Trinidad & Tobago
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Trinidad & Tobago Naturetrek Tour Report 5 - 18 March 2017 Common Tent Bat by Rob Murray White-necked Jacobin by Rob Murray Bearded Bellbird by David Robinson Common Long-tongued Bat by David Robinson Report compiled by Rob Murray Photos by David Robinson and Rob Murray Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Trinidad & Tobago Tour participants: Mukesh Ramdash (leader Trinidad) and Gladwyn James (leader Tobago) Rob Murray (leader Naturetrek with eight Naturetrek clients Day 1 Sunday 5th March The arrival formalities at Trinidad's Piarco Airport were thorough and time consuming, involving luggage inspections by X-ray, hand and sniffer dog! Mukesh, the representative of the Asa Wright Centre, was waiting to greet us. Our baggage was loaded onto one bus and another arrived to take us up to the centre. In Trinidad people drive on the left - more or less! Once out of the maze of urban roads, we climbed steadily along the Blanchisseuse road to the centre. Rooms were allocated efficiently and we gathered for supper. Common Long- tongued Bats were visiting the feeders hanging from the balcony. Very slick camera operation was required to capture more than just the feeder on the image. House Geckos were patrolling the ceilings and walls. As our internal body clocks were registering beyond midnight, the group soon dispersed off to bed. Day 2 Monday 6th March The persistent and insistent nocturnal chorus of crickets gave way to a cacophony of bird song as dawn broke at 6.45am. A Ferruginous Pygmy Owl was the first to be heard, but only by a short head from the Cocoa Thrush. Then assorted tanagers became active as some of the group emerged from their slumber to assemble on the veranda. A stimulating freshly ground cup of coffee set us up for a lengthy vigil at the feeding stations. The staff loaded the feeders with sugar water and stacked the tables with slices of fresh fruit. There was a bewildering procession of assorted tropical birds demanding our attention. White-necked Jacobins were the easiest of Hummingbirds to identify. Others were more challenging but, with plenty of expert guides to hand, we were soon able to identify them with confidence. The Green and the Purple Honey Creepers were a riot of colour. Palm Tanagers were soon feasting on the pineapple slices and squabbling with White-lined and Silver-beaked Tanagers. Violaceous Euphonias were especially attractive. Crested Oropendolas had constructed a colony of pendulous nests in a tree within the accommodation blocks and were noisily flying to and fro. Bananaquits were very confiding and confident enough to steal cake from our plates. Channel-billed Toucans called from the top of a dead tree and gave excellent 'scope views. The breakfast bell rang and we abandoned the balcony to take sustenance of our own. For the rest of the morning we leisurely explored the forest trails in the grounds of the centre. Our chief objectives were to see, and certainly hear, the Bearded Bellbird and to watch White-bearded Manakins on their lek. The call of the bellbird is very loud and distinctive. We were privileged indeed to secure such a close and prolonged encounter with this bizarre bird. The displaying Manakins were comical to watch as they bobbed, jumped and fluttered about a small clearing on the forest floor. We were fortunate to run into another party of birders who were watching a pair of Double-toothed Kites and generously shared their discovery with us. These birds look like accipiters not kites! A running rivulet had attracted a few Stream Frogs and nearby, in a Philodendron clump, Common Tent Bats had set up camp by gnawing the bases of the leaves so that they folded over forming a shelter. Agoutis ran beneath the tables to scavenge spilt fruit and two large Tegu Lizards had a minor scuffle. Leaf-cutter Ants were a feature of all of our walks; some of their fermenting mounts were really impressive in their extent. There were also marauding Army Ants to watch out for. © Naturetrek March 17 1 Trinidad & Tobago Tour Report Very heavy rain fell for some time and this curtailed our after-lunch walk, although we carried on as best we could. Indeed, we found a species which is notoriously difficult to unearth: three Striped Xenops were creeping up the trees giving us excellent views. After rum punch at 6pm and dinner at 7pm, a few of us assembled in the porch area ready to set off on a night Safari by torch light. It was raining again, but we soldiered on and saw several Land Crabs, stick insects and a very large Chevron Tarantula. Upon our return to the centre, Long-nosed bats had begun visiting the feeders. Photographers engaged in an amusing game of ‘snap the bat’. It was certainly a challenge! Day 3 Tuesday 7th March We made an earlier start today, having breakfast at 7.30am and being ready for our bus at 8.30am. The aim was to head out north along the Blanchisseuse Road through the hills to the highest point at 2500 metres. It had been unseasonably wet and windy through the night, and although the wind abated, the heavy showers didn't. The plan was to stop at frequent intervals along the winding road to search for birds. We hoped to find the enigmatic and endemic Trinidad Piping Guan by the communications station at Morne Bleu. It wasn't to be but we did find an impressive, huge Hercules Beetle clinging to the perimeter fence. We enjoyed very good views of Silver- beaked Tanagers, Rufous-breasted Wren and Tooth-billed (also known as Hepatic) Tanager. A female Blue-black Grassquit was a test for our identification skills. Between the showers conditions were favourable for raptors. We saw a good variety which included Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Plumbeous Kites, Black and Turkey Vultures and Broad- winged Hawk. Fortunately, we had just arrived at Haverford for lunch as a forceful tropical downpour unleashed. At least we had some cover. This was another good birding area and we notched up several more species. Butterflies were more evident here although they were most reluctant to settle. Later, at the 15-mile mark, we enjoyed watching nine Blue-headed Parrots and a nesting colony of Yellow-rumped Caciques. Our first Rufous-tailed Jacamar was also found near here. There were some ‘no trespassing’ signs in this area but the most amusing one said 'Beware of the owner not the dogs'! Most of our birding in these thickly forested hills took the form of 'chance it and see' stops with very short walks along the roads. This approach was highly successful leading us to experience a bewildering range of bird life. It was approaching 5pm when we got back to the centre. After dinner, a couple of us joined the night walk along the approach road and down to the pool. It again yielded Chevron Tarantulas, one of which had a refuge inside a hole in a bamboo stem. The other was on the waterfall pool-changing room where we also saw a fine Turnip- tailed Gecko. Leaf-cutter Ants were extremely active and we saw a very long procession of them descending a tree waving leaf fragments in to the air as they trooped towards their immense nest. A Stream Frog with tadpoles adhering to its back was a very interesting discovery. More Whip Scorpions and Harvestmen were illuminated. A species of Rat ran over the leaf litter and disappeared into a bamboo thicket. Disappointingly, we didn't find any other mammals or owls on this occasion. Back at the centre the Long-tongued Bats entertained us as they came to the sugar-water feeders. A long flatworm known as a ribbon worm left a slime trail as it slid across the steps to the veranda. It was quite a sight! Day 4 Wednesday 8th March It was necessary to have breakfast at 6am before anyone else was up and about so that we could depart for the Aripo and Arena Forests in the lowlands at 6.30am. We stopped at several spots on the way to scan across the Arima valley. The first bird we saw was a Scaled Pigeon which was a new bird for the trip. Grey-rumped and 2 © Naturetrek March 17 Trinidad & Tobago Tour Report Band-rumped Swifts raced about over the valley then raptors began to appear over the skyline. Grey-lined Hawk and White Hawk sailed overhead, then Turkey and Black Vultures appeared. One flowering Wild Tobacco shrub was festooned with Tanagers and Honeycreepers. The pick were Bay-headed and Turquoise Tanagers and Red- legged and Green Honeycreepers. A Little Hermit flashed past and began gathering insects from the roadside embankment. The next stop was specifically to find a Greyish Saltator which we duly did. As it was sunny we faired much better for butterflies today seeing Monarchs, Long-tailed Skippers, The Postman and several others awaiting identification. A flock of long-tailed black birds diving into a shrub proved to be our first Smooth-billed Anis. Focusing on one particular farm service road paid dividends. We actually located not one but two Ferruginous Pygmy Owls and everyone had excellent views of them. Whilst we were basking in triumph at finally pinning down this vocal but elusive species, we turned to see a magnificent Crimson-crowned Woodpecker at close range in excellent light. That set the shutters whirling! Looking around the plain we were astounded by the huge numbers of vultures circling here, there and everywhere.