Asa Wright is an old colonial plantation station now converted into a lodge for birding enthusiasts. Set amidst miles of secondary forest that has reclaimed the plantations it is most famous for having an accessible colony of Oilbirds - an enigmatic fruit-eating nightbird. However, it is one of those places that really is birder heaven in as much as one could sit on its veranda for eternity and not be disappointed by the ever changing symphony and ballet of birds which come to its feeders, fly high overhead or twitter and flicker amnong its majestic trees.

Look for the Immortelle trees in flaming orange bloom and there you will see a wealth of tanagers and honeycreepers, hummingbirds and parrots or just lean back on the veranda with your rum punch in hand and marvel at the mummingbirds at the feeders or the tanagers and antbirds, motmots and woodpeckers that come to the tables of fruit laid out for them every day.

In the distance the ever present call of bearded bellbirds, overhead parots and vultures, passing hawks and flycatchers and the ever-present calls of peppershrikes and all the other delights. What is more you will be enjoying two worlds of birding as this is where the Caribbean meets South America. A few miles to the northeast lies Tobago with its Caribbean avifauna, a few miles west is Venezuela with its unmatched south american species. Here on Trinidad they mix with stunning Scarlet Ibis rubbing shoulders with Bananaquits, and Pileated Woodpeckers and over wintering North America species like Waterthrushes and Vireos.

19 kilometers to the north of Asa Wright is the small beach town of Blanchiseuse where you can sit alone on its beautiful sands watching Frigate birds and Pelicans and fishing terns. En route you can scan for Trogons and Toucans, Becards and jacamar...

Trinidad is one of my top ten favoutite birding locations in the world!

Fatbirder

Written by  Bo Beolens.

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