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Natural
History of Trinidad and Tobago
with Trinidadian Edward Rooks Thursday, April 21 - Friday, May 6, 2005  Trinidad and Tobago, located 10 degrees north of the Equator, are marvelous places to be introduced to the tropical rainforests of South America and the coral reefs of the Caribbean. Ten thousand years ago Trinidad was attached to the continent, yet because of a rise in sea level is now 7 miles off its coast. The island's area is about 1,700 sq. miles, while its sister, Tobago, is 110 sq. miles. The islands are tiny by North American standards, but the variety of habitat they sustain harbor unequaled species diversity when compared to other nearby islands. We will visit as many different habitats as possible.
We will see the exotic Channel-billed Toucans in forest canopy trees, clamorous Bearded Bellbirds in the darkened understory, cave-dwelling Oilbirds, stunning Blue-crowned Motmots and brilliantly colored Scarlet Ibis.  view a map of our destinations Group size: 12 Cost: $3900. Airfare: Approximately $500 from Miami on American Airlines and $800 from San Francisco, plus $125 Trinidad to Tobago round trip on BWIA. Deposit: $300; $150 is refundable. Tour leaders: Edward C. Rooks, our wonderful Trinidadian naturalist has been enjoying the birds, insects, reptiles, seashells, and plants of Trinidad and Tobago since he was twelve. A professional wildlife artist residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, Edward is an expert birder and knows all the songs and calls of Trinidad’s birds. Ed will be assisted by resident naturalist/guides at each area. Conditions: A nonsmoking safari. Itinerary revised: 4/2003 Itinerary in Full April 21, Thursday: Travel day American Airlines has good flight times from many cities. From San Francisco AA departs at approximately 7:30 am to Miami for a good connection in the mid-afternoon, arriving in Port-of-Spain at approximately 9:15 pm. Flights are also available on other airlines, such as BWIA from Miami. You will be met by a driver from the Pax Guesthouse. The 20-minute drive from Trinidad's Piarco Airport to the Mount St Benedict Monastery passes through the town of Tunapuna and up into the foothills of Trinidad's Northern Range.
Our first three nights on Trinidad will be at Pax, the Mount St. Benedict Guest House in St. Augustine. The Guesthouse commands a panoramic view of the plain. It is centrally located for our field trips and offers good accommodations. The gardens around the Guesthouse are planted with flowering plants to encourage hummingbirds like the Ruby Topaz and Tufted Coquette, a most diminutive hummingbird. The Guesthouse's verandah overlooks a forested valley and is a great place to look for raptors like the Gray-headed Kite, Black Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, White Hawk and Zone-tailed Hawk. We will also hear the voice of the reclusive Little Tinamou at dusk and dawn. Chaguaramas is the northwest tip of the island, the site of an American WWII base, used to protect merchant shipping in the southern Caribbean from German U-boats. The Tucker Valley here is a special place, especially at this season with the Tabebuia serratefolia trees in full bloom. It's beautiful with lots of good birding, a beach and a possibility of seeing Howler Monkeys. We should see the Savanna Hawk, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Crested Oropendola, Yellow Oriole, the Giant Cowbird and a few other species. April 23, Saturday: Wildfowl Trust, Waterloo mudflats and Caroni Swamp Our first stop today is the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust, which is a reserve that encompasses two lakes and about 25 hectares of land within the Petrotrin Oil Refinery. The Trust is a wetland habitat where endangered waterfowl are bred in large cages and released into the wild. Many of these released birds make the lakes at the trust their home. We can enjoy close views and photography of Cormorants, Anhinga, Scarlet Ibis and rare waterfowl released into the wild along the Trust's interpretative trails. There is also a Learning Centre which houses natural history displays, including a mollusk collection and a small but comprehensive Amerindian Museum.
April 24, Sunday: Mount Plaisir and Leatherback Turtles It's a beautiful trip to Mount Plaisir, about three hours drive from Pax, on the remote north-eastern coast of Trinidad. Mt. Plaisir Estates hotel is on the beach in a small fishing village called Grande Riviere. Pelicans, terns and shorebirds are often seen in the bay. The hotel was built and is managed by the Italian photojournalist, Piero Guerrini. The beach is used by nesting Leatherback and Hawksbill sea turtles. We will be there at the height of the turtle nesting season and can expect to see the giant Leatherbacks digging nest holes at night. Sometimes they rest at the steps of the bunglows!
April 25, Monday: The forest trails of Grande Riviere Trinidad's forested Northern Range Mountains rise up behind the Caribbean style hotel and these forests are a great place to look for birds. Highlights could include the Double-toothed Kite, Swallow-tailed Kite and Crimson-crested Woodpecker. We will leave early in the morning on a walk up Monte Video road, which takes us through a cocoa plantation into the forest behind the village and hotel. We are going in search of the Blue-throated Piping-Guan. This is one of the last places on the island where you can find the endangered Blue-throated Piping-Guan. The forest is home to a great wealth of birds such as Orange-winged Parrots, Buff-throated Woodcreepers, Golden Headed Manakins, Channel-billed Toucans, Yellow-rumped Caciques and White-Winged Becards. Raptors are quite abundant at the forest's edge. We hope to see the Great Black-Hawk, Gray-headed Kite, Plumbeous Kite and possibly the Ornate Hawk-Eagle. In the afternoon we will walk another forest trail. April 26, Tuesday: North Coast On the north coast between Galera Point and Matelot the forested northern mountain range falls steeply into the Caribbean where it joins the Atlantic Ocean. It is an excellent refuge for raptors. Swallow-tailed Kite, Black Hawk and rare sightings of the Black Hawk Eagle occur here. Forest birds and seabirds are abundant. Enjoy a lovely beach with good swimming at Salybia Bay. April 27, Wednesday: Travel to Tobago and Buccoo Reef We will drive to the airport in the morning and take the 20 minute flight to Tobago's Crown Point Airport, which is within a mile of our destination, the Kariwak Village, a resort of thatched bungalows. On this, the drier southwest side of the island, the land is relatively flat, heavily farmed, and moderately developed. The natural vegetation is mostly littoral woodlands and secondary growth. Some of the new birds that we will see include Red-crowned Woodpeckers, Caribbean Martins, and Grey Kingbirds. Within walking distance of beautiful beaches, we can take the glass-bottom boat out to the fringing Buccoo Reef. The resident guide has masks and snorkels, so you can swim amongst the reef fish. The coral reefs on Tobago are very good snorkeling, so bring your mask and snorkel if you have your own set. April 28, Thursday: Tobago wetlands and Grafton Estate Bon Accord ponds and marsh are a short drive north along the coast from our hotel. These are the only wetlands that we visit on Tobago, home to Least Grebe and White-cheecked Pintail. In the wetlands around the lagoon and mangroves we will look for wading birds, waterfowl and other wildlife adapted to this habitat. The next stop along the coast is Grafton Estate. Here we will search for Olivaceous Woodcreeper and the elusive Blue-backed Manakin, which has courtship areas established on the property. The feeders at Grafton Estate provide an ideal opportunity to get photographs of some stunning birds at close range: Red-crowned Woodpeckers, Rufous-vented Chachalacas, jacamars and motmots! Overnight at Kariwak Village.
An hour and a half drive to the northeast end of Tobago along a scenic coastal road through many small towns and villages brings us to the scenic private bay and littoral forests surrounding Blue Waters Inn. The northeast end of the island is more mountainous and wetter than the southwest. It supports a more luxuriant vegetation and a greater diversity of animal life. The coral reefs in this area are famous for their beauty. You should consider bringing your snorkeling gear or rent scuba or snorkel equipment at the hotel. In the afternoon Edward will lead a walk on the driveway and nearby trails. The littoral woodlands and Lowland Rainforest around Blue Waters Bay include a mixture of evergreen trees, semi-deciduous trees, fan palms, woody shrubs, cacti and giant anthuriums. It is home to Orange-winged Parrots, Rufous-tailed Jacamars, Blue-backed Manakins, Scrub Greenlets, Black-faced Grassquits and motmots. We will also look for Yellow-crowned Night-Herons and a Green Kingfisher on a nearby stream. April 30, Saturday: Gilpin Trace and Roxborough Forests We will drive up on the Roxborough-Bloody Bay Road to the top of Tobago's Mountain Range into Tobago's Rain Forest. We then walk about one mile down the Gilpin Trace. The unique birds found in the rainforest include Great-black Hawk, Collared Trogon, Yellow-legged Thrush, White-tailed Sabrewing, and Red-legged honeycreeper. Later in the afternoon we can enjoy the wonderful snorkeling and swimming off the beach at Blue Waters Bay. May 1, Sunday: St. Giles island and Little Tobago Before breakfast, we will take a boat out to St. Giles Island, a well-known pelagic bird rookery, to look at terns, frigatebirds, tropicbirds and boobies that nest here. Then we go on to another special small island - Little Tobago, where we will spend some time on shore looking for Red-billed Tropicbirds, Brown Boobies, and Laughing Gulls. The island is home to other interesting animals like a large land hermit crab and beautiful endemic lizard. The plants are representative of a deciduous seasonal forest. May 2, Monday: Asa Wright Nature Centre, Night trip to Wallerfield After breakfast we travel to Crown Point Airport for the short flight back to Trinidad. An hour’s drive from Piarco Airport, past the town of Arima and up the forested Arima Valley brings us to Asa Wright Nature Center. The verandah at the Asa Wright Lodge, a 90- year old plantation home, offers a panoramic view of the lush Arima Valley and wonderful bird photography. From this perch, we will see vibrantly colored tropical birds visit fruiting and flowering trees almost within touching distance: White-necked Jacobins, Copper-rumped Emerald Hummingbirds, Green Honeycreepers; Purple Honeycreepers, numerous tanagers, and Golden-olive Woodpeckers, to name a few. From the distance we will be treated to a chorus of Bearded Bellbirds, toucans, forest frogs and katydids. There are hundreds of plant species in the valley, 32 snakes, 15 lizards, 1 turtle, 15 frogs, 1 land crab, 12 mammals not including the mice, rats, and over 40 bats and innumerable insects. Among the avian highlights are Channel-billed Toucans, three trogons, euphonias, and Grey-throated Leaf-scraper. On the afternoon of our arrival, walk the trails through the rainforest to see White-bearded Manakin and Bearded Bellbird leks, and to visit the cave housing a colony of Oilbirds, which are echolocating, nocturnal, fruit-feeding birds. We will explore the trails with Edward and a resident guide. The night trip is designed to give us a chance to see nightjars, potoos and owls. We will have a picnic dinner before exploring the roads and pastures and trees of an agricultural research station. May 3, Tuesday: Blanchisseuse Road This is a full day trip. While traveling along the circuitous 22-mile forested mountain road to the coastal village of Blanchisseuse, we will scout for animal life along the way and stop at several great birding spots. We will look for Striped Cuckoos, Blue-headed Parrots, Speckled Tanagers, Black-tailed Tityra, Blue Dacnis, Gray-headed Kites, and maybe an Ornate Hawk-Eagle. Enoy lunch at the coast on a lovely beach and swim before heading back. Long-shore currents and rip tides can be a problem at this beach, so caution is advised when swimming. On our return drive we will stop in search of the beautiful Swallow Tanagers which court and nest at the ridge top. May 4, Wednesday: Nariva Swamp and Wallerfield
May 5, Thursday: Asa Wright Nature Centre This is a day free of scheduling to allow you to explore the forest alone or in small groups, swim in the forested pool, or relax on the veranda. It will be a good opportunity to try again for those species we did not yet find during our previous days at the Centre: perhaps Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Black-faced Ant Thrush, Tufted Coquette, and Chestnut Woodpecker. It is truly enjoyable to experience the rainforest while at the same time have access to the pleasant comforts of the Nature Centre with gracious hosts, tea time at 4-o'clock, and rum punch at 6 and our farewell dinner together this evening. May 6, Friday: Travel day On American the flight leaves Port of Spain at approximately 9:15 a.m. Connections from Miami home are readily available. The San Francisco flight arrives at approximately 5 p.m.
view a larger version of the Trinidad tour map Reservations: We suggest early reservations to hold your space as this tour tends to fill quickly. Please contact us before sending a deposit. To reserve a place, please mail a deposit of $300 ($150 refundable) and our reservation form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, available free) to: Cheesemans' Ecology SafarisFor questions, comments or reservations, e-mail us at: info@Cheesemans.com or use our information form. Upon receiving your deposit and signed reservation form we will send extensive trip materials, including a travel guide, reading list, species lists, animal behavior notes and maps. Payments & Cancellations: A second deposit of $300 is due October 1, 2004. The final payment is due on February 15, 2005. Refunds given after the final payment are based on monies returned to Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris by the outfitters. Trip cancellation insurance forms are available from us.
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