VENTFLASH #99 May 22, 2009
Posted by Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel started birding in Texas 61 years ago at the age of eight. His travels have taken him to all the continents, with his areas of concentration being Texas, Ari...May 22, 2009
Dear Friends,
While the ongoing economic downturn has made this year a challenging one for VENT, we are proud to say that we are meeting that challenge, thanks to your support. Amid difficult economic times, I am very pleased that VENT will once again have a profitable year. We are operating almost all of our scheduled tours, even though some have gone out less than full. Our guaranteed departure policy for all our tours in the United States and Canada has been a big plus for VENT travelers, since it allows people to plan their vacations and book their flights knowing that the tour they have registered for will operate regardless of the number of participants. We have had people book with us who told us that the tours they had booked with other companies had been cancelled. We have operated 21 North American tours so far this tour year, and have another 18 that will operate between May and the end of September.
VENT's fiscal year runs from October 1 through the end of the following September. For the upcoming 2009/2010 tour year, we have scheduled many exciting birding opportunities including tours to new destinations and a suite of new Relaxed and Easy tours and Introductory Tours and Workshops. Many of you have already signed up for tours that will operate later this year or in 2010. On most VENT trips as many as 80% of the participants have traveled with us previously. I want you to know how much your loyalty and support means to me and to VENT.
In this issue:
GALAPAGOS CRUISE OPPORTUNITY
TWO NEW SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISES
INCENTIVES DURING CHALLENGING ECONOMIC TIMES
VICTOR'S SPRING
RECENT REPORTS
FINAL THOUGHTS
GALAPAGOS CRUISE OPPORTUNITY
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Nazca Booby— Photo: Michael O'Brien |
Two people recently cancelled from our October 16-25, 2009 Galapagos Islands Cruise aboard the M/V Evolution. The cruise company has given us until May 29 to fill these spots. Since these people were under cancellation penalty we can offer their spots at a discount of $1,000 per person. The discounted fee for this cabin will be $4,450 per person in double occupancy from Quito. Note that this fee includes hotel arrangements and food in Quito as well as your Galapagos National Park entrance fee. It does not include your airfare to and from the Galapagos from Quito. The cost for the flight at this time is approximately $450.
Our Galapagos Islands Cruise is scheduled at one of the best times of the year for visiting the islands onboard one of the best ships. Our itinerary incoporates all the major islands including Tower. On this trip you will have a chance to see virtually all the endemic birds of the Galapagos, as well as the other well-known creatures that inhabit these magical islands.
Your tour leader, Paul Greenfield, is one of the top experts on the birds of Ecuador and has led many trips to the Galapagos. He painted all the birds of Ecuador for the field guide he co-authored with Bob Ridgely.
I hope you will be able to take advantage of this incredible opportunity. Call Shirley Anderson or Patrick Swaggerty at our office before May 29 if you want to register for one or both of these spaces on our Galapagos Islands Cruise.
TWO NEW SOUTH PACIFIC CRUISES
This past week, VENT reserved 20 spaces on two very special birding and natural history cruises to the South Pacific. Both of these trips are operated by Zegrahm Expeditions aboard the Clipper Odyssey and will depart in the final months of 2009.
These trips comprise Zegrahm's Wild Edge of the Pacific program and provide incredible opportunities to visit parts of the world that are very rich in seabirds and marine mammals.
Voyage I, Fiji to the Chatham Islands, November 26-December 11, 2009, offers an exploration of the western edge of the Pacific Ocean from Fiji south to New Zealand's North Island. Highlights of this itinerary include visits to the wild and isolated Kermadec Islands—home to some of the world's rarest plants and huge populations of breeding seabirds that include a bounty of petrels, shearwaters, and storm-petrels, and wonderful snorkeling opportunities; stops along New Zealand's north island to witness Maori culture and historical sites; and visits to Chatham and Pitt islands, with their towering cliffs, rugged coastlines, and large populations of seabirds including penguins and albatrosses. Cabins begin at $9,980 in double occupancy.
Voyage II, From the Chatham Islands to Fiordland, December 8-23, 2009, is a remarkable cruise of the sub-antarctic islands of New Zealand, a region that many consider the finest place in the world for seabirding. This itinerary is designed to produce encounters with many of the special seabirds and marine mammals of the far southwestern corner of the Pacific Ocean, with large numbers of breeding penguins, albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters, storm-petrels, and more. This cruise includes stops at Chatham and Pitt islands, the Bounties, Antipodes, and Campbell, Enderby, Snares, and Stewart islands. An added bonus is a grand finale visit to Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island. Cabins begin at $8,980 in double occupancy.
Zegrahm has assembled an outstanding group of naturalists for both of these trips, including famed seabird expert Peter Harrison. Peter will represent VENT on the first voyage, and Victor Emanuel and Barry Lyon will be part of the leadership team on the second voyage.
These cruises will provide an opportunity for participants to see a group of penguins, albatrosses, other seabirds, and marine mammals that are not seen on our Antarctica cruises. If you liked Antarctica, we can assure you that you will love these cruises. We expect our allotments to fill up quickly. Contact us soon if you want to register for either or both of these marvelous trips.
INCENTIVES DURING CHALLENGING ECONOMIC TIMES
In a year of considerable economic challenges, we are enacting measures that provide opportunities for saving money on your next VENT tour. These initiatives include rewards for new customer referrals and vouchers for booking non-VENT cruises through VENT. Additionally, we have worked hard to create attractive travel opportunities by negotiating price reductions from our agents, lodges, and other service providers. These reductions have enabled us to reduce the prices on some of our upcoming summer and autumn tours by as much as 10%!
Rewards for New Customer Referrals
Over the years, word of mouth has been the most important source of VENT's growth. And in these difficult economic times, it is even more important that we continue to attract new people to our tours. To encourage such referrals, we are establishing a reward program for clients who bring us new participants. If based upon your referral, someone who has never traveled with us before registers for their first VENT tour, you will receive a voucher for $500 which may be used on any future VENT tour.
Incentives to Book Non-VENT Cruises through VENT
If you book any cruise, other than the cruises we are operating, through VENT, we will send you a voucher worth 5% of the cruise fee that you may use on any future VENT tour. This includes all cruises operated by Lindblad Expeditions, Zegrahm Expeditions, and Travel Dynamics International, as well as other cruise companies. You will pay the same price for the cruise as you would have paid if you booked the cruise directly with the cruise company. The VENT staff will assist you with airline reservations and answer any questions you have about the trip.
Discounts on Select Summer and Fall Tours
As an added incentive for taking a VENT tour within the next six months, we are offering a 10% discount on a select set of summer and fall tours. Please note that on each of these tours, only four spaces will be offered at the discounted rate. Contact us soon to take advantage of this special offer! The money you save through these discounts can go a long way toward covering the cost of your airfare to join one of these fine trips. You should also be aware that many airlines have reduced their fares, especially when tickets are purchased early.
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Violet-crowned Hummingbird— Photo: Brennan Mulrooney |
Summer Arizona, July 26-August 2, 2009 with Brennan Mulrooney; $2,250 in double occupancy from Tucson. Discounted fee is $2,025 in double occupancy. Save $225.
This trip offers a chance to experience Southeast Arizona's second spring, when late summer rains trigger a fresh burst of bird activity. This is an excellent time of year for hummingbirds, as well as the Southeast Arizona specialty birds. It is also the best time of year for encountering rare vagrant birds from Mexico. Recent sightings include Short-tailed Hawk, Sinaloa Wren, Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Rufous-capped Warbler, Crescent-chested Warbler, and Flame-colored Tanager.
Washington: September Migration, the Pacific Northwest, September 2-10, 2009 with Bob Sundstrom; $2,955 in double occupancy from Seattle. Discounted fee is $2,660 in double occupancy. Save $295.
Follow autumn migration's wealth of seabirds, shorebirds, and landbirds along the scenic Pacific coast through lovely evergreen forests and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to charming Victoria, British Columbia. Possibilities include such rarities as Bar-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, South Polar Skua, Laysan Albatross, and Flesh-footed Shearwater along with many other regularly occurring birds of the Pacific Northwest.
West Texas: Cibolo Creek Lodge, September 8-14, 2009 with Barry Zimmer and Brennan Mulrooney; $3,055 in double occupancy from El Paso. Discounted fee is $2,750 in double occupancy. Save $305.
This 25,000-acre ranch is truly a birder's paradise and the lodge is among the most luxurious we have ever used. Mid-September is a wonderful time to be in west Texas. Fall migration is at its peak, with a variety of flycatchers, warblers, grosbeaks, tanagers, and sparrows on the move. In addition to migrant birds we will also look for Zone-tailed Hawk, Crissal Thrasher, Varied Bunting, and other specialty birds of the Southwest.
Central Peru, September 12-28, 2009 with David Wolf; $6,625 in double occupancy from Lima. Discounted fee is $5,963 in double occupancy. Save $662.
This is a superb opportunity to use the new field guide to the birds of Peru. This tour is a scenically spectacular survey of high Andean birds with a focus on Peruvian endemics, plus the bird-rich east slope cloud forests which are home to a marvelous array of colorful tanagers and other gorgeous tropical birds. Possibilities include such legendary birds as the flightless Junin Grebe, Diademed Sanpiper-Plover, Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan, White-bellied Cinclodes, Bay-vented Cotinga, Rufous-browed Hemispingus, Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager, Yellow-scarfed Tanager (a truly dazzling bird), Pardusco, and Masked Saltator.
Southeastern Brazil, Part I, September 26-October 10, 2009 with Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker; $4,895 in double occupancy from Curitiba. Discounted fee is $4,406 in double occupancy. Save $489.
Southeastern Brazil, Part II, October 8-18, 2009, with Andrew Whittaker and Kevin Zimmer; $2,995 in double occupancy from Vitoria. Discounted fee is $2,696 in double occupancy. Save $299.
Our flagship Brazil tour to the most endemic-rich corner of South America will be co-led by the guys who are literally writing the definitive book on the birds of Brazil. Over 160 endemic species are possible on the combined trips including many hummingbirds, antbirds, and tanagers. Spectacular scenery includes Iguacu Falls, Itaimbezinho Canyon, and the Araucaria forests of Rio Grande do Sul. Other bird possibilities include Sickle-winged Nightjar; Red-ruffed Fruitcrow; Plush-crested Jay; Giant Antshrike; Hooded Berryeater; Bare-throated Bellbird; Black-and-gold Cotinga; Brassy-breasted, Green-headed, and Red-necked tanagers; and possibly Cherry-throated Tanager.
Our Southeastern Brazil, Part I tour can also be combined with our Iguacu Falls Pre-trip, September 23-27, 2009, with Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker; $1,995 in double occupancy from Iguacu Falls.
Bolivian Highlands, October 10-25, 2009 with Steve Hilty; $3,875 in double occupancy from Santa Cruz. Discounted fee is $3,488 in double occupancy. Save $387.
This tour offers an epic transect from lowlands to altiplano and features some of the Andes' most spectacular scenery and many range-restricted birds of the high deserts, cloud forests, and puna grasslands. Possibilities include three species of flamingos, a stellar array of hummingbirds, tanagers, and many other tropical species.
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Broad-billed Motmot— Photo: Kevin Zimmer |
Fall at Panama's Canopy Tower, October 17-24, 2009 with Barry Zimmer and a local leader; $2,795 in double occupancy from Panama City. Discounted fee is $2,475 in double occupancy. Save $300.
Central Panama offers a superior combination of tropical forest habitats, fine accommodations, the historic Panama Canal, and superb birding. In only a week you'll encounter 300 species of birds with representatives from many tropical families including hummingbirds, trogons, toucans, woodpeckers, antbirds, cotingas, tanagers, and more. Mid-October is an outstanding time to visit the Canopy Tower and experience the thrill of hawk migration, when thousands of Swainson's Hawks and other species fill the skies over Panama on their journeys south. An excellent list of tropical mammals is also typical of our tours here, with sloths; howler, capuchin, and tamarin monkeys; capybara; kinkajou; and lesser anteater possible.
Panama: Fall at El Valle's Canopy Lodge Extension, October 24-29, 2009 with Barry Zimmer and a local leader; $1,595 in double occupancy from Panama City. Discounted fee is $1,395 in double occupancy. Save $200.
This short extension to the Canopy Lodge at El Valle is an excellent complement to the Canopy Tower tour. Unlike the Canal Zone, El Valle sits at a higher elevation, where cooler temperatures and a very different birdlife prevail. Walking through the lush gardens on the lodge grounds is an enchanting experience, where scores of hummingbirds, motmots, toucans, thrushes, honeycreepers, and tanagers are easily found. Excellent accommodations and cuisine and close access to other birding areas make any trip to El Valle a delightful experience.
Panama's Gamboa Rainforest Resort: A Relaxed & Easy Tour, October 29-November 5, 2009 with Tony Nunnery; $2,495 in double occupancy from Panama City. Discounted fee is $2,246 in double occupancy. Save $249.
The Gamboa Rainforest Resort is the perfect site for a Relaxed & Easy tour. Good accommodations, terrific birding, and easy terrain provide an outstanding Central Panama experience. With little difficulty you will find yourself in the company of a delightful suite of tropical birds including colorful toucans, trogons, tanagers, honeycreepers and more. Other birding areas are easily accessed in minutes, where a diversity of new habitats and birds occur. This is an ideal trip for those wanting to bird in Panama but without all the demands of a regular tour.
VICTOR'S SPRING
I knew that spring this year would be different than any I have experienced in the past 20 years, since my schedule would allow me to spend only three days on the Texas coast. As always, I looked forward to spring, but worried that I would miss seeing many of the Neotropical migrant songbirds. I was especially worried that I would see few of my favorite birds, the American wood-warblers. At the end of March, I spent a week on Little St. Simons Island off the Georgia coast, and a week in Big Bend National Park in mid-April. Both trips were marvelous. I saw a lot of shorebirds on Little St. Simons and great desert birds and scenery in Big Bend, but very few warblers.
Back in Austin, I birded Hornsby Bend, the Austin wastewater treatment facility, where I saw more great shorebirds including my favorite, the Wilson's Phalarope. This species winters in South America and breeds in the Great Plains. I saw a swirling flock of Franklin's Gulls that swooped over the ponds and kept going northward. Franklin's Gulls winter on the coast of Chile and breed in the northern Great Plains in huge colonies. I was present on another morning when a Hudsonian Godwit dropped out of the sky, alighted in the ponds, fed for about 15 minutes and then continued on its way. This handsome shorebird winters near the tip of South America and breeds near treeline in Alaska and Canada. The individual I saw may have flown non-stop from southern Chile to Austin! Later in the week, I saw 20 Mississippi Kites kettling over an Austin neighborhood on their way north from southern South America to the Great Plains where they spend their summer. All these sightings were thrilling and gave me a sense of the vast movement of birds that takes place every spring, but I was still not seeing enough warblers.
Then on April 27, I co-led a Travis Audubon Society field trip for donors to a park in central Austin. My co-leader was Sam Fason, age 12, who has been birding since he was four. We had walked only a short distance when we spotted a male and a female Canada Warbler. Then in a flurry came a Chestnut-sided, a Black-and-white, a Nashville, two Tennessees, a Black-throated Green and a Hooded. The next day it rained most of the day. Late in the evening near my house, I found six species of warblers including a stunning male Golden-winged Warbler!
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Magnolia Warbler— Photo: John H. Boyd |
Over the weekend of April 30-May 2, Barry Lyon and I co-led a donor trip for the American Bird Conservancy to the central Texas coast. As the trip started, I knew the weather would not be favorable for experiencing a fallout of northbound birds, but decided the best attitude was to expect few migrants and just appreciate and savor those we saw all the more. This attitude worked. We saw a dozen or so warblers, Indigo and Painted buntings, Summer Tanagers, a stunning male Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Dickcissels, and Orchard and Baltimore orioles. One of my favorite memories was watching a male Baltimore Oriole perched on a branch of a coral bean bush probing for nectar in the brilliant red flowers. Among the warblers we saw were two real beauties: the Magnolia and the Prothonotary.
On May 4 I was hard at work when I was informed that a male Blackburnian Warbler had been spotted right outside the office. We had a great study of this gorgeous warbler as it fed in a juniper tree, pausing every few minutes to sing.
The last weekend of April, I led a Texas Parks Foundation donor trip to the King Ranch. We saw few migrants, but did have a marvelous experience as we watched a Blue Grosbeak, a Summer Tanager, a Hooded Oriole, and an Audubon's Oriole bathing side by side on the edge of a pond. All these birds were colorful males. We were also treated to a male Tropical Parula that came in to bathe.
My final spring surprise occurred on the afternoon of the day I returned from the King Ranch. I was looking out the window of my house when I spotted a small bird hopping amid the plants in my neighbor's yard. My first thought was Carolina Wren, but it seemed different. I ran downstairs to get my binoculars, and much to my delight, discovered the bird to be a male Mourning Warbler! I watched it for over five minutes as it fed.
Bird migration is a marvelous experience for people who are attuned to nature and the change of seasons. Every time I see a migrant bird I think about where it wintered and where it is going. I marvel that I have intersected the life of this creature. All through the spring, migration is happening around us as migrants surge northward. This spectacle provides us a tremendous sense of life swirling around us. Experiencing this phenomenon is one of the greatest experiences anyone who cares about birds can ever have. I am grateful that despite my schedule I was able to experience the wonder of migration. In some ways I appreciated it all the more since I had expected to miss it.
While I was enjoying migration in Austin, Big Bend, and the central Texas coast, Bob Sundstrom was leading a very successful High Island tour, Barry Zimmer was leading our Spring in South Texas tour and David Wolf was leading our inaugural Spring on the Central Texas Coast tour. All these tours experienced spring migration as thousands of landbirds and waterbirds journeyed north through Texas. David Wolf's tour encountered one of the biggest fallouts he had ever seen in over 40 years of birding the state. On April 20 David and his tour group saw an amazing sight: thousands of landbirds pouring north along the coast at Corpus Christi.
RECENT REPORTS
With April in the books, I have enjoyed reading reports of some recently completed tours, written by some of VENT's most veteran tour leaders. I wanted to share several reports in particular with you.
Spring in South Texas, by Barry Zimmer
"The bluff at Santa Margarita Ranch is simply my favorite place in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Perched about 30 feet above water level, one can scan up and down river for a mile or so and view the nearby treetops from more or less eye level. Our group spent an entire morning at this spot with never a dull moment.
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Audubon's Oriole— Photo: Greg Lasley |
From the second we arrived noisy Great Kiskadees squawked at us from a nearby hackberry. As it turned out, they were actively building a nest there, and we were able to watch the process. Couch's Kingbirds hawked insects over the river. A troop of stunning Green Jays skulked through the dense thicket below us. A Clay-colored Thrush (amazingly, one of eleven we would see on the trip!) began singing and was quickly coaxed into view. Fluorescent Altamira Orioles landed in a bush less than 15 feet away, singing their sweet, melodic song, while the shyer Audubon's Orioles also provided superb views a little farther out. Three Red-billed Pigeons were spotted teed up in a distant willow, and we had scope views; shortly, they flew right by us and were followed by a noisy Ringed Kingfisher. Quiet ticking notes just below the bluff revealed the presence of a tiny Green Kingfisher foraging along the river's edge. A Gray Hawk began calling to our right and ultimately landed in full view. Golden-fronted and Ladder-backed woodpeckers, Long-billed Thrasher, Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, a stunning male Blue Grosbeak, and Bullock's and Orchard orioles all vied for our attention. All this activity within the first 45 minutes at the bluff!
But the best was yet to come. As the thermals began to rise, we noticed three raptors rise up from the thickets across the river in Mexico. With the morning sun at our back, we could see that they were Hook-billed Kites, two males and a female. Ultimately they flew past the bluff going north and crossed the river into U.S. territory. Unbelievable luck! Other raptors put in appearances, including Swainson's and Red-shouldered hawks and Crested Caracaras. Just before we left, three Muscovy Ducks were spotted swimming along the riverbank, completing a clean sweep of all our hoped for targets and more. In all, we tallied 77 species just standing in one spot for a few hours, with most of the Valley specialties and several rarities seen."
Santa Margarita is a private ranch. VENT has made special arrangements with the property owner to have access to this superb area. Our next Spring in South Texas tour will be led by Barry Zimmer and Kevin Zimmer, April 4-16, 2010.
Spring on the Central Texas Coast, by David Wolf
"I met the group that evening and decided that we would bird tiny Blucher Park on the edge of downtown Corpus Christi the next morning, thinking that at least a few migrants were bound to come in. Little did I know that the stage was now set for one of the biggest "fallouts" I have seen in 45 years of birding the Texas coast.
Within minutes of our arrival at the park, it was clear that huge numbers of migrants were streaming over the treetops and nearby buildings, and that we were perfectly positioned in the midst of a major fallout.
There was something to look at simply everywhere, and before noon we had tallied 17 species of warblers; 2 perched Chuck-will's-widows; 8 male Painted Buntings; a smattering of flycatchers, vireos, and thrushes; and a wide assortment of other migrants, almost all of them yielding great looks. I quickly added up my tally of the dominant migrants: 3,000+ Indigo Buntings, 1,115+ Baltimore Orioles, 140+ Orchard Orioles, and 55 Northern Waterthrushes! Numbers and words, however, do not adequately convey what we experienced. It was exhilarating, it was exhausting, and it happens only rarely in a lifetime.
What a lucky start to our inaugural Spring on the Central Texas Coast tour!"
Our next Spring on the Central Texas Coast tour will be led by David Wolf, April 18-23, 2010.
Spring in the Great Smoky Mountains, by Steve Hilty
"We noted good numbers of warblers on Sharp's Ridge the first day, and in subsequent days in the park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This trip, however, isn't about large numbers of species, or chasing rare birds, but rather more about seeing and hearing spring warblers over and over each day with the opportunity to become familiar with their colorful plumages, their behaviors, and their songs. Favorite "Smoky Mountain" experiences also included seeing large numbers of trilliums and flowering dogwood, gnatcatchers building nests, a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in full breeding regalia, listening to the call of a Chuck-will's-widow, the chance to hold and admire a freshly-killed Yellow-billed Cuckoo that was in perfect condition; and yes, even fireflies. Particular highlights for some included close studies of Chestnut-sided and Canada warblers, and Gray Catbirds (curiously understated birds).
If you haven't spent a few delightful spring days in the Great Smoky Mountains, we invite you to join us on a future trip. I believe you will agree that the combination of birds, wildflowers, and gentle scenery is memorable."
Our next Spring in the Great Smoky Mountains tour will be led by Steve Hilty, April 24-May 1, 2010.
FINAL THOUGHTS
VENT has a stellar array of tours that will operate this summer and fall. I am especially excited about our inaugural Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan tour that Peter Roberts and David Bishop will co-lead, and our Northern Peru tour that Steve Hilty will co-lead. I will be co-leading Camp Cascades in Washington state with Barry Lyon and Louise Zemaitis. We have 13 boys and girls registered for this two-week birding and nature camp. I hope that you'll enjoy good birding this summer near your home and on a VENT tour.
Best wishes,
Victor Emanuel