Hi Brian
Many thanks for the photos and especially the excellent birding experience. For you to find 6 out of 6 birds requested was exceptional.
I look forward to birding with you again.
Regards
David
more…Bob May - 23 November 2009
Hi Brian,
Thanks for correcting the bird IDs - don't want too many embarassing errors!
Having sorted out the IDs I thought you might like to see a few of the images that I like best (I know what these are!).
Of course good photos opportunities are made when the guide places you in the right position for the shot to be taken and we thank you very much for doing just that on so many occassions.
Cape Town weather sounds very different from when we were there. Meanwhile we are getting a dose of Boulders penguin weather - torrential rain and high winds!
Kind regards,
Rob and Pam
more…Stephanie Coghlan - 20 October 2009
Dear Brian
Thank you again for the days guiding you gave us at the Cape and the West Coast. We enjoyed it greatly and you found us so many species and gave us great views.
Thanks also for the travel hints you gave us about Bushmanland and the Kalahari.
We had excellent Kalahari sightings. We saw 212 species of birds, lions on all 4 days and a leopard in a tree with prey in the Auob valley.
Many thanks again for stepping in to help at short notice.
Stephanie Coghlan
more…Lee Baines - 21 - 28 September 2010
Hi Brian,
Hope I find you well.
Just a short e-mail to express my deep appreciation for all your efforts during our Birding trip. The total of 217 of which for me 185 were new birds is testament to your knowledge, skill and dedication.
Regards from a slightly chilly (but warmed by the memories) Leicester, UK
Lee
more…Steve Baines - 21-28 September 2009
Hi Brian,
Hope this e-mail finds you well. Herewith my trip report that I have also posted on other Birding sights, thanks for all your efforts, it was a great trip.
Kind regards
Steve
_____
An idea to visit Cape Town and get to grips with some Cape endemics during a week’s hard birding was hatched last year between me and my brother Lee.
With only a week in the field we decided to maximise our time by utilising the services of a local bird guide.
After some net research we decided on Brian Vanderwalt. The decision to use Brian was down to the fact that he catered for individual birders.
As it transpired I don’t think we could have picked a better bird guide.
Brian’s birding skills proved to be exceptional.
He knows all the bird calls and how to replicate them to elicit a response, where to look for the more elusive species, and most importantly his identification skills are second to none.
He also put the time in, always going the extra mile, quite literally, to get us the birds.
During the preparation period we e-mailed Brian a suggested itinerary and an indication as to what we were after.
Brian came back with a revised itinerary that suited our needs and also organised accommodation and a Pelagic for us.
I cannot recommend Brian highly enough.
more…Mike Nelson - 3 June 2009
Hi Brian
We had a fantastic time with you in the Western Cape and look forward to coming down again and doing the Garden Route or the Kalahari next time.
Love to come back though as we really enjoyed it so much.
Thanks again and good birding.
Cheers
Mike Nelson
more…
Denise HigginbothamMarch Hi Brian, Big thank you for a most wonderful weekend in the Tanqua. It was totally awesome and your birding knowledge amazed me - in identifying their calls and habitat etc. You have an amazing gift so keep up the good work. Then besides the thrill of all the birds, the flowers were beautiful. Hope the Tanqua Taxi is always in business. Go well more... |
Jacquie PlimsollMarch I cannot begin to thank you enough for the unbelievably special time we spent with you in the Tanqua. I just LOVED every minute of it and am so chuffed to have added so many lifies to my list. Thank you for going the extra mile and just for making our birding trip such a wonderful experience. I so look forward to our next trip. Many Thanks Brian more... |
Sally HarrisMarch A BIG thank you for such a wonderful time in the Tanqua, for all the trouble you went to to get us there....and ESPECIALLY for that amazing sighting of the Cinnamon Breasted-warbler! What a treat. Again I say what a fabulous driver you are! Many thanks again Brian more... |
ChrisMarch Thank you for a wonderful days birding with the Ehlers couple in the Tanqua. It was an absolute privelege to see how your patience and persistence pays off in the field. I believe far too many birders are in too much of a hurry and hence "depend" on call back tapes. My tape recorder packed up years ago and I am not intending to replace it. Once again many thanks. more... |
Jim HunterMarch I have been back for about 2 weeks now and am just getting to the point that I have the time to write to you about my adventures in South Africa. So how was South Africa? It was the greatest time of my life. I cannot thank either one of you enough for all that you did for me. I found it very difficult to do all of the booking of my trip from Connecticut; however I must be one of the luckiest people around. You were very easy to work with and very forthcoming with the details of everything and I found you to be an awesome resource. As far as having Brian as my guide I cannot say enough. Brian is an amazing guide and knows so much about so many different things. He and I had a great time birding, talking about plants, insects, lizards, and many other things. I had an amazing time and I think that Brian and I got along really well. He is without a doubt one of the best guides that I have ever been with. I have had the opportunity to work with many and Brian is just outstanding. One of the things that I like most about him is his ability to find identify and understand the birds, but at the same time not disturb them by playing tapes. I am not big into tape calling in birds, and I was relieved that he was the same way. He showed me so many different birds and made sure that I didn’t just see them but was able to study them and also get some very good photos. In addition, Brian has been keeping in touch with me and I am going to send him some photos so that I am sure of their ID. If and or when I come back to South Africa I can guarantee that I will be using your services. In addition I am going to be telling all of the birders I know about both of you and will encourage them to use your services. Again I cannot thank you all for all that you did for me. I had over 300 species. I got about 80% of the Cape Endemics and 40% of the South African endemics. Thanks again for everything!! more... |
Emmanuel MilotMarch Hi Brian, Thanks for the pictures, they are great! I really had a great time on Sunday. I made the total and we had 103 species, quite close to your estimate of 105. Perhaps Steve has a couple more species in his notebook that I did not have time to note. I arrived in a Montreal colder than Cape Town, which is not supposed to be the case at this time of the year! Thanks again for everything. I will strongly recommend your services if I know of people planning to bird in South Africa. Cheers Manu Québec Canada more... |
Mike Witty
November
Brian
I can only say that I thoroughly enjoyed the two days of very successful birding. Your local knowledge was very impressive and I will certainly show my appreciation at least by booking with you again next time I am birding in Cape Town (probably in about 6-8 months).
Hope you have a healthy and sufficiently busy winter.
Best regards,
Mike
P.S. I spotted the House Crows at the airport.
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