Trinidad and Tobago
Birding Tour
January 6, 2015
Bird of the Day
Tufted Coquette
Flora/Fauna of the Day
We were up early, as usual, for coffee and birding on the
verandah. Luke saw a Trinidad Motmot in the pre-dawn light on a
perch near the verandah and came back to tell Bill. But it had
left by the time they returned. They did, however, hear a couple
calling in the dense thickets nearby. And they spotted a female
White-bearded Manakin on a trail railing. Back on the verandah, a
female Barred Antshrike, a Gray-fronted Dove and a Guianan Trogon
came by for good looks along with the usual honeycreeprs,
tanagers, thrushes and hummingbirds.
Barbara stayed at Asa Wright to
"RICE" her leg. Bill accompanied the group to explore
Blanchisseuse Road and Trinidad’s Northern Range for the
day.
What Bill did today:
• left Asa Wright after
breakfast to go birding
• reached the highest elevation possible on Trinidad by
motor vehicle, 2,200 ft.(Trinidad’s Northern Range is an
eastern extension of the Coastal Cordillera of Venezuela, a
connecting range to the Andes.) and sighted the Caribbean coast
• made numerous birding stops where he saw a Gray-lined
Hawk, Tropical Pewee, Green-backed and Collared Trogons and
Black-faced Antthrush (seen well, but no photos)
• had a picnic lunch in a bus shelter and birded nearby
picking up White Hawk, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Boat-billed
Flycatcher and Southern Rough-winged Swallow
• stopped our northward journey towards mid-afternoon at the
village of Morne le Croix. Here we found many Yellow-rumped
Caciques, Blue-headed Parrots and a Yellow Oriole
• stopped for a bathroom break where some got a pop or beer
while others saw an amazing Sphinx Moth Caterpillar by the door
of the washroom.
What Barbara did today:
• watched a Bananaquit build a nest in a hanging plant near
the front entrance of Asa Wright
• enjoyed beautiful hummingbirds
• was impressed by White-necked Jacobins showering in the
rain - with a rainbow overhead
• spotted many colourful honeycreepers, a Spectacled Thrush
and a Violacious Euphonia
• viewed two local videos about Asa Wright and nature in
Trinidad and Tobago
• checked out the local cuisine
• took a short walk and found Ann's office
• and rested!
Birds seen today:
VULTURES
Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
Black Vulture Coragyps atratus
HAWKS & KITES
Common Black Hawk Buteogallus anthracinus
Grey-lined Hawk Buteo nitidus LIFER #24
Zone-tailed Hawk Buteo albonotatus
PIGEONS & DOVES
Ruddy Ground Dove Columbina talpacoti
Grey-fronted Dove Leptotila rufaxilla LIFER #25
PARROTS
Blue-headed Parrot Pionus menstruus
Orange-winged Parrot Amazona amazonica
OWLS
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl Glaucidium brasilianum
SWIFTS
Band-rumped Swift Chaetura spinicaudus LIFER #26
Grey-rumped Swift Chaetura cinereiventris LIFER #27
Short-tailed Swift Chaetura brachyura LIFER #28
HUMMINGBIRDS
Rufous-breasted Hermit Glaucis hirsutus
Green Hermit Phaethornis guy
Little Hermit Phaethornis longuemareus
White-necked Jacobin Florisuga mellivora
Black-throated Mango Anthracothorax nigricollis
Tufted Coquette Lophornis ornatus
Blue-chinned Sapphire Chlorestes notata
White-chested Emerald Amazilia brevirostris
Copper-rumped Hummingbird Amazilia tobaci
TROGONS
Green-backed Trogon Trogon viridis LIFER #29
Guianan Trogon Trogon violaceus
Collared Trogon Trogon collaris
MOTMOT
Trinidad Motmot Momotus bahamensis HEARD ONLY
JACAMAR
Rufous-tailed Jacamar Galbula ruficauda
TOUCAN
Channel-billed Toucan Ramphastos vitellinus
WOODPECKERS
Golden-olive Woodpecker Colaptes rubiginosus
Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus HEARD ONLY
SPINETAILS & WOODCREEPERS
Stripe-breasted Spinetail Synallaxis cinnamomea HEARD ONLY
Grey-throated Leaftosser Sclerurus albigularis HEARD ONLY
ANTBIRDS
Great Antshrike Taraba major LIFER #30
Barred Antshrike Thamnophilus doliatus
White-bellied Antbird Myrmeciza longipes HEARD ONLY
Black-faced Antthrush Formicarius analis LIFER #31
FLYCATCHERS
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher Mionectes oleagineus
Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
Tropical Pewee Contopus cinereus
Great Kiskadee Pitangus sulphuratus
Boat-billed Flycatcher Megarynchus pitangua
Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
BELLBIRDS
Bearded Bellbird Procnias averano HEARD ONLY
MANAKINS
White-bearded Manakin Manacus manacus
Golden-headed Manakin Dixiphia erythrocephala LIFER #32
TITYRA & BECARD
Rufous-browed Peppershrike Cyclarhis gujanensis LIFER #33
GREENLETS
Golden-fronted Greenlet Hylophilus aurantiifrons LIFER
#34
WRENS
Rufous-breasted Wren Pheugopedius rutilus LIFER #35
House Wren Troglodytes aedon
MOCKINGBIRD
Tropical Mockingbird Mimus gilvus
THRUSHES
Cocoa Thrush Turdus fumigatus
Spectacled Thrush Turdus nudigenis
White-necked Thrush Turdus albicollis
EUPHONIAS
Violaceous Euphonia Euphonia violacea
WOOD WARBLERS
American Redstart Setophaga ruticilla
BLACKBIRDS
Crested Oropendola Psarocolius decumanus
Yellow-rumped Cacique Cacicus cela
Yellow Oriole Icterus nigrogularis
BANANAQUIT & CARDINAL
Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
TANAGERS & HONEYCREEPERS
White-lined Tanager Tachyphonus rufus
Silver-beaked Tanager Ramphocelus carbo
Blue-grey Tanager Thraupis episcopus
Palm Tanager Thraupis palmarum
Turquoise Tanager Tangara mexicana
Speckled Tanager Tangara guttata
Bay-headed Tanager Tangara gyrola
Purple Honeycreeper Cyanerpes caeruleus
Red-legged Honeycreeper Cyanerpes cyaneus
Green Honeycreeper Chlorophanes spiza
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