Today is the day of our greatest adventure in Guyana and we don’t even know it yet. We eat calmly breakfast 5:30 AM and then it is time to walk half hour via the Burro Burro Trail to the boat that we will take to the Harpy Eagle Nest. However we know from the original briefing that there is little chance to see the chick as it just fledged and therefore might not be near the nest anymore. Still giving the rarity everyone was ready to try so on we go.
We pass the area we stopped yesterday and after stopping for a few ant-things on the way we arrive around 7AM at boat landing. Here the lodge has erected a place to stay in more primitive conditions, in hammocks sleeping outside just under a roof. At least it does have an outhouse though not sure how fun it is to make the walk at night with jaguars stalking their prey outside.
The camping site sits on a high embankbent and there is a stair going down to the boats that…do not look river worthy at all. Luckily our boats are looking slightly better especially after the water is pumped out and then carefully we slide into them and it is time for the adventure to start.
There are two boats each with a driver, a guide and four tour participants. We sit in the back in our boat which means we don’t always see what is happening. Which might be a blessing in disguise given what we encounter.
The Burro Burro River is the imagine of calm, beautiful river initially and we have a very relaxing cruise enjoying the birds on the shore and above us like a Gray-lined Hawk on a large tree.
Soon however we encounter the first obstacles, a fallen tree there, a root sticking from the water here. Mostly our boat pilots can maneuver and avoid them but it still creates a bit of premonition for the rest of the journey.
The jungle here is beautiful, it seems untouched and the birds agree with this. We find a sitting King Vulture and see quite a few overflying us, a sign of a healthy habitat. And of course the fact that Harpy Eagles can nest here is another sign of how well this part of the jungle is doing.
And then we reach the first major roadblock. Here after a few tries the decision is made to disembark everyone on a tree branch and to try to power the boat through. In the end it works but it is a bit disconcerting to sit on a log in the middle of the jungle for a while while the boat maneuvers around the obstacle.
Not every boat has survived the river as intact as we hoped, we find a few destroyed boats along the way which leads to a few scare stories as we continue up the river.
However soon everything is forgotten as we get another bonus of this pristine stretch of the river. It is a Orinoco Mata Mata a really mythical turtle that our guide is very excited to see as he wanted to see it for years with no luck.
The birdlife continues to be abundant even though mostly what you would expect, kingfishers close by and Macaws and hawks high up in the trees watching us.
We soon get to the second major obstacle which presents an even higher challenge. They navigate the boat almost successfully through the gauntlet of roots and fallen trees but at the last one they are stumped. They push they try the motor but nothing brings the boat over. In the end the local guide with a superhuman effort bends the trunk and the boat makes it over with the guides and the boat drivers being completely drenched but happy that we could make it.
We continue to keep an eye out on the shores with quite a few herons and kingfishers flying with us or hiding when we approach depending on temperament.
And then, almost one hour later than expected, suddenly we are at the disembarkation point. Not sure how many expected us to make it but it seemed hopeless at a few points. And then it is a short trail through the jungle to the overlook over the Harpy Eagle Nest.
We see the tree easily as it is the largest tree by far in this stretch of the jungle. And the nest is also easy to see, but where is the chick? Luckily there is no time to get scared that we won’t be able to see it as it sits in plain view above the nest and calls incessantly for its parents.
Or maybe it simply tries to scare off the other birds that are not happy with their neighbor and try to dive bomb the chick quite frequently. There might be even a reason as it seems that it climbed to a series of nests that were set higher than the nest originally but now are right in the front of the chick. We take our time to enjoy the chick and our guides decide to have an impromptu picnic here before returning.
We explore a bit the jungle here and even see a beautiful Guianan Streaked-Antwren checking us out. The guides even get “annoyed” that more attention is given to the antwren than the Harpy Eagle for which they labored so hard on the river.
And then it is time to return. at least now we know what expects us which doesn’t really make it easier.
The first obstacles we navigate just fine, now we are the lead boat so any issues will be encountered first by us unfortunately.
The same obstacle that gave us headaches in one direction creates issues also back. It even hits one of the people who is not penitent enough, Indiana Jones reference :), right in the head teaching the others to bow low to pass the branch.
Otherwise we really enjoy the boat ride now, except the heat. We were supposed to be already back and now are in the middle of day on the river and the sun beats quite significantly down on us.
We continue to keep an eye out for any interesting birds like the Rufescent Tiger-Heron hidden between the roots and also see interesting beetles and bats hanging down on trees that we are passing under.
Soon we are at the second obstacle where we have to go on the tree so the boat can pass and this time everyone knows what to do and everyone passes safely without taking an undesired bath.
The last part of the boat trip is uneventful and we arrive at the landing about 2-3 hours later than expected but happy that we were able to see the Harpy Eagle.
And there is one more bonus, on the way our guides notice something weird on a tree and it is a pair of Great Potoos. One is doing its best to stay hidden looking like a stump while the other one seems to have given up given the many people taking photos of them from the ground.
As we arrived so late back from the river trip there is no major afternoon trip. We only go out for owling, without luck, before returning for dinner and to rest as tomorrow it is time to leave Surama and continue into the savannah and to our next accomodation.
