A Day in the Life of a Birding Guide: Behind the Scenes of an ILGO Tour

3:30 AM – The Alarm From Hell

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Why did I choose this life?

I slap the alarm like it owes me money and stumble toward the coffee machine. It’s dark. It’s silent. Even the owls are judging my life choices.

Coffee? Essential. Brain? Still loading. Gear? Hopefully packed correctly, or this will be an interesting day.

By 4:00 AM, I’m at the boat, pretending to be fully awake while doing a last-minute “Where the hell did I put my binoculars?” check.

4:30 AM – The Birders Arrive (Somewhat Conscious)

The guests show up. Some look excited. Others look like zombies with expensive cameras. A few hold onto their coffee cups like they’re the last warm thing on Earth.

We push off into the dark waters of the Danube Delta, and I try to remember how to form full sentences.

5:00 AM – The First Birds (and the First Regrets)

The sun is rising. It’s beautiful. The birds start calling. The air is fresh.

And I’m still wondering why I didn’t just become a normal person with a normal job that lets you sleep past 3:30 AM.

But then, BOOM! The first sighting.

🦩 “Pygmy cormorant, drying its wings, looks like a tiny Batman!”
🦅 “Osprey on the move! Watch it dive like a feathered missile!”
🐦 “Reed Warbler singing like it’s auditioning for ‘Bird Idol’, what a show-off!”

Guests whisper, cameras click, someone gasps in excitement.

And just like that, I remember why I love this job.

9:00 AM – Raptors and the Thermals of Doom

The sun is higher. The birds are soaring.

We hit open terrain, sandy ridges, old trees, the kind of place where raptors reign supreme.

Then, a guest points to the sky: “IS THAT A SAKER FALCON?”

I squint. I check. It is.

Guest: “OH MY GOD.”
Me: “OH MY GOD.”
Camera shutters: “CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK.”

We celebrate like we just won the birding lottery. Because we did.

12:00 PM – The Lunch That Turns Into Birding Gossip

The sun is frying us alive. Even the birds are like, “Yeah, we’re taking a break.”

We find shade. We eat. We swap 100% factual, 0% exaggerated birding stories.

“One time, a White-tailed Eagle stole a fish from a Cormorant!”
“I once saw a Kingfisher try to eat a fish bigger than its own head!”
“Did you hear about the guy who mistook a log for a rare bird? Oh wait, that was me.”

We laugh, we relax, and we pretend we aren’t still scanning for birds. (We are.)

4:00 PM – Back in Business

The heat is fading. The birds are back. So are we.

We head to a wader hotspot, the kind of place where stilts, sandpipers, and ibises throw the best birding party in town.

A Glossy Ibis struts past, its feathers shimmering in the light like it just left a luxury spa.
Guest: “WOW.”
Me: “Yeah, nature really nailed this design.”

7:30 PM – Golden Hour & The Money Shots

The sun is dipping low. The light is chef’s kiss perfect. Photographers are losing their minds.

A Dalmatian Pelican floats by like royalty.
Cameras: “CLICKCLICKCLICK.”
Photographers: “OH, THIS LIGHT, THIS LIGHT!”

Then, just when we think it can’t get better, a Red-necked Grebe appears, floating like a ghost.

Silence. No one breathes.

Then: CLICK. Someone got the shot. Perfection.

9:00 PM – Back to Base, But Not to Bed

We return. Everyone looks exhausted. In a good way.

“That was incredible,” someone says.
I nod. It always is.

Dinner at 9:30 PM, fresh fish, local wine, and a whole lot of “Remember that time we almost capsized trying to photograph a heron?”

By 11:00 PM, I finally get to bed. I close my eyes. I sigh.

In just a few hours, I’ll do it all over again.

And honestly? I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Want to Experience It for Yourself?

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📍 Book now, before the birds do! 🚀