Two For the Price of One

Well, the plan had been to move on but without the correct documentation, I was going nowhere! It was probably the most terrifying drive of my life to get to the Ferry Port, as despite my protestations the driver had his hoof 'full accelerator' for most of the journey killing both a Great Kiskadee and a Pig (yes a Pig) on the way. On arrival, Immigration were soon down on me and there being no other recourse but a drive back to Georgetown I made the return not, I hasten to add, with the same driver! Despite the delay, there were a couple of good birding moments including having a delightful

BURNISHED-BUFF TANAGER
'in the hand' and only added to the World list a couple of days ago.

The down-side was it had some wing damage
which looked likely to be its demise?

A chance to wander round before the drive back and a look at the local beach, I expect the Grockles are queuing up to get on there in the summer. However, there was endless foreshore which looked to have potential but all that was seen were c3 Snowy Egret.

So, leaving the Terminal behind, in the hope of a quick return, there was just time to record

RED-CAPPED CARDINAL before getting underway.

Now, if unlike myself you don't believe in FATE then maybe you've visited the wrong Web-Site, but totally unaware that a visa, to enter Suriname, had to be obtained before leaving Guyana and the only place on earth one can be sourced is from the Suriname Embassy back in the city. Knowing that hiccups come in three's (bird with broken wing, no visa), yes you guessed it's a 'holiday' here! but Nil Desperandum, chance of a bit more birding in Georgetown.

 First, an interesting looking nest of maybe
 
 
 PARASITIC WASPS

 but little time to linger as out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small 'red' bird fly into a nearby tree. Thankfully I didn't overlook what turned out to be

 
 BLOOD-COLOURED WOODPECKER
at great distance and in the thick of things.

With a length of just 13cm, making it 2cm smaller than a House Sparrow, it was singularly 'THE' bird I wanted to see here and most certainly in the Top 5 for the trip.

 Its range is confined to the Guianan Lowlands, so a chance to see elsewhere, but once seen they're 'in the bag'!

Although it stayed in the same tree for ages, it never seemed as though it was going to be photogenic and having seen 3 other 'birders' (the only ones outside of the ship) I felt I should inform them. An English couple with a local guide returned to the spot with me but alas we did not relocate it.

 In exchange they did tell me the location of a Piculet's nest, but didn't march me down there, as I had them, to point it out - more later!

 Heading to the very spot they had described,

 I jammed straight into another addition to the World List

 TURQUOISE TANAGER
 
 the last 3 shots probably being a 'less spotted' juvenile?
 That's when the second Woodpecker Lifer was added to the list.

 WHITE-BELLIED PICULET 

like its larger cousin (9cm) it is only found in the Guianan Lowlands, so lightning had struck twice. The nest was not located for sure, and I saw the bird(s) 4 times but none more than the blink of the eye (they all count). The photo is from Wiki. Now, what was I saying about FATE?

 DRAGONFLY

 and today the TOCO TOUCANs (3)

 were a good deal close, although not at point blank,

 but allowed 'flight shots' as well - not bad.

Ask an American birder about Small Sandpipers and the guaranteed reply will be, "we don't do PEEPs". Similarly, what are colloquially known as TRAILs FLYCATCHERs - the likes of Willow (Empidonax 'traillii') and Alder - are a difficult subject too. I found what I think to be one and am labeling it

 ALDER FLYCATCHER

 as fitting closes to the picture and description in the Field Guide.
Those more learned may like to help out.

 PALM TANAGER

 The GRASS CUTTERS arriving to collect the crop from yesterday.

 SMOOTH-BILLED ANI

 During the trip there must have been a couple of dozen sightings of

 this little beauty, but being both tiny and active a shot has never before been on!

 COMMON TODY FLYCATCHER

 as the name suggests are nor rare,

 but often difficult to get decent views of.

 So, as I sat in the shade of a tree taking some water onboard, why was this one being so cooperative?

 

 Close watching soon found the answer, the pair were feeding young in their pendulous nest.

 Also found while taking the shade,

 this LIZARD

 and a lone YELLOW-CHINNED SPINETAIL

 A novel look at what was considered ungainly,

 a CATTLE EGRET on power lines?

 WATTLED PLOVER
has become a firm favourite on this trip, just can't stop 'snapping' them.

 and when another female

 THICK-BILLED EUPHONIA

 presents itself like this, eating fruit, it is irresistible.

 Plenty of BUTTERFLIES today, but I wouldn't want to leave without a photo of a

STRIATED HERON, this one a juvenile - love the hair-do!

It’s all well and good waxing lyrical about Blood-coloured Woodpecker and White-bellied Piculet, but one has to remember that FATE is a 2-way street and something of a fickle thing. Having failed to acquire a visa and having to return to Georgetown to get one, there was a wait of 2 days for the embassy to re-open, during which time I arranged transport to pick me up early morning to take me there and to the Ferry Terminal. About to give up and source another mode, ‘fella me lad’ turned up in his ‘passion chariot’ complete with blacked out windows and full throttle ghetto blaster. Short shrift on the latter, we were soon underway quickly discovering that this was a nice young man but we were already crucial minutes behind time. As in every embassy I’ve visited the pace was slow, but to my advantage I had ‘Tag No 1’ clipped to my shirt. Parting with 25 ‘bucks’ we were surely now underway, but no, he needed money to bunker which he duly did. That’s when the rain started, rain of Biblical proportions slowing down our run immensely. In every village, and there are 80 of them, most bearing a number rather than a name, there were hold-ups, one involving what was thought to be at least 200 school children crossing ‘our’ road. Aside from dodging dogs, cows, goats, horses, pigs etc there was the tiny matter of the bridge on the major waterway being open to allow the passage of 2 mighty cargo ships. It was at this point I conceded the day was lost, but no, the bridge opened but between us we couldn’t muster enough Guianese $ to pay the toll. It was I who had to walk among our fellow travellers trying to change a $20US, while the driver did his best to reverse into the impatient mob behind. Clearing the river and with still over an hour to run, time was surely running out and certainly none to placate the Highway Patrolman who had just pulled us over. Chiefy wanted to give the Copper ‘what-for’, but cutting in I apologised for making him speed to get me there on time. Accepted, we were underway again but only for 10 minutes before being stopped at a road block in the middle of town by 5 ‘fully tooled up’ Police Officers. No escape this time I fear as we were ushered off to the station where I was relieved of all my pocket contents, back-pack unceremoniously emptied out and even the anti-malarials being whisked off for forensic examination. The day was lost as we were released 30 minutes ‘after’ the ferry had sailed and a trumped-up charge was levelled at the hapless lad! His only option was to remove the ‘dark film’ covering all the windows of his beloved mobile before they sent us on our way. At the time of writing, I am back in the same hotel as Thursday, I have a six-pack and some fried chicken and “quite frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”. Ain’t that what travelling is partly about, see you on the Africa Queen manana!!        

 The Ferry eventually arrived

 and we were allowed to embark,

GUYANA TOTAL  = 70

TRIP TOTAL          =  500 (a milestone finish in Guyana)

GUYANA LIFERS  =  14

TOTAL TRIP LIFERS  =  149

 GUYANA LIST

GREAT KISKADEE, GREY-CHESTED MARTIN, FERAL PIGEON, SOUTHERN HOUSE WREN, SNAIL KITE*, RUDDY GROUND DOVE, COMMON GROUND DOVE, SCALED DOVE*, RUDDY PIGEON*,  SHINY COWBIRD, WATTLED JACANA, ORANGE-WINGED AMAZON*, PALE-VENTED PIGEON, TROPICAL KINGBIRD, CATTLE EGRET, GREAT EGRET, BLACK-CAPPED DONACOBIOUS, GREY KINGBIRD, LIMPKIN*, TROPICAL MOCKINGBIRD, YELLOW WARBLER, YELLOW ORIOLE*, STRIATED HERON*, YELLOW-RUMPED CACIQUE, PIED WATER TYRANT, YELLOW-CHINNED SPINETAIL*, GREAT-BILLED SEED FINCH, SPOTTED TODY-FLYCATCHER, THICK-BILLED EUPHONIA, BLUE-BLACK GRASSQUIT,  WING-BARRED SEEDEATER,  YELLOW-CROWNED AMAZON*, BLACK-COLLARED HAWK, BANANAQUIT, BLUE-GREY TANAGER, PALM TANAGER, STRIATED HERON*, SPOTTED SANDPIPER, SOCIAL FLYCATCHER, RED-SHOULDERED MACAW, TOCO TOUCAN*, PLAIN-BELLIED EMERALD, PAINTED TODY-FLYCATCHER, BURNISHED-BUFF TANAGER, POINT-TAILED PALMCREEPER, GREEN-RUMPED PARROTLET*, PALE-BREASTED THRUSH, CHESTNUT-BELLIED SEED FINCH, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON*, GREYISH SALTATOR*, BROWN-THROATED PARAKEET*, OSPREY, YELLOW-HEADED CARACARA, RINGED KINGFISHER, BAT FALCON, TRICOLOURED HERON, MEALY AMAZON, SUMMER TANAGER, SILVER-BEAKED TANAGER, SHORT-TAILED SWIFT, YELLOW-MARGINED FLYCATCHER, ROYAL TERN, RED-CAPPED CARDINAL, SNOWY EGRET, COMMON TODY FLYCATCHER, BLOOD-COLOURED WOODPECKER, TURQUOISE TANAGER, WHITE-BELLIED PICULET, ALDER FLYCATCHER, RED-CAPPED CARDINAL, BARRED FOREST FALCON.

arriving in SURINAME Country # 137 30 minutes later.
Docking at the

 Customs and Immigration were a short formality

 

 the haul to the capital, PARAMARIBO was going to be a more protracted matter.

 Enter BOBBY and his BUS,

swift service, excellent driving and a door to door service

saw me meet one of only a few 'deadlines' this trip.

Soon after drop-off, I met my next Bird Guide OTTE OTTEMA, (an ex-pat Dutchman who has lived here since the 90's and holds the record for the most birds ever seen in Suriname.However, we (I) are already a full day behind but Otte had already been informed and his flexibility allows us to do Day One last and start tomorrow on Day Two.

and There's the Rub!

We leave for 'interior' Suriname at 04:00 'local' (06/02/2013) which is why I have had to hastily cobble together this post. There is little likelihood there of ether power or water let alone the luxury of Internet Access, so there is no knowing when the next POST might be. All I can leave you with is a promise of more to come on our return, with a log full of birds I hope.
Finally, for now at least,

 Reference comments made a few days ago about my first 'official' bird records and how the hobby was rekindled aboard the Ocean Salvage Tug 'Confiance', my old Shipmate Paul (Andy) Knapp sends me this shot of her secured at No 3 berth Queen's Pier, Portland, Dorset. Sorry, cannot name the person 'in shot'!

 HOPE ALL OF THAT MAKES SENSE AND WILL COMMUNICATE AGAIN ASAP!