In general are woodcreepers a challenge for me. They like to sit on the wrong side of the tree most of the time and sometimes the light isn't working in your favor. This was my lucky day, even if it lasted only a couple of seconds. Here I spotted the Cinnamon-throated Woodcreeper on top of a palm tree.
This was unplanned. I met this Tiger Snake while I was driving on the airstrip of Kabalebo. Out of the blue I saw something bright yellow and shiny black crossing over. Luckily I didn't hurt him but as you can see, he was not in the mood to stay long. What I also like about the Tiger Snake is their scientific name: Spilotes pullatus pullatus. Another name you can find about this snake is Tropical Rat Snake and locally known as Sapakarasneki.
There are some birds that you hear first before seeing. Sometimes it even takes years before they let you see them. This is one of them; the Black-faced Antthrush (Formicarius analis). This is a solitary ground-dwelling bird that seldom comes out in the open. This one I spotted crossing a piece that was not surrounded by dense vegetation. I guess it took a wrong turn. It quickly recovered from its mistake 'cause seconds after I took this shot, it flew directly into the bushes.
This is a South-American Coati (Nasua nasua) seen inside the rainforest of Kabalebo. It was seen standing on some branches before it disappeared into the dense forest. This is the first photo that I managed to take from this mammal.
When I spotted this little fellow for the first time, the only thing that came across my mind was that he was covered in white spots and streaks. In the old edition of the bird book, it was identified as the Lineated Woodcreeper, but after some years the name changed into Guianan Woodcreeper. I don't think it bothered him at all, as long as he can find some decent food.
A very beautiful snake; the Common Parrot Snake (Leptophis ahaetulla ahaetulla). It was seen resting on top of this banister. There was a branch hanging low over it so that is how he found his way down. Didn't do much except sticking his tongue out from time to time.
I have heard the Cinereous Antshrike countless times and several times I have seen them via a binocular, but this is the first time that the male was posing several seconds for me. I was following a mixed flock and while photographing some members of the flock, he just appeared from behind the bushes unannounced. He made my day.
On this day I was on the airstrip looking for random birds to photograph. When I turned around I saw a Lowland tapir heading to my direction. I waited until the tapir was a bit closer and to get a better shot I was lying on the grass of the airstrip. After a couple of seconds the tapir looked right into the lens. Such a peaceful walk. The only thing that went wrong that day is that I was actually too close.
It was my lucky day to see this couple. The Black-spotted Barbet is a common bird in Kabalebo, but I either see the male or the female and usually a bit higher or far from me. So until now I only had photos of the Black-spotted Barbet taking from a distance. But on this bright sunny day, this couple decided to surprise me and land in this avocado tree in plain view. All I had to do is aim, shoot and enjoy this moment.
It was my lucky day. A group of Blue-and-Yellow Macaws were sitting pretty low while eating some nuts from a nearby Maripa palm tree. This one was even posing for me for a couple of seconds and since it was a sunny day too, all I had to do is aim and shoot. And of course enjoy the moment.
This Scarlet Macaw was sitting quietly high up in the trees. He wasn't making any sounds at all but it was a sunny day and his colorful display was giving him away. It must have been his afternoon break because he was just sitting there looking back at me. For him up there, it was much easier to look at me, but for me, down there, was a different story. I had to walk my way through logs, branches, sticks, leaves, ants, mosquitos and small grasshoppers just to find the right spot to photograph him. He must have thought that I was a bit crazy down there. Sometimes I wonder what the birds think of me.
This Red-and-Green Macaw couple have been together since 2017. I have seen them several times near the River Cabins. Since they are free to go whenever they please, they can be gone for weeks or even months before I see them again. Macaws are very social animals, they cuddle a lot and from time to time they also share their food with each other. When I took this photo, it was inside the rainforest and it was late in the afternoon. This gave both Macaws a nice warm color.
A small active bird of merely 12 cm long; the Guianan Warbling-Antbird (Hypocnemis cantator). Frequently heard in the morning near dense bushes and logs. It seems like they want to play hide-and-seek since they only sit still for a split of a second and barely gives you the chance to photograph them. To make it even more challenging for you, they like to appear where the sun isn't really shining through and where you can also find a lot of mosquitoes. So it is safe to say that the Guianan Warbling-Antbird is one that likes to challenge you.
This was taken several years ago, but the Corallus Caninus aka Emerald Tree Boa is still a common snake in Kabalebo. Usually they are resting close to the river but it is also easily missed because of their nice camouflage. This was, for now, the only time that the Emerald Tree Boa was posing nicely for me.
It wasn't easy to photograph this Tropical Gnatcatcher (Polioptila plumbea) as I was trying for years to capture at least one of them. But since they are small active birds during the day and seldom sit still at one place I failed over and over again. Especially since they also like the top of high trees as well. Luckily for me this one was sitting a bit lower and after several missed attempts I finally got my first photo of a Tropical Gnatcatcher. In the end well worth the long wait.
Black Curassows are common birds in Kabalebo, Suriname. You can either spot them near the river, inside the forest or next to the lodge. Since a couple of years we have 4 Black Curassows as our neighbors. When they are living in harmony you can see all four of them passing by as a group. When they are in the middle of an argument and they didn't reach an agreement yet, you can see them passing by separately. I think that happened right before I decided to take pictures of them. It was a nice sunny day and only one Black Curassow decided to show up. Still looking elegant.
The Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias) is a common bird in Kabalebo seen near the river. But due to its camouflage plumage it might happen that you miss this bird a couple of times. Especially when they are standing in an environment just like this one.
Even though the Amazonian Antshrike (Thamnophilus amazonicus) is a common bird of Kabalebo, they still succeed in making you put a lot of effort to just see them. Hearing them calling is the easy part. The challenge starts when you want to really photograph them. Somehow they have a talent to go to spots where either the light is not on your side or where a bunch of leaves is standing in the way. Here is one sample of it. Here you see the female Amazonian Antshrike that just caught an insect. I only had a split second to photograph her. Resulting in not a perfect photo but since it was my first photo of this Antshrike I am not complaining, since I am a birder in the first place.
This one was a lifer for me; the Fasciated Tiger-Heron (Tigrisoma fasciatum) especially when I was also able to photograph it. I did have to put in some effort, because he was standing continuously behind the rocks. After several attempts and dozens of shots, I managed to take a decent one.
After a long time I finally spotted a Capybara. He was alone, there were no other members nearby and he wasn't bothered at all by my presence. At first I thought that he was alone, but when you look closer, a Giant Cowbird kept him company.
I spotted this couple Green Ibis (Mesembrinibis cayennensis) somewhere on the Kabalebo river on top of some rocks. Common birds seen often near the river of Kabalebo. Sometimes they look dark when the sun is not on the right spot and sometimes you can see their true colors. They are always alert so whenever you see Green Ibises they will immediately fly into the nearest thick bush. After I took a couple of shot of them, they left the scenery.
This elegant looking bird was seen near the Kabalebo river. The Cocoi Heron, a common resident near the water and most of the time considered a bird that is least photographed. Only when they're in flight or have a catch, they wil become an interesting subject to photograph. I always take pictures of any wildlife, no matter their status.
This male Black-crested Antshrike (Sakephorus canadensis) was looking for his girl. They have been around for quite some time and countless times I have been following them just to get the perfect picture. Most of the time I failed. But he rewarded me this time by coming out in the open and sit still for a brief second. But well worth it.
It is not always my lucky day when I am trying to photograph wildlife. Just like on this day. It looked like all the animals were on vacation 'cause it was so quiet. But soon I was surprised with this playful light that was seen right behind the trees. So all I did was improvise, adapt and overcome.
Photo of the day: this Red-rumped Agouti was seen under one of the mango trees right before nightfall. Agouti's are common rodents seen in Kabalebo. Most of the time quite shy and alert. But if you don't bother them at all and disrespect their personal space they will not move away. There was something about the natural light that made this Agouti photogenic for me.
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