Some birds from my garden – In North-west French Guiana. By Michel Giraud Audine.

Some birds from my garden – In North-west  French Guiana.
By Michel Giraud Audine.

The main interest of French Guiana is the large area of Amazonian forest, still practically intact. The coastal area, however is not uninteresting, with its mudflats, mangroves, secundary forests and  clearings.

Beija-flor-vermelho (Chrysolampis mosquitus) Ruby-topaz Hummingbird

 

More photos in the brazilian post.

 

My garden, not far from Kourou, is part of 4000 hectares of secondary forest, which have been cleared for agricultural purposes. As a consequence many of the forest bird species have disappeared from the area. Fortunately, some 100 hectares have not been deforested  just behind my garden, so I sometimes have a visit from forest species. I still hear forest-falcons (Micrasturs) and Lipaugus vociferans but it is just a question of time before the forest disappears completely.

I have only planted two sorts of flowering bushes, primarily for hummingbirds, lantanas (  very attractive to hummingbirds, but some other species appreciate their small berries,) and Stachytarpheta sp. (the variety with larger red flowers which is visible for example with the male Chrysolampis mosquitus) is the most interesting). I have had to renounce a lot of other plants because of the leaf-cutting ants (Atta sp.).

The most satisfying tree is the Ficus guyanensis which attracts a number of species, and gives fruit several times a year (also visible in some of the photos).

Two guides may of interest to the visitor in French Guiana:

Petit futé : http://www.escapade-carbet.com/actualites/le-petit-fute-guyane-20122013-est-dans-les-bacs/

Philippe Boré : Randonnées en Guyane