Churchill & Southern Manitoba Reviews

4.4 Rating 11 Reviews

May 28 - Jun 9, 2026 | Join us on our Churchill & Southern Manitoba Birding Tour, as we will visit the rich prairies and forests of southern Manitoba and then journey to Churchill where we explore the tundra in search of birds that breed in the high arctic. We will search for Long-tailed Jaeger, Sabine’s Gull, Willow Ptarmigan, and Great Gray Owls. We will also have the chance to see a diversity of mammals including moose and black bear in Riding Mountain National Park or beluga and polar bears in Churchill.

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“My first Eagle Eye Tour last year was an amazing 5 star tour (Quebec Birds and Whales) which encouraged me and my birding companion (mother) to sign up for two more EE tours this summer. Unfortunately, the Churchill/Southern Manitoba tour did not meet the expectations set in my first Eagle Eye Tour. We did have an outstanding birder guiding the group who was passionate and knowledgeable of the Southern Manitoba birds. However, poor behind the scenes organization really hampered this tour; most notably not being able to travel to Churchill. The penultimate feature of this tour was going to Churchill. Unfortunately, flight changes occurred months ago and were missed by the Eagle Eye Tour administrators. The flight left without us; which brought the tour to an abrupt end. The southern portion of the tour is best suited for hard core birders who are passionate about seeing birds. We travelled hundreds of kilometers on dirt roads with very little walking or hiking. Viewing was often done from the van or within 10-30m of the van. Flat prairie marshes made up the geography. The lunches were nutritious and tasty but the lunch spot locations often lacked one or more items like tables, washrooms, shade or birds. Meals in small town Manitoba are not known for variety nor top-of-the-line cuisine. Hotel breakfasts were basic low-end continental breakfasts. The full breakfasts we did have were excellent (Riding National Park). Dinners were mostly Pub style food. Eagle Eye Tours were apologetic for our missing out on Churchill and acknowledged that some of the planning was not to its usual standard. This tour has potential and will hopefully regain and achieve its full potential. This tour, or at least the southern Manitoba portion is for hard core birders and expectations for sightseeing and dining need to be adjusted to the locale.”

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Posted 1 month ago

Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review., Bob. Your comments will be very helpful to others considering this tour, and we truly appreciate your thoughtful first-hand perspective. We are pleased that the birding itself was strong and that the guide’s skill and knowledge stood out in the field. At the same time, we remain very sorry for the unfortunate outcome and the disappointment caused by the missed Churchill portion of the trip. We are grateful for your understanding and for giving us the opportunity to respond as best we could.

Posted 1 month ago

“I’d recommend this trip with more realistic clarifications to the description of it. One does explore various areas of Manitoba: coastal, boreal, prairie and sub-Arctic- which is interesting. Guides do work hard to get as many species as possible. They were knowledgeable and friendly. Overall I had a good time and appreciated the ability to devote each day to birding. Lodging was adequate; rooms were clean, but items within rooms often nonfunctional. Wasagaming was the only town worth exploring on foot, very charming; other locations very remote. Melita hotel room was good but breakfast area was full of ants. Churchill was disappointing; not as birdy as expected: quite run down and filled with trash. Please don’t take guests to a garbage filled area for our first impression! More remote areas are clean. Poor weather certainly influenced the look of the place. Make sure you get to the cultural museum there- a real gem! Should be required viewing! Prepare for long days of driving on gravel roads. St Ambroise Beach (good birding) and Riding Mountain National Park (saw 35 bears and lots of Buffalo!) were very buggy in the early morning: bring spray and a hat net!!! Bugs made outdoor picnics a bit harder to enjoy. The main road through the park is limited in views. Pull-off areas were good for birding and more scenic photography. Many species on the trip are often quick fly bys or far out and hard to photograph if you like to get good photos. The van’s tinted windows should be cleaned everyday. Passengers ended up cleaning them. Down time was limited or non-existent on many days. Better time management would help. Restaurants were good overall; food selection for picnic meals was good in the beginning but less so as days went on. As previously mentioned, a good trip overall. Friends made and variety of birds seen made it memorable.”

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Posted 1 year ago

“I’ll loved this trip! I’ve been on five birding trips with various companies and this was the best by far. First of all we had excellent guides. Ken was our lead guide and with us the whole trip. Ken is extremely knowledgeable about birds and everything Manitoba having lived and worked there his whole life. Ken is extremely diligent and kind and worked extremely hard to make our trip a success. In Churchill we were joined by Alvin who has keen ears and eyes attuned to birds. His skills rivaled Ken’s. Both guides were very solicitous of me. I have multiple joint replacements and am always scared of falling and breaking something. Both Ken and Alvin were there with a helping hand whenever i felt insecure. Manitoba and Churchill! To a gal from Southern California who’s only ventured up north to Canada once before, the scenery and birds were all new and spectacular, especially in Churchill. How to describe Churchill? Definitely am experience of a lifetime. We were there at the perfect time. The weather was sunny and not too cold, but cold enough to deter black flies and mosquitos. The ice was still on Hudson Bay and there were icebergs in the Churchill River. Spectacular! The birds were equally amazing. I tallied 36 “lifers” (new birds) on the trip, and the birds I’d seen before in California looked totally different in their resplendent breeding plumage. Finally, I had the best traveling companions. We gelled as a group and had lots of fun. I hope I get to meet these lovely people on another birding trip with Eagle-Eye.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“An excellent birding tour with the option to see lots of prairie birds in southern Manitoba and the fly-through birds on their nesting sites in Churchill. The variety of loons, scoters, and gulls was exciting to see. The guides are top notch. Fast paced trip but worth every moment.”

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Posted 2 years ago

“Both Ken and Alvin were wounderful guides”

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Posted 2 years ago

Lori And Andrew

Verified Reviewer

“Ken was an excellent guide and worked very hard to get us our targeted species. The advanced birders in the group really helped enhance my experience. I had a great time.”

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Posted 3 years ago

“Every day was exciting and very busy; so busy that during the southern Manitoba portion, there were a few days with not enough down time, aside from the mealtimes (only about 1 hr). Suggest giving at least 2 hrs downtime each day.”

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Posted 4 years ago

“Much enjoyed outings and seeing g the birds and animals. I will make the suggestion for the tour leader to not question if a participant is confident in their sightings ( it demeans them in front of the group). Obviously they are, especially if they are older and have 60+ years of experience in this country. I also found it difficult when he favored an individual participant over everyone else with regards to numbers tallied at the end and told me to be quiet. It’s hard to take. I’m experienced and an advanced birder but he didn’t think so. Time flies by on these trips so please take everyone’s comments into consideration. Viveka”

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Posted 4 years ago