VENTflash #92 September 08, 2008
Posted by Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel started birding in Texas 63 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,
With September already upon us, I have been reflecting on all the great trips VENT operated not only this summer, but throughout this past year as well. Our tour year does not parallel the calendar year, but runs from October 1 through the end of the following September. The year that will end on September 30th has been one of the most successful in our company's 32-year history. We again offered more than 150 tours to destinations all over the world. In addition to operating many of the same great trips as in previous years, we also offered a number of new and exciting tours and cruises including a marvelous Southwest Pacific Cruise last November; a Philippines tour in February; a Circumnavigation of Sicily Cruise in May; a birding and nature festival in Austin, Texas in April; and a superb Scotland Cruise in May, among many others. Few things bring me more satisfaction than receiving exciting reports, from tour leaders and participants alike, from successful VENT trips such as these. As we get ready to close the door on summer 2008, I am excited about what promises to be an outstanding fall and winter tour season.
In this issue:
OUR 2009 TOUR CATALOGS NOW AVAILABLE
YOUTH BIRDING CAMPS
FALL AND WINTER TOUR OPPORTUNITIES
COSTA RICA/PANAMA CRUISE
HONDURAS
GUARANTEED DEPARTURE POLICY
A VISIT WITH AN OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
FINAL THOUGHTS
OUR 2009 TOUR CATALOGS NOW AVAILABLE
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Cover Art by Larry McQueen |
The July/August period is always one of great anticipation at VENT, as this is typically when we release our annual tour catalogs. Our 2009 main catalog features the cover art of Larry McQueen, one of the country's foremost bird artists. This year's cover presents a handsome male Western Tanager balanced on the stem of a bigleaf maple in western Oregon. The varying shades of greens and yellows employed for the leaf and surrounding foliage delivers an aesthetically pleasing sense of warmth, while the male tanager in high plumage is dazzling. Through the years, we have been very fortunate to have Larry's outstanding artwork grace the covers of many VENT catalogs.
The 2007/2008 tour year saw VENT continuing to offer the finest birding tours available anywhere, as well as cruises and other trips offering a multi-thematic emphasis on birds, nature, human history, geology, and culture. This year, for the first time, we have divided our main catalog into five sections to make it easier for you to find the type of tour that is best for you: the first part of our catalog lists our Birding & Wildlife tours, followed by Birds & Butterflies; Natural History; Relaxed & Easy; and Wilderness Birding tours. Inside the catalog you will discover page after page decorated with outstanding images by some of the world's finest wildlife photographers.
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Le Ponant— Photo: Courtesy of Ponant Cruises |
The 2009 tour year is the second year in which we are promoting our Cruises and Special Departures in a separate catalog. This year's cover displays a photograph of the beautiful sailing ship Le Ponant, heralding our cruise of the Seychelle Islands in March 2009. This departure, as well as others to destinations such as Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon River, and other world-class locations, is described in detail within the pages of the catalog. The majority of these departures offer all-inclusive natural history themes that extend beyond birding, while some place equal emphasis on human history and culture. The majority of these trips are ideal for those who desire a vacation with a broader focus, including those who travel with a non-birding spouse or companion.
I am also pleased to point out that the back pages of our catalogs bear the logo of the Forest Stewardship Council, which identifies the paper used in our catalogs as a product of well-managed forests. For more information, the FSC website can be accessed at www.fsc.org.
Even though our new catalogs were mailed only a couple of weeks ago, we already have had many signups for our tours this fall and winter. In fact, a number of our upcoming tours are already sold out.
YOUTH BIRDING CAMPS 2008
This summer marked the latest chapter in the history of the VENT youth birding camp program. I started these summer camps in 1986 out of a desire to give to the birding community something I never had growing up: the opportunity to share my passion for birds and nature with my peers. Camp Chiricahua in Southeast Arizona was the first youth birding camp and today remains our flagship camp. In the years since, we have operated camps in Texas, Washington, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Belize. This year, as the camp program turned 22, I am very pleased that VENT youth camps have endured for so many years. It brings me great satisfaction to know these camps contribute to the development of good values in the lives of young people by fueling their interest in birding and natural history.
This summer, I had the great pleasure of co-leading our first-ever Camp Yosemite with Barry Lyon and Rebekah Rylander. We had a great group of campers—10 boys and 4 girls ages 14-18. All were interested in birds and nature. Some had been birding for years while others had just gotten started. What I found especially remarkable about this group of young people was how well-rounded they were. As evidence, the majority of our campers were musicians—violinists, pianists, banjo players, trombone players, and two flutists.
For two weeks we explored various sections of this magnificent national park. The forests and the vistas were truly awe-inspiring. To experience the park as intimately as possible, we hiked over 40 miles and camped for 10 nights, both records for our camps. The birding and natural history highlights were myriad: watching a black bear munching flowers across a mountain meadow; incredible looks at Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and Sooty Grouse; wandering through a series of gorgeous mountain meadows each filled with a different mix of wildflowers; a covey of Mountain Quail that crossed the road right in front of our vehicles; thousands of Wilson's Phalaropes on Mono Lake; Greater Sage-Grouse at our feet in the ghost town of Bodie; and star-filled skies, crisp mornings, warm campfires, and much more.
Next summer we will offer two camps:
Camp Chiricahua in Southeastern Arizona, July 5-16, 2009, with Rob Day and Dave Jasper; $1,050 from Tucson.
Camp Cascades in Washington state, July 25-August 6, 2009, with Victor Emanuel and Barry Lyon; $1,050 from Seattle.
FALL AND WINTER TOUR OPPORTUNITIES
Looking toward the end of the year and the beginning of 2009, we are offering an exciting slate of tours that will keep you warm even though the thermometer has dropped. All of these tours still have a few spaces available:
Madagascar, November 1-21, 2008, with David Bishop and David Hoddinott; $9,350 from Antananarivo. 4 spaces remain.
Madagascar is a fascinating and unique island-country, home to a huge variety of endemic birds, reptiles, mammals, and plants. Six families of birds are endemic to the region—the Mesites, Ground-Rollers, Cuckoo-Rollers, Asities, Madagascar Warblers, and Vangas.
The lemurs are the most famous of Madagascar's wildlife. These primitive primates, ranging in size from tiny mouse lemurs (at 11 inches, the smallest of the primates) to the child-size Indri, are appealing animals found throughout the forests.
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Giant Anteater— Photo: Andrew Whittaker |
Brazilian Specialties: The Wonders of Minas Gerais and Intervales, November 2-20, 2008, with Andrew Whittaker and Steve Hilty; $4,895 from Sao Paulo.
A variety of habitats, from grasslands and cerrado to humid Atlantic forest and montane páramo, combined with often spectacular scenery, many colorful and endemic specialty birds (Brazilian Merganser, Helmeted Woodpecker, Red-tailed Parrot, Hyacinth Visorbearer, Cock-tailed Tyrant, Three-toed Jacamar), and great mammal-viewing (including maned wolf, giant anteater, woolly spider monkey, and others) make this an ideal introduction to the biological riches of Brazil.
South Texas: Birds & Butterflies, November 9-14, 2008, with Michael O'Brien; $1,525 from Harlingen.
Join Michael for an outstanding look at the specialty birds and butterflies of South Texas. Long known for its Green Jays, Kiskadees, Chachalacas, kingfishers, woodpeckers, and orioles, South Texas is also the premier butterflying area of the country. Expect a huge assortment of whites, sulphurs, skippers, swallowtails, admirals, and ladies. November is an excellent time to be in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, as bird activity is high and rare butterflies stray north from Mexico.
El Paso Weekend with Barry Zimmer, November 12-16, 2008; $1,095 from El Paso.
The El Paso, Texas 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 his favorite birding area of all. With three full days of birding, this trip will cover the region's very best locations. Nearly 150 species of birds are possible.
Panama: Christmas at El Valle's Canopy Lodge, December 22-27, 2008, with Tony Nunnery; $1,775 from Panama City.
Panama is a perfect destination for those looking to get away for the holidays. A stay at El Valle combines a gorgeous lodge and superb birding for what has to be one of the most enchanting experiences in all of Central America. See Rufous Motmots and lots of colorful hummingbirds, tanagers, toucans, trogons, and parrots in a compact area.
This tour may be combined with our New Year at Panama's Canopy Tower tour.
New Year at Panama's Canopy Tower, December 27, 2008-January 3, 2009, with Tony Nunnery; $2,975 from Panama City.
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Broad-billed Motmot— Photo: Kevin Zimmer |
A week at Panama's Canopy Tower is an ideal way to ring in the New Year. A one-of-a-kind lodge, nearly 300 species of birds, and a visit to the Panama Canal are tour highlights. Whether watching for toucans and tanagers from atop the tower, relaxing in the cloud forest at Cerro Azul, or experiencing the deep forest along famous Pipeline Road, your trip to Panama will present excitement and diversity throughout. With little overlap or repetition, each day will provide opportunities for viewing an array of new tropical birds and mammals.
Many of my fondest memories of being in nature are from my earliest birding trips to Panama. With the existence of the Canopy Tower, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
This tour may be combined with our Christmas at El Valle's Canopy Lodge tour.
Winter New Mexico, January 3-9, 2009, with Barry Zimmer and Kevin Zimmer; $1,800 from El Paso.
Join Barry Zimmer and Kevin Zimmer for some outstanding winter birding from El Paso to Albuquerque at a lovely time of year. Experience the spectacle of huge numbers of wintering waterfowl and cranes at world-famous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Search the desert lowlands and mountain foothills for eagles, hawks, falcons, thrashers, sparrows, and other southwestern specialty birds. Scan the reservoirs of the Rio Grande for lots of waterfowl and gulls. This tour routinely produces an excellent diversity of birds, including out of range rarities, year after year. Nobody knows this area better than Barry and Kevin. I am confident you will have a wonderful time.
Cambodia, January 7-20, 2009, with Dion Hobcroft and Susan Myers; $4,945* from Siem Reap.
*Please note this tour fee reflects a $300 reduction from the original published price.
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Angkor Thom, Cambodia— Photo: David Bishop |
The expansive forests and untouched wetlands of this small country harbor some of the rarest species and races of birds and mammals in Asia, making it one of the most exciting new birding destinations in this part of the world. In recent years a number of immensely exciting discoveries have been made, including a population of the near-mythical Giant Ibis, a new species—the Mekong Wagtail, and a breeding population of the rapidly declining eastern race of Sarus Crane. Besides natural history, the tour itinerary includes visits to some of the greatest surviving architectural monuments of Southeast Asia.
Ecuador: Amazonia at Napo Wildlife Center, January 14-23, 2009, with David Wolf and Paul Greenfield; $3,395 from Quito. At this time we are able to take registrations for couples only.
Visit true Amazonian wilderness with a full complement of rainforest birds and mammals at a wonderful jungle lodge that serves as a model for sustainable development. David and Paul know Ecuador intimately and look forward to sharing the Napo experience. All of the classic megafauna, large birds of prey, and parrots are regularly seen. Past tours have seen Harpy and Crested eagles, giant otters, tapirs, and anteaters. Experience miles of undamaged tropical forest, a canopy tower, and a bustling parrot lick, in addition to hundreds of tanagers, antbirds, barbets, flycatchers, and more!
This tour may be combined with our Ecuador: Eastern Slope of the Andes tour.
Ecuador: Eastern Slope of the Andes, January 22-30, 2009, with David Wolf and Paul Greenfield; $2,895 from Quito.
Without a doubt, the Andes offer the world's most spectacular mountain birding. San Isidro Labrador, our base for most of this tour, is in the heart of the Ecuadorean Andes in the fantastically diverse subtropical zone. Within easy reach is an incredible transect of habitats, from lush upper tropical forest in the foothills to temperate cloud forests, stunted alpine scrub, and treeless páramo. This region of the tropics harbors some of the greatest diversity of tanagers found anywhere, along with hundreds of other exciting trogons, parrots, hummingbirds, antbirds, ovenbirds, flycatchers, and cotingas.
This tour may be combined with our Amazonia at Napo Wildlife Center tour.
Winter Southern Arizona, January 20-25, 2009, with Barry Zimmer and Brennan Mulrooney; $1,935 from Tucson.
A tantalizing mix of southwestern specialty birds and seasonal residents promises an invigorating winter getaway. Flocks of Mountain Plovers, Mountain Bluebirds, Lark Buntings, and sparrows fill the deserts, canyons, and grasslands of Southeast Arizona while sharing space with some of the country's largest winter concentrations of hawks, eagles, and falcons. Over the course of this short trip we'll go in search of these species and also many of the classic resident birds that draw birders from all over the country each summer. This trip has a proven track record for recording out of range rarities as well. Past tour groups have seen Northern Jacana, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Rufous-backed Robin, and Blue Mockingbird. Join Barry and Brennan for this short winter birding extravaganza.
This tour may be combined with our Winter Southern California tour.
Winter Southern California, January 25-30, 2009, with Barry Zimmer and Brennan Mulrooney; $1,810 from San Diego.
From San Diego to the Salton Sea, this short winter tour offers a broad survey of far southern California and a chance to see many of the state's specialty birds. The San Diego area offers access to excellent coastal, mountain, and desert birding. California Quail, Nuttall's Woodpecker, California Gnatcatcher, and California Thrasher are representative of the species you'll likely see. The Salton Sea occupies the far southern desert only a couple of hours from the coast, where Yellow-footed Gull is the most sought-after bird, but fields of Sandhill Cranes, thousands of wintering waterfowl and gulls, and an expected collection of wintertime rarities make for an exciting trip finale.
This tour may be combined with our Winter Southern Arizona tour.
Winter Washington & British Columbia, January 31-February 7, 2009, with Bob Sundstrom and TBA; $2,445 from Seattle.
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Snowy Owl— Photo: Kevin Zimmer |
Few places in the country can compare with the Pacific Northwest for high-quality wintertime birding. Waterfowl number in the tens of thousands, and eagles, hawks, and falcons are counted by the hundreds. Tour leader Bob Sundstrom is an area resident and will guide you on a weeklong birding odyssey from the shores of Puget Sound to the fields of Vancouver Island. Remarkably mild weather, beautiful scenery, and tremendous birding await. A sample list of birds annually recorded on this tour includes Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Eurasian Wigeon, Black Oystercatcher, Short-eared Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, Gyrfalcon, Varied Thrush, Northern Shrike, and Sky Lark. This tour has located many rarities over the years such as Yellow-billed and Arctic loons, Brambling, and Northern Hawk Owl. Beyond individual highlights, this tour is also about spectacles, and such sights as fields whitened with hundreds of Tundra and Trumpeter swans; bays filled with scoters and goldeneyes; and pastures patrolled by dozens of hawks and eagles are all memorable experiences you can expect from this tour.
Panama: The Darien Wilderness, February 19-28, 2009, with David Wolf and local leader; $3,525 from Panama City.
Our tour to Panama's Darien region offers a birding and natural history adventure to arguably the most important nature reserve in Central America. Here, on the threshold of South America, wilderness is the theme, evoking images of unbroken rainforest and a jungle so thick that the last leg of the Pan-American Highway still has not been cut through it. This image is largely correct, yet the region has never been more accessible to birders.
All of the large birds and mammals still survive in this region including jaguar, tapir, large raptors, Great Curassow, and four species of macaws. The Darien is also one of the birdiest places we have ever visited and is home to such endemic birds as the Black-tipped Cotinga, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Rufous-cheeked (Pirre) Hummingbird, Varied Solitaire, Pirre Warbler, Green-naped Tanager, and Pirre Bush-Tanager. Join David Wolf this February for a Central American wilderness adventure unlike any other.
COSTA RICA/PANAMA CRUISE
I am pleased to announce that VENT has chartered Lindblad Expeditions' Sea Voyager for a birding and natural history cruise from Costa Rica to Panama, November 14-21, 2009. Highlights of this trip will include visits to Carara and Corcovado national parks, two of the best birding areas in Costa Rica; a day on Coiba Island off western Panama; and a transit of the Panama Canal with a morning spent on the Smithsonian's Barro Colorado Island. This will be a multi-faceted trip focusing on birds, wildlife, marine life, and tropical ecosystems. We will offer a pre-trip in Costa Rica to La Selva Biological Station in the Caribbean lowlands, and a post-trip to the famed Canopy Lodge in Panama. This trip will be limited to 56 participants. In addition to the top-notch staff provided by Lindblad Expeditions, the VENT leaders will include Victor Emanuel, Steve Hilty, and Jeri Langham. Cabins start at $4,995 per person in double occupancy from San Jose, Costa Rica. VENT is offering an early signup discount of $500 for persons who register prior to November 14, 2008.
HONDURAS
Four years ago I visited Honduras on a scouting trip at the encouragement of a young man named Robert Gallardo, a former Peace Corps volunteer turned naturalist. After completing back-to-back stints in Honduras, Robert had fallen in love with the country and chose to stay on and make it his permanent home. In the years since he left the Peace Corps, he has become that country's premier birder/naturalist.
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Robert Gallardo |
The centerpiece of my visit was a three-night stay at the gorgeous five-star Lodge at Pico Bonito near La Ceiba on the country's Caribbean coast. Walking the trails above the lodge, I was amazed at how easily we found the Lovely Cotinga and Keel-billed Motmot, two of the most tantalizing birds in the American Tropics. The motmot in particular was special. This bird is not common anywhere and very few of our tours ever see it.
That first visit led to our first-ever Honduras tour the next year, led by Robert Gallardo. Robert is an excellent naturalist who is not only the country's top birder (he has added over 20 species to the country list), but is equally well-versed in plants, particularly orchids, and butterflies.
Our tour of Honduras' Atlantic slope is an exciting departure. In addition to a stay at the Lodge at Pico Bonito, you will travel through a broad swath of the country's Caribbean slope, experiencing a beautiful mountain-ringed deepwater lake, cloud forest, and thorn scrub. Besides Keel-billed Motmot and Lovely Cotinga, other alluring birds include Honduras' only endemic bird, the Honduran Emerald, as well as more than 200 other tropical birds and wintering Neotropical migrant species.
Our next Honduras: Atlantic Slope tour will operate March 21-30, 2009, with Robert Gallardo; $2,630 from San Pedro Sula.
GUARANTEED DEPARTURE POLICY
Several years ago VENT instituted a policy of guaranteeing the departure of all our North American tours regardless of the number of participants. Included in this guarantee is the commitment that the tour will operate as scheduled without participants paying a small party supplement. This policy means you can register for any VENT tour in the United States and Canada, including Alaska and Hawaii, book your flights, set aside your vacation time, and know that the tour will operate. This is a tremendous advantage that we offer our participants. In fact, VENT very seldom cancels any of its tours. In the case of foreign tours with only a few participants registered, there is the possibility that a small party supplement will be charged in order for tour revenue to cover expenses. Fortunately, this happens very rarely.
A VISIT WITH AN OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
In late August, I stayed home for a couple of days recovering from a cold. By the second day I was feeling a bit stir-crazy so I stepped out on my front porch to have a look around. Right away I spotted a migrant Olive-sided Flycatcher atop a dead tree in the park across the street. I watched it making long aerial sallies, often high, in pursuit of insects. In early August I had seen a pair of Olive-sideds in Yosemite while co-leading our youth camp. Now here was one right across from my house. This underscored one of the many things that make birding and nature so special: the way our lives sometimes intersect with the lives of other creatures. What was the utter chance of my encounter with this bird happening? I pondered where this Olive-sided had spent the summer, and where in Central or South America it would spend the winter. It was either not aware of my presence or was clearly unconcerned with it. Off and on for the rest of the day I would look out and see it on its high perch. By late afternoon it had its mouth open, obviously feeling the unaccustomed heat of a late summer afternoon in Central Texas.
The next morning the bird was gone, doubtlessly having flown south at sunset. I wondered where it had stopped again. I thought how unlikely it was that wherever it was spending the next day, that anyone would notice it. I was glad to have had the opportunity to see it and observe its behavior. Once again this experience brought home to me how nature can lift our spirits.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I am a very lucky man because I work with such a fine staff both in the VENT office and in the field. I have had the opportunity to visit some of the world's biologically richest and most beautiful places, and meet the wonderful people who take our tours. I have always felt we have a remarkable and loyal following of very fine people. In May, an old friend from my college days joined us on our Circumnavigation of Sicily Cruise. It was his first VENT trip. After the trip, he told me that the quality of the experience lived up to his high expectations, but that the trip was especially enjoyable for him because of the interesting and delightful participants. That has been my experience on trip after trip for over 30 years. I started VENT with hopes that I could spend a lot of time outdoors showing people birds and other aspects of nature. I had not anticipated that meeting the people who take these tours would become one of the most pleasant parts of my job. Some of those participants have become good friends with whom I have stayed in touch, and even visited in their homes in various parts of the country.
I hope to see you on a VENT tour soon.
Best wishes,
Victor Emanuel