VENTflash #122 May 10, 2011
Posted by Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel
Victor Emanuel started birding in Texas 64 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,
For birders and naturalists, every season brings its special events. This is especially true of the springtime, when every day brings perceptible changes in bird migration and the growth of trees and plants. One of the most anticipated and appreciated spring phenomena is the return of the warblers—those "butterflies of the bird world," whose brilliant colors and active movements are among the most vivid expressions of life. Not surprisingly, warblers are the favorite birds of many birders.
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Victor Emanuel & Peter Matthiessen |
In late April, my old friend and renowned author Peter Matthiessen came to Texas to attend a couple of conservation related functions and to do a little birding. I had arranged two events in Austin on successive evenings where Peter and I shared a stage together in conversation. Peter is the only author to have won the National Book Award for works of fiction and non-fiction, and his appearances in front of disparate audiences allowed him to share thoughts on a career spent writing, as well as some of the adventures that played formative roles in his life. The real allure of his trip here, however, was the chance for him to get his "warbler fix." His schedule permitted only one full day of birding, and I knew where we had to go—High Island on the Upper Texas Coast.
On a day with wind from the south, we might have seen only a few species of warblers, but on the day we arrived at High Island, the wind had shifted to the north. As we went through the gate at Houston Audubon's Scout Woods sanctuary, we were greeted immediately by a Black-throated Green Warbler in a small pecan tree at eye level only 15 feet away! Through the remaining two hours of the day and all the next day, Peter saw 18 species of warblers, including numbers of Magnolias and Blackburnians, two of the most beautiful warblers. Another highlight was seeing two male Golden-winged Warblers in the same binocular view at nearby Smith Woods. We also saw a wonderful selection of other migrants during our time in the field including Painted and Indigo buntings, Summer Tanagers, Baltimore and Orchard orioles, and many others. Peter was so delighted that he wrote in the guest book at my beach house that he intends to come back every year to get his warbler fix. Nothing could make me happier.
In this issue:
POLAR BEARS OF CHURCHILL: NEW DISCOUNT AVAILABLE
AUGUST BRAZIL TOURS
VICTOR EMANUEL FEATURED IN TEXAS MONTHLY
KENYA: BIRDS & WILDLIFE
EXCITING SCHEDULE ADDITIONS: BOLIVIA TOURS
GRAND BORNEO
TOUR LEADER NEWS
SUMMER TOURS WITH REMAINING SPACE
CLOSING THOUGHTS
POLAR BEARS OF CHURCHILL: NEW DISCOUNT AVAILABLE
Churchill, Manitoba is widely recognized as the world's premier site for observing and photographing polar bears. This fall, VENT will return to the tundra country along the shores of Hudson Bay for another Polar Bears of Churchill tour, November 5-11, 2011 with Brennan Mulrooney. A discount of $1,000 per person is available to anyone who registers before June 15. The fee for this tour is $5,595 in double occupancy from Winnipeg; register before June 15 and pay $4,595.
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Polar Bears— Photo: Doug Hanna |
VENT offered the very first polar bear tour in October 1980, a tour I co-led with Peter Matthiessen. At the time, the idea of a trip designed for the sole purpose of seeing and studying polar bears was so unique that our tour earned a segment on the television show CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt. For most of the last 30 years, VENT has continued taking people to Churchill to witness the seasonal gathering of the bears along southwest Hudson Bay, an event I regard as one of nature's greatest spectacles.
This tour spends four days in Churchill where, for several weeks each fall, there are more polar bears than any other place in the world. Traveling aboard Tundra Buggies, you will see numbers of these magnificent creatures at very close range, including mothers with cubs and enormous males. The diversity of birds is light, but the species that remain are among the far north's hardiest inhabitants, including such favorites as Common Eider, Gyrfalcon, Willow and Rock ptarmigan, Purple Sandpiper, Snowy Owl, and Snow Bunting.
Among the reasons to consider the VENT tour to Churchill:
* Our tour fee includes internal round-trip airfare from Winnipeg to Churchill and back.
* The tour fee is considerably less expensive than what is offered by any other operator.
* You will see 20-30 bears per day!
* This tour will not be offered again for at least two years.
Polar Bears of Churchill, November 5-11, 2011 with Brennan Mulrooney; $5,595 in double occupancy from Winnipeg (fee includes internal air ticket); Register before June 15, 2011 and receive a $1,000 discount.
AUGUST BRAZIL TOURS
This August we will operate a two-part Grand Brazil tour that emphasizes the two major regions for which South America's largest country is best known: the mighty Amazon rainforest and the seasonally flooded savanna grasslands known as the Pantanal.
Part one of our Grand Brazil tour emphasizes the fabulous Cristalino Jungle Lodge and the extraordinary diversity of the Amazonian rainforest; part two, the Pantanal, showcases South America's finest wildlife viewing area. I have been to the Pantanal before, and I regard it as the one place in the Western Hemisphere that rivals Africa and India for its sheer quantity of birds, mammals, and other wildlife.
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Birds of Brazil by R. Ridgely, G. Tudor, J. A. Gwynne & M. Argel |
In addition to its tremendous wildlife, Brazil is also one of the most stable and economically successful countries in Latin America. Brazilian people are very friendly, and welcome visitors to their country. All these qualities make for a delightful travel experience. Either tour may be taken singly, or combined for an "ultimate" Brazil experience. Space is still available on both tours.
A recent development that is certain to be welcomed by birders traveling to the Pantanal is the publication of the field guide, Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil: The Pantanal and Cerrado of Central Brazil. This book, the first in a planned five-volume series, provides thorough coverage of the birdlife of one of the most outstanding regions of the country. Among the book's contributors are renowned tropical ornithologist Robert Ridgely, and famed artists John A. Gwynne and Guy Tudor. The book can be ordered from OnlineNatureMall.com through the VENT website or through other online resources.
Grand Brazil Part I: Alta Floresta's Cristalino Jungle Lodge, August 5-15, 2011 with Kevin Zimmer; $4,100 in double occupancy from Cuiaba.
Part one of our Grand Brazil tour focuses on the Amazonian rainforest in the Alta Floresta region of northern Mato Grosso state. Our base for this tour, the Cristalino Jungle Lodge, is located in the heart of a vast forest reserve along a beautiful blackwater river. It also happens to be an avian gold mine, having everything that makes Neotropical rainforest birding exciting—a site list of nearly 600 species of birds; huge mixed-species flocks careening through the canopy and understory; parties of antbirds attending army ant swarms; colorful dancing manakins; parrots, macaws, toucans, and cotingas; several species of primates; butterflies galore; and numerous rare and/or highly localized species that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere. As if this were not enough, a pair of Harpy Eagles has nested locally several times in the past decade, offering visitors an excellent opportunity to see this magnificent raptor. Furthermore, the lodge boasts good accommodations, great food, an extensive trail system, and a wonderful canopy tower.
Grand Brazil Part II: Pantanal Safari & Chapada dos Guimaraes, August 13-25 with Kevin Zimmer; $4,895 in double occupancy from Cuiaba.
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Greater Rhea— Photo: Hernan Goni/Seriema Nature Tours |
Part two of our Grand Brazil tour visits the extraordinary Brazilian Pantanal, one of the premier wildlife viewing regions in the world. Seasonally flooded savannas brim with birds and mammals while the entire region is one of the birdiest locations on the planet.
The abundance and diversity of large mammals—capybara, marsh deer, black howler monkeys, giant anteater, Brazilian tapir, giant otter, crab-eating fox, coatimundi, ocelot, and even jaguar—coupled with throngs of herons, ibis, storks, raptors, and kingfishers—is reminiscent of Africa. Our recent track record for finding jaguar at this season has been excellent, and we will make a concerted effort to find this most magnificent of New World cats. Among the avian prizes we'll seek are Greater Rhea, Maguari Stork, Jabiru, Plumbeous Ibis, Southern Screamer, Blue-throated Piping-Guan, Bare-faced Curassow, Sunbittern, the incomparable Hyacinth Macaw, Golden-collared Macaw, Toco Toucan, White Woodpecker, and Red-billed Scythebill.
Autumn Brazil Tours
If you are unable to join us for any of these summer tours, please note that our program of Southeastern Brazil tours will operate this fall, all still with spaces available and all offering equally marvelous birding.
Southeastern Brazil Part I: Paraná, Santa Catarina & Rio Grande do Sul, October 1-12, 2011 with Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker; $4,395 in double occupancy from Curitiba (ends in Pôrto Alegre).
Southeastern Brazil Part II: Heart of the Atlantic Forest & the Serra do Mar, October 10-26, 2011 with Kevin Zimmer and Andrew Whittaker; $5,945 in double occupancy from Sao Paulo (ends in Rio de Janeiro).
Southeastern Brazil Part III: Espirito Santo's Montane & Lowland Endemics, October 24-November 3, 2011 with Andrew Whittaker and Kevin Zimmer; $3,495 from Vítoria.
VICTOR EMANUEL FEATURED IN TEXAS MONTHLY
The May 2011 issue of Texas Monthly magazine honors Victor Emanuel with a feature length article entitled The Birdman of Texas. The piece, written by senior editor Katy Vine, profiles the life of the Texas native son from his days as a fledgling birder in Houston through his early professional careers teaching government and running political campaigns, to his ultimate calling as the founder and president of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours. While informative, the article's purpose, and real strength, resides in its effective profiling of a man with a lifelong love affair with nature, especially birds, and his ability to convey his words, feelings, and enthusiasm for it to others. The article makes for a good and easy read, and will carry extra meaning for anyone who knows Victor or who has traveled with him.
The Birdman of Texas article is available on the Texas Monthly website for free until June 10, 2011. Afterward, you will need to be a current subscriber to the magazine.
And for even more about Victor, the Texas Monthly website offers several Web Exclusives, all of which are available in their entirety indefinitely:
* Rare Bird, a Q & A with Katy Vine, offers 'the story behind the story.'
* Read about some of Victor's favorite birds in These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things.
* For The Birds is a short video of Victor taken at Hornsby Bend, Victor's favorite Austin birding area.
Enjoy—and let us know what you think!
KENYA: BIRDS & WILDLIFE
In advance of this year's Kenya Birds and Wildlife tour, October 28-November 15, 2011, we are offering a $500 discount for anyone who registers for this departure before June 1.
Through the years I have become accustomed to answering the following question: "If I could visit only one African country, which should I choose?" My emphatic answer is always KENYA. I have been fortunate in visiting seven countries in eastern and southern Africa, and while each has its special charms, Kenya remains my favorite African destination. So why do I rate Kenya as the choice of the best African country to visit? The answer lies in a certain, almost palpable, magic that is conveyed through the incredible variety of birds, big game wildlife, culture, and landscapes that are found here. From the arid country of the north to the montane habitats and rainforests of the west to the plains of the Masai Mara of the south, Kenya, in my opinion, offers more variety than any other part of Africa.
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Elephants at Samburu, Kenya— Photo: Victor Emanuel |
Contrary to certain myths, Kenya still contains abundant wildlife and beautiful parks and game reserves. It is no more crowded with tourists than other African countries and its lodges, drivers, and safari vehicles are all excellent.
VENT has been operating tours to Kenya for over 30 years. Our tour is led by David Wolf, one of VENT's most accomplished, skilled, and popular leaders. David has been to Kenya dozens of times, and I can attest that his fund of knowledge about the country and its wildlife is truly awesome.
I wanted to share a few notable passages from the tour report David prepared following our 2010 departure as I believe they capture nicely the vibrancy of a Kenyan wildlife safari.
In Samburu National Park:
"Large flocks of Vulturine Guineafowl were seen daily, seed-eating birds were numerous, and birds of prey of all sizes and shapes were finding food in the region, including a Martial Eagle at a nest with a tiny chick, an Eastern Chanting-Goshawk mantling and feeding on a snake right next to the vehicle, and a stunning little Red-necked Falcon chasing the flocks of weavers. Plenty of forage was still available for the mammals too, and several times we found ourselves surrounded by sizable herds of elephants so close it seemed we could almost touch them. Many looks were had at the strange gerenuk ("giraffe-antelope"), and we never tired of the numerous dik-dik, tallying almost 100 in one day. Our final morning here began with 4 delightfully tame greater kudu strolling around the lodge grounds, a skulking pair of gorgeous Gray-headed Bushshrikes, and a vigorously calling Black Cuckoo. As we worked our way out of the reserve, we lucked into a leopard that proceeded to leave its dense thicket and casually stroll past the safari vehicles as if it couldn't have cared less!"
In the Masai Mara Game Reserve:
"On a magical first day here we found lions, two cheetahs, a sleepy black rhino, and rare Rufous-bellied Herons, Temminck's Coursers, and Long-toed Lapwings. It was only as we neared the Tanzania border, where there had been a bit of rain to green up the grasslands, that we began seeing wildebeest. In fact, as we topped a low hill, we realized that there were countless thousands of them filling the valleys below. We had caught up with the great migration, and to just sit quietly amidst this spectacle was an indescribable experience. The following days produced more great sightings, including beautiful Ross's Turacos and a Narina Trogon, but the ultimate Mara surprise came late one afternoon, when James, our very talented young Masai driver-guide, spotted a magnificent large leopard draped over the branches of a riverine tree."
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Cheetah— Photo: Bill Denton |
David's bird and mammal lists for our 2010 tour make abundantly clear how rich Kenya is in birds and wildlife. They recorded 563 species of birds and 57 species of mammals including such marvelous creatures as Saddle-billed Stork, Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Gray Crowned-Crane, Great Blue and Ross's turacos, African Emerald Cuckoo, Narina and Bar-tailed trogon, African Pygmy Kingfisher, nine species of colorful bee-eaters, and twenty-two sunbirds. Included in the mammal list were bat-eared fox, leopard, lion, cheetah, black and white rhinos, eland, gerenuk, and 16 other species of antelope.
David concluded his bird and wildlife safari by writing that the trip provided "a lifetime of memories of the biological and cultural richness of East Africa."
I know you would have a marvelous time in Kenya. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity.
Kenya Birds and Wildlife, October 28-November 15, 2011 with David Wolf and Brian Gibbons; $9,875 in double occupancy from Nairobi.
Masai Mara Extension, November 14-19, 2011 with David Wolf and Brian Gibbons; $3,845 in double occupancy from Nairobi.
EXCITING SCHEDULE ADDITIONS: BOLIVIA TOURS
I am excited to announce the addition of two Bolivia tours to our 2011 fall schedule.
With over 1,300 species of birds and a range of mammals, Bolivia remains an often overlooked destination. This is unfortunate because Bolivia is actually a marvelous place to visit, where superior birding opportunities are matched by an array of outstanding scenic attractions. The first of these trips visits the rich eastern lowlands while the second, and longer of the two, explores the many facets of the incomparable Andes. These tours will be limited to eight participants and will be led by Steve Hilty. Steve is one of VENT's longest serving leaders and an expert on South American ornithology.
I hope you will consider joining one or both of these fine tours.
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Lake Titicaca— Photo: Steve Hilty |
Bolivia: Eastern Lowlands, Beni Grasslands, and the Blue-throated Macaw, October 1-7, 2011 with Steve Hilty and a local leader; $2,550 in double occupancy from Santa Cruz. Limit 8.
This weeklong trip to Bolivia's eastern lowlands is designed for those with limited vacation time while providing superb birding in a place where birds are abundant and easy to see. Based in two locations, our activities will emphasize observation of the highly endangered Blue-throated Macaw, in addition to a spectacular array of other birds. Several years ago we set a VENT record here, seeing 213 species in a single day, an indication of just how readily birds can be seen here. The mosaic of habitats in the region, including marshes, grasslands, scrub, forest islands, and riverine forest, harbors seven species of macaws, as well as Greater Rheas, many waders, waterfowl, raptors, and much more. This trip provides an exciting precursor, as well as a striking contrast, to our second trip which focuses on the Andes.
Bolivia: Foothills, Cloudforests, and the Altiplano, October 6-18, 2011 with Steve Hilty and a local leader; $3,380 in double occupancy from Santa Cruz. Limit 8.
This trip concentrates on the mountainous western half of Bolivia and features an epic elevational transect from the lowlands and foothills to the altiplano (high elevation plateau). From low altitude grassland and scrub our route progresses upward through an incredible succession of habitats and ecosystems that include a rain-shadow desert, cloud forest, and elfin woodland before culminating at puna grassland at 12,000 feet. The concept of this tour is a broad survey of the birds, wildlife, and scenery of the Bolivian Andes. We are sure to see Andean Condors, endemic Short-winged Grebes, three species of resident flamingos, the rare Red-fronted Macaw, high-energy hummingbirds, colorful tanagers, high elevation passerines, and numerous other endemic or range-restricted species. Among the scenic highlights are innumerable impressions of the famed Andes and the high elevation Lake Titicaca. A range of colorful villages and markets will be in evidence throughout most of our journey as well.
GRAND BORNEO
In my opinion, Borneo is one of the top 10 birding and wildlife destinations in the world. The birds are plentiful, exotic, rare, and colorful, and the spectacular megafauna includes orangutans, Borneo pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, clouded leopards, and a profusion of "flying" animals—flying squirrels, gliding frogs, geckoes, lizards, and even an airborne snake.
VENT will operate two tours to Borneo this summer. Our Best of Borneo, tour will be led by David Bishop and will visit the three most important birding and wildlife viewing regions on the island: the Danum Valley, magnificent Mt. Kinabalu National Park, and the Kinabatangan River, while our Grand Borneo tour in September, with David Bishop and Dion Hobcroft, offers all of this but goes further by including more time at the wonderful Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the Danum Valley and a night at the Abai Lodge for extra time in a magical lowland forest.
Both of these tours have proven popular this year. The Best of Borneo tour is sold out while a few spaces remain available on Grand Borneo.
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Bornean orangutan— Photo: K. David Bishop |
Best of Borneo, July 23-August 5, 2011 with David Bishop; $6,595 in double occupancy from Kota Kinabalu. Sold Out! Waitlist available.
Grand Borneo, September 12-27, 2011 with David Bishop and Dion Hobcroft; $8,995 in double occupancy from Kota Kinabalu.
The thrill of a trip to Borneo cannot be overstated. The sheer quantity of birds and mammals that occupy the island's magnificent tropical forests provides visitors with one of the finest rainforest experiences on the planet. In addition to the extraordinary collection of primates, leopards, elephants, and flying mammals and reptiles found here, visitors are treated to a panoply of rare and beautiful birds including pheasants, parakeets, trogons, kingfishers, hornbills, broadbills, bulbuls, sunbirds, and more.
The highlight of this tour, which already includes a visit to famed Mt. Kinabalu and exploring the riverine forests along the Kinabatangan River, is a stay at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge. Located in the heart of the Danum Valley, the lodge is considered by many the finest, most beautiful accommodation in Southeast Asia. Our four nights here provide an enviable opportunity to enjoy the incredible richness of the tropical forest haven surrounding the lodge. As we have found on previous tours, just getting away from the veranda is a major undertaking, as Black-and-red Broadbills and White-crowned Shamas dazzle guests virtually from the balcony. Once in the forest, we have entered the realm of the orangutan, or the "wild man of Borneo," clearly one of the world's most captivating animals and one we have an excellent chance to see. In a tour report from his last Borneo tour, David wrote, "Barely had we stepped a couple of meters from the lodge than we encountered our first orangutan, a sub-adult male feeding greedily immediately above the trail." However, it isn't only the birds and mammals that give the place its allure. Just being in the presence of a pristine forest, in the shade of gigantic old growth trees, is a peaceful and rejuvenating experience.
Sarawak Extension, September 26-October 4, 2011 with David Bishop and Dion Hobcroft; $4,995 in double occupancy from Kota Kinabalu (ends in Kuching).
Register for Grand Borneo and the Sarawak Extension and receive a $400 combined tour discount. If you are already registered on Sarawak, or register before June 1, you will receive a $100.00 discount (Note: the $100 discount is also available to those taking the Sarawak tour only). Register for both tours before June 1 and receive a $500.00 total discount!
For the first time, we are offering an extension to the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. Very few, if any, other bird tour companies visit this fascinating part of Borneo; however, David Bishop has just spent six weeks exploring Sarawak and is very excited about leading VENT's inaugural tour there. We will visit the magnificent World Heritage Site, Mount Mulu National Park, where a five-star lodge permits wonderful forest birding while based in real comfort. Among the highlights are chances for such highly prized Bornean endemics as the exquisite Hose's Broadbill, Bulwer's Pheasant, Crestless Fireback, and several mammals. The extension concludes with a couple of days in the mountains above Kuching, arguably the best place in the world to see the elusive Pygmy White-eye, Bornean and Mountain barbets, and the enigmatic Fruithunter. This is also a good place to see the lovely Blue-banded Pitta.
So join us on what promises to be an unforgettable trip into a rarely visited and yet very attractive and little-known part of Borneo.
TOUR LEADER NEWS
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Newlyweds: Elena & Josh Drahn— Photo: Mimi Wolf |
From time to time I enjoy sharing news about professional or personal developments in the lives of VENT tour leaders. On this occasion I am pleased to announce the marriage of Elena Wolf, daughter of David and Mimi Wolf, to Josh Drahn in New Orleans on Mardi Gras, March 8, 2011.
Elena and Josh are living in New Orleans, where they recently bought a house. Elena is working in the library at Tulane University and Josh has a job as a shore tankerman on the Mississippi River.
David and Mimi live in Nacogdoches, Texas. David has led tours for VENT since 1977 and is recognized as one of the most skilled and knowledgeable tour leaders in the business. He has guided tours all over the world and has developed expertise on the birds and natural history of a remarkable number of areas. While he is comfortable guiding almost any place, David is especially proficient with the birds of North America, Central America, Ecuador, Peru, and Kenya. David is known as a highly skilled birder, but of equal importance, he is also known as a first-rate naturalist. Mimi has led tours on a part-time basis for VENT for more than 20 years, having co-led trips with David to Ecuador and Costa Rica.
We congratulate the newlyweds and wish them well in their new lives together.
SUMMER TOURS WITH REMAINING SPACE
While early-to-middle May is typically a time for reveling in the joys of the High Spring season, this period is also when many of us begin making summer travel plans. I wanted you to know that spaces are still available on a range of our summer tours. Many of these trips are based here in North America while others will operate in exciting international destinations.
Churchill, June 12-18, 2011 with Jeri Langham; $3,450 in double occupancy from Winnipeg. 2 spaces available.
The Hudson Bay community of Churchill is legendary for its outstanding early summer birding. The profusion of birds found here includes a variety of migrants and seldom seen far-north nesting species such as jaegers, Common Eider, Hudsonian Godwit, Little Gull, Boreal Chickadee, Bohemian Waxwing, Harris's Sparrow, Smith's Longspur, Hoary Redpoll, and others. Beluga whales are seen most years as well.
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Elegant Trogon— Photo: Kevin Zimmer |
Avian Jewels of Arizona, July 17-24, 2011 with Barry Zimmer and Brennan Mulrooney; $2,180 in double occupancy from Tucson. 4 spaces available.
Visit the famed birding mecca of Southeast Arizona during its "second spring." We will seek the majority of the specialty birds for which the region is known while spending time amid beautiful canyons, forests, and grasslands. Barry Zimmer leads this weeklong trip with an emphasis on finding such avian jewels as Red-faced Warbler, Elegant Trogon, Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher, Montezuma Quail, up to a dozen hummingbird species, Mexican strays, and many others.
The Pacific Northwest: An Introductory Birding Tour, July 22-26, 2011 with Bob Sundstrom and another leader to be announced; $1,555 in double occupancy from Seattle. 4 spaces available.
Washington's Olympic Peninsula is blessed with towering forests, stunning mountain scenery, and marine waters teeming with bird life. On this Introductory Tour, we'll encounter a suite of birds that reflect the region's considerable geographic and botanical diversity. In the process, we will not only see a range of Pacific Coast specialty birds, but take time to learn the basics of birding including the use of field marks and field guides to identify birds, understanding habitats, and learning bird songs. Tufted Puffin, Marbled Murrelet, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Sooty Grouse, Varied Thrush, and Townsend's Warbler are some of the species we may encounter.
Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia, August 6-22, 2011 with Geoff Lockwood; $12,895 in double occupancy from Windhoek (ends in Livingstone). 1 space available.
Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia—these little-known countries offer some of the greatest wildlife viewing on the African continent. We will divide our time between them, contrasting the arid hills and plains of Namibia with the lush swamps and woodland of Botswana's Okavango Delta region. We will focus on two major areas: Etosha National Park and the Okavango Delta, where we'll immerse ourselves amid some of the greatest birding and mammal viewing spectacles in the world. The tour ends in Livingstone, Zambia and affords participants the opportunity to see Victoria Falls, a roaring wall of water that is one of the great sights of Africa. Tour highlights include the extraordinary waterhole wildlife shows of Etosha; incredible birding at Shakawe and the Okavango River Delta; Victoria Falls; and opportunities to stay at tented camps and luxury lodges.
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Ambua Lodge, Papua New Guinea— Photo: David Bishop |
Papua New Guinea, August 12-22, 2011 with Dion Hobcroft; $6,995 in double occupancy from Brisbane. 4 spaces available.
We have dramatically modified our August Papua New Guinea tour so that it is now considerably shorter and less costly! Our summer tour has been reduced in length to a very manageable 11 days. We will still spend time at Ambua, one of the best lodges in the world for birds, and visit Kumul, where a number of birds-of-paradise come to feeders. New Guinea is among the world's top birding destinations, home to huge, flightless cassowaries; a gorgeous array of doves, parrots, and kingfishers; and exquisite fairywrens and bowerbirds; in addition to a fascinating assortment of reptiles and amphibians, and a plethora of butterflies, including the spectacular birdwings. Furthermore, New Guinea boasts remarkable cultural attractions.
Grand California, August 13-25, 2011 with Jeri Langham; $4,225 in double occupancy from San Francisco. 1 space available.
California is our country's most geographically diverse state and perhaps its most beautiful. From the mountains to the coast, the "Golden State" exhibits a superb set of landscapes home to an equally marvelous birdlife. Highlights of this tour include visits to the redwoods of Muir Woods, Lake Tahoe, ancient bristlecone pine forests, hallowed Mono Lake, and peerless Yosemite National Park. We anticipate finding such special birds as Greater Sage-Grouse, Nuttall's Woodpecker, California Thrasher, Wrentit, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Tricolored Blackbird, Lawrence's Goldfinch, and Yellow-billed Magpie.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike's strike on the Upper Texas Coast in September 2008, the Bolivar Peninsula, southeast of Houston, was a dramatically transformed place. Scenes of devastation were the norm for much of the first year after the storm, and many familiar landmarks were simply washed away. The recovery period began almost immediately after the storm, and indeed, it has been remarkable to watch the communities of the peninsula come back to life, but it has taken me a long time to adjust to seeing a place I have known all my life so radically changed.
This spring I made it down to my beach house at Bolivar five times. I am very happy to report that the peninsula looks better than at any time since the storm hit and that my favorite birding areas are in excellent condition. Each of my visits was different and each provided wonderful experiences. On my first trip in mid-March, I was thrilled to see 10,000 American Avocets in front of my house. Later, my yard had a beautiful display of bluebonnets. At other times I saw terrific selections of warblers and other migrant birds.
On my last trip, over the past weekend, I savored the last of the migrants and the hundred or so avocets that had not yet left. A new treat was seeing Black-bellied Plovers in full breeding plumage. This species winters on the Bolivar Peninsula and breeds on the tundra of northern Canada and western Alaska. In winter they are a study in gray and white, but when they are in breeding dress, they are stunningly attired in deep black, white, and gray. During this time they are one of the world's most handsome shorebirds and a joy to behold.
Each part of each season presents us with wonderful aspects of the natural world. I hope you have enjoyed a fine spring.
Best wishes,
Victor Emanuel