[va-richmond-general] Fw: LegacyLine NewsLetter July 2014
- From: "Al Warfield" <warfield101@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "audubon listserve" <va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 15:30:10 -0400
I am forwarding this newsletter to the RAS listserv because Michael is a great
guide, is really honest, and I’m sure some of you would really like to go on
one of his birding adventures. I have been corresponding with him since our
trip to Mexico in 2009. As you can see he and his wife lead many really far out
and interesting trips.
Al Warfield
From: Michael Carmody
Sent: Tuesday, July 15, 2014 2:56 PM
To: Carmody Michael
Subject: LegacyLine NewsLetter July 2014
LEGACYLINE NEWSLETTER – JULY ‘14
Following four months of birding exclusively in Mexico my most recent trips
were to Belize, Honduras, and Peru… two of these adventures were custom-trips
designed to explore a region as a whole while incorporating a meaningful bird
watching component. The open-birding trip visited Honduras, with three of
seven participants having seen well over 8,000 species – in fact nearly 50,000
lifers were represented among our small band-of-birders…
Pirates used the deep waters (Honda) off the coast while hunting vessels for
plunder. Eventually the treacherous seas came to characterize the region as a
whole (Honduras). It might be said that any country named after scuttled ships
lying at the bottom of the ocean must surely have very little going for itself!
Yet as poor as this country is, and as few recourses as it sadly possesses,
the government has elected to create a marvelous web of defined [and protected]
national parks. This is unique in Central America and Mexico where parklands
are mapped on paper but slash-and-burn locals and big-money conglomerates
continue to ravage them mercilessly. Poor little Honduras deserves your
support as a birder… besides there are more than a handful of great birds there
– we saw Ocellated and Tawny-faced Quails; 25 species of hummingbirds including
Honduran Emerald, Green-breasted Mountain-gem, and Blue-tailed Hummingbird;
Keel-billed Motmot at three locations; and more than a dozen Lovely Cotinga. I
will likely return to Honduras during June of 2016. Let me know now if you
would like to visit this quality birding destination with me. Also, my friend,
Alex Alvarado, is a fantastic bi-lingual local guide that makes himself
available to individuals and small parties. He is so good that when I am in
Honduras with clients [I know all of the sites and all of the birds] I hire
Alex to make the difference between a great birding trip and an exceptional
one… he is that good. If you wish, contact Alex directly at:
alexander.alvarado469@xxxxxxxxx
In the darkness of April 18, 1775 Paul Revere (and unsung William Dawes) rode
from Boston to Lexington famously shouting; “the British are coming”. During
the evening of February 11, 1964 the Beetles performed their first US concert
in Washington DC, beginning yet another type of British-Invasion. And now, 50
years later the British have moved their focus on Mexico – more precisely
British birders [twitchers] have discovered the 120 endemic forms in this
bird-rich country. I have scheduled four custom-groups from the United Kingdom
during the next sixteen months. Though an enjoyable challenge for me (the
British focus on lifers even more than US listers), I am especially pleased for
Mexico itself. I sense that the increased inquiries from Europe are the result
of: [1] the world news no longer portraying Mexico as a horrible death-trap for
visitors [over the 4th of July weekend NPR radio reported that Chicago suffered
eighty-two holiday shootings – sixteen resulting in death]; and [2] the
British, long been focused on South America, have come to realize that Mexico
is their next major target area – the number and quality of the regional
specialties is just too good to ignore any longer.
TOUR AVAILABILITY
CHIAPAS LOWLANDS: [2014] November 10TH – 23RD… Remote Mayan Ruins and
rainforest birding are the showpiece of this excellent birding route. We will
see tinamous, large raptors, skulking forest flycatchers, a half-dozen
woodcreeper species, and active canopy flocks - the specialty forest birds of
lowland Mexico. We boat the Usumacinta and Tzendales rivers to visit
inaccessible birding and archeological sites. The dry forest ruins of Calakmul
offer Ocellated Turkey, Yellow-lored Parrot, Yucatan Poorwill and Gray-throated
Chat; the Tabasco wetlands add Jabiru, Pinnated Bittern, Yellow-headed Parrot,
and Rufous-breasted Spinetail. Contact us today for an itinerary and
bird-list.
EL TRIUNFO BIOSPHERE: [2015] February 8TH – 16TH… The reserve is the remote
home of the Horned Guan. The nine-day tour begins & ends in Tuxtla Gutierrez,
Chiapas. Though this tour requires more physical effort than most, cooks
prepare our meals, a local trail boss arranges logistics at the base camp and
during travel-days, the biological station provides sleeping beds, hot water
showers, and electricity. This is a unique and magical place, and now is the
time to get on board for the upcoming season. Participation is limited… please
touch base ASAP.
HERITAGE-STYLE MOROCCO: [2015] May 5TH - 20TH… Mohamed Bargache has agreed to
assist Legacy Tours in finding the many wonderful birds of his country –
wheatears, redstarts, sandgrouse, nightjars, etc. This tour is planned in the
Heritage-Style, and allows for time to enjoy the bazaars of Marrakesh and
sunsets in the open desert. Specific tour information and a bird-list will be
made available to you upon request.
FUTURE PLANS
We have been slow about putting new Open-birding Tours in Mexico on the
calendar because scheduling has become such a premium. Also Heritage-Style
Birding Tours to unique destinations require a great deal of fine-tuning with
new destinations developing in a hit-and-miss fashion. Custom Tours for
private parties continue to be more than half of our work. Though most of
these programs are in Mexico, we have recently organized such in Belize, Peru,
and Spain.
Finally it should be said that a high percentage of our clients in Mexico have
come from either Canada or Britain. In both cases favorable monetary exchange
rates encourage Mexico as a value destination. More than that, however, we
believe it is the result of your words of confidence on our behalf that allow a
man or woman half-a-world away to put trust - their money and their time – into
a program offered by Legacy Tours. For this we continue to be very grateful,
and say Thank You… MDC
Michael Carmody
Susan Connolly Carmody
Legacy Tours
PO Box 8156
Spokane WA 99203
Tel: 509 624-1889
Fax: 509 624-1885
Email: MDCarmody@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.legacy-tours.com/
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