VENTFLASH #70 April 13, 2006
Dear friends:
Our third Palace on Wheels tour was a great success. We had a wonderful group of participants and enjoyed fine weather throughout the trip. A male and a female tiger were seen from elephant-back by all participants at Kanha National Park. Participants on the Bandavgarh Pre-trip saw eight additional tigers. We also all saw an Indian wild dog, or dhole, a species whose numbers are unfortunately dropping rapidly due to disease. A host of other mammals and over 200 species of birds were seen. We visited the Taj Mahal at sunset, as well as other monuments in Delhi and Agra.
Once again, just traveling on the famed Palace on Wheels, India’s luxury train, watching the landscapes of central India out the windows, was like a dream. I especially enjoyed the tremendous numbers of waterbirds at Bharatpur including 20 species of shorebirds, hundreds of Eurasian Spoonbills, and a good variety of storks, herons, and egrets.
While we were on the train, Dr. Robert Fleming gave three fascinating lectures on the history, biogeography, and religions of India. This was my eighth trip to India. It is one of my favorite places to visit because of the wonderful mixture of birds, wildlife, history, and culture.
Liza and Robert Weissler, two of the participants on our Palace on Wheels tour, have put together a wonderful web site http://aves.org/india06 with lots of photos from their trip.
I am pleased that VENT has such a fine India program. In 2007 we will offer the following tours in the south Asia region:
- Sri Lanka, February 1-16, with Susan Myers
- Classic Northern India, February 18-March 10, with David Bishop and Dion Hobcroft
- Taj Mahal and Bharatpur Pre-trip, February 11-20, with David Bishop
Shirley Anderson, Barry Lyon, and I were in South Texas last weekend making final arrangements for the celebration of VENT’s 30th Anniversary, April 26-May 1. We are all very excited about this event. It has attracted the largest turnout of anything we’ve organized. That’s not surprising considering the stellar birding opportunities South Texas offers, and the lineup of leaders we’ve assembled.
I’m delighted that so many of you will be with us to celebrate. I’m also very glad that some of the most renowned writers and artists in the world of birding will be there including Pete Dunne, Robert Bateman, Peter Matthiessen, Scott Weidensaul, and Lars Jonsson.
In keeping with VENT’s commitment to conservation, we have included a donation to the Valley Land Fund as part of the fee for the Celebration. The Valley Land Fund is just the kind of organization we like to support. It is lean and effective. It buys tracts of land in the Lower Rio Grande Valley that have good bird and wildlife habitat or habitat that can be restored.
If you can’t attend, but want to join us in supporting the Valley Land Fund, please send us a check made out to Valley Land Fund and we will add your check to the one we will present to them on April 30. All contributions are tax-deductible. This is a very worthy cause.
Later this month I’ll be spending time at my beach house at Bolivar on the upper Texas coast, helping with Lars Jonsson’s workshop for artists. It is a great honor for us to have Lars, one of the world’s most accomplished bird and nature artists, leading this workshop. Watching Lars at work as he sketches and paints a bird is almost like watching a magician.
Laura Jones, who is married to Peter English, has produced an excellent documentary about the Napo Wildlife Center in Ecuador. The Napo Wildlife Center: Para Los Futuros is scheduled to be shown on PBS sometime this spring. Because the series is offered by a local station in California (KRCB), it is up to each station manager at each PBS station across the country to decide whether or not to offer the programs and/or the series. If you can, it would be great to send a note to your local station asking them to air the series, especially Program #207 scheduled for May 14. There’s even a form on the series web site that you can use to send an email to your local station. For more information about the series and about Para Los Futuros, check out www.greentreks.org.
I thought you might enjoy reading a bit of several of our recent tour reports. You can find the entire reports for these tours, along with other reports, by clicking on “news” at the top of our web site’s home page (www.ventbird.com). I love reading these reports for the vicarious thrill of hearing about what people saw. I especially enjoyed Peter Roberts’ report on our recent Tanzania tour. When you read it you will understand why both of our February 2007 Tanzania tours are almost full.
Honduras, February 23-March 3, 2006
by Robert Gallardo
“Our tour to Honduras brought some spectacular birds and a few new surprises, as well as a life bird for the leader. Topping the list were two green, canopy-dwelling species: the Blue-crowned Chlorophonia and the Green Shrike-Vireo, both of which are typically difficult to observe. The first chlorophonia was found by Judy as it fed upon wild figs amongst a myriad of other species including Collared Aracari and Crimson-collared Tanagers. The tree above the Cerro Azul Meambar National Park visitor center was crawling with birds. The chlorophonia’s delicate combination of overall bright green with yellow underparts divided by a thin, black line and baby blue crown probably makes this the most darling of all Honduran cloud forest birds. It was seen again at both the Malcote Nature Preserve and the Miramundo reserve in Copan. Never before had we seen so many so well on one trip.
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Collared Aracari — Photo: Greg Lasley |
The Agaun Valley thorn scrub forest is always a highlight, as this unique habitat is highly endangered. Amongst the cacti, acacias, and other thorn forest plants we went in search of a number of birds. We left the hotel before sun-up and stopped at a roadside pond. As we had breakfast, the predawn light afforded us a couple of brief glimpses of a Short-tailed Nighthawk as it sallied for bugs over the pond. There are still relatively few records of this bird in Honduras. At the newly formed Honduran Emerald Reserve we found our only endemic bird, unique to only two sites. We spied a King Vulture flying overhead, which was a nice surprise for this area. Several Lesser Ground-Cuckoos responded to a tape, but we could not find them; finally, at Elio’s property in Las Minas, we called one in. It then perched within 12 feet of us on a low-lying cactus and called incessantly. We were fortunate to obtain such a wonderful view.“
2007: ”blue" href=“http://www.ventbird.com/tour/601/”>Honduras, Atlantic Slope, February 12-21, with Robert Gallardo. Limit: 7.
2007: Honduras, Western Highlands, February 21-March 2, with Robert Gallardo. Limit: 7.
Uganda, January 28-February 18, 2006
by David Hoddinott
"Uganda is justly famous as the home of the bizarre Shoebill, the dream of many a birder, and for supporting over half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Our jam-packed itinerary produced far more than the intimate experiences we enjoyed with these main targets. In all, we found over 500 species of birds and a wealth of other wildlife in this, one of Africa’s most biologically diverse countries. Our other highlights ranged from obtaining fantastic photographs of one of the world’s great waders, the beautiful Egyptian Plover, to boating down the mighty Victoria Nile, to watching giant forest hog, and having magical experiences with several troops of chimpanzees.
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Shoebill — Photo: Jonathan Rossouw |
However, we had an appointment in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and our sense of excitement mounted as we approached this unique and priceless reserve. Approximately 600 mountain gorillas have survived the ravages of modern times, one for each ten million humans, and we were certainly privileged to be among those few who have, at first-hand, experienced these gentle giants. Although it requires an arduous trek, the awe in watching a family of mountain gorillas feeding, interacting, and resting, is undoubtedly one of the greatest wildlife experiences.
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Mountain Gorilla — Photo: Jonathan Rossouw |
The birding at Bwindi is also nothing short of spectacular, and we found a good selection of Albertine Rift endemics and other exciting forest birds. Memorable sightings included a beautiful Bar-tailed Trogon, Elliot’s Woodpecker, Red-faced Woodland and Black-faced Rufous warblers, the rare Chapin’s and Yellow-eyed Black flycatchers, Equatorial Akalat, White-bellied Robin-Chat, and Ansorge’s Greenbuls, only discovered in Uganda in 2001. In the evenings we relaxed at one of the most luxurious tented camps on the continent. Time at higher elevation sites in the reserve resulted in a different set of special birds: Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, world-class views of Handsome Francolin, stunning Regal sunbirds, Ruwenzori and Chestnut-throated apalises, the striking Ruwenzori Batis, Stripe-breasted Tit, Dusky Crimsonwing, and the multicolored Doherty’s Bush Shrike were all highlights.“
2007: ”blue" href=“http://www.ventbird.com/tour/472/”>Uganda, January 6-27, with David Hoddinott. Limit: 12.
Trinidad and Tobago, February 19-28, 2006
by Bob Sundstrom
“A ten-day tour of Trinidad and Tobago is an ideal introduction to tropical birding in the Americas. The first three days of the tour take place on Tobago, birding the best spots on the island. Some of the group often arrive a day early to relax and acclimate at Cuffie River Nature Retreat, a very private setting with wonderful food and rooms. After Tobago, we spend five full days on Trinidad, which has considerably greater bird diversity, with six nights lodging and meals at famed Asa Wright Nature Centre. A sampling of highlights from our February 2006 tour captures the magic of this trip:
The final afternoon event took us into the immense mangrove estuary known as Caroni Swamp. Aboard the boat, we stopped for Green-throated Mangoes, a Cook’s tree boa outstretched on a horizontal limb, and a reddish-brown silky anteater rolled up in a ball on a branch. A Straight-billed Woodcreeper nearly landed in the boat. By 5:30 p.m. we were tied to the mangroves, rum punch in hand, watching Scarlet Ibises begin their flights across the estuary, streaming by in unbelievably crimson skeins. Large flocks of Tricolored Herons and Snowy Egrets flapped low over the bay. The Scarlet Ibis flocks grew in size as sunset came, some numbering in the hundreds, and a roost islet was soon heavily flecked with the reds, whites, and blues of the many wading birds?a splendid culmination to a memorable tour.”
2006: Trinidad and Tobago, December 8-17, with Marshall Iliff. Limit: 14.
2007: Trinidad and Tobago, February 23-March 4, with Bob Sundstrom. Limit: 14.
Jamaica, February 18-25, 2006
by Brennan Mulrooney
“Birders love Jamaica?known for having the most endemic bird species of any Caribbean island. It is also relatively easy to see most, if not all of Jamaica’s endemics on a birding tour. This year’s tour was no exception, as all 28 extant Jamaican endemics made fantastic appearances along our journey across this enchanting island. In addition we tallied ten Caribbean endemics, four Caribbean near-endemics, and 123 species in total.
Our final day of birding found us at the extreme eastern end of the island. We birded the Drivers River Valley in the John Crow Mountains, and it was here that we tracked down our last target bird, the Black-billed Streamertail. This sister species to the Red-billed Streamertail (or subspecies depending on your reference) can be found only here; with a little effort, we were rewarded with walk-away close-up scope views. Though this was certainly the highlight of our morning, there were many other fantastic birds that day. The hulking Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo gave us several great looks, Green-rumped Parrotlets furtively fed in the crowns of cecropias, Black-billed and Yellow-billed parrots wheeled overhead, and a Yellow-shouldered Grassquit gave us long and much appreciated views.”
2007: Jamaica, February 18-25, with Brandon Hay and Brennan Mulrooney. Limit: 14.
Sri Lanka, December 26, 2005-January 10, 2006
by Susan Myers
"It doesn’t happen very often, but I would happily have turned around and done it all again at the end of this truly enjoyable tour. And I wouldn’t have changed any of it! Every aspect of our tour was not only lots of fun, but very birdy as well. Sri Lanka really is the Pearl of the East?magical scenery, wonderfully friendly people, superb food and, not least, magnificent birds and wild places combined to make this a very special birding trip.
In total we saw a remarkable 32 of 33 endemic bird species, plus a number of endemic subspecies and near-endemic species, not to mention a whole suite of wonderful Asian (and more widespread) birds, as well as many enchanting mammals, reptiles, and butterflies. Out of a possible country list of approximately 340 bird species, we saw 245?well over 70% in two weeks! But any tour is about far more than numbers, and there were so many highlights it is hard to single out just a few. How about that European Bee-eater at Yala, only seen in Sri Lanka every three or four years; five species of stork in the first four days; our ultimately successful stalking of Sri Lanka Spurfowl, seen so well at the apogee of its trajectory; those feeding Sri Lanka Blue Magpies at Sinharaja; the less than salubrious setting in which we watched a very close Slaty-legged Rail strutting the platform to make sure we could really admire those legs; and, best of all, close, long views of a simply superb Serendib Scops-Owl.
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Serendib Scops-Owl — Photo: Susan Myers |
All the nightbirds were a real treat this year; we had very special looks at Chestnut-backed Owlet, Indian Scops-Owl, Brown Fish-Owl, and Jerdon’s Nightjar amongst others. Could you ever tire of seeing an Indian Pitta, the comb of a Sri Lanka Junglefowl, or a male Asian Paradise-Flycatcher in flight? There were moments of great excitement?our first mixed flock, with eye level looks at Red-faced Malkoha and the normally shy and retiring White-faced Starling, as soon as we entered Sinharaja rainforest, and of frustration?I will never forgive that Horrible Blue Flycatcher!“
Check out Romney Bathurst’s terrific website: ”blue" href=“http://www.the-bathursts.net/gallery/sri_lanka/index.html”>http://www.the-bathursts.net/gallery/sri_lanka/index.html
2007: Sri Lanka, February 1-16, with Susan Myers. Limit: 10.
Northern Tanzania, February 20-March 8, 2006
by Peter Roberts
"I had arrived early in Tanzania, and found a parched country that had not had the usual “short rains” in November. Dust swirled everywhere, and the usual migration route of a million wildebeest was disrupted, the vast herds wandering in smaller groups all over the Serengeti, far west of their normal path. As our group arrived, the welcome rains began! The showers often came at night in short, spectacular storms, and the land greened up instantly. The wonderful smell of new rain on dry ground was evocative to us all?it must have driven the wildebeest into ecstasies! Their response was stunning and perfectly timed: as we arrived in the traditional short-grass plains of the Ndutu area of Serengeti, so did the vast herds, already with their calves in tow. This was classic stuff that the best African wildlife film footage shows?endless trails of those strange, stupid-looking, yet stoic and determined animals trailing eastwards, grunting and cavorting in long lines, sometimes single file in mad canters, sometimes stopping in thick groups to graze. They relentlessly pushed on as we slithered through their midst in the dust-turned-mud, safe in our sturdy 4×4s.
All else came to life at the same time; it is remarkable how much of the natural world here?from flowers to birds and elephants?suddenly emerges in almost instant response to the vital stimulus of the seasonal rains. Where dust and dry tussocks had been, beautiful bright Ipomeas suddenly carpeted the savannah. The birds had been elusive in non-breeding, drab feathers. Now, “from out of nowhere,” the sunbirds, weavers, bishops, widowbirds, whydahs, and cuckoos appeared more prominently and sported proper, full nuptial plumages of bright iridescent colors. Low water levels on Lake Victoria at the start of the tour had been wonderful for finding masses of shorebirds, egrets, herons, storks, and rare and localized species. Now the lake beds at Ndutu and beyond at Manyara suddenly began to fill, prompting the corpulent hippos to wander about feeding on the new green flush in the cooler damp weather of the middle of the day. Thousands of absurdly pink Greater and Lesser flamingos returned from who knows where they’d gone in the drought, performing stunning, florid, aerobatic, balletic maneuvers in dramatic skies.
The rivers suddenly swelled into torrents as they coped with the sudden surge of floodwater?everything from brilliant kingfishers to sinister huge Nile crocodiles having a bonanza as the water washed food their way. What the many large predators?lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas that we saw almost daily?made of it, I’m not sure. The game was no longer dependent on traveling to a few isolated waterholes where ambushes were more likely; they had lush wet all across the savannah. But that unforgettable sight of tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebra grazing their way unstoppably eastwards must have been mouthwatering indeed for the lucky lion prides and hyena packs on their route: food aplenty at last!
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Zebra on the Serengeti — Photo: Peter Roberts |
By the time our journey came to an end we had truly experienced the effects of one of the most important primal elements governing the Serengeti ecosystem?the seasonal rains. We’d witnessed nature’s speedy responses to weather, and the vital and strong links between the big game and over 400 species of birds, and such a simple thing as a few drops of water. Absolute magic?and we didn’t get mired in mud, or soaked in rain, or have to abandon our activities once!“
2007: ”blue" href=“http://www.ventbird.com/tour/528/”>Northern Tanzania, February 7-23, with Peter Roberts. Limit: 12. (four spaces left)
2007: Northern Tanzania, February 23-March 11, with Peter Roberts. Limit: 12. (one space left)
A few spaces remain available on these tours:
Ozarks and Prairies: May 5-14, with Steve Hilty, $2150 from Springfield, Missouri
Bulgaria: May 9-23, with Peter Roberts and Milko Dimitrov, $3895 from Varna
Spring Grand Arizona: May 10-20, with Barry Zimmer, $2545 from Tucson
Classic China, Hong Kong & Sichuan: May 10-June 1, with Dion Hobcroft and Susan Myers, $7130 from Hong Kong
Grand New Mexico: May 26-June 5, with Barry Zimmer and Victor Emanuel, $2995 from El Paso (ends in Albuquerque)
Montana Spring: June 1-10, with Denver Holt, $3010 from Missoula
Grand Alaska: June 2-17, with Kevin Zimmer and David Wolf, $7495 from Anchorage (only one space left)
Churchill and Southern Manitoba: June 8-20, with Jeri Langham and Shawn Hayes, $3875 from Winnipeg
Colorado Summer Week: June 12-18, with Brennan Mulrooney and TBA, $1845 from Denver
Alaska Mainland: June 13-24, with Barry Zimmer, $4895 from Anchorage
Minnesota & North Dakota: June 19-27, with Kim Eckert and David Wolf, $1985 from Duluth
Summer Costa Rica: July 7-20, with Jeri Langham and Shawn Hayes, $3625 from San Jose (only one space left)
Big Bend Summer: July 10-17, with Barry Zimmer and Marshall Iliff, $2340 from El Paso
Malay Peninsula: July 11-24, with David Bishop and Susan Myers, $3100 from Kuala Lumpur (only one space left)
Sao Tome Endemic Birds: July 14-24, with Peter Roberts, $5575 from Lisbon, Portugal
Amazonian Peru: July 21-31, with Steve Hilty, $2995 from Lima, Peru
Arizona Hummingbirds: July 23-30, with Brennan Mulrooney and TBA, $1795 from Tucson
I hope you’ll travel with us on a VENT tour soon.