moreover, our small group tours insure maximum interaction with leaders resulting in far more personal experiences during your time in these special birding areas of the world. NatureScape Birding Weekends are active trips as every effort is made to find each tour’s target birds. Accordingly, these tours are timed to provide you the best chances of success. Remember, some birds have odd hours. In order to maximize our opportunities, you may encounter severe weather, uneven terrain, long hours and reasonable amounts of physical exertion. You can count upon the utmost effort from our staff and leaders to find the birds you seek while providing an overall superb birding tour. Over the years, our weekends have proven to be very popular, with our most popular weekends filling up far in advance. If a tour has filled we will add a second departure as availability allows. As with all our tours, with a group of two or more, we can arrange private tours with a dedicated leader and custom-tailored itinerary. We have conducted birding and natural history trips for private groups of friends, families, birding clubs, Audubon clubs and fraternal organizations for more than 25 years. If a private tour interests you, please contact our office at 218-426-3293. We look forward to hearing from you. Until then...Good Birding!

		MINNESOTA WINTER WEEKEND Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Gyrfalcon Tour These and several other difficult northern specialties including Great Gray Owl and Spruce Grouse. From Duluth, MN. December 27-31, 2008. Mike Hendrickson leads. New trip. These and several other difficult northern specialties including Great Gray Owl and Spruce Grouse. From Duluth, MN. December 27-31, 2008. Mike Hendrickson leads. New trip. These and several other difficult northern specialties including Great Gray Owl and Spruce Grouse. From Duluth, MN. December 27-31, 2008. Mike Hendrickson leads. New trip.

		WINTER RAPTOR WEEKEND Gyrfalcon, Prairie Falcon, Snowy, Northern Saw-whet, Long-eared & Short-eared Owls, Ferruginous & Rough-legged Hawks Visiting the prairies of Central South Dakota. The wide open spaces and snow-covered grasslands are a premier location for Gyrfalcons, unrivaled in the Gyrfalcon behavior to be witnessed and photographed. Good numbers of Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks are likely amid the more common species. We’ll comb the area for our targets—with ample time for photography! We'll also seek wintering Northern Saw-whet and Long-eared Owls. From Pierre, South Dakota. Doug Backland leads. January 22-25, 2009, January 21-24, 2010, January 20-23, 2011.

		COASTAL TEXAS WINTER WEEKEND Yellow Rail, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and Whooping Crane The trip works the Texas Gulf Coastal Plane south from Houston. We wade the brackish marshes for the rail, take a boat ride for the cranes, and visit a ranch where the owls reside. From Houston. . January 12-16, 2006.The trip works the Texas Gulf Coastal Plane south from Houston. We wade the brackish marshes for the rail, take a boat ride for the cranes, and visit a ranch where the owls reside. From Houston. . January 12-16, 2006.

		RIO GRANDE VALLEY WINTER WEEKEND Buff-bellied Hummingbird, White-collared Seedeater, and Valley Specialties We cover the lower Rio Grande Valley from the Gulf to San Ygnacio in the Chihuahuan Desert country of Texas. The trip usually gets all of the Valley specialties and a vagrant species or two from Mexico, as well. From McAllen, Texas. . January 21- 27, 2008. We cover the lower Rio Grande Valley from the Gulf to San Ygnacio in the Chihuahuan Desert country of Texas. The trip usually gets all of the Valley specialties and a vagrant species or two from Mexico, as well. From McAllen, Texas. . January 21- 27, 2008.

		COLORADO GROUSE White-tailed Ptarmigan, both Prairie-Chickens Greater Sage Grouse, Gunnison Sage Grouse, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Greater Prairie- Chicken. Most are seen on dancing leks at good range. Three Rosey-Finches at feeders. Blue Grouse is usually seen, also. From Denver. . April 4-10 and April 12-18, 2008. Greater Sage Grouse, Gunnison Sage Grouse, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Greater Prairie- Chicken. Most are seen on dancing leks at good range. Three Rosey-Finches at feeders. Blue Grouse is usually seen, also. From Denver. . April 4-10 and April 12-18, 2008.

		HILL COUNTRY IN SPRING Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler travel into the Texas Hill Country for the two target birds at the time of year when they are vocalizing and the fields are ablaze with wildflowers. Usually get some "Valley" species such as Cave Swallow. From San Antonio. . April 17-20, 2008.travel into the Texas Hill Country for the two target birds at the time of year when they are vocalizing and the fields are ablaze with wildflowers. Usually get some "Valley" species such as Cave Swallow. From San Antonio. . April 17-20, 2008.

		BIG BEND & WEST TEXAS Colima Warbler, Gray Vireo, Montezuma Quail, Common Black-Hawk Travel through Big Bend National Park and on to the Davis Mountains for the target species plus Lucifer Hummingbird and Varied Bunting. From Midland- Odessa, Texas. . April 22 - 27, 2008.Travel through Big Bend National Park and on to the Davis Mountains for the target species plus Lucifer Hummingbird and Varied Bunting. From Midland- Odessa, Texas. . April 22 - 27, 2008.Travel through Big Bend National Park and on to the Davis Mountains for the target species plus Lucifer Hummingbird and Varied Bunting.

		NORTH CAROLINA IN SPRING Black Rail, Swainson's Warbler, Bachman's Sparrow, Red-cockade Woodpecker and other southern specialties. New Bern, NC. April 24-27, 2008. . Davis Mountains for the target species plus Lucifer Hummingbird and Varied Bunting. From Midland- Odessa, Texas. . April 22 - 27, 2008.Travel through Big Bend National Park and on to the Davis Mountains for the target species plus Lucifer Hummingbird and Varied Bunting. From Midland- Odessa, Texas. . April 22 - 27, 2008.Travel through Big Bend National Park and on to the Davis Mountains for the target species plus Lucifer Hummingbird and Varied Bunting.

		ARIZONA NIGHTBIRD BONANZA Up To Ten Owls and Five Nightjars Eight Owls and Five Goatsuckers- Cover southern Arizona's birding canons and deserts at a time of vocalization for birds of the night. With luck the number of owl species could rise to ten. Buff-collared Nightjar and 4 more.From Tucson. Led by Rick Bowers. May 21-25, 2008.Eight Owls and Five Goatsuckers- Cover southern Arizona's birding canons and deserts at a time of vocalization for birds of the night. With luck the number of owl species could rise to ten. Buff-collared Nightjar and 4 more.From Tucson. Led by Rick Bowers. May 21-25, 2008.

		EASTERN BOREAL BIRDING Bicknell's Thrush, Boreal Chickadee, and both Sharp-tailed Sparrows New York, Vermont....We quickly see the sparrows in seaside marshes and go from there to the Mt. Washington area in New Hampshire. In addition to Bicknell's Thrush we usually get some boreal species at the southern limit of their range including Black-backed Woodpecker. From Portland, Maine. . June 12-15, 2008.We quickly see the sparrows in seaside marshes and go from there to the Mt. Washington area in New Hampshire. In addition to Bicknell's Thrush

		PLATTE RIVER SPECTACLE Awesome Concentrations of Sandhill Cranes Nebraska....Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants.

		SOUTH FLORIDA SPECIALTIES Mangrove Cuckoo, Black-whiskered Vireo Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants.

		PRAIRIE BIRDING Sprague's Pipit, Yellow Rail, Baird's, Leconte's & 15 other Sparrows and Longspurs NOrth dakota, minnesota....Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants.

		MINNESOTA SPECIALTIES Yellow Rail, Nelson's & Leconte's Sparrows, Connecticut, Mourning, Golden-winged & 18 other Warblers Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington are shorebird bonanzas with annual visits by Asian vagrants. Also visit islands for the resident Skylarks. . Oct 3-7, 2007Southwestern British Columbia and Northwestern Washington