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THE LESSER ANTILLES including Trinidad
Birdquest's Lesser Antilles including Trinidad birding tour combines a series of endemic-rich but little-visited Caribbean islands with one of its most popular birdwatching venues. Our Lesser Antilles including Trinidad tour regularly records all of the endemic birds while we explore a whole chain of beautiful island-nations.
Saturday 1st June -
Sunday 16th June 2013
(16 days)
Trinidad Post-Tour Extension to Friday 21st June (5 days)
Leader:
to be confirmed
Group Size Limit: 10
Tour Category: Easy for the most part, occasionally Moderate
The three species of trembler (depicted here is Grey Trembler) are endemic to the Lesser Antilles and get their name from their almost constant wing-quivering (Mark Beaman)
Of all the bird-rich regions of the Americas, the Caribbean stands out as amongst the most endemic-rich in the entire Neotropical faunal region. Although the largest islands tend to be the best known amongst birders, collectively the many small islands that make up the remainder of the Caribbean hold a treasure trove of avian riches.
One area stands far above the others in this regards, the Lesser Antilles, which between them hold no less than 36 surviving endemic species (or a few less if one takes a conservative view on taxonomic issues) as well as plenty of more widespread Caribbean specialities. The Lesser Antilles are a long arc of islands connecting Puerto Rico and the rest of the Greater Antilles to Trinidad and the South American mainland.
Settled by the Caribs (an Amerindian people originally from South America) at the time European explorers and invaders reached the islands, little remains of their influence and nowadays the Lesser Antilles are an eclectic mixture of English, French, Dutch and West African influences, both as regards the ethnic origins of the people and culture, and as regards the local political dispensation, for here are independent nations, British crown colonies, départements of France and even an affiliated state of the Netherlands! One island may have croissants and baguettes, the next English meat pies and reggae, contrasts which hugely add to the fascination of travelling through the isles. Many of the islands changed hands during the turbulent history of the Caribbean, where every European war had its distant echo, or became pirate bases for a time. Slaves were shipped from Africa to work the plantations of sugar and tobacco, owned by Europeans who lived in style in imposing plantation houses, and even now, approaching two centuries after emancipation, most Afro-Caribbeans are still waiting for economic opportunity to come their way.
With one of the richest concentrations of endemic bird species in the Caribbean, the Lesser Antilles are a very attractive venue for anyone with an interest in the avifauna of this beautiful part of the world. Good standards of accommodation and food, and mostly easy travelling and birding conditions, make for a highly rewarding journey.
We will commence our Lesser Antillean explorations in Antigua and work our way south via Barbuda, Montserrat, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenada to Barbados, visiting ten of the islands in total. This beautiful, verdant and mountainous chain of islands has long attracted people who wanted ‘to get away from it all’ and it nowadays has a well-developed tourism infrastructure. Here amongst splendid mountains and forests filled with tree-ferns we will look for no less than four endemic Amazona parrots, the critically endangered Grenada Dove, the strange tremblers (aberrant thrashers that live up to their name), the delightful Whistling Warbler and strikingly plumaged endemic orioles amongst many others. We will also travel offshore in search of tropical seabirds and the huge Sperm Whale. After all these idyllic islands and so much sun and sea, never mind such relaxing and enjoyable birding, it is going to be hard to drag ourselves away!
Famous internationally for carnival, calypso and cricket, Trinidad’s mixed-race human population are a friendly, warm-hearted, fun-loving people who demonstrate one of the world’s most admirable examples of integration and racial harmony. Situated at the far southeastern corner of the Caribbean Sea, the island lies on the continental shelf close to Venezuela; indeed, Trinidad’s northwestern peninsula extends to within 10 miles (16 kilometres) of the Venezuelan coast, and a few thousand years ago the island was joined to the mainland. The island’s Northern Range, which rises to almost 3300ft (1000m), in fact represents the farthest extremity of the Andes!
Accordingly, the islands’ avifauna is dominated by the continental, rather than the oceanic, elements of the region. Trinidad, about the size of an English county, has a bird list of over 400 species, comprising no less than 68 families, of which a remarkable 247 species breed on the island. This amazing diversity for such relatively small island reflects the luxuriant tropical conditions, with habitats ranging from montane and lowland rainforests, cultivated areas, savannas and scrub to freshwater and brackish swamps, marshes, sea coasts and offshore seabird islands.
Trinidad has long been considered to offer exciting Neotropical birding in a compact area and with very easy birding conditions. What with idyllic accommodation at Asa Wright), a relaxed atmosphere and great birding often starting right at the doorstep, what more could one want? The famous Asa Wright sanctuary is home to what must surely be the most amazing bird feeding station in the world and a paradise for birders and photographers. While based here we will also experience the strange, nocturnal, cave-dwelling Oilbirds that feed on fruit and navigate by echo-location, search out the island’s prime speciality, the endemic Trinidad Piping-Guan, hear the deafening call of the Bearded Bellbird, admiring the incredible antics of two different species of manakins as they perform their amazing displays to an accompaniment of grunts, buzzes, snaps and wheezes, and enjoy the mind-blowing sight of hundreds of Scarlet Ibises speeding over the mangroves to their roost. And this is before even mentioning the parrots, trogons, motmots, jacamars, toucans, ant-thrushes and many other exciting birds!
Birdquest has operated tours to the Lesser Antilles since 2004 and to Trinidad since 1996.
(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)
Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of normal Birdquest standard throughout. Road Transport is by minibus, car or 4x4 vehicle and roads are variable in quality.
Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, but there are several moderate grade walks.
Climate: Almost always warm or hot at this season, with dry and sunny weather interspersed with overcast and rainy intervals (not usually of long duration).
Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile in the Lesser Antilles and good on Trinidad.
Tour Price: (provisional): $7440 Antigua/Barbados. Post-Tour Extension: $2060 (ending in Port of Spain). Price includes all transportation (including all inter-island flights), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.
Single Room Supplement: (provisional): $1021. Post-Tour Extension: $340.
Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).
Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.
Sunshine, laid-back tropical islands, flowers and Purple-throated Caribs; that's what the Lesser Antilles is all about (Mark Beaman)
The wonderful Scarlet Ibis is surely the signature bird of our extension to Trinidad (Mark Beaman)
The pretty little Barbuda Warbler occurs only on this one small and arid island, far from its relatives on Puerto Rico and St Lucia (Mark Beaman)
The attractive Zenaida Dove is widespread in the islands (Mark Beaman)
The lovely Blue-headed Hummingbird is one of the scarcer Lesser Antilles endemics (Mark Beaman)
When the birding is over for the day on Dominica one can enjopy a rum punch while looking for Sperm Whales! (Mark Beaman)
The handsome Martinique Oriole is one of a series of endemic orioles in the Lesser Antilles (Mark Beaman)
The bold White-breasted Thrasher is restricted to just a few remaining areas of arid woodland on Martinique and Saint Lucia (Mark Beaman)
The dainty Whistling Warbler is the finest songster on Saint Vincent (Mark Beaman)
On our extension to Trinidad, a major attraction of Asa Wright is the Oilbird cave, where the sole and strange member of this fruit-eating nocturnal family peers down at one from the gloomy recesses (Mark Beaman)
One of Trinidad's rarest and most endangered species is the impressive endemic Trinidad Piping-Guan (Mark Beaman)
A Wattled Jacana displays at one of Trinidad's marshlands (Mark Beaman)
And other species include the stunning Blue-crowned Motmot (Mark Beaman)
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