Las Aventuras: 1000 Life Birds

To boldly go......

Turquoise Tanager 901 in Trinidad

 When I began this journey, I thought it would be just about the birds, but it isn't.  Life has a way of reminding us that all things are finite. The birding world works in loose circles.  Eventually, everything and everyone connects. 

the historic halls of Asa Wright

 Walking the hallways of Asa Wright last year in Trinidad was like taking a step into the past with thousands of other birders and nature lovers alike. 

910-Rufous-tailed Jacamar in Trinidad

 On the trails around the island, I'd discover birds at my own pace.  Some where difficult while others were easy.  

I had heavy thoughts last year and they continue into this year.  Along the way, you meet people who have made an impact on your own life while searching for the world's 10,500+ birds.  During my research, I'd find old records from birders who are no longer with us.  Sometimes, I'd erase the digital record of that person and replace it with my own discovery.  And I didn't want to erase their name from the "last seen" category because that person had meant the world to so many birders, including myself.  

920 Green-backed Trogon in Trinidad

 I am given hope by the growing number of younger birders. Their excitement is contagious. Momentarily I forget about all the research that other birders before me have shared with the world and enjoy my own observations of the new birds.  There, in that space of time, I carefully memorize their calls and behaviors because I may never see that bird again. 

I share a delicious rum on a boat while observing thousands of Scarlet Ibis and American Flamingos, absorbing every second of my visit.  Is this how the others before me felt when they saw their first birds?

Sunset at the Caroni Swamp

 While visiting new areas, I research texts, listen to podcasts, pull up data from ebird and investigate each and every bird.  I have so many questions for so many people who know their local birds the best. 

930-American Flamingos

 The years pass and I lose a birder friend. Then another.  And another.  There is a sadness there.  I am "me" because of their knowledge.  I use their information to guide my journey.  Sometimes we cross on a secret forest path only once and will never see each other again. 

The miracle of this birding life goes beyond anything I could have dreamed of.  After each place I discover, I leave behind my own data trail for future generations.  I am 46 now.  I began this journey in my late 30's.  Time weighs heavily on me.  We don't have all the time in the world.  It took some time to reach a thousand.  How long will it take to reach 2000 or 3000?

940-Masked Cardinal

We travel long stretches and explore new life and new civilizations for the chance to observe new birds.

I stand in unknown lands and know that my time is precious and limited.  I have to make it count.

The time differences, sleep schedules and exhausting treks all pay off when we find our target birds. 

950-Zebra Dove O'ahu, Hawai'i

 I sit watching a luau in Maui and think to myself, "Never in my life would I have been to this place if it hadn't been for the birds."  But here I am.  Here we are. And I am so thankful for this moment.  This special experience.

Along the way, we meet all kinds of wonderful people.  And while the world seems to be falling apart around us, I see wonderful human people erasing the doubts I have about this planet. 

960 Gray Francolin on Maui, Hawai'i

 We birders see things that most people don't even know exist. But the birds guide us.  Sometimes into uncomfortable areas. Sometimes into sacred quiet spaces.

Elevation is my kryptonite.  The White-tailed Tropicbirds, Northern Fulmars and White-tailed Ptarmigans have made me question myself as we go above and beyond the clouds and walk along the edges of sea cliffs.

1000 life birds. It's no joke.  I can't believe I have been so focused on that number.  Now that I've reached it, I find myself relaxing a bit. 

970-Eurasian Skylark on Maui and in Llangoed, Wales

As I prepared for my trek to Wales, I found out that a prominent birder, Bill Thompson III, had passed away from pancreatic cancer.  The man was a hard worker and he was a wonderful caring person. We ran into each other in Arizona a couple times, but it was his podcasts that I listened to in my car that made me smile. Today birders are celebrating his memory.

980-Carrion Crow, Wales

 While I was in Wales, I crossed the 1000 marker and looked over at my new friend Steve and told him that I had hit a thousand. 

I love birds a lot, but I've really come to cherish the moments I get to spend with friends old and new.  Each moment counts.  It's all we got. 

990 Eurasian Blue Tit

 Over the past year or so, I've had to say good-bye to a lot of wonderful people who have helped me climb the ladder to finding and understanding birds. The thing about birds is that you don't have to be an expert to love birds.  You can be a doctor of birds or just a regular person who loves birds.  Their experiences, from both technical and personal sides, have shaped my understanding and appreciation of birds.  

1000 Eurasian Bullfinch

I'll continue to share my passions until I can no longer do so.  It is what we do.  Over the next several months, we'll explore Wales, Texas, New Mexico, Maine and Wisconsin.  And once and awhile we'll stop and see some Arizona birds:)  Until next time.....

The Caroni Wetlands

Little Blue Heron

One of the places I had really been looking forward to exploring was the Caroni Swamp. It's surrounded by wetlands and has a lot of birds not found at Asa Wright. 

Young birders discover a Boat-billed Heron

The Caroni Swamp is known for their endemic and national symbol, the Scarlet Ibis. I was really looking forward to seeing this amazing nightly show. But as I was doing my research, I had been seeing records of American Flamingos showing up in the swamp. Oh my gosh!  Would I finally get to see my first flamingos?!!

Masked Cardinal

As we made our way down into the mangrove area, we stopped and looked at reptiles, crabs and mammals.  In between it all were plenty of birds!  

Birders modeling appropriate swamp gear.  Note the stylish pants tucked into the socks.  This supposedly helps keep chiggers off your body.  It didn't work with me. 

On our way down to Caroni, I went with a group straight out of a birding outfit magazine.  They were all wearing the model gear and I had a laugh. And while writing that last line, I need to mention this info for you all interested in birding Trinidad or Tobago. No camouflage clothing in Trinidad or Tobago!  The guy on the right somehow lucked out.  They made a baby strip down to nothing but diapers in the airport because the kiddo was wearing camouflage.  Apparently this is military apparel and should only be worn by the military.  

Pied Water-Tyrant

Anyhow, for those of you familiar with Trinidad, they used to take people to a hotspot known as the Trincity Sewage Treatment plant.  Well, it's no longer there but there is another spot nearby found here.  There were caiman in the ponds so be careful.  The Pied Water-Tyrant was a friendly bird and reminded me of our Vermilion Flycatchers here in Tucson. 

juvenile Purple Gallinule, note the blue shield

We walked the tropical sludgery.  A storm was coming and I could feel it in the air! My body is a living barometer.  The higher the moisture; the more I sweat and get uncomfortable. Thankfully, I brought my umbrella with me everywhere I went. I had one big backpack.  It had my water container and umbrella. 

I walked carefully with our guide Magis along the muddy road keeping my eyes open for the large reptiles nearby.  

Eventually we boarded our boat and headed down the mangrove highway into the open waters of the swamp.  There we'd spy snakes and a few little Silky Anteaters all rolled up into a ball. 

the Trinidad tree boa is a common snake found resting in tree branches above the waters of the mangrove forests, the latin name is Dormilona(the sleeper) or Corallus ruschenbergerii

As the mangrove opened up to us, I had to make a decision.  My mouth dropped wide open.  To the left, we spied American Flamingos and on the right, it was Scarlet Ibis city. And in between, there were life birds galore.  I didn't know where to begin so I just did my best to document as best as I could.  No where on my trip would I see these birds again as they were hidden well within the boundaries of the preserve. 

Nelson was our group leader who has a lot of family history here at the Caroni Swamp.  His Grandfather proposed to save the wetlands decades ago and was beaten for getting the movement started. People wanted(and continue) to poach this area for food, but the swamp was decimated by locals who had almost destroyed this fragile ecosystem. Sadly, years later, he died from brain injuries. His father continued with the conservation project until his death.  And now, Nelson keeps an eye out and works within this very important wetlands.  Recently, as of last year, American Flamingos had returned to the swamp. When word got out, all 6 of these rare-to-Trinidad flamingos were shot and killed for their special meat.  What meat?! They are not endemic to the islands but they are protected as are the Scarlet Ibis. 

the subtle beauty of a Cocoi Heron

It is now up to Nelson and others to call upon the Trinidad government to monitor these waters from poachers. There are A LOT of poachers in Trinidad. I saw them sporadically during my bird searches.  When a visitor saw this flamingo massacre happen, he filmed it and put it on Facebook.  The government was horrified that people were viewing their country in this light and began patrolling the swamps once again to protect the sanctuary thanks to Nelson's suggestion and pressure from the international community. Recently, Nelson had some equipment stolen from his company.  The government is now helping him out to keep Caroni free of crime. It is really one of the few places to visit in Trinidad that holds a bit of magic for all travelers and locals alike. Today, due to the protections, this bird sanctuary is healing and many species are returning to the area in better numbers. 

And because of this government support and his efforts, over 100 hundred American Flamingos have returned to the swamp.  I had originally thought that the Scarlet Ibis would steal the show but it was the free Flamingo that stole my heart.  Have you ever seen a wild flamingo in flight?

Magis brought a nice cold bottle of rum punch with him and since I was on a boat full of kids, no one really touched the bottle.  I let my guard down and just began to relax and watch the incredible show at sunset!

How many times have I seen flamingos in the zoo and walked past them?  Finding them in the wild was a show stopper and a completely different experience.

juvenile Scarlet Ibis

The Scarlet Ibis, meanwhile, were flying in the thousands to their roosting place adding to the dramatic backdrop. 

The scarlet red colors dotting the vibrant green vegetation reminded me of a Christmas tree. Instead of lights, there were red bows. 

We parked our canoe boat as two flamingos flew over my head.  They were pink batons with wings. 

Some were very light pink while others were a darker rosy pink.  

Then a huge red flush surrounded us as the Scarlet Ibis went to roost one final time.

As we headed back in the dark, I had a nice buzz.  There was one last life bird that we spied on the way back.  I thought I had seen this bird before but I took the pics anyway as he hung out near the nest.  Come to find out I hadn't seen this bird!  So I'm glad I focused a bit.  The confusion?  The more tropical you go, the more names and hyphens are added. 

Black-throated Mango female

 This was clearly one of the mango species.  At the lodge, there is the Black-throated Mango.  And in the swamp, it's the Green-throated Mango.  Ok.  

When I submitted the list to ebird, I discovered an extra lifebird.  So I did the research and discovered that I had confused the Green-throated Mango with the similar sounding Green-breasted Mango we had seen in Costa Rica last year. That was a close one.  I would have kicked myself for missing this bird.  Note to self, relax on the rum punch:)

Green-breasted Mango

The wetlands were a real treat to see.  When I hear the word swamp, it doesn't sound so nice to me, but it really is a beautiful place where you can only find certain species of birds.  It was an easy trek on a boat and an enjoyable experience.  

As we left the shallow waters, I glanced one last time upon these little islands to memorize the landscape.  This will most likely be the last time I ever visit this place in my lifetime.  I hope it stays protected and beautiful forever. For my reports, click on the "here" button for more pictures of birds not mentioned in this post. 
For the new sewage treatment coordinates, click here.
For Caroni Swamp, click here.
In next week's report, we'll explore some of the superstars of the Trinidad birding world.