Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis)

Posted on December 9, 2016 by Tara

The Southern Lapwing (Vanellus chilensis) is a wader in the order Charadriiformes. It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions (e.g. most of the Amazon), the higher parts of the Andes and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the basin of the Rio de la Plata. It has also been spreading through Central America in recent years. It reached Trinidad in 1961 and Tobago in 1974, and has rapidly increased on both islands.

It is a common and widespread resident throughout South America, except in densely forested regions (e.g. most of the Amazon), the higher parts of the Andes and the arid coast of a large part of western South America. This bird is particularly common in the basin of the Rio de la Plata. It has also been spreading through Central America in recent years. It reached Trinidad in 1961 and Tobago in 1974, and has rapidly increased on both islands. I saw this very striking bird at Aripo Livestock Station.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT SOUTHERN LAPWINGS

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Neotropical Birds

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This one is foraging in a swamp.

This one is protecting its nest and eggs.

Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus)

Posted on December 8, 2016 by Tara

The Green-rumped Parrotlet (Forpus passerinus) is a small Neotropical parrot. It is one of seven species in the genus Forpus and is found in Northeastern South America.

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They are found in Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, northern Brazil and the Caribbean island of Trinidad. I was lucky enough to spot a few at Aripo Livestock Station in Trinidad.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT GREEN-RUMPED PARROTLETS

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These tiny little beauties can be hard to spot, look how they lend in with the trees!

Birding Aripo Livestock Station, Trinidad

Posted on December 7, 2016 by Tara

One of Trinidad’s top birding spots is the Aripo Livestock Station. Having wasted far too much time the day before getting lost, this time I was determined to get there early to maximize birding. Since we didn’t have a gps in the car I would have to research the location and handwrite the directions. Google maps doesn’t have the location loaded but by using eBird’s hotspot, I was able to map out the route and make note of which exit came before so I would know where to turn. From the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, turn left at the Demerara Road, then right on Eastern Main Road and look for the property on the left.

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This sign is easy to spot. Turn down the road and go past the guard point. dscn3851

Pull into the main building parking lot and they will register your presence and give you a visitor pass like the one below. This is all routine and they are quite used to birders. dscn3850 dscn3804

From here it’s a matter of driving slowly around the property with your eyes and ears open. Birds are everywhere! dscn3805 dscn3806 dscn3807

I was over the moon to see some Green-rumped Parrotlets in a tree not far from the entrance. Parrotlets have always been a difficult bird to spot, see how well this little guy blends in! img_7051a img_7062a img_7066a img_7073a dscn3808 dscn3810 dscn3825 dscn3837a dscn3843a

Lilac-rumped Parrotlets are also found here but I wasn’t lucky this time. We drove around for about 90 minutes as we still had to get to Asa Wright’s before the morning tour started and picked up a fair few birds. There were also Amazon Parrots flying overhead but I couldn’t tell which ones as we had been stopped for breakfast and didn’t grab the binoculars in time. dscn3845 dscn3846 dscn3848 dscn3849