TROPICAL BIRDING TOURS
Interview with Keith Barnes

Tell us the story of how you ended up birding. How long have you been birding? Tell us more about Tropical Birding.
My Dad was a birder. When I was 13, we were going on a family vacation to the Drakensberg and he was obsessed with seeing Lammergeier (a spectacular high mountain bird-of-prey). I decided to educate myself by reading his bird books and then steeled myself for the unpleasant job of letting him down. With only 200 individuals in all of Lesotho, our chances were slim to say the least. In the process, however, I learned of the diamond-shaped tail, rusty-breast and black tufted beard and so, when a Lammergeier did fly just 25 metres over our heads later on that trip, it was not someone telling me this was magic - I knew. The adrenalin got me shaking (twitching) and I haven't stopped since. I studied Zoology/Ornithology at the University of Cape Town, wrote a few academic tomes, and then, with a friend, decided to start Tropical Birding in the year 2000. Over two decades, we morphed from a start-up in Ecuador and South Africa to a US-based operator running over 200 tours per year throughout the globe, specialising in birding, bird photography, and seeking enigmatic wildlife. It's been a blast.

The sun is setting. Tea, G&T, or beer?
I am old-school, G&T all the way - so long as I have a hand free for binoculars!

What is the first place that comes to mind where you would love to drink it along your route on one of your safaris? Why there?
Kasane, on the Chobe River in Botswana. Early in my birding development, we visited this place often and not only am I reminded of the spectacular birds and wildlife I encountered here for the first time, but mostly for the special times with my parents who indulged and encouraged my passion. I am who I am today because of times spent at that place with special people.

I’m sure all your tours are uniquely special, but do you have a favourite destination? Where and why?
It's really hard for me to look past Tanzania. The sense of wilderness, even within the well-heeled circuit, is always still awe-inspiring. Visiting Ndutu in Feb-April and seeing millions of wildebeest calving, but on top of that having every bishop, widow, and weaver bird in frantic breeding activity and lavish dress makes for an ultimate unforgettable African birding experience. Even the lesser travelled portions of the nation, unique Pemba (with its unique endemic birds), stunning reefs and clove-sprinkled lanes, and the rugged Usambara ranges with their unique biology, old-school hill-station charm, and special avifauna make Tanzania compelling! I like to birdwatch, but in a holistic way where we never ignore other parts of the planet's amazing biodiversity.

What wildlife and birds are your favourite African destination known for? Is there anything in particular people travel to see? What do you recommend guests to the area should be on the lookout for?
Tanzania is synonymous with big game country and it has that in spades. However, I love nocturnal and strange beasts and so my favourites are things like Bat-eared Fox, Striped Hyena, and the amazing and incredible Aardvark. These strange enigmas would be the standout critters for me on any safari! On the birding front, Tanzania has amazing birds-of-prey, with Martial Eagles, Secretarybirds, and reams of vultures at each and every kill. These are unfortunately dwindling sights in Africa and Asia these days and long may the emperors of the sky dominate the airways. Also, the small colourful grass-eating finches like waxbills, stunning and colourful starlings, and large sets of storks, pelicans, and other amazing water birds mean that, if you cannot get into birds (and birdwatching) on an African safari, you are probably never going to! Obviously, people here come for wildebeest 'migration'. That has become synonymous with 'river crossings' which are dramatic, but just one element of the amazing journey. The fun thing about a birding safari is that people assume you will see fewer mammals. Not only is this untrue, I think it’s the opposite! Because we are often out at dawn and dusk looking for owls and nightjars, we find White-Tailed Mongoose or Genets. Because we stop for small brown birds, we end up finding sengis, mongooses, hares, and rodents and, because we visit a broad variety of habitats, we see more than the average mammal-watching trip. The next time you think birding is only for the birds, rethink that!

Based on your experience, what are the 5 essentials you recommend clients should bring along on a birding safari? What other gear, apps, books, clothing, etc. do you recommend?
1) Don't leave home without binoculars. Models that come in 8x32 or 10x40 are best for wildlife watching and birding. If you can afford it, buy Swarovskis. They are simply the best. 
2) Serious birders will often travel with a telescope. This is overkill for a beginner, so I'd suggest thinking carefully about a good camera. These days cameras act as great tools to either take lovely memories of your time in Africa or else to document what you saw so that, once you get back home, you can send it to an expert of some kind and get help to identify that 'small brown job' you saw. A good bridge camera will work well if you are starting out but, as soon as you get more serious, a longer semi-pro lens would be helpful. Many people are turning to micro 4/3rds cameras these days and the item of choice for many one of the Olympus OM-D mirrorless setups with a 300mm fixed lens. 
3) A relevant bird book for your region will be crucial to identifying the things you see. There are many choices for most regions, but ask an expert like me and I'll steer you in the right direction regarding the right book for you. A good place to start would be Princeton University Press. They have a great collection of high quality beginner books for African parks, including ones for Kruger, Masai Mara, Serengeti, etc.  
4) Cornell University has two apps that are worth getting. Ebird helps you keep track of all the birds you see and maintains your lists for you. They are also developing a great app called Merlin which has photos and text written by experts to help you identify birds. Both are free and feed into important citizen science projects that have impacts for conservation and research initiatives. 
5) When you get home and you are struggling to ID birds from your pics, there is a wonderful Facebook group that is run by the American Birding Association called 'What's this bird'. It’s a simple, easy forum to post your photo and have an expert help out in a non-judgmental way and hopefully help you grow a little in your understanding of bird identification.

Do you have any advice for first-time birders from around the world around what they need to get started, species identification, etc.?
Join a bird club with organised outings with more experienced members. This will help a massive amount and these are folks to lean on when you need advice on binoculars, cameras, places in the neighborhood to go looking for certain species, or trips further afield. Most birders are really friendly and are keen to help new birders find their feet. If you are far from a centre that has an official club, then join a social media group dedicated to birding in your local state/county/province. You will be surprised how much info there is out there and also how many helpful locals there are.

Anything else to add?
Birding is an amazing window into the world. It has taken me to places like Sao Tome and Principe, which I never would have visited. I have a community of global friends I would never have had and I have learned things I would never have known. It’s a good community and one that I am proud to be part of. Go on, try it. What could it hurt?