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ABA DONOR TRIP

Trinidad—Asa Wright Nature Centre

with John Kricher and Paul Green
8-15 January 2003

Bird list | Part 1

11 January 2003, Saturday. Nariva Swamp and surroundings

After breakfast, it was another 0830h rendezvous with Jogie and Mahase, this time to head south to Arima and then east to the coast and the once vast Nariva Swamp. Weather was clear with scattered clouds, the temperature warm and pleasant.  By any measure, good weather.

Our first stop was along the main road to Arima, an area with much truck traffic, but also with a Trinidad Euphonia. Despite its name, this bird is far less abundant than the similar Violaceous Euphonia seen daily at the Centre's feeder area. The resident male eventually responded to Jogie's tape, but the bird never settled down and most of us did not see it well, if at all. A Rufous-browed Peppershrike singing vireo-like in the canopy made itself a bit more visible when it landed in a bamboo, but it too was a challenge.

The drive through Arima was slow, and the birding featured roadside Tropical Kingbirds, Kiskadees, Tropical Mockingbirds, chickens, and Rock Doves. As we approached Valencia, we stopped near the agricultural station to search for open field birds. This should be an area where seedeaters abound but most of the resident species have been significantly reduced because they are kept as cage birds in Trinidad.

Our first bird at the ag fields was a Savanna Hawk, easy to see well atop a snag. Soon we added Red-breasted Blackbird, Green-rumped Parrotlet, and White-headed Marsh-Tyrant to our growing birdlist. A bit farther along we found a Pearl Kite perched on a wire, the small raptor barely the size of a shrike. Later we would encounter another.

We arrived at Manzanillo Beach around the noon hour, perfect timing for lunch. The beach was lined with thousands of tall coconut trees, their trunks gently curving in response to the unceasing winds off the Atlantic Ocean. Some hungry malnourished dogs reminded us of how difficult these creatures have it here. Across from the beach was a bizarrely apportioned and extravagant house with a windmill called "Palmzanillo". Sitting atop a post in a field in front of Palmzanillo was a Yellow-headed Caracara. 

After lunch we continued along the palm lined beach and the amazing Jogie spotted first a Merlin and later a Bat Falcon.

We drove to an area dominated by red mangroves, part of what was once a much more extensive area, the Nariva Swamp. As soon as we exited the vans, we found several Bicolored Conebills, warbler-like birds that normally stay high in the trees. They were easy to observe at eye level. Jogie played his tape of Black-crested Antshrike and along came a Barred Antshrike! Soon thereafter, a male Black-crested was calling and most of us got good looks at it. We also encountered Northern Waterthrush and American Redstart, two of the relatively few species of North American migrants that typically winter in Trinidad. John reminded us that mangroves are an essential resource for migrant birds.

Our next birding took place in the Melon Patch, an area of sedge marsh lined with canals and some agricultural fields. Scattered dwellings are also present. Here we found Wattled Jacanas, Pied Water-Tyrants, White-headed Marsh-Tyrants, some Southern Lapwings, many Cattle Egrets, more Striated Herons, but we did not find the elusive Pinnated Bittern.

Oh well, bitterns or not, it was nearing time for the macaws to come to roost, so we drove to a section of beach where Royal Palm trees provide roosting sites not only for Red-bellied Macaws but also for Yellow-crowned Parrots. The latter is a recently split Amazon species that may be a naturalized population of escaped birds — or not.  In any case, they are there now. The order of events was (1) Yellow-crowned Parrots arrive, (2) rum punch is served, and (3) Red-bellied Macaws arrive, allowing good scope view before retiring into the palm fronds. The Red-bellied Macaw is a small macaw species widespread in eastern Amazonia.  The larger Blue-and-yellow Macaw once occurred in Trinidad but has been extirpated and plans exist to eventually reintroduce it.

We were back at the Asa Wright Centre by about 1930h, in ample time for dinner, which was followed by entertainment by local singers.

12 January 2003, Sunday. A day at the Asa Wright Centre

We awoke to more splendid weather, clear, and almost "cool" in the early morning, with tolerable humidity. Ah, the dry season.

After our usual breakfast at 0730h, we assembled for a walk on the Bellbird Trail. John led the walk and discussed aspects of tropical forest ecology as we ambled along the trail.  Bananaquits called from the canopy, but we encountered no mixed foraging flocks of birds, nor any army ant swarms. Still, the vista itself was quite satisfying, a huge, complex forest where birds can rather easily go undetected. And they did.

Eventually we renewed our acquaintance with Bearded Bellbirds as two males were, as before, calling in the trees just above the sign for the Bellbird Trail. John assured the group that seeing these amazing birds with such ease is unusual. We followed the Discovery Trail for a short distance and encountered two male Golden-fronted Woodpeckers in an extended altercation. Paul suggested that one might be a yearling male being ejected by dad from the family territory. Junior didn't seem to want to go. So the birds just postured at one another, often avoiding eye contact. For all we know, they may still be doing it.

We walked back to the Centre for lunch, stopping briefly at the White-bearded Manakin lek again. Lunch was crowded with numerous day visitors to the Centre. The roast beef was tasty.

After lunch Paul and John brought the group together to discuss some of the initiatives and goals of the American Birding Association and, most importantly, to thank the group for supporting our organization. After that, each person was free to spend the afternoon as he or she wished.  Some took walks; many of us remained on the veranda, just watching the show.

It was an ideal time to study the veranda birds and to attempt some photos. Agoutis shared the ground with doves and the numerous large tegid lizards, called Tiger Lizards locally. This kind of lizard is convergent in appearance with the Old World monitor lizards such as the giant Komodo dragon. Lots of birds were around the veranda including Forest Elaenia, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, White-necked Jacobin male, Yellow Oriole, some Turquoise Tanagers, scores of White-lined, Palm, and Blue-gray Tanagers, and an occasional Motmot. A couple of Shiny Cowbirds were present as well. Male and female Tufted Coquettes came and went, mostly visiting the verbena. Some of us watched the Crested Oropendolas constructing their nests, noting that they form a nest hole even when the bulk of the nest is far from complete and enter through the hole to work on the body of the structure.

Our leisurely Sunday concluded with rum punches followed by dinner and a slide show featuring local birds.

13 January 2002, Monday. Aripo (Waller Field) and Arena Forest

Egad! An early day. We had breakfast at 0600h in preparation for a departure at 0630h. Weather continued to border on perfect.

The first stop was Waller Field, an abandoned airfield used by the United States during the Second World War and for some time thereafter. The area is now a drag strip and a hangout for street gangs of—Black Vultures.

Waller Field has stands of Moriche Palm and, for that reason, it also has Neotropic (Fork-tailed) Palm-Swifts, Sulfury Flycatcher, and Moriche Oriole. The flowers around the palms attract Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds. We were fortunate enough to see each of these species quite well.  First were the Palm-Swifts, abundant overhead, nesting in the dead, drooping palm fronds. Next came Sulfury Flycatcher, like a Tropical Kingbird but with a very white upper breast and a squared off, not notched, tail. Then came Moriche Oriole, an "oriole in reverse", mostly black with yellow patches. One sat preening at length, easy to see well in the scopes. We had as many as three of them in the course of our birding there.  Ruby-topaz hummers were around though it was difficult to get a good view of a male. We eventually encountered a male that kept returning to the same perch but kept its back to us, spreading its rufous tail. But eventually, by training scopes on the clusters of pink flowers upon which the bird was feeding, most of us saw its brilliant red crown and orange gorget well, if briefly.

From Waller Field we ambled to a town that, for at least two-plus decades, has hosted a colony of Yellow-rumped Caciques in a pine tree laden with epiphytes including a striking pink orchid blooming in the tree's canopy. The caciques were coming in with nesting material, each working on its nest. We had great looks at the laboring birds.

Lunch was at the Arena Forest but was preceded by an attempt to find White-bellied Antbird. The bird repeatedly responded to Jogie's tape but refused to show itself. There was nothing else to do at that point but to break for lunch, and so we did. We found Black-tailed Tityras, Bay-headed Tanagers, and a White-tailed Trogon at the lunch stop, but the best sighting was of a mammal, a group of about 15 White-lined Sac-winged Bats that was roosting on a decrepit building, under the roof overhang. The bats, each of which had a pair of wavy white lines on its back, glared at us as we watched them.

After lunch, we returned to the Asa Wright Centre, getting back at about 1430h or so. We relaxed for the remainder of the afternoon, mostly on the veranda, though some of us prepared for a night trip with Jogie.

At 1630h, Jogie arrived and about half of us returned to Waller Field to search for nightjars. This was a surreal experience, returning to the airfield, and this time the Black Vultures were roosting in the trees. Before dinner, we had great views of Blue Dacnis, and then we ate by the side of the racetrack, as our two security escorts lurked nearby in their black pickup. Once replete, we toured the runways to search for, and found, White-tailed Nightjar, Common Pauraque, and Common Potoo. We also encountered roosting groups of Southern Lapwing, and we returned to the centre by 2130h.

14 January 2003, Tuesday. A visit to Dunston Cave and the Caroni Swamp

Two bird species, the Oilbird and the Scarlet Ibis, were the focus of this final day in the field in Trinidad. Showers greeted us in the early morning, off and on, never heavy. A pair of Chestnut Woodpeckers joined the more regular members of the feeder clientele.

After breakfast, Jason led us on a walk to Dunston Cave where 120 Oilbirds roost and nest. The cave is in reality a grotto, where a stream passes through, cleansing the cave of bird and bat excrement. It is possible to see completely through the cave, so this is one of the smaller Oilbird colonies in Trinidad. It provides a safe and satisfying opportunity to see this unique species very well. The winding trail led down to the stream and afforded some very satisfying views of the structure of the rain forest. Jason added lots of insights about the trees and animals. John and Jason reviewed the remarkable natural history of the Oilbird at a small shelter just before our final descent to enter the cave.

Jason pointed out the nest of a Chestnut-collared Swift on the rock face near the cave entrance, but the birds were not present, as it was not yet their nesting season. He also showed us the nest of a White-bearded Manakin.

Jason led us in groups of five into the cave. We could see Oilbirds on their ledges and Jason placed the light such that some very nearby were in full view, revealing their rich chestnut plumage and immense hooked beaks, with which the pluck fruits of palms, laurels, and incense trees, and the long rictal bristles that surround the beak. The large birds were alert, eyes wide open, them gazing on us as we gazed on them.

The walk back from the cave, mostly uphill, was hot and humid and we were glad to be back on the veranda by 1100h. We relaxed until lunch and then, after lunch, met Jogie and Mahase for our drive to the Caroni.

The Caroni Swamp is an extensive mangrove forest located on the western side of the island, near Port-of-Spain. Our first stop was at the famous sewage ponds, where unusual birds have often turned up over the years. That would again be the case today. We observed a sizeable flock of Yellow-hooded Blackbirds, some Southern Lapwings, a Spotted Sandpiper, four Black-necked Stilts, some Pied Water-tyrants, and many Wattled Jacanas. Five Least Grebes were in one of the ponds, three in another. Southern Rough-winged and White-winged swallows were in the air and herons and egrets were stalking along the edges of the ponds. We found Little Blue heron, Cattle Egret, and several Snowy Egrets, but the most unusual among them was one Little Egret. Jogie pointed out that this bird lacks the bright yellow lores of the Snowy Egret and has a pale lower mandible, also lacking in the Snowy.

Next, we tried for Long-winged Harrier but did not encounter it. We did, however, find Eared doves, several Ospreys, and a couple of high-flying Peregrine Falcons.

We were at the boat ramp in the Caroni by 1600h. Our boat driver was James Maroo and we all easily fit into the open dory-type boat.  We observed the curious four-eyed fish at the water's surface. These unique piscines have eyes adapted to look simultaneously above and under the water, hence the common name.  We encountered a couple of resting Tree Boas in the mangrove branches above the channel and heard numerous Northern Waterthrushes chipping from within the mangroves.

A male Green-throated Mango was easy to see on an exposed branch. Little Blue and Tricolored Herons flew past and soon we were seeing a few Scarlet Ibis, brilliant red in the subdued light within the tangles of mangrove roots. James pointed out a Common Potoo roosting in the open on a tree branch. The channel eventually opened into a wider lagoon where the roosting trees of the Scarlet Ibis are found.  We saw some Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and soon began to see small flocks of Scarlet Ibis returning to roost. Estimated to be about 3000 in number, this colony consists of birds that feed both in Trinidad and in nearby Venezuela, converging nightly at the roost in the Caroni. The ibis flight did not disappoint, as the birds looked particularly brilliant as illuminated by the late afternoon light.  As we sipped our daily rum punch, group after group of the red birds came from various directions, sideslipping their way into the welcoming mangrove branches.  By the time we departed, what had been a green clump of trees had, indeed, transformed to green and red.

We were back at the Asa Wright Centre by 1945h, in time for our final dinner there, good Carib pork. After that it was time to pack up and be prepared for an early departure.

15 January 2003, Wednesday. Fly away home

We awoke to a starry starry night in the valley of the bellbird. Breakfast was at 0430h and Jogie and Mahase awaited us at 0500h. Luggage was loaded into the truck and we loaded ourselves for the final time into the little red and white vans.

We arrived at Piarco Airport by 0600h and bid farewell to the Ramlals, father and son. The previous evening we had said farewell to Bob and Emmy Carras, who were remaining at Asa Wright most of the day until their flight at 1700h. Now we bid farewell to Dwayne and Marj Longenbaugh, who were catching a flight to Tobago for a few days. The rest of us were aboard BWIA flight 484 to Miami, which departed on time at 0900h, ending our week in the Neotropics.

Special thanks to Bob Carras and Dwayne Longenbaugh for the generous use of their telescopes. And thanks to everyone for having made this trip so totally pleasant.  We really ought to do this sort of thing again.

We have prepared a checklist that serves as a record of the complete list of the species seen by the group.

John and Paul thank you all for joining. We greatly enjoyed spending time birding with you. We look forward to seeing you again at an American Birding Association event, and thank you for your past and future support of our organization.

Bird list | Part 1

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For more information about ABA Donor Trips, please call (800) 850-2473 ext 233 or email .