Eastern Venezuela: Rainforests, Tepuis & the Grand Savanna Feb 25—Mar 07, 2008
Posted by David Ascanio
David Ascanio
David Ascanio, a Venezuelan birder and naturalist, has spent the last 22 years guiding birding tours throughout his native country, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Guyana, n...Related Trips
Our 2008 Eastern Venezuela tour began with a visit to El Avila National Park, where we had a good introduction to the avifauna of the Tropics, and enjoyed views of several tyrant-flycatchers, tanagers, and a few hummingbirds. The day after, we took a flight over the vast llanos (plains) and landed in Puerto Ordaz, a city located at the south side of the Orinoco. Here, we started a drive that took us across tropical and premontane grasslands, wetlands, and an impressive assortment of forest types: dry, moist, humid and wet, and gallery, in addition to one of the most beautiful cloud forests in Venezuela.
In each habitat type we had the opportunity to see similar species occupying different niches, one of the clues to understanding bird richness in the Tropics of America. If you see old vines, look for Rose-breasted Chat, but if you happen to be in primary forest, then troll for Rufous-breasted Antwren. This is the strategy we use in countries harboring such an impressive avifauna.
In addition to the number of habitats visited on this trip, we also enjoyed views of what is virtually a set of forested islands—the tepuis. Probably isolated since the last ice age, some of the ecological forces driving evolution on islands apply there, thus the number of endemic species becomes incredibly high. But such species would be only a dream for most birdwatchers if it weren’t for the fact that many of these endemic species reach the talus slope of an extensive and beautiful cloud forest, known as Sierra de Lema, which is crossed by an excellent road, and explored in-depth on our tour. In addition, we also visited Pacaraima at the Venezuela-Brazil border and the Rio Grande forestry reserve, home for the Harpy Eagle.
One morning in the Sierra de Pacaraima was so good that we spent four hours birding without moving more than 30 feet. What a place! Tanagers, flycatchers, trogons, manakins, honeycreepers, cotingas, and parakeets were part of what seemed like a continuous flow of birds. In Sierra de Lema the drama was slower, but we sacrificed richness for quality, having seen Rose-collared Piha, Roraiman Barbtail, and Red-banded Fruiteater among the 22 pantepui endemic species seen on this tour.
VENT's Eastern Venezuela tour is the only one of its type offering birdwatching opportunities from the Orinoco River all the way south to Santa Elena de Uairen, at the Venezuelan-Brazil border. I hope you enjoyed this trip in the same way I have for 25 years, since my first explorations to this challenging and still yet-to-be-rediscovered region of my country.
I hope to see you again!