TN 2014 Pages:TN 2005 INTRODUCTION
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Trinidad & Tobago Scarlet Ibis and other waterbirds going to roost at Caroni Swamp (Painting by Mike Langman)
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
The Asa Wright Experience
SOUTH and CENTRAL AMERICA and the CARIBBEAN
Thursday 23 January – Tuesday 4 February 2014 Provisional dates for 2015 Thursday 22 January – Tuesday 3 February 2015
One of the best possible introductions to the natural riches of the Caribbean, based at the world-famous Asa Wright Nature Center on Trinidad, together with the wonderful tropical seabirds and coral reefs of Tobago. sk a few well-travelled birdwatchers their favourite places in the world to stay, and Asa Wright will soon enter the conversation. This famous centre on Trinidad not only makes for an excellent introduction to the incredible diversity of bird life in Central and South America, but is also an outstanding location in its own right. The view from the verandah out over the valley is superb, while the birding from here – sometimes only a few feet away at the hummingbird feeders – is always entertaining. Around the centre lie two hundred acres of estate, a former coffee-cocoacitrus plantation now reverting to secondary forest, surrounded by impressive rainforest. One special bird here is the nocturnal Oilbird, a fruit-eating relative of nightjars, and one of the only birds in the world to use echo-location. A visit to a colony of these peculiar birds in caves on the estate makes a unique birding experience. Tobago is Trinidad’s much smaller neighbour, and with its lovely beaches, coral reefs and seabird islands, it makes a fine contrast for the second part of our stay.
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Purple Honeycreeper (Photo: Keith Grant)
Trinidad
(13 days) (13 days)
Tobago
VENEZUELA GUYANA
January and February are the very best months to visit, with many forest birds including Manakins displaying, and seabirds nesting on Little Tobago. Early in the dry season, the climate is also delightful at this time. Itinerary Day 1 : Depart from London to arrive Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in the evening, from where we head straight for the Asa Wright Nature Center. Overnight Asa Wright Day 2 : We awake to the resonant calls of Bearded Bellbirds deep in the forest, and head for one of the prime birdwatching sites of the area - the verandah! From here a first-time visitor may see twenty or more new species before breakfast, with several hummingbirds including White-necked Jacobin, Rufous-breasted Hermit, and the delightful and diminutive Tufted Coquette, as well as Barred and Great Antshrikes, and Green and Purple Honeycreepers. After breakfast we walk some of the
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