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.

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Blackbirds Trinidad Costa Rica Nicaragua 168

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.

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Trinidad Bats Falcons Groups 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2021

Several tour companies and birders seeking to investigate birding in the country with the second highest bird species density in the world indicated that it may be futile to pursue a birding trip to Trinidad & Tobago given the closure of a single (and undeniably significant) lodge. Dreaming of eye-level trogons? We got you.

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Trinidad Investigation Woodpeckers Birds 264

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.

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Trinidad Groups Family Species 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

As is my self-declared tradition of speaking of groups of birds within the species gamut of Trinidad & Tobago, allow me to introduce you to yet another group of three. Alas – both Trinidad and Tobago each have two Myiarchus flycatchers. Simple and straightforward enough, right? Does habitat overlap? Considerably.

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Trinidad ALA Groups Family 247

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.

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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.

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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.

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Trinidad Litter 2020 Family 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

In 2022, the 10,000 Birds eBird Collaborative submitted 1,837 checklists from 9 countries ( Australia , China , Costa Rica , Mexico , Saint Lucia , Serbia , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and the United States ) and observed 1,273 species. The Collaborative life list increased to 4,140.

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Saint Lucia Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad 233

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.

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Trinidad Breeding Family Species 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2022

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. It almost looks as if the bird is underwater!

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Trinidad Venezuela Bats Woodpeckers 264

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.

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Trinidad Birds Woodpeckers Species 303

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

It may seem like an unnecessarily recurring theme in my posts about birding within Trinidad & Tobago, but the more I write on the subject the more it becomes apparent that the number three must have some significance, somewhere. The three main peaks of the Trinity Hills are what gave it its name, and by extension the island of Trinidad.

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Trinidad Birds Tigers Monkeys 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2020

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.

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Trinidad Turtles Turkey Fish 249

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.

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Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 262

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.

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Trinidad Spain Cooking Hunting 211

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.

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Trinidad Bears Family Groups 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2020

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.

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Trinidad Welfare North America Emotional 278

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Add that to the fact that here in Trinidad & Tobago we’re still under a strict curfew – the earliest I’m allowed to leave home is 5am. They are resident in Trinidad and their population is slowly expanding. As a birder and photographer, I have a clear preference for arriving on location at least by dawn.

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Trinidad Groups Blackbirds Species 361

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

For the purpose of this post being of a reasonable length, I’m only going to touch on members of the Tyrannidae family of New World Flycatchers which can be found in the cocoa estates of Trinidad and Tobago. There are of course, many other birds which feed on flying insects, such as jacamars and trogons. Yellow-breasted Flycatcher.

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Trinidad Abandon Abandonment Abandoning 249

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

For the fifth year in a row, I was assigned the prolific and well-known Aripo Livestock Station at the foothills of Trinidad’s Northern Range. Both White-bearded and Golden-headed Manakins were calling consistently, as well as Violaceous and Trinidad Euphonias. The constant twittering of Bananaquits distracted many an ear.

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Trinidad Livestock Groups Eagles 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

Trinidad and Tobago has historically had seventeen species on record, sixteen on Trinidad and six on Tobago. The diminutive but rather extravagant Tufted Coquette will likely never come to a feeder, but is perfectly content to feed on the abundance of flowering shrubs throughout forested areas on Trinidad.

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Trinidad South America Venezuela 2019 264

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.

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Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad Serbia 251

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

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.

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Trinidad Woodpeckers Species Humane 237

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?

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Trinidad Guyana Reptiles Chickens 198

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

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.

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Trinidad South America America Ecuador 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

My childhood home in Trinidad, sits in a tranquil rural area on the very edge of the boundary limits of the Borough. As a child, the lush landscapes were simply part of the background, with Black Vultures occasionally spotted gliding in the distance.

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Trinidad Birds 238

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.

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Trinidad Rescue Wildlife Venezuela 100

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.

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Trinidad 2015 Suffering Cats 263

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.

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Trinidad Laws Family Hunting 210

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2013

The Trincity Sewage Ponds in Trinidad and Tobago are no exception. My visit to the best sewage ponds for birding on the island of Trinidad was on 19 July 2013. My visit to Trinidad and Tobago was sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company but the views expressed in the blog posts regarding the trip are my own.

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Trinidad Nevada Illinois New Jersey 187

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.

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Trinidad Groups Parrots Eagles 264

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.

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Trinidad Birds Ducks Fish 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2013

More interesting to the non-birders were the Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Trinidad Motmots that we saw, though they did stay rather distant. My visit to Trinidad and Tobago was sponsored by the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Development Company but the views expressed in the blog posts regarding the trip are my own.

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Trinidad Venezuela Birds Protection 217

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2024

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.

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Trinidad Costa Rica Panama Whales 225

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

Of course, the birds in this post were all photographed at the Asa Wright Nature Center on Trinidad which, with Tobago, is as far into the Caribbean as you are likely to find them. For more information about visiting Trinidad and Tobago a good place to start is the official tourism website. ….

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Trinidad Bolivia Mexico Collecting 176

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.

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Trinidad Birds 264