Toucan
Tango
February 28th, 2002
The rental
car threatened to fall apart with each bump as we drove up into the mountains
of Trinidad. Together with friends of ours, Ron and Emily off 'Bird Of
Paradise', we had rented a car for the day in order to drive up to Asa
Wright Nature Center. Ron drove up the winding road trying to avoid the
plentiful potholes, and beeping the horn before rounding the many hairpin
curves.
The rest of
us peered out the windows into the lush green foliage that grew denser
and denser the higher we climbed. Amidst the green palm fronds and vines
brilliant red, blue and orange flowers dotted the way. Large groves of
massive bamboo shot skyward towering over the road. Looking down into
one of the valleys we saw a whole hillside covered with a trestle of avocado
vines. Up we climbed into the rainforest for close to 2 hours as the road
continued to get narrower and more precarious.
Finally we
arrived at the Asa Wright Nature Center, turned into the driveway and
parked the car. Walking down the path to the main lodge we passed a group
of fellow visitors carrying binoculars and staring up into the trees.
We had heard about the fantastic birdwatching up here at Asa Wright, and
it began as soon as we arrived. Looking over to a bright orange Imortelle
tree on the mountainside we saw large nests hanging down from almost every
branch. Large black birds with yellow beaks and tails and brilliant blue
eyes flew into and out of the nests and over our heads. We hardly had
any idea of what was in store as we continued down toward the lodge.
The lodge itself
was a grand old building, built as the plantation house when the land
was worked to produce Coco, Grapefruit, Bananas, and other tropical fruit.
A cozy wooden room lined with bookshelves and old portraits opened onto
a spacious verandah that ran the length of the house. Walking to the edge
of the porch one could pull up an empty stool and gaze out over the verdant
hills. In moments we spotted a humming bird hovering amidst the flowers,
and then another, and another. A spectacular blue bird, then a green one,
then a yellow one, and another different looking hummingbird. We looked
at each other in amazement and quickly started flipping through the bird
books we had in order to identify what we could.... A Blue Crested Mott
Mott, A Green Honey Creeper, a Red Tufted Coquette... and on and on.
The lunch bell
rang and as people started to shuffle off the verandah Miranda and I straggled
behind, mesmerized by all the flying colors. Just when we were about to
head in ourselves someone pulled out a telescope and exclaimed with excitement
that the Toucan was back! Sitting in a dead tree about a quarter of a
mile off was a big colorful Toucan, and we all took turns looking at him
through the telescope.
Lunch was a
delicious meal, served buffet style for all of the day visitors. There
are rooms at the center where visitors can spend the night, and it is
said that this is the best way to see Asa Wright as the birds are most
active at dawn and dusk. But on this visit we were only here for the day,
so we ate lunch in preparation for our guided afternoon hike.
We gathered
on the verandah after lunch and split into small groups of about 12 for
our trip into the forest. The guide led us down a pathway pointing out
a number of different plants and trees as we walked. The land was so fertile
that it seemed anything would grow, and the variety and quantity of plant
life was truly astounding. At one point the guide stopped the group and
pointed out a large termite nest growing on a bamboo patch. He put his
finger into the nest, allowed one to crawl up his finger and then put
the termite into his mouth. "Tastes just like carrots," he said
smiling "anyone want to taste?" I couldn't resist and I popped
one into my mouth quickly chewing and swallowing. Seeing my surprised
reaction Miranda decided she'd try one as well, and we both agreed that
they did taste very much like carrots.
Deeper in the
forest we came across a beautiful waterfall, which was only marred by
the fact that there were 12 of us all standing around clicking cameras
and pointing video recorders. We continued along the path with the guide
pointing out numerous birds along the way. About an hour later we found
ourselves back at the lodge.
I have never
considered myself a major bird watcher. I don't often have the patience
to sit and wait for the birds. But here on the Asa Wright verandah I didn't
have to wait. This was my kind of birdwatching. Sitting in the comfortable
seats of the porch with a cold drink in my hand I watched as more than
10 different species of birds put on a show in front of me. Hummingbirds
(including the 3rd smallest bird in the world) hovered only feet away.
Yellow Tails glided over the treetops. Even a small mammal called an Agouti
and a large lizard called a Matt came out to play.
Satisfied that
we had truly seen something special we braced ourselves for the drive
home. On the road again we bumped and rattled our way down the mountain
keeping our fingers crossed that both we and the car would arrive in one
piece. We made it without incident, arriving back at the marina just after
dark. The dinghy ride out to the anchorage where Baggywrinkle lay had
become quite familiar after a few weeks, and the bay across which we motored
seemed safer by far than any road in Trinidad. No sooner were we aboard
than we sank into our bunks and fell fast asleep.
Ben
Shaw
|
|
