On Tue, 9 Apr 1996, John Larsen wrote:

> My wife and I are interested in going birding in Trinidad & Tobago.
> We are looking at a tour by Caligo Ventures visiting the Asa Wright Nature
> Centre and Lodge. Has anyone any experience with this tour or going to
> Trinidad & Tobago? I would appreciate any comments.
> Thanks

Hi John,

I don't have any experience with either of these islands but I'll
enclosing a commercial posting I received recently.

Dan Victor, Seattle, WA <dvictor at u.washington.edu>
Tweeters = http://weber.u.washington.edu/~dvictor/
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 18:18:48 -0500
From: Val Kalliecharan <ya156098 at YorkU.CA>
To: dvictor at u.washington.edu
Subject: Tobago!!!

Hi there

I am a directory of a small condo/hotel in the island of Tobago,
W.I. We specialise in eco-trips around the island, and I would like to
present you with some information on the island. If you would like any
further information please don't hesitate to contact at:
ya156098 at alumnet.yorku.ca

Info on the island's natue:

In addition to its almost overwhelming variety of flora and fauna, Tobago
enjoys the advantage of being small. Everything is accessible: the
mountains are not too high, theforests nottoo impenetrable, the coral
reefs not too deep or distant. And very few species could be considered
noxious: even the snakes are non-poisonous, which is always nice to know
when you're walking through the rainforest.

It could be argued that - on land, at least - Tobago's crowning glory is
its exuberant birdlife. The raucous cocricos wake you at dawn; almost as
noisy are the flocks of green parrots that call to each other from the
highest branches. At dusk, on quiet roadsides, the motmots emerge from the
forest to perch on the telephone wires, their eccentric tail feathers
hanging behind them like a pair of tennis rackets; and the iridescent
jacamars leave their hillside burrows to scuttle around in the dust.

Hummingbirds are everywhere, little jewels hovering above the hibiscus; at
least one rare species, the white-tailed sabre-wing,is not to be found in
Trinidad. Other exotic denizens of the forest canopy include the collared
trogon and the blue-backed manakin; nightjars and striped owls emerge
after dark. And the wetlands of Tobago offer meal-tickets to a number of
heron and wildfowl species.

Several areas in Tobago have been designated as protected reserves or
sanctuaries. The rainforest of the Main Ridge is the oldest forest reserve
in the western hemisphere (1764). Another important sanctuary is Little
Tobago Island, which lies just offshore from the fishing-village of
Speyside.

This is an important nesting ground for a number of seabird species:
Audubon's shearwater, the red-footed booby, the sooty tern, the red-billed
tropic-bird (a wonderful sight as they dive off the cliffs, their long
tails streaming behind them), and more than 30 other species. Little
Tobago is one of the prime seabird sanctuaries in the Caribbean. St Giles'
Islands, off the northernmost tip of Tobago, is another, but access to
these rugged little rocks is difficult and, depending on sea conditions,
dangerous; the visitor is best advised to view them through binoculars
from the excellent vantage point of Flagstaff Hill.

Apartfrom its birdlife, Tobago is blessed with an abundance of plant,
insect and reptile life. If you're interested in discovering Tobago's
amazing ecology, we can contact one of the tour guides who organise guided
tours into the rainforest, Little Tobago Island, Bon Accord Swamp, etc.;
we will assist in setting these up. Or arm yourself with map and
binoculars and set off to explore on your own. For adventurous souls, a
few suggestions follow.

The Bloody Bay rainforest

The best-marked and most easily identified trail is Gilpin Trace. It is
accessed off the Roxborough/Bloody Bay Road; the entrance is clearly
indicated by a sign on the main road. The trail starts in the mountains
and leads downhill past a small waterfall to Bloody Bay. It is quite a
long hike if you have to walk all the way back up; a good idea is to
arrange to be picked up in Bloody Bay village. Or, of course, to turn back
before you reach the bottom!

Little Tobago Island

An excellent day tour offering both hiking and snorkelling. At the village
of Speyside, a fishing-boat can be hired at a modest price (TT$30 per
person/US ~$8-$10) to deposit you on the island and return for you
whenever you wish (pay on the return voyage!). The island is very hot, and
has no food or drinkable water, so carry your own. The leeward bay, where
the boat docks, is very good for snorkelling; large manta rays haveon
occasion been sighted on the surface.



Off the north eastern coast of Tobago is 'Little Tobago', a protected by
law, natural bird habitat/sanctuary that exists on a separate islet that is
accessible by a 10 minute boat ride.

Little Tobago Bird List:
1. Smooth-billed Cuni
2. Crested Oropendola
3. Blue Crowned Mot Mot
4. Yellow Bellied Elacnia
5. Brown-Crested Flycatcher
6. Venezuelan Flycatcher
7. Peregrime Falcon
8. Osprey
9. Borad-winged Hawk
10. Gray Hawk
11. Copper-rumped Humming Bird
12. Rufous-breasted Humming Bird
13. Ruby-Topas Humming Bird
14. Black-Throat Mango Humming Bird
15. Blue-gray Tanager
16. Banaquit
17. Rumple Honeycreeper
18. Tropical Mocking Bird
19. Bare-eyed Thrush
20. Northern Water Thrush
21. Chivi Virco
22. White-tipped Dove
23. Pale-vented Pigeon
24. Red-billed tropic Bird
25. Magnificent Frigate Bird
26. Brown Pelican
27. Brown Hoddy
28. Brown Booby
29. Red-Footed Booby
30. Sooty Tern
31. Blue-Black Grassquit
32. Black-throat Grassquit
33. Shiny Cowbird
34. Roseate Tern
35. Laughing Gull
36. Yellow-crowned Night Heron
37. Little Blue Heron
38. Spotted Sand-Piper
39. White-lined Tanager
40. Short-tailed Swift
41. Caribbean Martin
42. White-tailed Nightjar
43. Tropical Kingbird
44. Belted Kingfisher
45. Audubon's Shearwater

Turtles

The ultimate experience in turtle-watching is the sight of the giant
leatherback dragging herself up a deserted beach at midnight, bent on
laying her eggs. This primeval ritual generally takes place between March
and August. The encroachment of civilization has made it increasingly
difficult to watch the leatherback at her task; the reptiles will not
beach if they see lights or motion. However, they do come up regularly on
Stone Haven Bay and Great Courland Bay these are probably the most
accessible spots where they can be sighted. Other small bays and coves
where they are reported to nest require long hikes or boat rides.


Grafton Estate

A former estate house whose grounds have been turned into a nature
reserve. A number of trails lead off into the forest; bird feeders have
been set up in the old cocoa house. After the hurricane of 1963, the owner
of the estate took to feeding the forest birds, whose natural habitat had
been destroyed; today, the motmots still come in for feeding around
tea-time, and will take cheese from your hand.

The Louis d'Or River Valley

The Louis d'Or Local Road is accessed off the main Windward Road, between
Roxborough and Delaford. Follow the river as far as the local road allows.
Then splash your way upriver: the water is cool and clear, with small
pools for bathing, and the canopy of trees offers a wealth of
birdwatching.

Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve

A 12-acre estate on the Arnos Vale Road, this small plantation grows
citrus, mangoes, bananas and papaya on a com mercial scale; sheep and
goats are reared in the pasture. Two acres of "bush" have been retained to
attract birds. The Farm can be visited between 7 and 9 a.m., and from 5 to
6 p.m. (these are the best times for birdwatching), when a caretaker is
available to act as guide. Closed on Saturdays. It offers an opportunity
to observe tropical agricultural practices, as well as the possibility of
picking your own fruit (for which you will be charged market prices). At
certain times of the year, but terflies are in abundance. Admission US$3,
guided tour US$1.

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"It is better to die with memories
than to live with only dreams."
- T.J Wilson

http://webcom.net/~island/op
http://www.ttg.co.uk/t&t/hotels/ocepoint.htm
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