brianfm
Botanical Birder
Guyana Tour 15th March -31st March 2006
Georgetown/ Kaieteur Falls/Timberhead
Well, getting up early on what was my first morning in the Neotropics was easy, knowing that even the commonest of birds outside were likely to be lifers for me. These included Great Kiskadee, Gray Kingbird, Tropical Mockingbird and Pale-breasted Thrush before breakfast. After breakfast it was a drive to Ogle airport to catch the small aircraft fight over the rainforest to Kaieteur Falls. Much of Georgetown is situated below sea level so there are endless drainage channels which make the area very attractive to birds. As I learnt later this puts the capital very much at risk, even in the short term, from the effects of global warming. Numerous birds were seen on the way to the airport including large numbers of Snail Kites, Cattle Egrets and Carib Grackle. The flight to Kaieteur was quite spectacular giving good views over Georgetown before flying in and out of low cloud over the rainforest. Kaieteur Falls are spectacular. I understand the Falls have a sheer drop of 5 times the height of Niagara. Viewing this and later flying over the falls was certainly a highlight of the trip and in my opinion certainly a better experience than Victoria Falls. Sadly we had little time in the area but did manage to find a male Guianan Cock of the Rock, viewed through undergrowth and some tiny Golden Frogs that live there entire lives within the Tank Bromeliads (largest in the world I believe). I had good views of a Bat Falcon diving into the flock of White-collared Swifts. On our walk a member of the group caused some serious alarm when she fell down into a hole, at least 2 metres deep I reckon, in the forest. The local guide dashed off for help but members of the group managed to haul the lady back out using our belts with only a few bruises to her body and pride. Everyone managed to make light of this, but I suspect this was only cover for our real concern that this could have resulted in serious injury. Having had lunch we flew back to the international airport before transferring to the Demerara River and our trip to Timberhead Rainforest. We travelled across the muddy brown waters of the Demerara, then about 16 miles up a smaller tributary of this mighty river. Best memory of this journey was the good sighting of a Three-toed Sloth slowly moving high up in the tees.
Timberhead is situated on the edge of the forest overlooking the river and has a variety of habitats near by including grassy marsh and stands of Moriche Palm. On arrival we soon found Lesser and Greater-Yellowheaded Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Macaws, including Red and Green and Red-bellied and Black-necked Aracari. Also Silver-beaked, Palm and Blue-gray Tanagers, all of which we were to see on most days of the tour.
The forest birding at Timberhead was quiet and in fact, this was generally to be the case throughout the tour with the call of local guides often being ‘no birds’. We appear to have missed the fruiting season which did not help matters. Still, as you will see from my bird list I still managed a fair number of species. On the evening boat trip we had numerous fleeting glances of Spectacled Caiman and during our stay bird additions included Roadside Hawk, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-throated Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Orange-winged Parrot, Pauraque, Blackish Nightjar (at roost during day)White-tailed Trogon, White-throated Toucan, Green Aracari, Lineated Woodpecker and Crimson-crested Woodpecker.
On the return boat journey to the Demerara for transfer to Shanklands, bird of the journey had to be the Great Potoo. Definitely one of the birds of the trip as far as I was concerned. Quite a giant of bird and a member of a family I really wanted to see. Had great views of it sat as Potoos ‘do’.
Shanklands
Shanklands has colonial style cottages set upon a cliff overlooking the river Essequibo, Guyana’s largest river. The 4x4 drive to get there will forever be known as ‘the road to Hell’ by me. A 25 mile journey on the back of a rusting wreck of a jeep, on very rough terrain, sitting on makeshift bench, with my back bent, eyes and everything else filled with muck, fumes almost knocking one out, clinging on tightly to prevent being thrown onto the road and with occasional whacks from branches, was not my idea of fun. I think you will get the picture. I have endured some difficult journeys in my time, but never one as bad as this. Once recovered and thanks to earlier advice from BF member Jacamar (Chris) I was able to locate the Caiman, Sun Bittern and Spix’s Guan quite quickly. Soon got an excellent view of a Laughing Falcon too. The forest was again quiet so most of our time was spent on the river or on the outskirts of the forest.
Must tell you, on one long walk that, I and another group member decided to return early for a shower before dinner. I have not got the best of directional senses so did not argue, even though I thought he was taking us the wrong way through the local village. We got lost! A local lady from the village insisted on escorting us back to the correct path and got some youngsters to show the way back to Shanklands. On thanking her she explained that was why we are all put on this earth, to help one another’. My travels have taught me to be mindful that those with the least in this world are often those who offer the most in kindness. Guess that lady won’t read this but she has my respect and thanks.
On one quite walk in the forest did have great views of Paradise Jacamar, Black-crested Antshrike, Barred Antshrike, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Barred Woodcreeper, White-crowned Manakin and Golden-headed Manakin. Other good sightings included Turquoise Tanager, Moriche Oriole, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, White-chested Emerald, Black-eared fairy and Yellow-green Grosbeak.
Thankfully we left Shanklands for transfer by boat and not by road. Not before another accident. The lady rescued from ‘the hole’ slipped on the path down to the boat and her journey and that of her companion came to a swift end. Later left at Georgetown hospital she was diagnosed with a sprain. The pair eventually got home to find that the lady’s leg was broken. That aside the early morning boat trip down the Essequibo, wind in hair and sun rising was fantastic. This really is a great river and is 21 miles wide at its mouth. We then transferred to Karanambu by aircraft. Another great flight across endless rainforest, then meeting the open space of the savannah before landing.
Karanambu
The highlight of the trip for me was a stay at a ranch called Karanambu where a lady called Diane McTurk works on the rehabilitation of Giant River Otters. Diane has been featured on the television and knows David Attenbourgh very well. (I later read of David A’s stay at Karanambu in the 1950s when he was making one of the early Zoo Quest programmes. It seems he had stayed with Diane’s parents and described the camp just as I had found it) She is now in her mid 70s but still very active. I was lucky enough to spend time with Diane and an orphaned G River Otter on the shores of the Rupununi River. To reach this area we had left Georgetown the capital, crossed the Demerara River via the longest floating bridge in the world and then flown by small plane across endless rainforest then onto the savannah in the interior of Guyana. On arrival I was shown to my room by Diane. She obviously realised I was a VIP.
That evening we were taken on a boat trip to see the Victoria Amazonica water lilies which open at dusk. This is Guyana’s national flower. The lily pads are massive and I have seen photos of a baby sleeping and floating on one with loads of room to spare. On the trip down river we saw the odd Black Caiman but it was the birds which made this such an unforgettable experience. Hope this list get your mouth watering, Neotropic Cormorant, Capped Heron, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Agami Heron, Boat Billed Heron (these were fantastic birds with great bills and massive eyes), a flyover of Wood Storks with a wonderful Roseate Spoonbill amongst them, Green Ibis, numerous Ospreys with one holding a fish, Wattled Jacana, Ringed Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher and Green Kingfisher and many more.
When we reached the Water Lilies we sat and watched them open with a can of beer in hand. My only regret was the can was very small! The flowerers were magnificent and in the dark glowed when the guides shone their torches on them. By this time bats where numerous, including the massive Bulldog Bat which eats fish. Band Tailed and White Tailed Nightjars where flying all over the place and where so easy to see. One lady got slapped in the face by a wet fish which where jumping right out of the water. Brown Bearded Saki and Red Howler Monkeys where seen also.
On our return, and we had travelled a long distance down river, we ran into a tropical storm. So it was on with ponchos. Well, in the dark it took me sometime to find where to stick my head! I must say the ponchos are very effective up to a point and I am going to get one for future travel. Just call me Clint. The rain water did finally rise through the backside of my trousers and up through my shirt but the experience was never the less wonderful. Black Caiman where around and Bats and Nightjars where still in flight. One of the biggest thrills was coming across a very large male Capybara standing in the water watching the boats go by. I would have remained a wet birder all night for that experience alone.
Needless to say we were all pretty wet when we got back but all high on adrenalin and all went to bed that night very happy even knowing we were to be up at 4.45 the following morning. No late nights on this trip I can tell you.
The following day we continued to explore the wooded areas, pools and river. On one trip we had excellent views of a large Black Caiman, a River Otter which seemed to come towards us to explore and at least the splash of an Arapaima (at least I was told it was by he guides!!!) the largest of all scaled freshwater fish. If anyone out there is planning a trip to Guyana do not miss out Karanambu. There was one major disappointment and that was that we did not get our promised trip to seek out Giant Anteater with the ‘vaqueros riding barefoot in the stirrup’. It seems that the Anteater had moved out some months before possibly after burning of the land. On leaving the area we did find an Upland Sandpiper, whilst not quite making up for the non appearance of Anteater, I was told it was a rarity in these parts!
Rock View Lodge/Iwokrama
In my opinion Rock View was a nice lodge but more or less a stopping off place and none of us where too sure why we spent two nights here. To be fair we did have a good walk up the nature trail on the hills and the view was pretty good and there was some good birding to be done on the roads. It was also nice to have time to relax a little. My best memory of this area was to find a roost of 40/50 Fork-tailed Flycatchers and a Vermillion Flycatcher. It was near here that we were attacked by Africanised Bees. I run fast at the thought of pain, so escaped, but some were not so lucky. OOW! This was the first of two attacks during the tour. Oh and I should not forget the Orange-backed Troupial in the lodge grounds. A beauty!
Then it was off to Iwokrama. I really enjoyed this area. Iwokarama Rainforest is a vast wilderness of one million acres. Much of the forest I saw appeared to be primary. The forest experience was an adventure in itself and whilst I have seen army ants before, never have I seen them in the numbers I did here. Not accompanied by any birds however. The centre here is a research station and quite basic but comfortable and I found the young local guides friendly and informative. This was a forest experience I really enjoyed.
I mentioned Jacamar (Chris) above. I know he had visited the centre a few days before I arrived and it was a pity that we just missed one another. Jacamar has already posted and I reckon my time here was spent in a similar way to his. Before arriving at the centre we made a planned pre-dawn visit to the treetop canopy walk. Mis-management meant it was after dawn when we arrived. The canopy walk is 35metres high so having a morbid fear of heights I am at least proud of my achievement in coping with it and I have photographs to prove I did! Bit of a forced smile you could say! First time I have been on a canopy walkway but those who have visited others said this was the best. Great views of the forest but not a lot in the way of birds although we did get views of Red Howler Monkeys and on the walk saw signs that Jaguar had been around a little earlier. Pity we were late!
The other unforgettable experience was the walk through the forest and up Turtle Mountain. A hard slog I can tell you, especially in the humidity. Well worth it for the views though right across the roof of the forest. Great views of 2 Black Spider Monkeys in action also and a flypast of Red and Green Macaws. It was also in this area that we saw Scarlet Macaws. On the river we got Black Skimmer, Yellow-billed tern, Large-billed Tern and Black-collared Swallow. We also got our first good view of Screaming Piha which sound in the forest is extraordinary. Waved Woodpecker was added to the list too, and we had good views of Red-fan Parrot, Caica Parrot and Blue-headed Parrot.
One afternoon we visited a small Amerindian village on the way to a birding walk. It became clear that we were going to be caught in a tropical storm. The dark clouds and smirks on our young guides faces told me that. The guides judged it to perfection however and got us into shelter in the village just as the heavens opened. We had storms most days but this was without doubt the heaviest. Passed over fairly quickly however as most did. The borrowed poncho came in handy again! It was bright yellow and I was known for the rest of the day as the Bananaquit! We had seen a few of those by now.
Having left the research station we did visit a further Cock of the Rock site but were soon informed by the local guide we were too late to see the displaying males. You may sense that there was some frustration creeping in to group member’s minds by this time. You are correct but I will say no more than that! We did have close up views of a female on the nest however. I and another group member were more than a little concerned by the flash photography which went on within a few feet of this bird! No one else appeared to give a damn!!!???
Surama
Surama is within the boundaries of the Iwokrama forest and the villagers have set up what is termed in the brochure ‘rustic accommodation’. The accommodation is set within a small savannah area and 3 miles from the Burro Burro River to which you walk through a mixture of savannah and forest. Personally I found the area fantastic, with great views of the hills, open savannah and skies.
We did the walk to the river twice and took boat rides up and down river. To be honest the birding on the river was not great but there are other things to life than birds. Isn’t there? We did also see Red Capuchin, Red Rumped Agouti, Fire Snakes, Amazon Tree Boa and Yellow-footed Tortoise in the area. Birds included White-tailed Hawk, Savannah Hawk, Gray-winged Trumpeter, Sun Bittern, Black Nunbird, Purple- throated Fruitcrow, Grassland Sparrow, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Cayenne Jay, Spangled Cotinga, Black Curassow and after long searches Capuchinbird and Rufous-winged-ground Cuckoo. Oh yes, and another star bird King Vulture.
Afternoon walks were attempted but not only was it very hot but the flies were a real problem. I decided on one afternoon just to relax but was tempted into the forest by one of the group members and the group leader decided to join us. This was nearing the end of the trip of course and I think everyone had given up thoughts of Giant Anteaters. Well in the forest as the leader was ‘phishing’ birds again when the corner of my eye was taken by a movement on the footpath. Yes there it was, a Giant Anteater had come out of the forest. It soon went back in again but allowed us great views. A highlight of the trip. An even greater highlight was telling the other group members!!! We went spotlighting for Anteaters that evening but it was not to be. Well, I may have missed quite a few birds on the tour list but not the Anteater!
Georgetown/Barbados
Our return to Georgetown did not allow us very long although we paid a visit to the Botanic gardens where most of us did not see anything new for the trip. Infact most of us soon made for the Zoo. It was certainly the nearest I got to Jaguar, Tapir and Harpy Eagle. Infact we began to think we had not seen Harpy eagle on the tour because they are all in the zoo! We asked why so many in the zoo and were told that they are kept there because otherwise they are killed!!! Our planned tour of the centre of Georgetown was cancelled because of flight problems so we spent the time in Barbados instead. Now Barbados has never been on my list of places to visit and now having been there, I won’t be adding it to my must return list. Sorry if anyone is looking in from Barbados. I am sure many people love the place. I could tell that from the large parties of cruise liner visitors. I did add the one and only endemic bird of the island to my list. A female Barbados Bullfinch!
A tour with some problems but many good memories of a beautiful country. Will I go back to the Neotropics? Try stopping me!!!
Thanks to Jacamar, Bill Atwood and Tim Allwood et al for advice re books etc before the tour.
Bird list to follow. BFM April 2006
Georgetown/ Kaieteur Falls/Timberhead
Well, getting up early on what was my first morning in the Neotropics was easy, knowing that even the commonest of birds outside were likely to be lifers for me. These included Great Kiskadee, Gray Kingbird, Tropical Mockingbird and Pale-breasted Thrush before breakfast. After breakfast it was a drive to Ogle airport to catch the small aircraft fight over the rainforest to Kaieteur Falls. Much of Georgetown is situated below sea level so there are endless drainage channels which make the area very attractive to birds. As I learnt later this puts the capital very much at risk, even in the short term, from the effects of global warming. Numerous birds were seen on the way to the airport including large numbers of Snail Kites, Cattle Egrets and Carib Grackle. The flight to Kaieteur was quite spectacular giving good views over Georgetown before flying in and out of low cloud over the rainforest. Kaieteur Falls are spectacular. I understand the Falls have a sheer drop of 5 times the height of Niagara. Viewing this and later flying over the falls was certainly a highlight of the trip and in my opinion certainly a better experience than Victoria Falls. Sadly we had little time in the area but did manage to find a male Guianan Cock of the Rock, viewed through undergrowth and some tiny Golden Frogs that live there entire lives within the Tank Bromeliads (largest in the world I believe). I had good views of a Bat Falcon diving into the flock of White-collared Swifts. On our walk a member of the group caused some serious alarm when she fell down into a hole, at least 2 metres deep I reckon, in the forest. The local guide dashed off for help but members of the group managed to haul the lady back out using our belts with only a few bruises to her body and pride. Everyone managed to make light of this, but I suspect this was only cover for our real concern that this could have resulted in serious injury. Having had lunch we flew back to the international airport before transferring to the Demerara River and our trip to Timberhead Rainforest. We travelled across the muddy brown waters of the Demerara, then about 16 miles up a smaller tributary of this mighty river. Best memory of this journey was the good sighting of a Three-toed Sloth slowly moving high up in the tees.
Timberhead is situated on the edge of the forest overlooking the river and has a variety of habitats near by including grassy marsh and stands of Moriche Palm. On arrival we soon found Lesser and Greater-Yellowheaded Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Macaws, including Red and Green and Red-bellied and Black-necked Aracari. Also Silver-beaked, Palm and Blue-gray Tanagers, all of which we were to see on most days of the tour.
The forest birding at Timberhead was quiet and in fact, this was generally to be the case throughout the tour with the call of local guides often being ‘no birds’. We appear to have missed the fruiting season which did not help matters. Still, as you will see from my bird list I still managed a fair number of species. On the evening boat trip we had numerous fleeting glances of Spectacled Caiman and during our stay bird additions included Roadside Hawk, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Red-throated Caracara, Yellow-headed Caracara, Orange-winged Parrot, Pauraque, Blackish Nightjar (at roost during day)White-tailed Trogon, White-throated Toucan, Green Aracari, Lineated Woodpecker and Crimson-crested Woodpecker.
On the return boat journey to the Demerara for transfer to Shanklands, bird of the journey had to be the Great Potoo. Definitely one of the birds of the trip as far as I was concerned. Quite a giant of bird and a member of a family I really wanted to see. Had great views of it sat as Potoos ‘do’.
Shanklands
Shanklands has colonial style cottages set upon a cliff overlooking the river Essequibo, Guyana’s largest river. The 4x4 drive to get there will forever be known as ‘the road to Hell’ by me. A 25 mile journey on the back of a rusting wreck of a jeep, on very rough terrain, sitting on makeshift bench, with my back bent, eyes and everything else filled with muck, fumes almost knocking one out, clinging on tightly to prevent being thrown onto the road and with occasional whacks from branches, was not my idea of fun. I think you will get the picture. I have endured some difficult journeys in my time, but never one as bad as this. Once recovered and thanks to earlier advice from BF member Jacamar (Chris) I was able to locate the Caiman, Sun Bittern and Spix’s Guan quite quickly. Soon got an excellent view of a Laughing Falcon too. The forest was again quiet so most of our time was spent on the river or on the outskirts of the forest.
Must tell you, on one long walk that, I and another group member decided to return early for a shower before dinner. I have not got the best of directional senses so did not argue, even though I thought he was taking us the wrong way through the local village. We got lost! A local lady from the village insisted on escorting us back to the correct path and got some youngsters to show the way back to Shanklands. On thanking her she explained that was why we are all put on this earth, to help one another’. My travels have taught me to be mindful that those with the least in this world are often those who offer the most in kindness. Guess that lady won’t read this but she has my respect and thanks.
On one quite walk in the forest did have great views of Paradise Jacamar, Black-crested Antshrike, Barred Antshrike, Plain-brown Woodcreeper, Barred Woodcreeper, White-crowned Manakin and Golden-headed Manakin. Other good sightings included Turquoise Tanager, Moriche Oriole, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, White-chested Emerald, Black-eared fairy and Yellow-green Grosbeak.
Thankfully we left Shanklands for transfer by boat and not by road. Not before another accident. The lady rescued from ‘the hole’ slipped on the path down to the boat and her journey and that of her companion came to a swift end. Later left at Georgetown hospital she was diagnosed with a sprain. The pair eventually got home to find that the lady’s leg was broken. That aside the early morning boat trip down the Essequibo, wind in hair and sun rising was fantastic. This really is a great river and is 21 miles wide at its mouth. We then transferred to Karanambu by aircraft. Another great flight across endless rainforest, then meeting the open space of the savannah before landing.
Karanambu
The highlight of the trip for me was a stay at a ranch called Karanambu where a lady called Diane McTurk works on the rehabilitation of Giant River Otters. Diane has been featured on the television and knows David Attenbourgh very well. (I later read of David A’s stay at Karanambu in the 1950s when he was making one of the early Zoo Quest programmes. It seems he had stayed with Diane’s parents and described the camp just as I had found it) She is now in her mid 70s but still very active. I was lucky enough to spend time with Diane and an orphaned G River Otter on the shores of the Rupununi River. To reach this area we had left Georgetown the capital, crossed the Demerara River via the longest floating bridge in the world and then flown by small plane across endless rainforest then onto the savannah in the interior of Guyana. On arrival I was shown to my room by Diane. She obviously realised I was a VIP.
That evening we were taken on a boat trip to see the Victoria Amazonica water lilies which open at dusk. This is Guyana’s national flower. The lily pads are massive and I have seen photos of a baby sleeping and floating on one with loads of room to spare. On the trip down river we saw the odd Black Caiman but it was the birds which made this such an unforgettable experience. Hope this list get your mouth watering, Neotropic Cormorant, Capped Heron, Cocoi Heron, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Cattle Egret, Agami Heron, Boat Billed Heron (these were fantastic birds with great bills and massive eyes), a flyover of Wood Storks with a wonderful Roseate Spoonbill amongst them, Green Ibis, numerous Ospreys with one holding a fish, Wattled Jacana, Ringed Kingfisher, Amazon Kingfisher and Green Kingfisher and many more.
When we reached the Water Lilies we sat and watched them open with a can of beer in hand. My only regret was the can was very small! The flowerers were magnificent and in the dark glowed when the guides shone their torches on them. By this time bats where numerous, including the massive Bulldog Bat which eats fish. Band Tailed and White Tailed Nightjars where flying all over the place and where so easy to see. One lady got slapped in the face by a wet fish which where jumping right out of the water. Brown Bearded Saki and Red Howler Monkeys where seen also.
On our return, and we had travelled a long distance down river, we ran into a tropical storm. So it was on with ponchos. Well, in the dark it took me sometime to find where to stick my head! I must say the ponchos are very effective up to a point and I am going to get one for future travel. Just call me Clint. The rain water did finally rise through the backside of my trousers and up through my shirt but the experience was never the less wonderful. Black Caiman where around and Bats and Nightjars where still in flight. One of the biggest thrills was coming across a very large male Capybara standing in the water watching the boats go by. I would have remained a wet birder all night for that experience alone.
Needless to say we were all pretty wet when we got back but all high on adrenalin and all went to bed that night very happy even knowing we were to be up at 4.45 the following morning. No late nights on this trip I can tell you.
The following day we continued to explore the wooded areas, pools and river. On one trip we had excellent views of a large Black Caiman, a River Otter which seemed to come towards us to explore and at least the splash of an Arapaima (at least I was told it was by he guides!!!) the largest of all scaled freshwater fish. If anyone out there is planning a trip to Guyana do not miss out Karanambu. There was one major disappointment and that was that we did not get our promised trip to seek out Giant Anteater with the ‘vaqueros riding barefoot in the stirrup’. It seems that the Anteater had moved out some months before possibly after burning of the land. On leaving the area we did find an Upland Sandpiper, whilst not quite making up for the non appearance of Anteater, I was told it was a rarity in these parts!
Rock View Lodge/Iwokrama
In my opinion Rock View was a nice lodge but more or less a stopping off place and none of us where too sure why we spent two nights here. To be fair we did have a good walk up the nature trail on the hills and the view was pretty good and there was some good birding to be done on the roads. It was also nice to have time to relax a little. My best memory of this area was to find a roost of 40/50 Fork-tailed Flycatchers and a Vermillion Flycatcher. It was near here that we were attacked by Africanised Bees. I run fast at the thought of pain, so escaped, but some were not so lucky. OOW! This was the first of two attacks during the tour. Oh and I should not forget the Orange-backed Troupial in the lodge grounds. A beauty!
Then it was off to Iwokrama. I really enjoyed this area. Iwokarama Rainforest is a vast wilderness of one million acres. Much of the forest I saw appeared to be primary. The forest experience was an adventure in itself and whilst I have seen army ants before, never have I seen them in the numbers I did here. Not accompanied by any birds however. The centre here is a research station and quite basic but comfortable and I found the young local guides friendly and informative. This was a forest experience I really enjoyed.
I mentioned Jacamar (Chris) above. I know he had visited the centre a few days before I arrived and it was a pity that we just missed one another. Jacamar has already posted and I reckon my time here was spent in a similar way to his. Before arriving at the centre we made a planned pre-dawn visit to the treetop canopy walk. Mis-management meant it was after dawn when we arrived. The canopy walk is 35metres high so having a morbid fear of heights I am at least proud of my achievement in coping with it and I have photographs to prove I did! Bit of a forced smile you could say! First time I have been on a canopy walkway but those who have visited others said this was the best. Great views of the forest but not a lot in the way of birds although we did get views of Red Howler Monkeys and on the walk saw signs that Jaguar had been around a little earlier. Pity we were late!
The other unforgettable experience was the walk through the forest and up Turtle Mountain. A hard slog I can tell you, especially in the humidity. Well worth it for the views though right across the roof of the forest. Great views of 2 Black Spider Monkeys in action also and a flypast of Red and Green Macaws. It was also in this area that we saw Scarlet Macaws. On the river we got Black Skimmer, Yellow-billed tern, Large-billed Tern and Black-collared Swallow. We also got our first good view of Screaming Piha which sound in the forest is extraordinary. Waved Woodpecker was added to the list too, and we had good views of Red-fan Parrot, Caica Parrot and Blue-headed Parrot.
One afternoon we visited a small Amerindian village on the way to a birding walk. It became clear that we were going to be caught in a tropical storm. The dark clouds and smirks on our young guides faces told me that. The guides judged it to perfection however and got us into shelter in the village just as the heavens opened. We had storms most days but this was without doubt the heaviest. Passed over fairly quickly however as most did. The borrowed poncho came in handy again! It was bright yellow and I was known for the rest of the day as the Bananaquit! We had seen a few of those by now.
Having left the research station we did visit a further Cock of the Rock site but were soon informed by the local guide we were too late to see the displaying males. You may sense that there was some frustration creeping in to group member’s minds by this time. You are correct but I will say no more than that! We did have close up views of a female on the nest however. I and another group member were more than a little concerned by the flash photography which went on within a few feet of this bird! No one else appeared to give a damn!!!???
Surama
Surama is within the boundaries of the Iwokrama forest and the villagers have set up what is termed in the brochure ‘rustic accommodation’. The accommodation is set within a small savannah area and 3 miles from the Burro Burro River to which you walk through a mixture of savannah and forest. Personally I found the area fantastic, with great views of the hills, open savannah and skies.
We did the walk to the river twice and took boat rides up and down river. To be honest the birding on the river was not great but there are other things to life than birds. Isn’t there? We did also see Red Capuchin, Red Rumped Agouti, Fire Snakes, Amazon Tree Boa and Yellow-footed Tortoise in the area. Birds included White-tailed Hawk, Savannah Hawk, Gray-winged Trumpeter, Sun Bittern, Black Nunbird, Purple- throated Fruitcrow, Grassland Sparrow, Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Cayenne Jay, Spangled Cotinga, Black Curassow and after long searches Capuchinbird and Rufous-winged-ground Cuckoo. Oh yes, and another star bird King Vulture.
Afternoon walks were attempted but not only was it very hot but the flies were a real problem. I decided on one afternoon just to relax but was tempted into the forest by one of the group members and the group leader decided to join us. This was nearing the end of the trip of course and I think everyone had given up thoughts of Giant Anteaters. Well in the forest as the leader was ‘phishing’ birds again when the corner of my eye was taken by a movement on the footpath. Yes there it was, a Giant Anteater had come out of the forest. It soon went back in again but allowed us great views. A highlight of the trip. An even greater highlight was telling the other group members!!! We went spotlighting for Anteaters that evening but it was not to be. Well, I may have missed quite a few birds on the tour list but not the Anteater!
Georgetown/Barbados
Our return to Georgetown did not allow us very long although we paid a visit to the Botanic gardens where most of us did not see anything new for the trip. Infact most of us soon made for the Zoo. It was certainly the nearest I got to Jaguar, Tapir and Harpy Eagle. Infact we began to think we had not seen Harpy eagle on the tour because they are all in the zoo! We asked why so many in the zoo and were told that they are kept there because otherwise they are killed!!! Our planned tour of the centre of Georgetown was cancelled because of flight problems so we spent the time in Barbados instead. Now Barbados has never been on my list of places to visit and now having been there, I won’t be adding it to my must return list. Sorry if anyone is looking in from Barbados. I am sure many people love the place. I could tell that from the large parties of cruise liner visitors. I did add the one and only endemic bird of the island to my list. A female Barbados Bullfinch!
A tour with some problems but many good memories of a beautiful country. Will I go back to the Neotropics? Try stopping me!!!
Thanks to Jacamar, Bill Atwood and Tim Allwood et al for advice re books etc before the tour.
Bird list to follow. BFM April 2006
Tell us more about your RW Ground-Cuckoo sighting; you're very fortunate to get one of those on your first visit to the Neotropics! And yes, the Agami and Boat-billed Herons,and Green Ibis did make my mouth water. :t:
