The Czech Republic is a fine, but surprisingly overlooked, birding destination. Indeed, it's one of Europe's best countries for owls and woodpeckers with all ten species of European woodpecker possible on a week-long tour: Grey-headed, Green, Black, Great Spotted, Syrian, Middle Spotted, White-backed, Lesser Spotted and Three-toed Woodpeckers and Wryneck. The main areas we at Czech Birding visit are the Sumava National Park, the Trebonsko Basin Biosphere Reserve in Bohemia and the Palava Hills Biosphere Reserve in Moravia. All three of these areas are outstanding for wildlife, habitat diversity and scenery. In each area we have expert local guides whose "staking out" in advance means there's a real chance of some otherwise decidedly difficult nocturnal species like Eagle, Ural, Tawny, Long-eared, Tengmalm's and Pygmy Owls, and up-to-date news on active Black Grouse leks, rare raptors and latest rarities. In addition to the birds there are beautiful old towns, real Pilsner beer in Bohemia and authentic bio-wines in Moravia. Join us in the Czech Republic in 2004!

Places are currently available on tours to be guided by us in March and April 2005, to South Bohemia and South Moravia

These are the most original and finest birding tours available to the Czech Republic, taking in some of the best birding sites in Moravia and Bohemia and designed with some very special birds in mind. We expect these tours
to quickly become fully booked. For further details and booking infomation contact us
 

Highlights on our recent birding tours included flocks of grazing and flying Tundra and Taiga Bean Geese and White-fronted Geese, Smew, Black Grouse leks, White-tailed and Eastern Imperial Eagles, Saker and Peregrine Falcons, White-backed, Syrian, Middle Spotted, Lesser Spotted, Black, Green and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Wryneck, Pygmy, Tengmalm's, Long-eared and Eagle Owls, Corncrake, Waxwing, Bluethroat, Collared Flycatcher, a singing Greenish Warbler, Wallcreeper and  many other great birds! Here (right) is our happy group from the UK at Soutok in South Moravia in February 2002! I took the photo of this remnant of the "Iron Curtain" border fence by climbing over into Austria for a minute! You'll be pleased to hear they let me back in! GG.

Background - On most of ourl tours our first base is in the Sumava Mountains where various owls, a good selection of woodpeckers, lekking Black Grouse, Firecrest, Crested Tit, Ring Ouzel, Dipper, Nutcracker and other upland and conifer forest birds all breed. Our second base, at Trebon in South Bohemia, gives more chances of the owls, plus White-tailed Eagle, Black-necked Grebe, Spoonbill, Garganey, Red-crested Pochard and other breeding and migrant ducks, Short-toed Treecreeper, Collared Flycatcher, Bluethroat and roding Woodcock. White Storks nest on chimneys in several of the quaint historical towns here. For the third leg of the tour we head to Moravia. You may know of Bohemia but where is Moravia? Well this region of the Czech Republic lies about an hour north of Vienna. It is the eastern and south-eastern part of the country, nestling between Bohemia and Slovakia. Our base for the Palava Hills Biosphere Reserve, is a small, historic town in the heart of the Moravian wine growing region. Vast wetlands with reedbeds and riverine woods combine with nearby rocky slopes and broadleaved forested hills to produce highly productive bird habitats. Here we should again find a variety of woodpeckers, with Syrian now available to complete our set, plus Saker Falcon, Peregrine, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Red & Black Kites and Black Stork, as well as songbird species like River, Savi's, Marsh and Barred Warblers, Collared Flycatcher and Penduline Tit. The grounds of the Zamecky Chateau at Lednice are always productive with most of the above mentioned woodpeckers, plus nesting White Stork, Kingfisher, Black Redstart, Collared Flycatcher, Short-toed Treecreeper, Serin and Hawfinch, and all this in a fantastic historical setting.