Thursday, September 24 Tobago: Grounds of Cuffie River Nature Retreat The rooms at Cuffie River are beyond description. Sometimes I joke that we need maps to find our way around our rooms. Today our alarm clocks were Rufous-vented Chachalacas calling from distant bamboo groves and scores of Orange-winged Parrots flying in pairs over our private valley. We had a luscious breakfast that included fresh fruit, fresh omelettes, freshly made jelly on freshly baked bread, and plenty of fresh fruit juice. We then assembled in front of the lodge, where we met resident naturalist Desmond Wright. Desmond is an accomplished birding guide who has discovered several rare species at Cuffie River. With Desmond we admired the two male White-tailed Sabrewings squabbling over the hummingbird feeders with the White-necked Jacobins, Black-throated Mangoes, and Copper-rumped Hummingbirds. Main lodge building at Cuffie River at dawn   Desmond led us down the entrance road and over the Bailey bridge that crosses the Cuffie River. We watched Short-tailed Swifts skimming over the water and taking drinks without missing a wingbeat. We heard plenty of Blue-backed Manakins along the entrance road but caught no more than a quick glimpse of any of them. We took a side trail that was quite steep initially but which leveled out soon enough and traversed a series of low hills. Among our finds were birds new to the trip such as Great Black-Hawk, Olivaceous Woodcreeper (found on Tobago but not Trinidad), Fuscous Flycatcher, and Venezuelan Flycatcher (also found on Tobago but not Trinidad). The most numerous bird everywhere was, of course, Bananaquit. We birded until everyone had had enough, then returned slowly by means of the entrance road to our lodge. Blue-gray Tanager, Tobago race   Male Rufous-tailed Jacamar (note whitish throat; rufous in females)   Venezuelan Flycatcher   Little Blue Heron fishing in Cuffie River   White-necked Jacobin male   White-tailed Sabrewing   White-tailed Sabrewing   Yellow-crowned Night-Heron   Fred along Cuffie River entrance road   Who needs a tripod when you have Paul around?   Another sumptuous lunch we enjoyed the only unstructured time of the tour. This was designed to allow for personal exploration, optional field trips in various directions, swimming in the aboveground swimming pool, writing postcards, bringing notes up to date, or just plain old relaxing. The Rondons, Paul, and I opted for a trip to the village of Castara, about 30 minutes away. We had lucked into the second annual Castara Day celebration, and the entire population of the village -- perhaps 100 people -- were there dancing to music, drinking, enjoying fresh fish chowder, drinking, engaging in competitive swimming and running, drinking, and having a good time. Did I mention drinking? We few pink-skinned individuals stood out like neon bulbs, but we were made to feel completely at home. Dinner tonight included roast lamb, fried potatoes, locally grown vegetables, and was topped off with more ice cream. We conducted our tally, went over the day's sightings, and retired early in preparation for a long tomorrow. Number of species seen: 51; new for trip: 6; running total: 211. Back   Home   Next Trinidad Birding