Essential Downunder Travel caters to bird lovers who prefer to travel at their own pace and include sightseeing and other activities –hiking, kayaking, gardens, golf, or whatever your hobbies or special interests.

If you already know where you want to go and the birds you want to see, we will plan the itinerary around that. If you don’t know where to start, we have all the information you need to make those decisions.
 

Birding Highlights of New Zealand
New Zealand is one of the world’s “seabird hotspots.” Fifty percent of all penguin species breed in NZ, as well as half the world’s species of prions, petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses. Birds have a long evolutionary history in NZ – from the giant flightless moa, to the elusive kiwi.

During European settlement, the land animals introduced by the immigrants devastated many of the birds. Now, after intense conservation efforts, a number of areas have been rid of the pests and bird life is flourishing. Several islands have been declared totally free of these pests, but permission is required to enter.

Whether you want to stay a few days at some of the lodges which have specialized birding tours, visit bird sanctuaries, or travel with guides, we can design an itinerary to fit your interests.

Here are some of top places for birding in New Zealand:

Arthur Pass (Alpine) Wilderness Lodge
Aroha Island Ecological Centre.
Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony.
Kaikoura
Kapiti Island.
Lake Moeraki Wilderness Lodge
Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre
Okarito Lagoon
Royal Albatross Centre
Stewart Island
Te Kauri Birding & Nature Lodge
The Yellow-eyed Penguin Colony
Tiritiri Matangi Island
Muruwai Gannet Colony
Miranda, shorebirds
Karori project near Wellington
Black Petrel Colony, west coast of South Island
Yellow-Eyed and Blue Penguin colonies at Oamaru
Ulva Island

Birding Highlights of Australia

Australia, the world’s oldest continent, has some of the most colorful, noisy birds on earth. How can I ever forget the first morning I was awakened in a bush camp by the Laughing Kookaburra, who was busy helping the sun to rise! Or the incredibly lone caw of the immense crows in the outback who tried to eat the soap by my wash basin. Or the magpies which swoop down from the desert oaks to swipe your lunch!
Despite the settlement which began nearly two centuries ago, no mainland birds in Australia have as yet become extinct, but some have become endangered.

Australia has a wide variety of environments, from arid deserts to tropical wetlands -- each with weather patterns that make traveling delightful or difficult. We plan trips that take these factors into account. For example, the tropical birds are more abundant during “the wet,” but if you can’t deal with the weather, it is better to go in “the dry.” For more information, click on [link to the Weather Downunder].

Here are some of the top birding sites in Australia:

Alice Springs- surrounding desert areas
Arhmenland (Aboriginal territory),
Atherton Tablelands
Broome Bird Observatory
Daintree Rainforest ]
Dandenong Mts.

Flinders Ranges
Great Barrier Reef
Kakadu National Park
Kangaroo Island
Lamington National Park
Mission Beach
Mt. Jerusalem National Park
Royal National Park
Tasmania
Wilson’s Promontory National Park