Arachnophobic? Better not read this post. Birdwatching in Suriname 2018 / episode 4

Yes, there will be spiders later on in this post. Many of them. All of them sharing a tiny little web.

Last Monday evening I spotted this beautiful Laughing Falcon. It was sitting far away in a field perching on a papaya tree. They hunt like that. They can perch for hours, sitting up straight, hardly moving and watching for snakes. The Laughing Falcon is a specialised snake-eater.

Laughing Falcon (Herpetotheres cachinnans)

It can catch and eat snakes much larger than you would expect. Snakes up to 3 feet in length are definitely on the menu. Including venomous ones. Wiki says that it eats snakes tail first but there are also testimonies saying the other way around. It also eats lizards and small rodents. Wiki also says that it will pull its prey apart and to me that's probably the case when a snake is venomous. I cannot imagine that it swallows the head of a poisonous snake. But maybe I'm wrong, I would really like to know if I am.

I'm kinda glad that I don't see this bird that often. That probably means that there are not that many snakes around. Or is that just wishful thinking? According to the IUCN they are not threatened (least concern) but this was only the second time that I saw this bird. They are very easy recognisable with their mask around the eyes and back of their head. The Laughing Falcon thanks his name to the distinct call it makes. It can sound like (maniacal) human laughter.

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This spider looks a bit like a St Andrews Cross Spider, so maybe this one is its tropical cousin? I think they are quite attractive although I have no idea wether they are dangerous or not. But they don't seem to be aggressive. It's spun his web in one of the pineapple plants. if you look careful you can see its spider silk coming from its spinneret.

About two weeks ago I discovered this, what I assumed to be an egg sac. I never saw something like this and I was very curious of what it might bring.

No surprise there then. Very fascinating to see so many spiderlings together. They remain close to their egg sac. And I assume mommy feeds them? There are spiders who do that but the last time I looked, all the spiderlings were gone.

Here we see the underside of the spider. Her head with her fangs reminded me of Predator.

Source

Are these eyes real or is it just mimicry? Either way, I'm not messing around with this one.

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Pale-breasted Thrush (Turdus leucomelas)

This Pale-breasted Thrush doesn't seem to be impressed.

Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica)

This beautiful Amazon parrot is one of the most numerous birds in Suriname. They can be seen (and heard) in great groups where sometimes hundreds of them flog together. They eat seeds and fruit high in the tree tops. But they are very shy and not without a reason. People catch them to sell them as pets. These birds are game birds as well and in some periods hunting is allowed.

The best picture that I have of this parrot is actually a still from a video I made. You can watch it here if you're interested. These birds are sitting high in the tree tops and are difficult to photograph. They will fly away if you go underneath the trees and then you must be careful that they don't drop a nut on your head.

Especially in the evening you can see great groups flying to a roost. Their wings are relatively small compared to their body. This gives them a very distinct flying pattern which is easy recognisable. These birds pair for live and they breed in November. They nest in tree cavities and lay 3 to 4 white eggs. The mother incubates the eggs for 26 days. The young fledge around 60 days after hatching.

I took this picture on a trip down the Warappakreek a couple of years ago. They are very noisy birds. Especially when they are going to roost. The sound they make is like their Surinamese name: Kulekule.

I like to end this post with some photographs I took over the last two weeks. These birds have all been discussed in former posts which you can find of course if you check out my blog.

Pale-breasted Thrush (Turdus leucomelas)

Black-necked Aracari (Pteroglossus aracari)

Smooth-billed Ani (Crotophaga ani)

Variegated Flycatcher (Empidonomus varius)

Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana)

Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you will join me next time for more birds and other wonders of Mother Nature.

Much love,

Gardenbsquared