Asa Wright Nature Centre I spent a day last week at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, which is located in the lush rainforest of Trinidad. Amazingly the tiny nation of Trinidad & Tobago is ranked in the top 10 countries on the planet for bird species, as there are approximately 430 different species of birds there. T&T is the southern most nation in the Caribbean, is outside the hurricane belt, and its close proximity to South America means that there is a rich diversity of wildlife located on both islands. In terms of mammals there are only about 108 species (and over 60 of those are bats) but the islands are famous for their bird life and birders from all over the world come to feast on the splendour that is contained within the rainforests. All around the capital city Port of Spain and the University of the West Indies campus in the city of St. Augustine are hundreds upon hundreds of cattle egrets and turkey vultures. Those two species stand out for me as they are easily recognizable, but there are countless other birds that I can only guess as to their scientific name. The Nature Centre is a non-profit establishment where myself and the group of fellow students and aspiring teachers spent 2.5 hours on a hike through the jungle. We saw and heard bell birds, scarlet ibis, snowy egrets, and spotted many lizards. Back at the main verandah there were loads of hummingbirds and others that were beautiful but are unknown to me. The sheer volume of birds in T&T is bewildering, and while I'm not a birder I can appreciate viewing the multi-coloured birds that seem to be everywhere I turn.
I've always heard great things about this Center,and hope to visit some day. I believe it is yet another global institution that has some strong links to the New York Zoological Society (now Wildlife Conservation Society), as it was founded by William Beebe, the illustrious former Bronx Zoo Curator of Birds (who was far too busy with conservation programs around the world to spend much time in NY)
I saw a show on Austar quite recentley about the birdlife on Trinidad and Tobago and how some species are thriving because of humans while others are suffering miserabley.
This Centre is well worth a visit. Bit difficult to get to. Birds here are easy to see -- several humming birds, tanagers, honey-creepers, and the best one, I thought, the Oilbirds, as well as a variety of others. Several species of lizards, and there was an agouti feeding under the bird feeding tables. Birds can be photographed, but I advise the use of a telephoto lens for the best results. Allow a few hours at least, if you can. Trinidad itself has many birds which are not too difficult to see, but a bit harder to film or photograph. Still plenty of nice forests etc.. Tobago I thought was better for several species, including ant thrushes and motmots. Again lots of nice forest areas and not as many people either. Everywhere I went I found the folks were pretty friendly and very easy to get along with. On both islands there are properties that invite visitors to see humming birds. These birds are very difficult to film unless there is a feeding station!
