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Another very happy visitor here. Roseate Tern beside Common Tern in the harbour and a Pied-billed Grebe in Furnass - and that was even before we began!! Gerby provided not just a deep insight to the birds of Sao Miguel and the other Azores, but was able to answer all our questions on other life on and around the islands too. He was able to customise the trip to our interests and locate everything we were looking for and more. Priolo proved a bit shy but gave us stunning views in the end. Go for it...have a great day out!
Hey Gerby, see http://www.dutchbirding.nl/gallery.php?p=bigpic&gal=5&fid=715&page=zoek and http://www.dutchbirding.nl/gallery.php?p=bigpic&gal=5&fid=5475&page=zoek many thanks for all the efforts. Greetings, Max
Had the best day with Gerby on a bird watching trip, his knowledge, enthusiasm and personality was an inspiration. He went out of his way to ensure we had an amazing trip. I fully recommend him to anybody, beginner or experienced bird watchers.
My family and I returned yesterday from a trip to the Azores. My husband's 60th birthday present was a day birding with Gerby. We had a 2nd day later in the week. On both days we had a hugely enjoyable and informative time covering both ends of Sao Miguel island. Gerby was great fun, relaxed and took us to all the hotspots. We saw shearwaters, bullfinches, canaries, pied billed grebe, barn swallow etc and had some lovely walks with picnics provided (great sandwiches!). Many thanks, Gerby. Anita, Mark, Jamila and Rebecca
We had an amazing trip with Gerby, on my birthday nonetheless! With endless patience, Gerby brought us along and showed us his best spots. Also, when asked, Gerby immediately put his Gerby-van around and took a huge detour to show us another bird we had been asking about.
It's amazing to see that Gerby is so passionate about what he does: as is shown in him patiently pointing us toward the bird he already saw way earlier, or him running like a mad man on unstable rocks to photograph the dolphins we spotted, or letting us go ahead and out in front so we can take the pictures first, even though he probably would have done a much better job.
Thanks Gerby, it was amazing.
Houdoe
Martijn & Reanne
Fantastic day 'birding' with Gerby whose enthusiasm matched his knowledge of the local habitat and where to locate the different species. We were keen to glimpse an Azorean Bullfinch and actually saw a small flock of them, which exceeded our expectations. We also saw a Bittern,
Goldcrest, Wagtails, Canaries , Bullfinch. At a coastal
viewpoint Gerby pointed out a Loggerhead turtle happily
swimming around. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day and
learned so much about the island and its flora and fauna .
Gerby has a lovely sense of humour which was an added
bonus. We would definitely recommend this trip to others.
Gereby made our time in the Azores very interesting and informative. He went well beyond his remit to make his trips very enjoyable, making sure we saw as many birds as possible.
Thank you very much Gerby and when we return to the Azores, we will definitely want another tour with you.
My sister, myself and a couple from the Netherlands went birding with Gerby on April 11, 2015. I believe I was the only one really into birding, but the others also enjoyed the trip. I was able to add 17 new birds to my list, including Europe's rarest bird, the Azores Bullfinch. With Gerby you won't believe it's a rare bird. He knew right where to go and I don't think we were out of the car for two minutes when we started to see them. My sister counted as many as 10 at one time and I was able to photograph as many as 4 in one shot. He also knows where to find plenty of other interesting birds and we were able to find several other birds that while common elsewhere are unusual for the Azores. If you're a birder planning a trip to the Azores you owe it to yourself to book at least one day on Sao Miguel with Gerby.
Brock Hoagland, SD, USA
In juni 2014 ben ik op Sao Miguel geweest om de Azorengoudvinken te fotograferen. En met succes! Gerby heeft mij daarbij geassisteerd. Zonder zijn hulp was het nooit gelukt om op deze manier de goudvinken te fotograferen.
Gerby weet niet alleen waar en op welk moment de goudvinken het beste zijn waar te nemen, hij weet erg veel van het eiland te vertellen. Dat laatste alleen al is een goede reden Gerbrand te boeken als je de Azoren bezoekt...
Vr gr Chris van Rijswijk
http://www.birdshooting.nl/
I first visited the Azores 20 years ago, and have now been birding on the islands on many occasions, in recent years often leading groups. When I bring a group to Sao Miguel, I frequently use Gerby to help guide and assist with driving and other logistics - few people know the island, its birds and best locations as well as he does. If you want evidence of his ability to find interesting species, look no further than his blog and the many excellent photos. I have no hesitation in recommending Gerby's services.
We were lucky enough to schedule a day of birdwatching with Gerby in July, 2013 and it was easily our favorite excursion during our time on Sao Miguel. Not only is Gerby charming and interesting to speak with, but he's quite the chef (providing a delicious lunch and tea) and his birding knowledge is second to none! His expertise on the island and it's flora & fauna provided us with such a wonderful base of knowledge, and then the sightings he led us to - amazing! Within moments of our arrival, we had spied the elusive Azores Bullfinch - our target bird. But we also were introduced to Chaffinch, the wonderful Goldcrest and even spied a Buzzard flying overhead. And something we'd not counted on were two other rare (for us) sightings - a Bar Tailed Godwit and a Eurasion Oystercatcher (possibly a Longpipe subspecies)! Very unexpected and completely enjoyed.
The Azores is a destination that leads visitors to seek out nature. Gerby Birding provides the very best method to do that! I can't recommend Gerby more highly...your trip will be wonderfully enhanced, if you include a tour with Gerby. I know when we return, we'll be giving him a call!!
Fondly, Anne Haggerty & Kathleen Whalen
I birded one full day in the Azores with Gerby and had a great time.
Of course our main target species was the Bullfinch and Gerby got us so close to more than half a dozen birds that we didn't even need to zoom in for a great shot!
In a nice gesture, at the end of the day, Gerby took a detour to show me the Furnas, since I wouldn't have another chance to visit them during my stay in Sao Miguel.
Highly recommend a visit to the Azores and a birding trip with Gerby!
Teresa Santos
USA
We went with Gerby Birding on our very first visit to the Azores. GERBY has a very friendly personality and was on time, picking us up from the hotel for a trip into the forest to hopefully see the very rare Azorean Bullfinch. He was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable regarding the birds and flora. To our and also his delight, we managed to spot this very elusive bird. There was only 1 other couple from CANADA who joined us in the landrover. A very enjoyable sandwich lunch was provided by his wife. GERBY also fitted in an extra visit to the bubbling Calderes which was very interesting. It was a long but very enjoyable day. I would certainly recommend this small but very professional company for trips on the Azores
Dear Gerby
This is just a small thank you for the wonderful day [and a bit] we spent with you as customers of Azores Archipelago choice. I am especially grateful that you were able to make my birthday particularly memorable with a couple of stonking birds [Willet and your local Bullfinch], but my little gifts are being shown to one and all now we have returned and they are being treasured. The evening meal was also a very kind and unexpected gesture - my grateful thanks.
Hopefully we will return to Sao Miguel in the future and you can be sure your name will be the first we think of for guidance.
Once again, thanks from both of us for a wonderful couple of days.
Best regards for the future
Liz Costa and John Lees
