Birdwatching in Venezuela
Birding contacts and birdwatching information
Local Birdingpal Contacts
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Local Birdwatchers
Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. | ||||||
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Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| P | Clavijo | Maracay, Aragua | Anytime | |
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| M | Juarez | Caracas | Anytime | Spanish/English |
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| A | Rosasles | Merida, Merda | Anytime | |
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Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services. | ||||||
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| Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| C | Hofstätter-Rodríguez | El Limon/Maracay, Aragua | Anytime | German/Spanish English |
| MSc. Christian W. Hofstätter-Rodríguez was born in Germany. After post-graduated (Tropical Biology and Animal Ecology/Physiology - University of Würzburg - and degree dissertation in the biological station “Rancho Grande” national park Henri Pittier) he started as a hatchery and sales manager on his own ornamental shrimp farm (newoac c.a.). Now he works as a wholesaler and additionally he arranges birdwatching tours in Venezuela (thoroughly enjoying both hobbies…). Main focus is the beautiful northern cordillera with the oldest national park – Henri Pittier. Christian, also named “Mr Shrimp” worked many years in local German and Spanish institutions as a bird field mapper! During his academic studies he traveled to Gambia, Senegal, Kenya, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Bolivia, Spain … only for birdwatching. Furthermore he manage ornamantal fish expeditions in Venezuela. For a fairly long time he´s occupied as an author and photographer with very special focus on aquatic photography. He published a shrimp & crayfish book for the publishing company Kosmos in Germany and his photos are published in magazines and booklets. Christian guides individuals and small groups of birders in Venezuela! Christian lives with his wife in El Limon – Maracay, only 3 minutes far from the Henri Pittier national park. He speaks German, English and Spanish. Fees: US$ 150 daily (varies according to number of participants). $220 with vehicle (four wheel-drive). | ||||||
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| 0 | Padilla | Maracay, Aragua | Anytime | Spanish/English Italian/German Dutch |
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| C | Sharpe | Caracas | Anytime | Spanish/English |
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Chris was born and raised in Yorkshire, England and began birding local patches at an early age. With a masters in ecology from the University of Cambridge, he moved to South America where he has worked as a conservation biologist and bird tour leader since 1988, thoroughly enjoying both careers. His work has taken him throughout Latin America and he has also lived in Peru and Nicaragua, in addition to his home base of Venezuela. Nowadays he leads tours to a growing number of destinations that include Texas, Arizona, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Panamá, Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil and Peru. He also carries out bird research and census work, most recently running rapid biodiveristy assessments in Belize and Ecuador and working on the Venezuelan bird atlas project, NEOMAPS. In 1993 he helped launch the Neotropical Bird Club which publishes the magazine "Cotinga" and he is the Club's Venezuelan Representative. Chris has authored several books on conservation in Latin America including a manual for training park guards and a directory of Latin American national parks as well as a number of articles on birds and conservation. Together with several colleagues, he has just co-authored the "Ecological Guide to the Gran Sabana" (publ. The Nature Conservancy) which is a popular guide to the table mountain (tepui) region of south-east Venezuela, an area in which he has had the pleasure to work frequently over the last ten years. He is currently writing up the results of a bird survey on the remote table mountain, Guaiquinima, in which the team re-found the Guaquinima Whitestart, a bird that had not been relocated since its collection in the 1940s. Chris regularly guides individuals and groups of visiting birders in Venezuela. Visit my web site Fees: US$125 per day guide fee; US$200 per day including transport (brand new vehicle). | ||||||
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| D | Ascanio | Caracas | Anytime | Spanish/English Portuguese |
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David Ascanio, started leading tours at the age of 17 when he joined a birding trek to Mount Roraima. Today, he leads tours in
Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago, the Amazon region (Perú, Colombia and Brazil), Panama, Guyana and Suriname. He has also
birded the Andes of Ecuador, Chile and the Antarctic. In addition to many trips, he is one of the field ornithologist for the Phelps Ornithological Museum in Caracas. David is specially interested in bird vocalizations, and his passion have led him to re-discover the endemics Plain-flanked Rail and Tepui Tinamou, two birds not sighted since the 40’s. Also, he is currently involved in the description of 3 new species from southern Venezuela. David holds the largest library of vocalizations for the Birds of Venezuela. Many of these recordings are the very first ever done for some species. His publications includes range extensions, data bases and checklists and he is recently working on two long terms projects, that will publish the ornithological data base of Venezuela as well as the vocalizations of the sub-species for each region of the country. David lives with his wife and two kids in Caracas. Visit my web site Fees: US$ 160-180 daily (varies according to number of participants). $200 with vehicle (four wheel-drive). David Ascanio, who provided excellent guide service for me in 1995, was unavailable this time around, but he put me in touch with two other fine guides and a great driver, who combined to make the trip a success. Birdingpal Jim Day jimday7(AT)yahoo.com | ||||||
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| J | Kvarnbäck | Caracas | Anytime | Swedish/English Spanish |
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John Kvarnbäck, 33 years old biologist, originally from Sweden but now living in Caracas, Venezuela since a few years back. A keen birdwatcher and ringer since childhood in Sweden and now he has really taken the Venezuelan birds to his heart. He has a particularly good knowledge of the fauna in the Andes, in the central coastal mountain range, in Bolivar state, and of the Venezuelan plains ("Los Llanos", where he did his Master's thesis in 2002 about the semi-endemic Yellow-knobbed Curassow (Crax daubentoni)). He speaks Swedish, English and Spanish. Fees: US$150/day regardless of area. Using my 4x4 vehicle I charge US$200/day. John served as guide for me in eastern Venezuela in February 2007. He´s good and knows the area well, guiding us to Harpy Eagle and many others. I wouldn´t hesitate to recommend him. Birdingpal Jim Day jimday7(AT)yahoo.com | ||||||
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| I | Tepedino | Gran Savanna | Anytime | Spanish/English |
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Ivan, born in Caracas in 1961, is a professional birdwatching (and nature) guide with excellent English and extensive prior experience in bird guiding throughout Venezuela. From 1981 to 1985, he acted as a guide, with emphasis on birds, in the Hatos Cedral, El Frio and Piñero (Private Biological Reserves) of the Llanos and then formed his own company dedicated to providing a full service throughout Venezuela for bird watchers and those interested in natural history. Since 1997, he has been living in El Pauji, a village in the forested central southern part of the Gran Savanna, 80 km to the west of Santa Elena on the Pauji Road, which runs parallel with the Brazilian border at elevations between 800 and 1000m and a has a correspondingly pleasant climate. This little known area has great avifaunal diversity, for which a list of almost 500 species, including Amazonian and Guianan Shield species, has been established. Ivan can be reached by e-mail (not phone) and can make all arrangements for
visits to the southern Gran Savanna area (accommodation and food in Pauji and/or Santa Elena and provision of transport if required) for people able to reach Santa Elena (by bus, plane or their own transport). For those interested in sampling the avifauna and endemics of the Escalera Road on the forested northern flank of the Gran Savanna (Sierra de Lema), arrangements can be made with Henry Cleve to receive birdwatchers at his wonderful birding lodge at the bottom of the Escalera, reached by quality bus services from Puerto Ordaz. A day or two can be spent watching birds in this special area with many endemics before driving across the Gran Savanna to Pauji. Return from Santa Elena can be made by bus to Puerto Ordaz or by light plane through Canaima where the Angel Falls can be visited. For those who want to include a tough trek in their visit, Ivan, based on extensive prior experience, can also organize and lead trekking trips to the famous nearby tepuis of Roraima and Kuquenan, which include important areas of avifaunal and floral endemism. For small groups, ground transportation will normally be provided by Tony Crease in a near-new 4WD vehicle. Tony is an experienced birdwatcher himself, who is developing the checklist for the area and currently has a paper in preparation concerning range extensions in the area (for 130 species), as well as extensive knowledge of the local bird voices. He charges for providing transport and assists in the guiding (including provision of a scope and sound equipment if required) at no cost except for that of his meals. Fees: Guiding: $70 - $90. Transport: According to use, up to $100 for a full day. Meals and accommodation in Pauji in a pleasant, multi-roomed rural house: $45 per person. A tailor-made package, including other options, can be arranged and quoted via email | ||||||
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| J | Klaiber | Tabay Humboldt-Trail, Merida | Anytime | German/English Spanish |
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Joe has worked with tourists, photographers, botanists and ornithologists since 1995 in Venezuela. As well as with bird lovers, e.g. The German Institute for the Bird Research, WWF and for Audubon guides. The main places where he offers his services are
the Andes, Los Llanos, Catatumbo Delta and Henry Pitier and Tama National Park. He was born in Germany where he became a
joiner. With this qualification he left to the Canadian outdoors. After that, he went to Venezuela where he made his hobby to
his profession: ornithology. He is 30 years old, married to a Peruvian women, father of two little kids and the owner of a guesthouse. In the last years he worked a lot with Hummingbirds, Fruiteaters, Antpittas and Raptors. He uses Leica and Brunton equipment and works with playbacks. He's an absolute bird lover and spends his spare time, when he's not guiding, birdwatching
in the cloud forests of the Venezuelan Andes. Visit my web site Fees: Between US$ 50 and 150 each per day depending on the participant number includes: Jeep transportation, Guide (speaks German, English and Spanish), accommodations, breakfast and dinners no alcoholic drinks. | ||||||
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| B | Quintero | San Cristóbal, Tachira | Anytime | English/Spanish |
| As an observer of birds since 1993 (17 years observing birds). Experience in organizing and guiding birding groups. Experience in coordinating tours in the Chorro del Indio National Park, in the city of San Cristóbal, Tachira, Road to Queniquea, Juan Pablo Peñalosa National Park (Peñalosa Batallón and La Negra), Rio Frio-Rio Negro, Parima El Tapirapecó in Tachira state and Laguna de Unare in Anzoategui State. Formal studies at the Catholic University of Tachira in Business Administration and Accounting. In 2002 the city of Caracas as Coordinator of Tours for Bird Watching. Developed teaching, training and guides the first group of birders from the Unare, trained in performance for the year 2005. In 2006 Co-author of the Guide to Common Birds of the Laguna de Unare. Trained and coordinated the implementation of the training project Birding guides for Portuguese State in 2007. Training for Expedition 12 young Tropical Bolivar in the Bolivar State and sponso! red by the Bolivar State Government and the Tourism Corporation of the State in November 2007. In 2004 Vice President and founder of the civil partnership nonprofit Ecoturave program does all the research activities for the construction of checklists and inventories of birds to all regions of the country, develops all activities of the strategic plan Ecoturave civil partnership in their respective implementation and commissioning. Performs and coordinates from 2006 twice a year during the months of February and July Waterfowl Census at La Laguna de Unare in Anzoategui State for Wetlands International through Phelps Collection in Caracas. For three years professional photography Bird performed and contributed with them in papers and magazines of national production. Tachira state is located at southwest corner of the country and western part of the Andes, is one of the 23 states of Venezuela's capital is San Cristobal. This entity is at coordinates 7 - 46'11 "north latitude and 72 - 14'21" west longitude. The state bordered on the north Tachira Zulia state, on the east by the states of Mérida and Barinas, Apure and Barinas south and west by Colombia. Its average temperature is between 10c. and 25C. Has major peaks among which we mention: The Pulpit: 3912 meters above sea level (msnm); Peñalosa Juan Pablo Peñalosa (Peñalosa El Batallón y La Negra): 3507 m and Peñalosa El Tachira 3.450 meters. In Tachira state are El Peñalosa El Tama National Park, Juan Pablo Peñalosa National Park (Peñalosa Batallón y La Negra and Chorro El Indio National Park, in this State is home to approximately 500 species of birds of all species 1480 exist in Venezuela, 36% of the Venezuelan species. So I invite the lovers of nature and especially of birds to visit our state and offer myself as your guide throughout this wonderful journey, where there is much to seeing and know. | ||||||
Local Information
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| Name | Description
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| Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela | Club |
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| Chris Sharpe's Bird Venezuela | Sites |
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| Birding Hotspots around the world | Sites |
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| Provita | Bird Conservation |
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| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Venezuela |
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| Local weather | Yahoo |
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| Electronic maps | |
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| Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. | |
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| Field guides recommended by Birdingpals | |
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| Printable bird check list | |
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| Trip Reports from Venezuela | |
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| Read a Birdingpal's Trip Report from Venezuela |
Last update 30/07/2010