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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!
Turns out that this species was another common species, and is reliably seen at several sites across Trinidad. This medium-sized owl has a bone-chilling call and is generally a strictly nocturnal resident of deeper forest on Trinidad. I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t yet light, the sky was still a dark blue.
There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? 2) Which hummingbird was more beautiful—Tufted Coquette or Ruby-topaz Hummingbird? (3)
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.
While the combination of the words “coast” and “forest” may conjure images of tidal mudflats and mangroves or even coconut trees, the northern coastline of Trinidad features tropical rainforest that plunges steeply into the bejeweled waters of the Caribbean Sea. Check it out for yourself here.
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.
In southern Trinidad, however, there is much more at play than what is immediately discernible. Due to the plethora of bird species around, invariably we were to experience something breathtaking. Commonly domesticated, wild versions of the Muscovy Duck historically inhabited wetlands across Trinidad.
Having been marooned on Trinidad for the last two years, my body was aching for a change. For anyone who’s been birding in T&T, you should be able to attest to the fact that Trinidad Motmots are far easier seen on Tobago than on Trinidad. Along the trails there are many species that accompany the walker.
Asa Wright Nature Centre in Trinidad holds a prominent position on that list of luminaries. The dichotomous republic of Trinidad and Tobago may be something of a cipher to anyone unfamiliar with the point where the Caribbean ends and South America begins. Now I’ve finally spent time at Asa Wright, I understand why.
This sleepy fishing village on the north coast of Trinidad should ring a bell – it boasts the densest nesting population of Leatherback Turtles in the entire western hemisphere. The mature forest deep in the hills is the single best place in the world to catch a glimpse of the critically endangered Trinidad Piping Guan.
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.
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. For many birders, the quest to spot a specific bird can become an obsession.
Out of the approximately 26 species of snipes worldwide, two have been recorded on Trinidad. On Trinidad it took me some more time until I saw my first snipe. Without the optimal view, some snipes like this one seen in February this year on Trinidad shall remain unidentified, unfortunately. Any snipe is a good snipe, they say.
Cameras were still tucked away, but the experience left us all without words. 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.
Far less experience the two in a single morning. Fortunately, I live in Trinidad and Tobago – a twin-island nation that boasts the second highest density of bird species in the world. Those experiences also served to illustrate a point that was enforced several times during our birding session within the forest that morning.
Don’t get me wrong, Rufous-breasted Wrens are fairly common across both Trinidad and Tobago. All the while it moved a grand total of three times – vastly differing from all my prior experiences with this species! I wheeled my focus button on my binoculars all the way back before putting it to my eyes, it was that close.
Seven hours in total, reaching halfway up the second highest peak on Trinidad, El Tucuche. Trinidad Lancehead , or Fer-de-lance. The following year, 2014, I elected to join a different group birding the lowland seasonal forest at the opposite end of the CBC radius from where I had that wonderful experience the year before.
Birding in Trinidad and Tobago has been likened to an introductory chapter in the book of birding in the Neotropics. And for good reason. While the 480-odd species recorded within T&T may outstrip our fellow Caribbean islands by leaps and bounds, it pales in comparison to the massive lists of mainland South and Central America.
Many moons ago, when I used to work in the (supposedly) booming petrochemical industry in Trinidad, most of my time was actually spent birding. These irruptive visitors to T&T always are a pleasure to experience. Golden-crowned Warbler is one of the three resident warbler species on Trinidad. Bay-headed Tanagers.
One of the most regularly traversed roads for the purpose of birding on the island of Trinidad is the Arima-Blanchisseuse Road. Only a couple articles back I described the experience of a morning’s birding along this road. White-throated Spadebill.
During a two-year long moratorium on hunting in T&T, I had some of the most incredible birding experiences. It had been some months since we had been in the hills of Trinidad’s Northern Range, and let it be known that all forests are very different. Our yearly CBC racked up its highest numbers in a decade.
I would love to spend a night at this lake to experience the magic of twilight here – but there are many other animals which frequent this area that can materialize at any moment. The first post I ever prepared for this blog centred around a search for a vagrant Curlew Sandpiper here in my native Trinidad.
I began recording my bird sightings with photographs in late 2009, and since then I have seen (or at least heard) a fair proportion of species recorded within my home country of Trinidad & Tobago. After all, it was a straightforward procedure: drive to the mangrove swamps, play the call, photograph the bird, leave.
However, I spotted that egregious invasive while in Miami during a layover fro Trinidad and Tobago. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Instead, I’ll mention the Eastern Bluebirds I saw with my kids at the Genessee Country Village-Museum on Father’s Day!
After all, he was in Trinidad until Saturday afternoon. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. One particular cormorant appeared to have streaks of white plumage that mirrored the effect of the foamy water. Fascinating! What was your best bird of the weekend?
But this experience which I’m about to relate to you was much more significant than chasing a rarity. Having extensive experiences with this species did not prevent me from enjoying them, for as I said – they show themselves. You can still check the spoonbill out in all its innocence here. Aplomado Falcon. Frustrated, yes.
Great Kiskadees are ubiquitous in Trinidad and Guyana, this bird’s proportions were slightly different, however. Wing-barred Seedeater was formerly a common sight on Tobago but intensive trapping for the pet trade has extirpated the species from that island. Once it vocalized, the differences were made even clearer.
In June 2012, I had the great fortune to visit Trinidad and Tobago in a group that included birder and artist Matthew Dodder. But for non-artist birders as well, stopping to notice this feature in a bird enriches our birding experience whether we plan on drawing or not.
My first experience was with a nesting pair, one bird was out at the time and the other was comfortably sitting quite low in the nest. These all added to the overarching foreboding feeling of the moment – after all it was the 59th anniversary of the independence of Trinidad & Tobago.
That was a fleeting occurrence, and part of the beauty of the experience altogether. The light falls on it differently each time, it holds its feathers in unique ways; the combination of these factors leads to a plethora of experiences that mirror the magic of the natural world. Hummingbirds are enthralling by nature.
Back in Trinidad, both Spectacled Thrush and Cocoa Thrush would nest in our backyard. This gave us several chances to experience them at various stages of growth. A pair of Spectacled Thrushes at the very commencement of their noisy life.
Here are the results: 3 per cent of respondents (in no particular order): Trinidad and Tobago, Chile, Tanzania, Madagascar. They would like to experience it, but have no sufficient knowledge of its birding possibilities to choose one, or a few, instead of a continent as a whole. 8%: Brazil, Panama. 10%: Australia, Papua New Guinea.
Mentions of Trinidad being the “land of the hummingbird” served to further irk me later on, and the fact that the airline selected this logo to reference that makes me bring up a little bit of breakfast. To my limited knowledge, hummingbirds all had brown wings. Could this be a real bird?
You truly cannot experience the Gray-barred Wren without hearing the raucous calls shared among group members of this highly-social species. White-striped Woodcreeper : Faraaz Abdool recently wrote about Trinidad and Tobago’s wonderful Woodcreepers , and this one is the Woodcreeper of western Mexico’s pine-oak forests.
I don’t know what the experience is like in other parts of the world – so do let me know – but at least here in T&T, some of the absolute best waterbirding can be done at sewage ponds.
The years passed and I had several similar experiences with this cryptic species. Only then I realized that it was an adult with a juvenile – and the experience took on an entirely new dimension. I was on a Christmas Bird Count and none of the other more experienced birders even attempted to get a good view of it.
Animals obviously see death and experience it as we do, so the question is not one of if, but of how. Did the Black-bellied Whistling Duck represent his family, “showing face” as we say here in the Caribbean? Or was it all dumb luck, the randomness of nature at play, pure coincidence?
Black-faced Antthrush : Just as the Maya Antthrush sounds different from the birds in Costa Rica, so do the birds in Amazonia, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Guyanas. A Black-faced Antthrush from the Amazon. Buff-throated Foliage-gleaner : No not a case of déjà vu.
Especially as we were at the time about to experience a rapidly advancing tropical storm. Even though I had seen these cryptic austral migrants before, there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity that was this close to home. Striated Heron in breeding plumage – extra plumes and blue lores.
Those who are familiar with my ethos know quite well that I am very much for the experience as opposed to the payoff. Whether on Trinidad or Tobago, there are few places one can visit where the presence of the sea isn’t felt. Some call it a preference for the journey rather than the destination.
Steve Howell has spent decades of experience in the field studying the birds of Belize, Costa Rica, and especially Mexico. Conclusion Birds of Belize and Birds of Costa Rica are both impressive, informative, well-organized field guides, distinguished by the expertise, experience, and talents of their authors. 4 (July 2013), pp.
Nevertheless, it necessary to combine field experience with museum experience to create a vivid and accurate image of a species. & updated (PUP, 2010); you can find a full list of his publications and listing of number of plates contributed on Dyer’s web site.
One of the interesting aspects of Trinidad’s nature is that both southern corners of the roughly boot-shaped island are dotted with wetlands. Some weeks ago, I elaborated on some of my experiences on the eastern and southeastern ends. As such, the area is one of the best places to catch a glimpse of a Red-bellied Macaw or two.
It was a heart-pounding scene straight out of Jurassic Park, an odd experience for a laid-back pursuit like birding. Horned Guan by Adam Riley Mike was tempted to go with a guan as well, since he had the good fortune to encounter the Trinidad Piping Guan in the only country it can be found. I wrote about the experience here.
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