Today’s our last day here at Asa Wright before we move on to the North Coast of Trinidad. But I thought I’d show you a couple of my favourite birds we’ve seen so far.
The first is a Barred Antshrike that appeared just off the balcony on our first full day.
The Palm Tanagers are common, but are great to watch none the less. They are noisy and nosey. There are a number nests on the veranda, and just outside our room meaning we are woken early to their calls which sound just like polystyrene being rubbed up and down glass!
The Green Honeycreepers are really striking birds, the male has a black cap, but the females are very bright green.
The White Necked Jacobin hummingbirds are also common, and never seem to stop. They are also feisty, and won’t tolerate completion of anykind. Every so often there will be an explosion of colour as two birds burst into a spiral flight and fight it out.
The Oropendola make a number of bizarre calls. One of which sounds like the tune at the end of a game on a slot machine. Just like a descending electronic trill.
They nest in woven baskets hanging from the tops of trees.
Another common visitor to the veranda were the Blue-grey Tanagers. In the early morning light they appeared to be almost ghost like.
The Rufus Browed Pepperedshrike was a real challenge. Apparently they don’t like coming out into the open, a reality I can vouch for. It took me 15 minutes to find him in a small tree. But I did find him!
OK, he may not be the prettiest of birds we’ve seen so far, but he did pose well for me, so I think the Common Black Vulture should be included here.
But the one that everyone wants to see when they come to Asa Wright is the Tufted Coquette. At 7cm, about the size of my thumb, he is tiny. But makes up for it with pazzazz.
We’d seen him very briefly a few days before, but I went down to the garden before breakfast hoping to see home again. What I didn’t hope for was the way he perched and sat for so long so I could get a few photos. What a way to end the stay here.
Travels With My Aunt 