The Specialities Tour #2
14 Nights/15 Days
How to Book Your Birding Trip to Guyana
This tour is primarily intended for keen birders who have made several trips to other parts of South America and want to see as many as possible of the regional specialities that occur in Guyana. Some of the special birds we will look for on this trip include Red-legged Tinamou, Black Curassow, Marail Guan, Rufous Crab-Hawk, Harpy Eagle, Sun Parakeet, Caica Parrot, Blue-cheeked Amazon, Red-fan Parrot, Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo, White-winged and Rufous Potoos, Guianan Puffbird, Black-spotted Barbet, Guianan Toucanet, Green Aracari, Golden-spangled and White-bellied Piculets, Blood-coloured Woodpecker, Golden-collared Woodpecker, Waved Woodpecker, Hoary-throated Spinetail, Red-billed and Chestnut-rumped Woodcreepers, Rio Branco Antbird, Guianan Warbling Antbird, Ferruginous-backed Antbird, Rufous-throated Antbird and Rufous-crowned Elaenia and Guianan Streaked, Rufous-bellied, Spot-tailed and Todd’s Antwren. Other species we stand an excellent chance of seeing include Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock, Guianan Red-Cotinga, Crimson Fruitcrow, Capuchinbird, Dusky Purpletuft, Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Black Manakin, Cayenne Jay, Golden-sided Euphonia and Red Siskin.
Day 1 Arrival Guyana. Transfer to Georgetown. Overnight at Cara Lodge, Georgetown (D)
Day 2 Georgetown area. After an early breakfast, we will travel eastward from Georgetown to look for Blood-coloured Woodpecker and Rufous Crab-Hawk, the first of the many range-restricted species we will be hoping to find on this tour. The woodpecker is only known from a narrow coastal strip which runs eastward for just a few hundred miles from Guyana. We will also look for the poorly-known White-bellied Piculet which can be found in this area. An area of mangrove less than 50 kilometres from Georgetown is a good place to find Rufous Crab-Hawk, a species which has been badly affected by the reduction in this habitat type. This is also a reliable site for the Woodpecker and Piculet, so we stand an excellent chance of seeing all three species. On our return journey to Georgetown, we will visit some mudflats where we are likely to find a range of waders as well as Scarlet Ibis, Black Skimmer, Brown Pelican and Magnificent Frigatebird. Depending on the time of year, we may also visit a heronry where Black-crowned and Yellow-crowned Night-herons, Little Blue Herons and Cattle and Snowy Egrets breed alongside Snail Kites. Overnight at Cara Lodge, Georgetown (B, L, D)
Day 3 Karasabai/Lethem. Shortly after dawn, we will fly over hundreds of miles of untouched rainforest to the village of Karasabai on the western border with Brazil. After arriving, we will travel by boat on the nearby Ireng River to look one of the rarest birds in Guyana, the Sun Parakeet. Other species which can be seen here include Maguari Stork, Muscovy Duck, Crested Bobwhite, Painted Parakeet and Orange-backed Troupial. After several hours on the river, we will drive to Lethem in Southern Guyana. Overnight at Savannah Inn, Lethem (B, L, D)
Day 4 Lethem area. Another early start awaits us as we will be travelling several hours south of Lethem to look for another endangered bird, the Red Siskin, an additional species that has been decimated by the cage bird trade and which was only discovered in Guyana in recent years. Depending on how long our search for the Red Siskin takes, there should be time for some further birding in the area, although an alternative option is to visit some forested hills on the edge of the Kanuku Mountain range. Overnight at Savannah Inn, Lethem (B, L, D)
Day 5 Takatu and Ireng rivers/Karanambu. Today we will be turning our attention to the endangered Hoary-throated Spinetail and near-threatened Rio Branco Antbird. Both are only found in gallery forest along the Rio Branco and its main tributaries (all of which ultimately flow into the Amazon). We will travel by boat down the Takatu River and then up the Ireng River for about two hours in each direction, during which time we are likely to encounter species such as Capped Heron, Muscovy Duck, Pale-legged Hornero and various hirundines. Whilst the habitat needs of the Antbird and Spinetail are seemingly slightly different, they can both be found along a comparatively short stretch of the Ireng River. Returning to Lethem in the late afternoon, we will drive to Karanambu Ranch. Overnight at Karanambu (B, L, D)
Days 6 & 7 Karanambu/Rock View. We will have a day and a half to explore the savannahs, gallery forest and wetlands around Karanambu and can expect to find plenty of species which we are unlikely to encounter elsewhere on this tour. Amongst the specialities we are unlikely to see elsewhere on this tour is the odd-looking, coffee-coloured Capuchinbird. Another of our targets will be the near-threatened Bearded Tachuri. Other species we will be looking for include Boat-billed Heron, Pinnated Bittern, Sunbittern, Sharp-tailed Ibis, Green-tailed Jacamar, Spotted Puffbird, Black Nunbird, White-fringed Antwren, Black-chinned and White-bellied Antbirds, Finsch’s Euphonia and Rose-breasted Chat. We will make a boat trip either very early in the morning or late in the day on the Rupununi River to look for the rare Crestless (or Lesser Razor-billed) Curassow. After dark we can search for at least six species of nightjar and nighthawk including Nacunda, Least and Lesser Nighthawks, White-tailed Nightjar, as well as Double-striped Thick-knee.
In the middle of the afternoon of Day 7, we will leave Karanambu for our next destination, Rock View Lodge. Initially we will travel by boat and this should give us another excellent opportunity to look for various river-edge, wetland and open country species. We stand a good chance of seeing Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Jabiru, Wood Stork, Green Ibis, Northern (Crested) Caracara, Black-collared Hawk, Zone-tailed Hawk, Brown-throated Parakeet and Swallow-wing.
Depending on the water level, this trip offers an excellent opportunity to look for Giant Otters as there are several family groups which live along this stretch of the Rupununi River. Both Black and Spectacled Caimans also inhabit the river and several species of monkey including Red Howler, White-faced Saki and Squirrel Monkey can be found in the riverside trees.
Arriving at Ginep Landing, we will board vehicles for the 40-minute journey to Rock View, where we expect to arrive around dusk. Day 6: Overnight at Karanambu Ranch (B, L, D); Day 7: Overnight at Rock View Lodge (B, L, D)
Day 8 Surama. We will leave Rock View Lodge after breakfast for our next destination, Surama Eco-lodge. Amongst the species we hope to encounter along the way are Red-shouldered Macaw, Golden-winged Parakeet, Sooty-capped Hermit, White-tailed Goldenthroat, Cinnamon Attila, Yellow-throated Flycatcher, Cayenne Jay, Finsch’s Euphonia and Orange-backed Troupial. Our main birding stop will, however, be near the village of Wowetta, where we will visit one of the largest known Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock leks in Guyana. Up to thirty males may be seen displaying here. Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge (B, L, D)
Days 9 & 10 Surama. During our stay at Surama we will visit a nearby Harpy Eagle nest, assuming it is active. The nest itself is located in a huge emergent tree only a couple of miles from the village and if we are extremely fortunate, we may see one of the adult birds bringing a sloth or monkey to the nest to feed their chick. Another of the special birds which can be found around Surama is the Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo. Whilst Neomorphus ground-cuckoos are undoubtedly amongst the toughest family of birds to locate anywhere in the Neotropics, Surama offers one of the best-known chances for seeing Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo. To maximise the odds of us finding one, we will use expert local guides to assist us. There are plenty of other species to look for and during our stay we will hope to encounter Red-legged Tinamou, Painted Parakeet, Dusky Parrot, Lilac-tailed Parrotlet, Pale-throated Barbthroat, Rufous-throated Sapphire, Great and Paradise Jacamars, Guianan Puffbird, Black-spotted Barbet, Golden-spangled Piculet, Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper, Northern Slaty-Antshrike, Rufous-bellied, Spot-tailed and Todd’s Antwrens, Dusky, White-browed, White-bellied, Ferruginous-backed, Rufous-throated and Guianan Warbling Antbirds, Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant, Lemon-chested and Ashy-headed Greenlets and Finsch’s Euphonia. We also plan to do some night birding and will hope to locate the recently split Northern Tawny-bellied Screech-Owl, as well as Tropical Screech-Owl, Lesser Nighthawk, White-tailed Nightjar and Great and Common Potoos. Overnight at Surama Eco-Lodge (B, L, D)
Days 10, 11 & 12 Cock-of-the-Rock Lek/Atta Rainforest Lodge. After an early breakfast, we will leave Surama for the short drive to the edge of the one-million-acre Iwokrama Preserve where there is a Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock lek. The lek itself is only a 20-minute walk from the road and, if we are fortunate, we should see some of the crimson males displaying to the drabber coloured females. Other birds which can be seen along this particular trail include Great Tinamou, Marbled Wood-Quail, Spix’s Guan and Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper. We will spend the remainder of the morning birding along the dirt road to Atta Rainforest Lodge, as this passes through some excellent forest where we are likely to find species such as Grey-winged Trumpeter, Green Aracari, Guianan Toucanet, Spotted Puffbird, Black-spotted Barbet and Black Nunbird, as well as a variety of parrots including Black-headed and Caica.
After lunch at the Lodge, we will make our first visit to the 154m-long Iwokrama Canopy Walkway, which is less than one kilometre from the lodge. The walkway has four platforms, the highest of which is over 30m above the ground, and these will allow us to get great looks at a range of canopy species, many of which we would struggle to see so well from the forest floor. Amongst the likely highlights are Painted, Brown-throated and Golden-winged Parakeets, Caica Parrot, Guianan Puffbird, Waved and Golden-collared Woodpeckers and Spot-tailed, Todd’s and Ash-winged Antwrens. The walkway is also an excellent place to look for various species of cotinga including the poorly known and range-restricted Dusky Purpletuft and if there are any suitable fruiting trees nearby, we stand a good chance of seeing this bird, as well as the more widespread Purple-breasted Cotinga.
Another area where we will want to spend some time is the clearing around the lodge, as this is one of the best places to see another of Guyana’s “must see” birds, the Crimson Fruitcrow. This species is seen here on a reasonably regular basis, as it often comes to feed in some of the nearby trees. The clearing is also a reliable site for Black Curassow, as there is a family party which has become habituated to people and regularly passes through the clearing. With reasonable luck, we should be able to add this bird to the impressive list of species we hope to see around the lodge and walkway.
Other species we hope to encounter during our stay include Spix’s and Marail Guans, Grey-winged Trumpeter, Red-fan Parrot, Eastern Long-tailed Hermit, Crimson Topaz, Great and Paradise Jacamars, Guianan and Pied Puffbirds, Guianan Toucanet, Black-throated Antshrike, Guianan Streaked Antwren, Guianan Warbling Antbird, Pompadour Cotinga, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, Helmeted Pygmy-Tyrant, Golden-sided Euphonia and both Red-and-Black and Yellow-green Grosbeaks.
On one evening during our stay, we also plan to visit a stretch of road where Rufous Potoo has been seen previously. We will spend some time searching for this elusive species, as well as any other night birds which are calling, before returning to Atta Rainforest Lodge for a late dinner.
Another of our major targets will be the even more poorly known White-winged Potoo which, after dark, can be found both around the lodge and at the walkway. Locating this bird will be one of our major priorities, but we will need a bright moon-lit night to stand a reasonable chance of seeing it. Overnight at Atta Rainforest Lodge (B, L, D)
Day 13 Mori Scrub/Iwokrama Field Station. After an early breakfast, we will drive to an area of white-sand forest known as the Mori Scrub. Birds we will look for here include Guianan Red-Cotinga, Black Manakin, Rufous-crowned Elaenia and Yellow-throated Flycatcher. Rufous-winged Ground-cuckoo has also been seen nearby and if we hear one calling we will certainly attempt to locate it.
As we continue driving north through the Iwokrama Preserve, we will have rainforest on both sides of the road and will make a number of stops to look for birds. One species we will make a special effort to see is the range-restricted Blue-cheeked Amazon. A little further along the road there is also a short trail where Red-billed Woodcreeper is reasonably regular.
We plan to arrive at the Iwokrama Field Station in time for a late lunch and will then begin exploring the trails near the lodge. There are plenty of birds to look for including Guianan Red-Cotinga, Black Nunbird, Black-spotted Barbet, Yellow-throated Woodpecker, Chestnut-rumped Woodcreeper, Rufous-throated Antbird, Rufous-bellied Antwren, Spotted Antpitta, Thrush-like Schiffornis and Amazonian Royal Flycatcher. Overnight at Iwokrama Field Station (B, L, D)
Day 14 Iwokrama Field Station/Kaieteur National Park/Georgetown. We will spend the morning birding on the trails around the Field Station and after an early lunch will transfer to the nearby airstrip at Fair View for a charter flight to Kaieteur Falls. This is the longest single drop waterfall in the world and a truly impressive sight, however, the area is also good for birds and we will hope to see both White-chinned and White-tipped Swifts. The flocks of swifts often attract Orange-breasted Falcons and, with luck, we may see this species hunting swifts with the falls providing a spectacular backdrop.
Nearby, there is also a small Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock lek and if time allows, we will visit this before re-boarding our plane for the flight back to Georgetown, where we will arrive in the late afternoon and spend the night. Overnight at Cara Lodge, Georgetown (B, L, D)
Day 15 Depart Guyana. Transfer to Guyana's international airport for your departing flight. (B)
How to Book Your Birding Trip to Guyana
Itinerary © 2008
