VENTflash #105 December 07, 2009
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,
Last week I returned from Corvallis, Oregon, where I spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with my niece and her family. On Friday, my good friends Bob Fleming and Larry McQueen drove up from Eugene to go birding with me at the William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge. It had rained all day on Thanksgiving, but the day after was clear and sunny. We saw thousands of Cackling and "Dusky" Canada geese with one lone Snow Goose flying with them. Another highlight was seeing a flock of thirty Tundra Swans interacting and apparently engaged in winter territorial disputes. A walk in an oak and ash woodland yielded a wonderful study of a male Red-breasted Sapsucker, several Purple Finches, Brown Creepers, and both species of kinglets. Later we stopped by Larry and Elga McQueen's house to see his latest paintings. Larry is one of the country's finest bird artists and his beautiful work has graced the cover of many VENT catalogs. He also painted many of the plates for Birds of Peru and Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guides. Some of the paintings I viewed will likely appear on future catalog covers.
Being with family and friends and spending time in nature are the things that make my holidays so special. I hope you and your family also had a good Thanksgiving.
In this issue:
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: TWO NEW TOURS WITH BOB SUNDSTROM
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: AN IDEAL INTRODUCTION TO THE TROPICS
THAILAND HIGHLIGHTS: DAVID BISHOP TO CO-LEAD
TANZANIA
FINAL THOUGHTS
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST: TWO NEW TOURS WITH BOB SUNDSTROM
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White-headed Woodpecker— Photo: Carl Sheely |
I am excited about two new tours we will operate to the Pacific Northwest next spring. These departures were designed by long time VENT leader and Washington resident, Bob Sundstrom. Each trip, one a Relaxed & Easy Tour and the other an Introductory Tour, is a week in length, which is an ideal amount of time to experience the outstanding beauty and wildlife of the region while not keeping you away from home for a prolonged period. Bob's feeling for the part of the country he calls home is apparent in the following trip descriptions he has provided:
The latest addition to our program of Relaxed & Easy tours, Spring in the Washington Cascades, offers delightful spring birding based out of a first-rate lodge in the natural setting of a Washington canyon.
Leavenworth, Washington is an ideal venue for a late spring nature tour. The friendly town sits at the foot of beautiful Icicle Canyon in the Cascade Mountains near scenic Mt. Stuart. The Alpine Rivers Inn, tucked alongside the Wenatchee River, has a fine reputation for hosting groups in a relaxed setting. From the lodge we are just a few minutes from Icicle Creek where White-headed Woodpeckers, Pygmy Nuthatches, and Red-breasted Sapsuckers nest, Black Swifts fly over the creek, and American Dippers bob on the rocks in the fast-flowing stream. At this season, wildflowers carpet the forest floor and canyon roadsides.
With four nights in Leavenworth, we'll take our time exploring Icicle Canyon as well as other sites in the surrounding country. We'll also venture east into the Entiat Mountains, a journey that begins at a rocky cut of the Columbia River, passes through towering rimrock cliffs, sagebrush, and hayfields, then higher into Ponderosa pine stands, mixed conifers, and right up into aspen-rimmed beaver bogs. Bird possibilities are as diverse as the habitats. Chukars sit atop basalt towers in the early morning, and brilliant Lazuli Buntings, noisy Yellow-breasted Chats, and tiny Calliope Hummingbirds are common near the canyon road. Say's Phoebe, Veery, Clark's Nutcracker, and Lewis's Woodpecker are regular, as are Cassin's Finch, Western Tanager, Bullock's Oriole, and Canyon Wren.
A day in the nearby sage and potholes country will see us in the home of nesting Sage Thrashers and Brewer's Sparrows, as well as lovely Clark's and Western grebes, American Avocets, Cinnamon Teal, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Our itinerary includes an optional excursion to search for Flammulated Owls.
Spring in the Washington Cascades: A Relaxed and Easy Tour, May 24-30, 2010 with Bob Sundstrom; $2,250 in double occupancy from Seattle.
The second tour, Rivers and Mountains of Oregon and Washington, will debut as an Introductory Tour. This departure begins in Portland, Oregon, a short distance from the towering basalt cliffs of the lower Columbia River Gorge, one of the most scenic places in the United States.
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American Dipper— Photo: Carl Sheely |
Besides offering great birding in a wonderful part of the country, this tour's focus is on increasing your interest in birding as well as teaching you how to become a more skilled birder. Field trips in search of the region's birdlife are complemented with discussions on a variety of relevant topics including the use of field marks to identify birds, birding by ear, and how to use your field guides and optical equipment.
On this tour we'll follow the oak-clad slopes of the Columbia Gorge east from Portland through varied habitats offering a wide variety of birds, other wildlife, and wildflowers. We'll spend two nights at Mt. Adams Lodge, which sits at the foot of 12,281 ft. Mt. Adams in the South Cascades. The comfortable lodge offers fine food and has a large area of forested grounds to explore. Nearby Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge hosts nesting Sandhill Cranes, White-headed Woodpeckers, and Gray Flycatchers. The mountains and foothill habitats nearby hold Hermit Warblers and many other species, from Western Tanagers and Northern Pygmy-Owls to Lark Sparrows and Lazuli Buntings. The oaks along the Columbia are a summer home to lovely Lewis's Woodpeckers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and lots of bluebirds. After two nights at the Lodge, we'll drive farther east along the Columbia Gorge to Oregon's Blue Mountains, where Great Gray and Flammulated owls and Northern Pygmy-Owl are good bets. Black-backed Woodpecker and Williamson's Sapsucker are among 11 woodpecker species possible on this trip. The scenic beauty and diversity of wildlife we'll experience on this tour promise a very memorable week.
Rivers and Mountains of Oregon and Washington: An Introductory Birding Tour, June 6-12, 2010 with Bob Sundstrom; $1,935 in double occupancy from Portland.
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: AN IDEAL INTRODUCTION TO THE TROPICS
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Green Honeycreeper— Photo: Brennan Mulrooney |
Every so often someone will ask me to suggest a place they can go to receive a good introduction to tropical birding. Through the years I have found that people who are ready to take on the Tropics hesitate to do so out of fear of dealing with an onslaught of hundreds of tropical birds, even bird families, they have never seen, or, in many cases, even heard of. In answering this question, several marvelous destinations come to mind, but the place that I find myself recommending over and over is Trinidad.
I am not alone in my thinking. Most birders who have visited Trinidad agree that it is perhaps the best place in the New World Tropics to gain an introduction, not only to tropical birds, but to South American birds as well. Lying barely 10 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Trinidad's birdlife is much like that of northern South America, but without the daunting variety. This, combined with the ease with which many birds can be seen, makes Trinidad a top choice for birders new to the Tropics, as well as more experienced observers who simply wish to savor the delights of tropical birding.
Trinidad's popularity is largely due to the Asa Wright Nature Centre, world-famous for its comfort, its food, and the stunning variety of birds that can be seen from the veranda and on the grounds, including the world's most accessible colony of Oilbirds. The lodge's nectar feeders and fruit trays pulsate with colorful honeycreepers and tanagers. Hummingbirds swarm the feeders: flashy White-necked Jacobins, miniature Tufted Coquettes, glittering Blue-chinned Sapphires, gorgeous Black-throated Mangoes, and others. The center is an ideal base from which to explore nearby habitats including freshwater and saltwater marshes, swamps, savanna, and mountain forest.
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White-necked Jacobin— Photo: David Tipling/Canopy Tower |
Each day on Trinidad offers new experiences. We'll see thousands of richly-hued Scarlet Ibis flying at sunset, one of the most memorable visions possible on any birding tour. Other spectacular tropical birds typical of Trinidad are White Hawk, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Red-bellied Macaw, Tufted Coquette, Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, Blue-crowned Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Channel-billed Toucan, Bearded Bellbird, Golden-headed Manakin, Purple Honeycreeper, and Turquoise Tanager.
Finally, another reason why I love recommending Trinidad is that it is so close to the United States. Commercial air service from a number of U.S. cities is available through several major airlines.
Trinidad, March 1-7, 2010 with David Ascanio and a local leader; $2,295 in double occupancy from Port of Spain.
If you wish to enhance your experiences in Trinidad, I urge you to consider our optional extension to nearby Tobago. This short trip offers birding in mangrove and dry forests, and a short boat trip to Little Tobago. We'll have good chances for seeing nesting Red-billed Tropicbirds and Blue-backed Manakins at a lek site.
Tobago Extension, March 7-10, 2010 with David Ascanio and a local leader; $1,325 in double occupancy from Port of Spain.
THAILAND HIGHLIGHTS: DAVID BISHOP TO CO-LEAD
I wanted to let you know that David Bishop will join Dion Hobcroft as co-leader of our Thailand Highlights tour that departs this February. Because of its great birding opportunities, renowned culture, and quality infrastructure, Thailand has consistently proven one of our most popular Asian destinations. Dion and David have led our Thailand tours for many years. These leaders, both knowledgeable and a lot of fun, make an outstanding team with which to experience such a dynamic country. Only 4 spaces remain available on this tour!
Thailand provides a perfect introduction to the birds and natural history of one of the most exciting and diverse regions on earth—Southeast Asia. You'll visit a variety of habitats and experience a marvelous diversity of Asian birdlife. Added attractions are the sensational food, fascinating culture, a myriad of incredible butterflies, and some very exciting mammals. While the pheasants are perhaps the most alluring birds, there is a vast array of characteristic Southeast Asian birds to bedazzle the birdwatcher, including pigeons, parakeets, trogons, hornbills, barbets, broadbills, pittas, minivets, bulbuls, and leafbirds.
Our Thailand Highlights tour departs February 23-March 14, 2010 with Dion Hobcroft and David Bishop; $5,495 in double occupancy from Bangkok.
TANZANIA
Space is still available on our Northern Tanzania tour this February. I have long felt that the three greatest wildlife viewing regions of the world are Antarctica, India, and East Africa. I have been to Tanzania twice before and regard it as among the most sensational places I've ever visited.
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African Elephants— Photo: Bill Denton |
The great national parks and game refuges of Tanzania host the world's most breathtaking wildlife spectacles. This region is an amazing place to visit at any time of the year, but in February and March it hosts an astounding gathering of over one million wildebeest, a half-million gazelle, and a quarter-million zebra concentrated together to calve on the short-grass plains prior to the start of the rainy season. This trip is without question one of our greatest adventures, where participants experience incredible birding and big game viewing on a daily basis. You'll see elephant, giraffe, zebra, lion, leopard, and cheetah in the famous locations of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara, Tarangire, and Lake Victoria. The birdlife of northern Tanzania is marvelous, where participants are practically guaranteed of seeing a wonderful diversity of landbirds and waterbirds.
Our Northern Tanzania tour departs February 23-March 11, 2010 with Peter Roberts; $8,295 in double occupancy from Arusha. 4 spaces remain.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I will be leaving Austin this week to co-lead our Wild Edge of the Pacific cruise and will not return home until just before Christmas. Since this is my final opportunity of the year to share with you the news from VENT, I want to wish you all a very happy holiday season and a wonderful start to the new year.
Despite coming through some challenging times, 2009 will also be remembered as a year filled with travel to some wonderful destinations and good times spent with family and friends.
I hope to see you on a VENT tour in 2010.
Best wishes,
Victor Emanuel