Saturday, 30 January 2021

2021 UPDATE

 

Dear birding friends,

 

Thank you for your support of Australian Bird Safaris thus far.

 

Throughout 2020 the global COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact to the tourism industry in Australia. This impact is certain to continue to affect tourism operations throughout 2021. As a new birding tourism business, we certainly have not been immune. 

 

As a result of the pandemic continuing, we have reluctantly decided to shelve much of our birding tour plans for 2021 and to hope for ‘bluer skies’ in 2022 and beyond.

 

The reasons are, sadly, obvious. International travel remains unlikely for 2021. Circumstances around interstate travel, as recent situations have demonstrated, can change rapidly. Similarly, it is easy to imagine circumstances that could negatively affect intrastate travel within Queensland as has occurred within 2020. In addition, with the virus continuing and the vaccination of our community still a way off, we would like to be both responsible and conservative in our judgements so as not to offer any chance to spread a virus to sensitive isolated communities.

 

We sincerely hope that some short birding opportunities may present themselves during 2021 and that we can begin some long-haul tours during 2022. We hope that you will consider travelling and birding with us in the future.

 

We are already planning an exciting birding programme for 2022 and we certainly plan to run tours through the Wet Tropics to Cape York in October of that year. During 2022 we also plan to run tours into SW Queensland visiting both Bowra and other properties in the greater Cunnamulla area in June 2022. We also are planning a Queensland Grasswren Tour for August 2022, beginning and ending in Longreach visiting Winton [Opalton Grasswren], Mt Isa [Kalkadoon and Carpentarian Grasswrens], Birdsville [Eyrean and Grey Grasswren].  September will see a NW QLD tour that begins in Townsville, visits some sites in NE Queensland before visiting Georgetown, Karumba and Lawn Hill Gorge before finishing in Mt Isa.

 

Please consider joining one or more of our tours in 2022! Please advise if you wish to claim your seat on any of the described tours for 2022.

 Ken Cross and Steve Grainger

friarbird43@bigpond.com 

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