Birding
With tropical savannah, rainforest, woodlands and mangrove swamp, Trinidad is a paradise for lovers of diverse bird life. More than 430 bird species, from the elusive Speckled Tanager to the spectacular Scarlet Ibis can be spotted on the island.
Great places for bird watching are:
Yerette – Home of the Hummingbird
Ranked Trinidad’s top attraction by online travel website Trip Advisor, Yerette (Amerindian word for Hummingbird) boasts the largest concentration of hummingbirds in the Caribbean. Neatly tucked away in an upscale residential neighbourhood on the slopes above Trinidad’s Maracas Valley, among the highest communities on the island’s Northern Mountain Range, Yerette – Home of the Hummingbird, is a secret garden where 13 of the world’s most iridescent, beautiful, tiniest and rarest of Hummingbirds congregate.
Owned by Dr. Theo Ferguson and his wife Gloria, a visit to Yerette is quite a treat for avid birdwatchers who have the opportunity to see the copper-rumped hummingbird, one of the most beautiful and aggressive of the hummingbirds, the white-chested emerald, “a subtle and soft beauty”, the blue-chinned sapphire, “the most iridescent of all the hummingbirds that glows like a jewel” and the ruby topaz, jewel in the avian crown and considered the most beautiful hummingbird in the world for its ballerina like dance. These Hummingbirds can be viewed against a backdrop of a beautiful garden with a variety of flowers, orchids, ferns, vines and shrubs.
Yerette is fast gaining a reputation as the Caribbean’s, perhaps the world’s, top spot for up close and personal interactions with these winged jewels. A visit to Yerette is by appointment only and cost US $25 per person. There are three tours daily and the cost of admission also includes a light snack and coffee/tea. Call (868) 663-2623 or email [email protected] to book your tour.
Point-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust
The Point-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust (PAPWFT) is a national non-profit volunteer organization, founded in 1966. The site is an inland freshwater wetland habitat that comprises two lakes and 26 hectares of woodlands and various species of fruit trees which also serve as a food source for the birds. This reserve is located on the compound of a petrochemical plant - the Petrotrin Refinery - which makes it unique in the world. Essentially, the main goal of the trust is the research and breeding of endangered waterfowl and wetland birds for release into their native habitats. Visitors to the park are encouraged to learn about endangered wetland birds at an onsite learning centre while viewing the birds in their natural environment. Tours are available for visitors around the lake where the birds are usually found nesting and feeding.
For more information on the Pointe a Pierre Wild Fowl Trust visit their website at www.papwildfowltrust.org
Asa Wright Nature Centre
Most birders consider Asa Wright among the best bird watching sites in the world, stunning visitors with its myriad of beautiful birds, sensational hiking trails, natural pools and bird watching tours. Located in Trinidad’s lush Northern Mountain Range on a 1,500 acre reserve, the Nature Centre is a world-famous eco-lodge and one of the first to be established in the Caribbean region.
Unmatched in the Caribbean for bio-diversity, many of the Trinidad and Tobago’s 400 species of native birds, 55 different reptile species, 25 amphibians, more than 600 butterflies and 2,000 types of flowering plants, can be found at the Centre.
With one of the densest biota in the world and some of the region’s best bird watching reserves, Trinidad and Tobago is truly an eco- tourist’s dream, the ultimate stop for both experienced and novice nature lovers and birdwatchers.
For more information on the Asa Wright Nature Centre please visit their website at www.asawright.org
Caroni Bird Sanctuary
The Caroni Bird Sanctuary is Trinidad and Tobago’s second largest mangrove and protected under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. It is located where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria on the west coast of Trinidad, south of Port of Spain and northwest of Chaguanas. A popular tourist attraction, it is home to 186 species of birds including egrets, herons, and silky anteaters which can be found gingerly perched on mangrove trees. You may also see caimans sunning themselves at the surface of the water and cooks tree boas wrapped around mangrove branches.
The star attraction at the Sanctuary, however, is the spectacular sunset display of the Scarlet Ibis, one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. This beautiful bird, which grows to about 30 inches tall, is brown when young and its plumage changes to a vibrant red when mature. Thousands of Scarlet Ibis flock home to roost in the Caroni Bird Sanctuary every evening, blanketing the sky and trees in a vibrant red hue. The best time to arrive to witness this wonderful spectacle is early evening when special boat tours are offered.
For more information about the Caroni Bird Sanctuary or to book a tour please visit www.nananecotours.com or call (868) 645-1305.
