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Following a hearty breakfast of fruit, bread, porridge, beans and sausages Laura and I prepared to do some exploring in the savannah. Inquiring about which areas were worth checking out, we were informed that we were not allowed to explore far off on our own, due to an incident that happened with a previous guest who ended up being lost in the savannah for several hours. Additionally, as the guides were either dealing with the truck or picking up a new guest, there would be no one to accompany us. Frustrated, we explored some areas close to the lodge itself but still had a great time, enjoying the new sights and sounds.
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| Peters' Lava Lizard (Tropidurus hispidis) - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana |
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| surroundings at Karanambu Lodge, Guyana (photo by Laura Bond) |
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| Grass Anole (Anolis auratus) - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana (photo by Laura Bond) |
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| Our room - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana (photo by Laura Bond) |
Upon our return to the lodge, we were told that the other guide working at the lodge, Primchan, would be back shortly and able to join us on a hike. Laura and I, along with Primchan and the Finn, Juha ventured towards the gallery forest flanking the nearby Rupununi River as a wide trail had been cut through the dry, deciduous forest.
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| Gallery forest along the Rupununi River, Guyana (photo by Laura Bond) |
Even though it was now mid-day and bird song was diminished, we still managed to find quite a few species of birds. Primchan was a relatively new guide and I often had to identify the birds for him, but he was an excellent spotter. In the span of about 30 minutes I picked up seven new birds, including a few that I was really hoping to come across on the trip.
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| Spotted Puffbird - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana |
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| Black Nunbird - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana |
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| Golden-green Woodpecker - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana |
We returned to the lodge after the productive hike to enjoy lunch. We were talking with Patty about our frustration about not being able to explore on our own; he said that it would be totally fine, as long as we were careful. As we still had some time before we would head off in the boat, Laura and I decided we would return to the forest, this time taking Juha with us as he was interested in exploring some more. The bird activity was a little more reduced during this second visit but we did find a few new species including Golden-spangled Piculet. Laura enjoyed views of the impressive Amazon Kingfishers when the trail approached the river, and we also had fun checking out some of the invertebrates in the area. This thespid mantid had impressive camouflage, appearing just like a twig.
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| Thespid mantid - Karanambu Lodge, Guyana |
Around 4:00 PM a group of us including Primchan, Patty, Juha, and Laura and I made the short walk down to the Rupununi River for our afternoon evening cruise. The plan was to take the boat upriver, seeing wildlife along the way, and arrive at an oxbow pond full of Victoria Water Lillies, Spectacled Caimans, and a wide variety of aquatic life. We would stay at the pond until dusk before taking the boat back to the lodge. We were pretty excited as there was a chance at seeing Giant River Otters, Jabirus, Sunbitterns and Agami Herons along the river.
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| Karanambu Lodge docks - Rupununi River, Guyana |
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| Primchan navigating the Rupununi RIver, Guyana |
The water levels in the river was down but it was still navigable in this stretch. We immediately began seeing birds, including several new species - White-winged Swallow and Swallow-winged Puffbird.
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| Swallow-winged Puffbird - Rupununi River, Guyana |
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| Rupununi River, Guyana |
Several caimans were spotted either resting on the riverbanks and sandbars, or lurking in the water with just their eyes and nostrils visible. Most of the caimans were Spectacled, but a few were the more range-restricted Black Caimans, a species confined to the Amazon River basin. Unfortunately I only managed photos of a few of the Spectacled as both Black Caimans slipped into the water before we were close enough for decent photos.
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| Spectacled Caiman - Rupununi River, Guyana |
It felt great to be cruising on the calm river, the wind in our hair, while new species appeared around every bend. Kingfishers were a dominant feature of this river and we tallied four species: Amazon and Ringed being the most numerous, along with singles of Green and Green-and-Rufous.
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| Amazon Kingfisher - Rupununi River, Guyana |
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| Ringed Kingfisher - Rupununi River, Guyana |
Throughout the trip I kept an eye out for Sunbitterns along the muddy bank. This odd, rail-like bird does not have any close relatives in the Neotropics; currently it's closest living relative is thought to be the Kagu from New Zealand. While the Sunbittern has a large geographical range throughout Central America and Amazonia it is one that I had never been lucky enough to cross paths with before. Slowly cruising down rivers seem to be the best way to find this secretive species, as they often come down to the water's edge to forage. One interesting feature of Sunbitterns is that they possess large eyespots, one one each wing, which it uses to startle prey. We saw two Sunbitterns along the boat ride, though both disappeared into the forest as we cruised past. One at least stuck around long enough for us to soak in excellent views.
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| Sunbittern - Rupununi River, Guyana |
We observed seven species of herons along the river as well. Great Egrets, Striated Herons, Little Blue Herons and Cocoi Herons were the most numerous, while we also observed a few Boat-billed Herons roosting in the mangroves, several Black-crowned Night-Herons and a single Rufescent Tiger-Heron. One of my main targets, the Agami Heron which is often seen along the river, remained out of sight for us.
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| Cocoi Heron - Rupununi River, Guyana |
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| Rufescent Tiger-Heron - Rupununi River, Guyana |
Coming around a bend, a pair of young Jabirus were an imposing presence on a sandbar. It was hard fitting them in my camera frame!
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| Jabiru - Rupununi River, Guyana |
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| Jabiru - Rupununi River, Guyana |
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| Jabiru - Rupununi River, Guyana |
Pied Lapwing is another species restricted to watercourses in the Amazon River Basin. We were able to approach several individuals as they roamed the sandbars. As someone who is rather fond of shorebirds I was thrilled to observe this striking species along a pristine river in Guyana.
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| Pied Lapwing - Rupununi River, Guyana |
Despite the wide variety of birds we were finding, the highlight was yet to come. I first spotted the Giant River Otter from a distance as we motored up the river and we spent the next 15 minutes watching as it hunted along the river.
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| Giant River Otter - Rupununi River, Guyana |
The Giant River Otter is found in widely scattered populations throughout Amazonia, though most populations are small and separated from each other. The species is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as it is threatened by degradation of its rivering habitats caused by mining, pesticides and loss of riparian habitat, among other factors. The Karanambu Trust and Eco-lodge was setup by the McTurk family, to ensure the sustainability use of the rivers and savannah through conservation, research and education. Diane McTurk for many years conducted research on the otters and other species, and providing education to the local communities about the benefits of conserving these habitats. Unfortunately Diane passed away relatively recently.
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| Giant River Otter - Rupununi River, Guyana |
The Giant River Otter spend some time crunching away on something, but it was hard to obtain a good enough look to identify the prey.
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| Giant River Otter - Rupununi River, Guyana |
As dusk approached we pulled off to the shore close to where the oxbow pond was found, as the low water levels prevented us from navigating directly into the wetland. We hiked through the dry forest, scaring up a Red-rumped Agouti along the way who took off like a shot in the undergrowth.
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| Laura at the oxbow pond off the Rupununi River, Guyana |
Victoria amazonica is a species of water lily found throughout the Amazon that is the world's largest water lily. Representing the official flower of Guyana, this water lily exhibits leaves up to three meters in diameter. As we sat by the water's edge, sipping rum punch, Primchan explained that the flowers open at dusk, as they are pollinated by a species of nocturnal beetle.
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| Victoria Water Lily (Victoria amazonica) - Oxbow pond off the Rupununi River, Guyana |
While we waited for some of the flowers to open, an abundance of life could be seen and heard throughout the pond. A Green Ibis and two Muscovy Dusks flew by, likely returning to their respective roosts for the night. While scanning the pond with my scope dozens of Spectacled Caimans and greater numbers of Purple Gallinules were easily seen among the lillies and other vegetation. Occasionally, an abrupt splash would be heard across the pond; presumably, this was evidence of a caiman making a meal out of a gallinule.
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| Victoria Water Lily (Victoria amazonica) - Oxbow pond off the Rupununi River, Guyana |
As the sun slipped over the horizon. we watched the lilies open while enjoying the peaceful evening. Several nighthawks took to the skies over the pond, including Least and Band-winged Nighthawks. Soon it was time to leave and our headlights illuminated the trails as we picked our way along the trail back to the boat.
Always vigilant for eyeshine, we hoped to spot a snake on the trip back. Many caiman eyes could be seen along the edges of the river, and we found a few roosting Band-tailed Nighthawks and Green Iguanas, though the Amazon Tree Boas remained hidden. Occasional our flashlight beams would catch a Lesser Bulldog Bat, fishing along the river.
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| Band-tailed Nighthawk - Rupununi River, Guyana |
We returned to the lodge and enjoyed a delicious meal, complete with a birthday cake to celebrate Juha's 61st, putting a nice cap on an excellent first full day in Guyana.
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Introduction
January 25-27, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Karanambu Lodge
January 27, 2018 - Karanambu Lodge, boat cruise on the Rupununi River
January 28, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Rock View Lodge
January 29, 2018 - Rock View Lodge and surroundings
January 30, 2018 - Rock View Lodge, drive to Atta Lodge
January 31, 2018 - First complete day at Atta Lodge
February 1, 2018 - Second complete day at Atta Lodge
February 2, 2018 - Cock-of-the-rock lek, drive to Surama Ecolodge
February 3, 2018 - First complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 4, 2018 - Second complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 5 and 6, 2018 - Georgetown Botanical Gardens, Kaieteur Falls
February 7 and 8, 2018 - Tobago: Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Gilpin Trace
February 9, 2018 - Tobago: Little Tobago Island
February 10, 2018 - Trinidad: Caroni Swamp
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