f Paria - Ins and Outs of Trinidad & Tobago 2013

Tobago
experience
Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
by Martyn Kenefick
Rewrite the geography books—the
twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago are
“part of” South America. Parts of Trinidad
were geologically attached to mainland
Venezuela as recently as 10,000 years ago
and its sheer wealth of flora and fauna is
decidedly South American in flavour. Just
look at our birdlife—our two small islands
have hosted no less than 470 different
species of bird, of which approximately 230
are resident here and one—the Trinidad
Piping Guan (Pawi)—is endemic; found
nowhere else on earth. As a consequence,
the ornithological authorities consider our
islands Neotropic as opposed to Antillean.
Both islands are ideal for bird watching,
sharing an extensive road network, large
tracts of rain forest, accessible freshwater
marshes and mangrove swamps together
with offshore islands teeming with
seabirds. With such habitat diversity, it is
quite possible to find up to 100 species of
birds on any given day.
Our forests are ablaze with colour, from
the blues, yellows, reds and greens of our
Trogons, to the iridescent feathers of our
seventeen species of humming bird. Each
evening, boat loads of visitors moor up
inside the Caroni swamp in Trinidad, to
witness small green islands turn bright red
as flocks of Scarlet Ibis, our national bird,
come into roost. Flamboyant birdlife even
reaches the centre of Port of Spain when
parties of Orange-winged and Yellowcrowned
Parrots fly in to sleep in the treelined
avenues. Many birds enriched by
dazzling colour are shy by nature. Not so
in Tobago, where Blue-crowned Motmots
and Rufous-tailed Jacamars regularly visit
hotel gardens.
As distinctive as the colour is the variety
of sound—from the unique “hammerhitting-an-anvil”
call of the Bearded Bellbird
to the eerie guttural shrieks of Oilbirds
in our forests. From the bubbles, gurgles
and trills of the Crested Oropendola (or
“Cornbird” as we call it here) in our parks
and gardens to the onomatopoeic calls of
the Great Kiskadee in our suburbs—the
noise of birds is everywhere.
Even the names of our birds are exotic;
Magnificent Frigatebird to Red-billed
Tropicbird; Pearl Kite to Ornate Hawk-
Eagle; Ruby-topaz Hummingbird to Whitetailed
Goldenthroat.
Hundreds of bird watchers from all
over the world visit Trinidad and Tobago
annually, some as individual tourists, but
most with organised bird-watching tour
companies. Indeed bird eco-tourism is
becoming a vital revenue source for the
islands. At both Asa Wright Nature Centre
in Trinidad and Cuffie River Nature Retreat
in Tobago, there are practical eco-lodges
located in the heart of “bird land.”
From these bases, every one of our
prime bird-watching areas can be reached
with a little more than an hour’s drive.
For the average bird watcher, there is
little strenuous hiking necessary. Birds
themselves are plentiful and most watching
is from quiet roadsides or well-appointed
trails. By contrast, for the serious enthusiast
who wants to get well off the beaten track
to find the shyest denizens of the forest,
specialised tour guides can be found on
each island. However, one rule applies to
all: To get the most out of each excursion,
it is best to leave as early in the day as
possible. By late morning, it can become
exceedingly hot and birdlife quiets down
dramatically—birds enjoy a siesta as well.
From the mid-afternoon, activity builds
up once more with the race to find the
sustenance they need to last throughout
the ensuing twelve hours of darkness.
Not all of our birds sleep at night. In
Trinidad, most parks and even suburban
gardens carry the monotonous call of the
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (or “Jumbie bird”
to the average Trini). Across the water,
many of the country roads in Tobago
become the launching platform for Whitetailed
Nightjars, gliding this way and that,
in search of nighttime flying insects.
Some of our “night birds” are extremely
secretive. The spectacular Spectacled
Owl in Trinidad is more frequently heard
than seen, while the cryptically plumaged
Striped Owl in Tobago is so rarely spotted,
it is almost mythical. But then, finding the
unusual or the difficult to see is one of the
main goals of bird watchers worldwide.
Blue-crowned Motmot
Rufous-tailed Jacamar
Stephen Broadbridge (2)
The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago
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