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.  

The Legacy Challenge

Little Blue Heron

It's no lie.  I am pretty much done birding in Arizona for now.  It's too hot.  The mornings are great but I'm taking them back and sleeping in again like I used to do several years ago:)

Now hold on.  It doesn't mean I've given up birds.  Far from the truth.  I just chased an easy state bird, the Little Blue Heron up in Phoenix last weekend. It was a beautiful morning out. At one point, it was just me and Little Blue at one of the ponds before the birders realized where s/he had gone.  Then s/he flew at the sight of the little kid birder making aggressive moves along the shore to get that perfect photo. And that was my cue to go home.  By that time, it was hot. 

Lark Sparrow

And it has been hot forever since.  So I began working on my bird feeders and water features at home.  My neighbor and I both put our huge fountain together in the center of the courtyard to prepare for the hot and dry month of June. This is the best month to observe wildlife because they come from all over to get a drink from scarce watering holes around the desert. The feature is up and running and birds are nesting all over the place in the oak trees.  Our Rock Squirrel has found our courtyard as an appropriate place to live. 

 I like having the little one around.  Most people hate squirrels at their feeders, but I don't.  I've waited 10 years to have one visit our yard.  S/he burrowed under our water fountain and lives the life.  In Midtown, there's very little in the way of wildlife(besides birds and feral cats)

Dark-lored White-crowned Sparrow

With finals happening now, and after all the public school mayhem, it's time to settle down and research.  And watch my bird feeders.  I actually enjoy it.  I get to see all the mischief happening around the property between the Curve-billed Thrashers, rare midtown Cactus Wrens, Abert's Towhees and nesting Brown-crested Flycatchers and Broad-billed Hummingbirds. They rely on me to provide them with fresh water and food:) Every year they come back to me. On an excellent day, I will have 24 species of bird come to my yard. 

male Hepatic Tanager on Mt. Lemmon.  If this guy came to my feeder, I'd crap myself. 

Solitary confinement is what I have been craving the most.  It's always an honor to be asked to events for organizations.  But after all the public outings are said and done, there is nothing I love better than the quiet solitude of home. 

I have been out in the garden more.  I am working on paint colors and a bird house project for my Lucy's Warblers next year.  I know House Finches will nest in some of those boxes, but honestly, I don't care.  When you walk around El Presidio, it's full of bird song and butterflies.  We even have lizards and geckos. 

On Mother's Day, we had a get together.  As a Spanish teacher, I needed to understand better the properties of a good chocolate mole from Mexico.  It's a sauce that goes over chicken normally.  So we assembled the team and the Aribabi crew got together and made this time consuming mole.  

I was in charge of the chili peppers which act as a base for the sauce. Jim was in charge of the special ingredients that went with the chili base.  And Mary Ann made sure we followed the directions. 

For once, it was nice making dinner for Kathy who usually makes all of our meals for us while we're down in Mexico during our counts and mammal tracking.  

However, we had to watch Jim because he slipped in several more chocolate disks to the mole:)

I'm proud of the work we did.  It's definitely a full morning of work with maybe some prep the night before. It tasted amazing and went down well with Jim's awesome margarita concoctions . 

During the week with my students, I was exhausted.  I'd work and go home to sleep.  This is the way of the final exam schedule at my school.  Meanwhile, all of my friends are in the Midwest for the Biggest Year.  This is an event I'll never be able to attend thanks to finals:)  By the time I retire, I'll have found all the North American Warblers I need and not have to participate in this event.  

Pine Siskin

Instead, I've been preparing for several major trips. One begins next weekend.  This year, I have been very interested in Mexico and connecting the dots.  I love the Sonoran desert very much and have wanted to do a study in San Carlos for years.  The last time I was there was back in 96. 

So many good memories.  I remember a perfect moment from that trip.  After a beautiful day at the beach at our friend's condo, we sat watching TV enjoying a beautiful Mexican sunset.  No worries.  No stress.  Just existing in the moment. 

It will be nice to revisit this area again.  It's 6 hours south of Tucson near the ocean village of Guaymas where Mexico truly begins and the border culture begins to fade away. 

My "work" will include an area count around the ocean front. Margaritas will be the main meal:)

This weekend we headed down to Nogales, an hour south of Tucson for a medication run.  Or as I like to call it, a drug run!  Medication is half to a third of the cost of what it runs in the US.  Many seniors can't afford the rising costs of medical bills here in the US because of their limited budgets.  Yes, the US is a disaster right now.  Thankfully, Mexico is nearby and we can get prescriptions at a normal price.  Then we stopped at La Roca for lunch.  Yum!

I've already droned on too long, but recent events have again made me pause and reflect.  Last week, I lost another former birding mentor, Bernie. I wrote about him 2 years ago in this post while we searched for his last warbler in North America.  He lived an amazing life and protected important lands from industrial development. At first I was sad that he wouldn't be there when I went home to visit, but then I thought about how lucky I was to have gotten the chance to work with Bernie over the years.  He was brilliant with his conservation work. His bird banding projects were genius. I remember Bernie sharing with me a story about banding Chimney Swifts! 

Our final time together would happen during our Hermit Warbler search. It was an honor to have had the chance to take him out one last time to find life birds in Southern Arizona. I worked with Winnie, the cranky Park Ranger.  I banded owls with Bernie. And I was a student of Doc Sontag. Doc is the last of this holy trio.  Without these people, Two Rivers and Manitowoc would have developed precious land along the Lake Michigan Shoreline.  They made a difference. Today, birders and nature lovers alike visit my hometown in mass numbers to visit these important natural spaces.  Places like Woodland Dunes, Point Beach State Forest and the Manitowoc Impoundment are protected thanks to the dedication and leadership of these amazing people.  Bernie leaves a great legacy behind. 

Lance-tailed Manakin

 What will our legacies be? Spanish was always my passion, but it lead me to the birds. This next month will be my birding anniversary.  It's when I accepted the label "birder" into my life.  Several Manakins on Coiba island "sparked" my passion for birds.  And for the better, it has changed my life forever.  Like many of us, we have gone through periods in our lives when we look back at our past reflections and wonder how we ever thought or acted the ways we did. I changed. And I am focused now. At a recent photo shoot I did for Altrusa, a group that fights illiteracy around the world, the spokeswoman reminded her members that the work they did was incredibly important. "Your legacy will come from the work you do everyday.  Do not take that for granted. You are valuable."

I remember sitting on that island in the Pacific Ocean all alone, away from the modern world thinking about the great adventures ahead.  At first, they were clueless treks into the unknown.  But I had to start somewhere.  That guy in the pic above was so naive and innocent.  However, it was a pivotal moment in my life that I will never forget. 

On the eve of this celebration, I will be heading to Trinidad and Tobago this June to research and observe new birds.  My goal this year is to reach 1000 life birds.  This island trek will be the first big mission to complete that task.  I'm hoping to observe such birds as the endangered Trinidad piping guan, oilbird, honeycreepers and the national bird of Trinidad, the Scarlet Ibis. But it's the Manakins, that I hope to observe in great detail.  Bernie, my Grandma, Melissa, and all those who have passed remind me to seize the moment and discover. Until next time..... 

J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Great Blue Heron

Coming from the desert southwest, I was looking forward to my trip to tropical Florida.  It was a state I have never visited. So I knew it would be an overwhelming experience. Lots of new birds and new bird calls.  There were also lots and lots of tourists to avoid!  As a Spanish instructor, I found the Cuban culture around town (and their restaurants) to be quite exciting. Nothing gets the blood pumping faster than some wonderful Spanish speaking.  And of course.....the birds:)

Little Blue Heron followed by the White Ibis

My friend Sydney had invited me to come and stay with her.  She didn't have to do a lot of convincing, but I did warn her about my obsessive addiction to birds. She didn't mind at all:)

Snowy Egret

I'm the easiest person to have around the house.  She didn't have to do any planning because I had done all the research ahead of time.  My only concern was that I'd wear her out with all these bird searches!  I was absolutely shocked that she could keep up with my intense pace.  Most people, like my parents, grumble about me planning every second of their vacation.  It's the teacher in me. There is no moment like now because there may not be tomorrow. Eat, drink and bird!  No TV, some exercise......and a whole world to explore!

Osprey

So one of the first places I knew we had to visit was J.N "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. This refuge is a protected area of mangrove swamp forest on an overpopulated island.  It also happens to be the number 1 destination of tourists....for it lies on the infamous Sanibel Island which connects to the even more popular Captiva Island.  The bridges and causeways were at times a nightmare with traffic.  People would be stuck in traffic for HOURS!  The secret?  Before dawn, get in your car and leave.  Generally, human tourists are lazy and won't leave until 9 or 10 AM.  But the fisher people and birders understand that 5 AM is the best time to find parking, empty roads, and lots of magnificent wildlife!

Tricolored Heron

Everything involving a road had a charge.  To get to Sanibel, we had to pay 6 bucks.  To get into "Ding", we had to pay another 5!  My goal for our first day visit was to find all of our egrets, herons and possible Roseate Spoonbills.  However, I found much more!  This post today reflects my inability to focus on the landscape.  I promise that my future work will include some of the beautiful vegetation.  I was just so excited to find new birds!

Reddish Egret

The refuge has a wonderful network of roads that wind through the mangrove areas. However, there was one thing I wasn't expecting.....NO-SEE-UMS!  I saw a birder get out of the car with a fine mesh net around his head and thought, "This isn't good."  And it wasn't.  The minute I stepped out of the car to observe the incredible pink birds known as Roseate Spoonbills, I was covered in these tiny bugs.  I felt them crawl all over my skin and I knew it was over.  

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

A week before my visit, there weren't any bugs but the weather had changed and everything became VERY WARM and HUMID.  These bugs are most active at dawn and that's when birders do their thing. 

A shot of pink courtesy of the Roseate Spoonbill

We arrived in time to see at least TWO Roseate Spoonbills!  One flew off and another stayed for a little while longer before it also disappeared. 

Even if you're not a birder, these odd pink birds will grab your attention!  Mission was accomplished!  My issue here is that these birds are common to many Florida birders, but they were new to me.  So I couldn't do the specialized birding that I do in Arizona, California, etc.  I heard the Mangrove Cuckoos but didn't see them.  I was with 2 other birders who counted them on their list.  I didn't do it because I wanted to see them.  Some will say count them and others will understand.  I made a note in my journal that I heard them.  Cuckoos are sneaky birds. And there were many other specialized birds that I knew were in the area, but they require a great deal of time and patience to find.  

Pileated Woodpecker

The refuge was wonderful.  We stopped at nearly every parking pull off to count birds. There was the infamous Shell Mound trail and overlook tower.  Needless to say, I could spend A LOT more time here, but I met my objectives and found every Egret and Heron on my life list.  Next time, it will be the specialty birds!

Fish Crow

My friend Sydney is amazing.  She is such a wonderful hostess and friend.  We had such a fun time together.  While on the trails, she learned about some incredible places to take her future guests.  We both laughed a lot about some of the spots we went to find birds.  Sometimes we were exhausted.  We brought lots of water to stay hydrated.  Sydney has the birding ability within her.  She's always loved birds and can spot them quickly.  For me, I need to hear them.  And like every team, birder or non-birder, I become the ears and they become the eyes.  Thank you Sydney for an amazing week in Southern Florida.  Next time we'll find the American Flamingos together and ride the Everglades!

Finally, here is a little historical information on this strangely named wildlife refuge. Established in 1945 as the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge, the refuge was renamed in 1967 in honor of pioneer conservationist and political cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling. "Ding" headed the U.S. Biological Survey (forerunner for the Fish and Wildlife Service) and is also credited as one of the key people in the development of the National Wildlife Refuge System.