 |
 |
|
World BirdingBritish BirdingMiscellany & FunBirdnewsTravelLibraryBird FamiliesOrnithologySight & SoundsEquipment/Supplies |
|
 |
birding...
Venezuela
Birding Venezuela If you have never birded South America before I would start a three week trip in Los Llanos - the Orinoco basin which has overwhelming numbers of large birds such as storks, ibises and herons as well as many raptors. This is probably one of the most seductive types of birding one can do to get non-birding spouses into birding. There are many luxurious lodges that provide good services for birders. People on tight budgets may want to check out the areas near Mantecal, but if you can afford it the lodges are very good. Your first trip to S.A should also include the Andes of Merida. Birding is quite easy there. There are many good birding sites from Barinas to Merida via Santo Domingo, and an excellent mountain trail through cloud forest from Tabai just outside Merida. The trail is quite strenuous to do all in one day, so one may want to spend a couple of days here and even camp in the top area where some of the best Merida birds occur such as Rusty-faced Parrot and Slaty-backed Hemispingus. Other areas to include in west Venezuela is the endemic-rich Coro dessert and the coastal range of Henri Pittier National Park - also with many endemics. Henri Pittier NP has two bisecting roads that are both very good for birding. One of them takes you to the biological station of Rancho Grande. The birding from the veranda in mid-morning is exceptional and here you can get somewhat familiarised with the overwhelming diversity of neotropical birds and get to know many examples that represent typical South American families. Now after three weeks you are set for some advanced neo-tropical birding and you should turn your attention to the South East; here there are two principal areas. The first, Campamento Rio Grande, has become renowned for its stake-out of Harpy Eagle nests. There are some three-four nests in the area and there has been at least one active every year since this became widely known at the beginning of the nineties. Birding in general is very good, but it can be quite frustrating sometimes, with birds in mixed species flocks that you don´t get good looks at, as well as many unfamiliar calls. If you really want to see all the birds here it is a very good idea to employ a guide. Similarly the base of the Guyanan shield, at the bottom of the Escalera road, has rain-forest and some good trails which are also very species rich but difficult to work if you have little experience with calls in the Amazon. The escalera itself is quite straightforward and the number of accessible endemic birds is very high. |
|||
top sites |
||
Amazonas - Gavilán Road
Due in part to lack of access, Venezuelan Amazonas is relatively little birded in comparison with the neighbouring countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. The best-known lodge, Junglaven, is rather remote and costly to access, so it comes as a welcome surprise to find excellent Amazonian birding just a few kilometres south of the sleepy town of Puerto Ayacucho. I first accompanied Mary Lou Goodwin along this road several years ago and am certain that continued exploration will produce a very respectable bird list. Although the road has been heavily deforested and initially looks rather fruitless, perseverance pays off. The road gives access to a variety of Amazonian habitats including savannah, white sand scrub, moriche palm swamps and tall humid forests and it is a good idea to bird all habitats to ensure a good representative overview. Typical Amazonian groups are the bread-and-butter of this road: about 15 species of parrot, six toucans, four Celeus woodpeckers, plenty of woodcreepers, Furnariids and antbirds and a host of flycatchers and tanagers. The remaining chunks of primary forest are good places to listen for Rufous-winged Ground-Cuckoo; White-plumed and Rufous-throated Antbirds will be found at the same antswarms. Treetops should be scanned for Paradise Jacamar, Spangled and Pompadour Cotingas and White-browed Purpletuft. Moriche swamps hold the specialist Point-tailed Palmcreeper and Sulphury Flycatcher. Forested creeks have Long-billed Woodcreeper, Black-chinned Antbird and, with luck, Amazonian Black-Tyrant. Guianan Cock-of-the-Rocks are not uncommon and add a touch of colour. Good accommodation exists on the outskirts of Puerto Ayacucho and many more Amazonian species can be picked up at a variety of sites nearby.Andes - La Mucuy and the Humboldt Trail
The Humboldt Trail is another of those must bird sites. This Andean trail is a wide, old Spanish pack-horse track which winds up from the ranger station at La Mucuy to the Pico Humboldt. Fortunately, the only users are hikers and birders with the occasional curious day-visitor, so that it is not uncommon to enjoy these marvellous cloud forests and their avian denizens in complete solitude. The trail begins at 2100m and can comfortably be birded to about 2700m in a morning – above that one can camp in order to access the high-altitude bamboo breaks and páramo. Often, the first species one encounters is Rufous-banded Owl in the La Mucuy car park itself. The recreation area provides excellent birding with Mérida Sunangel, Gorgeted Woodstar and Moustached Brush-Finch being typical. During the northern winter migrant warblers fill out the colourful subtropical mixed feeding flocks. Further up the trail Rose-headed Parakeet, Golden-headed Quetzal, Golden Starfrontlet, Mérida Tapaculo, Golden-breasted Fruiteater and White-fronted Whitestart are usually easy. Rusty-faced Parrots are a question of luck whilst the four species of Antpitta, including the endemic Grey-naped, require patience. Of the four Hemispingus, Grey-capped is common, whereas Slaty-backed is unreliable at the higher elevations. Excellent accommodation is available just a short drive from the trailhead.Coastal Cordillera - Henri Pittier National Park
Created in 1937 in honour of a Swiss botanist, Henri Pittier National Park has acquired legendary status amongst Neotropical birders and today figures as an obligatory stop on any visitor`s itinerary. Although the park comprises just over 1000 square kilometres – half the size of the United Kingdom`s Snowdonia National Park – the list of species recorded tops 550 and includes several Venezuelan first records. Besides quantity, the park also provides quality in the form of a large number of rare and endemic species. The chief attraction is its lush cloud forest which harbours avian delights such as Venezuelan Wood-Quail, Band-tailed Guan, Helmeted Curassow, Groove-billed Toucanet, Guttulated Foliage-gleaner, White-streaked Antvireo, Scallop-breasted Antpitta, Scalloped Antthrush, Caracas Tapaculo, Venezuelan Bristle-Tyrant, Handsome Fruiteater and Rufous-cheeked Tanager. Raptors are particularly conspicuous and Black Hawk-Eagle, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle and Solitary Eagle are all considerably easier to encounter here than elsewhere within their wide range. The deciduous forests of the lower slopes are home to Black-backed Antshrike, Venezuelan Flycatcher and Golden-winged Sparrow while the coast holds Buffy Hummingbird, Bicoloured Conebill and Glaucous Tanager. In addition to its resident avifauna, the park is famous for the Portachuelo Pass, which is one of the most studied migratory routes in the Neotropics. Excellent accommodation at several strategic sites on the park borders makes this area a real pleasure to bird.Llanos - Hato Piñero
The Venezuelan llanos, or “flatlands”, provide a wildlife spectacle on a par with anything else America has to offer and, indeed, have sometimes been referred to as America`s East Africa. The llanos flood during the wet season and some regions become a vast lake. With the onset of the dry season, the waters drop and isolated creeks and pools begin to dry up, creating a feeding bonanza for caiman, anacondas, mammals and birds alike. Hato Piñero is a private cattle ranch nestling in the northern llanos and offering birding packages in comfortable accommodation. The draft list of birds found at the 800 square kilometre ranch currently stands at 300 and when you take your first ride in one of the open-top trucks, it`s easy to believe that the total will eventually be much higher. Seven species of ibis can be found on a single excursion, herons and egrets abound, Yellow-knobbed Curassows are a traffic hazard and Sunbitterns are easier to view here than almost anywhere else. Besides its extensive wetlands, Hato Piñero also boasts one of the largest areas of intact deciduous forest in the entire llanos, a habitat which is home to White-fringed Antwren, White-throated Spadebill, Fuscous Flycatcher, Pale-tipped Inezia, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant and Trinidad Euphonia. Gallery forests hold Pale-headed Jacamar, Rusty-backed Spinetail and Orinocan Saltator while forest patches are good for Dwarf Cuckoo, Scarlet Macaw, Russet-throated Puffbird and White-bearded Flycatcher. Night excursions are a major attraction and typically produce Common and Great Potoos, Lesser Nighthawk, Pauraque and White-tailed Nightjar, though Nacunda Nighthawk and Striped Owl, Spectacled Owl and large cats are regular: Hato Piñero is one of the best places anywhere within its wide range to encounter a Jaguar.Tepuis - La Escalera
Yet another, legendary birding name, La Escalera literally means the staircase and refers to a road which winds up from the Guayanan lowland forests onto the grassy plateau known as the Gran Sabana. The escarpment up which the road climbs is covered in a dense cloud forest which is home to most of the Pantepui endemics which are more typical of the foothill slopes of the table mountains (tepuis) proper; thus it gives easy access to real Pantepui birding. There are some at least 38 Pantepui endemics (more study is certain to reveal further endemics); many of which are only found in Venezuela and most of which are far more easily seen here than anywhere else. Easily found along the forested roadside are Fiery-shouldered Parakeet, Rufous-breasted Sabrewing, Peacock Coquette, Velvet-browed Brilliant, Scarlet-horned Manakin, Scarlet-horned Manakin, Orange-bellied Manakin, Tepui Brush-Finch, Tepui Whitestart and Tepui Mountain-Grackle. An eye overhead will usually be rewarded with Tepui Swifts and the rather less reliable Tepui Parrotlet. More challenging still are skulkers like Tepui Tinamou, Tepui Antpitta and Flutist Wren. The beginning of the Gran Sabana is the place to look for Tepui Goldenthroat as well as Russet-crowned Crake and Tawny-headed Swallow and rarities like Giant Snipe and Bearded Tachuri. In the dry season the forested slopes and sandstone cliffs echo to the ethereal songs of White and Bearded Bellbirds. In addition, more world-class birding is to be had in the lowlands at the foot of La Escalera. Excellent accommodation is available five minutes from the base of La Escalera.contributor |
||
Chris Sharpe
Bird Venezuela
(Contributor of Top Sites)
sharpebirder AT gmail.com
http://www.birdvenezuela.com
Gunnar Engblom
Kolibri Expeditions
kolibriexp@telefonica.net.pe
http://www.kolibriexpeditions.com
numbers |
||
National Bird: Troupial Icterus icterus
numbers |
||
Passerines Maracaibo Tody-Flycatcher Todirostrum viridanum Great Elaenia Elaenia dayi Venezuelan Bristle-Tyrant Phylloscartes venezuelanus Black-fronted Tyrannulet Phylloscartes nigrifrons Chapman`s Tyrannulet Phylloscartes chapmani White-bearded Flycatcher Phelpsia inornata Handsome Fruiteater Pipreola formosa Ochre-browed Thistletail Schizoeaca coryi Black-throated Spinetail Synallaxis castanea Orinoco Softtail Thripophaga cherriei White-throated Barbtail Premnoplex tatei Guttulated Foliage-gleaner Syndactyla guttulata Great Antpitta Grallaria excelsa Tachira Antpitta Grallaria chthonia Grey-naped Antpitta Grallaria griseonucha Scallop-breasted Antpitta Grallaricula loricata Caracas Tapaculo Scytalopus caracae Merida Wren Cistothorus meridae Yellow-faced Redstart Myioborus pariae White-faced Redstart Myioborus albifacies Saffron-breasted Redstart Myioborus cardonai White-fronted Redstart Myioborus albifrons Grey-headed Warbler Basileuterus griseiceps Grey-capped Hemispingus Hemispingus reyi Slaty-backed Hemispingus Hemispingus goeringi Rufous-cheeked Tanager Tangara rufigenis Duida Grass-Finch Emberizoides duidae Venezuelan Flower-piercer Diglossa venezuelensis Merida Flower-piercer Diglossa gloriosa
Non-passerines
Tepui Tinamou Crypturellus ptaritepui Venezuelan Wood-Quail Odontophorus columbianus Groove-billed Toucanet Aulacorhynchus sulcatus Red-eared Parakeet Pyrrhura hoematotis Rose-headed Parakeet Pyrrhura rhodocephala Green-tailed Emerald Chlorostilbon alice Tachira Emerald Amazilia distans Scissor-tailed Hummingbird Hylonympha macrocerca Violet-chested Hummingbird Sternoclyta cyanopectus Merida Sunangel Heliangelus spencei Roraiman Nightjar Caprimulgus whitelyi Rusty-flanked Crake Laterallus levraudi Plain-flanked Rail Rallus wetmorei
useful reading |
|
||
200 Venezuelan Birds CD-ROM
Carlo Ferraro CD-ROM. Carlo FerraroISBN: 9800767754
Buy this book from NHBS.com
A Birders Field Checklist of the Birds of Venezuela
D Sargeant 31 pages, tabs. 1994ISBN: 41902
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birding Venezuela 1995
Bruce C Forrester 35 pages, illus. 1995ISBN: 55274
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birds of Venezuela
MP3 Sound Collection Peter Boesman 8 hours of playing time. Birdsounds Netherlands 2006ISBN: 160527
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Birds of Venezuela
By Steven Hilty illustrated by John A. Gwynne & Guy Tudor Christopher Helm 2003ISBN: 0713664185
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Site Guides: Venezuela
A Guide to the Best Birding Locations Dennis W Rogers 48 pages, maps. Cinclus 1993ISBN: 0963776509
Buy this book from NHBS.com
The Birds of Cerro de la Neblina, Territorio Federal Amazonas, Venezuela
DE Willard et al Series: FIELDIANA: ZOOLOGY 65 80 pages, b/w photos, tabs, maps. Field Museum of Natural History 1991ISBN: 38551
Buy this book from NHBS.com
The Birds of Junglaven, Venezuela
D Sargeant 35 pages 1994ISBN: 41912
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Venezuela, Paradise of Birds
C Ferraro and M Lentino Series: VENEZUELA, PARADISE OF BIRDS 243 pages, 213 col photos, maps. Armitano Editores 1994ISBN: 9802161179
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Where to Watch Birds in South America
Nigel Wheatley Paperback - 336 pages (27 October, 1994) Christopher HelmISBN: 0713639091
Buy this book from NHBS.com
clubs |
||
Fundacion Grupo Ecologico Bolivar - GREBO
http://www.burodevenezuela.com/guides/sgitem.cfm?NID=4792&SGID=23Fundacion Grupo Ecologico Bolivar - GREBO
Apdo. 527, UDO La Sabanita, Ciudad Bolivar, VENEZUELA Tel: 58 854 0361 Fax: 58 854 0361 Email: luisalva@telcel.net.ve
Sociedad Conservacionista de Venezuela
mailto:presidencia@audubondevenezuela.orgSociedad Conservacionista de Venezuela
President: Clemencia Rodner, Apartado 80450, Caracas, DF 1080-A, Venezuela Tel: 58/212-992-28-12 Fax: 58/212-991-07-16 EMail: presidencia@audubondevenezuela.org
Venezuelan Audubon Society
http://www.audubonvenezuela.org/Apartado No. 80450, Caracas 1080-A. +58 2 9922812 mailto:audubon@cantv.net
The Society operates a shop in Caracas, offering books and publications on Venezuelan animals, birds, and plants, as well as maps and guide books to the several ecological regions. A knowledgable staff can answer questions about Venezuela and its National Parks and Preserves...
observatories |
||
La Mucuy Bird Observatory
http://www.geocities.com/lamucuy2000/english.htmlLocated in the Mérida Mountains, Sierra Nevada National Park, Venezuela - Although Venezuela is not widely recognized as an important place for Neotropical migrant birds, its importance appears to be underestimated...
reserves |
||
Cerro El Copey National Park
http://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofile.php?l=eng&country=ven&park=ecnp&page=thrIt is strange that a park of such importance as a refuge for endemic and threatened species should not be studied more thoroughly, especially with respects to biodiversity inventories of invertebrates and other taxa...
Estacion Biologica El Frio
http://www.elfrioeb.com/The biological station and visitor facilities are located in the heart of El Frío ranch, about 90 miles west of San Fernando de Apure, in Apure state, Venezuela. Located on both sides of the San Fernando-Mantecal road, El Frío encompasses about 200,000 acres. The site is a functioning cattle ranch, which supports 45,000 head of cattle and 1,000 horses. Combining its cattle raising activity with research and ecotourism, Hato El Frío represents one of the best examples of the ecosystems of the flooded llanos. Beyond the ubiquitous spectacled caimans and capybaras, the ranch is home to large flocks of herons, ibises, and storks that congregate around watering holes. El Frío is actively involved in conservation issues, serving as a breeding station for rare Orinoco crocodiles.
Hato Pinero Wildlife Reserve
http://www.hatopinero.com/Hato Piñero, por decisión de la familia Branger Sagarzazu, fue destinado hace ya casi 50 años a convertirse en un ejemplo único de desarrollo agropecuario, mediante la utilización de las más avanzadas técnicas y prácticas de mejoras, tanto agrícolas como pecuarias; conservando la naturaleza en su estado natural, generando un invaluable patrimonio tanto para beneficio de los venezolanos como para la humanidad...
Henri Pittier National Park
http://www.comunidadandina.org/ingles/tourism/parks/i_henri_pittier.htmThis is the country`s oldest park, originally created in 1937 as Rancho Grande, and renamed in 1953 in honor of the prestigious Swiss geographer, botanist and ethnologist who arrived in Venezuela in 1917 and classified more than 30,000 plants in the country. Henri Francois Pittier has the honor of having started the history of National Parks in Venezuela.
Los Llanos Wildlife Reserve
http://www.condorjourneys-adventures.com/venezuela_llanos.aspMore than 400 species of birds speckle the grasslands with white, crimson, yellow, blue, orange and black. Scarlet Ibis, chestnut-fronted Macaws, Jabiru Storks, black-collared Hawks, as well as the prehistoric-looking Hoatzin, call it their home. The Llanos also shelter a wide array of other animals such as giant anteaters, wild horses, armadillos, iguanas, tortoises, red howler and capuchin monkeys...
National Parks - by State
http://ecoportal1.tripod.com/parks.htma page for each...
Yacambú National Park
http://www.parkswatch.org/parkprofile.php?l=eng&country=ven&park=yanp&page=sumYacambú National Park is in the state of Lara, on the southern slope of the Portuguesa Cordillera, which is part of the northern Andes range. The park was created in 1962 to protect the watershed of the Yacambú River, whose waters will feed the José María Ochoa Pilé reservoir once dam construction is complete...
trip reports |
||
Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!
1994 [June] - Jan Vermeulen
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venez1/venez1.htmThe main objective of the trip was to see as many birds as possible and as many of the accessible tepui endemics as possible. We had a very limited time for birding. Inevitably, it was a rush and more time could have been spent everywhere, especially at Caño Colorado in Monagas...
1994 [March] - John van der Woude - Rancho Grande, Llanos, Andes
http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~jvanderw/ven94/verp94p1.htmlAs part of a holiday based on Curacao, we made a private birdwatching trip to Venezuela from 28 February to 11 March 1994. The general outline of the trip was the following: first a few days at the Rancho Grande biological station in Henri Pittier National Park (in the northern coastal cordillera, photo below); then a few days at Hato El Frio in the Llanos (the river plains between the coastal cordillera and the Andes); then up through the Santo Domingo valley into the Andes, up to Tachira...
1995 [March] - John van der Woude - Bolivar State
http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~jvanderw/ven95/verp95p1.htmlLike in 1994, we had a marvellous birding trip to Venezuela. This year we went to Bolivar state only, which is SE of the Orinoco. Avifaunistically, this area has as well elements from the northern part of Venezuela (N of the Orinoco); as from the broad Amazonian/Guyanan region Distinctive bird groups, which we saw at many places, comprise parrots & macaws, jacamars, manakins, toucans, trogons, piha`s, bellbirds, etc, so we are in the real Neotropics...
1997 [January] - John van der Woude - Junglaven Amazonas
http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~jvanderw/ven97/venrep97.htmlAfter a few days in the Henri Pittier National Park in the coastal cordillera, we stayed nine days in the Junglaven camp in the Ventuari basin in the Amazonas jungle. Dazzled by all the birds seen at Junglaven we still managed to observe other birds at the surroundings of Finca Campo Lindo in SE Falcon (Northern Venezuela). We also did some birding in the Litoral East of Caracas airport. Below, after the logistics we describe the birding sites and give an annotated species list...
1998 [January] - John van der Woude - NE and NW
http://home-1.worldonline.nl/~jvanderw/ven98/verp98p1.htmlOur 4th private birding trip to Venezuela had three aims. First, in this El Niño winter the weather in Venezuela should be better than in Ecuador or Peru, the original options for this winter. Second, we wanted to fill two gaps in our Venezuela travels (only to discover more gaps). Third, we wanted to try out a trip in a South American country without hiring a car, although on the last five days we did hire a car because of a sprained ankle. Some conclusions on this theme of birding here by public transport will follow at the end of the report. Photo right is from Rio Frio valley in Maracaibo basin, at foot of Andes...
2000 [February] - Francis Toldi and Peter Metropulos
http://maybank.tripod.com/SouthAmerica/Venezuela-02-2000.htmThe basic outline of the trip was to fly from San Francisco to Caracas via Dallas, spend one night in Caracas then fly the next day up to Merida in the Andes. We spent one night at the Hotel Belensate in Merida, then two more nights at Los Frailes above Santo Domingo while exploring various Andean habitats...
2000 [July] - Roger Ahlman
http://maybank.tripod.com/SouthAmerica/Venezuela-06-2000.htmGoing to such a big and bird-rich country as Venezuela for just two weeks is of course not enough and therefore we decided to concentrate on the Bolívar province in the southeast, with just skimming the cream of some of the other sites more or less en route. The main targets were the Escalera Road and the surrounding forests and the Harpy Eagle near Rio Grande...
2000 [May] - Amazilia
http://www.amazilia.net/images/Travel/Venezuela.htmThis trip had been originally scheduled through Caligo Ventures for the first week in April to coincide with the bird banding operations at Henri Pittier N.P., since our group was a local group of banders and banding assistants. We found out when we arrived that the banding is conducted in March and October so we would be treated to a special demonstration. We couldn`t get enough participants for the first week in April, so we had to reschedule...
2001 [February] - John Hornbuckle
http://worldtwitch.com/venezuela_jh.htmThe tour was all overland, except Junglaven, in a minibus, with driver, and a Spanish-speaking organiser (euphemistically called a birder-guide); booked through the Internet.
2001 [March] - Dave Klauber
http://maybank.tripod.com/SouthAmerica/Venezuela-02-2001.htmFrom February 7 through March 29 I spent seven weeks birding in Venezuela, visiting most parts of the country except Amazonas and the upper Orinoco...
2002 [December] David Van den Schoor - Eastern Venezuela
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venez4/e-ven-dec-02.htmOur main aim was to see as many birds as possible and as many of the accessible tepui endemic as possible. Because of its large oil supplies, Venezuela is one of the most modern and stable Latin America countries, with good roads, good accommodations, and some excellent dining...
2002 [February] - Mark Lockwood
http://maybank.tripod.com/Caribbean/Caribbean-02-2002.htm...the birding was excellent. The Avila is in the Costal Cordillera that separates Caracas from the Caribbean. The lower north slope is dry scrub, but there is excellent cloud forest in the range. Highlights included the following endemics: Blood-eared Parakeet, Groove-billed Toucanet, Black-throated Spinetail, Caracas Tapaculo (actually seen); and Golden-breasted Fruiteater. We also saw Spangled Coquette, Rufous-shafted Woodstar, Scalloped Antthrush, and Ochre-breasted Brush-Finch. We did hear two White-tipped Quetzals, but could not see them. We saw 71 species and heard eight others...
2002 [March] - Donald Pirie
http://www.birdtreks.com/reports/ven.htmlJust a few lines and some pictures...
2003 [August] Joe Thompson - North & Northwest
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venez5/venez-aug03.htmThis trip focused on Venezuelan (VE) endemics and what we came to call Functional Endemics that only occur in VE and in inaccessible (due to guerilla activity) parts of NE Colombia. Since the 2 segments of the trip were rather different, logistics will be mentioned separately...
2004 [November] - Jan Vermeulen
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venez7/venez-nov-04.htm...Venezuela is currently one of the most accessible countries of South America and holds a good proportion of the region's avifauna. Venezuela has everything a birder could want: a rich avifauna, a well-illustrated new guide, ample and diverse habitats and modern facilities. Venezuela is one of the countries with most bird species on Earth. Over 1380 species have been recorded making Venezuela the world’s sixth most bird species rich nation. Of these, 49 are found only in Venezuela and a further 117 have most of their distribution within Venezuela...
2004 [September] - Gruff Dodd
http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=623We had originally intended to visit Venezuela in July 2003, but civic unrest resulting in a UK government advice warning not to travel meant we had to cancel our plans. By then, however, we had made contact with David Ascanio of Birding in Venezuela, agreed costs and received a draft itinerary, so when we decided to make another attempt...
2005 [July] - Dave Lowe & Richard Rae
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venezuela10/venezuela-july-05.htmThis is a report on a birding trip we made to Venezuela, focusing mainly on sites in the east of the country but also a couple of key sites in the northern coastal cordillera. The trip was partially guided, interspersed with birding on our own, the itinerary being put together for us by David Ascanio...
2005 [June] - Ron Hoff
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/Venezuela9/Venezuela-may-05.htm...There was no sign of the fruiteater. Some of the birds we had along this stretch were White Hawk, Peacock Coquette (females only), Velvet-browed Brilliant, Golden-spangled Piculet (seen by David only), Tepui Spinetail, Roraiman Antwren, Tepui Antpitta (great look not far from the Sierra de Lema checkpoint), Lema’s Flycatcher (a possible split from McConnell’s Flycatcher), Black-fronted Tyrannulet (E), Ruddy Tody-Flycatcher, Bearded and White Bellbirds, Olive, Scarlet-horned (female only), and Orange-bellied Manakins, Olive-backed Tanager, Tepui Brush-Finch, and Golden-tufted Mountain-Grackle...
2005 [March] - Alan Miller - Isla de Margarita
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venez8/isla-marg-mar-05.htm...A wonderful first encounter with South American birds seeing Buffy Hummingbird, Vermilion Cardinal, Yellow Oriole, Tropical Mockingbird, Tropical Knatcatcher, Magnificent Frigatebird and many more species from our hotel room...
2005 [May] - Stephen Ross
http://www.ascaniobirding.com/pdf/reports/Roraima_2005.pdfPdf - Roraima-tepui
2006 [April] - David Ascanio
http://www.ascaniobirding.com/pdf/reports/Avila_2006.pdfPdf - El Avila National Park...
2006 [April] - Mark & Sandra Dennis
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/venezuela/venezuela-11/Isla-margarita-april-06.htmIn need of a week’s break we plumped for the limited avian delights of Isla Margarita, Venezuela and were pleasantly surprised by the island’s overall attractiveness, the variety of habitats and relative abundance of other wildlife, especially butterflies. The island lies c14km off north-east Venezuela and comprises desert scrub, lagoons of various quality, sea coasts and some slightly higher elevation birding in a rather pleasant if restricted national park...
2006 [February] - Mark Van Beirs
http://www.birdquest.co.uk/tripreports.cfm?trip=481... It was a truly amazing trip with a splendid selection of tour highlights, including a formidable, awesome and almost terrifying adult Harpy Eagle at close range, a flock of Grey-winged Trumpeters posing for us on a forest track, Red-fan Parrots showing off their ridiculous crests, the extraordinary spectacle of the Oilbirds at the cave from which they were first described, a gorgeous male Peacock Coquette...
2006 [March] - David Ascanio
http://www.ascaniobirding.com/pdf/reports/2006_Hato_Pinero.pdfPDF - Hato Piñero, Cojedes
Tips for Visiting Birders
http://maybank.tripod.com/SouthAmerica/Venezuela-tips.htmI have heard that car rentals are very expensive (USD 350 per week) so I would like to try to make use of the good bus network....
tour operators |
|
||
Angel Eco-Tours
http://www.angel-ecotours.comThe sound of hundreds of parrots awakening breaks the silence. You and your travel companions climb out of your beds to see the sunrise and experience the wonder that is Venezuela...
Arassari Trek [formerly Bum Bum Tours]
http://www.arassari.com/3-safari.htmAll our trips are highly educational and designed to give fair paid work to people living in remote areas. Ecological conscience and conservation of the environment are our main concerns to help preserve Venezuela as beautiful as it is right now.
Ascanio Birding Tours
http://www.ascaniobirding.com/html/home_en.phpwhether you are an individual traveler or you like to join fellow birders, we can arrange a wide variety of birding tours to the famed Rancho Grande, the vast plains (Llanos), the Andes, the mountains of Paria, the Lake Maracaibo basin and the Tepuis. Over the years, we have found locations to look for the Roraiman Nightjar (our first record is back to 1984!), Scallop-breasted Antpitta, Recurve-billed Bushbird, Tepui Wren, Orinoco Softtail, Gray-headed Warbler, Great Antpitta and 3 yet undescribed birds among others...
Birding Pal
http://birdingpal.org/Venezuela.htmLocal birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...
Birding Venezuela
http://www.birdingvenezuela.comBirding Venezuela is Venezuela's premier bird tour ground agent. We work with Venezuela's top birding and naturalist guides and finest lodges to give you an unbeatable experience whether you are looking for private, tailor-made tours or group bookings, cutting edge specility birding or traditional routes. Each of our staff has between 10 and 20 years experience in organising Venezuelan bird tours. Founded ona strong conservation ethic, a proportion of our income directly supports the conservation programmes of Venezuelan NGOs - in 2005 we are financing the Venezuela Audubon Society's bird-banding project in Henri Pittier National Park. In addtion we are the Society's official bird tour operator.
Birds Venezuela
http://www.birds-venezuela.de/english/birds/home.htmlJoe has worked with tourists, photographers, botanists and ornithologists since 1995 in Venezuela. As well as with bird lovers, e.g. The German Institute for the Bird Research, WWF and for Audubon guides. The main places where he offers his services are the Andes, Los Llanos, Catatumbo Delta and Henry Pitier and Tama National Park. He was born in Germany but he went to Venezuela where he made his hobby into his profession: ornithology. He is 30 years old, married to a Peruvian woman, father of two little kids and the owner of a guesthouse. In the last years he worked a lot with Hummingbirds, Fruiteaters, Antpittas and Rapters. He uses Leica and Brunton equipment and works with playbacks. He`s an absolute birdlover and spends his sparetime, when he´s not guiding, birdwatching in the cloudforests of the Venezuelean Andes.
Chal Tours
http://personales.com/venezuela/merida/chaltours/CHAL TOURS also offer trips to Venezuela highly specialized on Natural History as well ECO & BIOTOURISM, featuring small groups or independent travelers giving you free traveling assistance and professional guidance in Herpetology, Entomology, Botany (only orchids) and Ornithology leaded by trained bilingual naturalists...
Eco Voyager
http://www.ecovoyager.com/...Henri Pittier National Park - The oldest national park in Venezuela, Henri Pittier is home to over 400 species of birds. The park is situated where the Andes meet the Caribbean and includes miles of untouched beaches as well as massive cloud forests...
El Cocuy Tours
http://www.geocities.com/elcocuytours/TourDescriptions.htmWe can customize any tour for you depending on the amount of people, time to spend touring, type of trek and more! The history and wildlife of the area is incredible. We speak english and spanish as well. We recommend 2 nights and 3 days to visit the total area. You will experience tropical jungles, tropical rain forests, cloud forests, and incredible views and rivers!
Fieldguides
http://www.fieldguides.com/venezuela.htmVenezuela has just about everything a birder could want in a visit to the Neotropics; a rich avifauna well illustrated in a newly published field guide, ample and diverse habitats and a well-maintained road system to reach them, modern facilities and friendly people...
Footprint
http://www.footprint-adventures.co.ukFootprint run regular birding tours to Venezuela.
Geodyssey
http://www.geodyssey.co.ukYou might choose to tour Venezuela staying in comfortable hotels and lodges with opportunities to explore each region. You might like to have an active holiday, going on an adventurous trek or a river journey deep in the more remote regions of Venezuela. You might be keen to see something of Venezuela`s huge diversity of birds and wildlife. Even if you prefer just to relax on a beautiful beach, Venezuela offers you a choice from lively beach-life to quiet Robinson Crusoe beaches fringed with palm trees. (There is also the tourist island of Margarita, which is best avoided if you would prefer to see the real Venezuela.)
Guided Birding
http://www.guidedbirding.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Profiles/venezuela.htmThis unique combination allows birding Brazil tours and their guides to offer you the highest quality bird tour available within Venezuela and to other South American countries...
Kolibri Expeditions
http://www.kolibriexpeditions.comGunnar Engblom-Lima, Peru. Birdwatching in S. America. tele/fax +51 (0)1 476 50 16 cel: 9643 77 49 or 99007886 Kolibri Expeditions-Expediton Birding to the Endemic and Threatened Birds. Marvelous Spatuletail Tours-Spectacular Birding and Great Comfort. Email: kolibriexp@telefonica.net.pe. Birding Peru e-group: birdingperu-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Trip reports, recent sightings, travel tips, travel partners, range extensions, identification help, etc. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Birdingperu
Lost World Adventures
http://www.lostworldadventures.com/countries/venezuela/index.php...A birdwatcher`s paradise, more than 300 species have been identified here including three species of stork, six varieties of ibis and numerous other shallow-water wading birds, songbirds and waterfowl. In the early morning and evening in particular, the riverbanks, forest edges and lagoons come to life with active birds and animals...
Mark Smith Nature Tours
http://www.marksmithnaturetours.comThe Llanos is a distinctive region of northern South America, partly flooded half the year, and drying grasslands and pools the other half. The concentrations of waterfowl and wading birds are astonishing. Large animals like Capybara (world`s largest rodent) Caiman, Anaconda, Capuchin Monkey, Peccaries, Giant Anteater, Ocelot, and even Puma and Jaguar are seen with regularity. We stay four days at a large palatial ranch (Hato) in the heart of the Llanos.
Natoura Adventure Tours
http://www.natoura.com/Since its inception in 1986, NATOURA has remained a team of young and enthusiastic nature lovers, who specialize in organizing safe and exciting Eco & Adventure tours throughout our beautiful and diverse country...
Orinoco Tours
http://www.orinocotours.com/index-e.htmAll our tours described in other sections take you to places all over the country where you can, among other activities, observe birds and wildlife in general. But if you are a serious birdwatcher, then this section is for you. Venezuela has 1.346 species of birds reported to date, which is about 42% of the total for South America (also known as the birds Continent) or 14% of the world total.
Southwind Adventures
http://www.southwindadventures.comVenezuela, South America`s Caribbean jewel, offers travelers an amazingly rich variety of experiences, and on this exciting trip we`ll enjoy the best of them! The country is a naturalist`s delight with more than 1,250 species of birds and more than 250 species of mammals!
Sunbird
http://www.sunbirdtours.co.uk/brochure_2003/s_america/venezuela/venezuela.htmlWhile entirely encompassed by the tropics, Venezuela contains a wide cross-section of habitats from lowland Amazonian rainforest through to barren, snow-capped Andean peaks...
Tanager Birding
http://www.tanagerbirding.com/Budget priced birding to Central and South America and beyond ... We specialise in economic birdwatching holidays to destinations such as Venezuela, Peru and other Latin and Central American countries. In 2006 we are also birding Sweden to see Northern Owls and Woodpeckers on their breeding grounds.
Trogon Tours
http://www.trogontours.com/The Venezuelan Andes is the most northern part of the Andes. They are separated from the Colombian part by a wide gap. This makes that some of the high mountain birds evolved as endemics...
Trogon Trips
http://www.trogontrips.com/Trogon Trips organises birding trips in Colombia and Venezuela. Active since 2000, our trademark is a high degree of reliability against relatively low prices. We offer standard tours as well as tailor-made trips.
Venadventure
http://www.venadventure.com/Venezuela.htmlWe offer a broad range of activities varying from trekking, climbing, mountain biking, birding, horseback riding, paragliding, snorkelling, rafting and fishing to soft-adventure nature and cultural safaris.
Venezuela Nature Tours
http://tropicalwildlife.net/The only Venezuelan tours created and run by conservation biologists...
Venezuela Voyage
http://www.venezuelavoyage.com/Combine a dash of color, a splash of light, the spice of Life, a chaser of youth and a kiss of beauty. Then add a pinch of contradiction. Stir in the Caribbean, the Andes and the Orinoco, and you have Venezuela...
Wilderness Explorers
http://www.wilderness-explorers.com/amazonia.htmThe great forests and rivers that form Amazonia still provide unparalleled nature and adventure opportunities. In the north-eastern corner of the continent you can find five countries with five different languages and five distinct cultures: Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana...
places to stay |
||
Campamento Camani
http://www.camanicamp.com/eng/index-eng.htmJust two hours by plane from Caracas and located in the heart of the Venezuelan Amazon Forest, CAMANI is an unique camp in its class, located in the midst of miles of virgin forest inhabited by the Piaroa, Maquiritare and Yanomami Indians, among other hospitable aboriginal tribes that will serve as guides for your excursions. Huge lakes, rivers and waterfalls, exotic animals and plants will be your companions during this trip inside the jungle forest which will take you beyond the limits of your imagination.
Hato el Cedral
http://www.venezuelatuya.com/llanos/cedraleng.htmHato El Cedral is located in the low plains of Venezuela`s Apure, near the town of Mantecal, in the country`s vast interior grasslands known as the llanos. Its 53,000 hectares (106,000 acres) are both a working cattle ranch with more than 20,000 head of cattle and an important tourist center for the growing interest in ecological and adventure tourism. This camp provides its visitors with one of the most outstanding displays of animal wildlife in the western hemisphere. In addition to being a working ranch, El Cedral is also considered an ecological reserve, and hundreds of species of wild animals run free. The wildlife here are unaware of the danger associated with man`s presence, because hunting has been banned for many years. El Cedral is the only ranch where animals are friendly and abundant, which distinguishes it as the best on the Venezuelan plains!
Orinoco Delta Lodge
http://www.orinocodelta.com/Is a family run operation specialized in nature and adventure travel in The Orinoco Delta Region in Venezuela with offices in Tucupita and Playa el Agua in Margarita Island...
Peacock Bay Lodge
http://www.peacocktrips.com/Peacock_Bay/Really for fishermen, but it might be a good base for others too.
Posada el Encanto
http://www.posadaelencanto.com/Surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, just 64 km. from Barquisimeto , you can find "Posada el Encanto". The great climate, diversity of vegetation and splendour of landscape delight visitors. Driving on a curved and ascending road that begins in Quibor you get to Sanare, which you pass by on the main street . Befote entering Sabana Grande you arrive at the special rustic style building, made of wood, stone and mud...
Posada el Limon
http://www.posadaellimon.com/home.htmThe posada is a large former colonial mango-plantation manor house. The complex has one main building and a building where the rooms are located. It is surrounded by luxurious gardens with terraces...
Ucaima Camp
http://www.lostworldadventures.com/property.php/pid/128This is the oldest of the camps in the area. Well known Rudy "Jungle Rudy" Truffino built his camp in Ucaima, a few minutes by jeep upriver from Canaima on the banks of the Carrao River in the 1950's. It is now operated by his daughters who provide warm, friendly service to the guests and are always available for chatting with guests about the beauty of the Lost World region. Encounters there included half a dozen resident black-capped parrots, a baby giant anteater, a tapir, a resident macaw, and a friendly boa constrictor...
other links |
||
Aves de Venezuela
http://www.avesvenezuela.netAqui encontrará la información que necesita acerca de la distribución de las aves de Venezuela, sus cantos, las publicaciones y sus autores, y otros datos de interés...
Bird Venezuela
http://www.birdvenezuela.com/Welcome to birdvenezuela.com, the newest site on the net dedicated to birds and birding in Venezuela!
Birding in Venezuela
http://www.lostworldadventures.com/countries/venezuela/activities/birding.phpA birdwatcher`s paradise, more than 300 species have been identified here including three species of stork, six varieties of ibis and numerous other shallow-water wading birds, songbirds and waterfowl. In the early morning and evening in particular, the riverbanks, forest edges and lagoons come to life with active birds and animals...
Birding in Venezuela
http://www.birds-venezuela.de/english/birds/home.htmlVenezuela is, besides Colombia and Peru, the world`s richest country in birds. Venezuela is pure nature. It`s a combined country with complete vegetation`s level. The highest concentration is found, at a certain point, in Mérida: it goes northern from 5000mts in the Andes to the Caribbean and southern to the Amazon through elfy- and cloud forests over gallery forests, savannahs swamps, dryforest, deltas, tropical rain forests and the table top mountains.
Birds of Venezuela
http://www.birdsongs.com/Bird Songs International B.V. proudly presents its third CD-ROM: Birds of Venezuela / Aves de Venezuela, by Peter Boesman! This revolutionary CD-ROM for Windows contains 700 photographs, almost 1300 sound recordings (more than 7.5 hours!); and a complete set of distribution maps of 878 bird species. Everything presented in an extremely user-friendly format: any sound recording, any photo is seconds away, accessible by just a few keyclicks!
Birdwatching in and around Mérida
http://home.scarlet.be/~tsd81005/birding/merida.htmMérida state has some of the best and most convenient birding places in Venezuela. From the city of Merida one can travel to the lowlands at sealevel or to the highlands above 3500 m in just 2 hours. Vegetation goes from tropical savannah to cloudforests, elfin forests and paramo above treeline. So it is not surprising that over 500 species can be found here.
Venezuela Yours... Nature
http://www.venezuelatuya.com/natura/010eng.htmThose large black birds, with long, sharp and extended wings, showing a whitish or intense red colored swollen throat, are the Frigate Birds, the \"always there\" black shore birds that sail the high blue sky for hours every day...
Venezuelan Birds
http://hackingfamily.com/Flora_&_Fauna/venezuela_birds.htmVenezuela! A birders paradise...
Visiting Birders
http://ascaniobirding.com/pdf/faq/suggestions.pdfSuggestions for anyone contemplating a birding trip to Venezuela... Pdf format
back to the top of this page
PlanetWorks
and Firecast
Feedback/Contact/Advertising Info ::