Asa Wright Nature Center, Trinidad

With 472 species of birds recorded in Trinidad, I am not sure how this country stayed under my radar for birdwatching. I learned that the place to pursue my passion for birding was the Asa Wright Nature Center. Located in the Northern Range overlooking the Arima Valley, this picturesque location boasts 150 easily seen species on their grounds and up to 40 from the verandah alone. The actual center is a plantation house built in 1908 and later purchased by Asa and Newcombe Wright, avid naturalists and birdwatchers. In 1967 a trust was set up which established the property as a nature center. It is now a popular destination for birdwatchers around the world. One of the most sought after birds here is the Oilbird. Dunston Cave is one of the largest accessible colonies in the world of Oilbirds and a 3 night stay at the center guarantees a visit there. There are also easily seen leks of White-bearded and Golden-headed Manakins as well as Bearded Bellbirds. Tufted Coquettes and many other hummingbirds are easily seen.
For me this place was paradise. I was able to see 130 species, 44 of which were Life Birds. The center also offered excursions to other locations with excellent local guides. We went to Caroni Swamp to watch the spectacle of thousands of Scarlet Ibis coming to roost for the night. We took a trip to the Nariva Swamp and also along the Blanchisseuse Road to the beaches of Manzanilla and Blanchisseuse.
Here are a few of the birds I was able to capture with my camera.

Purple Honeycreepers

The Verandah

White-chested Emerald

Green Honeycreeper

Violaceous Trogon

Tropical Screech Owl

White-headed Marsh Tyrant

Manzanilla Beach

Early morning frenzy at the feeders: Bananaquits and Purple Honeycreepers

Female Silver-beaked Tanager

Crested Oropendula

Collared Trogon

Rufous-tailed Jacamar

White-necked Jacobin

Oilbirds

White-bearded Manakin

Silver-lined Tanager

Violacious Euphonia

Bare-eyed Thrush

Bearded Bellbird

 

If you are a birder and are planning a trip to Trinidad, be sure to make a visit to the Asa Wright Nature Center. From the US you can make reservations through Caligo Ventures at caligo.com.

They were very helpful in making the reservations at Asa Wright as well as the excursions, flights to Tobago and our stay at the Blue Waters Inn in Tobago. The trip was affordable and well organized.

Counting Pink River Dolphins in the Peruvian Amazon

One of the most amazing things that we did while on the Earthwatch Amazon Expedition was the Pink River Dolphin surveys. We quietly floated down the river and observed and counted the  dolphins.  We noted their GPS location and noted whether they were traveling, resting or fishing. The dolphins are a good indicator of the health of the river because they will only stay as long as there are fish to eat. They have no natural predators. Even the local people will not hunt them because of long held superstitions. This is a short video of the experience. In the background you can hear a toucan calling.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4SfZVUY_fQ

Earthwatch... the Amazon

We left the city of Nauta and began our boat trip down the Maranon River. The river, an extension of the Amazon River, was wide and brown. There were boats of many kinds carrying bananas or travelers to the city of Nauta or Iquitos.  After many hours we came to the Samiria River, our destination. Here the water turns black and calm. The tanins from the forest vegetation turn the water black and the surface becomes a mirror, reflecting the forest on the banks. This area is protected as a reserve so we had to check in at the park entrance and obtain permission to proceed. Once in the Samiria there is no commercial traffic, only the small dugout canoes of the locals. We spent the night at the first stop and then continued for the next day to stop number two, where we spent the next week and a half. Our ship, the Ayapua, remained docked and each day we took auxiliary boats on excursions to do wildlife surveys.
We did Bird counts of Water Birds and Macaws. We counted species  and numbers of birds that we observed as our small boat drifted on the river.
We went fishing  and counted weighed and measured the species of fish we caught both on fishing poles and in the nets.
We observed River Dolphins and counted them and recorded their behavior as we floated on the Samira River and the small channel that led to the Tuna Lake.
We went on walks on the land in the jungle observing and counting the land mammals we encountered.
We boarded the boats at night and searched by lamplight the shores of the river for caimen. When we could we captured and measured the caimen. At night we also looked for and recorded Fishing Bats.
Each evening we returned to the ship and recorded our findings on the computer, showered and visited the bar to compare our findings of the day. At seven we had dinner and a debriefing of the days events and maybe a lecture or movie. We signed up for the next days excursions and by nine, exhausted we retired to our rooms.

Village along the river

My favorite vantage point

The Samiria River

Wildlife Survey

Sloth

Coming home to the Ayapua

Bats

Red Howler

Butterflies

Bird Survey on Lake Atun

Land Survey

Entering data on the computer

Fishing for ...

Piranha

Black Collared Hawk

Sunset in the Amazon

This trip was magical. The Amazon will forever be in my heart.

The Ayapua

On our Earthwatch expedition we were lucky to be stationed aboard the Ayapua, a restored rubber boom era ship with many parts reclaimed from the ship used in the filming of the movie Fitzcarraldo. It was originally built in Brazil and used to carry rubber out of the Amazon. To be on such a historically important ship was a treat in itself. After our trip the ship was to be used in the marine museum in Iquitos. Here are a few pictures of my home for two weeks.

                                                    The Ayapua docked at Nauta

                                                                   The Stairway

                                                  The Dining Room/ Meeting Room

                                                                     My Bedroom

                                                   Stairways up and down

          Stairway reclaimed from the Molly Aida of Fitzcarraldo fame

                                Smokestacks and funnels from the Molly Aida

                                                              The Library

                                                                      The Helm

                                                                     The Bar

                                  The Ayapua docked on the Samiria River

                                                    An auxillary boat

 

                                                                         Home

Everytime we went out on an auxiliary boat for an expedition, it was such a wonderful feeling to see this ship come into view and know that we were home.

 

 

Amazon Riverboat Exploration

In the beginning of February, 2014 I went on an Earthwatch expedition to the Amazon River. The trip began in the Peruvian city of Iquitos. Historically this town was the center of the Rubber Boom Era in the early 1900's when the Amazon Rainforest was exploited for the harvesting of rubber to supply the demands of rubber for tires for the newly invented automobile. The local Indians were used as slaves to harvest the rubber and the rubber barons became rich and powerful. They built lavish homes and built steamships to carry the rubber out of the forest. When the demand for rubber subsided because it was deemed more profitable to farm rubber in a more hospitable environment, the city fell into disrepair and was reclaimed by the local people. Iquitos is a fascinating city at the gateway to the Amazon River. For hundreds of years the locals have lived in floating houses. There are crowded outdoor markets, curbside restaurants and buzzing traffic of unique motorcycle taxis. I have never been to a more unique city. I spent 2 nights at Casa Moray, a restored rubber baron mansion. There I was joined by my fellow adventurers and our leader Dr. Richard Bodmer to begin our foray into the Amazon.

                                                                            Casa Moray

      Amazon Longboats  

 

Fish seller at Belen Market

 

 

Street Food... Grubs!

 

Belen Market...Floating City in the background

 

 

Street Food

 

Floating Houses

 

Floating Houses

 

Iquitos Taxi

 

Remnant of another era