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

Review byKay

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.

Reviewed by Hans

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.

Review by Howard

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

Reviewed by Corey

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.

Review by Glen

Phenomenal experience with Laurie Ross, of Tracks Birding, on his Top End/Darwin tour. Laurie has a freakish ear and eye for locating birds and far exceeded my expectations. You just don’t expect to have such a high strike rate - you could go to the same locations yourself and you just wouldn’t get the same results, either sighting the birds or photographing them. I imagine everyone on the tour now has a quality of photos well beyond their previous endeavours. Now I just have to process thousands of files. A good ‘problem’ to have. 😄

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.

Reviewed by Sue

Once again an amazing trip with Laurie, the ultimate bird guide. We saw everything we wanted in 2.5 days and then could leisurely go back to spend more time with the birds, and other amazing animals in Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park. As a new sound recorder it was fabulous to get so close to so many unique birds and record them for uploading to eBird. Laurie was very helpful and patient in allowing time for that, as well as helping the two photographers in our group. Laurie knows this region well, taking us to nest sites he had found whilst sensitively ensuring we kept a respectful distance from the birds. The night spotlighting was a real highlight also. Plus Laurie is super organised and arranged delicious evening meals at the next door Portland cafe. Sure it was hot and humid, and there were insects that bite, but it was so worth the trip. Would highly recommend Laurie to any birder/photographer/sound recordist as he is an amazing guide!! Suse

Review by James

Reviewed by AlecNBDid the Channel Country tour with Laurie in late April/early May. I have done a couple of other trips with Laurie and each one has been a highlight. The Channel Country tour was no exception. He is an awesome birder, very well organised and good company. Lunch and dinner were great, and there was generally a rest break in the middle of the day. We got all the target* birds almost all with wonderful views (*the Grey Falcon was the one exception, next time!). Seeing 5 different lots of Ground Cuckooshrikes was something I didn't expect to see. Would do it again!

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: