Blue Waters - Day 2

As part of the package, we are due to have a trip to the Rainforest with a guide called Newton George but Ian's neck had had enough of staring upwards and as the pool is so lovely and the sea inviting we opted to miss that and stay around the hotel.  So that just left the trip to Little Tobago a wildlife sanctuary a few miles offshore.  There we were supposed to see many birds and also have the opportunity to snorkel.  We specified we'd like to go on the Sunday and Newton told us the boatman would make contact, however on Saturday morning we noticed a chap wearing a Top Rankin T-Shirt (the boat company) touting for custom and we explained we were already booked for the Sunday.  However he convinced us the weather would be better today so we agreed to go in half an hour.

There were just 4 of us on the boat and the "glass bottom" was in fact just a viewing hole.  We walked to the top of the island and saw a couple of frigate birds in the distance.  The young lad leading us knew very little and the whole trip was rather disappointing.  The snorkelling was just off the landing stage as apparently the Angel Reef was no longer worth looking at.  This site was also very poor and we only saw a dozen or so fish

All in all we were rather fed up and inadvertently kicked off WW3 when we responded "underwhelmed" to another boatman asking how our trip had been.  Apparently it was our fault for going out with this particular guide and not the main man (who we'd spoken to and offered our trip voucher before we went out!)  We were offered another trip free of charge but declined.

So we spent our remaining time just lounging around.  The little pool was lovely and the sea gorgeous; we were swimming before breakfast.  A few pics

View from the infinity pool

This house was allegedly once owned by Ian Fleming (not true)

All in all we had a wonderful holiday, Asa Wright was an amazing place and we enjoyed Blue Waters for just relaxing.  But we think we are probably not birders in the true sense.

Blue Waters - Day 1

We woke to clear skies and a lovely Yellow Crowned Night Heron on the beach just outside our room.  

Breakfast was very nice but again slow and Ian’s ordered sausage and bacon failed to arrive with his eggs.  But we only had an hour before we were off for a day tour around the island.

Jason, our guide, is from Trinidad and worked at the Asa Wright Centre for many years in different capacities and his aunt is now the General Manager, he’s cousins with Mukesh, Sharon is his Great Uncle –small world.  He was also General Manager here at Blue Waters for 4 years until he set up on his own as a tour guide/naturalist.  An exceptional chap, extremely intelligent and extremely knowledgeable on practically every subject and very personable too. 

Firstly we went to an old tobacco plantation (the word Tobacco being a corruption of Tobago) which is now a golf course, posh hotel and some very swanky houses).  Around here we saw amongst other birds:-

Southern Lapwing

Whistleling Duck

The water lilies once again were beautiful (and I didn't see the Whistlers til I taken the shot)

Female Purple Gallinula

Areca Palm with fruit

Then once again we found ourselves walking around a sewage farm, although at this one nothing was going on.  When birders see a bird for the first time, it is known as a “lifer” and Jason was very, very excited to see his first Northern Shoveller Duck the other day whilst taking some American birders around.  They were not at all impressed as it’s a very common bird there.  We saw two today and were very impressed (except I messed up the shot :( )

The Knob from Asa Wright was out with Jason for a few hours on Wednesday and one of is “lifers” was a White Winged Swallow which he failed to see – but we did and I got the shot haha!

Sweet Oil Butterfly

White Peacock Butterfly

Littering is a worldwide problem

Jason knew an amazing amount about most things except photography and plants so I was able to add a little to his knowledge bank.  Ricinus communis seedheads (the drug ricin is made from this plant)

A Green Heron amongst the water hyacinth which for some reason (leeched chemicals?) was not looking its usual healthy self but it made a nice contrast to the bird.

Once again the rain came down rather hard so our remaining views of the north of the island was mainly from the car, which is a shame as there are some stunning views.

Finally whilst we were driving through the Rain Forest towards home we saw this lovely Trinidad MotMot.

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Asa Wright - Day 7 to Blue Waters

Up early as before and on the way down we spotted these amazing moths.  They really do look just like leaves.

And this fabulous one on the side of a wall.

Then Ian spotted this little fellow.

We packed quickly after breakfast and were sitting on the veranda when a new few people arrived, then some more and more and more – a cruise ship party of 100 yuk!  Luckily they were soon divided into 4 groups and taken off down the nature trails – it being Thanksgiving today we had a good laugh at the lovely meal the chiggers will get from these flip-flop and shorts wearing visitors.

More lovely birdies (nothing new I don't think). 

This Green Hermit had built a nest above the light fitting in the lounge area.

Actually I think this is new - Southern House Wren - very like our Little Jenny Wren

Whilst I really hate the feeders, I know without them this lovely lady wouldn't have posed for me for so long.

While Ian was having a coffee on the veranda I wandered off down the drive and saw a Tropical Skipper and a couple of butterflies.

And this lovely oozing fungus.

We heard that the hoards were staying for lunch and as we had to leave for the airport at 12:30 I had a word with Paula the lovely Maitre D’ and she arranged for us to go in at 11:45 so we weren’t caught up in a huge queue.  It worked out well as the driver was keen to leave early as he had to be back for 3pm for another airport run (Jill and Dave catching the evening flight to London).  No sooner had we driven off than we could hear a ‘tick tick tick’ coming from one wheel which Randall (yet another family member) diagnosed as a nail, luckily being early we had time for him to pop into his tyre shop and get it repaired – meanwhile Ian and I wandered around the cemetery opposite.

I sincerely hope prosecutions are carried out on mosquito breeders as I've had upward of 80 bites this holiday.

There was a burial going on so we didn't stop for long or wander far but thought this was a charming way of describing birth and death.

We were still quite early for our flight but the flight departing one an hour before ours was showing delayed.  To cut a long story short that flight left when ours should have, ours and the next flight were cancelled and a larger jet was chartered to accommodate both flights’ passengers.

Our drive to Blue Waters Inn at the very north east of Tobago is about 90 mins and we should have got here around dusk at 6pm.  Instead of which the whole drive was in the dark and we didn’t arrive until 8:30pm.

The hotel is very nice, situated on the beach, glorious views, but with ambitions above itself.  The toilet failed to refill after its first flush so we duly informed reception who sent maintenance.  He fiddled around for a while and we left him to it and went to dinner.  Mr Maintenance came to report that he couldn’t fix the loo tonight so he’d refilled the cistern manually and suggested we could make do with that until tomorrow – noooooo, says I, that is not OK, maybe you should find us a different room.  Off he went and some half hour later returned to say it was fixed – and it was.   Being so close to the ocean things feel damp and it also smells a little mouldy.  Plugging anything electrical in involves moving a cabinet away from the wall.  Oh, and I would have liked a teaspoon for the morning coffee.

On the positive side, the bed is huge, there’s aircon, nice toiletries and a superb shower.  

Dinner was very nice, although service slow (I had read this on TripAdvisor).

A Few More Birds, Flowers, etc

A round-up of some birds, flowers and insects we've seen at Asa Wright that I don't think I've mentioned yet, probably because the photos are rubbish.

Bare-Eyed Thrush (used to be called Spectacled)

Barred Antshrike (female).  Sadly I didn't get the male, it was lovely black and white stripes all over).

Blue Grey Tanager

Turquoise Tanager

Violaceous Euphonia

White Lined Tanager (Female)

Yellow Bellied Elaenia

Leafcutter Ants (another of my favourites, never got a decent shot yet and won't this holiday as I'm too conscious of chiggers!)

Agouti (surprisingly timid although away from Asa Wright they are often caught for eating, as are land iguanas)

Heliconia

This is a species of Strelitzia and grows wild in a lot of areas.

Hibiscus

This plant has two distinct looks; the red one and the white flower - not quite sure which comes first

Water hyacinth as found all over the world

An epiphyte

This looks very like a species of Commelina 

Brugmansia (Angel's Trumpet)

Sulphur Butterfly

Butterfly Orchid

Pachystachys lutea