Author Archives: Tara

Lodge Review: A Peace Of Paradise, St Lucia

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A Peace of Paradise is a charming little B&B located on the eastern side of St Lucia in a tropical rainforest setting and very close to the prime birding spots.  If you aren’t planning to rent a car (you probably won’t need one), then it is best to have them pick you up on arrival at the airport as it is a bit tricky to find the first time.  It’s just past the Fox Grove Inn and up the hill a bit.

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The lodge is a beautiful house situated on a hill overlooking the rainforest with a beautiful verandah to relax and enjoy the view.dscn4022 dscn4014 dscn4013 dscn4012 dscn4011

The rooms are clean and cozy with windows on to the verandah.dscn4010 dscn4009 dscn4008

The one thing you need to be aware of is that the power points are different than the USA type which is more common in the Caribbean Islands.  If you don’t have one like that pictured below, ask the staff to loan you one so you can charge your camera and devices.dscn4021 dscn4016

We were only there one night and checked out early but they still left some bread, jam & juice in the fridge for our breakfast.  Birding trips start very early.dscn4015

A Peace of Paradise is a great place to stay if you aren’t into beaches and want a more relaxed Caribbean style experience.  The prices are very reasonable and they can organize your birding trips for you, also some nice hikes in the rainforest.  It’s one of the closest properties to Des Cartiers Trail where you can see St Lucia Parrots!  It is somewhat isolated from shops and restaurants (except for the neighboring hotel) so you may want to stick up on snacks and drinks before you check in.

British Airways 5th Freedom Flight Trinidad – St Lucia

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If you are island hopping around the Caribbean for birding, you need to visit some of the smaller islands that aren’t quite so easy to get to with miles.  More about that later.  But if you need to go to both Trinidad & St Lucia, both birding hotspots you are in luck!  You can book a flight on British Airways for a mere 4500 Avios!  It’s a huge 777 with full service and business class if you want to spring for 9000 Avios.

I didn’t have enough Avios for business but I did get a quick look at the cabin as we passed through.

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Somehow I managed to snag the first row of economy (maybe an elite got upgraded) and the roominess was a real luxury which I appreciated for the 1 hour flight.dscn3997

Look at all that legroom!dscn4004

My “office”!dscn4005

The flight was spot on time and we soon landed at St Lucia’s larger Hewanorra (UVF) airport.  dscn4006

Support Conservation Through These Charities

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There are many ways to support conservation efforts around the world and help preserve the habitats the birds we love inhabit.  One way, which is heavily featured throughout this blog is ecotourism and supporting the local communities directly so they are motivated to keep their wild birds and animals wild and free.  Another way is to donate to registered charities who work with the local communities.

So please help us see more of THIS……………….

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……………and NONE of THIS!wpt-2015-appeal

In December & January, many of these charities have a matching donation program in which your donation is matched by a sponsor.  I will note these below.  Please take the time to read through these pages and find one or more conservation charities to support.

WORLD PARROT TRUST -Matching through 31 Jan 2017

ARA PROJECT – First $5000 matched

BUSH HERITAGE AUSTRALIA

CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY – 1st $150,000 matched

ONE EARTH CONSERVATION

RAINFOREST TRUST SANTA MARTA PARAKEET– Matched 1:1 until ?

BIRDLIFE AUSTRALIA

Tufted Coquette ( Lophornis ornatus )

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The Tufted Coquette ( Lophornis ornatus ) is a tiny hummingbird that has a rufous head crest and a coppery green back with a whitish rump band that is prominent in flight. The forehead and underparts are green, and black-spotted rufous plumes project from the neck sides. The tail is golden rufous.

I was lucky enough to see this tiny beauty at Asa Wright Nature Centre where I tried to get some photos but these birds are FAST!

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They range throughout eastern Venezuela, Trinidad, Guiana, and northern Brazil.  I saw a few at Asa Wright’s and they can also be found at Yerette in Trinidad.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT TUFTED COQUETTES

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

Asa Wright Nature Centre

VIDEOS

Very nice mini-doco on Tufted Coquettes.

 

Theyr’e gorgeous and they know it, this time they cooperated with the videographer.  The one at the end is a female.

 

 

Bearded Bellbird (Procnias averano)

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The Bearded Bellbird (Procnias averano) also known as the campanero or anvil-bird, is a passerine bird which occurs in northern South America. The male is about 28 cm (11 in) long with white plumage apart from a brown head and black wings. At his throat hang several black, unfeathered wattles. The female is a little smaller with olive-green head and upper parts, yellow underparts streaked with green and a yellow vent area. The male has a loud, repeated metallic hammering call, as well as various other vocalisations.  Since I only got photos from directly below, I will include a Wikipedia shot of the full bird’s body.

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My photos

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They have an oddly disjointed range from Trinidad south to Brazil.  The guide at Asa Wright’s knows where to find them so it’s an easy sighting!  Very cool little birds!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT BEARDED BELLBIRDS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

Asa Wright Nature Centre

VIDEOS

Intense conversation between these guys.

It’s pretty easy to locate them by their calls, they love to make their presence known!

 

Golden-Headed Manakin (Ceratopipra erythrocephala)

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The Golden-headed Manakin (Ceratopipra erythrocephala) is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical Central and South America in both wet and dry forests, secondary growth and plantations.

While I did see one at Asa Wright’s, he was a bit camera shy!

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Here’s a full bird from Wikipedia.

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They have a large range from Panama, Colombia and Trinidad south and east to the Guianas and Brazil and northern Peru. It is not found south of the Amazon or the Ucayali Rivers.  They are readily seen on the main trail at Asa Wright’s but best to go in the morning if you stay there to see them lekking.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT GOLDEN-HEADED MANAKINS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

Asa Wright Nature Centre

VIDEOS

While manakins are known to dance to attract a mate, I couldn’t find a dancing clip online.  Here’s one of a lek.

And a few close-ups of the bird’s movements.

White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus)

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The White-bearded Manakin (Manacus manacus) is a small passerine bird which breeds in tropical South America. This manakin is found in forests, secondary growth and plantations. It is a small, plump bird about 10.7 centimetres (4.2 in) long.  At breeding time, males are involved in lekking behaviour on the forest floor during which they puff out their neck feathers.

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They have a large range from Colombia and Trinidad south and east to the Guianas and Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.  They are readily seen on the main trail at Asa Wright’s but best to go in the morning if you stay there to see them lekking.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT WHITE-BEARDED MANAKINS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

A very lucky birder found one male trying to court 3 females!

Some more filmed at Asa Wright’s.

Guided Walk For Visitors At Asa Wright Nature Centre

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If you are a day visitor at Asa Wright Nature Centre, you will get a 90 minute nature walk included in your admission and this should not be missed!   Our guide came to collect us and led us down the stairs out to the main trail.  It was a small group, just me and two other ladies.  My husband decided to rest on the verandah.

Tegu Lizard

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Proceeding down the trail, the guide pointed out some local plants.dscn3880 dscn3889 dscn3891 dscn3894 dscn3896 dscn3899 dscn3900

A very shy Golden-headed Manakinimg_7319a img_7327a dscn3903 dscn3904

Plump little White-bearded Manakindscn3907 dscn3912 dscn3916 dscn3918 dscn3921 img_7395 img_7377a img_7341a img_7346

Beards are clearly in style at Asa Wright’s as this Beared Bellbird shows off!img_7351a img_7358a img_7360a dscn3926 dscn3928 dscn3929 dscn3931

Going back, there is a slight incline but manageable.

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Wake up!  How can my husband doze off with all those hummingbirds around?dscn3945

Lodge Review: Asa Wright Nature Centre, Trinidad

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To be specific, I am reviewing the public areas accessible on a day visit but just want readers to be aware they have accommodation as well.  Asa Wright Nature Centre is a gorgeous eco-lodge situated in a beautiful rainforest habitat and is one of the highlights of birding in the Caribbean.  There are two ways of visiting AWNC, as an overnight guest or as a day visitor.  While I would have much preferred to stay overnight and wake with the birds, I wasn’t in a financial position to overlook the benefits of using Club Carlson points for a free stay at the Radisson.  Any other time, we would have stayed at AWNC, booking instructions are here.

The next best thing is making a day visit.  They allow  day visitors during the hours of 9am – 5pm. Guided walks with their professional naturalist guides are conducted daily at 10:30am and 1:30pm. The walk lasts about 1.5 hours.  I’ll post about that separately as there are way too many photos.  For now, lets see the public areas of the lodge.

It takes about an hour to drive from the airport or as we did from the Aripo Livestock Station.

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Driving onto the property, we passed several hiking trails and some beautiful scenery.  Cabins are scattered around the property.dscn3857 dscn3860 dscn3862 dscn3863

There is a car park for day visitors and then you check into the reception, pay the fee, then proceed to the fabulous Asa Wright verandah.dscn3864 dscn3865 dscn3866 dscn3868 dscn3870 dscn3871

And here it is, where all the hummingbird action is found!  Just sit back, relax and enjoy the spectacle!dscn3872 dscn3873 dscn3946

There is a set lunch menu each day which you can pay for separately if you wish or order sandwiches if you can’t tear yourself away from the verandah.dscn3948 dscn3949

The gift shop has some nice handicrafts & other bird themed gifts. dscn3950 dscn3951

I bought this hummingbird necklace.dscn3953

Example of postcard available – Tufted Coquette, meet them in person on the verandah!dscn3954

It was tough to tear ourselves away, it is such a beautiful, relaxing place but we did have a flight to catch so no choice but to say farewell earlier than we would have liked.dscn3955