Paria Springs Trinidad and Tobago Adventures

Mon Bleu Forgetfulness

My latest adventure was one where my constant forgetfulness plagued me.  It all started on Friday 19th January when I hiked Mon Bleu with Roger Goldsmith and his wife; two Brit clients.  The hike started wonderfully , on the way to the summit we saw Orange billed Nightingale Thrush, Yellow Legged Thrush, White Throated Spadebill and Speckled Tanager, we all took lots of photos while I chatted about the natural history of the habitat, which moves from Lower Montane Rain Forest into Upper Montane Rainforest with its varieties of palms, tall tree ferns, massive epiphytic anthuriums all heavily covered with mosses and ferns.  The hike went very well until about 3/4 the way to the summit when the heavens opened up and it poured cats, dogs, frogs, cows and other random animals.  We were soaked very quickly.  At the summit we just ate a quick bite and turned right around and hiked out in half the time with little conversation.  The basic idea was GET OUT THE FREAKIN RAIN!!!   

When dropping Roger off at Rosa's, a host home in Brasso Seco I realized that I forgot my "brand new top-of-the-line Garmin GPS which can actually get great reception below a heavy rain forest canopy" at Mon Bleu's summit.  I decided to hike back right then, but God and as importantly my wife were against doing that as surely dark would come while on the trail.  Those who know me will know Lizy would not be happy about me going alone in the forest at night.

So Saturday I awoke at 3:30am to hear the rain pouring down AGAIN!  Cussin blue murder to think I have to hit the forest at 5am in cold rain, I then realize that its just a busted pipe!  Phew!  So I drive out to Mon Bleu and start hiking at 5:30am and the clouds are a thick soup with channa and pumpkin so I have to go slow as my head lamp can only show about 5 feet in front of me.  But again for those who have followed my adventures you know that's PLENTY!  My deal gets worse as I take my first drink of whats in my hydration pack.  It has yesterday's freshly made lemon juice mixed with today's green and red gatorade with names like icy zest.  As I suck I realize that what I have in reality is yesterday's now turning to alcohol lemon juice mixed with unidentifiable gatorades; fairly disgusting.  No chance at returning now, so I suck on it and squinge my face.   

The bonus came as dawn started to break I turned off the light and saw an amazing sight of the early light breaking through forest's dancing leaves and heavy trucks piercing clouds with Ent like fashion; it gave a real sense of primordial evolutionary soup.  Just breath taking.  I had to force myself to get back to my mission and hit the summit in 50 minutes, found the GPS exactly where I knew its was, then turned right around and hit the trail back. 

I ran out in the dawn's ever brightening light while getting very wet from dew soaked leaves and moss covered trunks.  It took just 40 minutes, a few cuts, bruises and one stab of an errant shard of a broken branch into my index finger that I could feel every irregular part of as I extracted it.  Back at the van I chatted with some dawn birders and bathed in bottle water and hit Asa Wright at 8am to collect a couple for a birding tour.

More Birding with Ken

On Saturday I arrived at Pax to hear Ken had got great shots of White tailed Trogon and Tufted Cocquet right from his window.  We headed out to South West Trinidad for a start at Roussillac Swamp, this started with a slog through wet Razor (Saw) Grass and very tangled vines.  Once in the mangrove area the birds were quiet but about, using Pigmy Owl calls we attracted some birds in and chased them sloshing about in above the ancle mud, but nothing would sit still for more than a moment making filming very frustrating.  Since it is the end of the riany sesaon and the last two days did have serious showers the mud was not only deep but very soft and sticky.   

After about an hour we decided to throw in the towel, but as we are leaving a humming bird flys over and lands not too far away.  Its a Green throated Mango!  This bird is rarely seen and is only a resident of certain mangroves.  Fortunately it sits for 5 minutes, flys away and sits near by for another 5 minutes, so we chase it around.  The we get Streaked headed Woodcreeper and Prothronotory Warbler, my favorite Warbler.

Green Throated Mango

We do the razor grass dance again, clean mud off and on the drive a pair of Safron Finches drop in on the side of the road, so we jump out to film them, but after only a couple seconds of flim they fly off.  We look for them and never find them but in the persuit we find Yellow Oriole, Barred Antshrike calling incessantly and many others.                                 Barred Antshrike raising its Crest at me

We then hit the Sudama steps on the Oropuche River we very quickly find Spotted Tody Flycatcher, which is another favorite of mine, but only get a couple seconds.                        

So we spend the afternoon pursuing the Toddys up the banks of the river and after many tries we get great photage.  While chasing the Todys we find Red breasted blackbird, Green Kingfisher, Greater Anis, Jacanas, Long winged Harrier, and lots more.

                                                                

                                                                                                                                        Yellow Oriole

For the days final act we hit the mudflats by Bellair Laromain.  Here we spend the afternoon filming 5 Scarlet Ibis near to us feeding for crabs, shripm and worms on the mud.  In all there were about Ibises among                         

Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Gulls, Pelicans, Herons, Royal Terns, an Ospery, a Comorant eating a large catfish.

   

A Wet Day of Beautiful Birds

Hi All,

Well it seemed that January was drying out a bit but yesterday (Jan11th) I went out with Ken Archambault wetland birding.  Ken is a bird videographer (he videotapes birds) and is from what I can tell very good at it. 

I met Ken 8am in Trincity at Sadilla House, he decided to pratice his driving on the wrong side (on the left), of which he needed lots of practice.  So I gave directions, persuaded him not to run over people on the shoulder, gave driving tips while shadow dodging potholes (which I was not always not successful at).

Ken is a wonderful chap so we hit it off well instantly.  We first birded the Trincity Sewer Ponds on arrival the sky was very bleak and we had a bit of rain while there, but mostly is was fine.  I had a great time using Ken's new Swarovsky scope to digiscope some birds while he was filming them.   As it was overcast the birds were out and about, both Ken and I got shots of Yellow headed Blackbirds, Yellow chinned Spinetails, Caimans, an Anhinga among others.  Two Ospreys were having a great time fishing as evidenced by the several mostly eaten bodies of tilapia (small fish) discarded in many spots.

Then we decided to go to Caroni Swamp, however on driving out we got stuck reversing in some mud.  With some help, brawn and brain we got out without too much fuss and headed  to Hiway Roti Shop for two duck rotis that were divine. 

For the afternoon we went to waterloo where we could not get out the car because of rain but Ken did get great video of a Southern Lapwing bathing, preening and feeding and some mangrove crabs.  Then onto Brickfield where we birded on the pierre because the rain just would not stop.  We had lots of birds including what would be left as an unidentified juvenile gull that was twice the size of the Laughing Gulls, but the rain made a good look through the scope impossible. 

The evening was spent in the Caroni Swamp where we had a White necked Heron and the Scarlet Ibis were spectacular.   

The Bridge that we built

For those who have departed our shores; just a note to let you know that the bridge on the Lady

Chancellor trail is just fine.  In a show of the government brilliance, the folks at the fire prevention project by Forestry have been clearing 80% of the trail to the bridge except the first 20% of the trail.  So one has to bush whack through razor grass and picker bush to get to the wonderfully cleared trail.  Of course dodging the anoying Pothounds (stray mongrels) at the start of the trail where the bush is worst makes life, well, interesting and bodies with itchy parts.  I will tackle this area in the dry season.

Chris Doyle - Da MAN

In August 06 I took Chris Doyle, Director of the Adventure Travel Trade Association on an adventure tour.  I basically harassed Chris into coming here as I wanted to get the ATTA excited about Trinidad and Tobago as an adventure destination, he agreed to do so and I offered that he could bring his lovely wife Sherrie since he would be away from home for so very long.  The following is an account of some of our activities. 

Chris and I put together a fun tour that would suit both Chris & Sherrie ideas of adventure during which we kayaked to a cave, hiked guanapo gorge, mountain biked Matelot, kayak surfed Grande Riverre, walked through a bat cave, mountain biked across the Northern Range, birded at Asa Wright Nature Centre, snorkeled and kayaked in Speyside and actually had some meetings in between all that.

The first day we started with mountain biking, Sherrie doing the easy country roads that connected the single track that Chris and I did.  They both had a blast as that suited them perfectly.  The trail I took Chris on is Trinidad's only dedicated mountain biking trail; a couple friends and I have been developing it for 3 years now from just a ride down a dry river bed into about 4 miles of single track that is fun and challenging.  Then we kayaked out to Gasparee Island where we entered Gasparee cave, which is full of amazing stalactites, stalagmites and pillars that look like dinosaurs, buddas, and you can actually drum a tune on one.  We swam in the deep green cenote in the middle of the cave.

On the transfer to Grande Riverre we hiked to Guanapo Gorge, the heavens opened and the rain drenched us while hiking.  We still had a great time but I did not allow us to enter the gorge as the possibility of flooding was real with the heavy rain.  Sherrie was fantastic as this was an epic hike for her and she really pushed herself.  In Grande Riverre we stayed at my favorite Trinidad lodge, Le Grande Almandier,

where we rescued hatchling Leatherback Turtles that were attracted by lights in the village even they were made low for the turtles and were going the wrong way.The next day Chris and I headed out to Matelot where we rode to a small and beautiful waterfall, we fed the river prawn there at first with our toes on the small ones, but after using bread we attracted the humungo version with large blue claws. The ride out was some sweet wide single track with lots of roots and rocks, massive bamboos added to the flavor.  Then the afternoon Chris and I traded wave kayak surfing the break right in front Le Grande Almandier; a magical day.

The next adventure was the Tamana Cave, we hiked to the summit first then geared up and entered Tamana Cave, Chamber 1 to thousands of bats, literally.  Sherrie had a fantastic expression plastered on her face; it showed fear, excitement and freaking out at the same time.  The bats were intense but I think it was the thousands of cockroaches that freaked her out most.  After the cave we went to the exit to see the bats flying about us as they exited the cave at dusk to feed. 

The next day was spent birding at the world famous Asa Wright Nature Centre.

Our epic cross country ride was next on the list, well after a night of partying.  The ride started at Caurita on the Northern Range's leeward side and crossed over to the windward coast at Las Cuevas.  We started with wide single track in farm land which quickly became rain forest as we climbed to 2000 feel elevation.  We got to the rest hut a bit slowly but in excellent condition.  We then turned to Las Cuevas and the clouds set in all around us and we had some rain.  The trail then got wicked with a series of tough climbs followed by seriously fun and technical downhills, ending with a long down hill to the beach.  Chris said it was one of his most epic rides ever.   In October I rode Tiger Mountain with some friend outside Seattle and found the trails similar in many ways.

We then headed to Tobago after some more local music and a visit to Brasso Seco.  We Kayaked and snorkeled the beautiful Batoo Bay in Speyside.

For more info on eco adventures in Trinidad and Tobago of birding, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, caving and anything else contact Courtenay Rooks at rooks@pariasprings.com or check our web site at www.pariasprings.com

Great Black Hawk

While birding in the north western side of Nariva Swamp on Plum Road I was looking at an adult Savanna Hawk on the south side of the road I put down my binoculars to look around when I saw what at first I thought was another Savanna Hawk (SH), which was a bit closer standing on the ground on the north side of the road. It was standing very upright with long legs like a SH.  The first thing I noticed to rule out SH that it was black, not brown, then I saw it was notably larger than the SH since I realized it was actually further away than the SH I was originally looking at.

I got the scope out and got some details:  Its head, neck and breast were mostly black with small spots of brown.  The wings and back were black. 

Legs were pale yellow

Basal half of beak was pale yellow and the front half was black.  The beak was notably larger than Savanna Hawk’s; much more like an eagle, which gave it that stern look of an eagle.

Eyes were brown.

While on the ground I saw it only from in front so I only got glimpses of a large white band on the rump and tail, however it eventually flew and I saw that the basal half of the tail was bright white, then it had a broad black band, and the tail ended with a thin white band.

This was by far my best sights of Great Black Hawk, what a maginificent bird.