Wednesday, September 23 Tobago: South Before dawn today, we added a "heard only" species to our list -- Mottled Owl, whose unmistakable catlike calls were heard by several members of the group well before dawn. At the usual time we arose, packed our luggage, enjoyed another delightful breakfast, and then took one last wistful look at the lovely grounds of Asa Wright before bidding our hosts farewell. Our destination for the day was Tobago, Trinidad's island neighbor 23 miles to the north. By now we knew every twist and turn of Blanchisseuse Road by heart, but still we paid extra close attention to the stately Mountain Immortelle and Poui trees as we wound our final way down the Arima Valley, through the outskirts of Arima, and back to Piarco Airport. We handled check-in at Caribbean Airlines as a group, quickly obtaining all of the boarding passes and watching as our luggage disappeared on the conveyor belt that led outside. Our flight was on a turboprop to which we walked in the early morning sunlight, glancing up at the flock of Gray-breasted Martins that call the airport home. A very brief 20 minutes later we touched down at Crown Point Airport in Tobago, where our first Caribbean Martins greeted us overhead along with wheeling Magnificent Frigatebirds. No vultures! There are no vulture species on Tobago except for one or two per decade that may or may not be assisted by humans in arriving on Tobago. In the few minutes before our driver, Kade, arrived we made use of the facilities at the airport and added a conveniently perched Gray Kingbird to our trip list. Our first stop of the morning was at the Bon Accord ponds, an area usually gated and locked but which, to my delight, were completely accessible on this morning. Here we were greeted by a companionable Semipalmated Sandpiper showing his near lack of webbing between the toes, a flock of 30 or more Black Skimmers, numerous Least Grebes submerging themselves in the emergent vegetation, flocks of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks, Anhingas drying their spread wings in the morning sun, our first Green Herons, three recently arrived Blue-winged Teal, and a group of 10 White-cheeked Pintail. On the short cropped grass we found Eared, Pale-vented, and White-tipped Doves. Other birds that were common in the vicinity included Southern Lapwing, Common Gallinule, and Lesser Yellowlegs. Our best discovery around the ponds was a skittish Buff-breasted Sandpiper, never expected in Trinidad or Tobago and a most welcome addition to our bird list. We added Spotted Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher, a fly-by Tricolored Heron, and several Osprey high overhead. Venturing through a gate and into a mangrove swamp, we were about to begin a search for Mangrove Cuckoo when we spotted one just six feet over our head and a second one only a dozen feet away. I heard many shutters clicking during the next few minutes. These were the best views any of us had ever had of a Mangrove Cuckoo, the leader included. In the mangroves we also pulled out Yellow Warbler and had quick views of Scrub Greenlet. Male Anhinga   Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks   Black Skimmer   Great Egret   Green Heron   Mangrove Cuckoo   Pectoral Sandpiper   Short-billed Dowitchers   Tricolored Heron   My usual second stop, which was a short but productive walk to the Caribbean shore at the Nylon Pool, had been completely converted to a private residential community during the short period of time when I had not been in Tobago. Since it had gotten hot, we decided to go directly to the Pennysaver to obtain beverages, snacks, etc. From the wonderful coolness of the Pennysaver store, we headed to the Hilton ponds, where we found a lone Great Blue Heron, Brown-crested Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, and more of the same species we had seen earlier. We searched the entrance pond for the lone Neotropic Cormorant that had frequented that site for several years previously, but apparently it was on leave from the area. By now it was lunchtime, so we headed to an area called Store Bay, a few miles north of the airport. We ate local style, dining on various kinds of roti, pelau, vegetable dishes, and many of us enjoyed homemade ice cream for dessert. While dining we spotted two distant Royal Terns over the Caribbean. We extended our lunchtime, so as to avoid being in the direct sun at midday. Store Bay offers plenty of diversions, including souvenir shops, small bars, and of course places to buy more ice cream. Menu at Store Bay lunch spot   Dining under a shady almond tree in paradise   After lunch we headed northeast past the town of Black Rock to one of my favorite hummingbird spots in Tobago, Adventure Farm. Here we digested our lunch while experiencing a frenzied flurry of hummingbirds. In addition to the ubiquitous Copper-rumped Hummingbirds we saw a great many White-necked Jacobins, Black-throated Mangoes, and a surprisingly large number of Rufous-breasted Hermits, a species not normally common at hummingbird feeders. Of course there were the usual tanagers, mostly Palm and Blue-gray. While at Adventure Farm we also had very close views of Barred Antshrike and Blue-crowned Motmot, the indigenous Tobago subspecies. Then it was back through the town of Plymouth, where we visited the mystery tombstone and stop for more icy cold drinks. Bananaquit   Immature Blue-gray Tanager   White-necked Jacobin female   White-necked Jacobin female   White-necked Jacobin male   The rest of the afternoon we spent birding along the the well manicured trails at Grafton Estate. We must have been the first birders there that day, because the birds seemed unusually common and unusually confiding. We saw more than the usual number of Red-legged Honeycreepers, found three different Red-crowned Woodpeckers, a species absent from Trinidad, and walked right up to a family group of Rufous-vented Chachalacas. We watch the parents select leaves, tear them into small pieces, and feed the fragments to the chicks. White-fringed Antwrens, a pair of Rufous-breasted Wrens, a few furtive Blue-backed Manakins were some of the highlights of our afternoon forays. Did I mention the hoards of doves and Orange-winged Parrots? Rufous-vented Chachalaca   Rufous-vented Chachalaca chick   Blue-crowned Motmot   Toward dusk we reboarded our maxi taxi and headed north to the remote town of Runnemede and our accommodations for the next several nights, the Cuffie River Nature Retreat. The two-mile long road into Cuffie River was cloaked in darkness but in headlights we could see the reflected eyes shine and the white patches in the wings and tails of several White-tailed Nightjars. At Cuffie River we met Regina Sanchez, the manager, got settled into our rooms, and gathered together for a scrumptious dinner that was topped off with more ice cream. We conducted our tally, reviewed the plans for the morrow, and called it a day as White-tailed Nightjars emitted their high-pitched "pee-wee" calls just outside our lodge. Number of species seen: 79; new for trip: 19; running total: 205 Back   Home   Next Trinidad Birding