Wild Guyana part 1

The next part of my journey took me to little visited and very wild Guyana.

For me there are few countries left in our overcrowded world that can offer the natural riches that Guyana can. The very fact that almost 75% of the country’s landmass remains untouched rainforest is enough to make the country special, but its extreme biodiversity, un-commercialised natural attractions, proud and traditional rural communities and its sustainable outlook make it truly unique.

 

(Transnational highway in Iwokrama © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

I was very excited to explore the wild heart of the Guyana and curious as to what wildlife we might encounter in this still very under explored country. We started our week long journey at Karanambu Ranch; the home of

Diane McTurk, widely known for her work rehabilitating orphaned giant river otters. Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to meet Diane but did meet Trip, an orphaned giant otter that she was rehabilitating at the time.

(Karanambu airstrip in the Rupununi © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

Karanambu sits on the edge of vast Rupununi savannahs in central Guyana. On our first morning we made our way out into an area of rolling grassland dotted with huge termite mounds and seasonal ponds. The savannah here is home to a healthy population of giant anteaters and it took us very little time to track one down. With some patience we were able to approach quite close downwind on foot as they rely almost entirely on their sense of smell to avoid predators.

 

(Giant anteater © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

Back at the ranch for breakfast, one of the members of our group told me about a mysterious animal that she described as “moved like a squirrel and looked like a cat” that she previously seen running away at the back of the ranch. It soon became apparent that she had seen a tayra! Salvador and Andrea, the wonderful hosts we had at Karanambu then informed me over breakfast that a tayra was making frequent visits to the mango trees at the back of the ranch. This was both thrilling yet slightly disappointing news. I had almost given up hope of ever seeing a tayra in the wild, despite many wanderings through areas they occur in Brazil, because of their unpredictable habits and large territory sizes. I had even tried baiting for them in the past without success.
However at news that it may return and with just 40 minutes left until we had to leave, I wasted no time in finishing my breakfast and hiding amongst some debris at the back of ranch overlooking the mango trees, praying it would return in the extremely short window of time left. It got to the final 10 minutes until my luck was definitely in, when it stealthy emerged from the forest edge to collect a sizeable mango and vanish again. However just as I was leaving it re-emerged on a fallen tree and gave me a wonderful prolonged sighting.

 

(Tayra © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

After stopping at a few other locations en route we then made our way to the Iwokarama River Lodge and Research station in the heart of the country. The centre was established to protect and manage a huge (one million acres) rainforest reserve. The station is surrounded by pristine rainforest, home to a staggering biodiversity that is still being researched. The Iwokrama Rainforest Reserve supports 1,500 species of flora, 500 species of bird, 420 species of fish (a world record), 150 species of reptile and amphibian and 200 species of mammal including 90 species of bat (another world record). Iwokrama was  jointly established in 1996 by the government of Guyana and the commonwealth to create a reserve that will leave a lasting ecological, economical, and social benefit for the local people and the rest of the world. While we stayed at the centre we learnt about the Iwokrama science committee who are currently studying the ecosystem services provided by the forest and converting this into a monetary value.

 

(Machete savane © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

I was especially thrilled by the abundance of birds here in particular macaws and parrots, and was treated to fantastic fly pasts from blue and yellow, red and green and scarlet macaws and red fan, organge-winged and mealy parrots. One of the specialty birds we saw here was the capuchinbird, a strange-looking member of the cotinga family that creates a song during its mating lek that resembles a faulty chainsaw. There is a lek just twenty minutes’ walk into the forest from the river lodge.

 

 

(Capuchinbirds © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

 

One of my favourite experiences at Iwokarama however was the hike we made to the summit of Turtle Mountain. Although a strenuous walk in humid conditions, the stunning views of untouched rainforest as far as the eye could see in every direction from the top was truly unforgettable. Unfortunately my pictures did not do justice to the exceptional views and incredible sense of wildness that I experienced on the summit of this mountain. There was plenty of wildlife to be seen here too and we were rewarded with prolonged views of several black spider and a large troop of Venezuelan red howler monkeys feeding in the canopy below us. Birds included the rare orange-breasted falcon and more fly past macaws, red fan and black headed parrots.

 

(Untouched primary rainforest as far as the eye can see! © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

 

 

(Black (red-faced) spider monkey © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

 

Another of Iwokarama highlights is the thirty five metre high Canadian built canopy walkway. We visited the walkway twice while staying at the beautiful Atta Rainforest Lodge. The walkway gives a completely different perspective on the forest ecosystem and allowed us a chance to see shy canopy birds such as the elegant pompadour cotinga, pied puffbird and green aracari. However what happened on our early morning visit, will live in my memory forever.

 

(Iwokrama Canopy Walkway © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

 

Not long after the  group I was with had just finished joking about how great it would be to see a harpy eagle as if on cue, the holy grail of the Neotropical bird world itself majestically flew into view just 10 metres past our heads and conveniently landed in a nearby tree to pose for pictures!

 

 

(Harpy eagle © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

 

While birding from the walkway we stayed at Atta Rainforest Lodge. The lodge has deployed camera traps along the trails close to the lodge which are always a great way of discovering just what is out there. They had recorded a plethora of large and small mammal species including many different tapirs, ocelots, jaguars, pumas and collared peccaries all on the trails right by the lodge! The transnational highway (a dirt track) that runs past the lodge has a good record of sightings of jaguars particularly (About a one in ten chance per drive). The local guides also thought there was a resident pack of bush dog in this area, but unless a den is found, it would be a hopeless task to look for them. Driving along the transnational road here after dark with spotlights and just after first light would offer good chances however to see a whole range of Neotropical mammals judging by the sightings guides have had in the past. Walking the trails at Atta would also offer a chance of finding olingo and kinkajou. I saw several red-rumped agoutis around the lodge clearing at dawn here as well as a pair of habituated black curassows (a Guianan shield endemic) which pass through the clearing at dawn most mornings. Red brocket deer and the stunning crimson fruitcrow are also seen here on a fairly regular basis.

 

(Black curassow © Ian Loyd Reef and Rainforest Tours)

 

 

End of part 1