Returning from the Guyana Space Station
there was still sufficient daylight to suss out how to get to the seashore,
which could be heard but not seen,
through the most dense Mangrove Forest ever seen but without success!
Consulting with the lady at the Guest House Reception desk even her description
sounded complicated but for the time being completing the log
and remenicing were high on the adgenda - tomorrow would take care of itself.
The luck with the Blood-coloured Woodpecker, despite a 3 days search, and the mooing
of the Capuchinbird had me thinking that 2 out of 3 wasn't at all bad.
Although some idea of the wearabouts of the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock colony was known
at 70Km and hit and miss as to the exact jungle track hopes were fading fast.
Something of a fillip the next morning the path to the sea was found almost immediately and already stood at the root of the
Small Stone Pier
with first to catch my eye a bunch of
ROSEATE SPOONBILLs
looking 'shocking' against the clear blue sky
Not to miss the moment the Canon was raised with the birds quickly in the viewfinder
when a very gentle and obviously female oriental voice enquired
"are you a photographer or a birdwatcher sir"?
Without lowering the camera I asked for her patience and after several clicks turned
to find a 'Beautiful Far Eastern Gem" before me!
This turned out to be a lady of Thai birth
ROONG OZOUX
The conversation was stimulating from the start with this extremely tallented lady
until she spoilt the whole show by asking,
"would you like to meet my husband"
(now wot's that word beginning with B*******!)
is some years senior to Roong but the lovelight which shone between them was clear.
were probable the most tallented, warm and welcoming couple I have ever met!
They were most interested to here of my Mammoth Journey and starated to relate some of theirs own from around the world. The subject did turn to the 3 key birds to which their immediate response was "oh, we can soon take you there, it is one of our favourite places".
No sooner said than underway we stopped at a number of well known sites to themselves
where among others we saw
SCARLET IBIS
CHESTNUT-EARED ARICARI
WHITE-LINED TANAGER
BLUE and WHITE TANAGER
and
WHITE-BARRED PICULET
with both bursting into fits of laughter.
Having covered much of the Far East there was a very good idea of what was causing the myrth
and was right about a bird which is common across much of that regeon the
SPECKLED PICULET
Both of these beautiful people speak perfect English so the joke was not lost on them
which brings great fun when turning this into a 'Spoonerism' becoming the
PICKLED SPECULET
The next stop was at what they called
Manakin Mound
where they informed me it was almost impossible to miss c2 species of these
diminutive and sharply contrasting coloured birds
(we missed them both!!)
fortunately "only Joking" as both were present in good numbers starting with
GOLDEN-HEADED MANAKIN
and not far behind
WHITE-BEARDED MANAKIN
Across just about any foreign birding trip in the world the
OWLs
are always hard to find, so at a premium and "blinking heck"
(the exact words as were uttered)
they found me a
TROPICAL SCREECH OWL
followed by the spectacular
VIOLACEOUS EUPHONIA
PANARAMIC
vies across both Grassland and Rain Forest
as Jean Fracois opened to boot to reveal a picnic fit for a king!
CAN WE GO HOME NOW - PLEASE!
The next stop started like this
Wet, Root Strewn, Slippery Path where things just got
darker and darker as we progressed downwards and eventually led to the
Barrier and Screen
which protected the
and
with both bursting into fits of laughter.
Having covered much of the Far East there was a very good idea of what was causing the myrth
and was right about a bird which is common across much of that regeon the
Both of these beautiful people speak perfect English so the joke was not lost on them
which brings great fun when turning this into a 'Spoonerism' becoming the
PICKLED SPECULET
The next stop was at what they called
where they informed me it was almost impossible to miss c2 species of these
diminutive and sharply contrasting coloured birds
(we missed them both!!)
fortunately "only Joking" as both were present in good numbers starting with
and not far behind
OWLs
are always hard to find, so at a premium and "blinking heck"
(the exact words as were uttered)
they found me a
TROPICAL SCREECH OWL
followed by the spectacular
Beaux Oiseaux Belles Personnes
นกแสนสวย
Nk s̄æn s̄wy
but the day was far from over as we pulled ito a lay-by with 
vies across both Grassland and Rain Forest
The next stop started like this
darker and darker as we progressed downwards and eventually led to the
which protected the
COCK-of-the-ROCK
and
these were by no means all of the Birds seen on the day,
that might take a lifetime, but just a cross section of some of the most enjoyed
Some of the images are attributed to Roong
but only the
GOOD ONES!!
It had been a full 80 days that I had been travelling alone but the time had come to be
thinking about heading home. This, as has been stated, was all planned with my only
responsibility being arrival at
Kingston Jamaica
by Tuesday 9th April 2013
the day that the mighty
was programmed to sail for the Caymen Islands then onwards to
Portsmouth, England via a number of other stops.
It was a strange feeling on the morning of her arrival looking across the bay towards the dock and
thinkig, "will she, won't she" but then there she was, "let go foreward, let go aft"!
Footnote:-
There are but 2 members of the genus Rupicola which are the Cock-of-the-Rocks
the other being
(male)
close to the village of Nanagaleto in Equador in 2009
and the best $20 ever spent and surely worth an airing through our pages sometime soon?
