Motmot - Grafton Bird Sanctuary, Tobago
With Trinidad done and dusted, it was time to transfer to Tobago, where we stayed at the Cuffie River Nature Retreat. Here it is possible to photograph Hummingbirds, including the fabulous Ruby Topaz, at the front of the hotel. The Motmot are regular visitors as are the Chachalacas and Red-crowned Woodpeckers. Our first full day here featured a familiarisation walk, which revealed a few species, but by far the highlight was spotting a Common Potoo.
Again we had booked a couple of days out, the first being an all day trip taking in a number of sites to the south of the island. Starting at the Tobago Plantations Estate we were happy to have a number of opportunities to get close to the birds, including a very nice Black-necked Stilt. To be truthful, that was as good as it got. We visited four more sites and got very little.
One of these sites was the now-derelict Grafton Bird Sanctuary. Sadly, the lady who set it up died in 1983 and it was handed to a trust, which has overseen a gradual decline. Looking it up on dear old Google reveals it was still open in 2013, though in terminal decline, therefore it’s no surprise it has become derelict. However, there are still birds there, although the trails have naturally become overgrown, and we did get our best Marmot images of the whole trip there.
Our final full day was to be a trip into the rainforest, followed by a visit to Little Tobago for the Red-billed Tropicbirds and Frigatebirds. As with a number of things on this trip, it didn’t go quite to plan. The day dawned bright enough, but by the time we were on the road conditions changed and the rain came in. OK, it was the rainforest and we spotted a few new species on the way there, but by the time we were due to go into the forest itself, the rain was torrential and would heave been a waste of time. Indeed, as we sat at the entrance in the hope of a lull in the conditions, all we saw were extremely wet people making a hasty exit. The pity about this was being our last day there was no chance for a revisit.
Moving on, the afternoon trip was more successful and involved a short boat ride to Little Tobago, followed by a steep climb up to the viewing point. Getting there was fun in itself, as although the sea looked quite benign, the landing on the island was hairy to say the least. The waves were breaking across the concrete jetty and getting ashore with our gear without getting wet involved excellent timing by both the skipper of the boat and us. Thankfully we managed it without too much problem, but it could be an issue for someone less mobile. An intense two-hour session followed with a constant stream of both species displaying, before the light started to go. Then it was time to run the gauntlet of the return journey, fortunately without incident again.
Save for the final morning around the lodge concentrating on the Hummingbirds again, that was the end of our trip. In hindsight it was a good trip, but it could have been better. Our booking agents left something to be desired even though they profess to be Trinidad & Tobago experts. We had stressed on many occasions that we were going to photograph birds and not as birdwatchers, therefore needed to get close. Despite regular assurances, it was clear that neither they, nor the guides we were given, understood our needs. Would we go again, for a variety of reasons, probably not?
No comments:
Post a Comment