Madagascar the 8th Continent

Established to provide affordable options for international birding during challenging economic times, Cheepers! strives to provide the best birding experiences at the best prices.  Since its inception, Cheepers! has been able to offer outstanding birding trips to world-renowned birding sites at a lower cost than comparable trips offered by major tour companies. 

Traveling with Cheepers! means personal attention before, during, and after your trip!

Little things mean a lot - Prior to your trip, a customized checklist is created that includes cross references to plates and pages in the (international) field guide as well as two separate indexes: a family index and a comprehensive alphabetized species index.  The cover and title page are personalized for your destination and dates.  All checklist entries are numbered to make going over the day's sightings as easy as possible each evening. 

During your tour, Cindy and Jim Beckman will be there, taking care of the details so you don't have to worry.  As tour leaders, they maintain a group list of sightings, take photographs of all sites and as many birds as possible, and handle any complaints or emergency situations.  They even carry along a bag with OTC remedies for the most common traveler ailments and an extra pair of binoculars (Zeiss 8 x 32 or 8 x 42) for client use in the event someone loses or breaks their binoculars while on the trip.  (Please note: The Beckmans do not escort Partner Tours) 

When you get home from your trip, you'll receive a detailed electronic list of all the birds sighted by the group, including a checklist for each day of the trip.  You'll also receive a dvd or flash drive filled with photos from your trip, usually over 1000 shots! 

A Little about the Owners

Cindy and Jim Beckman have birded in 21 countries on 5 continents since 1995 and have established contacts with expert guides in many of the world's best birding locations.  Both Jim and Cindy are members of the Board of Directors of the Dayton Audubon Society.

Cindy Beckman is a retired public school teacher.  Prior to founding Cheepers!, she organized and led trips for groups of as many as 70 students and parents, as well as for smaller groups of friends, family, and birders to destinations such as Ecuador, Panama, Olympic National Park, Florida, southeast Arizona, and southern California.  Cindy wrote about her experiences with young birders who she mentored during her 35 years as an educator, earning her WildBird Magazine's 2007 "Birder of the Year" award.  She is an avid photographer, eager to share images with fellow travelers.