This is the Black Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus tyrannus) an impressive predator in the sky. It is only the second time that I have seen him in my life.
Over the past years I have seen over 300 bird species in Kabalebo. The first ones were of course the larger birds (birds of prey most of the time), so I thought that only smaller birds would be added as new members on my bird list. How I proved myself wrong. Here is another new member on my bird list: the Bicoloured Hawk (Accipiter bicolor), a bird of prey.
The Swallow-tailed Kite is an elegant looking bird of prey seen quite often soaring above the Kabalebo river.
The first time that I 'met' this fellow was during a hike on the river cabin trail. While minding my own business, I suddenly saw something white passing by, high up in the trees. As it didn't made any sound I had to carefully check and find out for myself what it was.
They say that friendship goes through thick and thin. That it doesn't judge one another by its appearance. Well said! This Lowland tapir and his little friend, the Black Caracara proved it right.
Toucans are one of the recognizable birds in the Amazon. In Kabalebo the Red-billed Toucan is seen on a daily basis. Whether you are in a boat or on a hiking trail, even when you are close to the lodge, they are always present. For me they are also beautiful colorful and fascinating birds, but even beautiful birds have a 'dark side'.
The Great Black Hawk is a common bird of prey in Kabalebo. It is seen frequently near the river and the lodge. In Suriname it is known as the 'Blaka Aka' which is literally translated from its English name.
For years the Grey-lined Hawk (Asturina nitida) has been 'terrorizing' the airstrip area of Kabalebo. A still hunter who devours prey like toads, lizards and cowbirds. A common bird of prey that at first didn't had my entire attention. Until … I discovered her nest. It was during one of my birding trips that I discovered her nest. Behind the lodge called Inspiration Point we were looking through our binoculars for birds (or anything exciting). Than high up in one certain tree I saw a nest, constructed out of broken sticks. At that moment I wasn't sure whether it belonged to the Grey-lined Hawk or the Swallow-tailed Kite. Both birds were constantly close or near the nest. This is my observation report (mostly seen through a binocular): - February 18th - March 1st, 2014: nest was spotted high up in a tree (50 meters). I didn't notice any activities close to the nest. - March 15, 2014: swallow-tailed kite was soaring pretty low. On this day I spotted the Grey-lined Hawk was sitting above the nest. - April 15, 2014: standing on the nest was one immature. - April 16, 2014: this was an exciting day. First I saw that the adult brought food for the immature, which she first torn apart into small pieces. She flew off and rested on a branch close to the nest. What happened next is that the immature stood up and started to swallow/eat the food. It rained a lot that day and I heard the immature constantly crying. - April 17, 2014: the immature was excited or it was exercising …. jumping up and down from branches close to the nest. - April 19, 2014: both adult and juvenile were perching in the same tree. This was when the juvenile was officially out of the nest. - June 10, 2014: this was when I noticed that the juvenile wasn't really aware of its surroundings. Right in front of me it caught an Amazon whiptail. - July 11, 2014: near the Panorama Suites (lodge) I witnessed how the juvenile was either chasing away or trying to catch a fully grown Red-rumped Agouti. - October 31, 2014: I spotted the juvenile at the airstrip edge devouring an anole, or so it seems. Slowly but gradually I notice that it is also changing colors. The fierce look in its eyes also starts to 'appear'. It has been now 8 months since I discovered the nest. A wonderful experience to see a young bird doing so well in the wild by itself.
Over the past 5 years I've seen over more then 300 bird species in Kabalebo. Some of them are so extraordinary that it is impossible to forget about them. One of them is called the Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans) The first time that I saw the Laughing Falcon, its appearance and the way it represented itself, captured me immediately. Clean cream colored 'uniform' finished off with a black mask. It usually sits motionless on a high exposed branch for a long period of time. The Laughing Falcon thanks its name due to the way it calls: a humanlike 'maniacal' laughter (often heard during the mornings) The Laughing Falcon is a solitary bird of prey, hunting for lizards and bats, but mainly for snakes. Therefore it is also known as the specialist snake-eater. On some occasions I saw why it is called the snake-eater specialist.
In some countries the Laughing Falcon is also known as the Laughing Hawk or the Snake Hawk. For me, the Laughing Falcon is known as the bird that always has a 'good laughter' in the mornings. Innocent looking bird, but you'll always wonder what it has to hide behind the black mask. I hope you enjoyed this post and thanks for reading. A couple of days ago I posted a picture of a Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata). A common bird of prey that hunts during the night. Since the reactions and comments were so overwhelming, I thought that it was time to tell a bit more about it. The first time that I spotted this bird was on August 17, 2011. It was calling continuously and since I couldn't recognize the sound I went outside to look where it came from ...... and there it was: a young Spectacled Owl A small white bundle 'wearing' a black mask. Years went by and the little fellow grew into a handsome big fellow. Since the first day we 'met' it never left the area. Well, actually it made the area near the lodge also part of its territory. And since he pays us a visit on a regular basis, we also made him part of the Kabalebo family.
He is a still-hunter who starts right when night falls. Sometimes he hunts at the other side of the river, but most of the time he hunts near the lodge, 'snatching' sleeping birds out of the trees. Recently he started to hunt on bats when they fly out of the staff houses ceilings. A great 'bat' terminator who doesn't ask for anything in return. This Spectacled Owl is a real down-to-earth fellow, who doesn't ask much, but rather enjoy every little thing in his life. Harpy Eagles (Harpia Harpyja) are amongst the world's largest and powerful eagles. They live in the rainforest of Central- and South-America, preferring large areas of uninterrupted forest. But due to habitat loss and slow reproduction we can classify this powerful and beautiful bird as near threatened. Luckily there are still places where we can enjoy seeing the Harpy Eagle. Kabalebo is one of these places where I've seen these beauties countless times, sometimes even 3 times in one week. As Kabalebo is an area surrounded by mostly primary forest, it is no wonder that we can see this bird quite often. The last time that I've seen this large bird of prey, before writing this article, was on July 2, 2014 near the lodge. Just across the Kabalebo river I've noticed a strange looking silhouette in one of the trees. My first thought was that it was a Black Spider Monkey (Ateles paniscus), but seconds later it started to shake it's head sideways. No doubt about it .... it was the Harpy Eagle as they always shake their heads sideways when they are looking at us. I don't know how long it was there sitting in that tree, but that didn't matter. It stayed for at least 35 minutes before moving on. Harpy Eagles are hunting carnivores and because they prefer forest canopies they more likely hunt on tree dwelling animals. Sloths, opossums, monkeys, macaws and iguanas are mostly favorite on their menu list. Being feared by many makes that the Harpy Eagle is also on top of the food chain. Even though they can be easily spotted in Kabalebo, I still haven't seen a Harpy Eagle nest nearby. I guess that they have their nest in huge trees (Kapok trees) growing in mountain areas as they prefer forest canopies.
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