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
'in the hand' and only added to the World list a couple of days ago.
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.
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.
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!
the last 3 shots probably being a 'less spotted' juvenile?
That's when the second Woodpecker Lifer was added to the list.
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?
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
Those more learned may like to help out.
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!
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.
has become a firm favourite on this trip, just can't stop 'snapping' them.
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
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.
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,
Finally, for now at least,
HOPE ALL OF THAT MAKES SENSE AND WILL COMMUNICATE AGAIN ASAP!
