February 3-14, 2024 with Megan Edwards Crewe & local guide John Christian
When it comes to forest primeval, few places on earth match Guyana, which still boasts a lion's share of its original rainforest. Unlike much of the rest of the world, where such forests are being replaced by palm plantations or vast cattle pastures or slash-and-burn agriculture, the wild green heart of Guyana has been protected by a combination of legislation, low population numbers and inaccessability. Though the country's coast has certainly been developed -- with all the bustle and habitat destruction that accompanies development -- much of the interior remains only lightly touched. While the ugly scars of mining operations seem to increase every year, untrammeled forest stretches to the horizons in many places, with only the occasional shining river breaking the canopy. When you can bird in the middle of a country's main north-south highway without getting run over (indeed, without having to scurry to the edge more than 4 or 5 times an hour), you know you're in a pretty special place!
Our tour started along the coast, with a late afternoon excursion to the Georgetown botanical gardens. There, we came to grips with a number of more widespread species, with some of Guyana's special birds sprinkled in among them. A Blood-colored Woodpecker tapped its way along the trunks and branches of several roadside trees. A pair of confiding Festive Parrots (quite rare now, no thanks to the pet trade) sat side by side on a palm frond. Toco Toucans sparred with their huge orange beaks. The next morning, we headed to the Mahaica River and plied its placid waters for an hour or so before retiring to the riverside home of our boatman for a curry-and-roti "second breakfast" cooked by his wife. En route to the river, we watched a Rufous Crab Hawk successfully nab two crabs from a ditch beside the coastal highway. Hoatzins clambered through dense bushes along the river itself, hissing as they "threatened" us with spread wings and tails. Long-winged Harriers quartered overhead, a pair of Spot-breasted Woodpeckers posed on a trunk, Little Cuckoos flashed back and forth across the river and Green-tailed Jacamars perched on riverside branches. A dead tree at Naresh and Shandi's attracted a Bat Falcon (repeatedly dive-bombed by Gray-breasted Martins desperate to drive it away) and a White-bellied Piculet that blinked sleepily on a sunny branch for long minutes. A Laughing Falcon entertained us as we finished our breakfast. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a platform overlooking Georgetown's sea wall and found a host of shorebirds, herons and egrets snoozing on the mudflats or probing for food, with a handful of eye-popping Scarlet Ibis scattered among them.
We headed inland for the rest of the tour, flying first to Kaieteur Falls NP, where we had the whole park to ourselves. While the mighty falls were much reduced this year, they were impressive none-the-less -- not least for the vast canyon that the river has carved through the surrounding hills. We spotted an Orange-breasted Falcon perched on a tree growing out of the cliff walls, watched screaming White-collared Swifts zoom back and forth above the falls, and found a tiny Golden Rocket Frog in its private pool in the cup of a Giant Tank Bromeliad. Nearby, another tank bromeliad held a small, coiled Fer-de-lance. Then we moved on to the Iwokrama Forest, a million preserved acres in the heart of the country. Two nights each in a trio of lodges let us explore multiple corners of this wonderful preserve. The Iwokrama River Lodge, along the banks of the mighty Essequibo River, was our first port of call. From here, we ventured out onto the river itself, hiked part of the Turtle Mountain trail and explored the lodge's entrance road and a stretch of the nearby "highway" (in reality, a bumpy dirt road hemmed in by the verdant forest). Our top sighting was undoubtedly the imperious adult Harpy Eagle we spotted along the Essequibo; it stayed put, watching us closely, as we crept across a sandy bank to get closer views. But there were plenty of other things to enjoy. An adorably round Spotted Antpitta whistled from his log perch. Ladder-tailed Nightjars flicked across a sandy islet. And who will soon forget those Capuchinbirds mooing away on their canopy perches -- so hard to spot, despite that crazy noise!
Other critters of note:
Mammals:
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth (Bradypus variegatus)
West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
Guianan Red Howler (Alouatta macconnelli)
Red-faced Black Spider Monkey (Ateles paniscus)
Brown Capuchin (Sapajus apella)
Common Red-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina)
Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata)
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
Common House Gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus)
Black-collared Lizard (Tropidurus hispidus)
Giant Ameiva (Ameiva ameiva)
Fer-de-lance (Bothrops asper)
Rainbow Boa (Epicrates cenchria)
Fire Snake (Chironius scurrulus)
Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger)
Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)
Lesser Antillean Whistling Frog or Antilles Coqui (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei)
Golden Rocket Frog (Anomaloglossus beebei)
Emerald-eyed Tree Frog (Hypsiboas crepitans)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/269463
-- Megan