27 April - 5 May 2002
by Stephen Janko
Introduction
Trip was 9 days and 8 nights from New York. Flew from JFK on BWIA to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. Spent 3 nights on Trinidad staying at Asa Wright. This was followed by a further 3 nights in Tobago staying in the fishing village of Speyside on the far north corner of the island. Stayed at the Speyside Inn to save some money. Finally, upon returning to Trinidad, stayed 2 more nights at the Pax Guest House.
The weather was warm and humid with intermittent showers most days. Trinidad was delightful. Tobago was more relaxed and the people overall very friendly. Birded a variety of habitats including Tropical Forest, Swamp and Offshore Islands.
Places Stayed
Asa Wright Nature Center, Arima, Trinidad
Speyside Inn, Speyside, Tobago
Pax Guest House, Tunapuna, Trinidad
Resources
April 27- Flew to T & T. Asa Wright Nature Center
April 28- Blancheusse Road
April 29-Asa Wright including Dunston Caves
April 30- Flew to Tobago. Speyside.
May 1- Little Tobago and St. Giles Islands
May 2- Rain Forest Preserve and vicinity.
May 3- Flew back to Trinidad. Pax Guest House
May 4- Caroni Rice Fields, Point A Pierre Wildfowl Trust and Caroni
Swamp
May 5- Pax Guest House. Flew home to New York.
Guides
Newton George-Tobago
Courtnay Rooks and Rudal Ramlal-Trinidad
Bird List
1. Red Billed Tropic Bird-Little Tobago Island
2. Brown Booby-Little Tobago
3. Red Footed Booby-Little Tobago and St. Giles
4. Masked Booby-St. Giles
5. Neotropical Cormorant- Caroni Swamp
6. Anhinga-Wildfowl Trust
7. Magnificent Frigatebird- Speyside and the islands
8. Snowy Egret-Various locales
9. Little Blue Heron- Various locales
10. Tricolored Heron- Various locales
11. Cattle Egret- Very abundant
12. Green Heron- Caroni Rice Fields
13. Great Egret-Caroni Swamp
14. Yellow Crowned Night Heron-Several areas
15. Scarlet Ibis-Caroni Swamp and Wildfowl Trust
16. Fulvous Whistling Duck- Wildfowl Trust
17. Black-bellied Whistling Duck-Wildfowl Trust
18. White-faced Whistling Duck-Caroni Rice Fields (Juveniles)
19. Black Vulture- Very abundant
20. Turkey Vulture- Pax Guest House
21. Long-winged Harrier-Caroni Rice Fields
22. Common Black Hawk- Several locales
23. Great Black Hawk- Rain Forest Preserve
24. Broad-winged Hawk- Rainforest Preserve
25. Ornate Hawk Eagle- Blancheusse Road
26. Yellow-headed Caracara- Caroni Rice Fields
27. Rufous-vented Chachalaca- Speyside
28. Purple Gallinule- Wildfowl Trust
29. Common Moorhen- Several locales
30. Southern Lapwing- Caroni Rice Fields
31. Semipalmated Plover- Caroni Rice Fields
32. Black Necked Stilt- Caroni Rice Fields
33. Greater Yellowlegs- Caroni Swamp
34. Solitary Sandpiper- Caroni Rice Fields
35. Willet- Caroni Rice Fields
36. Spotted Sandpiper- Speyside
37. Ruddy Turnstone- Speyside
38. White-rumped Sandpiper- Caroni Rice Fields
39. Pectoral Sandpiper- Caroni Rice Fields
40. Short-billed Dowitcher- Caroni Rice Fields
41. Laughing Gull-Speyside
42. Royal Tern- St. Giles
43. Bridled Tern- St. Giles
44. Sooty Tern- Little Tobago
45. Large-billed Tern- Caroni Rice Fields
46. Brown Noddy- Little Tobago
47. Ruddy Ground Dove- Various locales
48. White-tipped Dove- Speyside
49. Gray-fronted Dove- Asa Wright
50. Blue-headed Parrot- Blancheusse Road
51. Orange-winged Parrot- Several locales (very abundant)
52. Squirrel Cuckoo- Blancheusse Rd.
53. Smooth-billed Ani- Caroni Rice Fields and Blancheusse Rd.
54. Oilbird- Dunston Cave, Asa Wright
55. Short-tailed Swift- Rainforest Preserve
56. Band-rumped Swift- Blancheusse Rd.
57. Green Hermit- Blancheusse Rd.
58. White-necked Jacobin- Asa Wright
59. Black-throated Mango- Asa Wright
60. Ruby-topaz Hummingbird- Rainforest Preserve
61. White-chested Emerald- Asa Wright
62. White-tailed Sabrewing- Rainforest Preserve
63. Copper-rumped Hummingbird- Asa Wright and Speyside
64. Long-billed Starthroat- Pax Guest House
65. White-tailed Trogon- Blancheusse Rd. and Pax Guest House
66. Violacious Trogon- Blancheusse Rd.
67. Collared Trogon- Blancheusse Rd. and Rainforest Preserve
68. Blue-crowned Motmot- Several locales
69. Ringed Kingfisher- Wildfowl Trust
70. Green Kingfisher- Wildfowl Trust
71. Rufous-tailed Jacamar- Several locales
72. Channel-billed Toucan- Asa Wright and Blancheusse Rd.
73. Red-crowned Woodpecker- Rainforest Preserve
74. Golden-olive Woodpecker- Blancheusse Rd.
75. Chestnut Woodpecker- Asa Wright
76. Lineated Woodpecker- Asa Wright
77. Yellow-throated Spinetail- Caroni Rice Fields
78. Plain-brown Woodcreeper- Asa Wright
79. Straight-billed Woodcreeper-Caroni Swamp
80. Great Antshrike- Asa Wright
81. Black-crested Antshrike- Caroni Swamp
82. White-fringed Antwren- Rainforest Preserve
83. Yellow-bellied Elainia- Blancheusse Rd.
84. Tropical Peewee- Blancheusse Rd.
85. Pied Water-tyrant- Caroni Rice Fields
86. White-headed Marsh-Tyrant- Caroni Rice Fields
87. Great Kiskadee- Everywhere
88. Streaked Flycatcher- Asa Wright
89. Piratic Flycatcher- Blancheusse Rd.
90. Tropical Kingbird- Everywhere
91. Gray Kingbird- Speyside
92. Spotted Tody Flycatcher
93. Bearded Bellbird- Heard at Asa Wright, seen thru scope on
Blancheusse
Rd.
94. White-bearded Manakin- Asa Wright
95. Blue-backed Manakin- Rainforest Preserve
96. Golden-headed Manakin- Asa Wright and on Blancheusse Rd.
97. Caribbean Martin- Speyside
98. Gray-breasted Martin- Blancheusse Rd.
99. White-winged Swallow- Wildfowl Trust
100. Rufous-breasted Wren- Blancheusse Rd.
101. House Wren- Asa Wright
102. Yellow-legged Thrush- Rainforest Preserve
103. Cocoa Thrush- Asa Wright
104. Bare-eyed Thrush- Asa Wright
105. White-necked Thrush- Rainforest Preserve
106. Tropical Mockingbird- Everywhere
107. Chivi Vireo- Rainforest Preserve
108. Scrub Greenlet- Seen in trees on farmland outside Rainforest
Preserve
109. Rufous-browed Peppershrike- Marshy area south of Caroni
110. Tropical Parula Warbler- Blancheusse Rd.
111. Northern Waterthrush- Blancheusse Rd.
112. Bananaquit- Everywhere
113. Bicolored Conebill- Caroni Swamp
114. Bay-headed Tanager- Blancheusse Rd.
115. Green Honeycreeper- Asa Wright
116. Purple Honeycreeper- Asa Wright
117. Red-legged Honeycreeper- Rainforest Preserve
118. Violacious Euphonia- Asa Wright
119. Blue-gray Tanager- Everywhere
120. Palm Tanager- Everywhere
121. Silver-beaked Tanager- Asa Wright
122. White-shouldered Tanager- Asa Wright
123. White-lined Tanager- Asa Wright
124. Red-Crowned Ant-Tanager- Dunston Caves Area, Asa Wright
125. Swallow-Tanager- Blancheusse Rd.
126. Red-capped Cardinal- Wildfowl Trust
127. Blue-black Grassquit- Blancheusse Rd.
128. Black-faced Grassquit- Speyside
129. Sooty Grassquit- Pax Guest House
130. Saffron Finch- Hill near Caroni
131. Red-breasted Blackbird- Caroni Rice Fields
132. Yellow-hooded Blackbird- Several locales
133. Caribbean Grackle- Everywhere
134. Shiny Cowbird- Several locales
135. Giant Cowbird- Blancheusse Rd.
136. Yellow Oriole- Pax Guest House
137. Crested Oropendola
Mammals
Red Rumped Agouti-Asa Wright
Pygmy Opossum-Seen during night walk at Asa Wright
Short Tailed Bats-Asa Wright
Reptiles
Tegu Lizards-Asa Wright
House Geckos-Asa Wright and Speyside
Crooks Tree Boa-Caroni Swamp
Invertebrates
Click Beetle, Stick Insect, Wolf Spider -Asa Wright Night Walk
Tarantula- Near Dunston Cave, Asa Wright
Mountain Crab- Asa Wright
Yellow Mangrove Crab- Caroni Swamp
Leaf Cutter Ants- Asa Wright
Stephen Janko
sjanko@optonline.net