This is an excellent approach if you want to maximize the number of species ticked, and especially useful in countries like Kenya, where the national park system seems designed for organized groups rather than single individuals, or Finland, where in order to see certain species in the immense taiga forests you absolutely need professional help from people who know the location of nests and nesting boxes.


In my case, I have found professional guided tours very useful for trips in countries with totally unfamiliar (to me) avifauna: Panama and Venezuela were wonderful, but birding in the Neotropics for the first time can be overwhelming, and good advice and help can make the best of a trip.

I've read some horror stories about people having bad experiences with group members on organized tours, bad chemistry with the tour leaders or poorly organized logistics; I must have been very lucky so far, since all my trips with professional companies have been excellent. I have met very nice and interesting people and always enjoyed myself. So far, I have used Birdquest (Kenya), VENT (Venezuela), Ecoventures (Panama), Heatherlea (Scotland), and Ibis Excursions.

That said, in my opinion nothing can beat the feeling of finding your own birds on a little explored location, or "discovering" a previously unknown site. My personal approach to birding is rather casual, in the way that I don't care much for numbers when writing down the trip's list, so I prefer to travel on my own or with a few friends whenever the destination allows it.