Birding Trinidad & Tobago 2005
Resources
Journal
Jan 26 Jan 27 Jan 28 Jan 29 Jan 30 Jan 31 Feb 01 Feb 02 Feb 03 Resources
| Tour Operators | We found Caligo Ventures to be very good. They are the exclusive agents for Asa Wright. We had very few glitches in our trip, but none of them were the fault of Caligo. Recommended. |
| Asa Wright Nature Center | Just about as good as you could hope. There was a bit of trail damage from the torrential rains the week before we arrived but they were working hard at cleaning it up. Some of the longer trails loops could use a bit of maintenance, but that could be a result of repairs from the near-record rains. Give ourbest to Jogi. |
| Cuffie River Nature Retreat | The overall birding isn't as good as Asa Wright - Tobago has fewer birds - but the lodge is better and food is very good and personally served, instead of a buffet. Extra points for the swimming pool; it is a terrific way to cool off from Tobago's hotter temperatures. |
| Bird References | Richard Ffrench, A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad & Tobago, Second Ed., 1991 (Amazon link). By all accounts, a new edition is in the works. It is needed. Some species are missing, the color plates are often off-color and names are several iterations off. But indispensable even so.
Steven L. Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, Second Ed, 2003 (Amazon link). Excellent color plates, thorough descriptions, but a behemoth. Try to find a service that will clip and bind the color plates and index for use in the field. A very few Trinidad species are not included. William L. Murphy, A Birdwatchers Guide to Trinidad & Tobago, 1986 (Amazon link). Good, but a little dated. |
| Trinidad Information | Visit TNT is the official web site of Tourism and Industrial Development Company (Trinidad and Tobago) Limited. General information on the islands.
Discover Trinidad publishes a print guide to the islands. Its web site has a nice collection of links. |
| Other Tips | Getting around on Tobago: we found Maxi Taxi, owned by the knowledgeable Adolphus James, very good. 639-2231 and 763-7781. |