PeterHG's eighth BY

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Peter Connan

 

85 / SU 53. Pale-breasted Spinetail. Commewijne, February. Reliably spotted only once, but then the spinetails are often reluctant to show themselves properly.

 

86 / SU 54. Osprey. Commewijne, February. We went on a boat trip in a very narrow 'korjaal' through a marshy area on the other side of the river. Though the trip was nice, the outboard engine made so much noise that all birds made off long before we could get a proper view. This is a rather heavy crop.

 

At the end of the first leg of the trip we took a walk along the beach. There were quite a few little waders, but most of them far away, since it was low tide. We did gat a distant view of some terns.

87 / SU 55. Gull-billed Tern. Commewijne, February.

 

Back in the garden of our apartment, we saw a flycatcher we hadn't seen there before.

88 / SU 56. Brown-crested Flycatcher. Commewijne, February.

 

89 / SU 57. Tropical Kingbird. Commewijne, February. Very common and seen on most days.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

Well done with the Spinetail - tricky ones indeed!

[TonyQ]

@PeterHGyou are getting a very good collection from your trip.

Lovely photos 

[Galana]

You are certainly extracting lots of birds from your trip. Some I have never even heard of let alone actually seen and photographed.

[PeterHG]

Thank you @michael-ibk @TonyQ @Galana

 

Some more from around the garden:

90 / SU 58. Orange-winged Amazon. Commewijne, February. A common parrot, mostly seen flying overhead in pairs.

 

91 / SU 59. House Wren. Commewijne, February. Also very common,

 

92 / SU 60. Blue-and-grey Tanager. Commewijne, February. 

 

In the morning we paid a visit to then 'Peperpot' a former plantation, now a nature park. The original plantation is completely overgrown and now it's just jungle. It can be a birding hotspot with a proper guide having sharp eyes and ears, but we had a lot of trouble locating birds in the dense trees. We only managed a few species, albeit some nice ones. 

 

93 / SU 61. Cinnamon Attilla. Commewijne, February. From the tower hide which was erected some three years ago. A lifer.

 

94 / SU 62. Black-necked Aracari. Commewijne, February. Also from the tower hide and also a lifer.

 

95 / SU 63. Yellow-Olive Flycatcher. Commewijne, February. It was buiding a hanging nest. We stood at some distance and watched it come and go quite a few times. It always dropped straight form the interior of the nest and was gone in a flash. Impossible to take a picture of if it weren't for the Pro Capture function of the OM camera, where it buffers shots as long as you half press the shutter button and when you see the bird fly off you fully press it. It has then kept and saved the previous 15 frames, so the critical moment has been captured. It is often more difficult than this simple explanation, but it does allow me to take shots that otherwise would be impossible. This rather lengthy description is especially for @xelas!

 

 

 

[Galana]

1 hour ago, PeterHG said:

This rather lengthy description is especially for @xelas!

But admired by many more.

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Galana! 

 

96 / SU 64. White-winged Swallow. Commewijne, February. 

 

 

97 / SU 65. Yellow-chinned Spinetail. Commewijne, February. Another Spinetail the briefly allowed some shots. A lifer as well.

 

98 / SU 66. Tropical Mockingbird. Commewijne, February. Very common and seen almost every day.

 

99 / SU 67. Red-breasted Blackbird / Red-breasted Meadowlark. Commewijne, February. Not rare, but very local and on the whole quite approachable.

 

100 / SU 68. Savanna Hawk. Commewijne, February. Photographed in the garden of our lodging, where it was a daily visitor. Not shy at all and it was such a luxury to quietly aim and focus, change the aperture or the exposure and take some more shots. It was only when a motorbike roared past that it flew off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[xelas]

On 4/7/2023 at 4:44 PM, PeterHG said:

his rather lengthy description is especially for @xelas!

Much appreciated, @PeterHG! All beautiful birds and photos!

Edited April 8, 2023 by xelas

[Galana]

Stunning photo of Savannah Hawk in flight.

[Kitsafari]

just got back yesterday from a 1.5-week holiday in Japan (non-birding trip although I saw quite a few birds but sadly my Sony RX10 camera had to go into the "hospital" just before the trip, and I dropped Herman's tiny camera early in the trip and was completely unworkable). 

I'm just slowly working through the BY and TR threads, but so glad I started with yours @PeterHG. Superb photos of some magnificent and beautiful birds. among my favs are the swallow-tailed kite and the toucan. just beautiful.

 

[Dave Williams]

The cracking images  just keep on coming, the raptors seem to pose brilliantly for you! love the Snail Kite especially. 

[PeterHG]

Thank you @xelas @Galana @Kitsafari @Dave Williams!

On 4/9/2023 at 3:44 AM, Kitsafari said:

but sadly my Sony RX10 camera had to go into the "hospital" just before the trip, and I dropped Herman's tiny camera early in the trip

I'm sorry to hear about your camera misfortune. I hope you had a good time in Japan anyway!

 

On 4/9/2023 at 12:34 PM, Dave Williams said:

the raptors seem to pose brilliantly

Yes on quite a few occasions they certainly did. Over here a Buzzard will always fly off before I get a chance for a picture, but they do seem more approachable there. Not always, though as you will se in the next photo....;)

 

101 / SU 69. Slender-billed Kite. Commewijne, February. Only reliably seen once. High up in the sky, so it was only by looking at the photo later on that I could ID it properly. 

 

102 / SU 70. Short-tailed Swift. Commewijne, February.

 

103 / SU 71. Plain-bellied Emerald. Commewijne, February. In the garden of our lodge, where it appeared two or three times.

 

104 / SU 72. Crested Oropendola. Commewijne, February. Quite common and its characteristic melodious call often betrayed its presence.

 

105 / SU 73. Grey-breasted Swallow. Commewijne, February. 

 

108 / SU 76. Green-backed Trogon. Commewijne, February.

 

109 / SU 77. Laughing Gull. Commewijne, February. A few were present along the banks of the river.

 

110 / SU 78. Black-crested Antshrike. Commewijne, February. The male and female look completely different.

The male:

 

and the female:

 

[michael-ibk]

Cool Antshrikes! 

[Galana]

Another good selection.  A fest for our eyes. (I had intended to write 'feast' but the typo makes more sense..)

[xelas]

And so many with so bright eyes!

[Peter Connan]

Wow again! Great shots, stunning birds!

[PeterHG]

Thank you @michael-ibk @Galana @xelas @Peter Connan

4 hours ago, xelas said:

And so many with so bright eyes!

That would have been me, I think..;)

 

We drove all the way west, to a wetland area called Bigi Pan (Big Lake). Our main target here was the Scarlet Ibis. But we were also hoping to see many flamingoes, pelicans and waders.Our accomodation was only reachable by boat, as it was built on poles above the water. Quiite nice, though the 'rooms' were very basic. From there we were taken on some boat trips in the area, not only the lake, but also the creeks and marshes surrounding it. A beautiful place. Unfortunately, due to heavy rains, the water levels were too high for many waders and other birds that  can usually be found there. We did not see a single Flamingo. But we enjoyed our stay anyway and we did add some nice birds.

 

 

 

 

 

111 / SU 79. Lineated Woodpecker. Bigi Pan, February. We had seen it before on a few occasions, but no chance for a photo.

 

112 / SU 80. Yellow-hooded Blackbird. Bigi Pan, February. Only seen once and a lifer.

 

113 / SU 81. Roadside Hawk. Bigi Pan, February. More a waterside hawk this time, but a nice addition.

 

114 / SU 82. Great Black Hawk. Bigi Pan, February. Quite an impressive raptor. We saw it a few times in the area, but not anywhere else.

 

115 / SU 83. Scarlet Ibis. Bigi Pan, February. We had been lured to the area by tales of hundreds of ibises flying past the accommodation each afternoon, on their way to their roosting place, but we only got to see a few individuals. No complaining about that, though, we saw them quite well and were very happy to have seen them at all. Another lifer.

[Galana]

I can see why you went there. That Ibis is stunning and the others ain't bad either..

[Dave Williams]

The Ibis is an amazing colour.

[michael-ibk]

Spectacular bird and photo! 

[Zim Girl]

Wow, amazing Scarlet Ibis, never seen anything like it!

Also really liked the Savannah Hawk pictures.

[pedro maia]

Some amazing pictures as expected Peter, congrats on the century with a beautiful Savannah hawk.

[Soukous]

so many stunning birds Peter, and almost all of them new to me. I really know nothing about Latin America (or Dutch America) Apart from birding, what else does Suriname offer visitors.

[PeterHG]

Thank you @Galana  @Dave Williams @michael-ibk @Zim Girl @pedro maia @Soukous

5 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Spectacular bird

I'm sure you've seen them, too Michael?

 

4 hours ago, pedro maia said:

congrats on the century with a beautiful Savannah hawk.

Thanks, Pedro. It posed beautifully and at length!

46 minutes ago, Soukous said:

Apart from birding, what else does Suriname offer visitors.

Well, the jungle itself attracts quite a few visitors and there are some beautiful ( and ratehr expensive) inland lodges, only reachable by boat or airplane. One can visit settlements of the 'Marrons', descendants from escaped slaves or indians. Other than that, there is not really much to draw in visiors. No real beaches except for some along the river and not many picturesque villages or towns. The fact that Dutch is still spoken and a that visit can be easily arranged form our country makes it a 'logical' choice for a South American destination, but I should think for non-Dutch people there would be better choices for a visit to South America 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

11 hours ago, PeterHG said:

16 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Spectacular bird

I'm sure you've seen them, too Michael?

 

We did - similar like you fewer than we had hoped for but a few good sightings. Could have been a bit closer though. One of the top birds of the trip for me.