January 25-27, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Karanambu Lodge
January 27, 2018 - Karanambu Lodge, boat cruise on the Rupununi River
January 28, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Rock View Lodge
January 29, 2018 - Rock View Lodge and surroundings
January 30, 2018 - Rock View Lodge, drive to Atta Lodge
January 31, 2018 - First complete day at Atta Lodge
February 1, 2018 - Second complete day at Atta Lodge
February 2, 2018 - Cock-of-the-rock lek, drive to Surama Ecolodge
February 3, 2018 - First complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 4, 2018 - Second complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 5 and 6, 2018 - Georgetown Botanical Gardens, Kaieteur Falls
February 7 and 8, 2018 - Tobago: Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Gilpin Trace
February 9, 2018 - Tobago: Little Tobago Island
February 10, 2018 - Trinidad: Caroni Swamp
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February 7, 2018
When planning our honeymoon, I decided to add a four day layover in Trinidad and Tobago before our flight home. My reasoning for this was simple. After a week and a half traipsing through the Guyanese jungles, dealing with high humidity, temperatures and the presence of biting insects, a respite for several days on an island seemed like a great idea. Indeed our time in Trinidad and Tobago was very much enjoyed and certainly a nice way to wind down after the busyness of the Guyana portion of the trip!
I elected to stay in Tobago for three nights, followed by a single night near the airport in Trinidad before flying out. I had heard good things about Tobago, with its slower pace than the bigger island of Trinidad, excellent beaches, and good opportunities to explore.
We touched down in Trinidad by noon, got on our domestic flight and by early afternoon had touched down in Tobago. From there we picked up the Suzuki Jimmy I had pre-arranged, threw our packs in the back and were off!
Our base in Tobago would be the excellent Cuffie River Nature Retreat located in the foothills in the north-central part of the island. While a bit pricier than other options in Tobago, it was located in a beautiful setting with an abundance of wildlife on the grounds.
That afternoon we checked into our room and enjoyed a quick stroll down the road to see our first taste of the wildlife of Tobago.
It was hard not to linger by the hummingbird feeders, despite it being late in the afternoon with other birds to be found down the road. We enjoyed watching the antics of the White-necked Jacobins, Rufous-breasted Hermits, and Copper-rumped and Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds; the latter two species being lifers for us.
We walked a ways down a nearby trail before dusk, observing our first Rufous-vented Chachalacas, Spectacled Thrushes, and even a Trinidad Motmot among more common species.
That evening, Laura went out for a stroll with our headlamps to check out a nearby creek. Several things of interest were found, as is always the case when one explores the tropics at night. A White-tailed Nightjar was on the road, while a Common Potoo vocalized from somewhere unseen. We disovered a few glass frogs of the species Hyalinobatrachium orientale, a range-resticted species found in Tobago and parts of eastern Venezuela. The males were calling from the undersides of leaves overhanging the creek, and several of the frogs were tending a nest of eggs.
February 8, 2018
The following morning we were up in a reasonable time and soon on the road. Our plan for the day was to hike a trail known as the Gilpin Trace in the morning, then have lunch and relax on a beach somewhere for the afternoon. I had a very limited hit list of bird species that would be lifers for me in Tobago, and I had already seen five out of the twelve target species the previous afternoon at Cuffie River. I was hopeful that we would be able to find the remaining forest bird targets at Gilpin Trace. Of course the main species I was interested in was the White-tailed Sabrewing, a range-restricted species that is most easily found in the mountains of Tobago.
I had heard that the Gilpin Trace can be quite busy by mid-morning, but we were the only ones on site at 7:30AM. There was a local guy who tried his very best to convince us to hire him as a guide for the morning, but Laura and I were really looking forward to exploring on our own. He let us know that we would not see nearly as many birds without his services but we politely declined and started down the trail.
It was a beautiful morning and bird song filled the air, along with the sounds of trickling water whenever we passed a small seepage or creek. I fortunately did not have to wait long to see my first White-tailed Sabrewing, the first one made itself known only 10 minutes into the walk! We ended up seeing around eight of them in total, which was somewhat surprising to me since I assumed they would be much less common.
It did not take me too long to find the remaining target birds; both Stripe-breasted Spinetail and Venezuelan Flycatcher were quickly found, but Fuscous Flycatcher took a little bit more effort.
While the bird sightings were great, Laura and I really enjoyed having the morning to ourselves, exploring at our own pace. While our guides in Guyana were for the most part excellent, it was rare for us to have a chance to explore off on our own during that part of the trip.We enjoyed the lush vegetation of the Gilpin Trace, the frequent sightings of Barred Antshrikes and Golden-olive Woodpeckers, watching several stunning Blue-backed Manakins, listening to Collared Trogons calling from behind a green wall of vegetation, and catching glimpses of a few butterfly species in the canopy. The Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, of which the Gilpin Trace is found within, is the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere. Since 1776 the land here has been protected.
By late morning we had followed the trail back to the road, thrilled with the results of our walk. We hopped in the Jimmy and drove back down the mountainside, hoping to spend the afternoon at one of the many beautiful bays that adorn the Tobago coastline.
We ended up at Englishman's Bay, a picturesque location with a beautiful beach and relatively few other people present. There was even a pair of Trinidad Motmots by the parking lot, providing our best chance so far to study their plumage and watch their bizarre tail-swinging movements, like the pendulum of a clock.
We enjoyed Englishman's Bay for a few hours, watching the Magnificent Frigatebirds soaring overhead and Brown Boobies periodically cruising by. The water was refreshing, and felt great following ten days of slogging it in the Guyanese rainforest!
That afternoon we returned to Cuffie River and I stationed myself by the hummingbird feeders to finally take some photos. My main goal was to catch the brilliant gorget of the Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, but the only photos that show it properly has the bird adjacent to the feeder.
When it turned its body ever so slightly, the brilliance of the gorget would vanish.
That evening we wrapped up our first full day in Tobago by driving down to the town of Castara for an excellent meal next to the beach. It had been a good day...
Introduction
January 25-27, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Karanambu Lodge
January 27, 2018 - Karanambu Lodge, boat cruise on the Rupununi River
January 28, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Rock View Lodge
January 29, 2018 - Rock View Lodge and surroundings
January 30, 2018 - Rock View Lodge, drive to Atta Lodge
January 31, 2018 - First complete day at Atta Lodge
February 1, 2018 - Second complete day at Atta Lodge
February 2, 2018 - Cock-of-the-rock lek, drive to Surama Ecolodge
February 3, 2018 - First complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 4, 2018 - Second complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 5 and 6, 2018 - Georgetown Botanical Gardens, Kaieteur Falls
February 7 and 8, 2018 - Tobago: Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Gilpin Trace
February 9, 2018 - Tobago: Little Tobago Island
February 10, 2018 - Trinidad: Caroni Swamp
I elected to stay in Tobago for three nights, followed by a single night near the airport in Trinidad before flying out. I had heard good things about Tobago, with its slower pace than the bigger island of Trinidad, excellent beaches, and good opportunities to explore.
We touched down in Trinidad by noon, got on our domestic flight and by early afternoon had touched down in Tobago. From there we picked up the Suzuki Jimmy I had pre-arranged, threw our packs in the back and were off!
Our base in Tobago would be the excellent Cuffie River Nature Retreat located in the foothills in the north-central part of the island. While a bit pricier than other options in Tobago, it was located in a beautiful setting with an abundance of wildlife on the grounds.
That afternoon we checked into our room and enjoyed a quick stroll down the road to see our first taste of the wildlife of Tobago.
It was hard not to linger by the hummingbird feeders, despite it being late in the afternoon with other birds to be found down the road. We enjoyed watching the antics of the White-necked Jacobins, Rufous-breasted Hermits, and Copper-rumped and Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds; the latter two species being lifers for us.
 |
| Black-throated Mango - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
 |
| Ruby-topaz Hummingbird - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
We walked a ways down a nearby trail before dusk, observing our first Rufous-vented Chachalacas, Spectacled Thrushes, and even a Trinidad Motmot among more common species.
That evening, Laura went out for a stroll with our headlamps to check out a nearby creek. Several things of interest were found, as is always the case when one explores the tropics at night. A White-tailed Nightjar was on the road, while a Common Potoo vocalized from somewhere unseen. We disovered a few glass frogs of the species Hyalinobatrachium orientale, a range-resticted species found in Tobago and parts of eastern Venezuela. The males were calling from the undersides of leaves overhanging the creek, and several of the frogs were tending a nest of eggs.
 |
| Hyalinobatrachium orientale - Cuffie River Nature Reserve, Tobago |
 |
| Hyalinobatrachium orientale - Cuffie River Nature Reserve, Tobago |
February 8, 2018
The following morning we were up in a reasonable time and soon on the road. Our plan for the day was to hike a trail known as the Gilpin Trace in the morning, then have lunch and relax on a beach somewhere for the afternoon. I had a very limited hit list of bird species that would be lifers for me in Tobago, and I had already seen five out of the twelve target species the previous afternoon at Cuffie River. I was hopeful that we would be able to find the remaining forest bird targets at Gilpin Trace. Of course the main species I was interested in was the White-tailed Sabrewing, a range-restricted species that is most easily found in the mountains of Tobago.
 |
| Barred Antshrike - Gilpin Trace, Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
I had heard that the Gilpin Trace can be quite busy by mid-morning, but we were the only ones on site at 7:30AM. There was a local guy who tried his very best to convince us to hire him as a guide for the morning, but Laura and I were really looking forward to exploring on our own. He let us know that we would not see nearly as many birds without his services but we politely declined and started down the trail.
 |
| Waterfall along the Gilpin Trace, Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
It was a beautiful morning and bird song filled the air, along with the sounds of trickling water whenever we passed a small seepage or creek. I fortunately did not have to wait long to see my first White-tailed Sabrewing, the first one made itself known only 10 minutes into the walk! We ended up seeing around eight of them in total, which was somewhat surprising to me since I assumed they would be much less common.
 |
| White-tailed Sabrewing - Gilpin Trace, Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
It did not take me too long to find the remaining target birds; both Stripe-breasted Spinetail and Venezuelan Flycatcher were quickly found, but Fuscous Flycatcher took a little bit more effort.
 |
| Stripe-breasted Spinetail - Gilpin Trace, Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
 |
| Fuscous Flycatcher - Gilpin Trace, Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
While the bird sightings were great, Laura and I really enjoyed having the morning to ourselves, exploring at our own pace. While our guides in Guyana were for the most part excellent, it was rare for us to have a chance to explore off on our own during that part of the trip.We enjoyed the lush vegetation of the Gilpin Trace, the frequent sightings of Barred Antshrikes and Golden-olive Woodpeckers, watching several stunning Blue-backed Manakins, listening to Collared Trogons calling from behind a green wall of vegetation, and catching glimpses of a few butterfly species in the canopy. The Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, of which the Gilpin Trace is found within, is the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere. Since 1776 the land here has been protected.
 |
| Golden-olive Woodpecker - Gilpin Trace, Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
 |
| Crossing a landslide along the Gilpin Trace - Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve, Tobago |
By late morning we had followed the trail back to the road, thrilled with the results of our walk. We hopped in the Jimmy and drove back down the mountainside, hoping to spend the afternoon at one of the many beautiful bays that adorn the Tobago coastline.
We ended up at Englishman's Bay, a picturesque location with a beautiful beach and relatively few other people present. There was even a pair of Trinidad Motmots by the parking lot, providing our best chance so far to study their plumage and watch their bizarre tail-swinging movements, like the pendulum of a clock.
 |
| Trinidad Motmot - Englishman's Bay, Tobago |
 |
| Englishman's Bay, Tobago |
We enjoyed Englishman's Bay for a few hours, watching the Magnificent Frigatebirds soaring overhead and Brown Boobies periodically cruising by. The water was refreshing, and felt great following ten days of slogging it in the Guyanese rainforest!
 |
| Englishman's Bay, Tobago |
That afternoon we returned to Cuffie River and I stationed myself by the hummingbird feeders to finally take some photos. My main goal was to catch the brilliant gorget of the Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, but the only photos that show it properly has the bird adjacent to the feeder.
 |
| Ruby-topaz Hummingbird - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
When it turned its body ever so slightly, the brilliance of the gorget would vanish.
 |
| Ruby-topaz Hummingbird - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
 |
| Ruby-topaz Hummingbird - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
 |
| White-necked Jacobin - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
 |
| Black-throated Mango - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
 |
| Rufous-breasted Hermit - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
 |
| Copper-rumped Hummingbird - Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Tobago |
----------
January 25-27, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Karanambu Lodge
January 27, 2018 - Karanambu Lodge, boat cruise on the Rupununi River
January 28, 2018 - Rupununi savannah, Rock View Lodge
January 29, 2018 - Rock View Lodge and surroundings
January 30, 2018 - Rock View Lodge, drive to Atta Lodge
January 31, 2018 - First complete day at Atta Lodge
February 1, 2018 - Second complete day at Atta Lodge
February 2, 2018 - Cock-of-the-rock lek, drive to Surama Ecolodge
February 3, 2018 - First complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 4, 2018 - Second complete day at Surama Ecolodge
February 5 and 6, 2018 - Georgetown Botanical Gardens, Kaieteur Falls
February 7 and 8, 2018 - Tobago: Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Gilpin Trace
February 9, 2018 - Tobago: Little Tobago Island
February 10, 2018 - Trinidad: Caroni Swamp
