Trip Report: Paria Peninsula, Caracas, Henri Pittier and Morrocoy

June and July 2006 (David Southall)

This report captures highlights from a selection of short trips in Venezuela, including a weekend visit to Paria, sites within the city of Caracas, a morning visit to the Colonia Tovar area and a three day, partially guided trip around Parque Nacional Henri Pittier (see map on final page).

In early-June, Emma and I visited the Paria Peninsula of Sucre state (on the eastern tip of Venezuela), staying at the new - and absolutely fantastic - Hacienda Paria. While there, we revisited CICTMAR’s sea turtle conservation projects at Querepare and Cipara on the northern coastline, we spent a day in the magnificent montane forest of the Peninsula de Paria National Park near Las Melenas, and spent a day enjoying the beaches of Paria by boat. Andres, Manuel and Elizabeth (plus others!) looked after us in style and even made time to teach Emma a couple of plátano recipes. In addition to a private beach, complete with nesting turtles, there are even some good birding sites, such as a manakin lek, within a few hundred meters of the hacienda.

Delivering turtle protection posters; Leatherback hatchling heads out to sea

1

Lance-tailed Manakins dancing at their lek; Small-billed Elaenia (probably!) In the Peninsula de Paria National Park we walked for several km along various trails and successfully found Scissor-tailed Hummingbirds - this time including one very cooperative male, complete with fantastically long tail feathers - and large flocks of Venezuelan Parakeets, but missed out on some of the other localised endemics found only within the borders of this one national park. The extensive coffee and plátano cultivation along the lower slopes near the Las Melenas entrance also made this a perfect home for other hummingbirds, if not for primary forest specialists.

Venezuelan endemics in PN Peninsular de Paria: Venezuelan Parakeets; Scissor-tailed Hummingbird Mid-June, back in Caracas, a Stygian Owl was found roosting in the garden of an Audubon member - an amazing coincidence - who then generously hosted an open house for those interested in this rare sight. I joined Mikko Pyhälä and David McLachlan-Karr for the visit and the owl was indeed sitting in the only tree in the front garden of the suburban house! The owl dozed peacefully the whole afternoon, only occasionally stirring to ruffle his feathers, or give us a brief glimpse of his golden-orange eyes. David Ascanio also came to photograph the owl for his website and we hatched a plan to make a brief trip together within the following weeks, so that he could show us some of the less easily encountered highlights of Henri Pittier National Park.

2

Stygian Owl in Los Naranjos, Caracas In late-June, Emma and I joined Mikko for some early-morning birding in the garden of the Finnish residence. Mikko already had a garden list of over 80 species and we were happy to be able to repay his and Pia’s hospitality by helping to add two new species to the list. Later the same week I joined Mikko at the Phelps Ornithological Collection where we viewed many of the collection’s reference books, saw specimens of some very unusual birds and even several, as yet un-named, new species that have been discovered in Venezuela in recent years.

Barred Antshrike(f) in Mikko and Pia’s garden; Mikko at Phelps with new Tyrant Wagtail species A solo and brief early-morning trip to Pico Codazzi proved productive for several higher altitude species, including endemic Black-throated Spinetails, my best-ever views of a Chestnut-crowned Antpitta and hundreds of large, bamboo-eating beetles.

3

Bamboo specialist beetle; Chestnut-crowned Antpitta At the start of July, Emma, David M-K and I set off on our trip to Henri Pittier. The idea was to spend a day together around the Rancho Grande research centre and its trails, looking for the easier to find species, then to meet David Ascanio for a further two days of guided birding in the park. On arrival at Rancho Grande we found Will, the Aussie from Yacambú, in residence. Will had been enjoying a few days at Rancho Grande prior to moving on to Caracas in search of a new project and he joined us for an enjoyable day on the roof, trails and road at Rancho Grande. Since it was David M-K’s first visit to Henri Pittier, he was able to add several new species and I was pleased to add a White-necked Thrush. Highlights from the roof included an amelanistic, juvenile Red-crowned Woodpecker (bright white, expect for its red crown); on the trails a stunning Handsome Fruiteater and a pair of Black-faced Anthrushes; and from the road a young three-toed sloth moving (slowly) towards some juicy leaves.

Swallow Tanagers; Emma, Will and David M-K

4

Two Venezuelan endemics: Handsome Fruiteater and Violet-chested Hummingbird

Three-toed Sloth That evening we travelled to Maracay to have dinner with David Ascanio and Mario, our driver for the next couple of days. Emma and Will then headed back to Caracas, whilst David M-K and I stayed on, ready and primed for an early-morning start to our guided tour of the park.

5

David A is the first professional bird guide who I have been birding with, and it was indeed a pleasure for me. Over the next two days he showed us sights I would never have seen on my own (especially thanks to his highly tuned ear; profound knowledge of locations, habitat and habits; and selective use of his ipod for playback). Our initial plan was to spend the day on the Choroni road, but - after a promising start that gave

me new species such as Tropical Screech Owl, Short-tailed Nighthawk and Band-winged Nightjar - a combination of mist, rain and high winds conspired against us. A rapid reassessment of objectives saw us heading towards (the hotter and drier) Falcon State and the mangroves of Morrocoy National Park. The weather was much better near the coast and amongst the mangroves we saw endemic Plain-flanked Rails (rediscovered several years ago, very locally distributed and threatened due to impacts associated with proximity to major tourist development sites), Scarlet Ibis, Bicolored Conebill etc., before heading off for a picnic lunch and more birding near to Cerro Mission. Calling in the Plain-flanked Rail (my first ever exposure to using playback) was an unforgettable experience: The raucous recorded call elicited an almost instant echoed response somewhere deep in the mangroves, which was followed by a tense wait as the calling rails edged closer-and-closer and eventually into view.

Scarlet Ibis; Dark phase Plain Flanked Rail (Endemic) The Cerro Mission area was reminiscent of farmland in parts of Yaracuy or the northern Llanos and we had some success, including the endemic Rusty-flanked Crake (which almost walked across our boots!) and several raptors including Snail Kite, Gray Hawk and (the relatively uncommon) Common Black-Hawk. The flexible planning and extra driving certainly paid off! Our return was slowed by Maracay’s Italian community celebrating their World Cup semi-final victory over Germany, with spontaneous fiestas in the street leading to down-town gridlock!

Common Black-Hawk; Snail Kite

6

With David M-K having to return to Caracas, I stayed on with David A. and Mario in Maracay. The weather on the 5th was better (although early-morning fog prevented us from seeking out antpittas at dawn) and we spent the day in the park, on and around the Choroni road. I added several new species, the highlight being the endemic Scallop-breasted Antpitta (found later in the day, once the weather had cleared up). David A. estimates it has only been seen by about 100 people - almost exclusively his clients. Other firsts for me included Guttulated Foliage-Gleaner, Wing-barred Piprites, Blue-Winged Mountain Tanager and Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant. The day concluded with some Golden-breasted Fruiteaters feeding what we assumed to be their male fledgling, complete with his golden chest band. Despite our best efforts we missed out on Short-tailed Antthrush (it came very close but remained obscured by the relatively thick, wet season vegetation).

Golden-crowned Flycatcher; Wing-barred Piprites

Golden-breasted Fruiteaters (female and male fledgling) 7

The only negative of the day - and something we spent much time discussing strategies for addressing - was seeing the extensive rubbish that was being left along the roadside and even inside the forest at any and every car pull-off spot though the national park. Unfortunately this is not something that is unique to Henri Pittier, but definitely something that needs urgent attention.

Scallop-breasted Antpitta (endemic) The final morning was a gorgeous day - clear skies from before dawn - and we headed back up the Choroni road for a spot of early-morning birding before heading to Caracas in time for various late-morning appointments. We again saw the Scallop-breasted Antpitta - although still from some distance, hence the modest photographs - and had some pre-dawn fun calling in White-tailed Nightjars.

With Mario Garcia and David Ascanio at the Choroni road pass; Ochre-breasted Brush-Finch

8

Bird List: PN Morrocoy, Estado Falcon and PN Henri Pittier, Estado Aragua 1

(Confirmed personal sightings only – excludes birds heard only; In order of appearance in Hilty plates)

Only first sightings by DJS listed, not comprehensive list of birds seen during the trip.

9 1 First sighting ever for DJS; * = photo available from trip; F= Falcon, A = Aragua

Short-tailed Hawk A Plain-Flanked Rail * F Rusty-flanked Crake F Tropical Screech Owl A Short-tailed Nighthawk A Band-winged Nightjar A White-tailed Nightjar A Olivaceous Woodcreeper A Scallop-breasted Antpitta * A

Guttulated Foliage-gleaner A Wing-barred Piprites * A Northern Scrub-Flycatcher F Sooty-headed Tyrannulet F Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant * A Brown-chested Martin F White-necked Thrush A Blue-winged Mountain Tanager * A Bicolored Conebill * F

Roadside moss; Scallop-breasted Antpitta

Paria

Morrocoy, Henri Pittier, Pico Codazzi and Peninsula de Paria (from west to east)

Colourful buses hurtle from Choroni to Maracay

10