The Bona Fide Backyard Birder

Faraaz Abdool encourages us to become very familiar with the nature around during our “stays at home.” Tobago, he assures us, offers prime bird-watching from every vantage point. Photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool

There has never been a better time to become a bona fide backyard birder. Worldwide, people are encouraged to occupy themselves during this period of isolation by getting in touch with nature. What’s more fitting than with the birds in your yard or neighbourhood?

Birds are everywhere. Just above ten thousand species currently exist. There is no continent on this planet without them and they have conquered almost every habitat. From icecap to desert, they are masters of the air, land and ocean. We can stand anywhere on the planet and be able to see at least one bird. It goes without saying that wherever we live, birds are beckoning us to reconnect with Mother Earth – all we must do is notice them.

The unique benefit of backyard birding is that you can observe specific birds for as long as you like. Encounters far from home usually involve a brief meeting, a lucky coincidence after which both parties part ways. As most of us are currently under a strict stay-at-home order, it is now time to open the curtains, look outside and see a bird or two. We are fortunate that even in the concrete jungle, it is still possible to look up and see Magnificent Frigatebirds circling.

A young male Barred Antshrike gradually attains the signature black and white plumage of adults.

Before any viewing takes place, some of their sounds will already be familiar to you. The rattling call of the Rufous-vented Chachalaca, also known as the Cocrico; alerts us and it is easily visible. A skulking White-fringed Antwren on the other hand may be prominent in the soundscape but challenge the observer visually. 

Rufous-vented Chachalaca or Cocrico, Tobago's national bird.

The best time for birding is in the morning when most species have just woken up and are most active. The dawn chorus consists of some serious songsters like House Wrens and Spectacled Thrushes. Others are vocal throughout the day. A constant “weerweerweer” in the bushes indicates the presence of Tobago’s very own endemic subspecies of the Scrub Greenlet, sometimes referred to as the Tobago Greenlet. The juicy twittering of the ubiquitous Bananaquit accompanies us for much of the day.

 

Scrub Greenlets are rather nondescript birds found all over Tobago.

Binoculars are handy, but not absolutely necessary to appreciate the birds that are sharing our space. Any overripe or uneaten fruit can be strategically placed such that one can sit comfortably inside and enjoy Blue-grey, Palm and White-lined Tanagers, maybe even a Trinidad Motmot or two. Once familiarity with a species is gained, other, previously unknown birds seem to manifest themselves.

Gradually, the differences between species begin to stand out. Those small doves in the driveway may turn out to be Ruddy Ground Doves but the larger dove in the backyard could be an Eared Dove or a White-tipped Dove, depending on the presence or absence of certain key features unique to each species. 

Eared Doves are medium sized doves, the dark markings on their "ears" gave them their name.

The tiny, olive green birds often found on the ground are Black-faced Grassquits. Females of this species are brown; males sport a black facial mask that expands with time. A group of large, black birds with massive beaks and excessively long tails are Smooth-billed Anis, members of the cuckoo family.

Native flowering plants attract their share of pollinators; many are attended to by a host of different butterflies, moths, bees and birds. Tobago has six species of hummingbirds on record and most of them are widespread across the island. Two species are most likely already waiting in your backyard. Feisty and emerald green in the right light, Copper-rumped Hummingbirds visit flowering shrubs and small plants and sing loudly in the rain. Rufous-breasted Hermits never hesitate to observe the observer from close range, often hovering within arm’s length for a few milliseconds.

Black-throated Mangos and White-necked Jacobins, two of the larger hummingbird species on the island can often be seen battling for fresh flowers in the canopies of large trees. The Red-crowned Woodpecker is Tobago’s most widespread and common woodpecker and frequently vocalizes as it hops along the branches of trees. This woodpecker supplements its diet of insects and grubs with fruits and nectar; it even comes to hummingbird feeders for a drink!

The powder-blue Blue-grey Tanagers of Tobago are an endemic subspecies to the island.

 

Another vocal Tobago resident is the endearing Barred Antshrike. Usually seen in pairs, the two birds seem to be forever deep in conversation, their tails pumping in time with each note of their call. Males are black and white while females are a deep chestnut brown. Both sexes possess a gorgeous yellow eye.

One need not necessarily have to look in the bushes for the birds, however. Tropical Kingbirds and Grey Kingbirds love utility poles and power lines and often sit at their preferred vantage point there, high above most of the insect activity, watching intently. They periodically dart off, grab a flying insect and return to their perch to bludgeon the creature to death before swallowing it. Both are members of the Tyrant Flycatcher family, the largest family of birds on earth – with over four hundred species distributed throughout the Americas. Of all the birds within this family, the kingbirds are the most conspicuous and are typically the first ones to launch an attack against a possible intruding predator. Naturalists who visited this area hundreds of years ago noted this behaviour and deemed it somewhat tyrannical, thus giving the family its name.

 

The white eyebrow of a Bananaquit is one of its most useful identifying characteristics.

A male Black-faced Grassquit on a stump.

Tobago has no vultures, so a large, black bird soaring high in the sky is likely a Great Black Hawk, the largest raptor on the island. Small, twittering and sickle-shaped, Short-tailed Swifts dart around in small groups hunting tiny insects on the wing.

This is far from an exhaustive list of species visible from your backyard, in fact it must be said that such a list may never be possible given the nature of wild birds. They can fly, and are completely free as nature intended. At any given day or time, a species will appear for the first time and cause much excitement. Start looking before you miss it!