Asa Wright Nature Centre and Lodge, Trinidad— Photo: Steve Hilty

Most birders who have visited Trinidad & Tobago agree that it is perhaps the best place in the New World Tropics to gain an introduction to South American birds. Lying barely 10 miles off the coast of Venezuela, Trinidad & Tobago's bird life is much like that of northern South America, but without the daunting variety. This, combined with the ease with which many birds can be seen, makes this tour a top choice for birders wishing to savor the delights of tropical birding.

Our tour starts in Tobago, where Rufous-vented Chachalacas and Red-billed Tropicbirds abound. The gem of this tiny island will be the near-endemic White-tailed Sabrewing, in the famed Gilpin Trace. Then we will fly to Trinidad, a popular birding destination due to the Asa Wright Nature Centre, world-famous for the stunning variety of birds that can be seen from the veranda and on the grounds, including one of the world's most accessible colonies of Oilbirds. Some mornings we'll bird early from the famed Asa Wright veranda. The nectar feeders and fruit trays swarm with scintillating honeycreepers and tanagers. Hummingbirds swarm the feeders: flashy White-necked Jacobins, miniature Tufted Coquettes, glittering Blue-chinned Sapphires, gorgeous Black-throated Mangoes, and others. The center is an ideal base from which to explore nearby habitats including freshwater and saltwater marshes, swamps, savanna, and mountain forest.

Each day on Trinidad opens new birding vistas. We'll see thousands of richly-hued Scarlet Ibis flying at sunset, one of the most memorable visions of any birding tour. Other spectacular tropical birds typical of this tour are White Hawk, Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Epaulet (Moriche) Oriole, Tufted Coquette and Ruby-topaz (among a dozen hummingbirds), Blue-crowned Motmot, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Channel-billed Toucan, Bearded Bellbird, Golden-headed and White-bearded manakins, Purple Honeycreepers, and Turquoise and Speckled tanagers.

Good to very good accommodations; mostly easy walking with a couple of moderately strenuous walks; warm, sometimes humid conditions.

Richard K. Walton's DVD, The New World Tropics, An Introduction for Naturalists, includes visits to several of the finest lodges and field stations in Belize, Costa Rica, and Trinidad. If you would like to receive a free copy of this excellent,  hour-long presentation, please contact the VENT office.