Yellow Oriole, Trinidad

I was out at a meeting yesterday evening, 26 April 2018, and then ran out of time to find and edit my "daily three" to post this morning. The main part of the meeting was an excellent talk and slide show by Diane S, about the trip that she and her husband took, in January, to Antarctica (Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula).

It wasn't always easy to get a photo of one of these colourful Yellow Orioles, especially perched in a tree. Many of my photos of them were with the bird either on a bird feeder or on an ugly metal bar.

Apparently, they build a 40 cm-long hanging basket, suspended from the end of a branch. Males and females are similar, with the female slightly duller. Given the brightness of the bird in my photo, I would think this has to be a male. The photo was taken at the Asa Wright Nature Centre, on the island of Trinidad, on 16 March 2017.

"Although it does have black in its plumage, the Yellow Oriole derives its common name from the large extent of yellow in its plumage relative to all other orioles, with its black restricted to the tail, a narrow yellow bib, and the wings. The Yellow Oriole is a common resident in lowlands below 500 m in northern South America and adjoining Caribbean islands from northeastern Colombia to the mouth of the Amazon. It occurs in a variety of open forest habitats such as deciduous woodland, scrub, and in urban areas. This is the only icterid in its range with the combination of an all yellow back and white wing bars." From Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Neotropical Birds.

neotropical.birds.cornell.edu/portal/species/overview?p_p...

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 great 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