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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February 4, 2018
Dendrobatidae is a family of frogs common referred to as Poison Dart Frogs. These frogs are often brightly colored, terrestrial, and difficult to find (with a few exceptions), making them a prized find among naturalists. One of the iconic species is called Dendrobates leucomelas, the Yellow-headed Poison Frog, and it can be found mostly in eastern Venezuela, Guyana, and parts of northern Brazil and eastern Colombia. Kenneth, one of the other guides at Surama, was obsessed with herps and knew the whereabouts of most species found in the general area. We inquired with him about our chances of spotting Dendrobates leucomelas and he was happy to provide instructions as to how to get to a reliable area for the species. Stefano arranged for a truck to pick us up before dawn to drop us off in the right area, and we would spend the rest of the morning walking throughout the forest on our way back to the lodge.
Stefano, Laura and I sat in the back of the truck as it rumbled over the very rough track. We were a little slow-moving this morning after all of the hiking the previous day, so taking the truck to the dart frog location was a good idea indeed!
The forest was a little bit different here, with a novel species assemblage and a number of giant boulders that looked like they had been strewn about. Almost immediately upon our arrival we heard several dart frogs vocalizing to each other. A short search later, and we had found a pair!
Dendrobates leucomelas is one of the largest species of dart frog, reaching up to 5 cm in length. This species is quite territorial and small groups will vigorously defend their territories against rivals. Their vocalizations which are emitted frequently consist of far-traveling, insect like trills. By following these calls we found another pair a short while later.
Happy with our great success, we had an extra spring in our step as we began the long trek back to the lodge, following the west bank of the Burro-Burro River. Even at this relatively early hour we were dripping with sweat; the humidity takes some getting used to in Guyana. We had hardly traveled more than a few hundred meters when I spotted a brilliant red, black and white serpentine shape on a trail-side shrub.
Wow! This gorgeous snake appeared to be an Erythrolamprus aesculapii (Aesculapian False Coral Snake), the same species that we had encountered the previous afternoon. It lay completely still in the bush, likely waiting in ambush for an unfortunate lizard to wander past. The colours on this individual were absolutely spectacular.
The rest of our walk back was relatively slow sightings wise but considering that we had observed numerous Yellow-headed Dart Frogs, and had also found another snake (our fifth in 24 hours!), it had been a successful morning. I did add two new bird species on the walk back - Gray-fronted Dove and a heard-only Black-chinned Antbird. I stopped to photograph this strange insect; it is called a Wax-tailed Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis).
After several hours of hiking along the seldom-used trail we finally arrived back at the part of the Burro-Burro River familiar to us, due to our boat ride from the previous afternoon. There happened to be a shelter there and good thing, since the heavens opened and the rain poured for a good twenty minutes right around the time that we arrived. We wolfed down our remaining food and laid down on the picnic tables to rest for a few minutes while waiting out the rain. At this point we were all tired and hungry, our chigger bites had progressed, our water supplies were dwindling and we still had five kilometers to walk.
It was during this long walk back to the lodge once the rain had cleared when we experienced the highlight of the trip for myself, though it was also one of the more frustrating moments. With only a kilometer remaining before we reached the lodge, we were for the most part putting one foot in front of the other, eagerly awaiting lunch and water waiting for us back at the lodge. Stefano and I were walking next to each other, while Laura was a few meters behind us. Suddenly a huge black and yellow cat appeared on the trail no more than twenty-five meters in front of us. By the time that my brain registered what this animal was - a huge male Jaguar - it had crossed the path and slipped into the forest on the other side. I blurted out "Jaguar!" as quick as I could, and Stefano got on it before it disappeared, but Laura was walking directly behind us and we were blocking her view; the two seconds it took for Laura to look around us was all the time that the Jaguar needed to slip off of the trail into the dark forest. A bittersweet moment, for sure, and despite us waiting for a little while, the cat never reappeared. Despite my elation at viewing a male Jaguar along a forest trail, I could only imagine the pain that Laura was feeling over missing it - not through any fault of her own, just by circumstance. We will definitely have to return to the land of the Jaguar one day and rectify the situation!
We had a relaxing lunch and took a bit of a break for the afternoon. I purchased an hour of internet and got caught up on everything back home (including my beloved Leafs of course), while Laura relaxed in our room and did some packing. Around 4:00 PM we met with Stefano for a leisurely walk through the savannah. First we tried calling in Ocellated Crakes in the long grass (no luck), then we headed back to the dry forest where the Great Potoo had been seen roosting.
One of the side trails we took passed close to one of the dwellings. We were met by their guard-kitten and guard-trumpeter who came running out to see who we were. A little girl named Ana emerged from the dwelling to check up on what the fuss was about. She introduced us to Moore, the Gray-winged Trumpeter, as well as Timothy and Thomas, her two kittens. Needless to say our progress was impeded by this welcome distraction, and Laura made sure to befriend both Moore, and Timothy the kitten (who was actually female, Laura noted).
We poked around in the dry forest for a while hoping to spot the potoo but were met with little success. The clouds increased in size and soon a light rain fell. Laura and I were ready to call it quits but Stefano kept at it; his persistence paid off as he soon spotted the potoo! We all enjoyed the stellar looks at the bird that was likely not thrilled about the current rain situation.
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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| Dendrobates leucomelas habitat - forest near Surama Ecolodge |
Stefano, Laura and I sat in the back of the truck as it rumbled over the very rough track. We were a little slow-moving this morning after all of the hiking the previous day, so taking the truck to the dart frog location was a good idea indeed!
The forest was a little bit different here, with a novel species assemblage and a number of giant boulders that looked like they had been strewn about. Almost immediately upon our arrival we heard several dart frogs vocalizing to each other. A short search later, and we had found a pair!
 |
| Yellow-headed Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
 |
| Yellow-headed Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
Dendrobates leucomelas is one of the largest species of dart frog, reaching up to 5 cm in length. This species is quite territorial and small groups will vigorously defend their territories against rivals. Their vocalizations which are emitted frequently consist of far-traveling, insect like trills. By following these calls we found another pair a short while later.
 |
| Photographing the Yellow-headed Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
 |
| Yellow-headed Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
 |
| Yellow-headed Poison Frog (Dendrobates leucomelas) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
Happy with our great success, we had an extra spring in our step as we began the long trek back to the lodge, following the west bank of the Burro-Burro River. Even at this relatively early hour we were dripping with sweat; the humidity takes some getting used to in Guyana. We had hardly traveled more than a few hundred meters when I spotted a brilliant red, black and white serpentine shape on a trail-side shrub.
 |
| Aesculapian False Coral Snake (Erythrolamprus aesculapii) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
Wow! This gorgeous snake appeared to be an Erythrolamprus aesculapii (Aesculapian False Coral Snake), the same species that we had encountered the previous afternoon. It lay completely still in the bush, likely waiting in ambush for an unfortunate lizard to wander past. The colours on this individual were absolutely spectacular.
 |
| Aesculapian False Coral Snake (Erythrolamprus aesculapii) - forest near Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
The rest of our walk back was relatively slow sightings wise but considering that we had observed numerous Yellow-headed Dart Frogs, and had also found another snake (our fifth in 24 hours!), it had been a successful morning. I did add two new bird species on the walk back - Gray-fronted Dove and a heard-only Black-chinned Antbird. I stopped to photograph this strange insect; it is called a Wax-tailed Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis).
 |
| Wax-tailed Planthopper (Pterodictya reticularis) - Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
After several hours of hiking along the seldom-used trail we finally arrived back at the part of the Burro-Burro River familiar to us, due to our boat ride from the previous afternoon. There happened to be a shelter there and good thing, since the heavens opened and the rain poured for a good twenty minutes right around the time that we arrived. We wolfed down our remaining food and laid down on the picnic tables to rest for a few minutes while waiting out the rain. At this point we were all tired and hungry, our chigger bites had progressed, our water supplies were dwindling and we still had five kilometers to walk.
It was during this long walk back to the lodge once the rain had cleared when we experienced the highlight of the trip for myself, though it was also one of the more frustrating moments. With only a kilometer remaining before we reached the lodge, we were for the most part putting one foot in front of the other, eagerly awaiting lunch and water waiting for us back at the lodge. Stefano and I were walking next to each other, while Laura was a few meters behind us. Suddenly a huge black and yellow cat appeared on the trail no more than twenty-five meters in front of us. By the time that my brain registered what this animal was - a huge male Jaguar - it had crossed the path and slipped into the forest on the other side. I blurted out "Jaguar!" as quick as I could, and Stefano got on it before it disappeared, but Laura was walking directly behind us and we were blocking her view; the two seconds it took for Laura to look around us was all the time that the Jaguar needed to slip off of the trail into the dark forest. A bittersweet moment, for sure, and despite us waiting for a little while, the cat never reappeared. Despite my elation at viewing a male Jaguar along a forest trail, I could only imagine the pain that Laura was feeling over missing it - not through any fault of her own, just by circumstance. We will definitely have to return to the land of the Jaguar one day and rectify the situation!
We had a relaxing lunch and took a bit of a break for the afternoon. I purchased an hour of internet and got caught up on everything back home (including my beloved Leafs of course), while Laura relaxed in our room and did some packing. Around 4:00 PM we met with Stefano for a leisurely walk through the savannah. First we tried calling in Ocellated Crakes in the long grass (no luck), then we headed back to the dry forest where the Great Potoo had been seen roosting.
One of the side trails we took passed close to one of the dwellings. We were met by their guard-kitten and guard-trumpeter who came running out to see who we were. A little girl named Ana emerged from the dwelling to check up on what the fuss was about. She introduced us to Moore, the Gray-winged Trumpeter, as well as Timothy and Thomas, her two kittens. Needless to say our progress was impeded by this welcome distraction, and Laura made sure to befriend both Moore, and Timothy the kitten (who was actually female, Laura noted).
 |
| Making friends - Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
We poked around in the dry forest for a while hoping to spot the potoo but were met with little success. The clouds increased in size and soon a light rain fell. Laura and I were ready to call it quits but Stefano kept at it; his persistence paid off as he soon spotted the potoo! We all enjoyed the stellar looks at the bird that was likely not thrilled about the current rain situation.
 |
| Great Potoo - Surama Ecolodge, Guyana |
We enjoyed our last dinner at Surama and said our goodbyes to the other guests, as well as to the guides that we had gotten to know in our three days here, especially Stefano and Kenneth. That evening Laura wrote in her journal and I culled photos, but neither of us lasted very long until our eyelids grew heavy. It had been another tiring but excellent day...
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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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