Trinidad & Tobago, March/April 2006

An excellent fortnight in the Caribbean, with time both at the famous Asa Wright centre on Trinidad, and at the lovely Blue Waters Inn on Tobago. We saw a whole load of Neotropical lovelies, with a few near-endemics and future splits. The feeders at Asa Wright, in particular were awash with brightly-coloured honeycreepers, oropendolas, caciques and toucans. Close by, we visited a cave to see the weird and unique Oilbirds, and located Grey-throated Leaftosser, Golden-headed Manakin and Bearded Bellbird, among many others. Several day trips out from Asa Wright took us to various different habitats, where we racked up a good range of open country and wetland birds: particular highlights included Pinnated Bittern, Moriche Oriole and the astounding Scarlet Ibis.

Tobago was much more relaxed and less 'edgy'. We thoroughly enjoyed our vast-bedded and breezy beachside room, and Turnstones in the hotel restaurant and Yellow-crowned Night Heron right there on the beach. An inland excursion turned up delights such as Striped Owl, Blue-backed Manakin, White-tailed Sabrewing and the endemic Trinidad Motmot (which actually occurs on both islands).

One boat trip took us to the multi-booby and Magnificent Frigatebird-infested St Giles' Isaland, while the other allowed us to land on Little Tobago Island, where a steep climb took us to an overlook with nesting Red-billed Tropicbird and Audubon's Shearwater, a roosting White-tailed Nightjar, and amazing views down into a forested, beetling bay with frigatebirds, tropicbirds and boobies milling about. While it wasn't a patch on Bempton Cliffs (lol - it was)...you can read the full blow-by-blow report for more details.