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Catch up on the latest news from Victor Emanuel Nature Tours by reading the latest VENTflash.
Myanmar
Dion Hobcroft: May 21, 2013
The reclusive Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar is emerging from decades of military government and international sanctions to open its doors to the west. This was my first trip to Myanmar, VENT's fourth tour here, and I can only hope to return for more visits. It is a fascinating country. We arrived in Yangon and settled into our very posh hotel, first taking a walk around a nearby lake and introducing ourselves to our first birds including a Bronze-winged Jacana, the colorful Coppersmith Ba...
Missouri and Arkansas
Steve Hilty: May 20, 2013
This trip is a complete immersion into the Ozarks and adjacent tallgrass prairie regions, including natural history, geology, hydrology, and human history. I think that it is not possible to fully understand this region without understanding something about its geologic history and hydrology as well. This trip is much about birds in the early mornings, but there is plenty of botanizing and time devoted to other natural history aspects as well. Visits to two tallgrass prairie sites, a spectacu...
Thailand Highlights
Dion Hobcroft: May 17, 2013
Our 2013 Thailand Highlights tour was yet another absolutely fabulous tour to this wonderful country. We recorded 414 species of birds including 12 heard only. Some of the more elusive species we observed so well included Bar-backed and Scaly-breasted partridges, Silver and Hume's pheasants, Green Peafowl, Painted Stork, Spot-billed Pelican, Black-headed Ibis, Collared Falconet, Black-tailed Crake, Asian Dowitcher, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Eurasian Woodcock, Yellow-vented Pigeon, Blossom...
High Island Migration
Bob Sundstrom: May 17, 2013
The Upper Gulf Coast of Texas in late April ranks as perhaps the best birding locale in the country at that point in the spring. The relatively small area covered during our High Island Migration tour offers more amazing birding variety than just about any week of birding in North America. The High Island wooded sanctuaries are the best known feature of the area, as hot spots of prime coastal migrant habitat now preserved aside from development. But the High Island tour is not just about the ...
High Island, Texas: An Introductory Birding Tour
Bob Sundstrom: May 17, 2013
The High Island Introductory tour offers more astounding variety in a few days of birding than probably any other short tour in North America. The High Island sanctuaries, which are areas of prime coastal migrant habitat preserved from development, are certainly the best known feature of this very bird-rich region. But several other nearby natural elements rival the sanctuary woods as phenomenal birding sites. These include Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, which includes a vast, fresh water ...
Big Bend National Park and the Texas Hill Country
Barry Zimmer: May 16, 2013
Is it cooler to see a Golden-cheeked Warbler from fifteen feet away, or a Colima Warbler? Which of the regularly occurring U.S. buntings is the prettiest? Does a Black-capped Vireo ever sing from a lone bush in an otherwise open grassy field? What is it like to see ten million vertebrates in 45 minutes? These questions and more were answered on our recent Big Bend National Park and the Texas Hill Country tour. Colima Warbler, Boot Springs, April 2013 — Photo: Ba...
Best of Costa Rica
David Wolf: May 16, 2013
Small in size, but huge in possibilities, Costa Rica is simply amazing! There are few other places in the world where such a great diversity of birds and other wildlife can be seen so readily and in such a small area, and our 2013 Best of Costa Rica tour took full advantage of this wealth as we roamed from one side of the country to the other. Costa Rica has done much to promote conservation and this really paid off for us, with an astounding number of birds seen on the trip. More important, ...
Amazon River Cruise
Barry Lyon: May 16, 2013
Even more than the mighty Andes, the Amazon River is the singular landmark that more people are likely to identify with South America than any other. At almost 4,000 miles in length, the river passes through Brazil for most of its course; however, it originates in Peru, flowing for several hundred miles in a northeasterly direction before exiting the country. The Amazon is many things: a river of legend, a river of history, and a life-sustaining conduit for people and commerce. The region dra...
Machu Picchu Pre-trip to Amazon River Cruise
Barry Lyon: May 16, 2013
On a remote Andean ridge between two cloud-misted mountains, Machu Picchu exists as one of the world's most instantly recognizable landmarks. The center of the Inca Empire for nearly 100 years, Machu Picchu is today one of the most familiar icons of South American tourism. For this Amazon River Cruise Pre-trip, a visit to the revered archaeological site was the obvious centerpiece of a tour that included a wealth of natural and cultural attractions. Traveling from Lima on the coast to the And...
Spring in South Texas: Hill Country Extension
Barry Zimmer: May 16, 2013
As midday approached, we had already had a very successful morning birding the Texas Hill Country. Eight brilliant Golden-cheeked Warblers, a species which breeds nowhere else in the world, had been tallied. A locally rare pair of Audubon's Orioles had been found on the private ranch we were birding. Other highlights of the morning included scope views of singing Yellow-throated Vireo, a displaying male Vermilion Flycatcher, an early singing male Blue Grosbeak, stunning Summer Tanagers,...
Spring in South Texas
Barry Zimmer: May 16, 2013
Our 2013 Spring in South Texas tour was arguably our best ever. From South Texas specialties to rarities to migrant land birds, this trip had it all. We began in Corpus Christi, a day after a cold front had passed through. Rather stout north winds the afternoon of our arrival seemed promising for bringing down migrants. We had an hour to bird before dinner that day and headed to nearby Tule Lake. A quick stop at a roadside pond en route yielded a locally rare Least Grebe (our first South Texa...
Rockport Workshop
Barry Lyon: May 15, 2013
The concept of a "birding workshop" was developed by Victor Emanuel over 30 years ago. Unlike a traditional birding tour that seeks as many birds as possible according to an established tour route, a workshop-style tour stresses the fundamentals of birding, where learning the "nuts-and-bolts" of field identification is more important than amassing a large list. There are two key ingredients to operating a successful workshop. The first is utilizing experienced field leaders who are well-suite...
High Island Migration
Steve Hilty: May 08, 2013
The Gulf Coast/High Island/Bolivar Peninsula area ranks as one of the top birding spots in the country in April with migrants passing through in large numbers. We did not catch a true "fallout," but we did have one small rainy front that helped and probably slowed up some species that otherwise might have continued pressing north and northeastward. We also had several chilly and relatively windy mornings, which also helped to delay or hold up birds a bit. I was impressed with the number of va...
VENTflash #158
Victor Emanuel: May 02, 2013
Dear friends, After a lovely week at my beach house on the Bolivar Peninsula near High Island, I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to see enough warblers! The sight of even one fresh-plumaged warbler in the springtime simply whets your appetite to see more. In all, I ended up seeing a total of 22 warbler species on this most recent visit. Hooded Warbler — Photo: Greg Lasley In addition to birding, I also spent time with two of the three VENT tours that visited...
Northern Tanzania
David Wolf: April 24, 2013
The Serengeti has been called the greatest wildlife show on earth—and I don't think that anyone on VENT's 2013 tour would dispute that title! We spent two weeks roaming this glorious wilderness from west to east, in the process spotting all of "The Big Five," plus countless numbers of hoofed mammals, their attendant predators, and well over 400 species of birds, including many unique to the African continent. Each area brought surprises, and by the end of the trip we had a lifetime's wo...
Colorado Grouse
Brian Gibbons: April 23, 2013
This year's circumnavigation of Colorado that we call the Colorado Grouse tour was wildly successful. Although the weather was not in our favor, it did help us with a few birds. We braved 50-mile-an-hour dust storm winds near Lamar, and as the dust settled we breathed a sigh of relief—only to drive into a blizzard. From short-sleeve weather in Cottonwood Canyon in the southeast part of the state, we entered the deep freeze as we drove north. The coldest temperature I ever recall on this...
El Triunfo
Brian Gibbons: April 22, 2013
The magic of El Triunfo lured us in. Victor's stories of his first explorations of this area nearly 40 years ago hooked us. Driving into the dark of old Mexico not knowing what he'd find—Typhus, Fer-de-Lance, and the mythical Pavon were waiting in the prehistoric cloud forest. Our trip was a little more civilized; our vans were air-conditioned, we endured some cold showers, and were well-fed throughout the trip. The birds Victor sought 40 years ago were still there, and we were enthrall...
Panama: Bocas del Toro Archipelago
Jeri Langham: April 18, 2013
Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge was built on Bastimentos Island adjacent to the large Parque Nacional Isla Bastimentos in Panama's Bocas del Toro Archipelago. I scouted this location in January 2011 and immediately knew it was a fantastic location for VENT tours. Participants also have opportunities to snorkel, kayak, fish, or swim in the warm Caribbean waters. An enticing example of what awaits visitors to this marvelous birding paradise can be found in excerpts taken from the journal I wr...
Eastern Venezuela: Tepui Endemics and the Orinoco River Delta
David Ascanio: April 10, 2013
Our 2012 Eastern Venezuela tour presented some wonderful birds and unforgettable challenges. From the powerful Harpy Eagle to the diminutive Tufted and Peacock coquettes, we saw many of the rarest birds of several Neotropical families. Some of you arrived a day early and joined us for a birding day at El Avila National Park. There we enjoyed astonishing views of White-tipped Quetzal, as well as the two Coastal Cordillera endemic species: Black-throated Spinetail and Caracas Tapaculo. Two Ches...
Southern India
David Bishop: April 08, 2013
This was undoubtedly our most successful and enjoyable Southern India and Andaman Islands tour yet. A remarkable total of 350 species of birds, 29 mammals, at least 8 reptiles, and 30+ butterflies were recorded, attesting to the alertness of our group, the skills and knowledge of our local guides, and the wonderful biodiversity that so epitomizes Southern India and the Andaman Islands. I love leading this tour. And how can you go wrong when you have a group as wonderful as the one we had this...
