Tracks Birding & Photography Tours

My wife and I went on a 3 week tour with Laurie Ross of Tracks Birding. We had a fantastic trip. Even though the weather and flooding required a change in our itinerary just a day before we arrived in Australia, Laurie was able to get us to great places. I had asked Laurie to try to get us to see as many parrots species as possible, and he set up the trip with this as a goal. Laurie clearly knew just where to take us. His knowledge of the birds, their calls, and how to best set up to get great photos is unsurpassed. He would frequently stop because he heard a bird call that none of us heard and would then work hard to get us images. In the end, we photographed about 20 species of parrots and also got shots of innumerable other types of birds. I can not recommend Laurie more highly as a knowledgeable, extremely competent, and accommodating guide.

Posted from Howard who travelled with us:
I would like to endorse the review posted by Hans Wohlmuth & add my own additional comments as follows. I have been on over 90 foreign birdwatching trip during my 43 years of birding, including 9 trips to Australia. I can honestly say that Laurie Ross is the best guide I have ever birded with. His eyesight & hearing are outstanding & his ability to get people onto birds & to get birds into good viewing positions is amazing. I was also very impressed with his organisational & planning abilities as every aspect of the trip ran like clockwork, which was all the more impressive as we were moving to new locations either every day or every second day. An amazing trip in every way. Howard Jolliffe

We (four friends) did an 18-day tour with Laurie in Sept-Oct 2023 from Darwin to Mount Isa to Birdsville and back to Mount Isa. The conditions in the outback were superb after good rains and the birding was amazing. We saw around 280 species, including 6 species of Grasswren, Red Goshawk (two nests including a brand new one), Letter-winged Kite and Grey Falcon.
Laurie's abilities in the field are outstanding. He has exceptional vision and hearing and clearly knows the target birds, their habitat and habits intimately. His bird knowledge and experience as an outstanding bird photographer means that he has an amazing ability to get the birds to show well, allowing everyone good views and frequently offering incredible photo opportunities. Laurie has spent a lot of time in the outback and will take his guest to sites not generally known by other tour guides.
The organisation of the tour was impeccable. We usually stayed in the best available accommodation and he knows some great little cafes. The food exceeded our expectations of outback NT!
We travelled in a brand new Toyota Landcruiser and Laurie proved an excellent driver - something that's important when you travel thousands of kilometers through the outback.
Laurie was excellent company for the entire trip and acted in a highly professional manner at all times. He never lost sight of the purpose of the tour, and he always had a back-up plan if a target bird didn't show. As a result, we saw virtually all our target species, plus lots more.
We'd love to do another tour with Laurie and wouldn't hesitate to recommend him as a highly competent, friendly, fun and well-organised bird guide.

Just finished a fabulous four day Darwin/Top End Tour with Laurie Ross.
He really should change the advertising to "Laurie's gourmet meals and coffee with exceptional birding on the side. "
We all had a fantastic time, seeing 90 or so species of birds, numerous insects, animals and other photo worthy items.
Laurie knows where all the birds are, hears them and sees them in time to warn people potentially what is coming and where it might appear.
Definitely will be a repeat customer!

Thank you Laurie for an exceptional Ultimate Top End Tour, spending time in Darwin, Kakadu, Pine Creek, Katherine and Timber Creek. At last count we photographed around 120 bird species.

Laurie is a very professional guide. Spend some time with Laurie and one realises the time, thought and energy that is part of the detailed planning and execution of his trips. Laurie readily shares his knowledge of birds, their habits and habitat as well as his skills as a photographer. While Laurie is relaxed and fun to be with he is ever watchful, seeing birds which to my eyes were hidden amongst the foliage. He made many a u-turn to to point out and enable us to photograph an elusive species.
I am a better photographer for having spent time with Laurie and have already booked another trip with him. Thanks Laurie.

After just completing Laurie’s Top End Tour I could not recommend Laurie and Tracks Birding highly enough. Laurie was extraordinarily organised and informative. Laurie’s knowledge of the area, the birds and where to find them was amazing. Laurie’s willingness to share his knowledge about birds and how to photograph them led to a great improvement in my photography. We spent 8 or more hours every day looking for and photographing birds. We found species I had never heard of. Laurie managed to get you as close as possible to ensure top images. If you want a great birding experience call Laurie. You will not be disappointed.

I don't know how Laurie does it, but he combines patience, expertise, careful planning with his magic of finding birds! His eyes and ears are highly tuned to help clients get the very best experience. A truly wonderful trip with a superb guide and a bunch of birding friends. I have come home with many spectacular images, memories and can't wait to join Laurie again in another part of our wonderful country.

In a just completed and unforgettable tour of the top-end with Tracks_Birding every bird, insect, land, rock, grass, flower, tree and animal is a heightened experience. Laurie’s focus and attention to his clients reflects his generosity of spirit. The easiness and camaraderie in the group has forged new bonds, mateship and friends. And, the astonishing food has added another dimension putting it all into one perfect experience.

It is his knowledge and spiritual-like bond with nature that defines Laurie Ross.

We have just done Laurie’s 8 day tour of western Queensland. It was a really well planned and well paced itinerary covering a wide range of habitats without being exhausting. He found us 160 species and, with his guidance, we got high quality images of many of them, including some notable grasswren, raptor and other rarities. We had given him a ‘most wanted’ list of 20 species and he found them all. I also learnt a great deal about the birds, and bird photography – in my experience Laurie has a unique combination of elite birding and bird photography skills. And he is also great company. We’ll certainly be going on more trips with Laurie and recommend him without any reservations as both a guide and bird photographer.

An amazing wealth of bird knowledge kindly shared online. I have no doubt touring with Laurie would be a once in a lifetime experience. I will put it on my bucket list.

Thanks, Laurie for a truly amazing birding trip.

We did an 18-day Top End and Channel Country tour with Laurie in March-April 2022. He is a brilliant bird guide with amazing hearing and vision and a detailed knowledge of bird behaviour and locations. We were mostly interested in regional specialities, including some really difficult birds, and Laurie found nearly all of them.

Laurie is also an exceptional bird photographer and very willing to share his expertise. He is especially good at getting birds up close in photogenic locations and I (Brian) got many great shots including of threatened species, which was my specific focus. This included Carpentarian Grasswrens that were cooperative for us.

Laurie is very well organised and flexible and good company.

We would thoroughly recommend Laurie's tours and are already signed up for another.

Jill and Brian Jones

We had another fantastic birding tour with Laurie at the beginning of this month in Cape York/Iron Range NP (previously in Darwin/Kakadu & Central Australia). He plans every aspect of the tour meticulously, considering the environmental conditions, our birding skills and target species and our level of fitness, to ensure the best birding experience possible. He is extraordinarily skillful at locating and observing birds and wildlife generally. Laurie is happy, easy going and flexible and is delightful company. Our tours have been exciting, stress-free and we have seen so much more than we ever expected! Thank you again Laurie - we have memories to treasure forever! Sue and Paul

This was our second bird safari with Laurie (1st Kakadu and now Cairns/Daintree) and another fabulous experience. In 6 days we seemed to drive, cruise and walk in a relaxed manner, yet I photographed 85 birds (plus platypus, lizards and snakes) and my wife Jan (with her binoculars at the ready) were totally immersed in the varying local habitats. This is all due to the skill and generosity of Laurie as a guide, bird and nature expert, organizer and genuinely good guy. As a skilled photographer in other fields, I am in awe of his talent as a bird photographer and rate him as by far the best bird photographer in Australia (and a great teacher as well, happy to share advice and tips for better images). Add to that his knowledge of the subject and his extraordinary ability to know where the birds are and you have hundreds of amazing encounters with Australian wildlife. As well as spectacular birding, the accommodation, food and good companionship make these trips a joy we want to repeat in every area of Australia. Thanks Laurie.

Dr Peter Sheridan AM

What a fantastic knowledgeable guide is Laurie — I got some fabulous photos. Laurie could not only get us to the location where we would find special birds like Golden Bower Bird but knows their habits so well he guided me be ready with the camera focussed on a certain twig or branch where the bird is likely to come to. How amazing is that? If you are interested in getting great bird photos or being able to see up close rare and beautiful birds in their natural environment I can't recommend Laurie enough. And what a fabulous bunch of restaurants are included in his trips. It really should be listed as a gastronomic bird safari. Thankyou Laurie for a delightful adventure.

Thank you so much for your comprehensive guide on finding birds in and around Darwin, it is fantastic! I can't believe there are so many places to visit to see our incredible bird life. Your knowledge is such a generous gift, it has made the experience of birding in Darwin so much more efficient and enjoyable. Thank you.

I have been travelling in NT for just over two months now. I have used Laurie’s Birding Guides extensively for Alice Springs, Katherine and Darwin areas.

They have been a great helping me find over 200 species of birds in that time.

Thank you so very much for these free guides

I havent been on the tour but this person is so incredibly generous and passionate in their desire to share bird knowledge. I just downloaded the "Where to find Birds in Darwin" guide. Thanks so much!

I accompanied my husband on a private birding tour in the Northern Territory. While I am not a birder, I happily learned about the birds, about photographing them, and about the environments in which they live. Laurie Ross is a knowledgeable guide and an avid expert in spotting birds. He knows their habits and the gestures of their flight so that he can recognise them and point them out. His organisation of the progress of the tour is well paced and interesting while leaving in a few breaks to catch your breath! It was a wonderful experience!

The online guide to finding birds around Katherine and Victoria River is packed with useful information about where to find some of the area’s more elusive birds, such as the Gouldian finch and Purple-crowned fairy wren. Immensely helpful, and thankyou for making it available!

Thank you Laurie for an amazing tour! Your birding skills were exceptional and the close-up bird encounters and photo opportunities were amazing. We really appreciated you sharing your knowledge of the habitats and plant life in all the different landscapes we visited. We also enjoyed your taste for great coffee in the mornings and your flexibility in including the non-birders for delicious meals together.