Landscapes - Cuba Bird Photography

Author: Arturo Kirkconnell Jr

Task: Cuban Landscapes

Creative Direction: Arturo Kirkconnell Jr

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We had never used birding Pals before, but we luckily managed to arrange a trip with Arturo Kirkconnell Jr, a Cuban Birding Pal Professional Guide.
We were totally pleased with our 14 day trip. Arturo, like all great birders, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and could name that spot in the sky
from the flicker of a wing or the shadow cast, whether driving or walking!
Arturo began our trip with a great breakfast stop that produced many endemic species, and the trip continued with spontaneous and planned stops in diverse habitats,
each producing new species.
All our lodging and meals were excellent as well.

Our trip was so totally enjoyable we are looking forward to making a return trip and exploring other parts of the island.

Arturo is completely personable and professional and enjoyable.

Regards
Nancy and Bill read more

Bill and Nancy
Birders
Arturo,

We did not know quite what to expect on our Cuban birding adventure, but it surpassed our expectations in every way.
Not only did we see and hear an abundance of beautiful birds but also we met some lovely people and covered great distances of interesting country in the car.
It was a pleasure to go birding with you from start to finish. Thank you for being so patient and good humored with us, especially when we forgot, got mixed up or made up new names for your birds.
It was so nice to meet your family too. You have a beautiful wife, Anet and two lovely children, Adam and Alexa and we wish them all the very best.
We were honored to meet your father and it was a huge privilege to bird with him. He has taught you well.

You are very professional and he is right to be proud of you.

We will have many great memories of our once-in-a-life-time Cuban birding tour to help sustain us through our frigid Canadian winters thanks to you.

We wish you every success in your future endeavors and hope that we may see you and Anet in Oakville/Toronto.

Gracias Arturo,
Leon and Rachel

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Leon and Rachel
Birders
Thank you, Arturo. We had an wonderful 10-day bird watching trip with you in June of 2015. It was great to travel around Cuba (in a rental car) from Havana to the Viñales Valley to Camaguey to Cay Coco and back again, with our additions of Trinidad and Santa Clara, and stops along the way.

You and your father were great at knowing where to look for the birds and finding them once we arrived. One of our favorite experiences was seeing the Bee Hummingbird in that couples backyard while drinking expresso. What could be finer then seeing the worlds smallest bird in the care of such knowledgable birders and in the comfort of such nice Cubanos? But that was just one of the over 130 species we saw.

This was one of only two international trips where we left all of the arrangements for food and lodging to our guide. Thank you for taking such good care of us. The cabins on the hillside overlooking the Viñales Valley were absolutely wonderful. And, then you took us to the very restaurant that was written up in the LA Times. That was amazing! …delicious…and the amount of food was more then generous.

We will cherish our wonderful memories of seeing Cuba with you.

Susan and Gary Levenson-Palmer

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Susan and Gary Levenson-Palmer
Birders
This was the trip of a lifetime for us and we are so happy to have experienced Cuba in such a personal manner. Arturo Jr. was a great birding guide and we enjoyed his company very much. The birding was spectacular. We had exceptional views of all of the birds we encountered. The small group size was key to our experience. Arturo and the arrangements he made gave us a glimpse into the lives of the Cuban people. We are grateful for this wonderful experience and recommend Kirkconnell Birding highly!

Gracias, Arturito,

Susan & Rudy

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Rudy & Susan Boesch
Birders
Trip to Cuba with Arturo Kirkconnell Jr.

Andrea and I very much enjoyed our 10-day birding tour with Arturo. Very few people combine the ability to quickly find birds by sight and by ear to the extent that Arturo does. His deep knowledge helped us find the endemics and near-endemics and also a great number of other birds. And he shared our excitement at seeing birds and noting interesting bird behavior. The places we stayed were all wonderful – with great food. Except for the fancy hotel in Havana, the service was excellent everywhere, We returned home with great memories of the birds and an appreciation of Cuba.

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Larry and Andrea
Birders
Cuba is blessed with beautiful and interesting birds, and our recent trip there did not disappoint. Our guide, Arturito Kirkconnell was everything one could want in a bird guide–great at spotting the birds, explaining the intracacies of identifying them by plumage and calls, good at logistics, and great fun to be with. He was considerate of my non-birding spouse, so Gerry enjoyed the trip as much as anyone. Arturito was also a wonderful guide to his beautiful country and its people, going out of his way to show us areas and sights that were not to be missed. It was a rich and rewarding trip in every way, so thank you, Arturito!

Jane and Gerry Chelius

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Jane and Gerry Chelius
Birders