IN THE NEWS - Guyana Birding News Vol 2

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Guyana exhibited at the 2007 American Birding Association (ABA) Convention from April 23 - 29 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Guyana was represented by Teri O'Brien of Wilderness Explorers, ornithologist Brian Schmidt of the Smithsonian Institution, and Judy Karwacki, tourism specialist for the Guyana Birding Tourism program, a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) / Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) project and the Guyana Tourism Authority.

The Convention is an annual six-day event that attracts people from all over the U.S. and Canada and represents all aspects of the birding world. Guyana, which is a member of the ABA, had a booth for the second year in a row. A special highlight this year was the launch of the revised and updated A Field Checklist of the Birds of Guyana compiled by the Smithsonian Institution. It was presented to visitors to the booth, along with brochures featuring Guyana birding experiences along with the Explore Guyana visitor guide and map.

This is the second year in a row that Guyana was represented at the ABA show. As a result of last year's participation, several major U.S.-based tour operators - including Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours (VENT), Tropical Birding and WINGS - visited the country, and all have decided to introduce trips to Guyana in the future. Joelle Buffa and Clyde Morris, who won a free trip to Guyana at last year's convention, had such a wonderful time on their visit that they have submitted articles to The San Francisco Chronicle as well as to ABA publications.

Guyana Birding Tourism Program Supports Smithsonian Institution's Updated Field Checklist of the Birds of Guyana

In continued support for Guyana's Birding Tourism Program, the Guyana Birding Tourism program - a joint initiative of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) / Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) and Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) - is helping to fund the printing and distribution of a revised and updated second edition of A Field Checklist of the Birds of Guyana compiled by the Smithsonian Institution.

The list, originally published in 2000, has been out of print since 2002 and an updated version was required to accurately reflect the discoveries made in Guyana since that time. Specific improvements include: the incorporation of more than 30 species not previously identified in the country, bringing Guyana's bird list to more than 800 species; the addition of new information on habitat use and abundance; updated taxonomy and nomenclature; and a supplemental colored map illustrating the major habitats, rivers and other geographical features of Guyana.

The new list was unveiled at the American Birding Association (ABA) convention. Following an upcoming launch in Guyana, the checklist will be available at birding sites throughout Guyana, via mail order from the Smithsonian Institution, and via PDF download on the Smithsonian Biological Diversity of the Guiana Shield website.

Guyana to Exhibit and Present at British Birdwatching Fair

Guyana will be at the 2007 British Birdwatching Fair, taking place August 17-19 in Rutland, England. Members of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Guyana Amazon Tropical Birds Society (GATBS), Wilderness Explorers, the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) / Guyana Trade and Investment Support (GTIS) project are expected to travel to the UK for the event.

Billed as "the world's first and largest international birdwatching event," the British Birdwatching Fair attracts more than 18,000 visitors during its three-day run. This year, Guyana will be one of more than 300 exhibitors promoting businesses as diverse as eco-tourism, optical equipment, old/new wildlife books and birdfeeding products. In addition to its booth at the convention, Guyana has been awarded one of the coveted presentation slots in the Programme of Events, and will also be hosting a special reception in London after the show.

Smithsonian Institution Discovers Two Bird Species New to Guyana

Adding to the ever-growing Guyana birds checklist, ornithologists Brian Schmidt and Christopher Milensky of the Smithsonian Institution have discovered two new species not previously recorded in the country: the Tawny-headed Swallow (Alopochelidon fucata) and the Pearly-vented Tody-tyrant (Hemitriccus margaritaceiventer).

The researchers, accompanied by Elford Liverpool of the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency, identified the birds during a 16-day surveying expedition on Mt. Holitipu in the Cuyuni/Mazaruni region of the country. Characterized as an "alpine savannah," the Mt. Holitipu habitat is rare in Guyana, and is only known to exist in a small part of the country near the Venezuelan border and the Gran Sabana.

GATBS Migratory Bird Count

Members of the Guyana Amazon Tropical Birds Society, led by Founder and President Gajendra Nauth Narine (Andy) (see Birding People), conducted a migratory bird count among ten different regions of Guyana: the Essequibo, Demerara, Mahaica, Berbice, East Demerara Conservatory, Rupununi Savannah, Rupununi River, North Rupununi, South Rupununi and Mazaruni. The group recorded 56 different species between October and March.

BBC Series to Highlight Guyana

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is developing a new series to showcase Guyana's wilderness, tentatively titled "Expedition Guyana." A team of scientists and filmmakers will journey to the heart of the country to capture the remarkable wildlife and pristine habitats of the interior, which will then be presented in three one-hour programs.

The series, which is due to air in Spring/Summer 2008 on the BBC in England and the Discovery Channel in the United States, is a follow-up to the BBC's "Expedition Borneo."

Birding Tourism Program Hosts Third Successful FAM Tour

Guyana continues to raise its profile among the world's top tourism companies for birding, natural history and photography tours, completing another successful product familiarization (FAM) tour in early February. Guides from Birdfinders, Ornitholidays, Environmental Adventure Company, Kazakhstan Birdtours, Mot Mot Travel, Wildwings and Joanne Williams Photo Safaris, along with a writer from Birds Illustrated magazine, spent ten days traveling throughout the country sampling a variety of birding experiences.

Participants were impressed with Guyana's friendly people, pristine rainforests, and array of sought-after Neotropical bird species. Gilbert Bastyra of Mot Mot Travels, a tour operator specializing in the Caribbean, said, "Guyana will intrigue a lot of my customers, they want something that is real, that is unspoiled, that is not over-developed." Nature photographer Joanne Williams concurred, commenting, "Guyana has some romance to it."

At the conclusion of the visit, nearly all of the tour operators indicated that that their respective companies would begin offering tours to Guyana in 2008. For more information on these new tours as well as the array of existing birding experiences available in Guyana, visit the Birding Experiences and How to Book sections of www.guyanabirding.com.

Pick of the Flock

As we announced in last quarter's edition of Birding News, to end each edition of In the News, we will be recommending a book, movie, website, or any other item we feel will give our readers a unique insight into Guyana. For our second issue we have chosen to highlight the new Guyana Hansib coffee-table book, edited by Alif Ari. This book offers a lavishly-illustrated insight into the virtually untouched ecological gold-mine that is Guyana.