How to choose your first/next trip to the world’s birdiest country

By George Armistead & Phil Chaon

You’ve probably heard a lot about Colombia. For birders, few nations are as intriguing. And for American birders, its proximity makes it especially appealing. A three and half hour flight from Atlanta, Dallas or Miami, and you can feel as though you’ve been transported to a whole other world. But if you’re looking to dip your toe into birding here, it can be a little daunting to figure out where to begin.

We begin here with a group shot of one of our two Maine groups. Kneeling are guides, Seth Benz (left) and Holly Merker. We’ll be doing it again 13-17 July of 2024. Basing ourselves at the Schoodic Institute, we visited Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park, including summiting Mount Cadillac, while also exploring the nearshore waters for whales, Atlantic Puffins, Arctic Terns and more.