Venezuela: Hato Pinero New Year Dec 26, 2005—Jan 03, 2006
Posted by Jeri Langham
Jeri Langham
Jeri M. Langham has a Ph.D. in plant ecology from Washington State University and has been a professor of biological sciences at California State University in Sacramento s...Related Trips
We had wonderful views from the two sleek, two-engine planes that delivered us almost to the front ranch house door of Hato Piñero, a marvelous 200,000-acre ranch. Walking in from the planes, we were greeted by a Zone-tailed Hawk and our first King Vulture. Most surprising to me was a Green Ibis away from the forest. The fruit feeder by the porch brought in Burnished-buff, Glaucous (rare), and Blue-gray tanagers, and a Red-crowned Woodpecker. The yard had many other tropical birds, including a cooperative Straight-billed Woodcreeper.
Simón, the driver of our custom-built, open-top birding truck, and spotter Gertrudis had our routine down pat. On our first day, we left in the mid-afternoon heat and returned in the cool of evening with spotlights blazing. Spectacular daytime species were Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Great Potoo (perched 10 feet from the truck), Sharp-tailed and Buff-throated ibises, and Scarlet Macaws, but we had a constant stream of new species as we drove along the road to Los Cerritos. My owl call imitations were especially fruitful, as many mobbing flocks brought us new birds, from tiny flycatchers to tail-pumping Barred and Black-crested antshrikes. As always, we arrived at Laguna Alta in late afternoon to enjoy wonderful Scarlet Ibis and egret groups flying to their night roost, hundreds of Black-bellied and a few White-faced whistling-ducks, and our first capybaras (the world’s largest rodent). Spotlighting on the way back, most could not get over the glowing-ember eyes of all the spectacled caimans in the ponds. We had great looks at a few Pauraques, many White-tailed Nightjars, and, on the airport strip, a great Double-striped Thick-Knee. Other evenings would give us Lesser, Band-tailed, and Nacunda nighthawks, many Great Horned Owls, heard Black-and-white and Spectacled owls, the usual complement of crab-eating zorros, and two venomous, green vine snakes.
The next morning, our first big stop was the Jabirú nest with two young and one adult. But it was the pond on each side of the road that kept us entranced for nearly an hour; Bat Falcon was my favorite, but we saw Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Black-collared Hawk, the endemic Yellow-knobbed Curassow, Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Solitary Sandpiper, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Pied Water-Tyrant, Wattled Jaçana, and other birds, plus two huge iguanas. More Muscovy Ducks than I have ever seen here were impressive, as was a very cooperative Orinoco Saltator. The big muddy pond farther down added Hoatzins and Sunbitterns. We spent time off the truck photographing another Jabirú nest, many spectacled caimans, and llanos sideneck turtles. Not much farther, we had a pair of Black-capped Donacobius display for us. The dry forest trail at Caño San Jerónimo produced an American Pygmy-Kingfisher for some, and a Plain-brown Woodcreeper for others.
We started another morning with Crimson-crested Woodpecker, a female Black-crowned Tityra, and two Aplomado Falcons in the scope. The white flowering cuchiban trees (Pithecelobium caraboboensis) held male and female Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds, as well as Chestnut-vented Conebills, Yellow-crowned Amazons, Yellow-rumped Caciques, Crested Oropendolas, and Venezuelan Troupials. At Caño San Jerónimo, Simon and Gertrudis guided our boat up the tree-lined river with paddles or the engine. It is a very special boat trip, no matter what birds are seen. Our best was an adult Agami Heron that permitted photos. This is probably one of the rarest birds we see on this tour. Four of the five kingfishers perched for us, with the toughest, Green-and-rufous, showing itself the previous day. Having seen our target boat-trip birds, part of our group chose to walk back along a trail in the tropical deciduous forest, adding White-bellied Antbird, Scaled Piculet, Olive-green Woodpecker, and Slate-headed Tody-Flycatcher.
On our last afternoon we had a wonderful time with a troop of wedge-capped capuchins, and saw Brazilian tapir tracks in the road while stopped to photograph hundreds of butterflies. Later, two Bicolored Wrens, the largest in Venezuela, displayed for us. Our spotlighting on the way back was superb, with a very cooperative ocelot slowly descending from a lone tree in the open pasture, and sauntering away while a Tropical Screech-Owl called up the hill behind us. I am always a bit sad on this last night that always seems to come way too soon.