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Guyana Wildlife Tour   continues

Day 9 – Friday, September 14: Rewa/Karanambu
This morning we travel by boat to a nearby trail for a hike through rainforest and into savannah. We’ll see local traditional farms and if lucky a family may be there practicing their indigenous farming methods. We then say farewell to our new friends at Rewa and transfer by boat back to Kwatamang Landing with a stop along the way for some hiking in a beach area, usually good for terns and skimmers. After arriving at the landing we transfer by 4x4 vehicle or Bedford Truck to Ginep Landing and then travel slowly on the Rupununi River to Karanambu Ranch, keeping an eye out for Jabirus nesting along the river, Bat Falcons, King Vulture, Crestless Curassow, White-necked Jacobin and Drab Water Tyrant. Karanambu is the home of Diane McTurk, widely known for her work rehabilitating orphaned Giant River Otters. While these have been a feature of visiting Karanambu for many years, there's no guarantee that young otters will be present, and at times decisions are made not to have them for several months. We believe that during 2012 there are going to be periods without orphans, but we are sure if that will coincide with our visit. Regardless, we stay at Karanambu to explore teh wildlife of the savannah; the otters have just been an additional plus. Our birdwatching here will be largely in woodland patches or gallery forest along the river where we’ll hope to find such species as Spotted Puffbird, Striped Woodcreeper, Pale-bellied Tyrant-Manakin, Golden-spangled Piculet and Capuchinbird, which lek nearby. When water levels are appropriate a wooded swamp near the ranch is the site of a surprisingly large colony of Boat-billed Herons. While out in the boat we may see Capped and Little Blue Herons, Great and Snowy Egrets, Purple Gallinule and Pied Lapwing. And at any season the river and airstrip provide habitat for no fewer than eight species of nightjars, including Least Nighthawk and White-tailed Nightjar.       (BLD)

Day 10 – Saturday, September 15: Karanambu
This morning we may make an early start to reach an area of rolling grasslands, in search of Giant Anteaters. While more common in the past, a population remains, and we have assigned two days at Karanambu in part to give more time to locate these impressive animals. With luck we shall locate one of these six-foot long animals excavating its breakfast from one of the red termite mounds that stud the savannah. Maguari Stork can also often be found on the savannah, and we’ll visit a vegetated dam in search of several other birds as well. The remainder of the day will be spent exploring the area around Karanambu. We will undertake boat journeys along quiet stretches of river, explore seasonally flooded wetlands and lakes, and walk trails through a variety of woodland habitats.       (BLD)

Day 11 – Sunday, September 16: Karanambu
Our second day at Karanambu. Once again we’ll be searching the savannah and waterways for wildlife; one of the more common birds is the stunning fork-tailed flycatcher, often seen sitting atop a small bush. Some may want to use the time to pursue their particular interests – maybe getting photos of the strange Capuchinbirds, sitting at a manakin lek to watch their behavior, or following the day’s otter raising and rehabilitation. There’ll also be guided outings as well. Karanambu has an ambience that is not found at other lodges in Guyana, more like something out of an early “Out of Africa” type novel, and we’ve found that just sitting around, catching up on notes – with one of the special recipe Karanambu rum punches – makes for a memorable day; few wish to leave when it comes time to do so. Red-capped cardinals are a common bird of the landscape around the ranch, and their color can be enjoyed while swinging in a hammock in the main gathering area. Tayra are often seen around the ranch, as are a variety of bats.      (BLD)

Day 12 – Monday, September 17: Karanambu/Georgetown
Sadly we bid farewell to Karanambu and fly back to Georgetown this morning, then transfer once again to Cara Lodge. For those not staying for the optional birding day tomorrow we can arrange a visit to mudflats for a range of wading and shorebirds, usually including Scarlet Ibis; several passerines likely not seen so far call the beachside vegetation home. As some will be staying on, and others leaving on an early morning flight, we’ve left dinner open tonight as some might want to dine out, others in the lodge itself.      (B,L)

Day 13 – Tuesday, September 18: Georgetown/Miami
An early start this morning for the airport for our flight to Miami, once again via Port of Spain, arriving mid morning. After passing through immigration and customs we fly to our home cities.

Optional Day 13
For the dedicated birders we offer an additional day in the Georgetown area to pick up some Guyana specialties, and add to our bird list generally.

Day 13 – Tuesday, Septmeber 18: Georgetown
With a packed breakfast we travel eastward from Georgetown to Abary Creek Trail to look for Blood-coloured Woodpecker and Rufous Crab-Hawk, the first of the many range-restricted species we will be hoping to find today. The woodpecker is only known from a narrow coastal strip which runs eastward for just 250 miles along Guyana and finding this species will be one of our main priorities. 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 kilometers 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 the way back we will stop and bird as opportunities arise for Black-capped Donacobius, Point-tailed Palmcreeper, Moriche Oriole, Green-and-Rufous Kingfisher, and Rufous Crab Hawk. 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 and Magnificent Frigatebird. Several passerines likely not seen so far call the beachside vegetation home, and we’ll be looking for these as well. We then continue on our hotel for a late lunch. This afternoon some may wish to return to the Botanical Gardens for some final birding.         (BL)

Day 14 – Wednesday, September 19: Georgetown/Miami
An early start this morning for the airport for our flight to Miami, once again via Port of Spain, arriving mid morning. After passing through immigration and customs we fly to our home cities.

As you will have noticed many of the photos are not professional grade; there's a reason for this. All the photos with the exception of the jaguar and giant anteater were taken on a rather rushed reccy tour, by Andrew Haffenden and Bill Thompson III. Both are birders and only amateur photographers – in fact Andrew only uses a simple point and shoot. They are intended to convey what the average participant could easily see, and how well. We wish to thank Bill for generously allowing us to use his photos. The anteater was taken by Mike Wheedon, and the jaguar is courtesy Wilderness Expeditions.

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