VENTFLASH #91
Posted by Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel started birding in Texas 60 years ago at the age of eight. His travels have taken him to all the continents, with his areas of concentration being Texas, Ari...Dear Friends:
After a highly eventful spring season that included our first ever Austin, Texas Birding and Nature Festival; successful birds & history cruises to Sicily and Scotland; and outstanding tours to Arizona, Point Pelee, the Smoky Mountains, and New Mexico, we are now well into our summer tour schedule. Our June tours to Minnesota & North Dakota, Alaska, and Churchill & Southern Manitoba all had to contend with unusually rainy, cool weather, but in all cases, the tour leaders did a superb job of dealing with adverse conditions, and the tour participants all had a great time!
Despite the challenges presented by the weather, some of the highlights from Alaska included a Siberian Rubythroat and a Jack Snipe on Gambell; Bristle-thighed Curlews on both our Gambell/Nome tour and our Grand Alaska tour; 25 grizzly bears and a lynx on our Alaska Mainland tour; and virtually all the Alaska specialties on both tours. Participants on our Barrow Extension saw numerous Snowy Owls and Pomarine Jaegers, a male Spectacled Eider, and more Steller's Eiders than have been seen in years.
As we reach the height of summer, we are now looking forward to the fall tour season.
In this issue:
EXCITING AUTUMN TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
FALL AT PANAMA'S CANOPY TOWER: A SPECIAL OFFER
CENTRAL CHILE & PATAGONIA
EL PASO WEEKEND WITH BARRY ZIMMER
ANTARCTICA – 2 CABINS REMAIN
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS & AMAZON RIVER NATURAL HISTORY CRUISES
A VISIT TO GOTLAND, SWEDEN
FINAL THOUGHTS
EXCITING AUTUMN TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES
The autumn is a wonderful time to travel. With the heat of summer behind us and fewer people filling our airports, the months of September, October, and November offer travelers opportunities for enjoying the change of seasons away from home. The following fall trips offer outstanding travel to beautiful destinations:
Texas: Cibolo Creek Workshop, September 14-20, 2008, with Barry Zimmer; $2,850 from El Paso. 2 spaces remain available.
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Montezuma Quail— Photo: Barry Zimmer |
This workshop utilizes the extraordinary Cibolo Creek Ranch near the Big Bend country of West Texas as a base for learning about the rich birdlife of this scenic region. The ranch is nestled at the base of the rugged Chinati Mountains and is the most spectacular lodge we have ever used in the United States. Following the architectural style of the late 1800s, the ranch is actually a beautifully restored historic fort with lovely rooms, a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, and gourmet cuisine. Each beautifully styled guest room is designed to capture the spirit of the ranch's history, and features adobe walls, cottonwood beams, and period antiques.
The birding opportunities on and around the 25,000-acre ranch are superb. Vermilion Flycatchers and many other desert birds of the Southwest are easily found right outside our rooms, and a pair of Zone-tailed Hawks nests nearby. The high grasslands and Davis Mountains surrounding the Fort Davis area offer access to outlying West Texas habitats. One full day will be spent in the area where you will look for Montezuma Quail; a variety of hummingbirds, including Calliope and Lucifer; and numerous other southbound migrant flycatchers, warblers, tanagers, grosbeaks, and sparrows.
Cape May, Hawk Mountain & Bombay Hook, September 28-October 5, 2008, with Louise Zemaitis and Michael O'Brien; $2,140 from Philadelphia. 2 spaces remain available.
This tour visits some of the most legendary and historic birding locations in the Mid-Atlantic. The unbeatable combination of Cape May, Hawk Mountain, and Bombay Hook provides splendid opportunities for viewing shorebirds, raptors, and songbirds at the height of autumn migration.
This tour has attracted so much interest that we have raised the limit to 12 and added Louise's husband Michael as the second leader. Louise and Michael have lived in Cape May for many years, and no one knows the country better or has more enthusiasm for these famous birding hotspots.
Southeastern Brazil, Part I, September 29-October 16, 2008, with Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker; $6,395 from Iguaçu Falls.
Southeastern Brazil, Part II, October 14-24, 2008, with Andrew Whittaker and Kevin Zimmer; $2,995 from Vitoria.
I have had the pleasure of co-leading our Southestern Brazil tour twice, both times with the late Ted Parker, who was the greatest authority ever on the birds of South America. I quickly realized why this trip was one of Ted's favorite tours. I found Southeastern Brazil an absolute delight with fantastic birding, good accommodations and food, and a pleasant climate. I was especially impressed with the variety of colorful hummingbirds and tanagers, many of which were quite spectacular, as were the wonderful, easy to see, open country birds of Rio Grande do Sul. Even though those trips were over 20 years ago, I still remember watching a Black-and-white Monjita hovering over a flock of Saffron-cowled Blackbirds that were walking through short green grass. Then there was the incredible thrill of seeing Iguaçu Falls, a truly awesome sight. Our trip ended with four nights at the Hotel do Ipe in Itatiaia National Park. That place remains my single favorite lodge I have ever stayed in. Electrifying hummingbird and tanager feeder shows and excellent accommodations and cuisine amid beautiful natural surroundings combine for a truly marvelous experience.
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Iguacu Falls— Photo: Kevin Zimmer |
I can't recommend this tour too highly and regard it as one of VENTs best trips. Our leaders, Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker, possess unequalled knowledge and ability when it comes to the birds of Brazil. That is why Princeton University Press chose them to write the first complete field guide to the birds of Brazil, a monumental work now in progress. Kevin and Andrew have discovered species new to science, and have rediscovered other species that have not been seen in almost 100 years. Birding Brazil with them is a wonderful experience. No team of leaders will do as good a job of finding so many secretive species and showing them to every participant.
I hope you will decide to sign up for one or both parts of this tour. You will have a great time seeing a higher number of birds found nowhere else in the world than on any other trip.
Mexico: Barranca del Cobre, October 3-11, 2008, with Brian Gibbons and Brennan Mulrooney; $2,555 from Los Mochis.
The famous Barranca del Cobre, or Copper Canyon, ranks among the world's most fantastic landscapes. Deeper in places than our own Grand Canyon, the Copper Canyon is the premier destination in northwestern Mexico. I have had the privilege of co-leading this tour twice and I want to convey how wonderful the whole experience is. Besides being a birding trip, this tour also offers interesting cultural activities and terrific scenery, along with the added excitement of an epic trans-mountain train ride across the famous Sierra Madre.
From the Pacific lowlands around Los Mochis to the colonial town of El Fuerte, and finally to the pine-clad plateaus, you'll enjoy a slice of Mexico in a way no other trip to the Copper Canyon can provide. Eared Quetzal, Mountain Trogon, Black-throated Magpie-Jay, Slate-throated Redstart, and Striped Sparrow are among the many birding highlights one could reasonably expect on this trip.
Brian Gibbons and Brennan Mulrooney are both terrific young leaders with great birding and leadership skills. Any tour they lead will be very rewarding and lots of fun.
Fall Hawaii, October 17-25, 2008, with Bob Sundstrom and Brennan Mulrooney; $3,545 from Honolulu.
This popular trip offers nine days of superb natural history, birding, and scenery on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, and Hawaii. Each of these alluring tropical islands has its own set of endemic birds, many of which are endangered. Some of the species we hope to see include the Nene, Hawaiian Hawk, and members of the famed Hawaiian honeycreepers including I'iwi, Palila, Apapane, and others.
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I'iwi— Photo: Brian Gibbons |
The seabirds of Hawaii are as spectacular as its landbirds. A visit to remarkable Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge is a trip highlight that promises possibilities of finding Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Red-footed Booby, Great Frigatebird, and White-tailed Tropicbird.
Bob Sundstrom has led this trip for VENT for many years and knows Hawaii and its birds as well as any tour leader. Joining him will be Brennan Mulrooney, a highly skilled and personable leader. Together they possess a wealth of knowledge about these fascinating islands.
Madagascar, November 1-21, 2008, with David Bishop and David Hoddinott; $9,350 from Antananarivo. 3 spaces remain available.
Last November I had the great pleasure of co-leading our Madagascar tour. It was my fifth trip to this remarkable island. In the five years since my last trip, I was pleased to see that conditions for nature tourism had significantly improved. There were better lodges and better ground agents, which made for an altogether smoother trip. Our local leader in the Spiny Desert, a farmer who had developed a knack for finding the Long-tailed Ground-Roller and the Sub-desert Mesite, has now set up his own private preserve and has other men working for him!
We saw most of Madagascar's wonderful endemic birds including four species of ground-roller and many of its mammals, including 12 species of lemurs. I was especially pleased to see the diademed sifaka, a new lemur species for me, and one that is regarded as one of the most beautiful of all lemurs. It was also wonderful to see the indri again and hear its haunting call, one of the greatest sounds in nature.
This year we have added an optional extension to Northern Madagascar, November 21-December 1, that will afford participants an opportunity to see more endemic birds, including the extraordinary Helmetbird.
This tour has been sold out for months, but because of a cancellation we now have three spaces available.
Our tour will be co-led by David Bishop and David Hoddinott, both highly competent leaders. I am confident it will be a marvelous experience.
FALL AT PANAMA'S CANOPY TOWER: A SPECIAL OFFER
Fall at Panama's Canopy Tower: A Special Departure with Victor Emanuel and Barry Zimmer, October 18-25, 2008, from Panama City.
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Broad-billed Motmot— Photo: Kevin Zimmer |
I have co-led our Fall at Panama's Canopy Tower tour with Barry Zimmer many times and am looking forward to going again thisyear. We have a few spaces left on this wonderful trip, and we would love to have you join us! If you register by August 15th, 2008, we will give you a discount of $500 per person off the full per person tour price of $3,295 in double occupancy in a standard guestroom, $3,495 in a suite, or $2,845 in a single room with a shared bath.
The Fall in Central Panama tour is one of my very favorite trips for three reasons:
1) I love tropical birds and there is no better place to see a tremendous variety of them. Furthermore, Panama is one of the birdiest places I've ever visited and many of the species are easy to see. I've even seen trogons perched on telephone wires!
2) I love the spectacle of hawk migration. On previous fall tours we have seen kettles of thousands of hawks and vultures migrating south.
3) The Canopy Tower is one of my favorite places to visit. The birding and ambience are great. The owners of the Tower, Raul and Denise Arias, are good friends of mine and wonderful hosts.
I will be celebrating my 68th birthday on the last night of the tour. I hope you will be there.
CENTRAL CHILE & PATAGONIA
Central Chile & Patagonia, October 18-30, 2008, with Claudio Vidal and David Ascanio; $5,995 from Santiago. 4 spaces remain available.
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Chilean Patagonia— Photo: Gordon Maxim-Kelley |
Chile is one of the most scenic, modern, and delightful countries in South America. The accommodations and food are excellent and the country plays host to tremendous birding and natural history. This long and narrow country features a tremendousvariety of habitats including the Andes, Patagonian steppe, and magnificent deep water fjords.
Torres del Paine National Park contains some of the most captivating mountain and glacial scenery in the world. It is an excellent place to see Torrent Ducks, Andean Condors, Magellanic Woodpeckers, and other far-southern species amid some of the world's most majestic and dramatic landscapes.
Our program is unlike any other birding tour to Chile. A seven-day land-based tour of central Chile and Patagonia is complemented by a grand finale, four-day cruise aboard the lovely M/V Via Australis through the famed maze-like Chilean fjords, the Beagle Channel, and to historic Cape Horn. The cruise will offer excellent birding and marine mammal viewing opportunities.
I can't imagine a better team of leaders for this trip than Claudio Vidal, an outstanding Chilean ornithologist and naturalist, and David Ascanio, one of the top birders in Venezuela. Both of these men possess a tremendous store of knowledge about birds and nature and are great with people. Their enthusiasm is truly contagious.
EL PASO WEEKEND WITH BARRY ZIMMER
El Paso Weekend with Barry Zimmer, November 12-16, 2008; $1,095 from El Paso. Limit 7.
This newly added short tour offers the excitement of a long weekend of birding with VENT leader Barry Zimmer in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.
The El Paso area plays host to a wide variety of birds in November. Wintering raptors, waterfowl, and sparrows are present in full force, while some lingering late migrants may still be present. Barry lives in El Paso and considers it perhaps his favorite birding area of all. With three full days of birding, this trip will cover the region's very best locations, from the reservoirs and river valleys near McNary and Fort Hancock to the high mountains east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. While nearly 150 species of birds are possible, some of the more highly-sought species include Western and Clark's grebes; Cinnamon Teal; Ferruginous and Harris's hawks; Golden Eagle; Prairie Falcon; Scaled and Gambel's quail; Greater Roadrunner; Burrowing Owl; Juniper Titmouse; Canyon and Rock wrens; Black-chinned, Black-throated, and Brewer's sparrows; Green-tailed Towhee; and Yellow-headed Blackbird. In addition, November is an excellent time for rarities, with such oddities as scoters, jaegers, rare gulls, Long-eared Owl, and irruptive finches having made past appearances at this time of year.
ANTARCTICA – 2 CABINS REMAIN
Two cabins remain available on our Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands cruise, January 5-26, 2009. The fee for berths in these cabins is $15,595, plus a fuel surcharge Quark has added of $1,080. Any unsold cabins will be released back to Quark Expeditions on September 1, 2008.
In addition to offering a spectacular itinerary, we have put together the most outstanding team of leaders we have ever assembled for an Antarctic cruise including Victor Emanuel, Kenn Kaufman, Barry Lyon, John Harrison, John Fitzpatrick, Michael O'Brien, and Louise Zemaitis. The famed Swedish nature artist, Lars Jonsson, will also be on board.
I am confident this will be one of the finest Antarctica trips ever conducted, and hope you will be able to take advantage of this opportunity. With the price increases we are seeing for fuel and other items, I expect the cost of a trip to Antarctica to rise substantially in the years ahead.
If you want to go on this special trip I urge you to act quickly. Flights are filling up, and within a few more weeks it may be difficult to find air space.
Please contact Shirley@ventbird.com or Patrick@ventbird.com for more information.
GALAPAGOS ISLANDS & AMAZON RIVER NATURAL HISTORY CRUISES
Galapagos Islands Cruise: Aboard the National Geographic Islander, November 29-December 8, 2008, with Victor Emanuel, Barry Lyon, Michael O'Brien and Louise Zemaitis; Berths begin at $5,995 in double occupancy from Quito.
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Galapagos Tortoise— Photo: Greg Lasley |
Our cruise to the incomparable Galapagos Islands will be aboard Lindblad Expeditions' newest ship, the National Geographic Islander. Our itinerary is designed to deliver the best of the Galapagos while traveling in total comfort. We will visit at least nine of the islands, many of which are among the most biologically significant in the entire archipelago. We will stop at Española, with its Waved Albatrosses; Santa Cruz with its birds, giant tortoises, and Charles Darwin Research Station; Isabella and Fernandina
with their Flightless Cormorants, Galapagos Penguins, and marine iguanas; and Floreana, with its birds and rich human history. We expect to see almost all the endemic birds plus sea lions, fur seals, lava lizards, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and an array of tropical fishes. In addition to the legendary natural history of the islands, participants will enjoy a true tropical paradise. Awaiting the visitor are glorious sunrises and spectacular sunsets, relaxing strolls on white and black sand beaches, fascinating snorkeling in warm equatorial waters, and outdoor dinners under moonlit skies and the stately Southern Cross
I hope you will be able to join us.
Amazon River Cruise: Aboard La Amatista, January 23-February 1, 2009, with Steve Hilty and David Ascanio; $3,995 from Iquitos. 2 cabins remain available.
The Amazon conjures many images, but above all it is a realm of superlatives. The centerpiece of this vast region is the Amazon River itself, the largest river in the world. The very word "Amazon" brings to mind images of broad, sinuous rivers, tree-lined banks, strange animals, bright butterflies, torrential rains, and glorious sunsets. Along the rivers one may see macaws and parrots and oropendolas flying overhead, ponderous Horned Screamers rising from stream banks, and exotic wildlife that includes Hoatzins, Umbrellabirds, sloths, fresh-water dolphins, and monkeys coexisting in this untamed area.
We are offering this relatively short excursion to the Amazon for those who want a full Amazonian rainforest and river experience without sacrificing comfort. We believe that the classically-styled, triple-deck riverboat we're using, La Amatista, offers visitors the utmost in comfort, security, and safety while still permitting us access to remote and relatively unspoiled regions in Amazonia. The mobility of our ship and its excursion boats will allow us to explore different habitats and streams each morning and afternoon, providing exceptional opportunities to see birds and wildlife.
Steve Hilty and David Ascanio are among the top ornithologists in South America and both of these leaders bring with them extensive experience leading groups in the Amazon region.
A VISIT TO GOTLAND, SWEDEN
Ever since I saw the article in Audubon magazine about the art of Bruno Liljefors, over 20 years ago, I've wanted to visit the Thiel Art Gallery in Stockholm to see the paintings of this remarkable artist. About five years ago, I met Lars Jonsson, the renowned Swedish bird and nature artist, while co-leading a Bering Sea cruise with him. Then Lars and his wife Ragnhild came on our Palace on Wheels trip in India. Two springs ago they came to Texas where Lars led a sketching workshop for VENT on the Upper Texas Coast. After that trip the Jonssons invited me to visit them at their home in Gotland, the largest island in the Baltic Sea.
After co-leading our mid-May Sicily cruise, I had a gap of about a week before co-leading our Scotland cruise. My long time friend and colleague, Peter Matthiessen, had also been on the Sicily Cruise, and together we flew to Stockholm to visit our friends, the Jonssons. I've never had a more delightful week.
We spent a day in Stockholm with Lars and visited the Thiel Art Gallery to gaze long and reverently at the Liljefors paintings, especially the huge painting of thirty-five Common Eiders flying over a dark turbulent sea. Lars considers Liljefors his spiritual father, so seeing these paintings with him was a very special experience.
Then we flew to Gotland. When we disembarked, Lars exclaimed, "Welcome to paradise!" During four wonderful days on Gotland, where Lars has lived for over 30 years, we came to understand why Lars calls the place paradise. Gotland is roughly the size of Long Island, but is very lightly populated. It has only one small town, Visby, and many country lanes lined with trees, old farm houses, lovely old churches, and, most importantly for us, a wealth of birdlife, as well as the Lars Jonsson Museum.
Our birding produced 22 species of shorebirds. Among them were recently arrived summer residents, while other species were still in migration. Included were strikingly patterned Pied Avocets, deep chestnut Red Knots and Bar-tailed Godwits, a flock of Broad-billed Sandpipers, and courting Ruffs. We also saw over 5,000 Barnacle Geese that were about to depart for their far northern breeding grounds. One evening we watched Peter's lifer Redwing singing atop a spruce as European Woodcocks circled over the woodlands.
The wildflowers were also magnificent, especially the purple terrestrial orchids that dotted the fields by the hundreds.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I always enjoy sharing news with fellow VENT travelers about significant developments in the lives of VENT tour leaders. This time it is my pleasure to congratulate Paul Greenfield and his wife Marta on the birth of their first grandchild, a baby girl named Luna Greenfield Gambis, born in Paris, France on the 4th of July.
As a long time resident of Ecuador, Paul has co-anchored our program of Ecuador tours for many years. He is the co-author, with Robert Ridgely, of The Birds of Ecuador, and a highly acclaimed bird artist. His vast knowledge of the birds of Ecuador has made him one of the most knowledgeable authorities on the birds of that country. In addition to leading VENT tours throughout Ecuador, Paul has also co-led VENT's Galapagos Islands, Amazon, and Jungle Rivers cruises.
Best of luck to Paul and his growing family!
I hope you are having a good summer and will join us on a VENT tour soon!
Best wishes,
Victor Emanuel