Introduction
Our 4th private birding trip to Venezuela had three aims.
First, in this El Niño winter the weather in Venezuela
should be better than in Ecuador or Peru, the original
options for this winter. Second, we wanted to fill two
gaps in our Venezuela travels (only to discover more gaps).
Third, we wanted to try out a trip in a South American
country without hiring a car, although on the last five
days we did hire a car because of a sprained ankle. Some
conclusions on this theme of birding here by public
transport will follow at the end of the report. Photo
right is from Rio Frio valley in Maracaibo basin, at foot
of Andes. |
Except for some heavy rains in the
Andes, the weather was good. Maybe the foregoing months
had even been a bit too dry, there were not many flowers
and hence less hummers than expected. The two regions
visited were the Northeast (Maturin, Paria peninsula,
Caripe) and the Northwest around Merida (Tabay, Azulita,
Maracaibo basin border, Bocono, Barinas, Sto. Domingo).
The public transport in Venezuela is such that we could
reach any possible destination with the appropriate means
of transport. That is, going from long to short distances:
internal flights, long-distance buses, shared (= por
puesto, per seat) taxi's, minibuses, private taxi's (libres),
and shared or private 4WD trucks and jeeps. Once we were
even offered a ride on a mule. Photo right is from Las
Melenas, Paria peninsula, with the 4WD that brought us up.
The total number of bird species observed on this trip
was 340, not an overwhelming number, but with several
specialties, and only from North of the Orinoco, with few
waders etc. |
|
Itinerary
At Maiquetia, the airport of Caracas, we (Nollie and me)
were awaited by Mrs. Mary Lou Goodwin of the Audubon
Society of Venezuela. She was there to bring us the 4th
and much enlarged new edition of her book Birding in
Venezuela. At
ven98mlg.html
I have put some comments and
additions on this book, as based on this trip and as sent
to the author. Note June 2005: there is a new version
of this book now. We would often be using this book
(further referred to as MLG), despite the preparations at
home, and we were free in our planning because we made no
reservations for hotels except for the first night. On
this national holiday there was no possibility to change
money at the airport, and this would mean that the next
day would not be a full first birding day alas. The
afternoon flight to Maturin, in the state of Monagas (NE
Venezuela) was in time, and the next morning we reached
the village of La Pica by minibus, which leaves Maturin
from the old market. La Pica is at the beginning of the
road into the Caño Colorado, a birding area first
described by Peter Boesman in Cotinga 3, and situated in
the wet forest belt surrounding the Paria Gulf near the
Orinoco delta. At La Pica, we started walking along this
road in order to do some scrub and forest border birding
before going deeper into the wet forest the next day.
After c. 1.5 km along this road we found a track to the
left, going for about two km into gradually more forested
habitat (although never in true forest). During this walk
in the open area we noted the first 40 trip ticks, a.o.
Little Tinamou, Short-tailed Swift, Red-shouldered Macaw
(probably a hundred), Streak-backed Wren, Plain-fronted
Thornbird, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Great Antshrike. At
the very end of this track we were near to the true
forest and observed White-tailed Trogon. Back in La Pica,
while waiting shortly for the minibus to bring us back to
Maturin at about noon, an Aplomado Falcon flew overhead.
The (late) afternoon in Maturin was needed for changing
money and for going from the first hotel (Friuli, too
cold, the central airco could not be tempered) to another
hotel, Colonial, with a more central location too, but
even more expensive than Friuli. Hotel prices in Maturin
are high (like 40 or 50 dollar) because of the oil boom
here. Dinner was in a large, memorable chicken restaurant
of tiles and formica only, near to the Colonial. |
Before dawn the next day, we halted
a taxi in front of the hotel, and the driver appeared to
know exactly where we wanted to go in the Caño Colorado
area. We agreed on 32 dollars for being brought now and
picked up again at 5 p.m. Today we started our walk a
while beyond the hamlet called La Hormiga, at the first
crossroads after the end of the tarmac road, which begins
at La Pica. Going to the left from the crossroads, we
first passed a half open marsh-and-forest/shrub area with
amongst others Silvered Antbird, Glittering-throated
Emerald, some 400 Orange-winged Parrot, Marbled Wood-Quail,
Black-shouldered Kite, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Purple
Gallinule, Black-capped Donacobius. Tear-jerking views of
several groups of Blue-and-Yellow and Red-and-Green
Macaws convinced us that this area can stand the
comparison with the South of Venezuela. A fox came
looking around at some 20 m distance from us, unaware of
our presence for several minutes. At the end this track
goes to the right and changes into a path that wriggles
through some plantations (ignoring a side track that goes
to the left again). Here we found Reddish Hermit, Rufous-breasted
Hermit, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Swallowwing, Ultramarine
Grosbeak. |
Then we reached the proper varzea
forest, after crossing (via a tree trunk) a side stream
of the Guarapiche river. In the forest (not flooded now
of course) we immediately saw Crimson-hooded Manakin, one
of the specialties of this region. A trail follows the
stream for several kms through this varzea forest (see
photo). We did about two or three kms of it, and observed
a.o. White-flanked Antwren, Black-chinned Antbird,
Violaceous Trogon, Cinereous Mourner, Cinnamon Attila,
White-shouldered Tanager, Short-crested Flycatcher, Plain
Xenops, Slaty Antshrike, Jet Antbird. A second day along
this same trail would undoubtedly have produced several
new and interesting species, but we did not yet know how
fast we would get to see the Paria endemics later on this
trip, so we still calculated more time than necessary for
that. This Caño Colorado area was really fine birding,
despite (or thanks to) a few short rain showers. The taxi
driver was glad to see us back in the afternoon, he was a
bit worried about the fact that we did not wear boots,
because of possible snakes. A next time we would
certainly wear boots here (as advised by MLG too), also
because of the moist grass on the tracks. |
The next day was a travel
day really. We first had a 4 hour bus ride from Maturin
to Irapa on the Paria peninsula near Trinidad. We easily
found the hotel Maryoli in Irapa and went out again to
the street where most taxi's and minibuses are leaving,
in order to ask for the possibility to go the next
morning up to the village of Las Melenas, high in the
mountains, where the trails into the Paria National Park
begin, and the best place to see the Paria endemics. With
the help of a kind taxi driver we found a man from Las
Melenas with a 4WD truck. But then we would have to go
now, and so we packed a few things from the hotel room
and up we went with him. He also knew a family where we
would be able to have a meal and spend the night. What a
chance to bird there right in the early morning. The road
was known to be a bad 4WD road, but it has been improved
and I think you can do it by normal car now. We paid the
driver 24 dollars for the round trip (arranged to go back
at 4 pm the next day) and paid the family, Ramon and
Raina Subero, 20 dollars for the meal and the room. They
gave us their own sleeping room and said they would
welcome other birders in the future. Raina is a good and
clean cook. |
At dawn we went into the Paria
National Park, and choose to do the forest trail first,
and the trail to the left, through a plantation along the
forest border, later on the day. We managed to see (all
close by) four of the specialties/endemics here, the
White-throated Barbtail along the forest trail, the
Yellow-faced Whitestart along both trails (good numbers),
and the Lazuline Sabrewing and the Scissor-tailed
Hummingbird (female) along the plantation trail, the
latter bathing in the little stream that we crossed after
c. 1 km at about 2 p.m. The cloud forest here is one of
the finest we have ever seen (see photo), and we observed
a.o. Plain-backed Antpitta, Band-tailed Pigeon, Three-striped
Warbler, Black-faced Antthrush, Slate-crowned Antpitta,
Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Slaty Antwren, Cinnamon
Flycatcher, Blue-capped Tanager, Groove-billed Toucanet,
and finally also our first Sloth. Somewhere on BirdChat I
think I read the expression 'typical cloud forest
frustration', and in a sense this holded for this forest
too: the birding was really slow at times, but what you
see will often be something special, like that highly
endemic barbtail. The trail in the plantation, along the
forest border was a bit easier to bird, but I don't think
we would have seen the barbtail there. Additional species
in the plantation were a.o. Rufous-breasted Wren,
Trinidad Euphonia, White-necked Thrush. |
Contrary to the general belief in
the travel and birding literature, Irapa does have a
restaurant in the city centre, it is in the Calle
Monagas, c. 100 m West of the main street. Even a foreign
(albeit also Dutch) travel party was dining there. From
that same side of the city centre, via the end of the
Calle Anzoategui, we made a nice walk the next morning
through the deserted coconut groves (photo) and the low
forest behind the beach. This walk was intended to find
some waders at the end of the trail, but instead we found
quite another array of birds, especially in the coconut
groves: Barred Antshrike, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Rufous-tailed
Jacamar, Copper-rumped Hummingbird, Rufous-browed
Peppershrike, Black-crested Antshrike, White-fringed
Antwren, Yellow-bellied Elaenia. The trail starts with
wading a small stream of c. 10 cm depth, and ended for us
at the beach of the Paria Gulf, where we witnessed the
spectacle of some 500 fishing Brown Pelicans. |
We ourselves had eaten fish the
night before as well. That same night I had been phoning
to two lodges at the Western end of the Paria peninsula,
to find a quiet place for the next two nights, the last
two nights of the year, and hence a bit too noisy for
early birders when staying in a city center. Finca La
Vuelta Larga, for birders probably the best of the two,
appeared to be fully booked long ahead, but in the other
one (picked up from MLG's new book) we would be the only
guests. This one is amidst wetlands that serve as buffalo
grounds, and is situated between Tunapuy and Bohordal. It
is called Hato de Bufalo Rio de Agua (photo). We payed 38
dollar per person per night for full board, and had quite
good meals, as usual in lodges in Venezuela. |
The lodge and immediate
surroundings at walking distance had nearly no shrubs or
trees, so we mostly saw wetland species: White-necked
Heron, Wattled Jacana, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck, White-winged Swallow, Limpkin, Vermillion
Flycatcher, Red-breasted Blackbird, Pied Water-Tyrant,
Anhinga, Long-winged Harrier, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater.
We also saw Peregrine and Sharp-shinned Hawk, the first
eating the only Blue-winged Teal we had seen here, the
latter feeding on the large swallow roost just behind the
lodge. Two Horned Screamers were calling in the distance,
from the top of the small trees of the next farm. |
On the second day we
walked back to the main road (20 min.), and from there a
further 10 min. to the West, where from a small village a
narrow, wooded valley goes up into the hills (see at
background of photo above). To our surprise, the most
frequently seen and heard bird here was the Lance-tailed
Manakin. We just walked up in the stream bed, nearly dry
now. Other birds around in this tall and half-open forest
were Scaled Piculet, Rufous-vented Chachalaca, Black-crested
Antshrike, Black-eared Fairy, Yellow-bellied Siskin,
Rufous-and-white Wren, Red-billed Toucan, White-bellied
Antbird. There was a lonely Howler Monkey too. On the way
back, in the buffalo marshlands, we had a very close
encounter with a Southern River Otter. At dusk, besides
the enormous gathering of swallows there was also night
roost migration of large Amazona pairs, Black-bellied
Whistling-Duck, and a majestic flight of ten Magnificent
Frigatebird. |
After birding around the
lodge the next day till 10 a.m, we managed to get to
Caripe for 50 dollars in total, most of it by private
taxi because it was the first of January, about the worst
day in the year for public transport here. Caripe is
famous for Steatornis caripensis, the Oilbird, first
described here by Humboldt when he visited the now famous
cave, the Cueva de Guacharo (= oilbird). The area is
mountainous, with altitudes around 1000 to 1400 m above
sea level. This would be our last spot in NE Venezuela,
and we had two full days for it (three nights). During
the last daylight hours after arrival we tried to do some
birding from the centre of the elongated city of Caripe,
just from somebody's backyard up into the shaded coffee
plantation on the hill, but it was too late, we
practically only saw some of the ubiquitous Crested
Oropendula. |
At dawn the next day we left our
hotel (Venezia, clean and spacious rooms, but water
supply cut off during the night, 14 dollar, with a good
restaurant) and halted a taxi for a ride to the village
of Guacharo, 7 km away (1 dollar). From here a road goes
up through the forest towards the cave. Walking this 2.5
km road (photo left) we saw Maroon-faced Parakeet, Oriole
Blackbird, Bare-eyed Thrush, Green Jay, Orange-winged
Parrot, Pale-breasted Thrush, Scarlet-fronted Parakeet.
Then, at the cave's entrance (a tourist business, with a
good café), we first went up the well maintained but
sometimes slippery trail opposite the cave. This is all
part of the Guacharo National Park. Along that trail, we
saw several of the species of this morning again, plus
Orange-crowned Oriole, Fulvous-headed Tanager, Variegated
Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Warbler, Green Hermit,
Collared Trogon. The trail ends at a waterfall. |
In the afternoon we went
into the cave, in a group with a guide. Flashing and
flashlights are forbidden in the first part of the cave,
that is the part where the thousands (now outside the
breeding season hundreds) of oilbirds live. But the birds
were disturbed anyway, and flew around sometimes, coming
close enough to the lantern of the guide to see them well.
The cave is full of the screaming and clicking sounds of
the guacharo's, and these shrill sounds add to the charm
of the cave, together with the piles of droppings and the
creatures living on that. The oilbird part of the cave
ends after about 1 km, when you have to pass a narrow
tunnel, after which you suddenly hear no more oilbirds at
all. On the way back we asked the guide if the guacharos
are making these constant noises also when there are no
visitors, and he admitted that they were quiet then. It
is the lights which disturbs them, he said. So a holiday
period like this must give a lot of stress to these
enigmatic birds, there were hundreds of visitors in the
cave. |
Incidentally, but maybe indicative
of the sleepiness of Caripe, we had on our way back the
same taxi driver as this morning. With his low fares we
trusted him enough to make an appointment for the next
day, to bring us into the valley of La Margarita, that is
to the East of Caripe. The very rare Grey-headed Warbler
has been seen here (see Cotinga 3, another paper by Peter
Boesman), and this just means for us that the area should
be good for birds in general. So at about 7 a.m. the taxi
driver left us behind at a point some 2 km beyond the
locally well-known bridge across the Rio Colorado. At
that point the road got a bit too bad for a normal car,
and we made the appointment that he would be back at 4 p.m.
at the bridge. A local 4WD por puesto truck just came by
when we left the taxi, and we were brought to a point a
few kms further, where a track goes up into a side valley
to the North (we had asked the driver for a possibility
to get closer to the forest). This side valley is even
more scenic than the main valley (photo), with shaded
plantations of all sorts between partly wooded hillsides.
We ate several oranges that had just fallen on the ground.
Following the 4WD track to the very end where it becomes
a trail we saw a.o. Long-billed Starthroat, Orange-crowned
Oriole, Groove-billed Toucanet, Blue-capped Tanager,
Green Honeycreeper, Copper-rumped Hummingbird, Bay-headed
Tanager, White-winged Tanager, Burnished-buff Tanager.
Then after passing two small streams the trail goes up
into the forest, with patches of true rain forest. |
Now we were in the right
(rain forest border) habitat for the rare warbler we
think, so our hope on some luck increased, but in vain.
This bird is just too rare to see it on such a short
visit. But instead, in this forest we observed nice birds
like Black-banded Woodcreeper, Little Tinamou, Golden-crowned
Warbler, Golden-crowned Flycatcher, Fork-tailed
Woodnymph, Yellow-legged Thrush, Ultramarine Grosbeak,
White Hawk. We were back at the Rio Colorado bridge in
time, thanks to a ride with a Red Cross car, but didn't
see many birds there, partly because of heavy rain
showers, which also caused some 20 minutes delay for the
taxi driver (nothing to worry, enough other cars and even
taxi's passing by). |
Read further in part 2 (NW)
Species list at end of part 2. |