It's true, if you're a birdwatcher and interested in a neo-tropical rainforest adventure, Guyana is the place to go!

The Botanical Gardens in Guyana's capital, Georgetown, was declared a 'Bird Sanctuary' this week.

It's great to see the country's Tourism Ministry continuing to help generate awareness and publicity about just how brilliant a destination Guyana is for bird lovers, be that as a well-seasoned twitcher or as someone that who simply appreciates the aesthetic beauty of all things avian.

It's great also to see that word is spreading about Guyana's avian diversity throughout the birdwatching world, even though it seems it's taking a little longer for the message to penetrate across the Atlantic than it is in North America.

The local bird and wildlife guides in Guyana are fantastic too - incredibly skilled spotters, knowledgeable, respectful of the environment, extremely patient and not without a wry sense of humour.  They'll take you to places and try to find you species you couldn't imagine you'd ever get access to.

 For a tropical rainforest experience in South America, I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Guianan cock-of-the-rock - despite it's colour, surprisingly difficult to spot