10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2013

However the Red-breasted Blackbird ended up with its appellation doesn’t matter as much as how great a bird it is, well worth a trip to Trinidad and Tobago to see. It was on the island of Trinidad, at the Aripo Agricultural Research Station, where all of these photographs were taken. female Red-breasted Blackbird.

Blackbirds 167

Blackbirds Trinidad Costa Rica Nicaragua 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2021

The islands and surrounding islets of Trinidad and Tobago boast an astounding list of almost 500 species of birds. The Purple Honeycreeper that is found on Trinidad is actually an endemic subspecies to the island, and has a slightly longer bill than its mainland relatives. Purple Honeycreepers.

Trinidad 263

Trinidad Groups Family Species 263

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2024

Cocoi Heron Pied Plover Black Skimmer Coming across a pair of Red-capped Cardinals was exciting – resembling the Masked Cardinal that we were accustomed to in Trinidad but a little stretched out, as if pulled gently by the tail and bill simultaneously. Striated Heron , a routine sighting in many places I’ve been.

Guyana 226

Guyana Otters Trinidad Bats 226

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Very early in the year, I wrote a post on this blog about what I thought was a strong contender for BOTY (Bird of the Year) here in Trinidad & Tobago. See, the last time any Sungrebe was found on Trinidad was in 1991, and that in itself was a couple decades after the previous sighting.

Trinidad 199

Trinidad Hunting Rights Birds 199

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad. Golden-olive Woodpecker.

Woodpeckers 252

Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2021

Continuing here with the series on threes within the avian landscape of Trinidad and Tobago (in case you missed it, T&T has three each of trogons , antshrikes , spinetails , manakins , hermits , honeycreepers , and resident warblers ) we arrive at one of the more difficult species triads to encounter.

Trinidad 259

Trinidad Breeding Family Species 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2021

Here in Trinidad & Tobago we live up to our reputation of being a comfortable introduction to the world of Neotropical birding – we only have ten (out of a staggering three hundred) furnariids. Five of these are woodcreepers , and I spoke about them a few weeks ago. All three spinetails vocalize repeatedly.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Litter Guyana Family 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

In the southeastern end of Trinidad, the Trinity Hills rises above the mostly flat interior of the island. This trio of hills stood out to a certain lost seaman over 500 years ago – who took it as a sign of the Holy Trinity and therefore coined the name La Isla de la Trinidad.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Family Species Birds 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2021

Life behind a screen for this birding guide involves delving into the extensive list of birds of Trinidad & Tobago , answering questions about the birds and possible itineraries and so on. In T&T – or more specifically on Trinidad only as none of these can be found on Tobago – there are three species of resident warblers.

Trinidad 263

Trinidad Litter 2020 Groups 263

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2022

In February 2022, the Collaborative submitted 127 checklists in 7 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and Serbia ). The first four were seen in Trinidad and Tobago and the last in China. The 2022 year list stands at 888 and the life list is now at 4,112.

Costa Rica 232

Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad United States 232

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

In my last post here , I spoke of a rather odd trend permeating the birdlife here in Trinidad & Tobago. Barred Antshrikes are common and widespread across both Trinidad and Tobago, in fact it is the only antshrike found on Tobago. Many species seemed to come in threes, and today I shall continue my examination of these.

Trinidad 233

Trinidad Bears Family Groups 233

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2023

In southern Trinidad, however, there is much more at play than what is immediately discernible. Commonly domesticated, wild versions of the Muscovy Duck historically inhabited wetlands across Trinidad. These two Muscovy drakes brutally battled for about ten minutes right in front of us.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Birds Ducks Fish 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2023

The southern forests of the island of Trinidad are home to the much-maligned Moruga Grasshopper. International organisations have provided “assistance” to the government of Trinidad & Tobago over the years to placate residents and aggrieved farmers. But little has been said about its ecological function.

Trinidad 147

Trinidad Squirrels Investigation Bears 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Turns out that the Streak-headed Woodcreeper was a formerly uncommon resident of Trinidad, its range gradually increasing to cover semi-degraded and altered habitat. Four of those are resident on Trinidad, and one is found only on Tobago. This woodcreeper is restricted to mangrove forests on the west coast of Trinidad.

Trinidad 190

Trinidad Laws Family Hunting 190

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2022

Having spent all my life in Trinidad, it was the first time I would be stationed away from the island of my birth. Last month I took the boat back to Trinidad as I was booked to guide a trip there for a week and a half. Trinidad Piping-Guan. What would it be like? So this is a strange, and very niche version of a trip report!

Trinidad 267

Trinidad Turkey Squirrels Species 267

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2023

One of the interesting aspects of Trinidad’s nature is that both southern corners of the roughly boot-shaped island are dotted with wetlands. Trinidad’s southwestern peninsula has pockets of wet savanna that support sizeable groves of moriche palm.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Protest Protesting Protesters 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Here in Trinidad, we routinely experience several of these migrants – most of these birds surely pass by unrecorded as not everyone is a birder and not all birders are huge fans of suffering from Warbler Neck.

Trinidad 257

Trinidad 2015 Suffering Cats 257

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

This time, we are back in Trinidad and have relocated to a picturesque lodge in the very heart of the island. These large raptors are actually quite rare on Trinidad but seem to be breeding nearby as one of the sightings was of a juvenile. Yes, Red-bellied Macaws not only mate on the property, but nest here too!

Trinidad 239

Trinidad Barn Owls Owls Reptiles 239

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

It was a dreary morning, with Trinidad under watch for an incoming tropical wave. We are lucky here in Trinidad to experience migrants from both the south and the north – after we saw the elaenia we enjoyed fleeting views of a male American Redstart. The first cooperative birds of the morning were Streaked Flycatchers.

Trinidad 292

Trinidad Birds Woodpeckers Species 292

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2021

Over the past few years we have been rewilding our yard here in the suburbs of the island of Trinidad. In fact it slipped me to upload this earlier as I was completely swamped with some other (bird-related) responsibilities.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Birds 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2023

With my recent relocation to the central forests of Trinidad, I have been afforded the incredible opportunity of observing three oft-confused species in close proximity to one another. In reality these species are rarely in the same place at the same time, however! The Piratic Flycatcher is the smallest of the three, and often the most vocal.

Trinidad 153

Trinidad Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 153

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

Trinidad’s cloud forests typically aren’t birded much. Our first birds for the trip were vocalizing Trinidad Euphonias and an inquisitive Rufous-breasted Hermit. Although this species is found on both Trinidad and Tobago, visibly distinct races occur on each island. Finally, it was time for the dreaded descent.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Groups Parrots Species 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2024

After all, they are annual visitors to my native Trinidad and Tobago. I tried waiting for the sun to rise a little more, but by the time it did, it was far too bright to point a long lens at. It may surprise some that one of my targets when visiting the Rupupuni was photographing a Fork-tailed Flycatcher.

Guyana 226

Guyana Giraffes Brazil Trinidad 226

Critter News

MAY 16, 2009

Three corrupt police officers in Trinidad and Tobago robbed a couple of Venezuelan wildlife smugglers and were subsequently arrested themselves. Over 1,000 animals were rescued, including 500 bull finches and 300 picoplats, The rescued wildlife also included monkeys, parrots, macaws and other species from Venezuela.

Trinidad 100

Trinidad Rescue Wildlife Venezuela 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2023

In the latest instalment of the ongoing documentation of the curious recurrence of the number three in the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago, we arrive on the triad of Grassquits. With the country itself having a tri- prefix, the island of Trinidad features three mountain ranges – one of which is called the Trinity Hills.

Trinidad 216

Trinidad Venezuela Brazil Groups 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2023

Throughout the island of Trinidad they can be heard almost every night yet seeing one can prove a little tricky. This type of common bird is not what spawned this post, however. Bearing the same designation but actually commonplace is the infrequently encountered Common Pauraque.

Trinidad 192

Trinidad Litter Bears Birds 192

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2019

What comes as a surprise, two of them have already positioned themselves as known birding destinations attracting a substantial number of birders: Trinidad and Tobago with the world-famous Asa Wright Nature Centre (cover photo), and The Gambia with experienced local guides, plus cheap packages for African beginners from Western Europe.

Gambia 244

Gambia Equatorial Guinea Species Rwanda 244

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2022

During the second quarter of 2022 (April, May, and June), the Collaborative submitted 581 checklists from 7 countries ( China , Costa Rica , Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago , Saint Lucia , the United Kingdom , and the United States ). The 2022 year list is up to 1,124 species. 4,115: Lesser Antillean Flycatcher (Saint Lucia). 4,116: St.

Saint Lucia 147

Saint Lucia United Kingdom Costa Rica United States 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2022

I’ve been leading a small but faithful group on Trinidad for several years to count birds within a livestock farm that is generally restricted to the public (you can read about some of those shenanigans here ); this was the first time I was to embark on a CBC on the smaller island of Tobago.

Falcons 251

Falcons Trinidad Ducks Groups 251

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2022

The twin-island postcolonial paradise of Trinidad & Tobago celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence today, and as much as I am vehemently anti-nationalist I figured I’d draw some attention to this fact.

Trinidad 182

Trinidad Woodpeckers Bears Family 182

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2013

If you are a birder and you visit Trinidad and Tobago you must go to the Caroni Swamp. If you visit Trinidad and Tobago you must visit Caroni Swamp. Visiting the Caroni Swamp and seeing the soul-satisfying scarlet of the sensational ibis was worth the trip to Trinidad and Tobago all by itself. Actually, scratch that.

Trinidad 196

Trinidad Spain Hunting Cooking 196

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2022

One of the most regularly traversed roads for the purpose of birding on the island of Trinidad is the Arima-Blanchisseuse Road. In fact, this was only my third time seeing this bird, once previously on Tobago and once on Trinidad – along this exact roadway. White-throated Spadebill.

Trinidad 233

Trinidad Squirrels Birds Species 233

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

The sky cracked open as we ascended into the modest hills of Trinidad’s Northern Range. Getting a visual of Trinidad’s largest hummingbird wasn’t going to be easy in the darkness of the undergrowth, though. Turning into one of the side-roads off the famed Arima-Blanchisseuse Road, we continued our journey uphill.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Eagles Bears Litter 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2013

Hidden away in that boatyard is an amazingly good spot to buy roti, which rivaled doubles as my favorite food that I sampled while in Trinidad and Tobago. This happened in Trinidad and Guyana in the urban areas to make it easier and faster to eat the items, as the individuals’ hands would not get as dirty. What, exactly, is roti?

Trinidad 185

Trinidad Guyana Chickens Reptiles 185

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

This was actually the place where the late Richard ffrench spent much of his time as a music teacher, amassing countless observations of birds that would later form the basis of one of the essential birding guides for Trinidad and Tobago. Noisy Yellow-crowned Parrots indicated that it was time to stop the car and get out. Carib Grackle.

Trinidad 218

Trinidad Birds Parrots Falcons 218

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

As mentioned in many other posts on this blog, the avifauna of Trinidad & Tobago consists of several species and family groups occurring very interestingly, in threes. I hadn’t noticed this until I began compiling my own book on the birds of T&T some years ago, and I thought it rather uncanny.

Trinidad 130

Trinidad Bats Falcons Groups 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2013

Such was the situation on Saturday morning in Trinidad when Mukesh Ramdass, who was guiding me for the day, suddenly pulled over and told me it was my lucky day. Mukesh informed me that this particular nest had been used previously and also let me know that hummingbird nests are often reused in Trinidad. I had no idea!

Trinidad 159

Trinidad Birds 159