It's always nice to fly from Gatwick (which is a whole 5 minutes from our house) instead of the dreaded M25 haul to Heathrow (for which the more intelligent of us need to allow 3 hours), but Gatwick seems to be the exception. We had booked a British Airways package holiday for 7 days on Tobago, but requested the flight for 14 days, so that meant that we could disappear in Trinidad for a week doing our own thing. On this occasion, that meant a week full board at the Asa Wright Nature Centre.

Day 1 - We awoke early in the hotel on Tobago to which we had walked last night from the airport (it was only 5 minutes away), and after wandering around the hotel gardens spotting our first Kingbirds, Tanagers, a Peregrine and the first of what must have been 3 million Bananaquits, we walked back to the airport and caught our flight to Trinidad. This was only a 20 minute hop. It was pouring with rain when we landed, so we found a taxi and went straight to the Asa Wright Nature Centre. This centre, a beautiful 24 room Lodge on a 200 acre conservation area, is a Wildlife Sanctuary situated in an elevation of 1200 feet in the lush rain forests of North Trinidad. Our room was in one of the cottages in the grounds of the main house - where the reception, dining room and more importantly, the world famous verandah were. Here, one could sit for hours, enjoying the birds on the feeders, flying around overhead, on the forest floor and often within the verandah itself, and this is what we did for most of the time when we weren't out on the trips. Anyway, from the taxi we saw Smooth-billed Ani, which was to become one of David's favourites. We arrived at Asa Wright, threw our bags into the room (roughly translate this to 'Dianne unpacked') and headed off to the verandah to see the famous feeders. It always seems strange when we enter a situation about which we've read so much and it's seemed like a far off dream, and now it had arrived ! The verandah was wonderful - hummingbirds everywhere, tanagers, thrushes, honeycreepers - the illustrations in the guide books did little justice for these brilliant creatures - and the view was breathtaking. Plus there were guides working at the centre who were very knowledgeable and helpful and extremely patient, even after being asked for the fiftieth time by disinterested air-heads what that little black and yellow bird was (yep, Bananaquit !). We went for a wander around the grounds which were extensive, and got some idea of the layout of the forest, the herb gardens and the walking tracks. We also got an idea about the two most prominent features of Trinidad - the rain and the insects. Back at the centre, a huge brass bell sounded to alert everyone that rum punch was being served on the verandah. Guests appeared from everywhere. Then we went in to dinner, which was a lovely buffet - wonderful food. If this was how we were to eat for the next 7 days, David was going to be a happy man. The mosquitoes were also having a feast, so we didn't linger for too long on the verandah and instead opted for an early night. Our birds that day included Orange-headed Manakin, Bluegrey Tanager, White-lined Tanager, Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Purple Honeycreeper, Yellow Oriole, Green Honeycreeper, Palm Tanager, Great Antshrike, Silver-beaked Tanager, Blue-crowned Motmot, White-chested Emerald, Blue-chinned Sapphire, Copper-rumped Hummingbird, Tufted Coquette, Green Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Barred Antshrike, Violaceous Euphonia, Crested Oropendola.and Common Black Hawk !

Day 2 - David was the first on the verandah. (He was the first on the verandah every day, even before the guides had loaded up the feeders with fruit). We spent most of the morning on the verandah today - still thrilled to just be there, and enjoyed Long-billed Starthroat, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Lilac-tailed Parrotlets, Great Kiskadee, Orange-winged Parrot, Channel-billed Toucan, Boat-billed Flycatcher, and Tropical Pewee. We went for a short walk in the forest with one of the guides who showed us a White-bearded Manakin lek (displaying area) and found us a Bearded Bellbird - which has a booming call that echoes throughout the forest but is very difficult to spot. Our guide was wearing wellingtons and we thought this a little strange (we were in flip-flops) until the ground became squelchier and squelchier with leaf litter, mosses and insects including ants, chiggers and centipedes. If ever we return, we will take our wellingtons for sure.

Later on that day, we went on a trip to the Sewage Ponds and the Caroni Swamps. This was one of the highlights of this trip, since there's a roost for Scarlet Ibis which is a Must See Bird for Trinidad. The ponds held the usual collection of herons plus Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Yellow Warblers, White-headed Marsh Tyrant, Tropical Kingbird, White headed Caracara and Grassquits. At the swamp we boarded our boat armed with our packed dinners and a bottle of Rum Punch of course, and set off on a Scarlet Ibis hunt. Slowly winding along the waters, we saw plenty of stuff - including a Potoo - a cryptically coloured upright perching bird that sits so still and disguises itself as a branch, it's rarely seen. As the sun went down, more and more boats appeared, and then the Ibis started flying in. Cameras a-clicking, everyone was silent, and we happily watched the spectacle, sipping our Rum Punch and feeling extremely privileged. When we finally arrived back at Asa Wright, there was a Trinidad Steel Band in full swing, so we left everyone to it and went back to our room. We had collected one or two bites on our ankles and faces, and we thought that maybe the midges had had a nibble.

Day 3 - Day at Asa Wright. After a morning on the verandah, we repeated yesterday's forest walk to see again the White-bearded Manakin lek It was even better than the previous visit, for today there were 30+ birds performing their bazaar dance within 3 feet of us. They flick back and forth, clinging sideways to vertical stalks, their perpetual calling sounding like elastic band 'twanging' with a sharp click - like popcorn popping. It reminded us of a David Attenborough scene. A couple we had seen at the centre appeared and we chatted with them for a while. They were Americans from Long Island, New York, called Dan and Suzanne, and we walked with them trying to spot a Bellbird. We could hear a few calling, and after 30 minutes and 4 very stiff necks, Dianne spotted one at 25 yards out in the open. Good Views, Good pictures. We did see a couple more after that but not as clearly. Back at Asa Wright just before lunch we had a beer with Dan and Su, and Dan was telling us about his intention to visit Peru on one of these 'rough it in the jungle' tours whereby one gets to grips with nature. We thought he was slightly mad, but could understand his reasons. He said he had plenty of time in the future when he was older to take 'comfortable holidays' and wanted to explore the world now - warts and all - while he was young enough. We had our lunch (fit for a king) and chatted to another nice American couple who were day visitors and had come over from Venezuela on a year's yachting expedition around the West Indies and the Carribean. Tough life for some people. We said goodbye to these two (who weren't in the least affected by their obvious immense wealth) and went back to the verandah and chatted with several other guests. There was a group of 3 Brits - 2 men and a woman, and we were to spend the next week and a half trying to work out who was with who. Very strange goings on there. Our best birds of the day were Chapman's, Chestnut-collared and Grey-rumped Swift, Greyish Saltator, Bare-eyed Thrush and Streaked Flycatcher. Tonight we discovered a very small group of ants in our room who managed to nibble us during our sleep.

Day 4 - Today we were on a trip to Nariva Swamp, a beach area called Manzanilla and a disused airfield called Wallerfield. We waited to board our bus and discovered that our friends Dan and Suzanne were on the trip, along with another couple who had more photographic equipment than the BBC, and an Englishman called Ivan, who's wife, Molly was not a birdwatcher but came along for the journey. This was a little surprising, because we were all very keen birders, and it was raining non-stop, but she had brought a flowery umbrella ! Our guide today was very good at 'pishing' - a method used by some people to attract birds, and it's simply a case of loudly whispering  'pish, pish, pish' into a clearing. In fact, all the guides we encountered were keen to use various hissing and pishing and other farty noises. Before long we were spotting birds by the dozen, not only in the forest, but high in the skies, too. Turkey and Black Vulture, Zone-tailed, Short-tailed, Savannah, Grey and Black Hawk, Red-breasted Blackbird, Saffron Finch, Yellow-headed Caracara, Pinnated Bittern, Streaky-headed Woodcreeper, Pearl Kite, Belted Kingfisher, Purple Gallinule and Magnificent Frigatebird. What a terrific day, and we were going out with the same guide again tomorrow. Hopefully the weather would be a bit kinder. Today, we were only bitten by a few flies, so that was a result.

Day 5 - No chance with the weather ! Torrential downpour at 0530 in the morning ! Again we gathered outside reception, Dan, Suzanne, the photographers, Ivan, Molly and her brolley and us. Today our trip was to an area called Blanchisusse Road, which holds many rarities, including Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Euler's Flycatcher, Blue-headed Parrot, Olive-sided and Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Bay-headed, Speckled and Turquoise Tanager, Collared, Violaceous and White-tailed Trogan, Rufus-tailed Jacamar, White Hawk, Ornate Hawk-eagle, Orange-headed Parrot and many, many more. We continued north up the road, and eventually arrived at a beach which was rather pretty and held a few waterbirds but nothing outstanding. We had a lunch alongside a tough-looking elderly lady who was collecting wood and cutting it into lengths. Her companion was a friendly scruffy dog who did extremely well out of our leftovers. There were a few mozzies and flies around, so we moved on and ventured through some swampy areas where some unfortunate folk tried to reap a living - some of the wooden shacks were totally surrounded by water and mud which would have become very tiresome, but as a result there were birds everywhere. We saw an Azure Gallinule which was a new one for us. On our way back we drove along a beach front to see Red-bellied Macaws roosting in the trees. As we approached Asa Wright, our bites became apparent. Through dinner we tried hard not to scratch too much, but everyone in the room was at it ! After dinner we watched a film about the island while sampling a couple of the bar's cocktails. Dianne thoroughly recommends the Asa Wright Banana Daiquiris.

Day 6 - Once again we awoke to rain, but today we were venturing out on a small trip to see the Oilbirds which roost in caves close to the guest-house. There were about 12 of us on foot, soaking wet (the photographers were an amusing sight protecting both themselves and their precious equipment with ... bin-liners ! Yep, they had shrouded their cameras and themselves and had various optics protruding through the black plastic bags), following silently one behind the other winding down, down, down. Eventually the track flattened out (thankfully, since most of us had fallen over at one time or another) and at last we reached the caves. We had to wait and enter 2 at a time so as not to scare the birds, (we had to wait stood in a stream which was crystal clear, and Dianne was drinking the sweet water) and the idea was to stand at the entrance with the guide shining his torch on the bemused creatures. The photographers were a little disappointed, for flash photography was forbidden in the caves - otherwise they would no doubt have lit the caves like a laser show with lights and flashes. But it was well worth a visit, and good to see that the number of tourists to this precious area is limited. We spent the rest of the day mincing around Asa Wright. There was always something else to see, the grounds were so very pleasant to explore. We discovered a monitor lizard who had climbed into a broken off tree trunk and had unfortunately met a huge snake which was eating him. We found some very beautiful flowers. We would occasionally spot a 'small, furry thing' scurrying along a track and of course, the birds were simply everywhere with their mystical calls sounding truly tropical. We had a wonderful dinner and retired back to our room earlyish, for today was sadly our last day at Asa Wright, and tomorrow - well. Who knows what tomorrow would bring, for we were flying back to Tobago for part 2 of our trip. We wanted to reflect on our past week and apart from swatting the occasional mozzie drifted happily into a deep sleep.

At around midnight, we were rather suddenly and rudely disturbed by the late arrival of new neighbours. They seemed to open every cupboard and drawer in the apartment and bang every one shut again. We could appreciate that they wanted to unpack, but that was only the beginning. The lady began reading the brochure about Asa Wright, it's history, it's birds, it's rules and regulations, it's fire drill and then all about Trinidad - ALOUD !! And then the man started - well, we could only describe it as - dismantling the toilet. We heard the distinctive sound of pot clanking, over and over, as if a plumber was present. Eventually, the racket died down, but it was too late, for by now we were wide awake and helpless with laughter at our childish jokes about our neighbours' behaviour ! 

Day 7 - We were leaving today, so we had set our alarm to be up extra early to make the most of the verandah, and as the bell went off, we hushed it immediately. We didn't flush the toilet. We didn't speak. We left our room whispering quietly, since we'd noticed that our noisy neighbours' curtains were drawn tight and they were surely still fast asleep after their arduous night, and we were so very careful not to disturb the poor mites. We didn't slam our door so hard that it registered 8.7 on the Richter scale. Whether or not you believe all this is up to you !!!!!!! The verandah was a delight as usual, and everyone seemed to be present. We had a good, hearty breakfast, went for a stroll, went back to the room to pack (yes, din and racket were STILL asleep) and returned to the verandah to say goodbye to the others - some of whom were also leaving, and some of these were also heading for Tobago - and to wait for our lift to the airport. Suddenly, one of the incestuous Brits threesome came over to us to tell us that a Chestnut Woodpecker had just landed on the fruit feeder ! Wonderful. We thought we'd missed this speciality. Our car arrived and we began the long drive back to Port of Spain. And just as it was when we had first arrived in Trinidad, it was raining as we left.

And it was raining as we arrived on Tobago !!! We found our bus easily, and arrived at the Kariwak Hotel, and immediately liked the place. The room was so plain, yet perfect - having everything you needed, and nothing you didn't. We unpacked, and toddled back to the dining area for a buffet dinner and a couple of Banana Daiquiris (these were even better that Asa Wrights !) and then went for an early night, since the DIY plumber had denied us of at least 3 hours' sleep the previous night.

Next morning (Sunday) we went for a wander around the extensive hotel gardens, had a good breakfast shared with Bananaquits, Tanagers and Carib Grackles who delighted in sitting in our bread basket and scrounging pieces of egg. and later, back in the room we found a message inviting us to a 'meeting' with the hotel manager/ess. Normally we wouldn't bother with this type of thing, but we were not collecting our hire car until the next day, and so decided to attend, and after guzzling the ceremonial rum punch and munching our way through several sandwiches and cheese straws discovered that the hotel was not only built from local sustainable timbers, was a holistic haven and was run by a pair of likeable ageing hippies who floated around all day in cheesecloth robes, smelling of 'natural oils' who were very proud of their home-grown fruits and vegetables, their garden promising 25 species of birds and 100 species of local plants, trees and shrubs, but that they ground their own coffee from their own coffee beans, baked their own breads, and their home-grown herbs featured heavily in everything. Everything. (We suspected they were in the water.) We had already noticed that the hotel was unlike any other we had stayed in. At reception, one does not ring a bell, or press a buzzer for attention, one tinkles the chimes. Normally, hotel entertainments include table tennis, television room, artists, bingo and a pool table, but things here were very different. We had yoga, stretch, meditation, floatation Jacuzzi, Tai chi, Xui qong, Feng shui (possibly even Chop Suey if your stay was longer than 5 days) - we were to r-e-l-a-x, make no mistake. After the hippies explained all, they asked us if we had any questions. We had just one. How come a hotel of this pleasantly high standard manages such a low tariff, and why does the hotel only have 3 stars ? They explained that in Tobago, a television in a room equals one point. A telephone another. A kettle a third, and so on. This place had none of these, since they were unnecessary, which in turn, kept the owners' costs down. Through the haze of rum punch, everything made sense. We were delighted, for they did, however, have a beautiful and very necessary swimming-pool. And they gave out free natural citronella mozzie repellent at reception, which was handy. Very.

The island of Tobago is small, and we didn't keep daily bird lists since we had already seen most of the birds on Trinidad, and also since we didn't have major outings. Plus we had decided that Tobago would be a simple sun, sea, sand, snorkel, shopping and sight-seeing affair, so there was no plan for serious birding. We collected our hire car and drove leisurely over almost all of the island.

One day we drove to a nearby beach at Pigeon Point, but instead of sunbathing and snorkelling, we watched a Red-footed Boobie dive 3 or 4 times near some swimmers. We did a little shopping at some tourist stalls, buying useful items such as wind chimes, a leather bracelet, and a hammock which imprints perfect diamonds and knots onto your bottom for two-and-a-half hours, and somehow managed to get totally conned into paying a local drunk a huge amount of cash to carve us a 'magical'  melon skin bowl. Hmmm. We're seasoned travellers, us.

Another day we visited the botanical gardens and spent the rest of the day in Scarborough, the capital, where we had a 'local' lunch, and wandered around the market where Dianne bought the cheapest and nastiest head-nodding Dalmation ornament for the car you've ever imagined. It survives. The fish market had almost packed up, but we enjoyed looking at strange fruits and vegetables.

There were a few birding walks fairly near where we were staying, and we found ouselves on these several times. We found the Rufous-vented Chachalacas easily, hanging around a viewing point which was full of hummingbirds and tanagers and bananaquits. Sadly the huge banana plants bore no fruits. We decided that the leeches had eaten them all. The walks from there gave us White-fringed Antwren and the beautiful Blue-backed Manakin, and lots of other birds which we had seen before but kept us occupied and content.

Then we decided to drive up to Speyside - very near the most northerly point of Tobago - where the tiny island of Little Tobago lies. We hoped to be able to book a boat trip to the island to see the bird of paradise - the Red-billed Tropicbird. Many birdwatchers stay up here at the Blue Waters Hotel, so we headed there. The coastal road rises way above the ocean, and we stopped for a lookout. And there below us, relaxing on the perfect beach and enjoying the most perfect of waters - our American friends Dan and Suzanne we knew from Trinidad. We drove on down, finally arriving at the hotel and discovered firstly the bar, and secondly the Little Tobago Boat Trip Booking Office !! We booked ourselves on the next trip in an hour or so, then headed for the beach and our pals. We chatted with them, and also said hello to the couple of photographers we met on Trinidad, who were due to return to North Carolina later that day. Dan and Su were actually booked on the same boat trip we were on, which was good, and we thoroughly enjoyed the swimming, snorkelling, glass-bottomed boat trip and our short time together on Little Tobago. Suzanne was lying down at one point and I couldn't help notice a strange snake-like red mark across her stomach. She explained that she'd been bitten by something with good teeth, and after counting 75 bites had given up. Ha ! We weren't the only ones ! On Little Tobago we did see the beautiful Tropicbird, plus Brown Boobies and a Peregrine which delighted us all. When we got back to Tobago itself, we had a meal and drinks with Dan and Suzanne, then bade them both a fond farewell. We'd really liked this couple, and wished them well for their futures. Oddly, we didn't learn their surname, nor did we have the desire to exchange addresses - sometimes in life you appreciate that you share valued time with other people, but not all meetings are destined to produce longer friendships.

Towards the end of our time on Tobago, we drove up the western coast and visited a beach which had a good reputation for seabirds. We took a look, but were more interested in the seemingly hundreds of young boys eagerly awaiting the arrival of a local fishing boat, so we went over to join them in the excitement. As the nets were hauled in, the beach was smothered in thousands of tiny, silver wriggling fish and the boys immediately began the sorting out which goes on the world over. (David picked up a few tiny stragglers with the intention of catching a whopper the next day, but he didn't catch too much !!). We eventually left the fish beach, and went for another lookout over the seabird beach, and who should we see ? Ivan ! And with him was Molly - with her brolly !! We joined them for an exchange of birders information and Ivan informed us of a Secret Lake ! We went along as per his instructions (sneak over a flimsy gate - ignore the PRIVATE sign - be very quiet etc. etc.) and enjoyed an hour or two there, watching various ducks and waterfowl meander around the swampy grounds. It was a lovely place, really, and we saw a White-cheeked Pintail which was new for us. Good old Ivan. The only downside was that the swamp was humming with midges which were a pain.

Our last whole day - doesn't time fly when you're having fun. We drove to a rather up-market hotel (we fitted in a treat here with our dirty clothes and insect bites and scabs) called The Grafton Manor where there are supposedly 'wonderful' birding walks within the grounds. We'll see. There were walks - but often they fizzled out along the way, and others were far too close to the hotel to contain anything more than pretty flowers. As we were returning from one of these 'Gardeners Hour' walks we spotted our 3 incestuous Brits hovering around the start of the walk. We were still no wiser as to who was with who. Then we found a walk which lead us far up - away from the crowds. We enjoyed this immensely, and eventually ended up behind a block in the hotel which contained bats - and in which one of the hotel staff showed guests inside - the type of guests who dropped huge numbers of assorted coins into his sweaty palms. We got nearer to the bat block and spotted a very friendly dog that was chained up 'guarding' the rear. He looked in good nick, and wagged his tail happily when David befriended him. However, when we tried to pass, he took on a different personality (caninality ?) altogether - and went for David and succeeded in biting him hard on the backside. Fortunately, David was quick enough to save himself from becoming a plate of Chappie and also since we live on a farm we're both well up to date with our Tetanus jabs. We complained to the enterprising bat block tour-guide about the dog at the rear, and his rich entourage made concerned glances at each other. David wasn't convinced the message had got through, so he promptly dropped his shorts and displayed his latest and most impressive bite. Now, the message was understood and the small crowd dispersed, looking Very Worried Indeed. We carefully drove back to our beloved Kariwak Hotel (with David balanced on one buttock) and found the hotel owner having a parsley sandwich with her friend. David - seeking sympathy, for the bite was by now becoming extremely painful and bleeding impressively - told her about the dog (yes, he dropped his shorts again) - and in a flash, she whipped out a tube of creme and promised that this would cure him instantly of pain and any infection. Hmmm. Of course, it was an herbal remedy, but anything would be better than David's continual whining about the incident and the problem of sitting for 8 hours on an aircraft the following day. (In hindsight, he only mentioned the discomfort 11 times during the flight home).

Our last day consisted of revisiting the local tourist market - this time 'just looking'. We drove back to the site for the Chachalacas and said goodbye to them. We had to return our hire car, so decided to mooch around the hotel grounds, swim and visit the floatation Jaccuzi, (David soothing his blue bottom and Dianne resting her ears), and picking at the snacks and checking out the cocktails in the hotel restaurant. Eventually our coach came, and after a short delay at the airport and being escorted to the aircraft by a stewardess with a huge umbrella - for it was tipping down - found ourselves back at Gatwick. Almost as if nothing had happened. Except that we brought back the largest selection of bites and stings ever known to man, including a dog bite which was David's proverbial cherry on the cake !!

Footnote:

We loved Trinidad and Tobago - despite the insects and the torrential rain - and intend to go back someday and do it all again. On Trinidad, the only place for birders to stay is the Asa Wright Centre, and we thoroughly recommend staying at The Kariwak Hotel on Tobago. It was nice to see such a gentle, natural approach to tourism without missing out on the luxury.

We knew we wouldn't see or hear from our pals Dan and Suzanne again, but one thing we had learned was that Dan was a fireman in New York, and we have no way of finding out what happened to him following September 11th.

BIRD LIST OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO