Blanchisseuse Road 4/7--16 Life Birds

WHITE-NECKED THRUSH
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Kim was feeling unwell on this day, so the four of us, plus John, a Brit we'd become friendly with, set off with Rudy again, to drive up Blanchisseuse Road which runs north from Asa Wright. It reminded me a lot of Old Mine Road in New Jersey, both in topography--a narrow road twisting road with great views--and in the style of birding, which is to drive from one pull off to the next, pishing away for birds.

Rudy has been guiding at and around Asa Wright for decades, so he knows the birds intimately. And he really wants you see them. Some of the "ant" birds are extremely furtive. You can hear them easily, but they just won't show. And Rudy was not one to give up easily. These aren't very charismatic birds, so after about 15 minutes of searching for say BLACK-FACED ANTTHRUSH, hearing it incessantly answer Rudy's whistling song but never appearing, I was all for going on to the next bird--hearing is countable after all, but Rudy was reluctant to give up.

We did see some cool birds. At the turnaround point Rudy found a RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR, which if it wasn't for the Motmot, would be the coolest looking bird in T&T.

Photo: Shari Zirlin

COCOA WOODCREEPER
Photo: Shari Zirlin




Lunch at the bus shelter

Great Kiskadee

He also got us on a BLUE-HEADED PARROT, and our only TRINIDAD EUPHONIA of the trip. I counted 4 more life flycatcher species. We also finally got good looks at another skulking species, COCOA WOODCREEPER.

This was easily our most productive day of birding, with 61 species along the road.

Species                      Count

Magnificent Frigatebird  2

Black Vulture  2

Turkey Vulture  1

Common Black Hawk  3

Ruddy Ground-Dove  2

Smooth-billed Ani  1

Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl  1

White-necked Jacobin  1

Rufous-breasted Hermit  1

Black-throated Mango  1

Tufted Coquette  1

Blue-chinned Sapphire  1

White-chested Emerald  2

GREEN-BACKED TROGON  1

Guianan Trogon  1

RUFOUS-TAILED JACAMAR  2

GOLDEN-OLIVE WOODPECKER  1

CHESTNUT WOODPECKER  1

Lineated Woodpecker  1

LILAC-TAILED PARROTLET  1

BLUE-HEADED PARROT  1

Orange-winged Parrot  3

Barred Antshrike  1

WHITE-FLANKED ANTWREN  1

WHITE-BELLIED ANTBIRD  1

BLACK-FACED ANTTHRUSH  1

PLAIN-BROWN WOODCREEPER  1

Cocoa Woodcreeper  1

SLATY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER  1

EULER'S FLYCATCHER  1

TROPICAL PEWEE  1

DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER  1

Great Kiskadee  2

Boat-billed Flycatcher  1

Streaked Flycatcher  1

Piratic Flycatcher  1

Tropical Kingbird  3

Bearded Bellbird  1

Golden-fronted Greenlet  1

Rufous-browed Peppershrike  1

Southern Rough-winged Swallow  2

Gray-breasted Martin  10

Rufous-breasted Wren  1

Cocoa Thrush  1

Spectacled Thrush  1

WHITE-NECKED THRUSH  1

Tropical Mockingbird  1

Northern Waterthrush  1

Tropical Parula  2

White-lined Tanager  1

Palm Tanager  1

Bay-headed Tanager  1

Green Honeycreeper  2

Bananaquit  3

Red-crowned Ant-Tanager  1

Carib Grackle  2

Yellow Oriole  1

Yellow-rumped Cacique  20

Crested Oropendola  1

TRINIDAD EUPHONIA  1

Violaceous Euphonia  1