Though there is growing concern over excessive petroleum use, greenhouse gases, climate change and other environmental consequences of extensive travel, some travel can actually be beneficial to birds when it is properly arranged to celebrate as well as protect nature.

Types of Birding Travel

When birds are center stage for travel plans, those plans are more likely to be helpful to the birds travelers want to see.


Different types of travel that can be beneficial to birds include…

• Organized birding tours or group expeditions
• Birding festivals or similar nature-based events
• Visits to bird-friendly nature resorts or eco-friendly properties
• Visits to aviaries or zoos with captive bird breeding programs or other conservation initiatives that benefit birds

When the purpose of the travel relates to birds, it is far easier to make that travel helpful to birds.

How Travel Helps Birds

There are different ways travel can promote birding and bird conservation to help preserve and protect the birds travelers are looking for.

• Raising Awareness: The more people who that travelers are visiting an area to see endemic birds or special target species, the more those residents will be aware of the value and uniqueness of their local bird species. Visiting birders may even help a resident find a spark bird, which could encourage them to get started birding and become more involved in their local birding community.
   
• Economic Incentives: Birding travel can be expensive, and whenever birders travel, they help the economy with every hotel room, restaurant meal, cab fare, bus ticket, tour guide tip and nostalgic souvenir. When more birders visit an area, the economic improvement raises local awareness of the importance of birds and can inspire a greater desire to protect those birds in order to continue the economic boom birding can bring.
   

• Habitat Conservation: When birding becomes a tourist option in an area, local officials will begin to recognize the importance of keeping the birds in their native habitat so birders have reason to visit. Additional conservation measures may be taken, including establishing new preserves or supporting better landscaping and habitat management techniques that will benefit the birds.
   
• Rediscoveries and Population Monitoring: The more birders there are in an area looking for highly sought after species, the better those local populations can be judged, and many tour guides participate in citizen science monitoring projects that provide invaluable data to researchers and conservationists. Discoveries of new bird species are also more likely when there are more eyes watching the birds and noticing unique features that can indicate a previously unknown species.
   
• Local Donations: Many birding tour companies not only employ local guides, drivers and other assistance, but may also arrange donations to local conservation groups in popular tour destinations. Birding festivals also frequently have fundraising events as part of the festivities, and donations may be made to local bird rehabilitators or rescue groups. Birders who travel on tours or to festivals are always welcome to contribute to those donations.
   
• Interconnectedness: When a birder travels to a distant location but notices a familiar bird species, they begin to realize just how interconnected the avian world is, and how much global cooperation will be necessary to continue to protect birds, habitats and all wildlife. By recognizing that need through travel, birders will be more willing to increase their personal conservation efforts which will benefit many birds in many places.

Helping Even More

While travel can be beneficial, there are still many ways travel can hurt birds, and conscientious birders will always take steps to minimize those risks and maximize how their travel can be helpful rather than harmful.

• Minimize non-essential, non-birding travel at all times, including consolidating local trips and carpooling, even for simple errands.
   
• Choose birding tours and festivals that promote sustainable practices and offer conservation initiatives, or propose such actions to tour groups and festival planners.
   
• Opt for bird-friendly hotels, restaurants, resorts and other businesses that use environmentally-friendly practices, such as using locally grown foods or native landscaping.
   
• Be sure everyone knows you are birding by sharing exciting birds with taxi drivers, hotel clerks, restaurant staff, bartenders and other residents to help raise their awareness of the richness of their local avifauna and how valuable it can be.

Extensive birding travel can be a controversial topic as to whether it helps or hurts birds, but done properly and with respect for local residents, customs and businesses as well as birds, conscientious travel can be beneficial to birds, ensuring there are always more birds to travel and see.

Photo – Chestnut-Backed Tanager © Joao Quental