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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours

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Victor Emanuel Nature Tours

🦅 Expert birding and nature tours since 1976. Small groups, superior service, unforgettable experiences with professional guides.

06/26/2026

VENT tour leaders Rick Wright and Raymond VanBuskirk have just completed our inaugural Nebraska: Pine Ridge, Wildcats, and Sandhills tour and this little-known corner of the Great Plains proved to be a revelation.
Spanning 14,000 square miles of buttes, pine woodlands, high plains, and vast grass-covered dunes, the Nebraska Panhandle delivered at every turn. Despite a late-spring wildfire that demanded some creative rerouting, the group encountered virtually all of their target species including Mountain Plover, Lewis's and Red-headed woodpeckers, Clark's Grebe, Eastern and Mountain bluebirds, and Thick-billed and Chestnut-collared longspurs among them. Mammals added another dimension entirely, with Swift Fox, Bobcat, Pronghorn, and Black-tailed Prairie Dogs all making memorable appearances.
The landscapes were equally extraordinary. Stirring sunsets over the Pine Ridge echoed with the calls of Common Poorwills, while the iconic bluffs of Scotts Bluff and a stop at Toadstool Geologic Park, shared with Say's Phoebes and Rock Wrens, provided some of the most lasting memories of the tour.
Most moving of all were the Nebraska Sandhills, the largest stretch of sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere. Here, Long-billed Curlews, Burrowing Owls, and Swainson's Hawks went about their business across one of the most remote and unspoiled landscapes in the Lower 48. The tour concluded in the hay meadows north of North Platte, where Bobolinks and Dickcissels sang over the tall grass and a Virginia Rail family haunted the wet ditches for a fitting finale to an outstanding inaugural tour.
Photo credits: Rick Wright

06/23/2026

The Moustached Turca is one of central Chile's most sought-after endemic birds, found nowhere else on Earth and instantly recognizable by its bold white moustache stripe and the powerful legs and feet that give it its scientific name. Pteroptochos megapodius translates roughly as "big feet," and Andy Whittaker's photograph shows exactly why the name fits so well.

A largely terrestrial bird of the dry, scrubby valleys and Andean foothills of central Chile, the Moustached Turca forages on the ground with surprising speed. Its far-carrying song is one of the characteristic sounds of the Chilean countryside. The nest is built at the end of a tunnel that can reach up to two meters in length, excavated into an earth bank or roadside cut, which is a remarkable feat of engineering for a bird of this size.

The Moustached Turca is one of the endemic highlights awaiting guests on VENT's Majestic Central Chile tour with VENT tour leader Raymond VanBuskirk.

October 30 - November 9, 2026

📍 Central Chile

06/22/2026

Chile ranks among the world's most spectacular countries, renowned for vivid landscapes, rich culture, and remarkable wildlife. This tour showcases the extraordinary avian diversity and spellbinding scenery of central Chile, from the soaring Andes to the Pacific coast.

In the Andean highlands, we venture from Santiago into the mountains in search of Andean Condor among shrike-tyrants, canasteros, and finches. At Altos de Lircay National Reserve, glorious beech forests and snow-capped peaks harbor Magellanic Woodpecker, Torrent Duck, and Green-backed Firecrown. The breathtaking El Yeso valley is home to Chilean endemics including Crag Chilia, Moustached Turca, and the stunning Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, breeding along high-elevation streams alongside Gray-breasted Seedsnipe and White-sided Hillstar.

Along the Pacific coast, target species include Humboldt Penguin, Peruvian Pelican, Inca Tern, and Peruvian B***y, while the Maipo Estuary and Laguna Cartagena Marshes may yield Stripe-backed Bittern, Many-colored Rush Tyrant, and the scarce Black-headed Duck.

A major highlight is a half-day boat trip into the legendary Humboldt Current, where up to five albatross species are possible, including Salvin's, Black-browed, Northern Royal, and the rare Chatham Albatross, alongside Peruvian Diving-Petrel, diverse shearwaters and storm-petrels, and Westland, Juan Fernandez, and Masatierra Petrels. Marine Otters, South American Sea Lions, S***m Whales, and Dusky and Chilean Dolphins add another dimension to an already exceptional experience.

Join VENT tour leader Raymond VanBuskirk for an immersive journey through one of South America's most beautiful and biodiverse countries.

October 30 – November 9, 2026

📍 Central Chile: Andes to Pacific

06/21/2026

In May, VENT tour leader Andy Whittaker completed an outstanding Best of Finland and Arctic Norway tour and the birds, mammals, and Arctic landscapes delivered at every turn.

The journey began in Oulu with a remarkable owl lineup: Boreal Owl, Eurasian Pygmy Owl, nesting Ural Owl, an immense Great Gray Owl, and a roosting Eurasian Eagle-Owl. At Liminka Bay, one of Finland's premier wetland reserves, displaying Ruffs, Black-tailed Godwits, White-tailed Eagles, and a Pallid Harrier set the tone for what was to come.

Finland's grouse capital, Kuusamo, delivered Western Capercaillie, Black Grouse, and Willow Ptarmigan alongside Siberian Jay, Parrot Crossbill, and Red-flanked Bluetail. Crossing the Arctic Circle into Norway, the group entered a midnight-sun landscape of snow-covered highlands, where Northern Hawk Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, Gyrfalcon, Rock Ptarmigan, Bluethroat, and Long-tailed Jaeger awaited. A female Gyrfalcon feeding three young at an active nest was among the tour's most unforgettable moments.

At Hornøya Island, thousands of breeding seabirds surrounded the group, including Atlantic Puffins, Common and Thick-billed Murres, Razorbills, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and European Shags, providing endless photographic opportunities. A scenic excursion to Hamningberg, at the edge of Europe, added Yellow-billed Loon and Northern Gannet before the tour concluded near Helsinki with Thrush Nightingale, Corncrake, Wryneck, and Hawfinch, providing a fitting finale.

On the Finland: Brown Bears & Wolverines pre-trip, Andy's group came face to face with three of Europe's most elusive predators: Eurasian Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and Wolverine, in the heart of Finland's boreal wilderness.

Together, these two magnificent Arctic countries produced 200 species.

Photo credits: Andrew Whittaker

📍 Finland & Arctic Norway

06/20/2026

The Washington Cascades in June are a special place and VENT tour leaders Kevin Burke and Brad McKinney wrapped up a spectacular Spring in the Washington Cascades tour earlier this month to prove it.

Based out of the charming town of Leavenworth, the group moved through an extraordinary range of habitats, from scrublands along the mighty Columbia River to towering spruce forests in the Wenatchee National Forest. A new surprise seemed to appear at every stop: Harlequin Duck and American Dipper along Icicle Creek, a White-headed Woodpecker nest discovered right outside a restaurant door, and a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers at their nest hole stealing the show in the afternoon.

Other highlights included Lazuli Bunting and Canyon Wren in beautiful Swakane Canyon, Calliope Hummingbird and MacGillivray's Warbler in the mountain passes, Western Tanager and Townsend's Warbler in the Wenatchee National Forest, and Golden Eagles soaring high above Yakima Canyon. The tour concluded on the west side of Snoqualmie Pass with Black-throated Gray Warbler and Pacific Wren in the rain made for a perfectly Pacific Northwest send-off.

Photo credits: Brad McKinney

📍 Washington Cascades

06/19/2026

Today is World Albatross Day, observed each June 19th to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) in 2001. Of the world’s 22 albatross species, most face serious conservation pressures, including fisheries bycatch, plastic pollution, invasive species at nesting colonies, and disease. Conservation efforts coordinated through ACAP and organizations such as BirdLife International have helped reduce bycatch in some regions, though much work remains.

The Black-browed Albatross, captured here by VENT tour leader Michael O'Brien, is one of the more frequently encountered albatross species in the Southern Ocean and around the Falkland Islands. It is currently the only albatross species classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, a reminder that sustained conservation attention matters.

06/17/2026

VENT tour leader David Ascanio and local leader Kiki Castillo just wrapped up an extraordinary journey through Brazil's legendary Pantanal, and the highlights speak for themselves: Hyacinth Macaws, Jaguar, Ocelot, Giant River Otter, Maned Wolf, Capybara, Jabiru, fishing bats, and sunsets that stop you in your tracks.

06/16/2026

Jabiru: Giant of the Neotropical Wetlands

The Jabiru is the tallest flying bird in the Americas, an immense, prehistoric-looking stork whose massive upturned bill, bare black neck, and vivid red throat pouch make it instantly unmistakable in the wetlands of the Orinoco Llanos.

Jabirus are devoted parents. Both partners share nest construction, incubation, and chick-rearing duties, returning to the same nest year after year and adding to it with each successive season. After years of additions, these nests can exceed two meters in diameter, becoming substantial structures that stand out in the trees that support them. The photos accompanying this post capture that family bond in action.

In the field, Jabirus are active and purposeful foragers, wading through shallow water and using their bills to flush or seize fish, frogs, and other aquatic prey. During the dry season, they may concentrate where receding water levels make prey easier to catch, a pattern often seen in large wetland birds.

The Jabiru is an expected and iconic presence on VENT's A Birding Adventure in the Llanos of Colombia — one of the great wildlife spectacles awaiting guests at Reserva Casanare and Hato La Aurora.

Join VENT tour leader David Ascanio, January 16 – 23, 2027.

📍 Colombia

06/15/2026

A Birding Adventure in the Llanos of Colombia

The Llanos of the Orinoco are one of Colombia's most evocative landscapes — a vast sweep of seasonally flooded savannas, gallery forests, and wildlife-rich rivers that deliver some of the most productive birding anywhere in the Neotropics.

Based at Reserva Casanare and Hato La Aurora, a working cattle ranch and protected reserve, we expect close to 200 bird species including Scarlet Ibis, Jabiru, Sunbittern, Horned Screamer, Orinoco Goose, Great and Common Potoos, Hoatzin, and Pale-headed Jacamar. Early mornings resound with macaws and chachalacas, while evening spotlighting excursions by custom safari truck reveal night birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Mammal encounters add another dimension entirely. Capybara, Giant Anteater, Anaconda, and possibly Jaguar roam this sweeping landscape.

Comfortable accommodations at Ecolodge Juan Solito place us directly in the heart of the action.

Join VENT tour leader David Ascanio, January 16 – 23, 2027.

📍 Colombia

06/11/2026

VENT tour leader Rafael Galvez recently completed leading VENT's first-ever birding and cultural tour to Armenia and it was a resounding success by every measure.

The group encountered all the regional specialties across a sweeping range of habitats, from alpine slopes and desert landscapes to the shores of Lake Sevan and its deciduous forests, retracing ancient Silk Road routes along the way. Highlights included the elusive Radde's Accentor, Caspian Snowcock, six species of wheatears including Persian and Finsch's, Menetries's Warbler, Green and Upcher's warblers, White-tailed and Spur-winged lapwings, Pygmy Cormorant, Dalmatian Pelican, Eurasian Brown Bear, and Bezoar Goat and so much more.

Cultural moments were equally profound from the 13th-century Noravank monastic complex to the remarkable Symphony of Stones, where hundreds of martins nested among basalt columns. Feast after feast brought incredible music, traditional food, and the wines of the Caucasus.

The tour concluded with the haunting sound of the duduk, Armenia's ancient woodwind carved from apricot wood, a fittingly moving close to VENT's first journey through this extraordinary country.

Photo credits: Rafael Galvez and Hoiman Low

📍 Georgia & Armenia

Address

2525 Wallingwood Drive, Ste 1003
Austin, TX
78746

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 5:30pm

Website

https://ventbird.com/

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