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Field Guides Tour Report
Guyana II 2016
Apr 3, 2016 to Apr 14, 2016
Bret Whitney


The mega-highlight of Field Guides' second Guyana tour for 2016 was this pair of Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoos, moving through a dense vine tangle immediately off the side of the trail. This is the kind of experience one might hope for once in one's Neotropical birding lifetime! Video copyright Bret Whitney.

I had not been to Guyana since 2007, when I led Field Guides’s one and only “Super Shield: Suriname & Guyana” tour. I had, at that time, been to Guyana twice before, in 1997 and 1998, on reconnaissance trips for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. So, when the opportunity came up to lead our second 2016 tour to Guyana during my annual, spring “off-time” at home, I decided to go for it! I’m really glad I did, because we had some fabulous birding experiences and lots of fun on this all-too-brief trip to the ancient forests and savannas of the Guianan Shield. At each of our several stops, we were met by friendly (and highly talented!) local guides and lodge staff, who contributed greatly to this excellent tour to Guyana.

The headlines in the Georgetown newspaper were all about the severe drought affecting the Rupununi savannas in the interior of the country. Animals were dying and entire villages were without water, wells having dried up. Fires were widespread and people were truly desperate and afraid for their lives out there, relying on trucks bringing water in one load at a time. But that first morning, in Georgetown (on the coast), it rained on us, the first decent rain they’d seen there in some weeks. Not an auspicious start, I must say, but we did the best we could, rejoicing in a soaked Rufous Crab-Hawk sitting on a phone pole and a few brilliant Scarlet Ibis blasting over on roaring tailwinds. Rain cleared by about 10:30, so our Mahaica River boat trip to see Hoatzins was ok, though very windy with few species seen worth a darn (except Hoatzin!), water spraying across us on the return. A break for brunch at Narish’s house was super! We revisited some mangrove stops on our way back to town, and picked up a handful of birds we’d lost earlier, like White-bellied Piculet (ridiculously close) and Bicolored Conebill.

Next morning was to be a later, “normal” breakfast at the lovely Cara Lodge before transfer to the in-town airport for our 10:00 charter to Kaieteur Falls, the highest single-drop waterfall in the world. When we got to the airport, we learned that Kaieteur was socked in, and the flight was indefinitely delayed. We finally boarded and took off about 12:30, arriving at the falls about 13:30. Seeing the falls out the window as we came in for landing was awesome in the truest sense of that (overused) word! We were going to have to rush to squeeze in everything, but managed to get fabulous views of a male Roraiman Antbird (Myrmelastes [Schistocichla] saturatus); take in the spectacular falls very fully at two overlooks; scope a handsome male Orange-breasted Falcon; see the Guianan Cocks-of-the Rock quite well; and hightail it back to the plane for a 15:30 departure (which the pilot had told me was the absolute last minute we could take off and make it to Surama, then get himself back to Georgetown). We saw few other birds around the falls, but… whew! The flight on south to Surama was gorgeous, great expanses of emerald forest out the windows. The newly refurbished airstrip was about to be paved, but the work hadn’t quite started and it was open for our landing – perfect! Check out the video of this exciting day, below.

The savanna around Surama did not look nearly as bad as I’d expected, which the people at the Surama Ecolodge told us was due to several good rains in the past 10 days or so. They had been in dire straits for water, however, and had recently called in Brazilians from Boa Vista to come across and dig a new, very deep well, which saved the day. Our first birding walk that afternoon was fun, with scope views of Great Potoo and several Finsch’s Euphonias. Unfortunately, the Buro-Buro River was too low for our planned boat trip the next day, which was disappointing and cost us several species, but probably no Guianan Shield endemics. We did, however, see one helluva fine bird at Surama, which I had seen only a couple of times ever...

Our walk to the Buro-Buro on a beautiful early morning along a good, wide trail was dreadfully quiet. The recent rain had apparently not been sufficient to stimulate birds to do much vocalizing. So, I cast around with whistles and recordings, pulling up some common stuff to keep us busy. I’d been asking our local guide, Ron (who I’d known since my first visit, in 1997) about rarer species, like Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo. A bit further down the trail, he said, “This is a good area for Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo,” that he’d seen one at an ant swarm there a month or so earlier. I played a great recording made by Paul Schwartz in Venezuela, and we waited a good five minutes, listening for a response. Nothing at all, so we moved ahead, around a curve in the trail. Then, Ron and I heard bill claps of two ground-cuckoos just a few meters off the trail – “OMG! People, we’re gonna SEE this bird!” Over the next half hour, everyone did indeed see the bird(s) at least a couple of times, for at least a few seconds each (and I may have seen a juv briefly as well). One of the birds even dashed across the trail. Then they fell silent, stopped responding to playback, and it seemed the show was over -- with mega-highfives all around! But just then, our excellent local guide, Kenneth, called to me that he had spotted the birds again, walking toward the trail. We hustled the 30 meters back and there, almost shockingly close, were two fabulous adult Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoos very quietly walking around and through a vine tangle. The birds traced a route of about 10 meters back and forth for some five minutes, providing everyone with stunning views. They never called or did any further bill clapping. By the time I tried to make some video, the birds were starting to melt back off the trail, and I managed only several clips of a few seconds each that, together, show the birds pretty well (see above). I told y’all it was going to be reallllly hard to see anything on the rest of the tour to top those Neomorphus! Our great sighting of a half-dozen Gray-winged Trumpeters that morning, purple sequins glittering in the sun, was now a solid second-place.

We had a picnic lunch at the Buro-Buro, then returned to the lodge for a short rest before driving a couple of miles out the main road to stop at some forested stretches I remembered having been productive. It turned out to be a pretty good, relaxing session, highlighted by Green and Black-necked aracaris, both big toucans, some super-responsive Red-fan Parrots, and a fine flyover view of 20+ Red-shouldered Parrotlets. Least and Lesser nighthawks appeared over the savanna at dusk, marking a nice close to a really fine day of birding.

Next morning was highly anticipated Harpy time. We walked in to the nest tree, scoping a fantastic Long-tailed Potoo on a day roost known to Ron, and saw a handful of other birds on another way-too-quiet morning. After a couple of minutes scanning the enormous nest tree with no sign of the Harpys, one of the adults (I think the female, by size) jumped off the nest and bounded out along a massive supporting limb! OMG! all over again! People were bumping heads and comically stumbling around trying to reposition for a clear view. We had the scopes on the bird in seconds, and we were gasping with delight as the massive raptor stared down at us and the wind picked up its crest. It moved a couple of more times over the next half hour, and at one point we could see a large brood patch, so the bird was almost certainly incubating. We all took one last, long look, I made a nice video through the scope (see below), and we left her in peace.

Birding our way east through miles of tall forest along the main road through the vast Iwokrama Rainforest Reserve, we arrived at Kurupukari just in time for an evening boat trip on the Essequibo River, for Ladder-tailed Nightjars. We dropped bags in our rooms, hustled to the boat-launch, and a few minutes later we had a male nightjar perched at close range, with a female in attendance as well. Also great out there was watching a bee-swarm-tight flock of perhaps 150 Black-collared Swallows suddenly dive out of the heavens to roost on rocky islands in the river. Before landing on the rocks, they and a few Barn Swallows with them whizzed around low overhead in a really impressive flight performance – thrilling stuff!

Our one full day at Kurupukari was dedicated to the hike up Turtle Mountain. The trailhead is a short boat trip down the Essequibo, and we took advantage of that to see Black-chinned and Silvered antbirds and Guianan Streaked-Antwren, and also our only Blue-and-yellow Macaws of the trip (good spot, Kathy!). Amazingly, Alex, our local guide, spotted another Long-tailed Potoo along the lower part of the trail! The trail was in fine shape and easy to walk, notwithstanding some pretty steep sections. Birding was very quiet, with few species seen, but we loved the overlook at the top, where we spent nearly an hour watching a pair of Orange-breasted Falcons at very close range, and a bunch of Swallow-tailed Kites soaring around at and below eye-level. After late lunch at the lodge, we walked the short trail into a known Capuchinbird lek. The birds were all around, but not vocalizing until one flew in to perch on a nicely exposed limb, and did its call and display several times, with others calling in the area – what a sound!

Next morning we packed up and left Kurupukari in the rain, stopping to bird several short stretches of the main road back toward Atta Rainforest Lodge. We saw a number of birds along the way, including Marail Guan, Blue-cheeked Parrots and Guianan Red-Cotinga, and spent nearly two hours walking a new logging road Ron had never checked out, but we hit not a single canopy flock (didn’t even hear a distant one). Mostly, this was just bad luck coinciding with rain too heavy for effective birding. Our destination was the Atta Rainforest Lodge, set in a small clearing within vast, undisturbed forest with multiple excellent birding trails right outside the door. What a great place! Highlights of our two days at Atta were many, including Black Curassows, an excellent White-winged Potoo, Black-banded Owl, Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, Bronzy Jacamar, Black-throated Antshrike (what a killer pair of birds!), Purple-breasted and Spangled cotingas, five Dusky Purpletufts, the rarely seen Cinnamon Manakin-Tyrant (Neopipo), a stunning male Red-and-black Grosbeak, and an big army ant swarm that produced close views of White-plumed and Rufous-throated antbirds, and Red-billed and Black-banded woodcreepers.

Atta also features a nice canopy walkway and viewing platforms. Our early morning up there started real quiet, but I eventually managed to stir up some action, which produced fabulous, side-by-side views of Spot-tailed and Todd’s antwrens, Sooty-headed and White-lored tyrannulets, and Yellow-throated Golden-collared, and Waved woodpeckers, Black-spotted Barbets, et al., in and around the main platform tree. A Tiny Hawk flew by with a bird in its talons, which was thrilling to see. That afternoon, around the Atta clearing, lots of careful scanning and calling for Crimson Fruitcrow didn’t produce it (a pair was seen right above the rooms the day before, and it was our sorest miss of the entire trip). Ya gotta leave something for next time! A special thank you to local guide, John, who did a world-class job of helping us find the above suite of fabulous birds.

Caiman House, our next venue, required a drive of a couple of hours through the Rupununi savannas. A stop at a rice plantation was very productive, with birds packed in there because of the super-dry conditions away from these irrigated fields. Can you believe we saw FIVE Pinnated Bitterns in 20 minutes! That was a record for me! Caiman House provided access to extensive semideciduous and gallery forest in the Rupununi River basin and also the extensive, little-known savannas in that region. This forest is a rare habitat in South America. We enjoyed a late afternoon studying the differences among three species of elaenias and other flycatchers, plus great views of Blue-backed Manakins.

That night, the beginning of the rainy season we had been experiencing (which typically starts in late April/May) busted wide open. Shortly after midnight, rumbling thunder and wind stormed across the savannas, dumping a ton of water over the next 10 hours, in a true deluge before about 07:00. The parched earth, so desperately needing a recharge, simply couldn’t absorb it all, but that storm, and more over the next days, brought great relief to the land and people of the Rupununi. Winged termites emerging in the rain were all over the place along our early morning drive through the savannas, and we enjoyed great views of Least and Lesser nighthawks gobbling them down as they flew around us. A bit later, with umbrellas up, we walked slowly through a dry, brushy wash that is home to a couple of rare little tyrannids that had been located a couple of years earlier by our local guide, Manuel: Crested Doradito and Bearded Tachuri. Over the course of an hour or so, we found three or four doraditos and a dapper pair of Bearded Tachuris, the male doing spectacular aerial displays (I had never seen the display of this small, northern form, brevipennis). Very cool stuff! It was later that morning that Anteater Man -- newest member of the Avengers -- rode up literally out of nowhere and took us to see a mother Giant Anteater and her big baby! Our afternoon boat trip on the Rupununi River was much drier, which was welcome in those open boats. But had it not rained hard that day, I doubt we’d have had sufficient water in the river to make it very far, and, as it was, we had to pole through some very shallow, sandy stretches. Our efforts were rewarded with Green Ibis, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Crane Hawk, Cream-colored Woodpecker, and assorted others, punctuated with an impressive show from 200+ Band-tailed Nighthawks foraging over the river at dusk.

Our final full tour day proved to hold several surprises, on both the positive and negative ends of the ledger. On the plus side, I improvised a morning of birding on the Ireng River to give us a chance of finding two highly localized endemic birds never before seen on a Field Guides tour: Rio Branco Antbird, and Hoary-throated Spinetail. We did things right to ensure we’d get there with plenty of time to devote to the hunt, and it was a good thing, because more rain that morning made for pretty tough birding – but we nailed both of these great birds birds by lunchtime. Perfect, thanks so much, Leroy! Also in the positive column was lunch that day – wow, what a nice spread of delicious foods, so welcome after our 04:00 breakfast! And the rain had stopped by noon, so we seemed to be set for an easy cruise to the finish line. Then the bugaboos took over. We learned that the flight back to Georgetown would be delayed for at least an hour. After waiting around for awhile, we decided to go to the airport and learn more about the situation. We were told that the flight was not coming at all, and that, even if there were a change of plans and it did operate, we would not be able to get seats to Georgetown because there was already a backlog of passengers ahead of us – all due to rainy weather the past couple of days, essentially all over Guyana. There would be no choice but to endure a 12-hour drive on dirt (= mud) roads all the way to the capital. I calculated that, if we left by 2:00 p.m., we’d arrive at Cara Lodge with an hour to rearrange luggage and clean up, then head straight to the airport for our early-morning flight to Miami. [Darwin, you’re the MAN!] To make a long story shorter, that’s what we did, and it worked, and we made it home…. pretty much. The negatives still held sway, and the Caribbean Airways flight arrived nearly three hours late, which caused several of us to miss homeward connections out of Miami. We finally broke even on that series of events with help from the Field Guides office and a couple of helpful agents at the American Airlines desk, who rerouted everyone as best they could.

The contrast of “old” (12 hours on dirt roads) and “new” (nice airplanes that run late and mess up your life) might be said – quite accurately -- to typify travel in Guyana. But I prefer to think of that contrast more in terms of remote, ancient rainforests that are nowadays remarkably accessible to the adventurous birder willing to accept the vagaries of travel in relatively unspoiled places, like beautiful Guyana. Thanks so much to all of you for coming on this tour, and I hope to see you again (probably in Brazil!) as soon as the timing permits!

-- Bret


KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant



Some scenes from our immersion into the interior of Guyana, the second full day of the tour. Copyright Bret Whitney.
BIRDS
Tinamidae (Tinamous)
GREAT TINAMOU (Tinamus major) [*]
CINEREOUS TINAMOU (Crypturellus cinereus) [*]
UNDULATED TINAMOU (Crypturellus undulatus) [*]
RED-LEGGED TINAMOU (Crypturellus erythropus) [*]
VARIEGATED TINAMOU (Crypturellus variegatus) [*]
Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl)
BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
Cracidae (Guans, Chachalacas, and Curassows)
VARIABLE CHACHALACA (Ortalis motmot)
MARAIL GUAN (Penelope marail) – Two birds were scoped nicely right off the side of the main road through Iwokrama. We had more sightings of the larger, widespread Spix's Guan.
SPIX'S GUAN (Penelope jacquacu)
BLACK CURASSOW (Crax alector) – Lots of good sightings, particularly around Atta, where we scoped a bird on its nest.


Pinnated Bittern, the closest of five we saw en route to Caiman House. Copyright Bret Whitney.

Odontophoridae (New World Quail)
CRESTED BOBWHITE (Colinus cristatus) – After missing them for a couple of days in savannas, we connected with a couple of large coveys in the doradito draw.
Ciconiidae (Storks)
MAGUARI STORK (Ciconia maguari) – Fairly numerous in the rice paddies.
JABIRU (Jabiru mycteria) – Just a few, but one adult spent a couple of days in a small, roadside ditch in Iwokrama.
WOOD STORK (Mycteria americana)
Fregatidae (Frigatebirds)
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD (Fregata magnificens)
Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags)
NEOTROPIC CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax brasilianus)
Anhingidae (Anhingas)
ANHINGA (Anhinga anhinga)
Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns)
PINNATED BITTERN (Botaurus pinnatus)
RUFESCENT TIGER-HERON (Tigrisoma lineatum)
COCOI HERON (Ardea cocoi)
GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba)
SNOWY EGRET (Egretta thula)
LITTLE BLUE HERON (Egretta caerulea)
TRICOLORED HERON (Egretta tricolor)
CATTLE EGRET (Bubulcus ibis)
STRIATED HERON (SOUTH AMERICAN) (Butorides striata striata)
CAPPED HERON (Pilherodius pileatus)
BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON (Nycticorax nycticorax)
BOAT-BILLED HERON (Cochlearius cochlearius) – A couple of dapper adults near dusk on the Rupununi boat trip.

Harpy Eagle -- so close we could barely fit her in the scope (this is handheld, digiscope video)! Copyright Bret Whitney.
Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills)
SCARLET IBIS (Eudocimus ruber) – Some impressive flocks going over the mangroves near Georgetown on our first morning (rainy!) afield.
GREEN IBIS (Mesembrinibis cayennensis)
BUFF-NECKED IBIS (Theristicus caudatus)
Cathartidae (New World Vultures)
BLACK VULTURE (Coragyps atratus)
TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura)
LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE (Cathartes burrovianus)
GREATER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE (Cathartes melambrotus)
KING VULTURE (Sarcoramphus papa) – Only three seen, but they were great!


Long-winged Harrier, on our first morning afield. Copyright Bret Whitney.

Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles, and Kites)
WHITE-TAILED KITE (Elanus leucurus) – Steve spotted one for us, in the rice fields.
SWALLOW-TAILED KITE (Elanoides forficatus) – We spent a memorable half-hour watching about a dozen of these elegant raptors doing courtship flights, accompanied by lots of vocalizing, at the Turtle Mountain overlook, sometimes well below eye-level.
HARPY EAGLE (Harpia harpyja) – A huge female sat calmly in its enormous nest tree, changing perches a couple of times, as we scoped it. What a satisfying experience with this magnificent bird!
BLACK-COLLARED HAWK (Busarellus nigricollis)
SNAIL KITE (Rostrhamus sociabilis)
DOUBLE-TOOTHED KITE (Harpagus bidentatus)
PLUMBEOUS KITE (Ictinia plumbea)
LONG-WINGED HARRIER (Circus buffoni)
TINY HAWK (Accipiter superciliosus superciliosus)
CRANE HAWK (Geranospiza caerulescens)
RUFOUS CRAB HAWK (Buteogallus aequinoctialis) – Steve calmly pointed out a gorgeous adult bird that we'd all walked right under (it was atop a telephone pole, waiting out a windy rain squall). At least one of us was looking up!
SAVANNA HAWK (Buteogallus meridionalis)
GREAT BLACK HAWK (Buteogallus urubitinga)
ROADSIDE HAWK (Rupornis magnirostris)
WHITE-TAILED HAWK (Geranoaetus albicaudatus)
WHITE HAWK (Pseudastur albicollis) – A very impressive appearance of an adult hunting in the forest midstory at Atta.
GRAY-LINED HAWK (Buteo nitidus)
ZONE-TAILED HAWK (Buteo albonotatus)
Eurypygidae (Sunbittern)
SUNBITTERN (Eurypyga helias)
Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots)
OCELLATED CRAKE (Micropygia schomburgkii) – I pointed out the distant, grating call of this rarely seen little crake in the savanna outside Surama. [*]

This Rufous Crab Hawk was so wet in the rain that it wasn't too concerned about our close presence. Copyright Bret Whitney.
Aramidae (Limpkin)
LIMPKIN (Aramus guarauna)
Psophiidae (Trumpeters)
GRAY-WINGED TRUMPETER (Psophia crepitans) – Two fabulous encounters with troops coming by us only a few yards off the trail -- spectacular birds!
Burhinidae (Thick-knees)
DOUBLE-STRIPED THICK-KNEE (Burhinus bistriatus) – We'd nearly missed seeing this fine bird, until we did the long drive back to Georgetown; there were multiple pairs along the early part of the route.
Charadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings)
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Pluvialis squatarola)
PIED LAPWING (Vanellus cayanus)
SOUTHERN LAPWING (Vanellus chilensis)
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (Charadrius semipalmatus)
Jacanidae (Jacanas)
WATTLED JACANA (Jacana jacana)

Gray-winged Trumpeters came by quite close to us a couple of times (this was the best I could do for video, but we saw them much more clearly!). Copyright Bret Whitney.
Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies)
SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Actitis macularius)
SOLITARY SANDPIPER (Tringa solitaria)
UPLAND SANDPIPER (Bartramia longicauda) – A single bird, rather a late migrant, had probably been grounded by the massive Rupununi storm. Unfortunately, it flushed as we drove nearby and didn't stay put long enough for the second vehicle to see it at all.
LEAST SANDPIPER (Calidris minutilla)
Laridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers)
LARGE-BILLED TERN (Phaetusa simplex)
BLACK SKIMMER (Rynchops niger)
Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves)
PALE-VENTED PIGEON (Patagioenas cayennensis)
SCALED PIGEON (Patagioenas speciosa)
PLUMBEOUS PIGEON (Patagioenas plumbea)
RUDDY PIGEON (Patagioenas subvinacea)
COMMON GROUND-DOVE (Columbina passerina)
PLAIN-BREASTED GROUND-DOVE (Columbina minuta)
RUDDY GROUND-DOVE (Columbina talpacoti)
WHITE-TIPPED DOVE (Leptotila verreauxi)
GRAY-FRONTED DOVE (Leptotila rufaxilla)


Hoatzin, really nice on our Mahaica River boat trip. It is the single most ancient and distinctive bird in the New World. And, yes, it looks like it. Copyright Bret Whitney.

EARED DOVE (Zenaida auriculata)
Opisthocomidae (Hoatzin)
HOATZIN (Opisthocomus hoazin) – Outstanding views of a couple of these weird birds on our first morning.
Cuculidae (Cuckoos)
LITTLE CUCKOO (Coccycua minuta)
SQUIRREL CUCKOO (Piaya cayana)
BLACK-BELLIED CUCKOO (Piaya melanogaster)
STRIPED CUCKOO (Tapera naevia) – A pair of birds was foraging on plowed ground, walking along and waggling their fancy, black thumbs (alula feathers) -- very cool to see that!
RUFOUS-WINGED GROUND-CUCKOO (Neomorphus rufipennis) – This was very likely a "once-in-a-lifetime" experience with this very rarely seen bird. Fortunately, you can all relive it, or see it nearly as well as we did in life, by clicking on the facebook logo on the right side of the Field Guides website home page, and doing a search for it, or simply by scrolling down to find it. I'll drop in a few still-frames of the video here ;-)
GREATER ANI (Crotophaga major)
SMOOTH-BILLED ANI (Crotophaga ani)
Strigidae (Owls)
TROPICAL SCREECH-OWL (Megascops choliba) [*]
TAWNY-BELLIED SCREECH-OWL (Megascops watsonii) – After getting only "close" a couple of times, we finally managed to throw the light on one for a great view.
SPECTACLED OWL (Pulsatrix perspicillata) [*]
AMAZONIAN PYGMY-OWL (Glaucidium hardyi) – Very quiet this trip, and unwilling to move. [*]
FERRUGINOUS PYGMY-OWL (Glaucidium brasilianum)
BURROWING OWL (Athene cunicularia) – A couple of entertaining encounters, especially a little family group at the entrance to their burrow.
MOTTLED OWL (Ciccaba virgata) – This Amazonian/Guianan bird is quite distinctly different from Central American populations.
BLACK-BANDED OWL (Ciccaba huhula) – One bird allowed a couple of minutes of viewing, but it was high in trees over a roadcut, so it was hard to see the thin, white bars in the plumage.
Caprimulgidae (Nightjars and Allies)
NACUNDA NIGHTHAWK (Chordeiles nacunda) – Several of these big guys were flushed off the roads on our final morning drive in savannas.

Least Nighthawk (still frames from video on a dark, drizzly morning). Copyright Bret Whitney.
LEAST NIGHTHAWK (Chordeiles pusillus) – Fabulous views of this attractive little nightjar, with several of them foraging on emerging, winged termites over the rain-soaked savannas.
LESSER NIGHTHAWK (Chordeiles acutipennis) – Ditto that, in lesser numbers.
SHORT-TAILED NIGHTHAWK (Lurocalis semitorquatus) – A pair performed nicely for us, just before we saw the White-winged Potoo.
BAND-TAILED NIGHTHAWK (Nyctiprogne leucopyga) – 200+ over the Rupununi River at dusk.
BLACKISH NIGHTJAR (Nyctipolus nigrescens) – One seen nicely on our drive back to Georgetown
COMMON PAURAQUE (Nyctidromus albicollis)
WHITE-TAILED NIGHTJAR (Hydropsalis cayennensis) – What a show we had, with Ron and Mannie herding several birds towrd us, off roosts in an isolated clump of trees in the savannas.
LADDER-TAILED NIGHTJAR (Hydropsalis climacocerca) – Great studies of a pair on a small island in the Essequibo River.
Nyctibiidae (Potoos)
GREAT POTOO (Nyctibius grandis) – Ron took us to visit one of these big guys at Surama.
LONG-TAILED POTOO (Nyctibius aethereus) – We had TWO amazing, daylight scope sessions on consecutive days; check out the video >>>
COMMON POTOO (Nyctibius griseus) – We heard one wailing in the night at Surama, and Ron put his light on one that was to far away to see well on our Rupununi boat trip. Then, on our drive to Georgetown, we had great looks at a bird perched low on a stick right beside the road!
WHITE-WINGED POTOO (Nyctibius leucopterus) – What a great time we had seeing this bird, at Atta. I have actually shown it to tour participants a bunch of times over the years, and have developed a sure-fire technique for getting birds to come into great position for the scope... but I've *never* had any other guide anywhere do it all for me! John knew that individual potoo extraordinarily well; pulled it across the road with just the right amount of tugging, and had set the scope up on its favorite stub well before the show started so all we had to do was turn on the lights. A sweet job indeed (and I thought I had the patent)!
Apodidae (Swifts)
WHITE-COLLARED SWIFT (Streptoprocne zonaris) – Just a few around Kaieteur. Had we arrived a few hours earlier, we'd ahve had a much better chance of seeing some other species as well (especially White-chinned), but these birds are usually foraging miles from the falls through the middle of the day.

Two different Long-tailed Potoos on consecutive days! Copyright Bret Whitney.
CHAPMAN'S SWIFT (Chaetura chapmani) – Nice views of several around Kurupukari.
SHORT-TAILED SWIFT (Chaetura brachyura)
BAND-RUMPED SWIFT (Chaetura spinicaudus)
FORK-TAILED PALM-SWIFT (Tachornis squamata)
Trochilidae (Hummingbirds)
RUFOUS-BREASTED HERMIT (Glaucis hirsutus) [*]
STRAIGHT-BILLED HERMIT (Phaethornis bourcieri) [*]
LONG-TAILED HERMIT (Phaethornis superciliosus)
REDDISH HERMIT (Phaethornis ruber)
BLACK-EARED FAIRY (Heliothryx auritus) – Great views of a couple of birds accompanying small canopy flocks. This was a lower-than-average trip for hummers, due mostly to the dearth of flowers (super-dry conditions ahead of the tour) and rainy weather through the last week.
WHITE-TAILED GOLDENTHROAT (Polytmus guainumbi)
GREEN-THROATED MANGO (Anthracothorax viridigula)
BLUE-CHINNED SAPPHIRE (Chlorestes notata)
GRAY-BREASTED SABREWING (Campylopterus largipennis)
FORK-TAILED WOODNYMPH (Thalurania furcata)
PLAIN-BELLIED EMERALD (Amazilia leucogaster)
GLITTERING-THROATED EMERALD (Amazilia fimbriata)
RUFOUS-THROATED SAPPHIRE (Hylocharis sapphirina)
WHITE-CHINNED SAPPHIRE (Hylocharis cyanus)
Trogonidae (Trogons)
BLACK-TAILED TROGON (Trogon melanurus) – Well... as I said in the field, I've NEVER had a reasonably close, spontaneously singing Black-tailed Trogon fail to move in response to any of my littany of playback songs and scolds -- but "there's a first time for everything". It really did surprise me! [*]
GREEN-BACKED TROGON (Trogon viridis)
GUIANAN TROGON (Trogon violaceus) – Great views a couple of times. This is the Guianan endemic population, formerly considered a subspecies of widespread "Violaceous Trogon".
BLACK-THROATED TROGON (Trogon rufus) [*]

A pair of Red-billed Toucans in a light rain, along the main road through the Iwokrama Forest Reserve. Copyright Bret Whitney.
Momotidae (Motmots)
AMAZONIAN MOTMOT (Momotus momota) [*]
Alcedinidae (Kingfishers)
RINGED KINGFISHER (Megaceryle torquata)
AMAZON KINGFISHER (Chloroceryle amazona)
GREEN KINGFISHER (Chloroceryle americana)
Bucconidae (Puffbirds)
GUIANAN PUFFBIRD (Notharchus macrorhynchos) – Excellent scope studies a couple of times. Like the Guianan Trogon, this (nominate) Guianan Shield population is now considered a species separate from the widespread complex (in this case, "White-necked Puffbird").
PIED PUFFBIRD (Notharchus tectus)
SPOTTED PUFFBIRD (Bucco tamatia) – Daggummit, we really should have seen this bird. They were singing around us, and we got quite close, but it ended up slipping through the net as we got into the boats on the Rupununi. Sorry about that, I'll try hard to make it up for you someday in Brazil ;-) [*]
BLACK NUNBIRD (Monasa atra)
SWALLOW-WINGED PUFFBIRD (Chelidoptera tenebrosa)
Galbulidae (Jacamars)
YELLOW-BILLED JACAMAR (Galbula albirostris) – Wow, like that Black-tailed Trogon, a singing bird failed to move into view (very unusual). We heard exactly ONE individual over our several days in great habitat. [*]
RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR (Galbula ruficauda) – Ireng River. [*]
GREEN-TAILED JACAMAR (Galbula galbula)
BRONZY JACAMAR (Galbula leucogastra) – Great views of a single bird in the white-sand forest near Atta.
PARADISE JACAMAR (Galbula dea) – Several pairs
GREAT JACAMAR (Jacamerops aureus) – This superb bird was een well a couple of times
Capitonidae (New World Barbets)
BLACK-SPOTTED BARBET (Capito niger) – Fabulous views from the tower/walkway, and we even got to see the male singing, with his bill-down, tail-pumping performance.
Ramphastidae (Toucans)
GREEN ARACARI (Pteroglossus viridis) – All of the toucans came fairly easily this trip!
BLACK-NECKED ARACARI (Pteroglossus aracari)
GUIANAN TOUCANET (Selenidera piperivora)
WHITE-THROATED TOUCAN (Ramphastos tucanus)
CHANNEL-BILLED TOUCAN (Ramphastos vitellinus)

We had great woodpecker action on the tour; here's a medly of them. Copyright Bret Whitney.
Picidae (Woodpeckers)
WHITE-BELLIED PICULET (Picumnus spilogaster) – We pulled a fine adult male in really close -- check out the video!
WHITE-BARRED PICULET (Picumnus cirratus) – The taxonomy of these barred piculets is a mess in the Guianas. The type of P. cirratus (White-barred Piculet) is from Rio de Janeiro, and the supposed subspecies in Guyana is P. c. confusus (an older name from Guyana, P. c. macconnelli, apparently now applying only to birds around Belém, Pará, Brazil). Whatever, it appears to me that there are hybrid spilogaster x cirratus in some places in Guyana, and no two birds look quite alike. So, I can't vouch for the ID of the bird we saw well from the Atta canopy walkway, for instance, but it was probably this "confusus" subspecies of White-barred Piculet. Aarrgh.
GOLDEN-COLLARED WOODPECKER (Veniliornis cassini) – Super views of this Guianan endemic several times.
BLOOD-COLORED WOODPECKER (Veniliornis sanguineus) – Seen poorly on the Mahaica River boat trip, then thoroughly nailed at the georgetown Botanical Garden -- a gorgeous little woodpecker!
YELLOW-THROATED WOODPECKER (Piculus flavigula) – Nice views a couple of times
GOLDEN-GREEN WOODPECKER (Piculus chrysochloros) [*]
WAVED WOODPECKER (Celeus undatus) – Wonderful study of a male only a few feet away on the canopy walkway.
CREAM-COLORED WOODPECKER (Celeus flavus) – Best was the male in the scope on the walk to the buro Buro River (Surama).
LINEATED WOODPECKER (Dryocopus lineatus)
RED-NECKED WOODPECKER (Campephilus rubricollis) – A male came out of a nest hole at Atta, and allowed great views.
CRIMSON-CRESTED WOODPECKER (Campephilus melanoleucos) – This one was also seen at a nest hole, above the Buro Buro River.
Falconidae (Falcons and Caracaras)
BARRED FOREST-FALCON (Micrastur ruficollis) – Ron and I saw one at the big ant swarm, but a couple of you guys saw only a shape blasting away.
COLLARED FOREST-FALCON (Micrastur semitorquatus) [*]
BLACK CARACARA (Daptrius ater)
RED-THROATED CARACARA (Ibycter americanus) – Properly impressive audio and video!

A couple of our finest raptor sightings came at the overlook atop Turtle Mountain. It was a significant hike to get up there, but it was worth the effort! Copyright Bret Whitney.
CRESTED CARACARA (Caracara cheriway)
YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA (Milvago chimachima)
LAUGHING FALCON (Herpetotheres cachinnans) – Virginia and perhaps a couple of other folks saw one along one of our drives through savanna.
AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius)
APLOMADO FALCON (Falco femoralis) – One at a nest was especially neat to see.
BAT FALCON (Falco rufigularis)
ORANGE-BREASTED FALCON (Falco deiroleucus) – What a great trip this was for Orange-breasted Falcon! The great scope view we had at Kaieteur was eclipsed a couple of days later by the pair hanging around the overlook at Turtle Mountain; checkout the video >>>
PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus) – A couple of birds near the coast
Psittacidae (New World and African Parrots)
SCARLET-SHOULDERED PARROTLET (Touit huetii) – We were lucky to have a good, clear view of about 24 of these rather rarely seen parrotlets near Surama. They were in high, fast flight, but their bright-red underwings were clearly visible.
SAPPHIRE-RUMPED PARROTLET (Touit purpuratus) [*]
GOLDEN-WINGED PARAKEET (Brotogeris chrysoptera)

Dusky Parrot, often seen only as high flyovers. Copyright Bret Whitney.
CAICA PARROT (Pyrilia caica) – After hearing them daily in tall forest in Iwokrama, we finally got a couple in the scope, at Atta.
DUSKY PARROT (Pionus fuscus) – Also seen very well in the scope.
BLUE-HEADED PARROT (Pionus menstruus)
FESTIVE PARROT (Amazona festiva) – We saw the range-restricted (and disjunct from Amazonia) subspecies A. f. bodini really well at the Georgetown Botanical Gardens.
BLUE-CHEEKED PARROT (Amazona dufresniana) – Unfortunately, we never managed to see these parrots perched (for more than a few seconds, anyway), but we did have two or three good, close flyovers of vocalizing pairs.
YELLOW-CROWNED PARROT (Amazona ochrocephala)
MEALY PARROT (Amazona farinosa)
ORANGE-WINGED PARROT (Amazona amazonica)
GREEN-RUMPED PARROTLET (Forpus passerinus) – Several scoped around Georgetown.
DUSKY-BILLED PARROTLET (Forpus modestus) [*]
BLACK-HEADED PARROT (Pionites melanocephalus) – Not many, but they were making more ;-)
RED-FAN PARROT (Deroptyus accipitrinus) – Wow! That was a heckuva responsive bird!
PAINTED PARAKEET (Pyrrhura picta)
BROWN-THROATED PARAKEET (Eupsittula pertinax)
RED-BELLIED MACAW (Orthopsittaca manilatus) – Perched in their requisite Mauritia flexuosa palms -- good scope views on a dreary, rainy morning out of Caiman House.
BLUE-AND-YELLOW MACAW (Ara ararauna) – Kathy spotted a pair perched over the Essequibo River -- which was our only sighting of the tour!
RED-AND-GREEN MACAW (Ara chloropterus) – Lots, daily. Nary a Scarlet did we hear (let alone see) -- like Blue-and-yellows, they concentrate along watercourses in the driest parts of the year (and this was exceptionally dry).
RED-SHOULDERED MACAW (Diopsittaca nobilis) – Really cool studies of a pair around a nest hole in Georgetown.

Guyana is an excellent place for seeing a wide diversity of antbird species. Here are a few of the best from our tour. Copyright Bret Whitney.
Thamnophilidae (Typical Antbirds)
FASCIATED ANTSHRIKE (Cymbilaimus lineatus)
BLACK-THROATED ANTSHRIKE (Frederickena viridis) – Marvelous pair of birds, which, with patience, showed beautifully (especially the fancy female).
GREAT ANTSHRIKE (Taraba major)
BLACK-CRESTED ANTSHRIKE (Sakesphorus canadensis)
BARRED ANTSHRIKE (Thamnophilus doliatus)
MOUSE-COLORED ANTSHRIKE (Thamnophilus murinus)
NORTHERN SLATY-ANTSHRIKE (Thamnophilus punctatus)
AMAZONIAN ANTSHRIKE (Thamnophilus amazonicus)
DUSKY-THROATED ANTSHRIKE (Thamnomanes ardesiacus)
CINEREOUS ANTSHRIKE (Thamnomanes caesius)
RUFOUS-BELLIED ANTWREN (Isleria guttata) – Would you believe... in the scope?! That was a "lifer experience" for me!
BROWN-BELLIED ANTWREN (Epinecrophylla gutturalis)
PYGMY ANTWREN (Myrmotherula brachyura)
GUIANAN STREAKED-ANTWREN (Myrmotherula surinamensis)
WHITE-FLANKED ANTWREN (Myrmotherula axillaris)
LONG-WINGED ANTWREN (Myrmotherula longipennis)
GRAY ANTWREN (Myrmotherula menetriesii)
SPOT-TAILED ANTWREN (Herpsilochmus sticturus) – Seeing this and the next, visually very similar species right together from the canopy walkway was a thrill, and it helped greatly that they were both singing! Yip Yip Yip!!
TODD'S ANTWREN (Herpsilochmus stictocephalus)
WHITE-FRINGED ANTWREN (Formicivora grisea)
GUIANAN WARBLING-ANTBIRD (Hypocnemis cantator)
DUSKY ANTBIRD (Cercomacroides tyrannina)
GRAY ANTBIRD (Cercomacra cinerascens) [*]
RIO BRANCO ANTBIRD (Cercomacra carbonaria) – Whew! This one took some concerted effort, but we finally managed to get a male to sing consistently, then show at the edge of the trail for all to see really well.
WHITE-BROWED ANTBIRD (Myrmoborus leucophrys)
BLACK-CHINNED ANTBIRD (Hypocnemoides melanopogon)
SILVERED ANTBIRD (Sclateria naevia)
SPOT-WINGED ANTBIRD (Schistocichla leucostigma) [*]
RORAIMAN ANTBIRD (Schistocichla saturata) – To get a good idea of how well we saw this little-known antbird, just check out the video! This subspecies was split from widespread Spot-winged Antbird (of nearby lowlands) a few years ago. The genus name will probably soon change to Myrmelastes.
WHITE-BELLIED ANTBIRD (Myrmeciza longipes) – A couple of folks got a pretty nice view, but it stayed out of the line-of-sight for most of us.
FERRUGINOUS-BACKED ANTBIRD (Myrmeciza ferruginea) – What a gorgeous bird!
WHITE-PLUMED ANTBIRD (Pithys albifrons) – A most-hoped-for species for several folks on the tour, and it didn't disappoint, showing nice and close at the one big army ant swarm we encountered on the tour (thanks to Ron!).
RUFOUS-THROATED ANTBIRD (Gymnopithys rufigula) – Also seen beautifully at the ant swarm.
COMMON SCALE-BACKED ANTBIRD (Willisornis poecilinotus) [*]
Grallariidae (Antpittas)
THRUSH-LIKE ANTPITTA (Myrmothera campanisona) – Good initial spotting by Terry led to everyone getting a view of a singing bird in dense trailside vegetation.
Formicariidae (Antthrushes)
RUFOUS-CAPPED ANTTHRUSH (Formicarius colma) – I "accidentally" spotted a silent Rufous-capped Antthrush while we were trying for something else, so I positioned everyone propitiously and played a recording. The bird blasted right in, and soon got up on a stub to start singing repeatedly! What great views, even through the scope! We never even heard another one the whole tour -- yet, it's a common species in those forests. The ultra-dry conditions leading up to our stay at Iwokrama had caused this phenomenon.
Furnariidae (Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers)
OLIVACEOUS WOODCREEPER (Sittasomus griseicapillus)
PLAIN-BROWN WOODCREEPER (Dendrocincla fuliginosa)
WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER (Glyphorynchus spirurus)
CINNAMON-THROATED WOODCREEPER (Dendrexetastes rufigula)
AMAZONIAN BARRED-WOODCREEPER (Dendrocolaptes certhia)
BLACK-BANDED WOODCREEPER (Dendrocolaptes picumnus)
RED-BILLED WOODCREEPER (Hylexetastes perrotii) – Of the dozen species of woodcreepers we saw on the tour, this one would be the top prize -- at the big army ant swarm.
STRIPED WOODCREEPER (Xiphorhynchus obsoletus) [*]
CHESTNUT-RUMPED WOODCREEPER (Xiphorhynchus pardalotus)
BUFF-THROATED WOODCREEPER (Xiphorhynchus guttatus)
STRAIGHT-BILLED WOODCREEPER (Dendroplex picus)
STREAK-HEADED WOODCREEPER (Lepidocolaptes souleyetii)
PLAIN XENOPS (Xenops minutus)
PALE-LEGGED HORNERO (Furnarius leucopus)
OLIVE-BACKED FOLIAGE-GLEANER (Automolus infuscatus)
YELLOW-CHINNED SPINETAIL (Certhiaxis cinnamomeus)

Hoary-throated Spinetail -- quite a dapper bird! Copyright Bret Whitney.
HOARY-THROATED SPINETAIL (Synallaxis kollari) – Another Ireng River specialty, with a very small world distribution. Like the Rio Branco Antbird, it was a "first" for Field Guides tours. And like that species, finding a pair took quite a bit of work, but what a happy ending!!
Tyrannidae (Tyrant Flycatchers)
WHITE-LORED TYRANNULET (Ornithion inerme)
SOUTHERN BEARDLESS-TYRANNULET (Camptostoma obsoletum)
MOUSE-COLORED TYRANNULET (Phaeomyias murina)
BEARDED TACHURI (Polystictus pectoralis) – Fabulous -- a pair at close range, the male performing his elaborate flight display!
CRESTED DORADITO (Pseudocolopteryx sclateri) – Thanks to Mannie for taking us to the (one) spot where this bird can be seen in Guyana. Even on a dark, drizzly morning, it didn't take us long to find a male, for good views, then a bit later, another pair for even better views.
YELLOW-CROWNED TYRANNULET (Tyrannulus elatus)
FOREST ELAENIA (Myiopagis gaimardii)
YELLOW-BELLIED ELAENIA (Elaenia flavogaster)
PLAIN-CRESTED ELAENIA (Elaenia cristata)

We were privileged to see Crested Doradito and Bearded Tachuri, both threatened by destruction of their native grassland habitats. That was such a fun, memorable morning. Copyright Bret Whitney.
LESSER ELAENIA (Elaenia chiriquensis)
RUFOUS-CROWNED ELAENIA (Elaenia ruficeps) [*]
OCHRE-BELLIED FLYCATCHER (Mionectes oleagineus)
SOOTY-HEADED TYRANNULET (Phyllomyias griseiceps)
GUIANAN TYRANNULET (Zimmerius acer)
PALE-TIPPED TYRANNULET (Inezia caudata)
SHORT-TAILED PYGMY-TYRANT (Myiornis ecaudatus) [*]
HELMETED PYGMY-TYRANT (Lophotriccus galeatus)
SLATE-HEADED TODY-FLYCATCHER (Poecilotriccus sylvia) – Excellent pair of birds!
SPOTTED TODY-FLYCATCHER (Todirostrum maculatum)
COMMON TODY-FLYCATCHER (Todirostrum cinereum)
PAINTED TODY-FLYCATCHER (Todirostrum pictum) – Good views of a responsive pair at the Buro Buro.
OLIVACEOUS FLATBILL (Rhynchocyclus olivaceus) – Only one seen well
YELLOW-OLIVE FLYCATCHER (Tolmomyias sulphurescens) – This is the subspecies cherriei; seen well just once, I think. [*]
YELLOW-MARGINED FLYCATCHER (Tolmomyias assimilis) [*]
GRAY-CROWNED FLYCATCHER (Tolmomyias poliocephalus)
YELLOW-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (Tolmomyias flaviventris)
WHITE-CRESTED SPADEBILL (Platyrinchus platyrhynchos) – Thanks to a great spot by Pete, on the hike up Turtle Mountain.
CINNAMON MANAKIN-TYRANT (Neopipo cinnamomea) – This distinctive little bird has a wide global range, but is very seldom seen on tours (it was a lifer for Ron). It gave away its presence with a thin call note, and we ended up getting nice views of it!
WHISKERED FLYCATCHER (Myiobius barbatus)
VERMILION FLYCATCHER (Pyrocephalus rubinus)
PIED WATER-TYRANT (Fluvicola pica)
WHITE-HEADED MARSH TYRANT (Arundinicola leucocephala)
LONG-TAILED TYRANT (Colonia colonus)
CINNAMON ATTILA (Attila cinnamomeus)
BRIGHT-RUMPED ATTILA (Attila spadiceus) [*]
GRAYISH MOURNER (Rhytipterna simplex)
DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus tuberculifer)
SWAINSON'S FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus swainsoni) – We saw two distinctive "subspecies": phaeonotus and pelzelni are probably the applicable names.
SHORT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus ferox)
BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus tyrannulus)
LESSER KISKADEE (Pitangus lictor)
GREAT KISKADEE (Pitangus sulphuratus)
BOAT-BILLED FLYCATCHER (Megarynchus pitangua)
RUSTY-MARGINED FLYCATCHER (Myiozetetes cayanensis)
YELLOW-THROATED FLYCATCHER (Conopias parvus)
STREAKED FLYCATCHER (Myiodynastes maculatus)
PIRATIC FLYCATCHER (Legatus leucophaius)
VARIEGATED FLYCATCHER (Empidonomus varius)
WHITE-THROATED KINGBIRD (Tyrannus albogularis)
TROPICAL KINGBIRD (Tyrannus melancholicus)
GRAY KINGBIRD (Tyrannus dominicensis)
FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER (Tyrannus savana)

A few of the manakin/cotinga/other oddball relatives we enjoyed on the tour. Copyright Bret Whitney.
Cotingidae (Cotingas)
GUIANAN RED-COTINGA (Phoenicircus carnifex) – We had a good view of a subadult male that was bright red, but lacked the contrasty black plumage areas typical of adult birds. We saw another one a couple of days later, but they were really quiet.
GUIANAN COCK-OF-THE-ROCK (Rupicola rupicola) – Great views at Kaieteur Falls, including a female that showed briefly, stirring up the several males in attendance.
PURPLE-THROATED FRUITCROW (Querula purpurata) – John showed us a nest at Atta, which was the first I'd ever seen of the species! Atta sure is a great place to see this bird!
CAPUCHINBIRD (Perissocephalus tricolor) – Wow! The lek was pretty quiet overall, but there was just enough juice in the tanks of a couple of males to get them calling (hollering? mooing?) and for one to show nicely for scope-viewing as it performed its bizarre posturing. This Guianan endemic is surely one of the most distinctive of South American birds.
PURPLE-BREASTED COTINGA (Cotinga cotinga) – No adult male, but we sure had a great view of a female -- thanks to Suellen for spotting her!
SPANGLED COTINGA (Cotinga cayana)
SCREAMING PIHA (Lipaugus vociferans)
POMPADOUR COTINGA (Xipholena punicea) – Again, no adult male, but we saw several female-plumaged birds well.
Pipridae (Manakins)
TINY TYRANT-MANAKIN (Tyranneutes virescens) – "Nikki the Greek" performed beautifully for us -- check out the video >>>
SAFFRON-CRESTED TYRANT-MANAKIN (Neopelma chrysocephalum) [*]
BLUE-BACKED MANAKIN (Chiroxiphia pareola) – Nice views of several birds along the Rupununi River.
WHITE-THROATED MANAKIN (Corapipo gutturalis) – I believe it was Kathy who spotted an adult male that stayed around long enough for almost everyone to see. We heard it wuite a bit, but saw it just a couple of times.
BLACK MANAKIN (Xenopipo atronitens) – Excellent scope views of an adult male that sat for several minutes.
WHITE-BEARDED MANAKIN (Manacus manacus)
WHITE-CROWNED MANAKIN (Dixiphia pipra)
GOLDEN-HEADED MANAKIN (Ceratopipra erythrocephala erythrocephala) – One adult male seen extraordinarily well.
Tityridae (Tityras and Allies)
BLACK-TAILED TITYRA (Tityra cayana)
OLIVACEOUS SCHIFFORNIS (Schiffornis olivacea) – With perseverance, good views of one that was singing consistently.
DUSKY PURPLETUFT (Iodopleura fusca) – Five of these little guys were scoped around the Atta clearing one afternoon -- fantastic!
CINEREOUS BECARD (Pachyramphus rufus) – Seen best on our first morning afield.
Vireonidae (Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis)
RED-EYED VIREO (Vireo olivaceus)
LEMON-CHESTED GREENLET (Hylophilus thoracicus) – Four species of greenlets seen pretty well, as greenlets go ;-)
ASHY-HEADED GREENLET (Hylophilus pectoralis)
TAWNY-CROWNED GREENLET (Tunchiornis ochraceiceps)
BUFF-CHEEKED GREENLET (Pachysylvia muscicapina)
SLATY-CAPPED SHRIKE-VIREO (Vireolanius leucotis) [*]
RUFOUS-BROWED PEPPERSHRIKE (Cyclarhis gujanensis) [*]
Corvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)
CAYENNE JAY (Cyanocorax cayanus) – Gratifyingly good views of these guys, which can be real skulkers when they want to.
Hirundinidae (Swallows)
BLACK-COLLARED SWALLOW (Pygochelidon melanoleuca) – It was spectacular to witness the arrival of a tight flock of these handsome swallows coming in to roost on islands in the Essequibo River at dusk. I tried to make some video >>>
SOUTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis)
PURPLE MARTIN (Progne subis) – One seen well at the airstrip in Georgetown was late departing Guyana for the northward migration.
GRAY-BREASTED MARTIN (Progne chalybea)
BROWN-CHESTED MARTIN (Progne tapera)
WHITE-WINGED SWALLOW (Tachycineta albiventer)
BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica)

Some extras and outtakes of people and places, for fun ;-) Copyright Bret Whitney.
Troglodytidae (Wrens)
HOUSE WREN (SOUTHERN) (Troglodytes aedon clarus)
BICOLORED WREN (Campylorhynchus griseus)
CORAYA WREN (Pheugopedius coraya) [*]
BUFF-BREASTED WREN (Cantorchilus leucotis) [*]
Polioptilidae (Gnatcatchers)
LONG-BILLED GNATWREN (Ramphocaenus melanurus)
TROPICAL GNATCATCHER (Polioptila plumbea)
Donacobiidae (Donacobius)
BLACK-CAPPED DONACOBIUS (Donacobius atricapilla) – Seen nicely on the Mahaica River boat trip.
Turdidae (Thrushes and Allies)
PALE-BREASTED THRUSH (Turdus leucomelas)
COCOA THRUSH (Turdus fumigatus)
Mimidae (Mockingbirds and Thrashers)
TROPICAL MOCKINGBIRD (Mimus gilvus)
Parulidae (New World Warblers)
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (Parkesia noveboracensis) [*]
FLAVESCENT WARBLER (Myiothlypis flaveola)
Thraupidae (Tanagers and Allies)
RED-CAPPED CARDINAL (Paroaria gularis) – Lots of these attractive birds along the rivers.
FLAME-CRESTED TANAGER (Tachyphonus cristatus)
FULVOUS-CRESTED TANAGER (Tachyphonus surinamus)
WHITE-LINED TANAGER (Tachyphonus rufus)
RED-SHOULDERED TANAGER (Tachyphonus phoenicius) – Kathy made a good spot on a pair 93) of birds at the edge of the "Muri Scrub", providing nice views.
SILVER-BEAKED TANAGER (Ramphocelus carbo)
BLUE-GRAY TANAGER (Thraupis episcopus)
PALM TANAGER (Thraupis palmarum)
BURNISHED-BUFF TANAGER (Tangara cayana) – Superb views at Caiman House -- but that turned out to be "it" for this species.
SPOTTED TANAGER (Tangara punctata)
TURQUOISE TANAGER (Tangara mexicana)
BLACK-FACED DACNIS (Dacnis lineata)
BLUE DACNIS (Dacnis cayana)
PURPLE HONEYCREEPER (Cyanerpes caeruleus)
RED-LEGGED HONEYCREEPER (Cyanerpes cyaneus) – Good views of these several dacnis and honeycreepers on several days, especially at Atta.
GREEN HONEYCREEPER (Chlorophanes spiza)
YELLOW-BACKED TANAGER (Hemithraupis flavicollis)
BICOLORED CONEBILL (Conirostrum bicolor) – Great views in the (windy!) mangroves east of Georgetown.
GRASSLAND YELLOW-FINCH (Sicalis luteola)
WEDGE-TAILED GRASS-FINCH (Emberizoides herbicola)
BLUE-BLACK GRASSQUIT (Volatinia jacarina)
CHESTNUT-BELLIED SEEDEATER (Sporophila castaneiventris)
RUDDY-BREASTED SEEDEATER (Sporophila minuta) – One seen well by Virginia and Steve.
GRAY SEEDEATER (Sporophila intermedia) – Pete had a good view of an adult male.

This male Red-and-black Grosbeak sure fired us up on an otherwise very quiet afternoon. Copyright Bret Whitney.
WING-BARRED SEEDEATER (Sporophila americana)
YELLOW-BELLIED SEEDEATER (Sporophila nigricollis)
PLUMBEOUS SEEDEATER (Sporophila plumbea)
BANANAQUIT (Coereba flaveola)
GRAYISH SALTATOR (Saltator coerulescens)
SLATE-COLORED GROSBEAK (Saltator grossus)
Emberizidae (Buntings and New World Sparrows)
GRASSLAND SPARROW (Ammodramus humeralis)
PECTORAL SPARROW (Arremon taciturnus) [*]
Cardinalidae (Cardinals and Allies)
YELLOW-GREEN GROSBEAK (Caryothraustes canadensis)
RED-AND-BLACK GROSBEAK (Periporphyrus erythromelas) – One of the tour mega-highlights, for sure, was having a gorgeous male Red-and-black Grosbeak roar up to us and start singing his head off! He then summarily escorted us out of his territory before melting back into the forest.
ROSE-BREASTED CHAT (Granatellus pelzelni) – In retrospect, I wish I'd have taken you all over to where I heard one (the ONLY one of the tour) singing -- but it was pretty far away and I elt sure we'd encounter more in the coming days. "Nope." [*]
BLUE-BLACK GROSBEAK (Cyanocompsa cyanoides)
Icteridae (Troupials and Allies)
EASTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella magna)
RED-BREASTED MEADOWLARK (Sturnella militaris)
CARIB GRACKLE (Quiscalus lugubris)
YELLOW-HOODED BLACKBIRD (Chrysomus icterocephalus)
SHINY COWBIRD (Molothrus bonariensis)
GIANT COWBIRD (Molothrus oryzivorus)

A gorgeous Yellow Oriole fed on mimosa flowers very low and close to us at the Georgetown Botanical Garden. Copyright Bret Whitney.
EPAULET ORIOLE (MORICHE) (Icterus cayanensis chrysocephalus)
ORANGE-BACKED TROUPIAL (Icterus croconotus) – Fancy bird, that!
YELLOW ORIOLE (Icterus nigrogularis) – Lots!
YELLOW-RUMPED CACIQUE (Cacicus cela)
RED-RUMPED CACIQUE (Cacicus haemorrhous)
GREEN OROPENDOLA (Psarocolius viridis)
CRESTED OROPENDOLA (Psarocolius decumanus)
Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, and Allies)
FINSCH'S EUPHONIA (Euphonia finschi) – We had good views several times -- this one seemed to come more easily than usual.
VIOLACEOUS EUPHONIA (Euphonia violacea)
GOLDEN-BELLIED EUPHONIA (Euphonia chrysopasta)
GOLDEN-SIDED EUPHONIA (Euphonia cayennensis) – A couple seen from the canopy walkway.

MAMMALS
COMMON OPOSSUM (Didelphis marsupialis) – Three seen bumbling across the road on the nighttime drive to georgetown.
LONG-NOSED BAT (Rhynchonycteris naso) – A couple of small groups along the Rupununi River boat trip.
GREATER BULLDOG BAT (Noctilio leporinus) – Small numbers of these big guys on the same boat trip -- exciting to see them winging by so close!
RED HOWLER MONKEY (Alouatta seniculus) – Several neat encounters, and we heard them every day in good forest. Primates were lower than normal this trip, for sure.
WEDGE-CAPPED CAPUCHIN (Cebus olivaceus) [*]

A few of the mammals seen along the way. Copyright Bret Whitney.
BROWN CAPUCHIN (Cebus apella)
BLACK SPIDER MONKEY (Ateles paniscus) – Best from the Turtle Mountain overlook.
BROWN-THROATED THREE-TOED SLOTH (Bradypus variegatus) – Ron spotted one hanging out along the Essequibo River, on our way to Turtle Mountain -- neat!
GIANT ANTEATER (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) – It was a treat to have Anteater Man take us right up to a mother and her large offspring, for very close views. We'd never have seen it there without him!
SOUTHERN TAMANDUA (Tamandua tetradactyla) – We encountered a single animal in the savanna, walking around early one morning; check out the video >>>
CAPYBARA (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) – Turds only
RED-RUMPED AGOUTI (Dasyprocta agouti) – A few of these seed-hoarding rodents were seen
CRAB-EATING FOX (Cerdocyon thous) – Nive views, thanks to good spot by Darwin!
GIANT OTTER (Pteronura brasiliensis) – We found a family eating fish on the Rupununi River, but they were staying back behind overhanging vegetation, so were hard to see. Eventually, everyone managed to find enough of a hole in the leaves and branches to see them well -- and we could hear one of the adults loudly crunching fish bones!
RED BROCKET DEER (Mazama americana) – One of these shy forest deer came to the edge of the clearing at Atta, foraging calmly as we all watched just a few yards away.


ADDITIONAL COMMENTS


Totals for the tour: 403 bird taxa and 15 mammal taxa