The following text was written by Dr Steve M. R. Young after a birdwatching holiday in Trinidad & Tobago.

My wife Penny and I booked a straightforward package holiday to the island of Tobago. However I then planned a 3-4 day excursion of solid birding to Trinidad. Three crucial species that had to be seen immediately came to the fore: Red-billed Tropicbird on Tobago and Scarlet Ibis and Oilbird in Trinidad. The latter was discussed at some length in the chapter on Trinidad and Tobago in Oddie's Gripping Yarns. 

 
Field Guides
I bought a copy of A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago (Helm) by ffrench and took a copy of A Guide to the Birds of Colombia (Princeton) by Hilty and Brown which I already possessed. The plates in the former were generally poor (especially the doves and flycatchers and lack of raptor flight plates) with a very annoying habit of omitting occasional obvious or common species or removing them to randomly selected portraits or a plate of afterthoughts at the end. The text was generally accurate, detailed and informative however. The latter was better illustrated but obviously less relevant. 
Strongly recommended is A Guide to the Birds of Venezuela (Princeton) by de Schauensee, Phelps and Tudor. I bought this on my return when I realized the new version had good plates. This covered all species in T&T plus many others.

 
Site Guides
I bought a copy of William Murphy's A Birder's Guide to Trinidad & Tobago from Subbuteo Books. This contained useful checklists, time of year abundance charts, target species summaries, useful info' on accommodation and guides' contact details. The site texts were detailed but contained some info' that was either out of date or inaccurate. However for other species it was spot on. Below I have listed observations of mine that contradict Murphy's target species summaries. 

 
Local Guides
Possibly for reasons of genuine security but probably as a (fully justified) means of extracting revenue from eco-tourism, we were advised not to bird the Tobago Main Ridge Forest without a guide. We therefore listened to several touting for business on the hotel beach and chose Kelton Thomas of Kelton Tours. He agreed to bird the Main Ridge Forest for 2-3 hours then drive us to Speyside for an afternoon trip out to Little Tobago. We had plenty of time to do both and saw most of the targets for a reasonable £55 each. This included transport in Kelton's car, breakfast in the forest and the boat trip. He wanted to take me to Buccoo Marsh the next day but I easily did this alone by hire car (once I'd unravelled the vague directions in Murphy's guide). 

 
Photography
I used a photo-adaptor on my straight Leica APO-Televid 77 scope providing a fixed focal length of c.800mm. Using standard Kodak and Fuji ASA800 and 1000 film in a Pentax MZM manual focus SLR I was able to get rapid shots in very low light level forest floor without a flash. 
 
 
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Bill Oddie for pointing us in the right direction. Thanks to Kelton Thomas for a good day doing Tobago. Thanks to Gerard Ramsawak and his wife Oda for a very hospitable stay in great surroundings. Thanks also to Martyn Kenefick for some great birding at Cumaca. And finally thanks to my parents for helping with time and money to make the trip possible.

Observations on Murphy's Target Species in T&T)

 
Tobago Birding Day Lists

Grafton Resort, Stonehaven Bay, April 22nd

From settling into our comfortable, air-conditioned room from 16.15 until leaving the beach in front of the hotel at about 17.30 I had noted the following:
 

Brown Pelican	(7-8 on a moored fishing boat)
Magnificent Frigatebird	(40-50 were drifting east high as we enjoyed our first swim in the Caribbean)
Sandwich Tern	(3-4 in bay)
Tropical Mockingbird	(2-3 large grey birds warbling like thrushes)
Bananaquit	(shrill trilling in the palms outside our room was assumed to be due to hummingbirds until a tiny and immaculate yellow, black and white thing flew into a flowering hedge in a flash of yellow rump and white wing patches. Little did I know how much more I was going to see of it however)
Blue-gray Tanager	(4 flew into palms by the room balcony)
Black-faced Grassquit	(1 tiny bird on lawn below our room's balcony was the first tick of the trip)

A 30 minute walk from the hotel grounds a little way along the shore road before dark from 17.45 until 18.15 produced a nice flurry of birds:
 

Rufous-vented Chachalaca	(1 was seen in a high tree top just before dark)
Eared Dove	(2 birds in the hotel grounds were eventually ID'd by the eye and neck bars plus buff tail tip, despite hopelessly poor plates in ffrench)
Caribbean Martin	(6-7 large and graceful martins cruised around low over the hotel)
White-lined Tanager	(several black birds zipping about eventually showed a flash of white somewhere on the underwing)
Bare-eyed Thrush	(2-3 were piping on steps or in undergrowth along the road)

 
April 23rd

 
Grafton Estate Sanctuary

Magnificent Frigatebird	(40-50 drifted east in a loose line, high overhead, at dusk)
Rufous-vented Chachalaca	(50-60 great noisy fumbling birds were clambering everywhere )
Raptor sp.	(1 probable Broad-winged Hawk (common) perched silently)
White-tipped Dove	(10-20 were at the feeder and in the forest)
Eared Dove	(30+ at the feeder, others found lurking unobtrusively in the forest)
Black-throated Mango	(1 male was watched at 5m perched over the higher trail for some time)
White-necked Jacobin	(1 gorgeous male after sit-and-wait under high canopy in the gully)
Rufous-breasted (Hairy) Hermit	(1 hanging in the air 3m from me)
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	(a black hummer' with ruby red cap and brief flash of orange throat)
Blue-crowned Motmot	(1 was suddenly clocked as it fluttered out from its perch beneath the canopy in the gully to seize a large flying insect. Despite the magpie and bee-eater likenesses, the bird's size, heavy bill and relaxed marauding jizz made it "feel" more like a roller. It was seen twice more, when it flew off chuckling like a Blackbird of all things! As I walked back as dark approached I encountered a second motmot with nest material; a pair was clearly breeding in here)
Red-crowned Woodpecker	(2 photographed along the entrance track. An easy Tobago speciality!)
Buff-throated Woodcreeper	(incessant loud piping from an invisible bird. 1 creeping up vines from the ground)
White-fringed Antwren	(a pair below the higher trail. Others were seen very well above the forest floor)
Barred Antshrike	(1 large-looking, heavily striped male antshrike perched on a stem. Its pale eye made it look irate and aggressive as did the spiky crest. I noted stout, blunt bill and a warm brown wash over the wings and tail adding to my initial impression of a cross between Wryneck and d'Arnaud's Barbet. Later I watched a rich rufous and buff female in vines over the lower trail in the gully)
House Wren	(1 found skulking on the forest floor with barred tail, mottled face and dull super' was initially assumed to be a dull Rufous-breasted purely because ffrench failed to illustrate the common wren)
Scrub Greenlet	(2-3 vocal vireos were ID'd as this Tobago speciality)
Yellow-bellied Elaenia	(1 was calling raucously by the adjacent hotel on the walk back)
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher	(2-3 surprisingly distinct solitary birds)
Caribbean Martin	(1-2 drifted over)
Bared-eyed Thrush	(2-3 were mewing "will you?" like squeaky cats )
Bananaquit	(trilling everywhere, more numerous than House Sparrows)
Blue-gray Tanager	(5-6 along entrance track)
White-lined Tanager	(1-2 males and several rich chestnut)

 
April 24th

Smooth-billed Ani	(2 fluttered down to ferret in roadside grass)
Green-rumped Parrotlet	(2 flew in to roadside bushes to distract me from the Anis)
Short-tailed Swift	(2 very small swifts seen well over the road. Very like Chimney)
Black-throated Mango	(1 male perched for Penny's benefit)
White-necked Jacobin	(2 males, Penny found the second perched at head height with its back to her and showing his fine white collar - a cracking bird)
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	(female over the entrance track was ID'd by rufous tail)
Blue-crowned Motmot	(1-2 were seen ridiculously well. They are apparently much easier to see in Tobago than in Trinidad where they remain in dim forest )
White-fringed Antwren	(3-4 were seen )
Barred Antshrike	(2 pairs were seen)
Blue-backed Manakin	(as we were showing a couple of walkers a motmot I saw the blazing red crown and sky-blue mantle set against the solid black of a fantastic ad. male. It immediately dashed off down into the thickly vegetated gully below the trail. A second later 3 more ad. males flew after the first. As at least 2 males called nearby we stood straining to see the birds through the dense saplings, trunks, vines and fallen timber. Then suddenly I saw one through all the obstructions. Perched on a bare branch just above the leaf-strewn gully floor, the amazing manakin showed off its brilliant red crown and blue mantle which shone out from the jet black plumage. Soon it jumped out of view. As the calling continued we waited and the male reappeared again briefly, bold as brass. This time a second joined it and the two started a bit of a dance, hopping on and between two parallel bare branches c.300mm apart. Although not the full display this must surely have been part of it! Soon the birds had gone again. Not only had we seen several ad. males but I suspected we'd found a lek site and seen something of the dance)
Fuscous Flycatcher	(3 sightings of a very unobtrusive flycatcher easily ID'd from the text in ffrench although the stumpy little illustration was irrelevant)
Blue-black Grssquit	(1 tiny male in moult or imm. was seen along the entrance track)

 
Stonehaven Bay

Cattle Egret	(1 flew in off and disappeared over the palms)
Laughing Gull	(c.100 on beach were all immaculate br. pl. ad.s )

 
Stonehaven Bay, April 25th

Another tough day for a birder on a tropical beach:

Brown Pelican	(4-5 were roosting on their favourite moored fishing boats in the bay)
Magnificent Frigatebird	(varying attendance at the beach during the day )
Laughing Gull	(c.100)
Sandwich Tern	(2-3)
Royal Tern	(1 flew over once)
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	(1 male in the trees behind the beach)

 
Arnos Vale Hotel

Magnificent Frigatebird	(many cruising high and low over Sunset Point at dusk)
Yellow-crowned Night-heron	(2 birds flew across the beach below Sunset Point)
Rufous-vented Chachalaca	(many around the feeder)
Eared Dove	(several)
White-tipped Dove	(")
Ruddy Ground Dove	(1 tiny rich chestnut-buff dove flew up from the entrance)
Green-rumped Parrotlet	(1 superb tiny plain bright green bird perched near the feeder briefly)
Short-tailed Swift	(3-4 overhead)
Black-throated Mango	(1 incredibly dapper, quite lanky female at a sugar feeder)
Copper-rumped Hum'bird	(1 at feeders)
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	(2-3 females at sugar feeders)
Blue-crowned Motmot	(1 pair coming to the feeder were almost stupidly easy)
Red-crowned Woodpecker	(2-3 were coming to the feeder, others along the trail to Sunset Point)
Buff-throated Woodcreeper	(1 along the trail, others were calling)
White-fringed Antwren	(1 female along the trail)
Barred Antshrike	(1 male along trail)
Rufous-breasted Wren	(1 seen well by the trail)
House Wren	(1 distracted me from the Rufous-breasted)
Fuscous Flycatcher	(1 below the trail)
Yellow-bellied Elaenia	(1 in gardens)
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher	(1 along the trail)
Caribbean Martin	(2 over the bay)
Bare-eyed Thrush	(2-3 at the feeder, 1 singing by the trail at dusk)
Shiny Cowbird	(1-2 gleaming purple/black, dark eyed birds came to the feeder)
Bananaquit	("thousands", I have never come across a more ubiquitous sp.)
Blue-gray Tanager	(many at the feeder )
White-lined Tanager	(2-3 pairs at the feeder)
Blue-black Grassquit	(1-2 jet black males along the trail in the thick)
Black-faced Grassquit	(2-3 along the trail)

 
Drive from Scarborough to Main Ridge, April 26th

 
Main Ridge Forest Reserve

Rufous-vented Chachalaca	(small no.s along the trail)
Broad-winged Hawk	(1 flew below us as we drove down the southern slopes later)
White-tipped Dove	(plenty along the trail)
Orange-winged Parrot	(4-5 separate pairs were seen in flight over the forest from the road)
Short-tailed Swift	(small numbers over the road at the entrance to the Gilpin Trace)
White-necked Jacobin	(1 male along the trail)
White-tailed Sabrewing	(Kelton located the first by its rapid, squeaky double note call within five minutes of entering the forest. Fearing a difficult job finding the large but fast moving hummer' in the confusion of vegetation I followed the call and the bird was rapidly located landing to rest on a liana. Although it was too dark to photograph, the bird showed bright green body plumage merging into rich blue throat and striking white undertail, rather like the closely related jacobin. The sabrewing soon flew to feed at flowers but remained in the area flashing its dazzling white tail as it manouvred. Although nearly extirpated after the '63 hurricane and still very rare, the cracking bird was not at all difficult to find along the Top Hill Trace at least and in all 6-7 were seen. Because the species feeds in low to middle storey (like the hermits) they were often seen very well low over the trail. Also, being large the sabrewing rested often for several minutes and when one perched right by the trail for 3-4 minutes I was able to squeeze off several shots yielding one in which the bird remained still as a shaft of sunlight illuminated it in very low ambient light! )
Rufous-breasted (Hairy) Hermit	(2-3 flew very close to us as seems to be their wont)
Copper-rumped Hummingbird	(4-5 seen)
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird	(10-15 were feeding in low flowering trees)
Collared Trogon	(before we'd entered the forest at the start of the Top Hill Trace Kelton pointed out the soft, plaintive call. The softness of the notes, a soothing, understated "corr corr corr corr" implied that the bird was much further off through the forest than it actually was. Suddenly the trogon was close to us and soon the crippler, a lovely male, was found sitting still and bolt upright in a tree by the clearing. Scrabbling on my stomach to avoid obstructing foliage and then aiming the scope/camera I noted the iridescent green upper's extending down the long, square tail beautifully barred beneath. Brilliant red undertail, belly and lower breast and charismatic face were also noted. The trogon often flew very quickly and directly between well concealed perches which made the gorgeously colourful and characterful bird surprisingly hard to see and extremely hard to photograph. A second male was soon discovered nearby. Along the trail another male was picked up as it flew like an arrow through the canopy to perch above us briefly while another called nearby and several others were heard calling. The species was therefore not rare but very easy to miss )
Rufous-tailed Jacamar	(Kelton picked up 1 male perched motionless by the Gilpin Trace behind us as we looked for a calling spinetail. Further on a pair was encountered perching high above the trail near nest holes in the sandy bank above the trail)
Buff-throated Woodcreeper	(only 1 seen and surprisingly few heard calling)
Golden-olive Woodpecker	(1 male was heard tapping and then located on the Gilpin Trace)
Stripe-breasted Spinetail	(this infuriating floor-dweller with sprightly "see-saw?" call eluded us a few times until 2 separate birds popped up in response to pishing)
White-fringed Antwren	(1-2 only was surprising)
Plain Antvireo	(1 stumpy plain grey bird feeding unobtrusively on the open but dark forest floor. 2 further males and 2 females were seen along the trail)
Barred Antshrike	(2-3 males were seen)
Blue-backed Manakin	(4-5 loose packs of males were encountered along the trails where they were clearly not hard to see. Several were seen very well. 1 green imm. male with red crown was seen near an (unseen) group of dancing adult males. The low mechanical whirring call of full display could be heard just over a vegetated ridge by the trail but we could not see! Although they seemed to display close to the trails they were certainly shy and no display was seen)
Rufous-breasted Wren	(2)
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher	(4-5)
Ochre-bellied Flycatcher	(3-4 in one area. Incredibly weak illustrations in ffrench were just too poor to allow an ID at the time)
Yellow-legged Thrush	(4-5 males were seen in thick mid and understorey but were generally very shy and elusive, flying off into forest as soon as they were seen)
White-necked Thrush	(1 smart bird suddenly appeared perched below the first sabrewing. Several other very shy and elusive birds were seen dashing for cover - as bad as Zoothera!)
Bare-eyed Thrush	(5-6)
Crested Oropendola	(2 near the road at the start of the Top Hill Trace)
Bananaquit	(several even in primary rainforest)
Blue-gray Tanager	(a few)
White-lined Tanager	(1 pair along Gilpin Trace)

Speyside-Little Tobago Island

Red-billed Tropicbird	(from the restaurant 2 tropicbirds were seen flying as a synchronized pair around the islet before Little Tobago. After the short but steep walk up to the watchpoint I was staggered by the awesome sight of up to 15 ad. Red-billed Tropicbirds sailing about the huge, fiercely exposed yet densely vegetated cliffs sloping straight down to the turbulent ocean. Kelton then showed us an adult sitting with a chick at 4m in a fenced-off "nest" by the watchpoint. A well grown, yellow-billed juv. was seen in a another nest nearby. At one point four frigatebirds were chasing a tropicbird one of which suddenly grabbed the Red-billed's right wing in its bill. As the tropicbird howled it almost stopped flying and was momentarily carried through the air by the prehistoric bully )
Brown Booby	(many pairs were nesting low on the cliffs)
Red-footed Booby	(3 flew behind the boat on the return journey showing glowing white rump and tail behind brown body and wings)
Magnificent Frigatebird	(plenty drifting to and from nest sites on St. Giles Island)
Yellow-crowned Night-heron	(1 roosting in a tree behind the landing beach on Little Tobago)
{Great Black Hawk}	(2 Black Hawks soaring over secondary forest above Speyside were ID'd by Kelton as we sailed out to Little Tobago)
Spotted Sandpiper	(Penny found 2 ad.s on the beach below the restaurant)
Laughing Gull	(plenty low down on the tropicbird colony cliffs, a few at Speyside)
Pale-vented Pigeon	(several on Little Tobago)
Orange-winged Parrot	(1 pair flew in from high up the forested slopes behind Speyside)
Brown-crested Flycatcher	(1 on Little Tobago)
Crested Oropendola	(2-3 were flying back and forth in front of the colony cliffs. 2-3 others were seen closely along path back to the landing beach)
Carib Grackle	(10+ inside the restaurant in Speyside)

 
Drive down Atlantic coast

 
Smith's Island off Atlantic coast

 
Stonehaven Bay, April 27th

Grafton Estate Sanctuary, April 28th

Copper-rumped Hum'bird	(3-4 came very close as I stood still)
Barred Antshrike	(the pair at the start of the entrance track were seen again. They were cracking birds - full of character )
Blue-backed Manakin	(1 uttered its explosive single note call as I descended the lower path and was immediately picked up moving towards me. It called again but moved off. I relocated the pair of branches on the gully bottom that I suspected of constituting a "display perch" (lek site) and trained the camera-scope on them at c.40m and waited. For 30 minutes no manakins called then the explosive note tore out of the tangled gully undergrowth. I waited with baited breath focused on the two particular branches. The calls came closer and more often. After 10 minutes I saw a movement near the site and I scanned with bin's. Amongst leaves in front of the perches I could see a red crown on a black head! Explosive calls came often as the manakin bobbed about just out of view. Through the camera I could see little so I watched with bin's until suddenly the stonking little bird leapt up to the branches and started bouncing and fluttering between the two incredibly quickly. Leaves and sticks between it and me reduced clearance for shots but the manakin was almost a blur anyway. As it moved between the points of a triangle, one on each branch and one below (out of sight) I just reeled off a load of shots regardless of slow shutter speed for such a subject, delighted that I had found a display perch. The red crown and blue mantle were just flashing in and out of view. After a few minutes the manakin slowed down and started to hop from side to side low on one branch, as it did so it uttered bursts of very low, soft mechanical cackling, probably the low precopulation "twanging" described by ffrench. We had heard this call from a group of manakins just out of view from the Top Hill Trace in the Main Ridge Forest. The bird seemed to be fluttering or trembling during this phase. Whether or not a female was present I could not see but soon after this stopped the manakin rested for a moment low on the perch, then suddenly darted off low through the undergrowth. The bird was heard twice close to the path on the way back but seen only fleetingly as it vanished from sight)
Brown-crested Flycatcher	(1 at the roadside on my return showed pinkish base to bill)

 
Stonehaven Bay

 
Buccoo Marsh, April 29th

Anhinga	(1 flew over the main lagoon, turned and disappeared again)
Great White Egret	(1 in marshy pasture area north of lagoon)
Tricoloured Heron	(1 seen briefly but closely at the near side of the main lagoon)
Green Heron	(up to 10 trundling about between prominent perches)
Cattle Egret	(3-4 in the marshy pasture area north of main lagoon)
Yellow-crowned Night-heron	(1 flew out of low thick woodland between the main lagoon and the small lagoon (marsh) to the south)
Black-bellied Whistling-duck	(20-30 were on the main lagoon or flying over)
White-cheeked Pintail	(50+ dabbling about amongst the near continuous Lilly pads)
Osprey	(1 rather shabby bird swung over the small lagoon a couple of times)
Common Moorhen	(30+ mainly on the main lagoon, several juv.s with all-yellow bills)
Wattled Jacana	(30+ very attractive and active "Lilly-trotters" were busy doing just that on the main lagoon, others were in the marshy pasture to the north. Several juv.s also showed green wings, if slightly duller, whitish under's and prominent long whitish super' and dark eye-stripe, distinctive and bearing little relation to ad. plumage (see excellent photo in HBW 3 280)
Southern Lapwing	(the main target of the visit proved very easy. Several small groups of 2-3 were approached and latterly 15 were huddled at the near side of the main lagoon )
Semipalmated Plover	(3 ad. br. pl. birds)
Lesser Yellowlegs	(1 elegant ad. br. pl.)
Spotted Sandpiper	(5 ad. br. pl. birds)
Green-rumped parrotlet	(2 pairs of these brilliant, manic, tiny parrots were racing between coconut palms in the area between the main lagoon and the northern marsh)
Smooth-billed Ani	(1 seen briefly diving into cover in the open area)
Copper-rumped Hum'bird	(several, clearly a common and widespread hummer')
Red-crowned Woodpecker	(1 drumming on a dead coconut palm in the open area, just as Murphy had promised)
Barred Antshrike	(1 pair in the open area,)
Tropical Kingbird	(3 showed well in one open tree in a large area of scrub and light woodland beyond the small lagoon)
Brown-crested Flycatcher	(2 in low trees by marshy pasture)
Yellow-breasted Flycatcher	(1 in low trees by the mangroves beyond the small lagoon, responded to pishing)
House Wren	(1-2 in the low trees)
Tropical Mockingbird	(plenty)
Scrub Greenlet	(2-3 in low trees by the mangroves beyond the small lagoon, responded immediately and vocally to pishing, quite elegant phyllos' warbler-like vireos)
Carib Grackle	(1-2)
Northern Waterthrush	(1 amongst mangroves at the southern edge of the main lagoon)

Pigeon Point

 
Grafton Estate Sanctuary, April 30th

Short-tailed Swift	(2 zoomed in amongst the trees close to my manakin stakeout, calling)
Rufous-breasted Hermit	(1 was followed with bin's typically close to the ground during the stakeout)
Blue-crowned Motmot	(1 glided down the track on stiff, outstretched wings as I walked back up on my return. It looked at me as it went past 1m away at shoulder height, almost said "good morning" and sailed on down the slope, under a fallen trunk hanging over the track and disappeared round the corner. It was carrying food to its nest; a brilliantly charismatic bird. Another was watched doing its agitated "clock pendulum" tail switching by the entrance track)
Olivaceous Woodcreeper	(1 silently appeared in front of me when it flew onto a large tree trunk close to the stakeout. Delighted to see another Tobago speciality (lacking in Trinidad) missed in the Main Ridge forest, I watched the bird hop up the bark then suddenly flicker to a new spot with the speed and flickering, languid agility of a flycatcher)
Blue-backed Manakin	(just 5 minutes after I'd set up the tripod-mounted camera-scope a manakin called close by. He was quickly located gleaming red, blue and black in sunny leaves halfway up a spreading tree nearby. Another bird answered his explosive "chee choo" invitation and joined him in the tree but before I knew it the two ad. males darted down to the display site. For the next 15-20 minutes I was treated to a stunning view of the full display. As before each dance started with the birds hopping, with the aid of manically fluttered wings, between three points of a triangle (c.0.5m side) this time however I could see all three points! Regardless of very low light levels reducing shutter speed to 1/10s. despite 1000ASA film, the birds moved so fast and continuously that everything was just a blur of blue, black and red. Suddenly the mechanical whirring twanging call started and the two males started leap-frogging each other on the central branch in a cart-wheeling blur of blue and black fluttering. Incredibly the speed of the cackling call accelerated as the speed of the leap-frogging increased, the birds worked faster and faster until a loud, fruity click call (I was skeptical of it being made by a bird's wings as stated in ffrench) signaled the end of the dance and both birds dashed to nearby cover for a rest. However, within seconds the dancers reconvened and started the whole thing again. At one point a green imm. male, with tiny red crown patch, joined the 2 ad.s, clearly learning the steps. I watched the Blue-backed's perform c.10 dances before they retired. I then waited for an (expected) hour for the manakins' return even though 1 was calling the subdued but fruity "choo" note, unseen, nearby for much of the time. At 09.00 I decided to give it 15 more minutes then leave hoping I'd got one or two unobscured, reasonably focused shots. When 09.15 arrived a bird was calling close by so I hung on. Suddenly a single ad. male appeared on the display perch and proceeded to perform 3 separate dances as if to reward my patience. Between them it paused momentarily on the low bowed branch in full view and I squeezed off shots at every opportunity. It then flew fast and direct to a sunlit branch at mid height, some way off, then disappeared. As I walked back I could hear at least 1 manakin calling from far off up the gully, well off the track; perhaps there was another display perch up there ).

 
Trinidad Birding Day Lists

Pax Guest House, Mt. St. Benedict, May 1st

In contrast to the famous but expensive, fully booked and apparently rather dude Asa Wright Centre, this fine colonial style guest house, built as such in the days of the Empire, was recommended in Gripping Yarns. Booked over the Internet from the UK and confirmed from Tobago we arrived at c.10.00 to be greeted by the highly sociable birder/owner Gerard Ramsawak. After a tour of the birding verandahs he showed us to Room 20, the one used by Bill Oddie and David Attenborough (the Life of Birds sequence on Turkey Vultures sniffing out buried meat in Trinidad's montane rain forests was filmed right here with the view of the forest clad mountains being from our own tiny verandah). Our room was in fact a virtual annex from the house jutting almost into the forest . While we waited to discuss my target list and the necessary trips with Gerard we birded from various verandahs adjacent to lush flowering gardens and sugar feeders. These looked onto the panorama of steep hills, rising through dense secondary forest into primary forest smothering the high ridges of the Northern Range; the geological start, or end, of the Andes! The gardens seemed to be one of the best hummingbird sites in the country with Tufted Coquette a priority for me but also producing the only recent records of Rufous-shafted Woodstar (from our verandah!). As a raptor watchpoint the guest house was also as good as anywhere in Trinidad. From 11.00 until 13.30 we noted the following:
 

American Black Vulture	(3-5 were sailing about over the forest)
Turkey Vulture	(10+ were soaring with the Black)
Ruddy Ground-dove	(3-4 were noted scrabbling at a bird table below our verandah)
Orange-winged Parrot	(1 pair flew over)
Short-tailed Swift	(3 overhead)
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift	(1 seen briefly flying high up the valley opposite Pax. It was soon lost behind large trees in the foreground but I had seen enough. Murphy stated the sp. was rare but most often reported over Mt. St. Benedict)
White-necked Jacobin	(1 lovely pair feeding at the verandahs, one of my favorites)
Black-throated Mango	(1 pair present, the female posing nicely)
Tufted Coquette	(4-5 minute, insect-like hummer's were immediately found quietly drifting around the flowers outside our bedroom window. All were females and Gerard stated that the males mainly appeared early in the morning)
Blue-chinned Sapphire	(Penny found 1 male showing startling glistening sapphire in sunshine)
White-chested Emerald	(5-6 showed very well at the feeders)
Copper-rumped Hum'bird	(c.10 were noted)
[Buff-throated Woodcreeper]	(1 calling in the forest below)
Tropical Kingbird	(1 appeared in the eye-level trees)
Streaked Flycatcher	(2 close to our verandah were breeding under the eaves )
Great Kiskadee	(this charismatic flycatcher was everywhere from the airport onwards)
Yellow-bellied Elaenia	(2 noted)
Tropical Mockingbird	(1-2 noted)
Bare-eyed Thrush	(2-3 were at a couple of bird tables with Kiskadees)
Yellow Oriole	(1 pair nesting in a fabulous hanging woven "sock" over the road below Pax were visiting a feeder by the main verandah )
Bananaquit	(many)
Turquoise Tanager	(1 was found by Penny almost immediately. The speed with which the dapper bird was found implied that it was easy but we saw no more here)
Blue-gray Tanager	(many)
Palm Tanager	(many, like above, were dashing everywhere)
Silver-beaked Tanager	(2 females were seen briefly)
White-lined Tanager	(1 male)

Old Donkey Trail & Alben Ride, Mt. St. Benedict

 
Pax Guest House, May 2nd

 
Blanchisseuse Road

 
Asa Wright Nature Centre

Black Vulture	(3-5 soaring near and far)
Turkey Vulture	(1-2 soaring, as often here, somewhat outnumbered by )
American Swallow-tailed Kite	(while following a falcon over the valley side east of the verandah I suddenly saw an enormous "swallow" wheeling about over the carpet of trees. This wonderfully elegant raptor, one of my key targets, was indeed more like a swallow or a frigatebird than a bird of prey. In a moment it had swooped down to the trees and was lost to view. However, as the guided "nature walk" started 2 kites soared and wheeled rapidly over the centre itself, moving west fast)
White Hawk	(1 ad. drifted out over the valley from below the centre)
Common Black-hawk	(1 pair over the centre)
Falcon sp.	(1 probable Peregrine flew east over the valley)
Swift spp.	(both Band-rumped and Grey-rumped were feeding overhead according to "the walk" guide, but from below they all looked identical and I had other things in my mind)
White-necked Jacobin	(1 male at the verandah feeders showed )
Tufted Coquette	(1 female only at the verandah feeders, so much for crippling views of males!)
White-chested Emerald	(1-2 at the verandah feeders)
Copper-rumped Hum'bird	(1-2)
Violaceous Trogon	(with 11/2 hours left we set off along the entrance road to try and locate at least one trogon plus various other remaining targets. Incredibly after 10-15 minutes I heard the low soft calling and succeeded in locking onto a beautifully different yellow and purple trogon. A lovely view of the distinctly small, characterful and gorgeously coloured bird was ID'd as ad. male Violaceous from the small size and undertail barring just visible from above on the outer tail base. Although eyering colour on male White-tailed is not mentioned in ffrench the yellow eyering of male Violaceous is and de Schauensee & Phelps note this, and pale blue eyering in both sexes of White-tailed. Later, in the Citrus orchard (see Murphy) a number of trogons started calling. A pair of Violaceous were eventually found high in the canopy, calling faster than another nearby bird (see below) but seemingly faster than the first (clear) Violaceous )
White-tailed Trogon	(at c.14.00 we were in the Citrus orchard, when a passing guide ID'd a trogon that had suddenly started calling. He stated that the slow, measured "chopping" was definitely White-tailed but views were obscured and I failed to note the eyering colour or get a clear view of the broadly white undertail)
Blue-crowned Motmot	(1 appeared briefly at the verandah feeder)
[Channel-billed Toucan]	(this "common" forest sp., one of my main targets, was heard calling only. To make matters worse the dozing taxi driver said he'd seen one in the "usual dawn feeding" nutmeg tree mentioned in Murphy, 100m below the centre!)
Chestnut Woodpecker	(1 flew onto a huge tree trunk in front of me along the start of the Bellbird Trail in the last few minutes)
White-flanked Antwren	(1 male showed briefly in mid storey vines along the Discovery Trail. Amazingly, this individual was the only antbird seen here)
Bearded Bellbird	(from the verandah I suddenly heard an abrupt call coming, one every 20-40 seconds, from the sea of forest filling the wide valley below the centre; it had to be the definitive clanging of a bellbird. As I set up the scope to scan the top of the canopy and emergent trees I was told that Bearded was one of the few that called from mid-storey rather than tree-tops (not strictly true). As the "guided nature walk" started with all various children and non-birders my (unfounded) fear that the bellbird would stop calling mushroomed. The walk proved to be an excruciatingly slow-paced and very general nature stroll, on which Penny and I found ourselves trapped. After trying not to be rude for 30 minutes as we edged down into the forest I finally snapped when a bellbird "went off" even closer. I went ahead of the group down the (main) Discovery Trail. Another bellbird suddenly called extremely close to me. The loud blast stopped me dead in my tracks, trembling with surprise and anticipation. Every 20-40s. a massively loud foghorn "bock" call echoed through the canopy and mid-storey foliage like a blast from an air horn. I was crazed with the need to see the author of such a sound. I could see that the trees dropped away down a steep valley just 75m from the trail and the bellbird had to be at the outer edge of them. After a series of foghorn blasts the bellbird settled down to a softer and faster clanking "tonk-tonk-tonk-tonk......" call, as if marking time. This call was almost more remarkable because although at a distance it had sounded like a slightly croaking popping, at close range it sounded precisely like a blacksmith pounding an anvil with a steel lump hammer, once every second. The hard, metallic ringing sound was totally unbirdlike and enthralling. I strained and struggled to scan straight through a number of intervening trees as the bird continued to call. I moved up and down the trail seeking vantage points and suddenly, incredibly, I caught the stonker in my bin's, perched in a narrow window of visibility. I stared at the huge starling-shaped bird and was amazed to see that the "beard" was actually a mass of worm-like wattled tendrils dangling from the entire throat. Having lugged all my optics for this eventuality I swapped the camera for the eyepiece and actually scoped the bellbird at c.100m noting the clean white plumage marked by chocolate brown head and black wings. The totally non-camouflaged plumage was typical of a tropical forest, polygamous, lekking species that spent its whole life displaying and trying to mate - what a boy! Soon the bellbird moved and I was left to savour the achievement. After some minutes the group arrived and the guide asked if I'd seen one. As I answered a second bellbird started calling just along the trail so the guide set off to try and locate it. I reclined in smug satisfaction only to hear him announce that this bird was perched well under the canopy near the trail! I joined the others and followed directions to another fabulous bird c.20m away! Now I reassembled the camera-scope and put it to work. Although light levels were low, I kept the motor wind busy as the bird looked about clanking away. One decent picture from this set shows the full chest as if the throat was preparing for another volley . As it turned the wattles swung like strings of beads and although others thought they looked "nasty" I relished this distinctive and peculiar characteristic of the family, in one form or another. I was now able to watch the compact, thrush-sized bird utter its call. With no effort the bill suddenly sprang open, briefly making an obtuse angle between the mandibles and the "bock" rang out. Head-on the neck could look quite slim but the stockiness of the large-headed bird was clear. Eventually the bellbird moved off As we returned I could not resist more bellbird photos. In all 3-4 males were making up this "calling group" and one was soon found low down and close to the trail. In good light I took more shots. One photo virtually captures the classic obtuse angle between mandibles at "full throat" . In retrospect I regarded this as "bird of the trip" - a fascinating looking and performing bird)
Golden-headed Manakin	(The signposted "Golden Manakin Lek" down a side trail off the Discovery trail was now deserted and an increasingly desperate search for the third and final manakin ended with a 2s. sighting of a tiny black blob with a drop of gold at its front end hurtling through the Citrus orchard!)
White-bearded Manakin	(the signposted "White-bearded Manakin Lek" was located by the Discovery Trail. Just 3-4m beyond the wooden rails of the "viewing gallery" were 3 male manakins sitting on the ground. As I looked and listened I saw a fourth, then a fifth, sixth and seventh until I realized that in-all, 10-15 ad. males were scattered all around in the leaf litter and low on aerial roots, vines, fallen sticks and stems. The crown was very flat and swept out neatly from the small black bill so that, in some poses the manakins looked as if they'd popped black baseball caps on . Every so often one bird would burst into a rapid sequence of zapping from stem to stem via the ground in a rough circuit around what was presumably his cleared "court". The tiny black and white ball bounced and sprang like a firecracker an impression accentuated by the loud snapping noise accompanying the movements. As the bird posed horizontally on a stem before the next bounce the throat feathers were often fluffed up to protrude in a pointed ruff beyond the bill - clearly the white beard and most distinctive. All the other males would sit around unmoved by the displaying bird's antics until one of them would have a go. Since the birds were so confiding or at least tolerant while at display I was able to take a number of shots. One bird perched close to the viewing area in a shaft of sunlight provided a nicely contrasting picture . Occasionally 1 or 2 birds would fly off on loudly whirring wings like a tiny, motor-driven toy. Later I found 2-3 more males displaying at another lek beyond the empty Golden-headed site. males were also seen and heard whirring about generally in the forest)
Streaked Flycatcher	(1 noted near the centre)
Great Kiskadee	(1 pair around the verandah)
Tropical Pewee	(2 calling a shrill "pewee", were ID'd by the guide)
Forest Elaenia	(1 small, wing-barred flycatcher showed pale crown patch contrasting with darker crown.)
House Wren	(1-2 noted)
Cocoa Thrush	(1-2 very bold, richly coloured thrushes at the feeders below the verandah )
Bare-eyed Thrush	(several around the centre)
Golden-fronted Greenlet	(1 along a trail was my first of this warbler-like vireo)
Shiny Cowbird	(1 by the verandah)
Crested Oropendola	(3-4 were around several nests hanging near the centre)
Yellow Oriole	(1 at the feeders)
Bananaquit	(many at the feeders and scattered about the forests)
Purple Honeycreeper	(1 male appeared in the top of the hedge by the feeders. Definitely the New World equivalent of sunbird, this was my first and last Purple and was most welcome )
Green Honeycreeper	(1 pair was coming to the feeders when we arrived )
Violaceous Euphonia	(1 pair was located in a large tree below the centre by, not surprisingly, the musical call/song of varied bright notes)
Bay-headed Tanager	(1 with the euphonias)
Blue-gray Tanager	(several around the feeders)
Palm Tanager	(")
Silver-beaked Tanager	(1 pair was visiting the feeders and the male posed perfectly )
White-lined Tanager	(1-2 pairs were seen near the feeders and in the forest)

 
Drive down Blanchisseuse Rd

 
Caroni Swamp

Anhinga	(1 in flight)
Great Egret	(5-6 were noted along quiet channels or flying over)
Snowy Egret	(1 probable on the small ibis roosting island we looked at)
Little Blue Heron	(10-15 along channels or flying over)
Cattle Egret	(20+ in surrounding fields)
Yellow-crowned Night-heron	(3 flushed from channels or in flight)
Scarlet Ibis	(the second of the top three trip targets was easily ticked when Penny found 1-2 brilliant red birds fluttering over distant mangroves far to the west of the jetty. One lone ibis was found perching mid-storey within mangroves. By c.16.45 we were moving through wide stretches of water over which ones and twos of ibis were regularly flying at fair height and soon we halted in the middle of a large stretch, presumably to wait for the dusk fly-in, such that it might be. Ones and twos started flying in low over the mangroves to the south, crossing the water and dropping over the mangroves to the north. Soon a flock of a dozen or so ibises came in literally blazing scarlet with the lowering sun on them in perfect light. From now on parties were flying in every minute. Several ibises swung in on a flight course very close to our boat enabling a very pleasing photo of one pair . A number of substantial flocks, of up to 50-60 birds came in, often largely of immature birds. At c.17.45 we moved on in the heightening sunset and motored round to a smaller stretch of water just to the north. In the middle was a small, heavily vegetated island that was literally lit up like a Christmas tree. With the evening sun on it, the dark green foliage was dabbed with Scarlet Ibises that actually appeared to be shining. The forms seemed to shimmer, detached from the foliage like an optical illusion. In all I estimated a mere 250-300 birds had been seen flying in but it had been a spectacle and most gratifying. A lone egret (presumed Snowy) perched amongst the dazzling neighbours.)
Turkey Vulture	(2-3 seen)
Long-winged Harrier	(A beautiful black, white and grey adult harrier flew in over the arable fields past the jetty at a mere 30-40m. The species is uncommon to rare here according to Murphy and a very pleasing bonus)
Osprey	(2 singles drifted over the mangroves)
Spotted Sandpiper	(6-7 ad. br. pl. along the sides of muddy mangrove channels)
Common Potoo	(the boatman gave directions to a a superb, roosting potoo on the top of a tall, thin dead trunk rising out of the water. >From only 6-8m I noted oddly long, uneven little bill, hooked like a witches finger, protruding from the large head. During my attempts to take a photo the potoo woke up and opened its large eye (which looked dark in shadow) as it ruffled its feathers and moved about a little until it was comfy again)
[Green Kingfisher]	(1 calling bird was ID'd by the boatman but my scanning of the mangroves was to no avail- horribly frustrating)
Grey Kingbird	(1)
Brown-crested Flycatcher	(1)
[Rufous-browed Peppershrike]	(1 calling bird was ID'd by the boatman)
Carib Grackle	(2-3 were noted)
{Bicolored Conebill}	(as we were leaving the roosting ibises a small grey passerine dashed out of the mangroves calling as it flew across the channel and disappeared. It was ID'd by the boatman as this mangroves speciality but I decided my encounter was untickable)
Red-capped Cardinal	(after I'd missed 1 male found near the jetty by the boatman he picked up another not far along the main access channel and I locked onto a stunning male in mangroves c.25m away. Soon a second male was seen so that Murphy's description as "rare and elusive" was put to the test. As with most other species, the birds were much better than in ffrench's plate. )

 
Pax Guest House, May 3rd

 
Cumaca Trail and Cave

For the main day trip of our Trinidad visit we were required to employ a guide to take us the remote alternative Oilbird site. Gerard had arranged for English ex-pat. birder Martyn Kenefick to accompany us through what was promised to be the "real thing" - extensive tracts of pristine primary forest which should provide a host of other forest species in addition to the last of the three top targets - guaranteed. In addition I primed Martyn for Channel-billed Toucan, Blue-headed Parrot, White-bellied Antbird, Great Antshrike and Golden-headed Manakin. We set off at c.08.00 in a minibus with driver, on the two hour drive. Since the pot-holed road out to the remote village of Cumaca was so treacherous as it wound along steep hillsides, time was of the essence. The two hour each way trek to the cave would have to be completed by 16.00 to allow us to drive out again before dark. Before we turned off the Eastern Main Road however, a potential lifer was pointed out by MK: