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Where in Guyana were you born?
I was born in the capitol city of Georgetown, Guyana.
 
What is your day job?
I currently hold the position of Asst. Managing Director of Bounty Farm Ltd., which is the largest poultry farming operation in Guyana.

How do chickens rate amongst your favorite birds?
Chickens are my favorite domestic birds. Working with them has afforded me the opportunity to travel all over this beautiful country.

When did you develop a love of nature?
At a very young age my parents would take my three brothers and me on trips all over [Guyana’s] interior. As a child this felt like real freedom.

Can you describe a typical day from your childhood that involved being in nature?
The excitement of being in the bush would see us up at the crack of dawn, playing some game, swimming, paddling and our favorite pastime was catching aquarium fish with nets we had made. Our backs would most times become sunburned and blistered from the exposure during these fishing expeditions. The best of the fish caught would qualify to be taken home where they were kept in our aquarium and pond.

How and when did you first become a photographer? Your uncle, Robert, is also a well-known Guyanese photographer; did he play a role in first putting a camera in your hands?
During 1998 a group of friends and I started making yearly trips in the interior. We started taking photographs using simple 35mm film cameras, so that at least we would have some memories recorded for our trips. Uncle Bob (Robert) was instrumental in encouraging us to visit different areas of our country as he had done years before. He would regularly give me tips on my photography before and after our trips.

How did you first become a birdwatcher? Was it through photography?
While on trips we would go fishing early in the mornings, after which we would head back to our campsite during the hotter parts of the day. There we would chill out before heading back for another fishing session in the evening. During this period I would take walks around the area and would be amazed by the new birds and things that I would hear and see.

My need to find out more about these new and beautiful creatures put me in touch with another uncle, Capt. Malcolm Chan-A-Sue, an avid birder himself. He encouraged me and presented me with my first bird guidebook. The cameras we were using also could no longer take the images of these new birds properly so I purchased my first digital camera, a Canon Rebel, 6.5 mega pixels with 100-200mm zoom lens. This was the beginning of my bird photography. The adventure began…

In your opinion, what makes Guyana a great place for birdwatching?
We have in excess of 800 different species of birds, found in three distinct regions: the low coastal plains in the North; the rivers and forested highlands; and the Rupununi Savannahs and surrounding mountains in the South.

Most of the areas for birding are easily accessible and Guyana is the only English speaking country in South America. The bird guides, being mostly of Amerindian heritage, also have amazing knowledge and stories to tell about the interior.

What are some of your favorite birds to photograph in the field?
My favorite birds to photograph are the Antbirds, because it is a challenge to stand for hours in the middle of army ants to get good pictures of them. Other times you are on your back in the underbrush trying to stay as still as a Giant Tapir.

What about your favorite mammals and insects?
My favorite mammal is the Jaguar.  I have only taken pictures of them once; it was a pair in the middle of the Iwokrama Rainforest road. The butterflies are my favorite insects with their array of colors and patterns.

Are there any birds that you haven’t photographed yet, but would like to?
There are three birds that come to mind: the Toco Toucan, the White-winged Tanager, and the Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds. These would all be incredible to take pictures of.

What about mammals?
There are other wild cats that I would love to take pictures of, however, I could take pictures of Jaguars every day. It is a startling feeling being in the company of one of these creatures.

Any tips for budding bird/nature photographers?
1. Always travel as light as possible.
2. Have your camera ready at all times because there is constantly something to take pictures of in Guyana.
3. Never get upset about not getting the perfect shot when the trip is over, as this gives you another good reason to visit again.
4. Learn the calls and patterns of flights.

What is your favorite area, or what are your favorite places, of Guyana?
The Rupununi Savannahs and mountains are my favorite area of Guyana. You have to experience it to understand what I am saying. Kaieteur Falls is spectacular and hair-raising even after visiting it several times. For birding, Iwokrama Rainforest is extraordinary; the flora and fauna there are also worth experiencing.

You recently joined a Guyana Sustainable Tourism Initiative familiarization tour as a local guide and photographer; how was your experience?
This was a great experience for me as the group that we accompanied was made up of photo journalists, [international] birding guides, equipment distributors and tour operators from whom I have learnt a great deal with regards to various aspects of what international bird watchers would want to experience. At the same time I got one of my first chances to officially show off the beauty of my country to other nature lovers.

Did anything stand out as particularly interesting when viewing Guyana through the eyes of the other familiarization tour participants?
It was great to see how excited participants would get at seeing a new bird for the first time, even though the members of the group were well-traveled birders. They saw quite a few new species.
The food was great, the people were friendly and they would always say the scenery is awesome.

Speaking as a local Guyanese that has traveled the country extensively, what changes to Guyana’s tourism landscape stand out as the most significant?
There are several things that stand out to me. (1) The people living in the [interior] communities have become more conservation conscious, especially the children. (2) The guides have become more experienced. (3) The lodges have been upgrading their facilities to meet the needs of the visitors.

What is your vision for the future of tourism in Guyana?
This will definitely be nature-based tourism with small groups traveling through our vast interior. I see the emergence of a few well maintained and efficiently managed lodges which could become world renowned destinations for birding, especially as already some of the lodges have in excess of 200 species of birds with several of them being endemic or specialty birds.

Do you have any other comments to add?
I will leave you with two of Uncle Bob’s favorite quotes:

1.    Photography freezes the memory and gives us time to grow to appreciate it.
2.    It is my dream to replace the lines and names on the Map of Guyana with images of
       Natural Beauty, so that Guyanese may come to truly appreciate the gifts they were given.

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