Boa constrictor
First came the Bananaquits, then the Purple Honeycreepers and WOW! - a Blue-crowned Motmot! Soon, a large, rodent-like Agouti began rummaging for discarded seeds below the bird feeders. This was the scene shortly after dawn from the veranda of our ecolodge in the tropical highlands of the former British West Indies. It was just the beginning to our tour of Trinidad and Tobago, a mini-archipelago nation just off the Venezuelan coast in the waters separating the Caribbean and the Atlantic. And it was typical of the tropics: lots of birds and wildlife, thick and damp jungle, and friendly folks from many nations. After all, it was February during a particularly harsh winter in Europe and America. Most interesting on Trinidad was a boa constrictor we spotted in an overhanging tree, a virtual cloud of dazzlingly beautiful Scarlet Ibises enroute to their roost in the Caroni Swamp, and the shy Oilbird which roosts in caves and behaves more like a bat than a bird.
Our ensuing stay on the island of Tobago was a distinction without a difference. It was part the same nation with much the same history, but the demographics were distinguishable, the infrastructure was neater, and our lodge was on a sparkling seashore. We visited a breeding colony of the stunning Red-billed Tropicbirds, and viewed the island retreat of Ian Fleming. All in all, this visit, while not as eye popping as our excursions to Nepal or Namibia, was a pleasant romp in a nearby Bali-like hideaway.
When I was in New York, I met someone from Trinidad. She shared stories on how when she was younger she had to eat iguana eggs and she remembered how the eggs still had the little baby fetuses. Also, she told me how her uncle was kidnapped and bruttly killed when she as younger. I heard alot of stories from there. But I also heard that it is super BEAUTIFUL! Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteIt looks so good Grandpa Lew! I can't wait to see more!
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