Wild Tobago

Faraaz Abdool considers winged visitors from across the Atlantic; especially those that don’t naturally reside here. What is it, he asks, about our islands that seems to welcome migrants travelling on wind and a prayer. All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool   In birding jargon, the word “vagrant” applies to a bird which appears in a region vastly different from its home range. This does not necessarily apply to human-assisted travel, for example hitchhikers on ships or victims of the global exotic pet trade. Vagrancy in birding refers to a species which has accidentally arrived in a foreign land while on migration or an extensive foraging mission. Here in Trinidad and Tobago - an equatorial territory sitting on major migratory flyways in the western hemisphere - not many American (either North or South) species qualify as bona fide vagrants. Above, a Grey Heron in its natural habitat alongside Nile Crocodiles and a sleeping African Spoonbill.  Below, a Grey Heron in a marshlan...

  Jonathan Barcant talks about the partnerships needed to restore natural environments. Life changing experiences while working in extractive industries brought him to a quest for green engineering solutions. Now, he is part of a growing army of champions for the restoration of nature. He talks with Anjani Ganase.   How did you get into this field? I am a civil engineer, specialized in soils, water and environment. After leaving university, I took a job with a large engineering company in Canada, where the main projects I worked on were in the mining industry. Within a couple years, I realized that my work was contributing to degradation and loss. I found myself desperately searching for green engineering solutions. This lead me to vetiver grass and the Vetiver System (VS) as a very unique green infrastructure approach.   My company Vetiver TT Ecological Engineering Solutions Ltd specializes in the use of vetiver grass which can create livelihood opportunities ...

Dr Anjani Ganase joins the dots from lockdown in pandemic to climate change and how our lives are changed. The key is to see ourselves as active participants, responsible for the health of the earth in whichever corner we find ourselves.   Last week we celebrated World Environment Day on June 5 with the international theme of Re-imagine. Recreate. Restore ; a call to action to regenerate and restore our natural ecosystems in the world that has been ravaged by human exploitations.   This week, World Oceans Day on June 8 was observed with the theme of The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods highlighting interconnectivity with the ocean and its resources. This is especially pertinent to island nations that depend on ocean resources yet lack understanding of the marine ecosystems and how they function. In 2021, both days occur in the first year of the UN Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development, a decade that pushes efforts to reverse the damage to ...

With pandemic life affecting us all, we envy the raw freedom of birds; no better time to look outside and witness the constantly unfolding spectacle of life. Many species are nesting and feeding babies, you would be surprised to know exactly how many birds are with you all along. Youngish birder   Faraaz Abdool invites everyone to get to know the birds that share our space. He wants especially the youth to check out the T&T Young Birders’ Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ttyoungbirdersclub All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool.   Birds have captivated our minds for millennia. Their mesmerizing mastery of the air frustrated and hypnotized humans at the same time. Artists wanted to replicate their unending chromatic diversity in paint, scientists wanted to study the creatures and people coveted the most resplendent feathers for self-adornment. In the early days it was necessary to trap and kill the bird to be able to view and study it, fortunately we became we...