Nickerie forms the western part of Suriname, with Nieuw Nickerie as the main town. It consists of lowlands, with many polders and marshes. The main human activity is rice farming. Nickerie has many places with a rich birdlive: the seacoast with mangrove, the lagoons with brackish water behind it and many fresh water swamps. Herons (I counted 13 species in the vicinity of the main town: Nieuw-Nickerie), scarlet ibises, birds of prey and migrating birds abound. A checklist of the species known from around Nieuw-Nickerie and a checklist of the birds of the lagoons ('pannen') to the north of the Nickerie river can be found. Two photos below were made by J.H. Ribot in 2006 and the last one by dr. ir Anne D. Van Dijk in 1988.
