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Georgetown Botanical Gardens

Georgetown may not be the first place to come to mind when planning a birdwatching trip to Guyana, but the capital city swarms with Neotropical bird species. Actually, more than 200 species from 39 different families have been recorded here. And with its location at the convergence of the Demerara River and Atlantic Ocean, the area in and around Georgetown has a variety of birding habitats, but if you were to ask the experts from the Guyana Amazon Tropical Birding Society (GATBS; they’re based in Georgetown) for one of the best birdwatching locations in the city, they would surely take you to the Botanical Gardens.

The roughly 185 acres of the Botanical Gardens date back to 1877. They have always been a popular spot for locals and visitors, but more recently, the gardens have been seeing an influx of birders who scour the flora with their binoculars, scopes and cameras in search of some highly sought-after bird species.

The main ornithological highlight here is the Blood-colored Woodpecker, an astonishingly colorful Veniliornis found only in the Guianas. Even there the bird is almost wholly limited to the narrow coastal plain, and the gardens are one of the best places in Guyana to find it. The gardens also host Great Horned Owl, Green Ibis, Golden-spangled Piculet, White-bellied Piculet, Black-crested Antshrike, Spotted Tody-Flycatcher, and Wing-barred Seedeater.

Around the ponds of the garden are found healthy populations of Great, Snowy and Cattle Egret along with Pinnated Bittern, Black-capped Donacobius, Wattled Jacana, Black-crowned Night, Tri-Colored and Little Blue Heron. Raptors can include Peregrine Falcon, Snail and Gray Kite and Yellow-headed Caracara.

Red-and-green Macaw, Red-shouldered Macaw and Brown-throated Parakeet are present. The gardens also host all five species of Amazonian parrots found in Guyana: Festive, Mealy, Blue-cheeked, Orange-winged and Yellow-crowned.

In feedback from recent birding product familiarization trips, birding in the Botanical Gardens consistently ranks high for the sheer quantity and diversity of birds and ease of access. The National Audubon Society’s representative said that, “The Botanic Gardens were very good in that everyone could explore and pursue birds on foot. In view of the varied vegetative environments throughout the park, the number of bird species inhabiting the Botanic Gardens is unusually large.” Her colleague from Mass Audubon was impressed too, saying, “The Botanic Garden was a real surprise, especially in the morning. It is an easy place to bird, there was quite a diversity and numbers, and the local specialty, Blood-colored Woodpecker, was a great start [to our birding trip].”

One of the best ways to see the Botanical Gardens (for twitchers and non-twitchers alike) is on a birdwatching tour led by the GATBS, as this allows visitors to safely explore the furthest reaches of the garden.

The Botanical Gardens are located at the intersection of Regent Street and Vlissengen Road in Georgetown. The official hours are from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm daily, but visitors are allowed to enter early or depart late when on a birdwatching tour. For information on booking a tour, contact Guyana Feather Friends (592.225.2190; gff_birdingtours@yahoo.com), which is run by GATBS president, Andy Narine.