Venezuela (North-East) - March 2007 - Part 2
Published by Didier Godreau (didier.godreau AT yahoo.fr)
Participants: Didier Godreau,Nick Davies,Jonathan Gallagher,Pepe Clavijo (guide)
=> http://www.birdvenezuela.com/
DAY 5 (20th) We visited for the last time the Henri Pittier NP (Ocumare Rd)
then birded the tidal flats and Cerro Chichiriviche of Morrocoy NP.
The coastal Rd allowed us to see some American flamingos and flying
neotropic cormorants and feeding roseate spoonbills. On the beach, we had
quick view of American oystercatchers. After a few minutes we heard a plain-
flanked rail that called in the deep mangrove but remained uncooperative to
us. It allowed us to see a golden warbler and also a bicoloured conebill,
two species that call this mangrove habitat home. On a small pond, we found
a lesser yellowlegs and a solitary sandpiper. A ringed kingfisher was
waiting for potential fish!
Looking for another spotted in the mangrove area, we succeeded to see this
rare endemic plain-flanked rail, good but short view!
After that we went to the Cerro Morrocoy area to have a nice lunch and
later began to bird the Rd down. We began with the scrub greenlet, black-
crested antshrikes, black-backed antshrikes and very handsome and singing
white-bellied antbirds. We added some other species like rufous-winged
antwren, Northern white-fringed antwren, buff-breasted wren, lance-tailed
manakin and scaled piculet. A long-billed gnatwren was climbing on a vine,
foraging for spider eggs. We failed to see a calling rufous-and-white wren!
We had the chance to have a good view of a pale-bellied hermit. Same thing
with a curious pale-tipped inezia that came to us! We could hear some birds
walking on the dry leaves, there were some red-legged tinamous and Jon
succeeded to see some of them. Some scaled doves were foraging on the
ground and we found some white-tipped doves looking for same food. In the
dense bush, some brown-throated parakeets were foraging for fruits. A
tropical parula was calling a sharp ‘tsit’ and caught a small spider. A
golden-crowned warbler was close to the parula and tried also to catch some
small invertebrates. We succeeded also to see one Venezuelan flycatcher, a
flying grey-headed kite and a splendid blue-crowned motmot. A rufous-tailed
jacamar was calling in the forest and we could spot a few glittering-
throated emeralds. A pair of tropical gnatcatchers was very curious and
came to us! A few flying turkey vultures were looking for some food along
the Rd. We spotted also a flying great black hawk and a perched Rdside
hawk. A white-tailed hawk joined the party and a crested caracara too!
A flock of green-rumped parrotlets was flying over the canopy. We hearded a
kind of trill and found an active pale-eyed pygmy-tyrant. A Trinidad
euphonia was also calling close to the tyrant.
(We had a night in Moroccoy in posada La Arboleda)
Total species for the day (seen and heard) = 115, with 49 new species
DAY 6 (21st)
We birded in the morning the Agua Linda Rd, South of the city of Tucacas.
The habitat was pastures and gallery forests with small marshes. We began
with a pair of mating horned screamers, and a few herons like a rufescent
tiger-heron, a flying great blue beron, great and snowy egrets, little blue
and striated heron. Some glossy ibises were flying over us and one wood
stork. Some raptors were also flying over the pastures: a lesser yellow-
headed vulture, a black-collared hawk and a zone-tailed hawk. Our next bird
was very exciting: the rusty-flanked crakes were rather shy but responded
well to the tape. Close to the water, we could see some wattled jacanas and
a limpkin. One pair of black-capped donacobius was singing in the marshes.
In the bushes, we could hear and put the scope on a group of yellow-crowned
parrots and later some orange-chinned parakeets. Near the water, we could
also spot a greater ani and some groove-billed anis. We could hear a hidden
striped cuckoo. A greyish Saltator was foraging on some insects. We spent
more than 30 minutes to look at different species of flycatchers and
tyrants: vermilion flycatcher was the first to display, and after we could
watch some rusty-margined and bran-coloured flycatchers; common tody-
flycatcher, Southern beardless-tyrannulet, mouse-coloured tyrannulet,
Northern scrub-flycatcher, white-winged becard, yellow tyrannulet, a tawny-
crowned pygmy-tyrant and a brown-crested flycatcher.
We spot also some skulking pale-breasted spinetails, and a straight-billed
woodcreeper. A lesser kiskadee was chasing some insects while a masked
yellowthroat tries to imitate him! Not far from the marshes, we could see a
flock of birds: some glaucous tanagers, a pair of white-eared conebills, a
thick-billed euphonia and a bigger bird that was a russet-throated
puffbird. A cinereous becard was perched in the open. Close to a small
pond, we had a very close view of a forest elaenia. We could add also a
pair of plain thornbirds that flew across the track, and landed in small
tree. In the grasslands around we spotted some new species like a flock of
blue-black grassquit mixed with grey seedeaters and saffron finches, and a
pair of large-billed seed-finches qualified as mega birds by Pepe! Near the
dirty Rd, we could see some crossing crested bobwhites and some southern
lapwings in the fields. Some common ground-doves were looking for some
seeds on the ground. A few Caribbean horneros were seen easily due to their
loud calls. We found a squirrel cuckoo well hidden in the dense bush,
trying to catch a small lizard! In the late afternoon, we had a little time
to visit the acacia-dominated desert scrub: we could spot a very nice
Venezuelan troupial, a female of vermilion cardinal, a Orinocan saltator
perched on a cactus, a pair of excited bicoloured wrens, a stripe-backed
wren, and a few of slender-billed inezias. A pair of barred antshrikes was
looking for some insects, in the shade of acacia trees. We had the pleasure
to look at this white-whiskered spinetail that was one of our favourite
birds of the trip! While taping for the ferruginous pygmy-owl that arrives
very quickly, we could look also to a few buffy hummingbirds.
A flock of gregarious grey-breasted martins were flying over the Rd,
hunting for insects.
Before going to our hotel, we made a stop to a quarry and look for local
Tocuyo sparrows: after a first very shy bird, we could found another one
more cooperative!
A pauraque flew from a pole and tries to catch some insects. We added a
common nighthawk that has this typical erratic flight.
(We had a night at Posada El Encanto, in Sanare.)
Total species for the day (seen and heard) = 122, with 70 new species
DAY 7 (22nd)
We began to bird the Yacambú National Park and the Blanquito Rd and the
recreational area.
Our very first bird of the rising day was a rufescent screech-owl that
responds to the tape of Pepe! Nice owl!
On the small lake itself we could easily watch some noisy least grebes,
Caribbean coot, and flying ruddy pigeons. A few giant cowbirds were looking
for oropendola nests to parasitise. The emerald toucanets were noisy and
easy to spot! We were happy with some various warblers: black-throated
green warbler, black-and-white warblers, and tropical parulas, but also
many tanagers that seem to breed there in the pine trees around. These
tanagers were: burnished-buff tanager, blue-necked tanager, black-headed
tanager, saffron-crowned tanagers, a pair of white-winged tanagers, some
summer tanagers, and the rare fulvous-headed tanager. A shiny golden-rumped
euphonia was also exciting to watch with the scope! Some golden-faced
tyrannulets were looking for flying insects. A male of black-throated mango
was perched quickly close to us!! We had a nice view for a slaty-capped
flycatcher. Under the forest, we spotted a lek of white-crowned manakins
with a few male birds! We had difficulty to see the elusive slaty-backed
nightingale-thrush and orange-billed nightingale-thrush. Yellow-legged
thrush was much easier to see there! We could put the scope on a chestnut-
crowned becard perched on a tree. A male of violet-crowned woodnymph was
perched on eye-level for our great pleasure! We were lucky to find a pair
of stripe-breasted spinetails and variegated bristle-tyrant. We also found
a stunning red-ruffed fruitcrow, highly perched in the treetop and doing
the low, pigeon like calls. In the dense forest, we could spot the
spectacular crested quetzal and masked trogon. We could spot also a female
of red-headed barbet that moves the leaves on the ground. A bit further on,
we could watch at the very shy rusty-breasted antpitta that came out from
the deep thickets for our viewing pleasure.
We had very good view for a nervous cinnamon flycatcher, a perched smoke-
coloured pewee and handsome yellow-bellied siskins. We stopped to another
place in the forest to found some highly perched yellow-billed toucanets. A
Mérida tapaculo was singing in the low bushes.
The continuous call of a brown tinamou added something special to this very
nice place!
(We had a new night in Sanare at Posada El Encanto.)
Total species for the day (seen and heard) = 121, with 37 new species
DAY 8 (23rd)
We bird all the morning in Yacambu. In the afternoon, we visited again the
scrubby area in Lara State. We visit again the quarry area as to found some
new species: we succeed to found a single grey pileated-finch and a few
sooty-capped hermits. We found also a straight-billed woodcreeper in an
acacia tree. A plain xenops was also tring to found some food along the
same trunk. After that, we had a good view of a male of blue-tailed emerald.
In a dense scrubby area, we spotted also a pearly-vented tody-tyrant and a
rusty-margined flycatcher. A yellow warbler was chasing some small insects.
Some brown-chested martins were hovering in the sky. On a close artificial
pond, we found some blue-winged teals. In the dry herbs around, we could
see some black-faced grassquits and some. We found a streaked saltator that
tries and catch some insects. We put the scope on a yellow oriole that
sings with a pleasant melodious fluting! A male of black phoebe was perched
near the water and a very attractive pied water-tyrant too! A Harris's hawk
was flying high in the distance, and a broad-winged hawk came to us. We
look for a brilliant male of vermilion cardinal and found one perched on
the top of a cactus, not too long for our expectations!! One bird was
difficult to spot: the pale-headed jacamar. We followed a dry river in this
arid and scrubby area, and found one after one hour of searching. A flying
bare-eyed pigeon came across our Rd. After a short stop to a small pond,
we found a greater yellowlegs and a common moorhen. An Eastern meadowlark
was perched above the road on a pole. A flock of shiny cowbirds were close
to the cattle.
(We had a night in Barquisimeto, at Posada La Segoviana.)
Total species for the day (seen and heard) = 139, with 20 new species
DAY 9 (24th)
We proceed directly to the airport via the Rafael Caldera Highway, the
Morón Rd and the Autopista Regional del Centro. During the one hour spent
in traffic around Caracas we manage to add one last new bird to the trip –
a short-tailed hawk!
Alas, our trip is at an end….
One new bird this day and a total of 343 species for the trip!
A mouthwatering report Didier. It sounds like you all had a great time in a fascinating area.