7/18/2011

Birding In Tobago Can Be Fun

By Zachary Justice


Becoming a bird watcher can be very addictive - you can take it from us. And one of the best and most addictive ways to get started on the hobby would be to go bird watching in Tobago.

Bird Watching in Tobago

Exotic is the term that best defines Tobago bird watching, an exciting and rewarding experience for bird watchers. As you may know, Tobago is part of the southern Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago - it is the smaller of the two islands and can be found off Venezuela's East Coast.

The fact that Tobago bird watching centers on marine life and coral reefs makes this an amusing and different birding experience. This island is home to numerous colonies of nesting Red-billed Tropicbirds, Magnificent Frigate birds, and Red-footed Boobies. Tobago also happens to be the birthplace of birding in South America - how's that for trivia?

Tobago has about 40 percent of the 467 recorded bird species found on both Trinidad and Tobago. However, Tobago is a drier island, further offshore than Trinidad. Some of the other birds you can only find in Tobago include the Caribbean Martin, Pale-vented Pigeon and White-fringed Antwren - yet more reason why birding in Tobago is a pleasant diversion from birding elsewhere in South America.

Birds of Tobago are not usually seen on Trinidad, the reason why it is convenient to take one of the many local tours, or schedule a bird watching activity with your actual tour operator. Another advantage of ecotourism and bird watching at Trinidad and Tobago is migration.

Some bird watching ventures are scheduled around the dates when birds form North America and other Caribbean Islands migrate to Tobago, adding a rewarding experience to bird watching. Among the birds migrating are cocricos, hummingbirds, jacamars and peregrine falcons - so why not book yourself a tour during migration period and see what you can find?

However, you can simply travel to Tobago pretty much any time of the year for good birding. Once there, planning a bird watching excursion is easy, particularly with the help of islanders who know better than anyone else where the best birding viewpoints are located. Just ask hotel and resort owners - they themselves believe it is best to have one of the locals help you out in your birding excursion.




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