BIRDING SITES - Guyana Birding News Vol 3

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Comprised of 125 square miles of private protected lands densely populated with flora and fauna and home to a conservation trust, an orphaned Giant River Otter rehabilitation program, and some exceptional birdwatching and wildlife spotting, Karanambu Ranch is one of Guyana’s finest eco-tourism destinations.

The history of Karanambu goes back to 1927 when Tiny McTurk homesteaded the area in Guyana’s north Rupununi Savannas. On lands steeped in Amerindian legends, Tiny established a successful balata collection station and bustling cattle ranch, but he never lost sight of the area’s beautiful natural surroundings and the indigenous population that had been living in there for thousands of years. Tiny was a businessman, but he was also a passionate naturalist and conservationist – two beliefs that helped start the legendary hospitality of Karanambu. Using the beauty of his home as a draw, Tiny welcomed such renowned guests as Gerald Durrell, Michael Swan and David Attenborough.

Now, 80 years later, the balata boom has passed and the cattle industry has declined (although with roughly 500 head of cattle at Karanambu, it still remains important), but the focus on nature, conservation and hospitality is stronger than ever. In the 1980s, Tiny’s daughter Diane found herself back at Karanambu after a long stint in England. It was around this time that she unexpectedly began working to rehabilitate Giant River Otters. In 1983, to help fund her rapidly expanding work, Diane opened Karanambu as an eco-lodge.

Over the years, Diane’s passion for water dogs (as they’re locally called) has received attention from several film crews, including the BBC and National Geographic. Her work is acclaimed and guests at Karanambu can have plenty of hands-on time with the otters, but for many birdwatchers, otters will likely just provide an interesting backdrop to the main attraction: Karanambu’s natural surroundings, including more than 300 species of birds.

Conservation of Karanambu’s pristine lands for locals, visitors, and all the creatures that call them home has always been a priority, but in 1997 the priority was formalized with the founding of the Karanambu Trust. The trust essentially established Karanambu as a nature reserve and research center, and put an increased focus on conservation, protection and preservation. The trust also provides various forms of education to area indigenous people to help promote social and economic development.

Diane’s original idea of generating funds for her conservation efforts by opening Karanambu as an eco-tourism destination still remains the backbone of related work today. The Karanambu Trust and all efforts to protect Karanambu are largely funded by tourism. Diane still tends to her otters (she presently has four) and her nephew Edward and his wife Melanie now look after daily operations at Karanambu, including tourism.

At Karanambu, guests are treated like old family friends and the attention is very personalized. One of the McTurks will normally join their guests and local Amerindian guides on birdwatching trips and other outings, which are typically done via Land Rover in the savannas, boat on the Rupununi River and or by foot on nature trails. As should be expected, Karanambu’s various habitats – savanna, wetlands, rivers, oxbow lakes, ponds, tropical rainforest – are home to a rich array of flora and fauna.

Surely one of the best ways to spot birds at Karanambu is while boating along the Rupununi River and through the connecting oxbow lakes and ponds. In places with exotic and functional names alike – Mobai Pond, Simoni Lakes, Crane Pond – the birds are often everywhere.

Agami Herons hide amongst mangrove roots; Jabiru Storks sit on sandbanks; Wattled Jacanas plod across giant lily pads; Red-and-green Macaws soar overhead; Green-and-rufous, Ringed, Pygmy and Amazon Kingfishers lead the boat down river; and other birds – Crestless Curassow, Black Caracaras, Purple Gallinules, Smooth-billed Anis, Black-capped Donacobius, Yellow Orioles, Pied Lapwing, Spotted Puffbirds, Limpkins, Anhingas, and Striated, Tiger, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Capped, Black-crowned Night-, and Boat-billed Herons – make appearances along, above and in the river.

There is a Capuchinbird lek a short distance from the main lodge, and the resident local bird guide, Ken Mandoo, knows exactly where to find it. Savanna and walking trips may provide sightings of Bearded Tachuri, White-faced and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Vermilion Flycatchers, Bicolored Wrens, Maguari Storks, Burrowing Owls, Brazilian Teal, Blue-backed Manakin, Finsch’s Euphonia, Pied Water-Tyrants, Channel-billed Toucans and Snail Kites.

And even the most die-hard and bird-focused twitchers will likely find themselves gaping at some of the other wildlife. Mammals include Capybara, Tapir, Giant Anteaters, Giant River Otters and Bearded Saki, Red Howler, Squirrel and Spider Monkeys. Snakes and Iguanas are often spotted in the trees; a healthy number of Black Caiman populate the Rupununi River, along with the prehistoric giant Arapaima fish; and some two-dozen species of bats do their best to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

When the birds and wildlife aren’t cooperating (after all, Mother Nature can never be counted on to show all of her treasures) the raw beauty of Karanambu will not disappoint. It hard to imagine a more peaceful place than Crane Pond or Simoni Lakes, sitting quietly in a boat while massive six-feet wide lily pads lap at the bow. If you’re lucky, Black Caimans will be lurking, Herons will be roosting, and Macaws screeching while Guyana’s national flower, the beautiful Victoria amazonica, slowly opens as the sky becomes bruised with a sunset and day seeps into night. And birds or no birds, it would be hard to watch such a display of nature and leave disappointed. But if you find you’re still upset about not seeing that one bird, it never hurts to ask for a refill of Diane’s famous rum punch.