The Nariva Swamp

This White-fronted Capuchin defends his territory

My last write on Trinidad birding sadly begins and ends at Nariva Swamp.  This trek wasn't too popular at Asa Wright during the time I was there so I had to contract a guide on my own during my week in Arima.  

Nariva Swamp is one of the few places on the island where people can still find White-fronted Capuchin Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, the reintroduced Blue-and-Yellow Macaws and other interesting species.

The very common Ruddy Ground-Dove

I had a guide but she didn't know her birds at all and talked a lot about herself during the trip.  On the bonus side?  She was a good driver.  They're hard to find on the island:)  The driving is quite crazy.  And the roads outside of Port of Spain are extraordinarily bad in some parts.  

Smooth-billed Ani's rule!

On my trip to Nariva, I got to study a lot of birds we had briefly seen on our Caroni trek which were really just ticks during that 23 minute walk.  Finding guides in Trinidad is not difficult, but finding GOOD guides in Trinidad can be tricky.  Some guides think birding is just pointing at the bird for the tick.  And while that may be partially true for me, it's also about understanding the history, calls and behaviors behind the bird.  Not all guides can do that.  So I had to come prepared with a list of questions for the guides.  With a little guidance, I was able to get the answers I needed. Most travelers just go to "go" on a fun trip.  I'm there to study.  And that's the difference between myself and others vacationing. 

The great big ocean world surrounding Trinidad is a fascinating one.  The Pacific side of the island is calm for sea turtles to beach and lay eggs.  It had a different feel as well. 

Black Vultures forage for opportunities

In the pic above, we'd find a lot of scavengers, like the Black Vulture, along the beaches eating broken turtle eggs or trying to eat the recently hatched turtles.

The relaxing beautiful Pacific side of the island

However, the Atlantic side was wild and windy. On the day we cruised the Atlantic side to Nariva, bikers utilized an almost abandoned road system along a large grove of Coconut palms.  The beach is deemed dangerous for swimmers as the current is strong on this side of the island.  I'd see abandoned buildings along this highway.  Apparently a tsunami hit the island several years ago and wiped out this area taking homes out into the ocean. Locals no longer live along this stretch of highway.  Coconut palms have spread and taken over the area. 

The windy brown water of the Atlantic

The ocean waters along this side of the island were also very brown.  According to the guide, she, along with many other Trinidadians, swam in these beautiful waters 3 decades ago. I suppose there is debris in this water from that tsunami that also makes the beach off limits to swimmers and surfers.

Once we passed this area, we started seeing swamp type vegetation.  The plants along the road began to close in around us until we were inside the Nariva Swamp area. 

the water highways of a mangrove swamp

The dark brackish water was home to a variety of crabs like the Blue Land Crab. 

Blue Land Crabs are caught for good eating

On our way to the boat, we observed tiny fiddler crabs defending their muddy homes in the grass. 

A Yellow-headed Caracara

At first it rained and then, it cleared up with beautiful sunny skies.  A slight breeze kept the mosquitoes from eating us alive. 

a very wet Common Black Hawk dries off

Common Black Hawks are THE hawk of the island.  I think I had at least one on almost every count.  In Arizona, they are a treat to see, but on Trinidad, they are taken for granted.  Here they feed from crabs and frogs along the mangrove and forest waters.

At Caroni Swamp, I had seen the Fork-tailed Flycatchers but they were such bad observations that I didn't count them.  I knew I'd have better chances to observe them and thankfully I did!

Fork-tailed Flycatchers are numerous in open wetland area

I'll admit something here to you all.  I'm not big on swifts or swallows, but if you're going to add them, you have to look at them.  In Trinidad, there are a number of swifts and swallows that a birder can observe.  They are not hard to find but they can be difficult to ID in the lighting conditions.  One of the swallow species that I wanted to observe well was the White-winged Swallow.  

The cute White-winged Swallows take a break on a power line

They sparkle blue in the sun with a lovely white wing bar.  They are VERY common on the island and seen all around the airport. 

Another bird in the swamp was the beautiful Southern Lapwing.  Two flew directly over our heads.

A Southern Lapwing claims the throne on top of a hill

While I surveyed the swamp, our mission was to head out to the island in the middle of the swamp. Many birds and monkeys hung out there. 

Blackbirds are really awesome.  The Yellow-hooded Blackbirds were vocal on this day along side our boat.  At one point, one came out into the open for us to observe. 

A beautiful Yellow-hooded Blackbird defends a nesting territory near the swamp

Once we left the swamp area, we docked our boat on a makeshift dock and walked through the wet trail onto the island. 

We stuck to the trails.  One little slip and we'd be in the drink!

As predicted, parrots of all species were vocal and in flight.  My "guide", or I should say driver, looked out of place with her clothing, choice of shoes and purse. The young man leading us was great and knew his birds in the area.  He was going to school to lead birding trips and it showed. 

I was hoping to view these Red-bellied Macaws and Nariva Swamp is the best place for them

The actual boat guide was perceptive and read my body language and told me that we could wait as I began observing birds of prey lifting off from the forest. 

A Savanna Hawk finally makes itself known

A similar species, the Striated Heron, looks almost like our Green Herons but the overall gray and bluish tones separate this species from its fraternal twin. 

A subtle bird in the birding world, the Striated Heron is a common bird around the island of Trinidad.  Green Herons on Trinidad are considered rare and vice versa on Tobago. 

And it was on this trip that I finally saw the American Pygmy Kingfisher.  It was a tiny little mouse flying through the mangroves!

And at last, I was able to get close enough to a Green Kingfisher for a great shot.  The bird actually sat and posed for us while we were in the canoe.

And of course, on the island, we saw our monkeys.  They were making aggressive moves towards us and dropping branches on top of our heads, but that is typical of a capuchin.  Several years ago, we had one throwing mangoes at us on Coiba Island.  And with reason!  Locals will hunt these monkeys and eat them!  Nariva Swamp is protected but poachers still do their best to hunt these areas.  Thankfully there are people watching these waters. Fines and prison terms have increased dramatically on the islands to end this age old practice. 

We saw a huge Anaconda slink into a stream on the island and I did the heebie jeebie move but it was really cool as the monster snake disappeared into the dark waters.  Maybe the monkeys were trying to warn us:)

The life long journey into birds will continue next week.  But for now, I need a shave and some rest.  I hope you've enjoyed this series on Trinidadian birding.  Here is my report from two great areas to bird, Nariva Swamp and the Piarco International Airport grounds.  Until next time.....