Birdwatching 8 & 9.1.2019

First birding trip for 2019.

January 8 & 9, 2019
I was with J.J. Frost, who came all the way from Alaska to enjoy our wildlife. We had 2 days of birding in the rainforest of Kabalebo. Here is what we saw.

In the centre of this picture you will see a Guianan Puffbird (also known as a White-necked Puffbird). He was sitting motionless in the shades so we were happy to have brought along our binoculars too.

Shades!! Shades!! Not my best friend while trying to photograph. In case you were wondering: these were the Scarlet Macaws looking at us.

This is the other side of a Laughing Falcon, just before take-off. 

Nesting season has started for the Macaws and Parrots, this explains why there is a lot of traffic and noises noticed during the day. Here you see a pair of Red-and-Green Macaws sitting above their nest.

A motionless Anhinga was spotted on a tree trunk near the river. I guess it was hoping to go unnoticed. 

This young Great Black Hawk was seen resting in a Cecropia tree near the river. 

One of the most common birds near the water; the Striated Heron. And at the same time one of those birds you will notice at the last minute too. 

Wildlife won't always cooperate when you want to take a photo of them. Here is a great example too. One Red-fan Parrot was sitting behind this branch. 

Cocoi Herons never disappoint. We spotted one every 10 minutes on the river.

This Ladder-tailed Nightjar was sitting at the lower part of this branch right around the corner of a rapid. 

White-throated Toucans were heard and seen so often.

Another juvenile bird of prey; a young Grey-lined hawk. This one was still sitting in its nest last year in December. Now it is out and is trying very hard to hunt and find its own spot too. 

We also spotted a young Spectacled Caiman in the Sandcreek. The water was so shallow that it was not floating but actually lying in the water on sand.

Butterflies were seen here and there. Taking photos of butterflies is asking for some patience. 

While we were in the boat looking for any feathered friends, we interrupted this Lowland tapir during his journey. 

After hearing them, we finally saw one of the Giant Otters. This one was probably on the look out.

We noticed that this group of Giant Otters had caught some fish for their late lunch. And since they were so busy eating they weren't even bothered by our presence. If that was so, they either would have vanished into the bushes or would have gone upstream or downstream. Far away from us. 

This was kind of a surprise; we spotted one Black Curassow near the lodge. When it noticed us, we thought it would have left the scenery, far away from us. 

But instead of leaving, this Black Curassow continued its journey with its mate down the path of the Suites. 

Their journey continued right near us. It looked like they wanted to show us that they don't feel threatened by our presence. J.J. enjoyed their whole show for sure.

And this was a lifer for both of us. Right in front of our boat we spotted a Puma crossing the Kabalebo river. I have always seen Pumas passing in front of trail cams, but never in real life. 

​Here is our list:

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