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Catch up on the latest news from Victor Emanuel Nature Tours by reading the latest VENTFLASH.
New Year at Panama's Canopy Tower
Tony Nunnery: March 12, 2010
It is no secret that Panama is one of the premier birding destinations in the Neotropics. Even less a secret is the Canopy Tower, a premier birding destination near Panama City. One quickly becomes aware of its fame by the numerous magazine covers featuring the Canopy Tower that are found framed and hung around the dining area of the Tower itself. There are good reasons for so many magazines wishing to do a cover story about the Canopy Tower, one being its ideal location within the Soberania ...
Panama: Christmas at El Valle's Canopy Lodge Pre-trip
Tony Nunnery: March 12, 2010
With its incredibly active banana feeding stations for the birds, very comfortable accommodations, pleasant climate, and various birding locations nearby, the Canopy Lodge in El Valle is a great way to spend the holiday season. And although its location in the foothills cannot quite match the diversity of the lower location of the Canal Zone, it does offer a good opportunity to see a group of birds that do not wander from their higher altitudes. Knowing that we would have the chance to see th...
VENTFLASH #107
Victor Emanuel: March 12, 2010
Dear friends,I recently returned from co-leading our birding and natural history cruise of the Lesser Antilles. For this wonderful trip we chartered the historic Sea Cloud, a vessel we have used on three previous occasions for this same program. Once again, we visited the five remarkable islands that form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean: St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. Like a string of pearls, these Caribbean islands are unique and beautiful, and each ...
Interior Secretary Salazar Presents: State of the Birds 2010
Victor Emanuel: March 12, 2010
Yesterday, March 11, I attended an event of considerable importance to the world of birds and to me personally. United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar came to Austin, Texas for a press conference to announce the release of the 2010 State of the Birds report. The ceremony was held at the Zilker Botanical Garden, only a few minutes from the VENT office, on a beautiful spring-like day. My friend and naturalist Greg Lasley was the official event photographer. Also present with Secret...
Short West Mexico 2
Brian Gibbons: March 05, 2010
From the cool pines and oaks above Provincia to the sun-baked beach in the hidden bay of Tehuamixtle, we birded a multitude of habitats ranging from beach and saltwater lagoons along the coast to thorn, broadleaf, pine oak forests and evergreen forest residing in just a small drainage above Provincia. Finding 251 species in six days was a lot of work, but we still had time to enjoy breaded oysters, grilled dorado, guacamole, limonadas, and tons of Bonnie's wonderful breads and Pat's s...
The Sierra Madre
Brian Gibbons: March 05, 2010
Heading up into the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and San Sebastian del Oeste is like going back in time. If it weren't for the pickups and power lines you could easily think it was more than 200 years ago. Narrow cobbled streets with chickens and donkeys are not your typical twenty-first century scene. We enjoyed the quaint colonial town and its wonderful dining. Pipian sauce, mole, enchiladas, grilled panela cheese, chiles rellenos, and some amazing Italian food kept our ener...
Short West Mexico 1
Brian Gibbons: March 05, 2010
From the cool pines and oaks above Provincia to the sun-baked beach in the hidden bay of Tehuamixtle, we birded a multitude of habitats ranging from beach and saltwater lagoons along the coast to thorn, broadleaf, pine oak forests with evergreen forest residing in just a small drainage above Provincia. Finding 250 species in six days was a lot of work, but we still had time to enjoy breaded oysters, grilled Dorado, guacamole, limonadas, dozens of shrimp, and tons of Bonnie's wonderful bre...
Winter Washington and British Columbia
Bob Sundstrom: March 04, 2010
Our 2010 Winter Washington and British Columbia tour was favored by a week of almost spring-like weather, amid sunny days, blue skies, and temperatures reaching into the 50s. The tour route began in Seattle, then ran south along Puget Sound to Nisqually, and then back north to the Olympic Peninsula where we spent two nights near Port Angeles. From there, we crossed to Vancouver Island and then on to mainland British Columbia before returning to the north Puget Sound region. Birding extensivel...
Panama's Canopy Tower & El Valle
Jeri Langham: February 22, 2010
Myriads of magazine articles have touted Panama's incredible Canopy Tower Ecolodge built by Raúl Arias de Para when the U.S. relinquished control of the Panama Canal Zone. It sits atop 900-foot Semaphore Hill overlooking Soberania National Park. While its rooms are rather spartan due to being a refurbished radar tower, the food is excellent and the opportunity to view birds from above the treetops is outstanding. Twenty minutes away is the start of the famous Pipeline Road, possibl...
Ecuador: Eastern Slope of the Andes
David Wolf: February 18, 2010
There were two consistent themes to our delightful week spent on the east-slope of the Andes. One was the spectacular scenery. This transect through the mountains is stunning, from the snow-capped peaks and waving bunch-grass of the páramo down the deep valleys to the luxuriant forests of the foothills. The other was water—and the amazing cycle from the Andes to the Amazon and back again. We spent time in the clouds, under them, and a few times getting damp from them. They hung a...
Ecuador: Amazonia at Napo Wildlife Center
David Wolf: February 18, 2010
To visit the Napo Wildlife Center is to enter another realm, one so totally different from our own that it is easy to feel "lost." Here we leave the familiar behind and enter the world of the Amazonian rainforest. For our local guides, however, this forest is home, and they know it intimately. Almost as soon as we had arrived they began to put their knowledge and formidable skills to work for us, spotting a lovely male Black-tailed Trogon as we started down the trail. Our exploratio...
Venezuela: Hato Pinero New Year
Jeri Langham: February 16, 2010
As a trained ecologist, I believe Hato Piñero is a world-class example of how cattle ranching and conservation can go hand in hand. They even have a research station where scientists from around the world stay while conducting studies in the varied habitats available here. However, if you have been thinking about this tour for several years, make sure you go this December, as it may be the last one! The Venezuelan government takes over the ranch in February of 2010. The equally large H...
Winter Southern California
Brad Schram: February 04, 2010
A week of violent storms in Southern California preceded our tour of San Diego County and the Imperial Valley, causing some anxiety about our possibilities. No worries! We traveled and birded in excellent weather, the air crisp and scrubbed, the landscapes luminous in saturated light. And such varied and dramatic landscapes! Our route stretched from the San Diego coast over the Cuyamaca Mountains, approximately 4,000 feet in altitude at snowy Paso Picacho Campground, through rugged Anza-Borre...
Winter Southern Arizona
Barry Zimmer: January 27, 2010
Despite some of the most challenging weather that I have ever encountered on a tour, our recent Winter Southern Arizona tour was hugely successful. Normally this trip enjoys mild conditions, with warm, sunny skies. This year, however, a series of fronts brought us instead a steady dose of wind, rain, and even some snow. Our bird list did not reflect the weather situation, however. With four full days of birding based out of Tucson, we enjoyed a bounty of rarities, hard-to-find southwestern sp...
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: GALAPAGOS CRUISE DISCOUNT
Victor Emanuel: January 26, 2010
Dear Friends,Throughout a lifetime of travel, it seems that never more than a few years go by before I feel a need to return to the Galapagos Islands. Still wild and largely unspoiled, it is perhaps the perfect travel destination. I cannot think of many other places, except Antarctica, where the wildlife is so totally unafraid and approachable. Although there are many reasons why I love the Galapagos, and recommend it to others, it is the closeness to wildlife that I find so irresistible.Wave...
Belize: Chan Chich New Year
David Wolf: January 25, 2010
Simply put, Chan Chich has it all—delightful cabins set in a small clearing on a Mayan archaeological site, a wonderful variety of gourmet dishes to choose from for our daily meals, and, most importantly, almost unlimited access to a vast expanse of subtropical moist forest. Hunting has been prohibited on this huge private reserve for decades now, and amidst this forest can be found almost all of the indicator species of true Central American wilderness, the large birds and animal...
Winter New Mexico
Barry Zimmer: January 22, 2010
Once again our Winter New Mexico tour was filled with wonderful highlights. Despite generally cold weather, caused by the massive Arctic front that gripped much of the nation in early January, the birds put on a show. Beginning in El Paso the first afternoon, we enjoyed the amazing spectacle of an estimated 8,000 Yellow-headed Blackbirds coming in to roost in one spot late in the evening. The ground, roofs, and trees were literally covered in black and yellow. The next day we scoured the rive...
Mexico: Oaxaca Christmas Birds and Culture
Héctor Gómez de Silva: January 21, 2010
The city of Oaxaca is like a hub for birders in this birdiest state of Mexico. Different ecosystems are to be found to the north, east, west, and south of the city, and, as a consequence, hundreds of bird species, many of them endemic to Mexico (or even just the state of Oaxaca), are readily encountered in short to moderate-length day-trips from the city. The city is also one of the most culturally interesting parts of Mexico, and Christmas is one of the most culturally interesting times to v...
Brazil: Alta Floresta's Cristalino Jungle Lodge
Andrew Whittaker: January 20, 2010
"Here she comes!" We watched spellbound as the huge Harpy Eagle powered its way through the canopy before landing on the rim of its massive nest. The majestic predator closed its wings and proceeded to transfer a large opossum from its mighty talons to its four-month-old youngster. A flurry of excitement shot through the group as superb scope studies were secured, and camera shutters whirred as we all captured this special moment. Just seeing the world's most powerful raptor is ...
VENTFLASH #106
Victor Emanuel: January 11, 2010
Dear Friends,On the last afternoon of the year I walked a path at Hornsby Bend, my favorite local birding area, with a friend. It was a gorgeous day under a bright blue sky with mild temperatures. There was no wind, making it seem as though time was standing still on the final day of the year. As I walked along, I found myself thinking of all the events of the year that was about to end. My thoughts were interrupted when I spotted an immature Harris's Sparrow at very close range in ...
