Bird of the Day
Crimson-crested Woodpecker
Flora/Fauna of the Day
Extension to Grand Riviere for Trinidad Piping Guans
Eva, Luke and Ted had already left for early morning flights home when the rest of us met for breakfast at the Holiday Inn lobby. Chris and Bill went outside and were scanning the empty field across from the hotel when the owner of the Mt. Plaisir Estate Hotel, Piero Guerrini, arrived to take us to Grande Riviere. Chris, Bill & Barbara jumped in while Chris#2 arrievd with a second van to transport Aaugun, Estelle and our luggage.
It is long hilly drive. Grand Riviere shares the Northern Range of Trinidad with Asa Wright. It is well known as the leatherback turtle nesting beach (turtle egg laying doesn't start until March).
http://www.coastalchange.ca/images/Grande%20Riviere_%20turtlemap.jpg
En route Piero pulled into a known birding spot where we find a Crimson-crested Woodpecker. He wouldn't tell us in advance what was there, leaving it up to Chris#1 to find it. Sharp-eyed Chris also found us a Striated Heron. Other good birds seen were White-winged Swallows, a Giant Cowbird, Yellow-rumped Caciques and immature Little Blue Herons.
Shortly before arriving in Grande Riviere, Bill suddenly called for the van to stop, as he spotted a Green Kingfisher in the stream below a bridge.
Soon we arrived at Mt Plaisir and Piero happily greeted his dog.
We settled in to our room on the beach.
Chris enjoyed a glass of water. Aaugun and Bill enjoyed a beer. We sampled the delicious homemade bread and soup while watching the tame Carib Grackles. Chris spoted a Yellow-headed Caracara on a palm tree way down the beach.
After a heavy rain shower, Nicholas joined us to take us to the rare Trinidad Piping Guan birding spot. Although we did not sight any Piping Guans this afternoon, we hoped to see them come in to feed on wild nutmeg tomorrow morning.
We were very comfortable birding on a raised covered porch as the rains came on again.
The birding was good, but photography difficult. We got a Black-tailed Tityra, White Hawk, a pair of Blue Dacnis, Blue-gray and Palm Tangers, Boat-billed Flycatchers, a Channel-billed Toucan, Purple and Red-legged Honeycreepers, Coacoa, Yellow-legged and Spectacled Thrushes, a Trinidad Euphonia and of course, Orange Winged Parrots.
We tried going down the road a bit, but when it started to rain again we quickly protected our equipment and headed back to Mt Plaisir.
Birds seen today: