Bird Venezuela Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find basic information about birding Venezuela?
What is the best time of year to visit Venezuela?
What is a good basic Venezuela itinerary?
What is the difference between the various llanos lodges?
How do I contact a bird guide?
How much should I expect to pay for a bird guide?
I have heard of people having trouble hiring cars in Venezuela. What should I do?
I am in Caracas for a business trip and have just one free morning / day. Is there any birding close to the city?
I will be in the port of Caracas (La Guaira ) on a cruise ship and will have a day onshore. Can I do any serious birding?
For many years the best source of information about watching birds in Venezuela has been Mary Lou Goodwin's Birding in Venezuela, now in its 5th edition published by Lynx Edicions. The book is available for order from Los Angeles Audubon Society in the USA and Natural History Book Society in the UK . These days there is a lot of information available on the Internet, too - see my links page.
Birders have traditionally visited Venezuela during the November-April dry season. Certainly this is the time of year when dry weather is most likely even though, as global climate becomes ever less predictable, this rule is more and more frequently broken. For example, on a recent November tour we had torrential rain most days, the country's most serious floods took place in December 1999, and rain was still falling daily in Caracas during December 2003.
Despite the dry season bias, I have found the wet season to offer extremely productive birding. Why? Firstly, activity tends to trail off at the end of the dry season as there is simply not enough water about. The beginning of the rains (May-June) bring a burst of activity and many birds breed. In addition, one is more likely to discover unusual birds that visiting birders have simply not been here to see - such as austral migrants.
The truth is that any time of the year can be good birding in Venezuela . I like November and December for the flowers and hummers in the Andes , even if we do get some rain. Even birding during the wet season it is unusual to be rained off on more than a couple of afternoons during a week's birding. The rain usually produces a spate of activity in its wake. In recent years I have done several five-week long birding trips during May-August and rain has not been a problem at all.
European birders will often prefer the traditional dry season as it coincides with the northern winter and thus dozens of species of North American migrants are an added bonus.
Most visiting birders start with an "easy" two week itinerary in north- west Venezuela such as Henri Pittier National Park , the Andes and the Llanos. This is likely to net some 550 species and is a nice introduction to northern South American birding. On a second trip, the Escalera in south-eastern Venezuela can be added, in combination with the Imataca Forest Reserve or perhaps the Paria Península to make a good ten day to two week trip. Those with three weeks to spare will normally combine a north-west Venezuela trip with five days or so on the Escalera . Another possibility for seasoned birders is Junglaven in the Venezuelan Amazon - five days are a minimum and will produce over 200 species including many specialities which you are unlikely to see elsewhere. Off the beaten track you might like to explore the national parks of Morrocoy , Sierra de San Luis, Yacambú , Guaramacal , Páramos Batallón y La Negra or El Guácharo . Since 2000 I have been visiting the Sierra de Perijá in western Venezuela , an area which offers sensational birding and can be combined with other under-birded areas like the Lago de Maracaibo . All of these areas offer exciting birding and the chance of a truly unusual find.
What is the difference between the various llanos lodges?
Hato Piñero vs. Hato Cedral . Both ranches are excellent for birds and both are amongst the best bird lodges in Venezuela . The ranches have much in common, but there are significant differences, though there's really not much in it in terms of overall experience. Hato El Cedral is "low llano" and as such is better for waterbirds and has an Amazonian element (Orinoco Goose, Zigzag Heron, Agami Heron, Amazonian Black-Tyrant, Riverside Tyrant) whereas Hato Piñero is "high llano" and has more varied habitats with hills; it beats Hato Cedral hands down for woodland birds (Potoos, Bicoloured Hawk, Orante Hawk-eagle, flycatchers), mammals and night drives. The overall bird lists for each ranch exceeds 300 species.
The wildlife spectacle is certainly more impressive at Hato Cedral . At the peak of the dry season Hato Cedral can recall an East African wildlife documentary: egrets and ibises crowd the shrinking pools where piranhas and caiman vie for the remaining fish. In contrast, during the wet season the ranch becomes virtually a huge, shallow lake. Hato Piñero shows a less marked seasonal contrast.
Mammals are much easier to see at Hato Piñero as are night birds. Hato Piñero is amongst the best sites on the planet to see large cats like Jaguar and Puma.
Typically one sees a higher number of species during a trip to Hato Piñero, but Hato El Cedral would typically include more new species for the trip. This is the issue of complementarity : a component of Hato Piñero's avifauna is derived from the Coastal Cordillera, this being replaced by an Amazonian component in Hato Cedral . What this means is that a northern Venezuela trip that includes Hato Cedral will probably tally more species than one that includes Hato Piñero. But there's really very little to choose.
At the end of the day, the major issues are probably access and relative cost. The latter varies from year to year, while the former depends upon the rest of your itinerary. For example, if you have decided to visit the llanos from Mérida, you will probably plan to pass through Barinas which is four hours from Hato El Cedral and about six hours from Hato Piñero. However, when you leave the ranch you will be respectively ten hours and five hours from Caracas by road.
Bird guides come and go and over the years we have received a few complaints about purported bird guides who charged for service they could not provide, though this is rare. Most people return with glowing reports and the highest praise for their guide! Nevertheless, it's wise to check for previous references to your prospective guide on the internet or in a published birding guide. For advice and information on bird guides, contact guides@birdvenezuela.com.
An experienced bird guide who knows most of the bird calls and has his/her own sites will typically charge $125 - $150 per day. If you are looking for someone to serve as translator, help you reach sites and identify commoner birds, the charge will be nearer $50 - $60 per day. These figures are meant as a guide only. In the end, you will get what you pay for.
Hire cars are relatively expensive and generally unreliable. As I write, the standard agencies charge approximately $75 per day for their smallest models. Don't expect larger international agencies like Budget, Hertz or Avis to necessarily provide vehicles which will last until the end of the trip. I have heard dozens of stories of hire cars breaking down and birdwatchers losing days or even weeks of their planned tour due to repairs. I have also given rides to stranded birders on several occasions, or helped people tow their hire car to a garage. Inconvenience is not the only hazard with hiring a car: you may also be charged for repairs to the vehicle. A quick perusal of the internet will yield a fair number of such stories. To combat hire car problems, most guides have their own vehicle and this is the preferred option.
Yes. Many younger European birders do just that. This is a great option if you have plenty of time and limited financial resources. Venezuela has an excellent public transport system and one of the best road networks in Latin America . Of course, you will need a good grasp of Spanish in order to arrange transport.
Yes. Some sites are described in Mary Lou Goodwin's Birding in Venezuela . My own favourite city birding spots include Parque del Este , the Jardín Botánico and Parque Vinicio Adamés . However, I have found many great birding spots in the Avila National Park - right on the northern edge of the city - and will be describing some of these on this web site later in 2004 - please check back soon.
Certainly. Your best option is to hire a guide, 4WD and driver and head up the Avila . A typical day trip (actually about six hours' birding due to docking hours) produces around 60 species and a handful of endemics like Blood-eared Parakeet, Caracas Tapaculo, Black-throated Spinetail and White-tipped Quetzal. In addition, Green-tailed Emerald, Rufous-shafted Woodstar and Spangled Coquette have regularly been seen on these trips and so have Chestnut-crowned Antpitta and Schwarz's Antthrush.