Birding

Educational Birding Tours

At Road Scholar, we have an expansive collection of educational outdoor adventures, including birding tours. Our birding expeditions allow you to discover unique bird species and learn more about the role they play in their local environments. Join fellow ornithologists and learn from local experts in some of the top destinations for birding. Browse our guided bird tours to see where you can spot and identify your next species.

Why Birding Tours and What to Expect

Birding tours offer a unique way to connect with nature while discovering new bird species in their natural habitats. If you’re wondering what makes birdwatching excursions so special, take a look:

• Expert guidance: Our professional guides on our small group birding tours help you spot and identify species you might miss on your own, taking you to exclusive birding hotspots that might be difficult to access alone. With knowledge of where to find specific species, our guides help maximize your chances of successful sightings.
• Learning opportunities: Bird-watching tours provide excellent learning opportunities, offering knowledge about bird behaviors, calls and habitats that you can transfer to other birding excursions in the future.
• Meeting like-minded people: Through birding tours for seniors, you can join fellow bird enthusiasts, where you can socialize and learn about each other’s birding history, unique encounters and travel experiences.

These are some of the reasons why birding tours are excellent for any type of traveler. If you’re interested in a bird-watching tour, here’s what to expect:

• Early mornings: Guided bird tours require early wake-up calls, as birds are most active at dawn.
• Varying terrains: To access birding hotspots, you might be required to traverse varying terrains, such as forests, wetlands, mountains and other ecosystems.
• Walking and patience: Some birds require quiet observation, so be prepared for slow, deliberate movements.
• Birding gear: Make sure to prepare for your birding tour with binoculars, spotting scopes, checklists, field guides and comfortable clothing for varying temperatures.

Ready for an unforgettable birding adventure? Learn more in our post “From Backyard to Beyond: A Guide to Bird-watching,” to learn all there is to know about birding.

Popular Bird-Watching Destinations for Retirees

Wondering how far birding can take you? Here’s a look at some of the top bird-watching destinations for retirees:

• Ecuador: This Latin American country is a dream destination for birders, boasting over 1,600 bird species in diverse habitats ranging from the Amazon Rainforest to the Andes Mountains and coastal regions. Spot species like the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, toucans, macaws, Andean Condors and more.
• California: If you’re looking for bird tours for seniors close to home, California is an excellent destination, with vast landscapes and over 600 recorded species spread across coastal, desert and forested areas. Identify seabirds, raptors, herons, Cactus Wrens, Greater Roadrunners and more.
• Costa Rica: With over 900 bird species, Costa Rica is another popular destination for bird-watching tours, with species like the iconic Resplendent Quetzal, kingfishers, motmots and Scarlet Macaws.

For a closer look at the top bird-watching destinations, review our Birding collection.

Learn About Beautiful Bird Species on Birding Tours

At Road Scholar, we have small-group birding tours that can take you across the world to top birding destinations like California, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. No matter where you find yourself through one of our educational outdoor adventures, you can learn a lot from our local experts and ornithologists about some of your favorite or new bird species. Here’s what you can uncover through our comprehensive birding tours:

• Species identification: Our local experts can teach you how to identify species through our guided bird tours based on their physical characteristics, vocalizations and behavior. With detailed information, you can strengthen your identification skills and take what you learned on future birding tours. Learn more in our blog post “Language of Birds: How to Observe, Listen and Understand Nature’s Melodic Travelers,” to improve your species identification skills.

• Habitat preferences: By observing birds in their natural habitats, you can gain deep insights into their habitat preferences, whether it’s a forest in Costa Rica, wetlands in the Southern U.S., grasslands, or coastal areas while learning how these species adapt to their environments.

• Migration patterns: Bird-watching tours are an excellent way to observe migration patterns and how specific bird species undertake long-distance migrations and why. Through our tours, our experts will teach you about migration routes, timing and stopover sites for various bird species.

• Behavior: Birding expeditions allow participants to gain a deeper understanding of various birds’ behaviors, such as feeding, mating displays, nesting and parental care to grasp breeding strategies and their life cycles better.

• Vocalizations: Each bird species has its distinct vocalizations and language, and birding tours offer the opportunity to learn and recognize songs, calls and alarms to understand their communication patterns.

• Conservation efforts: Throughout our birding tours, our local experts will teach you about local environmental sustainability and conservation efforts to protect endangered or at-risk wildlife, including birds. Participants can learn about habitat loss, pollution, climate change and other factors threatening bird species.

• Photography: One of the top highlights of our guided birding tours is the ability to develop your photography and documentation skills. At each location, group members will be able to take time to capture high-quality images and learn how to document sightings.

Why Choose Road Scholar for Your Birding Tour?

At Road Scholar, we have an exciting selection of birding tours around the globe from which to choose. Our knowledgeable guides will help you spot and identify unique species, offering insights into their calls, spottings and more. Plus, you will join a diverse cohort of fellow birders, where you can share stories and discover new species together.

Embark on Bird-Watching Tours With Road Scholar

Sign up for Road Scholar’s birding tours for seniors today. Through expert-led tours, participants will learn how to identify new species, understand their life cycles and habits and see what conservation efforts are being made to protect at-risk species. Our birding tours allow you to enjoy spirited conversations with other group members and learn about local history, cuisine and culture to create an unforgettable experience. Whether you’re interested in Southern U.S. nature retreats or any of our retreats across the globe, we offer one-of-a-kind learning adventures for everyone.