The season begins with a pioneering trip in April to Syria, a barely explored corner of the Western Palearctic where exciting ornithological discoveries are still being made. It was here that 1,500 Sociable Lapwings – classified as Critically Endangered by BirdLife International – were discovered in spring this year, and where in 2006 the first organised bird tour, escorted by Birdwatch, encountered the Middle East’s last wild Northern Bald Ibises, as well as See-see Partridge, White-breasted Kingfisher, Desert Eagle Owl, Iraq Babbler, White-eared Bulbul and Syrian Serin. With peace restored to the region, this is a great time to experience this beautiful and welcoming country and its birds.

May is the busiest month on our tour schedule, with the new Hungarian Bird Festival being the first of three reader holidays departing this month. Based on the western edge of the Hortobágy and with prices starting at just £499, this week-long event early in the month offers amazing value for money – for such little outlay, where else can you hope to see the likes of Pygmy Cormorant, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Saker and Red-footed Falcons, Great Bustard, Collared Pratincole, Ural Owl, Black, Grey-headed, Middle Spotted and Syrian Woodpeckers, Aquatic, River and Barred Warblers and Lesser Grey Shrike? Places are sure to fill fast, so early booking is advised.

Next up is an innovative North Atlantic cruising itinerary which begins in north-west Scotland and ends in Iceland, returning by air. Seabirds will be a major feature, not least Black-browed Albatross, as our schedule allows time to visit Sula Sgeir and search for the returning bird which summers among the local Gannets. We will also visit remote North Rona and, if weather permits, will land on St Kilda, where visitors this spring found Harlequin Duck and Snowy Owl. Seabirds will then entertain us all the way to Iceland, where the possibility of Brünnich’s Guillemot will set pulses racing. Subject to demand, some land-based birding on arrival may give us the chance of Barrow’s Goldeneye and other exciting birds. Prices begin from just £729.

Our May itinerary would not be complete without a return to the forests of central Sweden for another round of northern spring birding. Owls here include Great Grey, Ural, Tengmalm’s and Pygmy, while White-tailed Eagle, Goshawk, Common Crane, Black, Grey-headed and Three-toed Woodpeckers, Icterine Warbler, Crested Tit, Nutcracker, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting are also likely. With the price having fallen to just £699, this is another wonderful value-for-money break.

Further afield, we visit Canada in early June for our first reader tour to Manitoba. Habitats in this vast province range from prairie and wetland in the south to taiga and boreal forest in the north. In excess of 200 species are likely, and among them could be such desirable birds as Ferruginous Hawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Yellow Rail, Hudsonian Godwit, Ross’s and Sabine’s Gulls, Hawk Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Connecticut Warbler, Harris’s Sparrow, Pine Grosbeak and Smith’s Longspur. The haunting scenery along the edge of Hudson Bay, with breeding shorebirds in their summer finery and confiding sub-Arctic passerines, is an experience not to be missed.

Contrasting landscapes – and birds – can be expected on the Tibetan Plateau in July. This remote region is home to some rarely seen and highly sought-after endemics, and our itinerary is designed to find many of them, as well as other specialities of the area. We will look hard for the likes of Black-necked Crane, Tibetan Snowcock, Szechenyi’s and Tibetan Partridges, Tibetan Sandgrouse, Güldenstadt’s Redstart, Gansu Leaf Warbler, White-browed Tit-warbler, Brandt’s Mountain Finch and Roborovski’s Rosefinch.

Our last tour for 2008 will be a worthy finale, with Panama offering a massive species list and some truly stunning wildlife experiences. Visiting the central region of the country in October, we will explore lowland rainforest, cloudforest, wetlands and savannah for species such as Boat-billed Heron, Bat Falcon, Mottled Owl, Great and Common Potoos, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Tody Motmot, Jet Antbird, Northern Royal Flycatcher, Blue Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow and Snowcap. Overhead, clouds of raptors could darken the skies at times – millions migrate southwards at this time of year. For those with a little time to spare, a three-night extension to the Chiriquí highlands near the Costa Rican border introduces a whole new tranche of species, not least Resplendent Quetzal, Grey Silky-flycatcher, Torrent Tyrannulet, Mountain Thrush, Collared Redstart, Flame-throated Warbler and Yellow-bellied Siskin – see Panamania! and Quetzal Country for full details of this terrific destination.

Finally, looking ahead to 2009, we have a very special tour lined up for March. This new Cape to Cape cruise offers arguably the best Southern Ocean experience, starting in Tierra del Fuego, visiting the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha, and then flying back from Cape Town. It takes in three continents, nine species of penguin and perhaps 20 of cetacean, while the number of albatross species seen both in flight and on breeding grounds will be phenomenal. Full details will appear in the magazine shortly.

In the meantime, for more details of our 2008 reader holidays and how to book, click here.