Remember that time you had an out-of-town business meeting and tried to get in a couple hours of birding in between commitments? Or maybe an unexpected layover handed you the opportunity to see some new birds – if you only knew where to go!
It has sure happened to me. Like the time my flight was canceled and I had a few hours in Fairbanks, Alaska with nothing to do. It’s painful to think about the opportunities I missed! Yeah, I did rent a car and went to Denali and saw some cool birds. But it could have been so much better if I knew the area and what to look for, or if I knew somebody who could take me around.
You can always prepare for a trip using eBird and find out the local hotspots. eBird has made all our lives vastly easier, and with enough time, it will help you see WAY more birds than you could have managed on your own. It’s when you don’t have enough time that’s the killer. That hotspot looks pretty great – as long as it’s not one with the pin in the middle of a swamp and Google Maps drops you by the side of the road and says, “your destination is on the right!” Huh??
I started Frequent Flyer Birding Tours to help people like us make the most of limited time – to maximize the number of birds we can see while still honoring business or family commitments away from home. Whether it’s a board meeting at a big hotel or a visit to the in-laws, there’s usually an hour or two you can “steal” to see some new birds. We offer a suite of downloadable tours customized to the seasons and the amount of time you have available – whether it’s 2 hours, an afternoon or a day, we’ll make sure you have the tools for success while “birding on the fly”. Check out Available Tours to see what we have so far!
One-third of the proceeds from these tours benefits organizations dedicated to birds and their conservation: these are divided among the American Bird Conservancy, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and a regional organization (in my county: Kestrel Land Trust). Of the remainder, half goes to Frequent Flyer Birding Tours (we hope eventually to be able to buy binoculars for underserved birders and maybe some other good stuff) and the other half goes to….
WAIT!
Why not you?
This brings us to our final point. We need your help to become the premier resource for busy birders on the go. We’re experts on our home turf – but not on yours! When you provide the content for tours in your area – or any area you’ve visited and know well, you can help FFBT to grow, you can share the proceeds, and you can raise money for conservation in your state and region (you’ll help us decide which groups will benefit).
If you are an avid birder, use eBird, enjoy writing and would be interested in writing a short (~20 page) guide to your county or region geared to birders visiting the region for other purposes, please check out Be a Bird Guide Writer
Keep an eye on the time – and happy birding!
Mary
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