Trinidad & Tobago
August 9 - 19, 1992
Leader: Bill Murphy
Itinerary:
Aug. 10 -- Asa Wright Nature Center/Oilbird Cave
Aug. 11 -- Blanchisseuse Road
Aug. 12 -- Lalaja Rd./Trincity Ponds/Caroni Swamp
Aug. 13 -- (Free day) AWNC and Port-of-Spain lagoons
Aug. 14 -- Aripo Savannah, Arena Dam
Aug. 15 -- Agric. Research Center, Nariva Swamp
Aug. 16 -- Tobago: Airport, Buccoo, Arnos Vale
Aug. 17 -- Little Tobago Island
Aug. 18 -- Gilpin Trace, Tobago Highlands
TINAMOU
Little Tinamou
GREBES
Least Grebe
TROPICBIRD
Red-billed Tropicbird
BOOBIES
Brown Booby
Red-footed Booby
PELICAN
Brown Pelican
CORMORANT
Neotropic Cormorant
ANHINGA
Anhinga
FRIGATEBIRD
Magnificent Frigatebird
BITTERNS & HERONS
Pinnated Bittern
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green-backed Heron (including "Striated")
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Boat-billed Heron
IBISES
Scarlet Ibis
DUCKS & GEESE
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
White-cheeked Pintail
NEW WORLD VULTURES
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
OSPREY, HAWKS, & EAGLES
Osprey
Gray-headed Kite
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Double-toothed Kite
Plumbeous Kite
Long-winged Harrier
White Hawk
Common Black-Hawk
Savanna Hawk
Gray Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
CARACARAS & FALCONS
Yellow-headed Caracara
Bat Falcon
CHACHALACA & GUAN
Rufous-vented Chachalaca
CRAKES, RAILS, GALLINULES, & COOT
Gray-necked Wood-Rail
Purple Gallinule
Common Moorhen
LAPWING & PLOVERS
Southern Lapwing
Collared Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
STILT
Black-necked Stilt
JACANA
Wattled Jacana
SANDPIPERS & RELATIVES
Greater Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs
Solitary Sandpiper
Willet
Spotted Sandpiper
Whimbrel
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
JAEGERS, GULLS, & TERNS
Laughing Gull
Common Black-headed Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern
Yellow-billed Tern
Bridled Tern
Sooty Tern
Large-billed Tern
Brown Noddy
Black Skimmer
DOVES & PIGEONS
Rock Dove
Pale-vented Pigeon
Scaled Pigeon
Eared Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Plain-breasted Ground-Dove
Ruddy Ground-Dove
White-tipped Dove
Gray-fronted Dove
MACAWS, PARROTLETS, & PARROTS
Red-bellied Macaw
Green-rumped Parrotlet
Lilac-tailed Parrotlet
Blue-headed Parrot
Orange-winged Parrot
CUCKOOS & ANIS
Squirrel Cuckoo
Striped Cuckoo
Greater Ani
Smooth-billed Ani
BARN-OWL
Common Barn-Owl
OWLS
Tropical Screech-Owl
Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl
GOATSUCKERS
Semicollared Nighthawk
POTOO
Common Potoo
OILBIRD
Oilbird
SWIFTS
Chestnut-collared Swift
White-collared Swift
Short-tailed Swift
Band-rumped Swift
Gray-rumped Swift
Fork-tailed Palm-Swift
HUMMINGBIRDS
Rufous-breasted Hermit
Green Hermit
Little Hermit
White-necked Jacobin
Black-throated Mango
Tufted Coquette
Blue-chinned Sapphire
White-chested Emerald
Copper-rumped Hummingbird
Long-billed Starthroat
TROGONS
White-tailed Trogon
Violaceous Trogon
Collared Trogon
MOTMOT
Blue-crowned Motmot
KINGFISHERS
Green Kingfisher
JACAMAR
Rufous-tailed Jacamar
TOUCAN
Channel-billed Toucan
WOODPECKERS
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Red-rumped Woodpecker
Golden-olive Woodpecker
Chestnut Woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker
SPINETAILS & RELATIVES
Pale-breasted Spinetail
Stripe-breasted Spinetail
Yellow-throated Spinetail
Streaked Xenops
WOODCREEPERS
Plain-brown Woodcreeper
Buff-throated Woodcreeper
Streaked-headed Woodcreeper
ANTBIRDS
Great Antshrike
Black-crested Antshrike
Barred Antshrike
Plain Antvireo
White-fringed Antwren
Silvered Antbird
White-bellied Antbird
Black-faced Antthrush
TYRANT-FLYCATCHERS
Southern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Forest Elaenia
Yellow-bellied Elaenia
Olive-striped Flycatcher
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher
Slaty-capped Flycatcher
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher
Tropical Pewee
Euler's Flycatcher
Fuscous Flycatcher
Pied Water-Tyrant
White-headed Marsh-Tyrant
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Great Kiskadee
Boat-billed Flycatcher
Streaked Flycatcher
Piratic Flycatcher
Tropical Kingbird
Gray Kingbird
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
COTINGAS
Black-tailed Tityra
Bearded Bellbird
MANAKINS
White-bearded Manakin
Blue-backed Manakin
Golden-headed Manakin
SWALLOWS
Caribbean Martin
Gray-breasted Martin
White-winged Swallow
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
WRENS
Rufous-breasted Wren
House Wren
GNATWREN & THRUSHES
Long-billed Gnatwren
Yellow-legged Thrush
Cocoa Thrush
Bare-eyed Thrush
White-necked Thrush
MOCKINGBIRD
Tropical Mockingbird
VIREOS & RELATIVES
Chivi Vireo
Black-whiskered Vireo
Scrub Greenlet
Golden-fronted Greenlet
Rufous-browed Peppershrike
WOOD WARBLERS
Tropical Parula
Golden-crowned Warbler
HONEYCREEPERS & TANAGERS
Bananaquit
Bicolored Conebill
Speckled Tanager
Turquoise Tanager
Bay-headed Tanager
Blue Dacnis
Green Honeycreeper
Purple Honeycreeper
Red-legged Honeycreeper
Violaceous Euphonia
Blue-gray Tanager
Palm Tanager
Silver-beaked Tanager
White-shouldered Tanager
White-lined Tanager
Red-crowned Ant-Tanager
GROSBEAKS & BUNTINGS
Grayish Saltator
Red-capped Cardinal
Blue-black Grassquit
Ruddy-breasted Seedeater
Black-faced Grassquit
BLACKBIRDS
Red-breasted Blackbird
Yellow-hooded Blackbird
Carib Grackle
Shiny Cowbird
Giant Cowbird
Moriche Oriole
Yellow Oriole
Yellow-rumped Cacique
Crested Oropendola
ACCIDENTALS:
Cayenne Tern
Yellow-crowned Parrot
White-tailed Sabrewing
Total Number of Species = 218
How that compares with previous trips:
| August 1992 |
218 |
| March 1992 |
200 |
| February 1991 |
180 |
| September 1990 |
215 |
| March 1990 |
182 |
| November 1989 |
184 |
| February 1988 |
189 |
| September 1987 |
205 |
Bird Species of Particular Note:
- Red-billed Tropicbird: Almost missed it! Thanks to Annie for the first one and to Connie for the closest.
- Scarlet Ibis: Largest flocks in recent years, observed in Caroni Swamp.
- Double-toothed Kite: A wary species; excellent view of an individual perched on a power line.
- Long-winged Harrier: Our timely arrival at Caroni netted us a perfect observation of this difficult species.
- Zone-tailed Hawk: Leisurely opportunity to watch play behavior between two young Zone-taileds.
- Gray-necked Wood-Rail: Heard the unique calls of at least three individuals of this species at the Port-of-Spain lagoons; to my knowledge, never before recorded on any birding tours to Trinidad.
- Cayenne Tern:Several seen at Turtle Beach, Tobago. Nearest nesting colony is on islands north of Venezuela, far to the west of Trinidad. Richard ffrench lumps the species with Sandwich Tern, but the AOU still views them as separate species.
- Plain-breasted Ground-Dove: A pair of them were picked out by Jogie by their call notes at the southern end of Nariva Swamp; a lifer for Bill.
- Yellow-headed Parrot: Viewed from above as it perched with Blue-headed and Orange-winged Parrots near the crest of the Northern Range along Blanchisseuse Road; conspicuously larger than the former two species. Flocks of this species in St. Augustine and eastern Port-of-Spain are considered feral, but this lone individual was miles from any known flock.
- Common Barn-Owl: A common but rarely seen species, identified by Marjorie near the Caroni Swamp boat docks.
- Tropical Screech Owl: Who'd have believed we'd have three of these and a Ferruginous Owl in the same clump?
- Common Potoo: Close look at this bizarre nocturnal goatsucker thanks to Louise's spotlight.
- Oilbird: A unique species seen deep within Guacharo Cave.
- Chestnut-collared Swift: Found nesting in the twilight zone on the cliff face just outside the Oilbird Cave.
- White-collared Swift: All-time high numbers of this usually difficult species were seen in the Northern Range.
- White-tailed Sabrewing: We sure deserved the excellent view we had of this exceedingly rare species on Gilpin Trace (estimated 20-40 individuals at most exist on Tobago). Not only a great bird but a terrific example of stalking by a perfectly behaved birding group!
- Streaked-headed Woodcreeper: A very close encounter with a pair at Bush-Bush Creek, the result of a misidentification by Bill and the availability of Jogie's tape; another lifer for Bill.
- Silvered Antbird: Normally a difficult species to see, observed walking in mangrove roots along Bush-Bush Creek.
- Olive-striped Flycatcher: A rare species, observed low in an orange tree along the entrance road during our first morning walk at Asa Wright. Another lifer for Bill (this never happens)!
- Yellow-legged Thrush: Males and females of this retiring species were observed along Gilpin Trace, Tobago.
- Black-whiskered Vireo: Observed by Louise and Bill near Blanchisseuse Road; a lifer for both of them.
- Ruddy-breasted Seedeater: Several individuals of this rare species were found at Crown Point Airport.
- Moriche Oriole: Extended observation of one bird at Waller Field; usually no hope at all of seeing this species. Lifer number five on the trip for Bill.
Other Wildlife Observations of Note:
Agoutis, squirrels, speckled caiman, fer-de-lance (along the Oilbird Trail), bats, Anableps (four-eyed fish), Bufo marina (giant marine toad), Hyla maxima (huge tree frog), tiny black cricket frogs, Tegu, Amaiva, and Iguana lizards, geckos, and chocolate-colored "manicou" and several other kinds of land crabs. Also zebu cattle and water buffalo. Remember our native friends Jogie "Speedball" Ramlal, Adolphus James, Vishnu Debie, Winston Nanan, and David "Scintillating Blue Laser Light" Rooks. And don't forget the food -- spicy dishes of chicken and beef, breadfruit casserole, whipped eggplant, okra, callaloo soup, curried dishes of all sorts, Carib and Stag beer, and rum punch made with Vat 19 and Old Oak rum.
