The Elusive GUIANAN TROGON: A Serendipitous Backyard Encounter

By Fitzroy Rampersad

Fitzroy or Fitz as he is fondly called began observing and photographing birds when the COVID-19 Pandemic forced border closures around the world including Trinidad & Tobago where he was vacationing at the time. Fitz used his free time to observe the many hummingbirds in his mother’s flower garden and soon, with the help of the internet he was able to identify the various species. He started putting up homemade feeders to attract the hummingbirds. His interest soon grew to include other species of birds developing a love for wildlife and especially bird photography.

For many birders, the quest to spot a specific bird can become an obsession. The thrill of the “chase”, the hope of a fleeting glimpse, and the joy of finally seeing the bird you’ve longed to encounter and photograph are experiences that can make birding a rewarding pass time. As a new birder, I had always been fascinated with the GUIANAN TROGON and while it is a shy bird, it is by no means a rare and difficult-to-find bird, except for me that is …

My journey to find the GUIANAN TROGON began in the lush landscapes of my now-adopted home country of Panama, a birdwatcher’s paradise. I scoured the dense foliage of the Metropolitan National Park, trekked through the lush landscapes of the Gamboa and Summit Rainforest, ascended the cloud forests of Cerro Azul, and wandered the serene Valle de Anton. I crossed the border into Costa Rica, spending days high up in the San Gerardo de Dota mountains. But, despite my efforts and reports of sightings from fellow birders, the GUIANAN TROGON remained elusive, always one step ahead of me.

The GUIANAN TROGON, quickly became my “white whale”, the symbol of an elusive dream that I could not quite grasp, but little did I know, the moment I had been yearning for was waiting for me … much closer to home.

It happened during a return visit to my childhood home in Trinidad, I sat relaxing in the backyard, when, to my surprise and astonishment, there, perched on a fruit tree no more than ten feet away, was a GUIANAN TROGON.

My heart raced with excitement and then … uncertainty, should I remain seated and enjoy the beauty of the moment or should I rush for my camera … I finally mustered up the courage to quietly get up and slowly back away, desperate not to startle the bird. I hurried to the house and grabbed my camera, silently praying that the GUIANAN TROGON would not fly away. To my immense relief, the bird was still there when I returned, calmly preening itself as if preparing for the photo shoot that was about to ensue. I spent the next several minutes capturing photographs of this remarkable sight, each click of the shutter a testament to my patience and perseverance.

A few days later, I was delighted to spot the GUIANAN TROGON again. This time, it was accompanied by its mate. The pair was industriously hollowing out a nest in an old abandoned ant nest on the branch of a Mango tree. Watching them work together, taking turns, was a sight to behold, a fitting and satisfying conclusion to my long search.

Female GUIANAN TROGON

The thought of a pair of GUIANAN TROGONS nesting in my backyard left me smiling all day.