About Tracks Birding & Photography Tours:

Tracks Birding and Photography run small group and private Birding Trips and Photography Workshops throughout Northern Australia. I cater for all aspects of birding from the professional photographers who want extremely high quality photographs, serious birders and listers who are looking at ticking some of the more difficult birds off their life lists to the entry level nature / bird lover who loves birds and nature.

I run tours throughout Northern Australia including Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine, Victoria River, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Timber Creek, Mount Isa, Winton, Birdsville, Bedourie, Cairns, Cairns Tablelands, Lockhart River, Cunnamulla, Bowra and Brisbane

Tracks Birding is a fully licensed Tour Business, we have all required permits, insurance, qualifications and Tour Vehicle Plates required to run a legal tour business throughout Northern Australia.

TRACKS BIRDING - PERMITS, LICENCES and ACCREDITATIONS:

Parks and Wildlife NT Tour Operator License

Queensland Parks & Wildlife Permit

Kakadu Knowledge for Tour Guides

Kakadu Land-based Tour Licence

Commercial Passenger Vehicle (CPV) Accreditation

20 Million Public Liability

BIOGRAPHY :

Laurie shares his time between Darwin and his Rainforest property at Lake Eacham, he has traveled across every state and territory in Australia over the past 14 years and has forged a name for himself as one of Australia's leading bird finders and photographers, both locally and nationally. Laurie gave up a lucrative career in the sales industry, to follow his passion for birds, and now spends the majority of his time showing visiting photographers and birders the best local and endemic species that make this part of Australia so unique. Laurie is equally at home with the demanding bird photographer or targeted birder. He is renowned for having razor sharp birding skills and an endless drive to get that perfect photo, Laurie also holds one of the most stunning photographic collections of rare Australian birds which you can seen here: Laurie Ross Photography.

When Laurie isn't guiding he is usually in the Outback somewhere looking for and photographing Australian Grasswren's, Grasswren's are famous for being some of the most difficult birds to find and especially photograph. He has one of the biggest collections of Grasswren photos in the world and is also passionate about documenting their habitats and locations, his project can be found here http://www.tracksbirding.com.au/grasswrens/

Laurie's other passion is food so another advantage with his tours is you will dine out in some of Australia's best cafes and restaurants, not typical of your normal birding tour.

He uses Canon Camera Gear & Swarovski Optics

“Another fantastic birding tour”

Reviewed by Sue & Paul

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

Visited January 2022

“Our second bird safari ”

Reviewed by P. Sheridan

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.

Visited January 2022

“What a fantastic knowledgeable guide is Laurie”

Reviewed by Lim880

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. Thank you Laurie for a delightful adventure.

Visited November 2021

“Thank you Laurie for an amazing tour! ”

Reviewed by C.McIntyre

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.

"Excellent Bird Guide with amazing ears and eyes"

Reviewed By MaryF

A 16-day small group tour to view Grass Wrens in Outback Australia was our first encounter with Laurie's well-reputed ornithological and photographic skills. His obvious research into remote locations, his accurate ears and eyes, coupled with his effervescent enthusiasm and knowledge for birds helped us see and photograph these tricky and often elusive species. We also managed to see many "lifers", but in close proximity as result of Laurie's efforts and experience. As a host he was thoughtful, generous and companionable, always willing to go that extra distance for the comfort of his guests. Highly recommended and lots of fun. We have already booked our next trip with him.

Date of experience: August 2019

"Brilliant"

Reviewed By SydneySider44

Did a small group tour of the top end with Laurie and enjoyed it immensely. Saw even more new birds than I had hoped, often with wonderful views, thanks to a combination of Laurie’s incredible birding skills and I suspect a lot of research and preparation.

He was also excellent company and looked after us incredibly well.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to going on another one before too long.

It made for such a great experience to have someone who is just so good at what they do!

Date of experience: September 2019

"What an amazing birding experience!"

Reviewed by Nic Barlow

What an amazing birding experience! Thanks a million Laurie. Certainly up there with the top guides in Australia with no doubt the sharpest ears and eyes possible! As for the photography tips - what can I say. Changed my photography world totally. I’m not usually one to sing praises or write reviews for that matter but very well deserved Laurie - truly magical day and I would recommend you at the drop of a hat any day.

"Best birding guide in Australia!"

Reviewed by MDbirders

We have birded with a good number of guides over the years, including some very well known ‘stars’. Laurie tops them all easily. We spent two weeks with him in Alice Springs, Kathrine, Kakadu, Darwin, Cairns and the Tablelands. He is everything you would hope to see in a bird guide: very knowledgeable about birds in general, knows where to find them, recognizes bird songs and calls fantastically, knows how to approach them and how to show them to us in a way that would make it easy to obtain great photos. He has great relationship with many local birders and has used those relationships to get tips on where rare birds could be found. As an example, he would hear a bird call while driving on the highway at 130 km/hr, would be able to notice that bird camouflaged in a bush, and turn around in time to show it to us. In addition, Laurie was a pleasure to spend time with. He was friendly, interesting, and knowledgeable about insects, reptiles, fauna and local history. As a nature photographer, he provided us with great photography tips. Thanks to Laurie, we have exceeded all expectations to find and photograph birds by over 50%!

"My best bird photography trip to date"

Reviewed by AlecNB

I was looking for 4 days of birding photography in NT and made an inquiry of Laurie. He made some recommendations and we agreed on an itinerary. From then on he did all the organisation, from picking me up from my hotel in Darwin to dropping me at the airport. I have done quite a few of these sorts of trips. Step one is to find the birds but you then need to work through how to get a decent photograph. This requires all of the knowledge and skills of a top photographer like Laurie. The results speak for themselves. I got a lot higher proportion of good images with Laurie than I had previously achieved with a bunch of other guides, all of whom had excellent birding skills. Apart from these absolutely core skills, the bonus is that he likes good coffee and good wine and he is good company.

Visited May 2017

AUSTRALIAN BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY and/or Birding with a camera TOURS

ABOUT TRACKS BIRDING

LAURIE ROSS - AUSTRALIAN BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY

CONTACT ME / BOOK A TRIP

FINE ART PHOTOS

GRASSWREN'S & THEIR HABITATS

NORTHERN AUSTRALIA MAP SHOWING SOME OF THE TOWNS WE VISIT ON TOUR

About Tracks Birding & Photography Tours:

BIOGRAPHY :

BIRDING PROFILE: