Wednesday 27 February 2019

Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago: Part 13 (Tobago: Cuffie River Nature Retreat, Gilpin Trace)

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


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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.

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 

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...

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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

Monday 25 February 2019

Best Places to Bird in Ontario

As no doubt some of you have heard, Ken and Mike Burrell have been busy writing and assembling their new book titled Best Places to Bird in Ontario, scheduled for release this spring. I recently received my advance copy in the mail and I am very impressed with what I've seen so far. Ken and Mike are lifelong birders based in southern Ontario (Ken in Kitchener, Mike in Peterborough) and they are intimately familiar with many of the birding hotspots throughout the province. I can tell that a lot of effort has gone into producing this excellent book!



Details regarding pre-ordering can be found on their website. You can pre-order directly through Amazon, or you can stop by one of their book signings this spring to receive a signed copy for 5$ off the list price. They list a number of events where the books can be picked up, including:

April 20; Guelph: WildBirds Unlimited, book signing
April 28; Gravenhurst: Muskoka Discovery Centre presentation
May 4-14; Point Pelee National Park: one or both of us will be in the park daily
May 6; Toronto: Toronto Ornithological Club presentation
May 10; Pelee Wings Nature Store: book signing/booth at Optics Expo
May 11; Point Pelee National Park: lunch and learn presentation followed by book signing
May 18; Prince Edward County: Spring Birding Festival hike then book-signing
May 25; Huron Fringe Birding Festival: keynote speaker and hike leaders

Monday 4 February 2019

From Guatemala to Cuba

I spent the last two weeks of January touring around Guatemala with Dan Riley, looking for as many of the country's birds and herps as we could find. Most ecotourists who visit Guatemala do so on a tour, or they stick to some of the main tourist hotspots like Tikal and Antigua. Dan and I did things a little bit differently, renting a 4x4 pickup truck and driving around the country to get way off the beaten tourist track. Following our nine-day loop that took up north and west from Guatemala City, we took an internal flight from Guatemala City to Flores in the north of the country; the jumping off point for visiting Tikal. Our goal in the north was not just to see the incredibly impressive ruins (one of the largest Mayan ruin sites),  but to look for wildlife as well. Spending four days in the relatively stress-free area of Tikal was a nice way to finish the trip, following the very intense nine-day loop with the pickup truck. It was definitely one of the more adventurous trips that I have ever undertaken and I am excited to put together a series of posts about the trip when time allows. In the meantime, however, here are a few teaser photos. 

Tikal archeological site, Guatemala

We did quite well on the trip bird-wise, finishing with 356 species in 13 days. Of these, we managed to encounter almost all of our main target species, including Pink-headed Warbler, Azure-rumped Tanager, Belted Flycatcher, Horned Guan and Orange-breasted Falcon. We did have one miss that stung - not seeing Goldman's Warbler (currently still considered a subspecies of Yellow-rumped Warbler, limited to a few mountains in Guatemala) - but otherwise we couldn't have asked for a better trip, bird-wise! Considering that we did not use a guide for any part of the trip, we were very happy with what we found.

Pink-headed Warbler

Horned Guan

Ocellated Turkey

Northern Jacana

Herps were also in abundance despite the very dry conditions almost everywhere that we stayed. Temperatures were also well below average, likely a function of the "polar vortex" in North America, which suppressed reptile activity as well. That being said we still managed to turn up 21 snakes of 7 different species as well as a nice variety of other herps. When the night-hiking was slow, there were often an array of insects and arachnids to keep us occupied.

Blunthead Tree Snake

Morelet's Crocodile

Ptychohyla hypomykter

Small-spotted Cat-eyed Snake

Unidentified katydid

Mammals are also a big focus for Dan and I when we travel. While we didn't see anything crazy like a big cat, we did turn up a few interesting species here and there. My favorite mammal sighting of the trip was a Mexican Mouse Opossum, hanging out in some trail-side bamboo during one night hike at Los Torrales Natural Reserve. 

Mexican Mouse Opossum

Later today I will be flying out to Cuba where I will be leading a nature tour for Quest. I'm excited to be heading back!

Bare-legged Owl

Red-legged Thrush

Bee Hummingbird