Cumuto Birding

On Suday 14th Jan Ken and I hit Cumuto on the road next to the Aripo Savannas at dawn and within a few moments I hear Silvered Antbirds calling, which is a suprise as I have never had them in the sanannas before.  We stalk them for quite a bit with only fleeting glimpses and only a couple seconds of film.  Then Sulphury Flycatchers fly in and start calling noisily.  So I once again mooch Ken's Swarovsky scope and photograph them in a Moriche Palm next to the road.  The excitment grows when I hear the strange call of a Black tailed Tityra, on finding it we soon realize that its actually a pair that are building a nest in a Moriche Palm next to the road. 

After enjoying the Tityras for about 30 minutes suddenly I heard this beautiful singing and saw a pair of Moriche Orioles land for a couple seconds and fly off.  These are very rare birds whose populations have been decimated by wild capture for sale as caged birds.  Unfortunatly the Orioles passed too fast to be photographed.

Ken headed off after the Antbirds again when a Merlin flys in and lands in a near by tree.  I get a couple photographs when it launches straight at me!  I am looking at it in the scope so I look up and its coming directly at me, which is disturbing.  Then about 25 feet away it veers to the right and attacked some palm tanagers.  Even though it missed I stood in awe!!! 

We then decided to head for a Yellow Rumped Cacique roost, but on the way a flock of about 8 Red bellied Macaws flying over, I am all excited shouting Macaws!  Macaws!  Macaws!  With wonderful luck they land in a Moriche Palm about 100 feet away, so we very quietly get out of the vehicle and photograph them for at least an hour while they feed on the palm fruits.  If you are a Trini you will know these fruits as your beach cricket balls.  Kids in Trinidad and Tobago would use the small black round seeds of the palm fruits as balls and the stems of coconut palm leaves as the bat and you have a game of cricket. 

We eventually got to the Caciques, as the roost was next to a rum shop we also enjoyed the sweet sounds of calypso and raggae.