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Larry's LogThe next morning we went back to the Asa Wright Nature Center, located about 90 minutes away in the Arima Valley. We had been there twice before on our last visit to Trinidad and enjoyed it so much we decided to go back and stay for 2 nights. This time, we wanted to stay in the main house since we thought it would be more convenient. It should be very nice to just "roll out" of bed in the morning and go to the veranda to see the birds without even putting on sandals. Of course, the morning coffee was there also. We got to Asa Wright at a little before noon and so we had lunch after getting our stuff in the room in the main house as requested, and then we went down the main trail. The spot to see the Ornate Hawk-Eagle nest was just off that trail and we wanted to try to find it and hopefully see the adult. We were told that they were nesting and we might also be able to see the chick. Well, we found the right spot but couldn't see the nest (or the bird). The foliage was so dense that unless you knew exactly where to look between the leaves and branches, it was impossible to see the nest. Of course, we saw other birds, but we wanted to see the hawk again. We spent about 20 minutes looking in vain and finally gave up for the day since we were getting really bitten by mosquitoes. We went back to the main house and watched the birds from the veranda. Saturday evenings the Center does a nature walk after dinner to try to see the nocturnal animals and insects there. That was one reason why we picked that day to go so naturally we went. Unfortunately, there was a large group that evening and we didn't see much, although we did find lots of large insects (including a huge tarantula - yes I know they're really Arachnids), some bats and a few small geckos. It was fun, but it would have been nice to see an Arboreal Opossum or Pygmy Owl. The next morning, we went back to see the Oilbirds. We had debated going since we saw them last time we were here but we figured that since it was drier now, and they were interesting, we would go. The trail was much easier since it wasn't as slippery and we were both glad we went because we got a much better view of the birds this time. One had even made a nest outside the overhanging cliff and I took some good photographs. We also saw the birds inside the grotto much better and the guide let me take some shots of them with the flash. On the way back, we decided to go down the side trail that eventually led to the main one where we hoped we could find the eagle's nest. We got to the right spot to see it but still couldn't find the nest past all the foliage. We would have to ask a guide to point it out. After a very good lunch, we went out hiking again and tried to take one of the harder trails. When we got there, a small tree that had fallen blocked it and although we got around, we both decided after a few dozen yards that the trail was in very poor shape and it was too dangerous to try to go further. It was on the side of a fairly steep hill and the leaf litter made it slippery. We did go on another tough trail though and that was fun although for people not used to hiking anymore, it was pretty strenuous. It basically went from the bottom of the Arima Valley up to the top where the road into the Center met the road running across the Northern Range. When we got back to our room, we took showers and a slept for about an hour. In the early evening though, one of the guides went with us to point out exactly where the eagle's nest was. We saw the nest but not the adult or the chick that we knew was in the nest. There was a BBC film crew there that weekend making a film on wildlife that also tried to get a shot of the eagle. They had the right spot, and had been watching for an hour, but didn't get any footage of the eagle either. I didn't feel too bad after that. The next morning we went down the trail once more to try to see the eagle. This time we found the right spot and I found the nest. Still no adult bird but I did get to see the chick pop his head up and look around. Diane still had a hard time finding the nest through the trees but she eventually did, although by that time the chick had gone back down so she didn't see anything except the big collection of sticks that these birds put together for a nest. We waited a bit to see if the adult would come, but she never did so we left. Oh well. I did see an Ornate Hawk-eagle, even though it was still white and fluffy. The rest of the visit was very nice but the we did have another special moment when the guide who helped us find the eagle's nest also pointed out another nest, but this time right next to the trail. People often think that birds only build nests in trees but there are many species that build them on the ground, and some even dig burrows. Most of these occur in places where trees are not so abundant as in the rainforest but they are here also and we were fortunate enough to see the nest of a small bird, the Golden Crowned Warbler, that had built its nest just 2 feet from where we were walking. It was so well camouflaged that if it hadn't been shown to us, I'm sure we never would have seen it. We saw the mother come into the nest with some food for the chicks and we even got to take some pictures without disturbing her. I felt like a professional photographer, being able to get such views. We finally left after sitting and watching some more birds at the verandah. There were also 2 species nesting right near the main house, and we saw them as well, the Violaceous Euphonia (a small bird despite its name, with yellow on its breast and deep violet on its back) and the Bare Eyed Thrush. We also saw some new species that I placed on the list of Trinidad Birds. The drive back was uneventful but when we got back to the boat there was a note that our good friends Tom and Stephanie from Mima were in Trinidad again. After unloading the car, we went over to Coral Cove Marina and found them in Joe's Pizza. It was a really nice reunion - we hadn't seen them since they left Martinique many months ago. We returned the car, launched the dinghy and went back over for a visit. The next day I worked on some more small projects but also helped Diane again with trying to finish the slipcovers. We were up to the large cushions and now we needed to match the pattern on the fabric. It was difficult to figure out and didn't do such a great job, but as Diane is fond of saying, "They're only slipcovers." I felt they should look nice but she didn't have the skill to match the pattern and I could seem to figure out how to do it while still letting the match line be sewn. The first one didn't look bad but you could certainly see that the pattern didn't match from one piece to the other. Tom might be able to show me how to do it. I went over to play chess with Tom in the early afternoon while Diane did some chores and made dinner for all of us. Tom and Steph came over and we had a good dinner and a really nice reunion again. Wednesday I did the net control function in the morning again and Diane went shopping at the local PriceSmart. While she was gone I did some more boat chores and figured out what else I needed to buy in the way of supplies before leaving Trinidad. Yes, we were going to leave here eventually, although cruisers do seem to get "stuck in the mud" here. It becomes a very easy place to remain since there are lots of good stores for anything you want, the people are really friendly and there's always lots to do. But we wanted to get to Venezuela as soon as possible so we could see a good amount of the country. The next few days were filled with some projects and maintenance. But of course, Thursday was the weekly potluck at CrewsInn; Steph and Tom came over as did Mike from Just Dessert. Dawn and Mike's brother Chuck had left a few days earlier, Dawn for a visit and Chuck to his home, and so Mike was by himself except for the 2 cats they had on board. Friday night we went over to another marina for their restaurant's swordfish dinner. It was the first time we had gone and we were sorry we hadn't been before - it was excellent. Don and Nancy, from Texas Reb, had just come down from Grenada and were there also so we said hello to them. Saturday we went to the movies with Steph and Tom, seeing Spiderman (yes, it had opened in Trinidad just a couple of weeks after opening in the States). We went to an early dinner at TGI Fridays after that (always good). So the days were hectic, fun and generally productive too. Sunday wasn't so productive as we just played dominoes and relaxed. Well, it rained most of the day so I couldn't do many of my projects since they were "outside" ones. The next day was a busy one though. I went shopping for some remaining supplies and also went to the woodwork shop where I hoped to get the new v berth insert board soon, as well as another shelf and the bi-fold doors. He told me that they would be ready tomorrow as the shelves were just drying from putting on the teak veneer on one side and the Formica on the other. They had just gotten back their full electricity that day and were really busy. OK, we weren't leaving too soon at this point so I didn't need the pieces immediately. I then went shopping at Budget Marine and some other stores and then went back to the boat. One of the stores was Echo Marine where I bought some stainless steel chain to lock up the dinghy and some aluminum flat bar to replace the mounts for the solar panels. The chain was very expensive but we felt that it would deter thieves, particularly since we now had a very "desirable" outboard. I also inquired about a new water maker membrane since it was producing relatively poor quality water, below the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO). We were drinking it with no ill effects but Diane wanted to get better quality water to drink. I was told that a new membrane was $400 US but they would test the membrane at no cost if we did buy a new one. They would also change the membrane at a reasonable cost. I thought that I would go back the next day with the pressure vessel to get the membrane tested and verify that it was the membrane at fault. |