Martin's Sussex Birding Blog: Tobago 1- The Blue Water Inn

LATE REPORT OF A BIRDING TRIP BACK IN APRIL

A trip to Trinidad and Tobago and a stay at the ASA Wright Centre centre has been on my "to do list" for many years. However it's not cheap and a full on birding holiday like that, would not go down too well with Sue. Worse still, neither of the two options, of take her with me or leave her at home, were likely to have had a favourable outcome!

Then I managed to come up with a compromise, a cheap, fully inclusive week, at the Blue Water Inn on Tobago. The Blue Water Inn is on a lot of the Trinidad and Tobago birding itineraries. It is in a remote bay, on the north of the island, close to some of the best birding locations and it had bedrooms with verandas, opening up straight on to the beach. One look at the web site was enough to sell it to Sue, it was her dream location, and at about a quarter of the price of an organised birding tour I was all for it.

There was a downside, Tobago only has about half the number of bird species of Trinidad but that would be enough to keep me going for a week.

So, five blogs, birding around the Blue Water; Little Tobago; A day out with Newton George, More Time with Newton George and Common Potoo.

The Blue Water grounds are surrounded by hill forest and dense undergrowth, most of it impenetrable, but birding the grounds and the main track running through the area gave plenty of opportunities. Birds were everywhere particularly during the period after dawn and before dusk. The morning chorus was deafening with most of the noise coming from the national bird of Tobago, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca.

Rufous -vented Chachalaca

Hearing birds was easy, seeing them and then getting a good picture, through the dense undergrowth proved to be a lot harder.

I saw a few of these Barred Antshrikes but the shots below were the best I could get. There is quite a difference between the male and female markings.

Barred Antshrike

Barred Antshrike (Female)

Other birds in the area included:-

Carib Garckle

House Wren

Shiny Cowbird (Female)

White-fringed Antwren

White-tipped Pigeon

This Yellow-crowned Night Heron was one of a pair that flew onto the beach whilst we sat having lunch. The first flew into a tree where it was difficult to see but this one was happy taking a gentle stroll along the beach whilst the diners took pictures of it. Probably one of my best shots of the holiday and it took no skill or field craft to get it.

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

Black-faced Grassquit

Blue-black Grassquit

Blue-grey Tanager

Caribbean Martin

Pale-vented Pigeon

Palm Tanager

Spectacled Thrush

And our two most common species, making regular appearances just outside our room and scavenging at breakfast.

Mocking Bird

Bananaquit

The Banaquit male was attempting to build a nest in one of the light fittings in the restaurant. He would make repeated visits with nesting material which he carefully wove into the nest structure. When he flew off the female would appear to make modifications and dispose of bits she did not like. Then each evening the nest material was cleared away by the hotel staff (a fire hazard ).

For the seven days we were there he duly returned every morning and started over again whilst his partner watched on, scolding him for the lack of progress. Sad to watch but there was no easy solution.

A Black-throated Mango nesting in a tree on the beach in front of the hotel rooms.