Category: Trinidad

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Scarlet Ibis at Sunset: Visiting Caroni Swamp in Trinidad

Of all the wildlife I saw in Trinidad, the moment I’d looked forward to most was the one the island is famous for: watching scarlet ibis flying home to roost in Caroni Swamp.

What Is Caroni Swamp?

Caroni Swamp is a sprawling mangrove wetland on Trinidad’s west coast, where the Caroni River meets the Gulf of Paria, just south of the capital, Port of Spain. It not too far awy from Port of Spain and can be visited in an afternoon. It’s a maze of lagoons and narrow channels shaded by mangrove roots, and it’s home to more than 100 bird species, along with snakes, crabs, fish, and mammals. The big draw is the scarlet ibis, Trinidad and Tobago’s national bird. Thousands return to the swamp each evening to spend the night in the mangroves.

More About Caroni Swamp

A Protected Wetland of International Importance

Caroni Swamp covers more than 5,600 hectares of mangrove forest and herbaceous marsh, cut through by countless channels and by brackish and saline lagoons. It’s the second-largest mangrove wetland in Trinidad and Tobago, and it has been a Ramsar site, a wetland recognized as internationally important, since 1971. It’s also an important nursery and shelter for fish, crabs, and oysters, and its mangroves help protect the nearby coast.

The Ibis’s Daily Commute

What fascinated me most is that scarlet ibis don’t actually spend the day in the swamp. They fly across the Gulf of Paria to feed on the Venezuelan mainland, roughly 11 miles away, then return at the end of the day to roost in the mangroves. That’s why the best time to see them is dusk, and why the show takes place every evening instead of all day.

Wildlife Beyond the Ibis

The swamp has more than 100 recorded bird species, and some sources put the number well above that. Besides the ibis, you can see herons, egrets, cormorants and terns, and in recent years American flamingos have been spotted here too, which fits with what I saw. Red, black and white mangroves line the waterways, with tiny oysters clinging to their roots. Cook’s tree boas, spectacled caimans and silky anteaters are regular sightings on tours.

Conservation and Protecting the Ibis

The scarlet ibis is Trinidad and Tobago’s national bird, and swamp tour operators help protect it. Long-established operators talk a lot about conservation and education, and they push for stronger enforcement of laws that protect the ibis from poachers. Pollution and climate change remain ongoing concerns for the swamp, so be a careful visitor: keep your trash with you, stay seated, and keep your voice down around the birds.

When to Go

Dusk is the best time of day, since that’s when the ibis return. Trinidad’s dry season, from January through the end of May, is generally recommended. Tours usually last about two to three hours. Sunscreen and bug spray are a good idea whatever the time of year.

Setting Up the Trip

I was staying at the Asa Wright Nature Center, so I asked the staff to arrange my Caroni Swamp outing. That made it simple: no hunting for operators or working out transport on my own. If you’re based at a lodge, ask them first.

Two companies run boat tours in the swamp. I booked with the one you reach as soon as you enter (Nanan’s Bird Sanctuary Tours). The other is further down the road. I’d been told that scarlet ibis sometimes gather around the second company’s launch area at low tide, and since I arrived early, I drove over to take a look. The people there were very kind and showed me where the ibis might turn up. There were none that day, but I did see flamingos, which I hadn’t expected.

My tip: arrive early. It gives you time to look around, ask questions, and get settled before the boat leaves.

Out on the Water

The boat ride took a couple of hours. Tours like this typically leave in the late afternoon so that you’re on the water in time for sunset, and our guide steered us through the quiet channels, pointing out wildlife I would have missed on my own.

Here’s some of what we saw:

  • Cook’s tree boas: these swamp snakes were curled up asleep on low-hanging branches.
  • Spectacled caimans: resting along the muddy banks.
  • Anteaters: two of them, balled up asleep in a tree.
  • Herons and egrets: including a juvenile yellow-crowned night heron perched among the mangrove roots.
  • Crabs: climbing the mangrove trunks.
  • A few scarlet ibis: perched in the trees well before sunset.

The Main Event: Scarlet Ibis Coming Home

The highlight came when our boat docked, and we waited for the ibis and other birds to come home for the night. The light softened, the swamp quieted down, and a group of flamingos in the shallow water kept us entertained while we watched the sky. I feel like felmigoes added to the whole scene and made it more beatiful. I took tons of photos of Flemingoes (more than the Ibis) .

Then the first ibis appeared. The ibises typically return in waves around sunset, with the exact timing shifting slightly throughout the year. First a handful, then more, flying low over the mangroves in bright red against the evening sky, their vibrant plumage creating a stunning contrast with the deepening hues of twilight. It’s a sight photographs don’t fully capture, as the intricate details of their movement and the delicate interplay of light and shadow are best appreciated in person. They perch on the green trees, their presence enhancing the landscape’s natural beauty, and the whole scene reminded me of Christmas with greens and reds.

Tips for Your Own Caroni Swamp Trip

  • Ask your lodge to book it. It saves effort and helps you coordinate the timing.
  • Pick the late-afternoon tour. It’s the one that lines up with the ibis returning at dusk.
  • Arrive early. You can look around the other launch area, as I did, or just settle in.
  • Don’t count on seeing ibis at the launch. I was told they gather there at low tide, but none showed up on my visit.
  • Bring a zoom lens or binoculars. Many of the best moments are at a distance.
  • Pack insect repellent and a light layer. It’s a swamp, and the evenings can be buggy.
  • Be patient and quiet. The birds are worth the wait.

Final Thoughts

Watching scarlet ibis return to Caroni Swamp was one of the highlights of my Trinidad trip, and the snakes, caimans, and flamingos along the way made it even better. If you’re visiting Trinidad, make time for a sunset boat tour. It’s easy to arrange and unforgettable.

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In search of oilbird: Visiting Trinidad’s Famous Dunston Cave at Asa Wright Nature Centre

Planning to see oilbirds in Trinidad? Here’s my first-person guide to the Dunston Cave colony at Asa Wright Nature Center, why you need a multi-day stay, and what to expect.

I’ve seen a lot of birds on my travels, but none quite like the oilbird. Weird, loud, nocturnal, and fruit-eating, it is the kind of creature that makes you wonder why evolution got so creative. Here’s how I got to see the colony at the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad’s Northern Range, and everything I’d tell a friend before they go.

What Is an Oilbird (and Why the Strange Name)?

The oilbird, also called the guacharo or, in Trinidad, the diablotin (“little devil”), is a large brown bird with a wingspan of up to about 42 inches and a body length of around 18 inches. Its scientific name is Steatornis caripensis, and its range stretches across Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Trinidad.

The name comes from a grim bit of history. In 1799, the scientist Alexander von Humboldt documented how Venezuelan Indians and monks were collecting the extremely fat young chicks from their nests and boiling them down for cooking oil and torch fuel. At around 70 days old, the chicks can be 50 percent heavier than their parents. Amerindian peoples also used the rendered oil for lamps. Today, Trinidad has at least five oilbird colonies, and every one is protected by law.

Why You Need to Stay at Least 3 Days

Here’s the practical part that surprised me: you can’t just turn up and wander into the cave. The oilbirds are reclusive, and to avoid disturbing them, the caves can only be visited with a guide from the nature centre. Access is built around guests staying at the property, so I planned a stay of at least three days. That gave me time to settle in, join the guided walks, and get a slot for the cave visit without rushing.

My tip: book your stay well ahead and ask about the cave visit when you reserve. Three nights also lets you enjoy the rest of the centre’s rainforest birdlife, which is a bonus you won’t regret.

The Walk to Dunston Cave

After a short orientation from our guide, we set off along the forest trail. Our guide first asked us to change into shoes that could get wet, and the walk that followed was beautiful. The rainforest around Asa Wright is dense and green, dripping with leaves the size of dinner plates, and the air gets cooler and damper as you approach the cave. Our guide explained the rules: stay quiet, keep lights low, and respect the birds. This is a working breeding colony, not a show.

Coming Face to Face with the Colony

Nothing quite prepares you for it. Our guide used a red light to illuminate the birds, and in that dim glow I could see them sitting on ledges in the rock, strange-looking with hooked beaks and big dark eyes. The sign at the centre says the colony has been documented since 1957 and varies from about 123 to 130 birds, though I’ve also seen figures of 150 or more quoted for the cave, so numbers clearly shift over time.

The nests were fascinating. They’re built mostly from regurgitated fruit, shaped into low mounds on cave ledges, and reused year after year. I could see the piles of fruit the birds had collected the night before. Females lay two to four white eggs, and both parents share incubation for about 33 days. The young are slow to develop and may stay in the nest for 110 days or more.

Baby bird sitting in a nest

If the birds get disturbed, they let you know. Oilbirds scream, snarl and chuck in a way that sounds like a nightmare soundtrack, and the screams are truly ear-piercing. If I hadn’t known about the birds and had wandered into that dark cave on my own, I would have been scared to death, and I now understand how the bird earned its nickname, the little devil. It’s easy to see why Amerindians called them guacharos, “the ones that wail and mourn,” and why Trinidadians settled on diablotin. Watch the vidoe I took inside as we entered and you can hear the screams of the birds.

Because the birds are so easily disturbed, we didn’t stay long. I quickly took a couple of photos in the red light, and then we headed back out and left the colony in peace.

Fruit-Eating Birds That Use Echolocation

This is the part that blew my mind. Oilbirds are the only nocturnal fruit-eating birds in the world, and they also use low-frequency echolocation to find their way through the dark, much like bats. They can detect an object about eight inches across in total blackness. They aren’t blind either: their eyes are well adapted for low light, and they use sight whenever there’s enough of it.

At dusk they leave the cave to forage, mainly on palm fruits and the fruits of trees in the laurel family, and they may travel many miles in a night to feed. Then they return to the cave before daylight. It’s a very different life from the daytime birds I’m used to.

Practical Tips for Your Visit

  • Go with the guide. It’s required, and it protects the birds.
  • Stay at least three days so you can secure a cave visit around the guided schedule.
  • Keep noise and light to a minimum. Silence is your best camera accessory.
  • Bring sturdy shoes and rain gear. The trails are humid and can be slippery.
  • Be patient. Let your eyes adjust to the dim light and you’ll see far more.

Final Thoughts

Seeing the oilbirds at Asa Wright was one of the most memorable wildlife experiences I’ve had. The birds are odd, noisy, and absolutely unforgettable, and the setting in Trinidad’s Northern Range makes the whole experience feel like a step back in time. If you’re planning a trip to Trinidad and you love nature, put Dunston Cave at the very top of your list.