August 23rd, 2009 — Trip Reports
Highlights: Northern Crested Caracara, Rufous Crab-Hawk. I generally try to visit Icacos one a month. The swamp here is beautiful and easily accesible thanks to the main road that cuts through it. Additionally, the area’s proximity to Venezuela increases the chances of seeing unusual birds and my expectations before these visits are always high. We [...]
August 2nd, 2009 — Trip Reports
Highlights: Lesson’s Seedeaters The rains are here at last and the teak trees of the Cat’s Hill fields have regrown their leaves, once again making it very difficult to see inside. However the diversity of birdlife found here very often amazes me (teak forests in Trinidad and Tobago are usually devoid of much wildlife) and [...]
July 26th, 2009 — Conservation
Hunters are usually regarded as indiscriminate destroyers of our wildlife. This is not always the case. As part of ensuring the sustainable use of Trinidad and Tobago’s wildlife resources, the South-Eastern Hunters Association conducts a fruit tree planting exercise every year. It was held this year on the 26th July with hunters being asked to [...]
July 23rd, 2009 — Conservation
Following the amendment of our laws regarding the need for CEC’s in Trinidad and Tobago, a number of quarries have been opened in the Northern Range and while we cannot/should not impede the utilization of our natural resources, we need to ensure any resource extraction is done in a responsible and sustainable manner. The following account comes [...]
July 20th, 2009 — Trip Reports
Highlights: Jabiru Stork, Crane Hawk, Spotted-Tody Flycatcher, Phyllomedusa trinitatis (frog) On 18th July we went to see the two Jabiru Storks (Jabiru mycteria) that had been spotted in Nariva Swamp. After a short boat ride, we arrived in the viewing area at 7:30am and waited until 8:30am taking in the resident Red-bellied Macaws, before seeing a [...]
July 12th, 2009 — Trip Reports
Highlights: Muscovy Duck, Red-bellied Macaw A last minute decision to make a trip to Icacos netted some unexpected results today. We left home relatively late, arriving at Icacos Swamp, Icacos at 6:45am just in time to see a flock of nine Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) making their way deeper into the mangrove waterways. The band of [...]
June 29th, 2009 — Trip Reports
Highlights: White-cheeked Pintail, Greater Black-backed Gull After putting it off for several weeks, I finally decided to make a trip to the Cacandee sluice gates to try and get a look at the White-cheeked Pintails (Anas bahamensis) that frequent the area. We arrived at 6:30am and almost immediately picked up a small group of 3 [...]
June 23rd, 2009 — Trail Camera
I stumbled upon the idea of using trail cameras quite by accident while on the internet. The idea hooked me and I soon purchased a cheap camera (Bushnell Trail Sentry) to see what i could do with it. Trail cameras are self firing with modern designs utilising a thermal/motion dector to pickup differences in heat, which signify the passage of [...]
June 22nd, 2009 — Trip Reports
I can think of no better way to kickstart this website than to report on such a fantastic trip. We left Penal at 7:00am and soon encountered one of the “local” Crane Hawks, flying over the Barrackpore market. Nearing the St Mary’s junction, we paused to have a look at a Gray Hawk on a distant tree [...]
June 22nd, 2009 — Observations
The South Oropouche Lagoon, located south of San Fernando, is an open marsh environment inhabited by several resident Long-winged Harriers (Circus buffoni) and, in the latter months of the year, a few Merlins (Falco columbarius). I have noticed Merlins and Long-winged Harriers forming (temporary) symbiotic relationships, probably best described as a form of commensalism. Typically harriers fly low over [...]