Trinidad & Tobago
January 28-February 7, 2010 - Trip Report
Dan Donaldson, guide, with 8 participants

Friday, January 29, 2010 - Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad

With more than half of our group arriving at Asa Wright Nature Centre a couple days before the official start of our trip, our morning routines were established by Friday morning. Most of us were up and birding on the veranda well before breakfast. Gathering before sunrise with a cup of honest coffee (grown and roasted right on site), every morning was very habit-forming.  The birds at Asa Wright had their routines as well.  Bananaquits and Tufted Coquettes were among the first visitors every morning to the flowering plants surrounding the veranda, soon followed by Green Honeycreepers. The normally boisterous Crested Oropendulas nesting right off the veranda remained quiet in their nests until the sun was  well into the sky.

Friday was our formal orientation to the Asa Wright Nature Centre and our chance to meet our local guides, Mahese and Ramdas.  The rainforest was living up to its name as Ramdas led us on our orientation walk along the Discovery Trail.   This trail’s productivity was amazing as we immediately had wonderful views of Blue-crowned Motmots, Violaceous Trogons and a Common Pootoo.    Walking the entire length of the trail, we were rewarded with terrific views of Golden-headed Manakins as the males performed their unique ritual dances for females.  

We spent the afternoon birding on the veranda, familiarizing ourselves with the birds we could expect to see at Asa Wright. These included both Green and Purple Honeycreepers, White-lined Tanagers, Cocoa Thrushes, Crested Oropendolas and Bananaquits. While these were always enjoyable to see, they were so prolific that we had to learn to filter them out to better pay attention to the less-common visitors to the center.  

After our 4:00 pm tea, we set out for our first excursion away from Asa Wright for an evening of night birding in the lowlands. Traditionally, this trip would include owling at the abandoned Waller Field Air Force Base, but currently it is the site of a huge economic development project which includes a new university.  Instead, we opted for night birding at the Trinidad Agricultural Research Station (TARS).  We made good time driving down out of the mountains and decided we had time for a quick diversion to try for Red-bellied Macaws before sunset.  Mahese knew a spot where they feed during the day and we had a good chance of seeing them depart for their roosting sites as the sun was setting.  We arrived just in time to see them lift off, and after a hurried exit from our vans we were able to watch two flocks circle and depart for roosts unknown.  With spirits riding high, we arrived at TARS to be greeted by a very cooperative Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Red-breasted Black Birds and Wattled Jacanas. The kitchen staff at Asa Wright had provided a wonderful field meal for us, as they did for all our offsite excursions, and we enjoyed watching a Peregrine Falcon and a Merlin dive repeatedly for bats as we dined in a converted cattle shed/picnic shelter.

After our meal, we were back in the vans driving the roads in search of birds, stopping occasionally to call for owls.  Once the skies were dark, we were treated to a nearly full moon as we searched for White-tailed Nightjars and Pauraques (related to nighthawks), which often sit on the field roads at night.  By sitting in clearings and roadways, the nightjars searched for silhouettes of insects against the night sky, rise up, catch them, and return to the same spot in the clearing much like a phoebe or flycatcher, but “hunting” from the ground rather than a branch.  By spotlighting the roads, we were able to see the glowing eyes of the Pauraques and nighthawks far down the road, which enabled us to unload and walk up close to them in order to get great views.  

Later, we tracked down a very cooperative Tropical Screech Owl which allowed us to get within 10 feet and get as many pictures as we wanted before it flew off into the night.  Driving out of TARS, we again saw red eyes illuminated along the road accompanied by a pair of Southern Lapwings. The illuminated eyes turned out to be a very young Spectacled Caiman. We rescued the caiman and perhaps ruined a dinner for the lapwings.

We returned to Asa Wright, greeted again by rain, just in time to go on a quick night hike with their staff.   The rain kept forest activity to a minimum, but we did manage to see land crabs, the very large Hila Boan Tree Frog, and a pair of roosting Great Antshrikes.  

Saturday, January 30, 2010 – Blanchisseuse Day Trip

Once again, there was an early gathering on the veranda by most of our group for sunrise birding.  Greeted by a light mist and calls of Orange-winged Parrots, we were quickly rewarded with terrific views of a pair of Channel-billed Toucans that perched nearby for a good 15 minutes.  A quick breakfast that included the regular omelet bar and wonderful fruits and juices, and we were off to visit the coastal town of Blanchisseuse. Stopping often along the very curvy Blanchisseuse  Road, we caught terrific views of Collared Trogans, Speckled Tanagers, Forest Elaenias, and Rufous-tailed Jacamars.  

Arriving at the small coastal town of Blanchisseuse, we broke for lunch in a small beachside shelter in a driving wind. The resulting rough surf was enough to keep us from swimming, although one person from the group did decide to enjoy the waves from the near shore.  While dining, we enjoyed watching Brown Pelicans diving for fish and waves of Magnificent Frigatebirds kiting by on the wind.  A leisurely walk along the beach took us to a small freshwater lagoon where we watched Smooth-billed Anis resting in the brush and Spotted Sandpipers working the shoreline.

A quick stop near a bridge upstream rewarded us with our first looks at a Green Kingfisher and a Trinidad Chevron Tarantula. We returned to Asa Wright in time for late tea and some personal birding time before dinner.

Sunday, January 31, 2010 – Dunstan Oilbird Cave and Caroni Swamp Boat Trip

Sunrise on the veranda brought with it a break in the weather and we were able to enjoy patchy blue skies this morning with our coffee.  After breakfast, we met up with Harold, a local Asa Wright guide and photographer (most of the postcards, photos, and posters at the nature center were taken by Harold), for our hike down to Dunstan  Cave to see the resident Oilbird colony.  Along the hike, Harold interpreted the flora and fauna of the preserve, including our first looks at Golden-fronted Greenlets.  The Oilbird cave deep in the Guacharo  River valley was a unique experience for everyone.  This is one of the few places in the world with access to an Oilbird colony. After a short walk into the cave one was immediately rewarded with close views of this incredible species, the world’s only known nocturnal fruit-eating bird.  Much larger than imagined, this bird with a 42-inch wingspan is able to hover and echolocate, although not nearly as well as a bat.  The boisterous and eerie calls of the colony concerned some that we were disturbing them with our presence, but we discovered that the colony is just as raucous on days without any tours. To minimize disturbance to the colony, the nature center has for years only allowed 2 tours per week and the colony seems unaffected.  We returned to a much busier veranda as a large birding contingent from the UK had arrived. We enjoyed their company quite a bit and ran into some of them at other locations throughout our trip.

After lunch, we again loaded up the vans and departed for another offsite destination, this time the Caroni Swamp. Swamp is an unfortunate namesake as this area is in reality is a beautiful and diverse mangrove forest.  Scarlet Ibis were our quest bird for this trip but we enjoyed many species of birds on our way to the ibis roost.  Sean, our second-generation boat guide, worked hard to give us a wonderful experience in the mangroves and located many species of birds including Straight-billed Flycatchers and a Black-crested Antshrike.  The Scarlet Ibis fly-in was a true spectacle of nature.  The continuous flocks of brilliantly-colored ibis seemed illuminated against the fading light, and were accompanied by the chorus of oohs and aahs from spectators in the several boats tied up nearby. Thoroughly satisfied with our Scarlet Ibis encounter, we departed and worked our way back to the docks, enjoying the occasional close fly-by of even more ibis.  Along the last canal, some in the group were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Rufous-necked Wood Rails that Sean spotted with his keen eyes.

Monday February 1, 2010 - Aripo Savannah  Forest – Asa Wright

The kitchen staff accommodated us with an early breakfast as we were off to an early morning start today to spend more time at TARS and the nearby Aripo  Savannah Forest.   On our way, we made a quick stop in the city of Arima for ATM visits.  Another quick stop at a nearby watercress farm produced Limpkins and other shorebirds as well as Pale-breasted and Yellow-chinned Spinetails. Arriving early in the morning at TARS in order to avoid the heat of the day, we were greeted by a fly-by Yellow-headed Caracara and Savannah Hawks that were plentiful in the fields. Many smaller songbirds such as Blue-black Grassquits and Ruddy-breasted Seedeaters were located in the pastures and pens around the cattle and Water Buffalos.  

En route to Aripo Savannah  Forest, we stopped at a known Pearl Kite nesting location where we got wonderful looks of perched and soaring kites. We arrived at the Aripo  Savannah Forest in time for lunch, this time eating out of the back of the vans along a forest road, to the sights and sounds of Rufous-browed Peppershrikes (a bird that we had heard but up until this point eluded us the entire trip) and Squirrel Cuckoos.  

We arrived back at Asa Wright to enjoy an afternoon off to bird on our own or enjoy a siesta.

Tuesday February 2, 2010 - Tobago Island and Grafton Estate

Today we checked out of Asa Wright, said our goodbyes to the nature center staff, our guides Ramdas and Mahese and departed for Tobago, a small Caribbean island some 20 miles off into the Atlantic Ocean.  From Port of  Spain airport, we boarded a large turboprop aircraft for our 20 minute flight to Tobago.  Arriving at the quaint Tobago airport, we enjoyed a refreshment or two and met up with Gladwyne James, one of the local guides for our stay on Tobago. After a stop for a local lunch of Kingfish and dumplings, we birded the Bon Accord wastewater treatment ponds.  The treatment ponds contain quite a bit of wetlands and provide good birding habitat.  One of the first birds we saw at the ponds was a Purple Heron, a very rare visitor to the area and, as it turned out, was the first official record for Tobago. Among the other birds sighted at the wastewater ponds were Wattled Jacanas, Least Grebes, and three species of egrets: Great, Green, and Cattle. Checking freshwater sources along the way to the Grafton Estate, we observed a sunning Neotropic Cormorant along with Purple Gallinules, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and nice-sized flock of Southern Lapwings.

Arriving at historic Grafton Estate a little early, we were afforded time to hike some of the local trails before the regular afternoon bird feeding.  Famous for Blue Crowned Motmots and Rufous-vented Chachalacas, the grounds didn’t disappoint us.  The afternoon bird feeding at Grafton was a true spectacle.  After the filling of nectar feeders and spreading cracked corn on platform feeders, our group along with other spectators sat quietly waiting for birds to arrive.  Bananaquits quickly descended on the nectar feeders as Rufous-vented Chachalacas gathered in nearby trees waiting nervously for the first bird to make its move to the cracked corn.  Once one bird made its move, the rest of the 30 or so chachalacas quickly descended to feed.  Soon, flocks of Pale-vented Pigeons joined in for their share of the corn.  

We arrived at Cuffie River Lodge in time to enjoy the many hummingbirds feeding on the strategically placed hummingbird feeders. This is where we had our best looks at Ruby Topaz hummingbirds and White-necked Jacobins patrolling the feeders.  The Cuffie River Lodge is a true gem and provided us luxurious accommodations.  After a wonderful dinner, we were serenaded by an evening chorus of chachalacas as they sounded off before settling down to roost for the night.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010 – Cuffie River Lodge

Waking to a wonderful morning at Cuffie River Lodge, we spent the early morning watching hummingbirds at the feeders and enjoying a delicious breakfast.  Afterwards we met up with Desmond, our guide for the day, for a walk through the grounds.  Most of the grounds were once a cocoa plantation and the forest is quickly reestablishing itself. Together we walked the old trails and roads through the forests where we again had great looks at Blue-crowned Motmots and their nesting holes in the banks of road cuts.  Rufuous-tailed Jacamars were also easily seen here.  The open field-type habitats along the roads proved to be excellent habitat for many of the flycatchers and we were able to watch Fuscous, Venezuelan, Brown-crested, and Streaked Flycatchers hawk for insects.  Both Tropical and Gray Kingbirds were also spotted using these habitats.

We returned to the lodge to enjoy an afternoon of swimming in their saltwater pool and observing the action at the hummingbird feeders.  Another exceptional dinner included the infamous Callaloo soup, the best soup in the world according to some members of the group.

Thursday, February 4, 2010 - Transfer to Blue Waters Inn -  Gilpen Trace Trail

Today we once again found ourselves on Gladwyne’s bus, this time on our way to Speyside, a small coastal town on the Atlantic side of the island.  On the way, we stopped to hike the Gilpen Trace Trail located along the highest mountain ridge in the Tobago Main Ridge Preserve, the oldest nature preserve in the western hemisphere.  Here we successfully tracked down a White-tailed Sabrewing, a hummingbird which was once thought extirpated by a hurricane in 1963.  Adolphus James, Gladwyne’s father, is credited with the rediscovery of the sabrewing on Tobago. It is also along the Gilpen Trail that we found our best example of a leafcutter ant colony with beautiful earthwork mounds of the discarded orange fungus material from the underground chamber.  Upon returning to the trailhead, we ate our packed lunches prepared by the Cuffie River Lodge kitchen staff, loaded back up on the bus and headed to the Blue Waters Inn, where we’ll be spending the next two evenings.  

We arrived to find our beautiful ocean side accommodations waiting for us.  After settling in, we rested up for a couple hours before a wonderful seaside dinner right at Blue Waters Inn.

Friday, February 5, 2010 - Little Tobago  Island Seabird Sanctuary

Today was our much anticipated trip to Little Tobago Island to visit a Red-billed Tropicbird nesting colony.   Sunrise revealed a typically beautiful Caribbean day.  After a great seaside breakfast, where we had to brush aggressive Ruddy Turnstones off the tables lest they help themselves to our fruit plates, we boarded a small glass bottomed boat for our ride to Little Tobago. With great views of the coral reef below, we worked our way along the rocky shoreline of Goat Island and on to Little Tobago.  Once there, and after our dance with the waves to make the well-timed transfer to the dock, we began our hike over the island in search of Tropicbirds.  Along the way, we had incredible views of a resting White-tailed Nightjar.  Sitting motionless, it was so well camouflaged that you lost sight of it when you blinked.  Finding it afterwards in our photographs proved even more difficult.  

Arriving at the seabird colony lookout, we observed hundreds of Red-billed Tropicbirds along with other species of seabirds, including all three color phases of the Red-footed Booby, Brown Boobies, Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans.  The show-stopper for the excursion was a Red-billed Tropicbird making its way off a nest after a shift change.  This bird, about the size of a Caspian Tern, but much more graceful in flight, with flight muscles so large and legs so short, that all it could do was hop and flop away from its nest.  Once in the clear, it took off flying right at us, barely clearing our heads as it flew in-between members of the group.  We got great photographs and video of this bird as well as the rest of its family back on the nest.

We returned from Little Tobago in time for lunch. Afterwards about half of the group took an optional snorkeling trip at the Japanese Garden coral reef not far off shore. The remaining members of the group enjoyed the water’s edge in our protected lagoon at Blue Waters Inn by swimming and kayaking.  By late afternoon, the entire group was relaxing on the beach, letting Tobago slowly sink in.

Another great seaside dinner was in store, this time with a local steel drum band providing our evening entertainment. This was our last evening on Tobago and most of the group retired early to be prepared for our early departure back to Trinidad.

Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Return to Trinidad, Port of Spain Tour

Greeted by another beautiful Caribbean sunrise, we were fed and on Gladwyne’s bus early to return to Trinidad. This time Gladwyne took us along the Atlantic  Coast Road where we picked up a couple more seabirds to add to our list that was quickly approaching 200 for the trip. Stopping at a pier we observed a flock of Royal Terns atop posts, facing into the wind.  Bird 199 for the trip!  Needing one more bird, Gladwyne set out to get the group a Laughing Gull (another bird that had managed to elude us on this trip) and finally found us several at an outdoor fish market just minutes from the airport.  

Back in Port  of Spain, we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant and were guided on a city tour showcasing the prominent buildings, architecture and city parks of the capital.   A highlight of the tour was an interlude at a carnival costume design house where we viewed renaissance-themed costumes for the upcoming Carnival.  We settled in to the Kapok Hotel and rested before dinner.  Meeting ahead of our reserved dinner time, we relaxed in the Tiki Hut restaurant to enjoy a refreshment and to review our bird list together one last time.  We took our time enjoying a plentiful, family-style Chinese meal and returned to our rooms to prepare for our early flights back to the U.S.

Sunday Feb 7th, 2010 - Depart Trinidad from Port of Spain

Flights to the mainland U.S. were early and we left the hotel well before sunrise to make it to the airport in the allotted time. At the airport, we had time to get breakfast, exchange personal information and say our goodbyes until the next adventure.

 

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