Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine February 2015

tour, jumped on one of the large wooden boats with a few other visitors and started
through the swamp among thick mangrove vegetation. As we moved slowly across
the winding channels, we saw the eyes of a small crocodile floating in the murky
waters, staring at us. A boa was sleeping curled up in the branches of a tree above
our heads. The tangled roots of the mangroves were populated by small crabs.
After about half an hour we reached an open area where the river widened considerably
and our guide parked the boat near the shore facing a small green island
across the lagoon. As the sun prepared to dive in the sea beyond the mangrove
swamp behind us, we prepared to witness the most glorious spectacle Nature has
ever offered us.
The sky, the golden clouds burning in the afternoon light, and the heavy dark hills
in the distance became the backdrop for the most magnificent daily ritual: the scarlet
ibis returning home to their nests for the night. Flocks of ten to 30 birds in perfect
V-formations started to arrive from the west and gradually the small green
island in front of us bloomed like a rose bush covered with hundreds of red blossoms.
A miracle.
Left: Trinidad is home to more than 400 species of birds. We think this is a Rufous
Breasted Hummingbird; do any of our birdwatching readers know for sure
Below: A Broad Billed Hummingbird takes a pause
FEBRUARY 2015 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 22
— Continued from previous page
When Newcombe died, Asa Wright, left with few financial resources, struggled to
maintain the plantation. A small group formed around her to help. In 1967, Don
Eckelberry, a renowned wildlife artist; Erma Fisk, a prominent ornithologist and
conservationist; and Russell Mason of Florida Audubon Society raised money to buy
Spring Hill, establishing the Asa Wright Nature Centre as a “not-for-profit” trust. Its
purpose was to provide a center for recreation and the study of tropical wildlife open
to the public, as well as to preserve the wildlife and rainforest of the Arima Valley
— one of the first nature centers established in the Caribbean.
Today, the entire area, a flowering Garden of Eden, is home to squirrel cuckoos,
toucans and parrots, tufted coquettes and half a dozen other species of hummingbirds,
as well as a variety of butterflies and lizards. We spent a few unforgettable
hours amidst yellowtails, manikins and tiny hummingbirds of all colors coming to
feed on fresh fruits and sugar water, just inches away from our smiling faces. We
also spotted a few tiger lizards and a couple of agoutis, who had come to steal the
bits of pineapples and papayas fallen under the birdfeeders.
After lunch on the terrace of the lodge, we joined a guided tour in the surrounding
forest where we spotted a few more species of rare birds and observed some impressively
large ant colonies.
It was all very fascinating and we agreed that the Asa Wright Nature Centre &
Lodge is a place we would stay for a few more days if we could, enjoying the
serene magical atmosphere. To rent a room here with three buffet meals per day
is about US$120, not a high price to pay for staying in paradise. But it was time
to go if we wanted to make it in time for another fascinating tour: this one in the
Caroni Swamp.
The Caroni Swamp is a large mangrove wetland located on the west coast of
Trinidad, where the Caroni River, Trinidad’s biggest river, meets the Gulf of Paria,
providing a variety of habitats for plants and animals, and supporting a rich biodiversity.
It is an estuarine system covering 5,611 hectares of mangrove forest and
marshes, with numerous channels and brackish lagoons. Its most famous inhabitant,
attracting tourists from around the world, is the scarlet ibis, the national bird
of Trinidad.
The scarlet ibis resembles in size and shape most of the other species of ibis and
is very closely related to the American white ibis, but its remarkably brilliant scarlet
coloration makes it unmistakable. It is the only shorebird in the world with red coloration.
This medium-sized wader has protected status everywhere on the planet.
The juvenile scarlet ibis is a mix of grey, brown, and white. The color change to red
begins around the time it begins to fly. Their distinctive long, thin bills are used to
probe for food in soft mud; they feed on shrimp, small crabs, mollusks and other red
crustaceans, which produce their scarlet coloration.
The birds live in large families of 39 or more in wetlands and marshy habitats
found throughout vast areas of South America and the Caribbean islands. They
move in flocks in a classic V-formation. Flocks often congregate in large colonies of
several thousand individuals, like the colony we observed in Caroni Swamp.
Members stay close, and mating pairs arrange their nests in close proximity to other
pairs in the same tree.
We got to the Caroni Swamp park’s entrance just in time for an afternoon guided
As the birds, unaware of the profound effect their red plumage had on us, found
their homes and prepared to go to sleep, tired from a day of wading through the
swamp, we found our way back to the park’s entrance and then back to the boat,
tired after a day of birdwatching, and completely awe-inspired, happy and grateful
for having the opportunity to share these few rare moments with some of Nature’s
most magnificent feathered creations.
Tips
Depending on your budget, you can rent a car very cheaply for a day and visit the
Asa Wright Nature Centre and/or the Caroni Swamp, where you pay admission and
arrange for guided tours.
Or, if you prefer to share the experience with other cruisers, you can call Jesse
James on VHF radio channel 68 from the anchorage in Chaguaramas or TTSA and,
for a reasonable fee, reserve your place for a group tour with organized transportation
from the anchorage, admission fees, guided tours, as well as lunch included.
Mira Nencheva, her husband, Ivo, and their 11-year-old daughter Maya have been
sailing around the world and living full-time aboard their 38-foot Leopard catamaran,
Fata Morgana, since July 2013. Follow their journey at www.thelifenomadik.com, and
at Facebook/TheLifeNomadik.