Now that I am having to spend too much time, since yesterday, checking and deleting a lot of my photo files from my computer, I just couldn't resist jumping ahead and posting a much better and more interesting photo after posting so many rain forest shots from Tobago. Yesterday, I got a message on my screen saying that I have used 90% of my space and to get another hard drive. So, panic set in and I know that deleting files must be a priority, unfortunately.
I think this was my favourite bird to see during our five day stay at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the island of Trinidad (off the coast of Venezuela). I had seen photos of them before six friends and I went on this adventure, and I was hoping so much that we would see one. I need not have worried, as there were so many of these small, purple/blue birds each day. Just love their bright, yellow legs and feet.
"The purple honeycreeper (Cyanerpes caeruleus) is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World from Colombia and Venezuela south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. A few, possibly introduced birds have been recorded on Tobago.
The purple honeycreeper is 4.5 in (11.5 cm) long, weighs 0.42 oz (12 g) and has a long black decurved bill. The male is purple with black wings, tail and belly, and bright yellow legs. Females and immatures have green upperparts, and green-streaked yellowish-buff underparts. The throat is cinnamon, and there is a blue moustachial stripe. The call of purple honeycreeper is a thin high-pitched zree.
This is a forest canopy species, but also occurs in cocoa and citrus plantations. At the upper limit of its altitudinal range, it frequents premontane rainforest, usually rather low-growing (33–50 ft/10–15 m) and full of epiphytes and mosses.
The purple honeycreeper is often found in small groups. It feeds on nectar (particularly from bromeliad and similar flowers, to which its bill shape is adapted), berries and insects, mainly in the canopy. It is a bold and inquisitive bird, responding readily to the call of the ferruginous pygmy owl (Glaucidium brasilianum) by coming out of cover and searching for the presumed predator to mob it. The female purple honeycreeper builds a small cup nest in a tree, and incubates the clutch of two brown-blotched white eggs." From Wikippedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_honeycreeper
This adventure was only the second holiday (or was it actually my third?) of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week holiday with my great friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - flights (we were so very lucky to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!), accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the much larger island of Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up a mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a van/small bus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was just enough room for two vehicles to squeeze past each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road took just over an hour each way.
I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
Tags: Trinidad island Caribbean West Indies Asa Wright Nature Centre nature ornithology avian bird birds Purple Honeycreeper Cyanerpes caeruleus Tanager family purple/blue male perched tree branch side view bokeh outdoor 16 March 2017 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2017 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Just found this long video on YouTube, taken at the various places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here so that I won't forget about it later. Almost at the end of the video, it shows footage of their trip by boat to Little Tobago island, which is where my next batch of photos was taken.
youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M
I have just posted 16 new photos overnight and am now posting this photo that was taken on the island of Trinidad, on 19 March 2017. I didn't want to add Trinidad photos in among the Tobago shots, but I find I need to finish off with one photo that I feel happy with : )
My six friends and I were fortunate enough to see this gorgeous bird on 19 March 2017, when we arrived early at the Caroni Swamp, Trinidad, ready to take our boat ride through the swamp and out into an open area of the lake. There, we were privileged to be able to watch the arrival of huge flocks of amazing Scarlet Ibis flying in to roost. Will add this YouTube link (not my video) to give an idea of what our boat ride was like - including the large snake curled up in a tree over our heads! I still have photos to post from 15-18 March first, before I reach my images from this trip.
youtu.be/vV9XvW2JSVE
"The masked cardinal (Paroaria nigrogenis) is a bird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It was formerly placed in the Emberizidae and is not very closely related to the cardinals proper (Cardinalidae).
It is found in Trinidad, far north-eastern Colombia and northern Venezuela. It was previously considered conspecific with the red-capped cardinal, from which it differs by the black ear-coverts and the red (not black) lower throat and upper chest. Additionally, its lower mandible is typically whitish, but this is not entirely consistent, as it occasionally is pale flesh-coloured." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_cardinal
Tags: Trinidad island Caribbean West Indies Caroni Swamp before our boat ride nature ornithology avian bird birds Masked Cardinal Paroaria nigrogenis Tanager family Thraupidae male & female same colour side view tree branch perched trees bokeh outdoor 19 March 2017 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2017 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Yesterday, I found this video on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here so that I won't forget about it later. Almost at the end of the video, it shows footage of their trip by boat to Little Tobago island, which is where my next photos were taken, with more to follow.
youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M
Again, I have posted a few photos overnight, showing the beginning of our glass-bottomed boat trip from Blue Waters Inn to the small island of Little Tobago. Nothing greatly photogenic, so thought I would jump ahead again and post a Hummingbird shot, taken on Day 7, 19 March 2017, at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the island of Trinidad. I very rarely get a chance to see and photograph a Hummingbird where I live, but at Asa Wright, we were in Hummingbird heaven!
"The white-chested emerald (Amazilia brevirostris) is a hummingbird found in eastern Venezuela, the Guianas, Trinidad and far northern Brazil (Roraima).
It is a widespread and common species in Trinidad, less so in Venezuela. It appears to be a local or seasonal migrant, although its movements are not well understood. It is a bird of cultivation, woodland and forest. The female lays her eggs in a small cup nest made of plant fibre and placed on a horizontal tree branch.
The white-chested emerald is approximately 9 cm long and weighs 4.7 g. The black bill is straight and fairly long, at nearly 2 cm. It has bright golden-green upperparts, becoming bronze on the tail, white underparts, and its flanks are green, or white spotted with green. The tail is tipped with purple-black. The sexes are similar.
White-chested emeralds feed on nectar, usually taken from the flowers of large trees, but sometimes from smaller plants such as Heliconia. They also take small insects." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-chested_emerald
Tags: Trinidad island Caribbean West Indies Asa Wright Nature Centre nature ornithology avian bird birds Hummingbird White-chested Emerald sexes similar side view perched plant tropical leaves foliage rain forest outdoor 19 March 2017 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2017 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
Yes, I did it again - posted a pile of photos overnight, hoping that they don't show up as today's photos (8th March). No time to add descriptions to any of these photos, but at least they are added to my albums. Am adding one more photo before I go to bed, of this gorgeous Green Honeycreeper, taken at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on Trinidad, on 16 March 2017.
"The green honeycreeper (Chlorophanes spiza) is a small bird in the tanager family. It is found in the tropical New World from southern Mexico south to Brazil, and on Trinidad. It is the only member of the genus Chlorophanes.
The male is mainly blue-tinged green with a black head and a mostly bright yellow bill. The female green honeycreeper is grass-green, paler on the throat, and lacks the male's iridescence and black head. Immatures are plumaged similar to females.
This is a forest canopy species. The female green honeycreeper builds a small cup nest in a tree, and incubates the clutch of two brown-blotched white eggs for 13 days. It is less heavily dependent on nectar than the other honeycreepers, fruit being its main food (60%), with nectar (20%) and insects (15%) as less important components of its diet." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_honeycreeper
A couple of days ago, I found this video on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here so that I won't lose it. Almost at the end of the video, it shows footage of their trip by boat to Little Tobago island, which is where my most recent photos were taken, with more to follow.
youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M
Tags: Trinidad island Caribbean West Indies Asa Wright Nature Centre nature ornithology avian bird birds Green Honeycreeper Chlorophanes spiza male front/side view perched branch bokeh colour colourful tropical neotropical outdoor 16 March 2017 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2017 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved
I ran out of time and energy yesterday to choose and edit a pile of photos to post overnight. I am posting just this one image, as I have to be up and ready early this morning.
I think I have the correct ID for this Hummingbird. If someone happens to notice that I have labelled it incorrectly, please do tell me - thanks!
This was just one of several species of Hummingbird that my friends and I were lucky enough to see on our recent trip to Trinidad & Tobago. Though this species is found on both islands, this one was photographed at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, high up in the mountains on Trinidad. Once I have finally edited all my bird photos, I will be able to see exactly how many Hummingbird species I saw. At the moment, I'm still working out which is which.
"The white-necked jacobin (Florisuga mellivora) is a large and attractive hummingbird that ranges from Mexico, south to Peru, Bolivia and south Brazil. It is also found on Tobago (sub-species F. m. flabellifera) and in Trinidad (sub-species F. m. mellivora)
Other common names are great jacobin and collared hummingbird.
The white-necked jacobin is a widespread inhabitant of forest, usually being seen at a high perch or just above the canopy. It is less common at lower levels, except near hummingbird feeders.
The approximately 12 cm long male white-necked jacobin is unmistakable with its white belly and tail, a white band on the nape and a dark blue hood. Immature males have less white in the tail and a conspicuous rufous patch in the malar region. Females are highly variable, and may resemble adult or immature males, have green upperparts, white belly, white-scaled green or blue throat, and white-scaled dark blue crissum (the area around the cloaca), or be intermediate between the aforementioned plumages, though retain the white-scaled dark blue crissum. Females are potentially confusing, but the pattern on the crissum is distinctive and not shared by superficially similar species.
These birds usually visit flowers of tall trees and epiphytes for nectar, and also hawk for insects." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-necked_jacobin
Tags: Trinidad island Caribbean West Indies Asa Wright Nature Centre nature ornithology avian bird birds Hummingbird White-necked Jacobin Florisuga mellivora great jacobin collared hummingbird male close-up front/side view perched branch bokeh rain forest outdoor 17 March 2017 FZ200 FZ200#4 annkelliott Anne Elliott © Anne Elliott 2017 © All Rights Reserved
© All Rights Reserved