The quiet village of Moco-moco in southwest Guyana was essentially the most southerly level of our sojourn into the landlocked nation some months in the past. Myself and pricey pal Leon blitzed throughout the savanna within the pre-dawn pinks and purples en path to this village as I strained my eyes making an attempt to select any birds from the panorama. A lot of the land was parched and brown, the vegetation was stunted and windswept. No doubt there have been birds, however aside from a pair of huge and conspicuous Buff-necked Ibis that cooperatively flew previous, I didn’t see a lot.
It was solely after we momentarily stopped to make a cellphone name I started to hear the savanna waking up. A most great, gurgling vocalisation emanating from a close-by tree led us to a pair of Bicolored Wrens. As they postured on twisted boughs, a 3rd hen joined the fray, they usually appeared to soften into the tree itself, forming a grotesque sculpture in the course of nowhere.
Bicolored Wren
Whereas my desire was to stay immobile in place whereas the solar gently rose, we had a plan for the morning – one which entailed going additional into the village to a small wetland space.
This substantial flock of round 30 Purple-bellied Macaws necessitated one other momentary pause, nonetheless.
Upon arrival to our meant vacation spot, it was clear that there was water close by. Snail Kites wafted over open areas, whereas Limpkins focused the identical prey through a distinct technique. Different normal wetland suspects lurked in and among the many tangled vegetation: Purple Gallinule and Wattled Jacana. A pair of Muscovy Geese lounged in a distant tree. A White-tailed Goldenthroat, one other wetland specialist, perched close by.
Snail Kite
Muscovy Duck
White-tailed Goldenthroat
This small group of Lineated Woodpeckers had been deeply engaged in some type of dialogue. Over what, I can’t say for certain.
The cruel, raking calls of huge macaws then drew our consideration even additional within the distance. Silhouetted over the mountain vary towards the rising solar was a pair of Purple-and-green Macaws. These large macaws appear to fly fairly lazily, their flapping akin to the laboured crawling of one thing too massive to be transferring. Happily, they had been headed in my route, so I had the posh of time to ponder all of this whereas ready for them to float inside firing vary.
Purple-and-green Macaw
Nearer afield there have been a number of smaller birds profiting from most of the culinary choices accessible. Seeding grasses attracted Yellow-bellied and Gray Seedeaters, whereas a tree on the alternative aspect of the street was within the top of its fruiting section and thus festooned with a cornucopia of frugivores: Blue Dacnis, Burnished-buff Tanager, Palm Tanager, Silver-beaked Tanager, Spectacled Thrush, and even a Tropical Gnatcatcher was seen within the combine. Though admittedly the gnatcatcher was seemingly not collaborating within the berry bonanza however looking for sustenance from disturbed arthropods.
Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Gray Seedeater
Blue Dacnis
A brief stroll additional alongside that street finally led to a fateful bend within the street, past which there was a subject of flowering crops which attracted quite a few hummingbirds together with a really acquainted Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, battling with a much less acquainted Glittering-throated Emerald. All this unfolding in entrance of an attentive Blue-tailed Emerald. I do know, it appears like I simply made that total sequence up.
O! Ye of little religion! Ruby-topaz Hummingbird on the left, Glittering-throated Emerald on the fitting, the out-of-focus blob within the decrease centre of the body is the Blue-tailed Emerald.
Overhead, a pair of Finsch’s Euphonia perched briefly.
I used to be excited to land my first Laughing Falcon, a charismatic species that I had been drooling over for years.
Our native information at that time proffered a chance to go to a lek he was acquainted with close by. A lek of which species? Glad you requested – it was a Guianan Cock-of-the-rock lek. A brief drive adopted by a twenty minute stroll; I signed up instantly. Readers of my final submit right here could be acquainted with the author lacking this species after visiting a recognized lek. And so we acquired within the automobile and adopted the instructions offered.
The roadway ultimately narrowed, and finally turned reasonably harrowing, with swathes of filth interspersed by massive rocks that appeared as if that they had been thrown into the smooth soil with nice anger by an abnormally brawny man. Whereas navigating this terrain, we flushed an Amazonian Motmot that was on the street. After making an attempt my greatest to {photograph} it within the dimly lit understory, it flew additional away to the next perch. Though I used to be proud of the photographs I had already gotten, I seen that it was not alone on the brand new perch.
What’s higher than a motmot? Two motmots, naturally. Amazonian Motmot.
What adopted this sighting concerned clambering over gigantic rocks, strolling calmly on a makeshift bridge over swiftly operating water, and then mountain climbing uphill for the allotted twenty minutes. As soon as we arrived on the predetermined location, we acquired snug – I used to be now acquainted with the process – and waited.
A flash of orange within the distance betrayed the presence of one of the vital coveted birds on this complete planet. The primary Guianan Cock-of-the-rock of the journey!
The 2 or three males we noticed at this lek had been fairly shy, and largely stored to themselves within the distant tangles of the dry vegetation. I used to be arguably extra lucky, nonetheless, when an grownup feminine confirmed up. I needed to bend gentle round a tree trunk to get a transparent view – however there she was in all her chocolate brown glory.
Guianan Cock-of-the-rock – or is it Hen-of-the-rock?
The hills of Moco-moco held one last shock which blew our socks off on the best way out. As we had been virtually again to the automobile, we noticed a medium-sized, black and white raptor. Inside moments of being sighted, it took off. We had no clue what it was, as its proportions didn’t match any of the anticipated birds of prey. We looked for a number of extra minutes, however to no avail. As hope was drifting away, we noticed it once more! The hen had taken to the air, ascending on nice arcs whereas affording us unobstructed views. It was a brand new hen for the world, at the very least for Leon: a Hook-billed Kite.
This Hook-billed Kite made our brains go somewhat sooner than normal because it was an immature hen and was not in essentially the most distinctive of plumages.
Unbelievably, after seeing over 70 species, it was not but midday. However, we elected to return to our lodge for some shade and a short siesta earlier than our afternoon session.