..4

By StevenHilty

hen you son has not seen them, he thePassenger Pigeons and run up listsin excessof 200 hearthe orshe is likely to speak with Carolina Parakeets of the speciesina fewdays, and by phrase prideof theirvastness, their easterndeciduous forests, visitingvarious parts of the "" beautyand their wildlife. thegreat throngs of water- llanos,their lists can go con- rolloff the tongue of a native Theyspread across a vast fowl whichare largely a siderablyhigher. Spanishspeaker, there is regionthat stretches from memory--butthe birder Raptorsareparticularly likelyto be an almost roman- the mouth of the andnaturalist that yearns numerousandobservers tic aura associated with it. Riverwestward through cen- fora glimpseof whatthese mayoccasionally spotmore The wordmeans plains or tral to the Andes spectaclesmust have been than20 speciesin oneday. grasslandsin Spanish, but andsouthward across neigh- like should turn to the ScarletMacaws, chattering there is more to it than a boringColombia to the llanos. parrotletsandparakeets as simpletextbook translation. Amazon basin. All in all, the seem to be abun- wellas pigeons, doves, fly- Mention the llanos to a llanos cover an area more dant almosteverywhere catchers, orioles, saltators Venezuelan or Colombian than nine times the size of here--in the pastures, and finchesare all numer- andyou are certain to evoke Switzerland. marshes,lagoons, gallery ous. Patchesof tall stream- an affectionate,almost rev- North Americansmay forestsalong streams, and sideforests harbor jacamars, erentresponse. So powerful lament the lossof our own evenin brushywaste areas. puffbirds,antbirds, man- is the mystiqueof these greatspectacles of wildlife-- During the dry season akins,woodcreepers, and prairiesthat even if theper- theBison of the great plains, (April-October),birders can manyflycatchers. Patient VEN EZU ELAN LLANOS observersmay be rewarded almostbeyond comprehen- woodlands. Great and withviews of statelyYellow- sion.For a few precious rain- Commonpotoos, their eyes knobbed Curassows. tites I was part of a reflectingfiery orange in Quietboat trips on slow- 360-degreepanorama of spotlights,watch for moths movingstreams are likely to waterfowl--herons,egrets, from bare stubs. Thick- addsungrebes, sunbitterns, ducks, shorebirds, caiman knees wail and clatter from wood-rails,kingfishers, and and other marsh dwellers-- dark pasturesand half a perhapsa glimpse of a shy that stretched as far as I dozen kinds of , aswell AgamiHeron with its sleek couldsee in everydirection. asPauraque, White-tailed plumageilluminated by Perhapssomething simi- and Little nightjars,Na- flecksof sunlightfiltering lar could have been seen in cunda, Lesser and Band- intoit's shady, creekside lair. North America two cen- tailednighthawks venture On onesuch trip, I satin a turiesago, though of course for a moment,this was about forthto takeover the night. small fiat-bottomed boat in thespecies would have been as close to a time machine Spotlightspick out many the midst of a vastfiat marsh different. But now it seemed asanything I am ever likely kinds of : - in southwesternVenezuela, 1was gazing at something to experience. eatingfoxes are particularly restingmy elbowson my thatmight have been seen After the sun sets,a new numerous and most visitors knees,gazing through binoc- bv humanswalking here a castof wildlife venturesforth will seethese confidin._ ß ularsat a spectacleofwildlife thousandyears ago. If just to claimthe grasslands and 1ov little •;•: ' asmany white-tailed deer. Giant Anteaters (abroad by day scatteredforest islands of varyingsizes. This is the place to too),crab-eating raccoons, peccaries, and ocelots can all be seewaterfowl and waders of all kinds.Llanos specialties seenwith time and a littleluck. And don't forget to switch includeWhite-naped Xenopsaris, Amazonian Black-Tyrant, offthe spodights and look up at thestars. Today, few urban andOrange-fronted Yellow-Finch. dwellers are able to see the Floodingisless extensive in the slightly elevated "high" skies as our ancestors did. llanos,which are located around the perimeter of the Butyou will here. region,particularly in thenorth, where occasional lines of Visitorsshould recognize lowhills, composed of very ancient rock strata, provide twoimportant physiograph- visualrelief from the grasslands. In the high llanos there is ic regionsin the llanos anuneasy tug-of-war between grassy plains and dry wood- becausebirdlife of the two is lands,but ranching favors grass over forest and now parts of somewhat different. The thehigh llanos once covered by trees have been converted llanosis drained by several tograss. The high llanos are best for dry-forest birds includ- riversflowing eastward in ingforest raptors, hummingbirds, flycatchers, and Yellow- parallellines towardthe knobbed Curassows. mighty Orinoco. These l•is Rufous-tailedJacamar isjust one of ON THE ROAD rivers flow across hundreds thehundreds ofbirds you may see in the of miles of land so flat that llanos.I•oto/Kevin Schafer & MarthaBill. hereis fine birding along the main highway that thegradient ismeasured in mere inches-per-mile. leadsfrom Calabozo toSan Fernando inthe heart of Duringthe rainy season, the "low" llanos flood almost thellanos. There aren't many opportunities to get completely,turning thousands ofsquare miles into shallow, off thehighway, because it is surrounded by privately- grass-chokedlagoons and sluggishly flowing rivers. Cattle ownedland, but a greatmany birds can be seen right from aretrucked out to higherground and overland communi- the shoulderof the road. cationceases except where roads are diked above high water Thebest area to seeavian wildlife begins near the rice level.This is a landof wide-open horizons, dominated by fieldsaround Calabozo, and most of your effort should be grass,where trees grow mainly along streams and in widely concentratedonthe long stretch of roadbetween there and Duringthe rainy season, November through Marc•, the plains inthe low llanos flood, SanFernando. Wet lowlands, which are particularly good butthis may be when they are most spectacular. I•oto/Kevin Schafer &Martha Bill. forwaterbirds and raptors, stretch 15-20 kilometers just north of San Fernando. FromSan Fernando you can continue west to Mantecal and then northwestwardto , at the base of the Andes. Drivingfrom San Fernando to Barinas takes about seven to eighthours. On thisstretch of theroad, the most productive llanosbirding is aroundSan Fernando and then between Mantecaland Bruzual. During theDecember to May drysea- sonlarge groups ofwaterbirds gatherat dryingpools and bor- rowpits excavated during the construction of this road. Groupsof more than 100 Jabira, aswell as hundreds of Maguari andWood storks occasionally maybe seen from the roadside. Sunbitterns and wood-rails fre- quentthe shoresof virtually everybodyofwater and a parade of hawksand scavengers patrol byair as well as on foot. An immense set of dikes, called m6dulos, which were built to hold water for cattle in thedry season, are located along thehighway just north of the La Y• junction. Amongthe thousandsof whistling-ducks thatfrequent the marshes here, watch for Brazilian, Muscovy and Comb ducks. Thedrawback for visitors is that there are no overnight OccasionallyOrinoco Geese and Pied Lapwings can be facilitiesinside the park. However,a newlodge, the seen between here and AdventureCamp Los Indios, which began operating in Bruzual. 1990on a largecattle ranch, is close to thepark border. I havenot visited this lodge, but informationabout it is 0tf lb* B,al,n lrack: In addi- availablein Birdingin Venezuela(by Mary Lou Goodwin, t. .. tionto llanosgrasslands and publishedby theSociedad Conservacionista, Audubon de ,• •, • galleryforests, you'll see the Venezuela;available from the Caracas Audubon Bookshop newCinaruco-Capanaparo in LasMercedes Shopping Mall, tel: 92-28-12). Both the National Park,an hour south ranchand the park can only be visited from about December of San Fernando, contains to earlyMay because the entire region floods during the largeMoriche Palm groves, rainyseason. a few sand dunes, and some WHERE TO STAY veryancient rocky hills. The AGreatPotoo camoufiagingasabee. listof birds reported for the APlace InTown Caracas and environs: There is a widevariety Photo/KevinSchafer&Martha Ilill. million-and-a-half-acrepark of hotels in thecapita--from the Eurobuilding ($80+ per iswell in excessof 300 speciesand includes species like night;Calle Amazonas in ChuaoDistrict; 02-923-470), LesserRazor-billed Curassow, Festive Parrot and Yellow- Hilton($150+ per night; Avenida Liberatador Y Sur 25, crownedManakin, which are typical of thewhite sandy Apartado6380; 02-574-1122); and Tamanco, which has soil foreststhat lie to the south,rather than of the llanos. thenicest grounds ($80+ per night; Av. Principal de Las

Volume 46, Number 3' •3 1heOrinoco Goose (#eochenjubata) is bestfound in forestedrivers arid wet savan- nahs.Photo/Kevin Schafer & MarthaHill. Mercedes;02-208-7000). The Avilacould use a faceliftbut HomeOn ll•e Range: ARanch OfOne's Own it hasnice grounds with trees, birds, and a relaxedatmos- HatoPifiero: Located in thehigh llanos, the vast Pifiero phere.And the price is right ($40+; Av. Jorge Washington Ranch, spreads over more than ! 70,000acres in thenorth in San BernardinoDistrict; 02-515128). In the Sabana centralllanos. Although the old ranch house whichyou Grandearea, the Hotel Karibik offers good value ($40+; Av. cantour--is a a treasuretrove of Spanish antiques, this is a LasDelicias Entre; 02-729961). On the coast but not on workingcatde ranch that serves up a splendidfare of luxury thebeach arethe MacutoSheraton ($80+; Caraballeda in accommodation($110 per night), personal attention and CaribeDistrict; 31-575-1432) and the Melia-Caribe ($80+; spectacularbirding. Caraballeda,La Guaira;31-924-0109). Birdsare abundant and very easy to see;experienced Maracay:On theedge of HenryPittier National Park, birdersmay spot more than 175 species in a day,and even withits famous Rancho Grande Biological Station, the city novicebirders may be able to identifynearly 100. isa convenientgateway to thellanos. The best choice of Visitorscan start birding right at their doorstep. As you hotelsis the Hotel Pipo, a modernhigh-rise ($50+; Av. Ppal walkover the lovely Precambrian rocks with wave-washed El Castano;043-416109). Despite its spacious grounds, the surfacesthat have been quarried from nearby hills and laid once-top-of-the-lineHotel Maracay is not recommended; in elegantpatterns around the old ranch house, look up itsreputation has been tarnished by securityproblems. intothe giant Samfin and fig trees that shade the courtyard Hereis a caveat,visitor: Avoid Henry Ritter Park on week- andpatio. They provide refuge and food for a fascinating ends;it fillsup with locals en route to thenearby beach. arrayof birdsincluding Scarlet Macaws, Yellow-crowned Barinas:This is a hard-workingtown, the agricultural Parrots, Plain-fronted Thornbirds, a variety of flycatchers, hubof thewestern llanos and a goodbase for exploring Bare-eyedThrushes, Burnished-buffTanagers, Gray nearbyareas in theAndes. There are not many hotel choic- Seedeaters,Yellow Orioles and colorful Red-capped es;The Hotel Turistico Varina Barinas isprobably the best Cardinals.A nearby watertank islikely to attractan assort- ($35+;Av 23 De Enero;73-22033). mentof dovesand finches. Flowering trees will host many SanFernando de : A frontiertown, this is the only hummingbirdsand tunagets including an occasional convenientplace to stayif youdon't want to mortgageyour Hoodedand Sayaca tanager. houseto affordrooms at oneof theluxury ranches. The To make the most of this ranch, birdersshould visit as HotelPlaza is probably the best ($23+; Calle Bolivar Frente manyfar-flung reaches of theproperty as possible, though a laPlaza Bolivar; 47-21255); you can also try the Boulevard this may be impossible in the rainy season when a number ($12+;Pasco Libertador Boulevard; 47-23122), La Torraca of roads are flooded. Good trails border both sidesof Carlo ($15+;Calle 12; 47-22777), and La Fuente ($13+; Gerente SanJer6nimo (Geronimo Creek), and a boattrip on the JuanGonzalez; 47-23233). All haveair conditioning, creek itself can be marvelous. whichyou'll need. But water and other conveniences are Becausehunting has been prohibited for 40 years,and lessreliable. Don't count on getting an early breakfast. manyroads wind among vast dry forests, it isone of the

A BIRDER'S BAEDEKER Climate It issaid that there are only the rains to return. two seasonsin the llanos, a seasonof The llanos are most accessible to - Getting There To enterVenezuela dust, and a seasonof mud and there is a ersduring the dry season between late you'llneed a validpassport and a 90- grainof truthto thisaxiom. The plains Novemberand late April. At thistime daytourist card, issued by theairline at of the llanosare almost table-top flat. A thereare no floods,and even low-lying yourpoint of departure. fractionallysmall gradient drains water areasalong rivers can be easily explored The majorair carriersare Viasa (the eastwardtoward the Orinoco River, but on foot. Becausemany trees lose their national airline of Venezuela),and at a pacefar to slowto handlethe vol- leaves,and wadersare concentrated American,with dailyflights to Caracas umeof rainduring the wet months. aroundpermanent waterholes, most from cities such as New York, Miami, Consequently,when the rains begin in birdsare particularly easy to seethen. Dallasand Los Angeles. May or June,most of theregion floods. This shouldnot deteryou from visit- Cities within Venezuela are served Riversquickly overflow their banks and ingduring the wet season however, for primarilyby two nationalairlines, waterseeps across the land from hori- thisis certainlywhen the llanosare Avensaand AeroPostal.Small towns, zon to horizon. mostbeautiful. After the rainsbegin includingmany in thellanos, are served But thisis a timeof plenty,when the land turns from brown to brilliant by Aerotuywhich operates single- and grassturns green, waterfowl and other emeraldgreen in a transformationso twin-engineprop planes. birds breed, and the woodlandsare rapidand magical it hasto beseen to be flush with new leaves. The rains cease believed.Breeding activity for a variety MoneyA strongdollar makes in late October or November, almost as of birdsis at a peakearly in the rainy Venezuelaa goodbet for foreigntravel- suddenlyas they begin, trees drop their seasonand there are enough diked roads ersat the present,though the exchange leavesand the grass dries brown under in mostareas to enableyou to visit ratehas varied somewhat in pastyears. searingtropical skies. By late December manykinds of habitats. At presstime, the exchangerate was wildlifewill begingathering at water 69,550 to the dollar. holesonce more, patiently waiting for

Volume 46, Number 3' birdsin the llanosis the Hoatzin( Opist•omus hoatz/n).Related tothe cukoo,the young of this specieshave two claws at the bendof each wing enabling themto clamberabout in streamsidevegetation. Photo/KevinSchafer & Mama Hill. easiestplaces of allto see the rare Yellow-knobbed Curassow. both places. But there the similarities end: Several water- Thetallest forests are on the eastern part of theranch and birds common at Cedral are rare or do not occur at Pifiero; hereis likely to beyour best area for harder-to-find species the reverse may be true for forestbirds. While roads at likehawk-eagles, forest-falcons, Spectacled and Pifierowind lazily around brushy hillsides, and through dry Golden-greenWoodpecker. Because the forest is accessible, forest and pastures, those at Cedral lead off ruler-straight to nightdrives for wildlife are better at Pifierothan at Hato distant horizons. Cedral(below). The ranchtruck, which ferries visitors, is Low,diked roads form catchment basins that fill during equippedwith a powerfulspotlight; you may also bring one therainy season and sustain lush marshes as far as the eye ofyour own that clips to a carbattery. This is the best way cansee. Because the marshes remain green all through the tosearch for the show of nighdire. longdry season they are like magnets, drawing birds from Pifierocan be reached by air and by land. Simplest, and far and wide. Amidst the hundreds of thousands of costliest,isa charterflight from Caracas, which whisks you whistling-ducks,ibises, egrets and herons, you will find to theranch in underan hour. Flights can be coordinated smaller numbers of Brazilian,Comb, and Muscovy ducks, with ParadiseTours (tel: 951-7741; 951-6226) or Biotours migrantteal, migrant shorebirds and a sprinklingof rarities (tel:916-965; 916-854). Both are travel agencies in Caracas such as the Masked Duck, Orinoco Goose, Pinnated that cater to eco-tourism. For visitors who want maximum Bitternand even Giant Snipe. birdingand minimum hassles, anorganized birding tour is Treesaround the rather extensive ranch headquarters probablyyour best bet. hostlarge numbers of roostingibises, egrets, herons, The alternativeto flyingis to driveoverland from macawsand parakeets. They all leave in thecool freshness Caracas.It isa longdrive from Caracas and most visitors of dawn,making a tremendousracket as they go--hun- will probablystay a fewdays in Maracayen route, visiting dredsif notthousands of them forming silhouettes across a thefamous Rancho Grande Biological Station in Henry fieryred sun still flattened as it hangsmomentarily on the PittierNational Park. Again, you must make advance reser- morninghorizon. Later in theday, when the scorching vationswith ParadiseTours or Biotoursbefore arriving; mid-daysun makes little mirage lakes of quicksilveracross theywill providedetails on how to reachthe ranch over- theflat plains,you can retire to theshade of thebig trees land.Be prepared for a fewsections of bad road and lots of aroundthe ranch buildings and swimming pool. Relax and dust. FromMaracay through Valencia and southward leta softllanos breeze caress you, and watch the hubbub of towardEl Bafil and Pifiero,allow about five to six hours. activityamong the various flycatchers, tanagers, seedeaten, Near El Bafil, and before the turn finchesand occasional White-naped off to the ranch,waterbirds, Xenopsaristhat seem scarcely to andcaracaras along the roadside notice the heat. will providelots of distractions. Barn Owls and Orinoco Geese You'llalso see giant stick-nests of have nested in tree cavities within a Plain-frontedThornbirds hanging stone'sthrow of the cabins. Orange- frommany large trees. frontedYellow-Finches inspect Hato Cedral:Like Pifiero,Hato dustylittle places around the cor- Cedraloffers birders luxury accom- rals,and Yellowish Pipits call from modations($100 pernight), per- distantpastures. Capybara, billed sonalattention and superb birding asthe largest in theworld opportunities.Once part of the andweighing in at 90 poundsor Texas-basedKing Ranch enterpris- more, are common at Pifiero but es,Cedral continues to beoperated positivelyabundant in Cedral's asa workingcattle ranch and visi- marshes.Many seem to wileaway torshere rub shoulders comfortably theirdaytime hours resting on the withcowboys. dikedroadbeds and only grudging- With approximately125,000 lygive way to passingvehides. acres,Cedral is a bit smallerthan It is only the woodlandsthat Pifiero,but there is plenty of open seemhard to get to, for Cedral space.While Pifiero is backed up lacksthe easy access to themthat againstpicturesque lowhills, Cedral Visitorsenjeyatour ofHato R•ero with guide Victor Emanuel. characterizes Pifiero. Excellent liesamid the vast plains and wide- Ph0t0/l{evinSehafer&MarthaHill.riverside woodland exists along the openskies of thelow llanos. northernand southern boundaries ofCedral but a bitmore Theoverall bird lists for the two ranches are not overly effortis required to bird it effectively.However, walking the different,and there are plenty of birdsthat are easily seen at dikedroad that parallels the Rio Caicara, along the north-

Volume 46, Number 3' :•? ernranch border, will yielda greatmany riverine and If youare ever in doubt,order bottled water (it comes woodlandbirds induding such specialities asGreen Ibis, with or without carbonation)or useiodine tablets. Hoatzin, Sunbittern,Russet-throated Puffbird, Orinoco No immunizationsare required in orderto enterthe Saltator,xenopsaris, and Pileated Finch. On thesouth side countryof Venezuela.However, as a healthprecaution of theranch and accessible byboat are a coupleof fine dry- gettingthem for typhoid, cholera and gamma globulin seasontrails that traverse sections of low-lyingforest. Here (the latter for hepatitis)would be helpful. Thereis scythebillsand many flycatchers, including the rare verylittle risk of malariain thellanos, or in mostother AmazonianBlack-Tyrant, nest. One hopes that more trails partsof Venezuela,though it plaguessome eastern and willbe developed. southernfrontier regions. For current health and vac- Cedralis served by the tiny airstrip at Mantecalabout cination information, call the Center for Disease 30 minutesaway. Aternatively it can be reached in about Controlin Atlanta,Georgia, at 404-639-2572. fourhours by paved road from Barinas at theeastern base of the Andes,or in aboutthree-and-a-half hours from San [alingand Drinking: Meals in Venezuela are relatively inexpen- Fernandode Apure to the east. sive;even at the capital's finest hotels, dinner--including a Commercialflights and auto rental agencies serve both drink---isunlikely to costmore than $50 to $60(U.S.) for towns,and visits to HaloCedral can be arranged direcdy two. Forthe most part, meals at otherhotels and restau- throughParadise Tours or Biotours.Like Pifiero, Halo rantsare considerably less than this, especially outside of Cedralhas a truck,fitted with padded seats, which is used theCaracas area, and are likely to averageno more than to showvisitors around the ranch, and both ranches usually $10to $20(U.S.) per couple. havean English-speaking biologist/guide available. Many Thellanos are catde country, and generous portions of birders,however, will probably be happier visiting the ranch beef,served in a varietyof ways, are a staple.One favorite aspart of anorganized birding tour. Dusty roads plague llanerobreakfast iscalled huevos a caballero (eggs on horse- bothranches, especially late in thedry • back)--a thick,juicy steak served with a coupleof fried eggs on top. season,tographicandorvisitors sound-recording carrying either equip-pho- •v•,,.•.... Foodis simple but good throughout mentwith themshould take special :•. .• the llanos, and whether at the ranches precautions. withguest facilities, or at restaurantsin HatoEl FrioBiological Station: The towns,you can count on ample portions sprawlingEl Friocatde ranch and bio- of rice,beans, yucca (also known as cas- logicalstation is even larger than Cedral savaor manioc),and delicious arrepas or Pifieroand has for a numberof years -- served hot at breakfast. Be sure to acceptedvisitorsand students. Located •'}.•!•, .. samplethe variety of exotic,fresh juices aboutanhour east ofHalo Cedral, itlies • • availableas most are never seenin north- inthe low llanos. Thewildlife here is • •.i ern supermarkets.For coffee-lovers, quite similar to that at Cedral. •:• • strongblack espresso coffee (cafe negro), Accommodationsaredecidedly spartan • ' • half-coffee/halfmilk (cafecon leche) or though,withhammocks andno private - •11•iii•'•-- coffeewith a litde bit of milk (cafemar- bathrooms.Somehowthough, prices for • '•.I'•' ~-- ron)are all served in stand-uproadside a dayvisit or an extended stay have gone I•descentl'ger-Her0n, •Itenseen atHalos Cedral restaurants everywhere, and all are deli- up considerably,making nearby Cedral and•i•er0. •ot0/#e•in •a•er & •artha Hill. cious.Otherwise, you'll fled coffeeis thebetter choice if spaceis available. Nevertheless, E1Frio's generallyserved after the meals. birdlist is long and it isan excellent place to seethe rare A ten-percentservice charge is added to meals,though Orinoco Goose,as well asthe Giant Anteater,and other indudinga littleextra will be most appreciated. If you're a llanosbirds and mammals. Arrangements tovisit should repeatcustomer, the extra tip helpsinsure prompt service bemade through the La Salle Society in Caracas,tel. 02- and attention. 782-8711,ext. 232; ask in Spanishfor Senor Alvaro Diego. Venezuelaimports most of itsliquor, but its beer indus- STAYING HEALTHY try isone of thebiggest businesses in the country. Polar andCardinal (pronounce by accenting the last syllable of bothbrands) are the biggest sellers, and both are excellent. throughVenezuela without problems. While Aftera hot,dusty day in thellanos it's certain you'll appre- Adrinking-waterlittle cautionandsupplies commonare senseusually should safe insee largeyou ciate them even more. ß citiessuch as Caracas, Maracay, and M•rida, it'sbest to AJthou•tthis partienular KingVulture (Sarcofam. ohaspapua) was seen in the Maracay exercisea little cautionaway from major citiesin Zoo,they may be easily spotted inopen habitab like the llanos. ]his is the enl• vulture regardsto water,unpeeled fruits, and leafy vegetables. in the Western Hemisphere which isnot p•marily dark. Photo/Frank ManUilc

AmericanBirds, Fall 1992