Both Trinidad and Tobago abound with birds and at almost
every turn an avian spectacle can be observed. There are however certain
places that are particularly noteworthy for either the diversity or abundance of birds.
Below are photographs of a few of those birding hotspots and a synopsis of the information
on birding hotspots that is provided on the bird identification CD, Discovering the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago.
Grafton Bird Sanctuary, Tobago
This is a former cocoa and coconut estate that was destroyed by Hurricane Flora in 1963
and as a result was converted into a wildlife sanctuary.
It is approximately 200 acres in size
and is covered in secondary forest. It is located along Grafton Road on the southern side
of the road. There is a small weathered sign indicating the entrance to the sanctuary and
a short uphill secondary road that leads to the reserve. Even before one reaches the
reserve, along the entrance road there is good birding. A restaurant was previously
operated on the site but is now closed, however the restaurant building still exists with
tables and benches and can be used for resting during the day. There are toilets in the
building that are maintained. There are three main forest trails. As you enter, the
first trail on the right leads downhill and is relatively short. The second trail on the
left also gradually leads downhill and then eventually climbs uphill. The main trail,
which is directly facing the entrance, leads uphill and winds past several abandoned
estate buildings and stables.
Entrance to Caroni Swamp Center
The area known as the Caroni Swamp is located approximately 30 minutes outside
the capital city of Port of Spain and is a 15,000 acre area of marshland, mangrove swamp,
brackish and saline lagoons, and tidal mudflats. The area is home to over 186 species of
birds that includes cattle egrets, snowy egrets, ospreys, herons, plovers, and jacanas. In addition there are 32
species of bats, mammals including red howler monkeys and white-fronted capuchin monkeys,
along with various types of caimans. The highlight however of any visit to the Caroni
Swamp is the sight of the Scarlet Ibis coming in thousands to roost during the last two hours of
day light. Guided boat tours are available daily.
Located on the south-western tip of Trinidad, just seven miles from Venezuela, this
lagoon is an estuarine basin mangrove of approximately 330 hectares. While the entire peninsula is a bird watching
experience, there are three prime hotspots; Fullarton Swamp, Los Banquilles Swamp and the
Grand Icacos Lagoon. The Fullarton Swamp is ideal for the armchair birdwatcher. The road
from Fullarton Village to Icacos Village runs through the center of the Swamp and so it is
possible to literally view the birds without leaving your vehicle. The majority of wetland
species can be easily seen including Scarlet Ibis, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret,
Pygmy Kingfisher, Yellow-headed blackbird, Wattled Jacana, Little Blue Heron, Tricoloured
Heron, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Common Moorhen.
Located on the western outskirts of Port of Spain, these mudflats are easily accessible
being alongside the Audrey Jeffers Highway. The mudflats are fronted by the Gulf of Paria,
backed by mangrove swamps and bisected by a river. Many of the migratory birds that visit
Trinidad can be seen in this area, including Whimbrel, Fork-tailed Flycatcher,
Black-necked Stilt, Greater Yellowlegs, Hudsonian Godwit, Snowy Plover, Semi-palmated
Plover, White-rumped Sandpiper.
The Waterloo Mudflats are an easily accessible area in Central Trinidad, at the end of
a main road. The various species that would be seen in this area include: Little Blue
Heron, Large-billed Terns, Ruddy Turnstone, Scarlet Ibis, Black Skimmers, Brown Pelicans, Blue-black Grassquit,
Laughing Gull. The area around the Temple
in the Sea is a good viewing area at low tide.
Bon Accord Wetlands, Tobago
The wetlands lie just north of Milford road and adjacent to Pigeon
Point. They offered a range of habitats from mangroves fringing the Bon Accord lagoon, to
freshwater marsh, drainage channels and four large ponds in the water treatment works. It
is an excellent site for waterbirds and waders especially. At the water treatment ponds
can usually be seen Great Egrets, Anhingas, Black-crowned
Night-herons, Tricoloured
Herons, Green Herons, Snowy Egret, Little Egrets, Cattle Egrets, Black-bellied
Whistling-ducks, White-cheeked Pintails, Least Grebe.
This is Trinidad and Tobago’s premier birding location and it has been widely
recognized as one of the most successful eco-tourism stories in the world. The listing of
birds that can be seen at this center has been identified in the vicinity of 159. This
Nature Center is located at a height of approximately 1,200 feet in the hills of the
Northern Range, seven miles from the town of Arima. It is reached by driving along the
Arima-Blanchisseuse Road that winds through verdant countryside dotted with small villages
and isolated houses.
Asa Wright is a 270-acre conservatory, located on a former cocoa-coffee-citrus
plantation partly reclaimed by secondary forest and largely surrounded by impressive
rainforest. The center has several cottages that are available for rent and one can choose
to spend a night, a weekend or even longer. There are numerous trails throughout the
property and very knowledgeable guides. The highlight of any visit to Asa Wright is simply
sitting on the verandah and watching or photographing the wide array of birds that come to
the feeders. Some of these birds include; Purple Honeycreeper, Green Honeycreeper, Crested
Oropendola, Silver-beaked Tanager, White-necked Jacobin hummingbirds, Bananaquit,
Red-legged Honeycreeper, White-chested Emerald hummingbird, Cocoa Thrush, Chestnut
Woodpecker, Great Antshrike. Another attraction of the Asa Wright verandah is the
sight of the Agoutis and Matte Lizards.
Two other highlights of a visit to Asa Wright are the short walk to the manakin leks to
see these beautiful little birds dance to attract a mate and to see and hear the Bearded
Bellbird.
The Trincity Sewerage Treatment Ponds are located kilometer from Piarco Airport and
meters off the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway, opposite Trincity Mall. When first thought of,
the name does not encourage visiting but the area teems with birdlife. It is a small
compound that can literally all be seen from one spot. It is easy to walk around and the
bird views are excellent because you are on raised embankments looking down a few feet
into the ponds. While Yellow hooded Blackbirds can be seen in most swamps and marsh areas
in Trinidad, at Trincity it is a photographer’s delight because of the close
proximity and the ability to have the bird contrasted against a strong background. The
birdlife that can usually be seen at these ponds include: Least Grebe, Little Blue and
Striated Herons, Great Egret, Cattle Egret and Snowy Egret, Yellow hooded
Blackbirds, Shiny Cowbirds, Yellow Oriole and wintering and migrating American
shorebirds, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper and Black-necked Stilts.
Occasionally Ringed Kingfisher and Masked Duck are seen. Trincity is one area, where you
are almost always certain to see a Yellow-billed Tern.
In addition to birds, if you are lucky you can see the caimans that sometimes bask on the embankments. When venturing
near the edges of the ponds be alert for caimans in the water, only their nostrils and
eyes will be visible above the water.
There is no charge for entering this area. Trincity is not an extended
viewing experience because of its small size and so can be combined with visits to other
hotspots or other activities.
The Wildfowl Trust, is a wildlife reserve, which encompasses two lakes and about 25
hectares of land within the Petrotrin petrochemical complex at Pointe-a-Pierre. The Trust
is actively involved in the research, breedingand the re-introduction of
endangered wetland birds into existing natural wildlife areas in Trinidad & Tobago.
The Trust has a Learning Center that houses information dealing with living organisms and
their habitats, an unique mollusk collection and a small but comprehensive Amerindian
Museum. A walk along the trails is a most relaxing experience and an opportunity to
closely observe wetland birds in their natural habitat. Some of the species that can be
seen include; Black Bellied Whistling Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling
Duck, White-Cheeked, Wild Muscovy Duck,
Olivaceous Cormorant, Anhinga, Purple Gallinule, Black-crowned Night Herons, Great Blue
Heron, Tri-coloured Heron, Common Moorhen.
As the Trust is located within a petrochemical complex, advance booking must be made
(usually the day before). There is a nominal entrance fee. There are not usually many
people on the grounds so it provides an excellent opportunity for photographers to capture
images of wild birds in a natural setting.
This research Station is in the eastern part of the island a few kilometers outside of
Arima, along the Eastern Main Road. The Ministry of Agriculture manages it and permission
must be obtained for entry. Permission is usually not difficult to obtain once applied for
in advance between Monday and Friday. It is an
area of open savannah, wet pastures, hedgerows and isolated trees. The typical birds are
Savannah Hawk, Wattled Jacanas, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Yellow-chinned Spinetail,
White-headed Marsh and Pied Water Tyrants, Grey Kingbird, White-winged Swallow and
Red-breasted Blackbird. Wintering American shorebirds are often found in the wetter areas.
In season: Solitary and Least Sandpipers, Southern Lapwing and Stilt Sandpipers. There is
also a chance of Cocoi Heron, Striped
Cuckoo and Pinnated Bittern. Savannah
Hawks are particularly prevalent in this area and can be seen perched on the fence
posts or on bare tree limbs. Other birds would include Short-tailed Swifts, Forked-tailed
Palm Swifts and Zone-tailed Hawks.
Nariva, on the east coast of Trinidad, is Trinidad and Tobago’s largest wetland
with some 32 square miles of fresh-water herbaceous swamp
. It combines four major wetland types (mangrove swamp forest, palm forest, swamp
wood and freshwater marsh) and has been formally designated a Wetland of International
Importance under the Ramsar Convention. It includes the Bush Bush Wildlife Sanctuary and
Prohibited Area and the Nariva Mayaro Windbelt Forest Reserve. Entry is by permit only and
under restricted conditions.
Several rivers drain into the Nariva Swamp, including the Navet, Bois Neuf and
Guatacara. These lose their identity soon after entering the Nariva. The bulk of the water
drains from the area into the Atlantic through the short tidal Nariva River. The Nariva
Swamp can be deceptive in appearance as large areas are covered by grasses giving the
appearance of solid land when in fact the grasses merely cover the water surface. Only in
the southern sections are to be found irregularly-shaped patches of high ground, which are
really islands surrounded by the waters of the swamp. The largest of these islands is Bush
Bush Forest and further west an additional 11/2 miles lies another conspicuous patch of
high ground known as Bois Neuf island. On the various islands Moriche Palms, Royal Palms
and Palmiste (Cabbage Palms) grow in open stands.
Nariva is home to an incredibly diverse range of reptiles, mammals and birds, some of
which are rare and endangered. There are over 171 species of birds in Nariva, including manakins, tanagers, antbirds, caracara
and woodcreepers. There are 5 species of Parrots (including Macaws), 2 species of owls, 2 species
of trogons, 11 species of hummingbirds, potoos, toucans and limpkins. It is within Nariva
that the blue and gold macaws have been reintroduced to Trinidad. There are 59 species of
mammals that can be found in Nariva including red howler and capuchin ( Cebus albifrons)
monkeys, deer, porcupine, three-toed and silky anteaters and opossums. Trinidad's last
surviving colony of the West Indian Manatee are located within Nariva. Also to be found in
Nariva are various reptiles that include giant anaconda, the fer-de-lance snake and caiman.
In close proximity to the Nariva Swamp is Kernahan Trace,
the entrance to which is along the Manzanilla Road.
As the roadway is bordered by flooded pastures, it provides the opportunity to view Purple
Gallinule, White-headed Marsh-Tyrant, Ringed Kingfisher, Little Blue Heron and Yellow
Hooded Blackbird. In the hillside areas where watermelon are grown can be seen Southern
Lapwing, Savannah Hawk, Tropical Kingbird.
The Adventure Farm & Eco Reserve is just outside the village of Plymouth on the
Arnos Vale Road. The farm is planted with a variety of fruit trees but parts of the farm
have been left with the natural tropical vegetation. There is one main trail that winds
through the property. A variety of birds can be seen on the Farm including Tropical
Mockingbirds, Blue-crowned Motmot, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, White-necked Jacobin,
Rufous-breasted Hermit, Ruby-topaz Hummingbird, Bared-eyed Thrush, White-lined Tanagers,
Blue-Gray Tanagers, Blue-black Grassquit, Bananaquit, Pale-vented Pigeon and Woodcreepers.
The owners of the Farm live on the property and there is an entrance fee of TT $20. An
interesting feature of the farm is that visitors can place fruit and seeds in the feeders,
then ring a brass bell. Within minutes of ringing the bell various species come to the
feeders. Along the side of the main house are hummingbird feeders with the hummingbirds
ever-present.
Some other notable birding spots in Trinidad and Tobago include:
While the above are the popular birding hotspots, Trinidad truly abounds with birds and
many of the popular vacation and picnic areas also provide the opportunity to engage in
birdwatching of various species.
Blanchisseuse
is both a popular vacation area and birding
hotspot. The mountains that tower above the village are clothed in verdant natural forest
and so avian delights appear at every bend. While throughout the village you can indulge
in birdwatching, at times just from your verandah, the western end of the village provides
the best viewing. Along the banks of the Marianne River freshwater species may be
observed. As you continue along the road past the spring bridge other species appear,
especially those that frequent forest edges and areas with scattered trees. The
Blanchissuese to Arima Road over the mountains is another good area especially for getting
views of forest species. Along this road if you walk slowly and look in the underbrush you
will get the opportunity to observe those species that frequent the underbrush.
Brasso Seco is
almost hidden in the folds of the Northern Range, lying between Arima and Blanchisseuse. The area is a blend of virgin
rainforest with estates of mainly tree crops creating a haven for tropical birds. The
numerous agricultural roads and trails makes it easy to wander along the roads and spot
many species. The Brasso Seco area is home to
the only endemic bird species in Trinidad, the Trinidad Piping Guan (Pawi) and rare
species such as the Little Tinamou and Large-billed Seedfinch are also seen. Many of the
hummingbird species are seen in the area, along with toucans, orioles, oropendolas and
manakins.
Toco is yet another of
those areas where houses seem to blend into the natural environment creating a situation
where birdwatching simply requires walking along and looking in the trees. In the Cumana area, every side road will reveal different species
especially during the early morning and evening hours.
The Arena Reservoir
operated by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) and located in the Arena Forest is a
good location for seeing water birds, especially the Black-bellied Whistling-Duck and
White-necked Heron. In addition to birdwatching you can picnic along the banks of the
reservoir but bathing is not allowed. In order to visit the dam, you must request
permission in advance from the WASA Public Relations Department located at the head office
on Farm Road in St. Joseph. Your request must state:
Place of Visit
Date of Visit
Vehicle(s) No(s)
Name(s) of Person(s) or Organization to be included on the pass
Number of proposed visitors
The Arena Forest leading up to the entrance to
the Arena Dam is a historic location as it was the site of a violent and bloody
confrontation between the Amerindians and the Spanish Capuchin priests in 1699. Today it
is possible to visit the site of the
confrontation as explained on our Other Places of Interest Page. In the forest
you can find Yellow-rumped Caciques, Piratic Flycatchers, Squirrel Cuckoo, Plumbeous Kite,
White-tailed and Violaceous Trogons, Lineated and Golden Olive Woodpeckers, Plain Ant
Vireo and White-bellied Antbird.
All photographs (unless otherwise stated) are the property of Brian Ramsey. None
of the photographs may be reproduced without the express written consent of Outdoor Business Group Limited and Brian Ramsey.
