Friend on boat at Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Two Tropical Screech Owls, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
(Ruschenberger?)Tree Boa, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Boat ride to see Scarlet Ibis, Caroni Swamp, Trini…
(Ruschenberger?) Tree Boa, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Barn of an unusual shape
Surprise, surprise ... an American Flamingo, Caron…
Rainforest of the Arima Valley, Trinidad
The beauty of winter
Red barn in winter
Masked Cardinal / Paroaria nigrogenis, Trinidad
Scarlet Ibis, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Scarlet Ibis - like decorations on a Christmas tre…
Old barns in the foothills
Yellow Oriole / Icterus nigrogularis, Trinidad
Rusty and abandoned
Scarlet Ibis and Egrets, Caroni Swamp
A friendly moment
Scarlet Ibis, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Our last morning on island of Trinidad
Ruddy Ground-dove / Columbina talpacoti, Trinidad
Masked Cardinal, Caroni Swamp
A rainbow and a Hummingbird wave
Coyote crossing the frozen Elbow River
With more big storms to come
A beautiful day in Weaselhead
Yellow Oriole, Trinidad
Great Gray Owl #2
Great Gray Owl hunting
Great Gray Owl, highly zoomed
Great Gray Owl on the hunt
Bighorn Sheep mom and youngster
Twice the beauty
Red Fox (just for the record)
Winter beauty
Great Gray Owl
On the way to Canmore - seven Swans a-swimming :)
New birding blind in a local park
Donkey guardians of the old schoolhouse
When the world turns white
A memory of Waterton from before the fire
Evening mist in the rainforest
Old barn in spring snow
A rural "winter" scene
Yellow Oriole, Trinidad
Remembering winter
Masked Cardinal, Caroni Swamp, Trinidad
Once was home
Tall grass, Pt Pelee - Phragmites
A favourite view, Waterton Lakes National Park
Swainson's Hawk take-off
On the way home from Cartwrights' land
On the way home from Cartwright bio-blitz
Friends at Bow Lake
Beautiful Peyto Lake
Purple Avens / Water Avens / Geum rivale
Common Raven at Bow Lake
Cute goat at Eagle Lake
Beginning to look like fall
Yesterday's Chinook Arch
The painted cow - "Some enchanted evening"
On a cold summer day with mist and drizzle
02 Boat ride through the Caroni Swamp
White-tailed Deer through the snow
Yesterday's COLD walk
Masked Cardinal, Trinidad
Yesterday's local walk
Yesterday's walk in Fish Creek Park
Old barns in winter
You never know where you'll see a Snowy Owl
A most welcome find
Tree stump covered in fungi, Trinidad
The Bow River at Carburn Park
A rural Christmas
On a New Year's Day Bird Count
Happy New Year, everyone!
On a Christmas Bird Count, -23C
Love a Llama
Glorious scenery for a Christmas Bird Count!
Barn with the fallen cupola
When the land turns white
Dazzling sunlight on distant peaks
Standing at the edge of the storm
A white world
A patch of blue
Behind the tangled branches
Walking in a winter wonderland
A country scene
Autumn in Alberta
A peaceful winter scene
Common Redpoll / Acanthis flammea
The beauty of erosion
Alberta foothills in the fall
Start of the storm
Common Redpolls / Acanthis flammea
Hello, winter
And down(y) he flew
International Loadstar 1600
Early morning sunrise over the mountains
Storm arriving at Quarry Lake, near Canmore
A drive through Kananaskis
Town of Canmore, Alberta
When the storm moved in
Pam and friend
Sun halo over Glenmore Reservoir
A view from Quarry Lake, Canmore
A new-to-me old barn
Complete with little red birdhouse
Side by side
Friendly visitor
Fish Creek Park on a low-light day
A mountain meadow, Kananaskis, Alberta
Cattle drive in the mountains of Kananaskis, Alber…
Heading for the mountains on a hazy morning
Kananaskis before the snowstorm
Before the snow arrived
Beautiful Mule Deer doe
Things are not always what they seem
Ah, those glorious Larches in their fall colours
The colours of fall
Waterton Lake from the townsite - before the fire
In the middle of nowhere - spot the truck
Owl and spider webs
Road through Kananaskis
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273 visits
Masked Cardinal at the edge of Caroni Swamp
Finally, after a one day break to post three cold, winter photos taken locally, I can get back to posting warm images taken on the island of Trinidad. The next few batches of photos will show our boat ride through the amazing Caroni Swamp, to see the spectacular Scarlet Ibis - and other things along the way. This outing really was the highlight of our holiday, kept to the last but one day in Trinidad. There was just one more outing the following morning, and then we spent that afternoon hanging out at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, photographing some of the birds and packing our bags ready for leaving in the middle of the night to catch our first flight home. If I have time, I might just try and edit a number of less-than-inspiring images and post overnight sometime, just so that I can get to the end of this holiday faster. I did that many times last year.
This photo was taken on 19 March 2017. On that day, we hiked to see the unusual Oilbirds in the morning and then we went to the Caroni Swamp in the afternoon and evening. We were lucky enough to see this Masked Cardinal along the edge of the Caroni Swamp, before going on the boat to see the Scarlet Ibis.
At the Swamp, my six friends and I were privileged to be able to watch the arrival of huge flocks of amazing Scarlet Ibis flying in to roost. Will add this YouTube link (not my video) to give an idea of what our boat ride was like - including the large snake curled up in a tree over our heads! All the other boats we saw were packed full of people, but we were given a boat to ourselves, which was great.
youtu.be/vV9XvW2JSVE
"The masked cardinal (Paroaria nigrogenis) is a bird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It was formerly placed in the Emberizidae and is not very closely related to the cardinals proper (Cardinalidae).
It is found in Trinidad, far north-eastern Colombia and northern Venezuela. It was previously considered conspecific with the red-capped cardinal, from which it differs by the black ear-coverts and the red (not black) lower throat and upper chest. Additionally, its lower mandible is typically whitish, but this is not entirely consistent, as it occasionally is pale flesh-coloured." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_cardinal
This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way.
I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
This is a video that I came across on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it.
youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M
I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015.
youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk
This photo was taken on 19 March 2017. On that day, we hiked to see the unusual Oilbirds in the morning and then we went to the Caroni Swamp in the afternoon and evening. We were lucky enough to see this Masked Cardinal along the edge of the Caroni Swamp, before going on the boat to see the Scarlet Ibis.
At the Swamp, my six friends and I were privileged to be able to watch the arrival of huge flocks of amazing Scarlet Ibis flying in to roost. Will add this YouTube link (not my video) to give an idea of what our boat ride was like - including the large snake curled up in a tree over our heads! All the other boats we saw were packed full of people, but we were given a boat to ourselves, which was great.
youtu.be/vV9XvW2JSVE
"The masked cardinal (Paroaria nigrogenis) is a bird species in the tanager family (Thraupidae). It was formerly placed in the Emberizidae and is not very closely related to the cardinals proper (Cardinalidae).
It is found in Trinidad, far north-eastern Colombia and northern Venezuela. It was previously considered conspecific with the red-capped cardinal, from which it differs by the black ear-coverts and the red (not black) lower throat and upper chest. Additionally, its lower mandible is typically whitish, but this is not entirely consistent, as it occasionally is pale flesh-coloured." From Wikipedia.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_cardinal
This adventure was only the second holiday of any kind, anywhere, that I have had in something like 30 or 35 years! The other holiday was a wonderful, one-week trip with my dear friends from England, Linda and Tony, when we went down south to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons in September 2012. I have had maybe half a dozen weekends away, including to Waterton National Park, which have helped keep me going.
Six birding/photographer friends and I decided that we would take this exciting trip together (from 12-21 March 2017), spending the first two or three days on the island of Tobago and then the rest of the time at the Asa Wright Nature Centre on the nearby, much larger island of Trinidad. We decided to take a complete package, so everything was included - accommodation at both places, all our food, and the various walks and day trips that we could choose from. Two of my friends, Anne B. and Brenda, saw to all the planning of flights and accommodations, which was so very much appreciated by the rest of us. I could never have done all this myself! We were so lucky with our flights, as we were just in time to get Black Friday prices, which were 50% off!
What a time we had, seeing so many beautiful and interesting things - and, of course, everything was a lifer for me. Some of these friends had visited Costa Rica before, so were familiar with some of the birds. There was a lot more to see on Trinidad, so we were glad that we chose Tobago to visit first and then spend a longer time at Asa Wright. It was wonderful to be right by the sea, though, at the Blue Waters Inn on the island of Tobago. Just gorgeous.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre, on Trinidad, is such an amazing place! We stayed in cabins up or down hill from the main building. Really, one doesn't need to travel away from the Centre for birding, as so many different species visit the Hummingbird feeders that are right by the huge, open veranda, and the trees of the rain forest high up the mountainous road. The drive up and down this narrow, twisting, pot-holed road was an adventure in itself! Never would I ever do this drive myself - we had a guide who drove us everywhere in a minibus. I had read many accounts of this road, lol! There was enough room for two vehicles to pass each other, and the honking of horns was almost continuous - either to warn any vehicle that might be coming fast around the next bend or as a sign that drivers knew each other. The drive along this road, from the coast to Asa Wright, took just over an hour each way.
I still miss the great food that was provided every single day at Asa Wright and even the Rum Punch that appeared each evening. I never drink at all, so I wasn't sure if I would even try the Punch - glad I did, though, as it was delicious and refreshing. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all served buffet-style, with a great variety of dishes from which to choose. To me, pure luxury. So very, very grateful to have been invited to be part of this amazing adventure.
This is a video that I came across on YouTube, taken by Rigdon Currie and Trish Johnson, at many of the same places we visited on Trinidad and Tobago. Not my video, but it made me feel like I was right there still. Posting the link here again, so that I won't lose it.
youtu.be/BBifhf99f_M
I also came across the following 27-minute YouTube video of the flora and fauna of Trinidad, filmed by John Patrick Smith in February 2015.
youtu.be/6HHBm9MIxnk
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