Wild Tobago

Faraaz Abdool makes a case for the indigenous and endangered Pawi to be the bird on our highest currency note   Here in Trinidad and Tobago, we are immensely lucky to have some of the most beautiful currency notes in the world. Adorned with artwork and security features, our notes are periodically updated to reflect culturally significant facets of our lives. One of the most biodiverse places on the planet, ours is one of only two countries in the world to have two officially recognized national birds: the Scarlet Ibis and the Rufous-vented Chachalaca or Cocrico.   Our Coat of Arms is adorned by a trio of hummingbirds from the 18 species found here. Birds are also prominent in our currency, with the front of each note featuring a different bird!   Although we gained independence and our own currency in 1962, it was only after the second revision in 1977 that the first birds were introduced on the bills. At this point, not every note had a bird either. The $5, $2...

  Dr Anjani Ganase warns that we should pay attention to the most recent rise of the Avian Influenza (H5N1) which is wreaking havoc among domestic and wild populations of birds. Here is what you need to know.   A brief history of Avian Influenza (H5N1)   Avian Influenza first arose in the nineties in farmed geese in Southern China, resulting in the die off of 40 % of the farmed population in the area before spreading across Asia, Africa and Europe. The avian influenza has resulted in deaths of millions of farmed birds with some transmission to wild bird populations, as well as some cross over infections to humans as a zoonotic disease.   In Southern China, Guangzhou province is sub-tropical with a long humid summer season supporting a wetlands and river systems used for farming and agriculture. It is also a major wintering ground for migratory birds.   Around the time of the first major avian outbreak in 1996, China had ramped up its poultry farming by 3...

Faraaz Abdool asks us to sharpen our other senses as we walk in the rainforest. When we least expect it, we may be lucky to hear, and maybe see, these birds that are good at hiding.   Wherever we are on the planet, the probability of seeing a bird is always high. On an island as compact as Tobago, it is impossible to escape them! Yet, there are several species that exist alongside those we’re accustomed to that are rarely encountered. This is most apparent in wild areas such as the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Here, there is ample space, a network of undulating hills covered in untamed forest for all forms of feathered friends to proliferate.   Within a habitat such as this, a variety of factors can contribute to the bird being infrequently seen. Perhaps it feeds on a low-density food and thus requires considerable territory from which it can subsist. In that case it is purely up to luck and chance for the human observer to cross paths with this specie...

Pat Ganase goes on holiday in Charlotteville and takes a turn in the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. (All photos by Pat Ganase)   Zolani Frank lives at the Campbleton end of Charlotteville beach in Man-o-War Bay, at northeast Tobago. We know him from a recent tour of Little Tobago which Zolani (call me Zee) regularly conducts.   On this day, he proposes a walk in the woods through the Main Ridge Forest Reserve. It’s not a hard hike he assures us, and we’ll go “as the vibes take us.” Let’s take the Northside Road from Charlotteville. We rise above Campbleton; Man-o-War Bay is spread behind us. There’s Booby Island, Lover’s (Pink Sand) Bay and in the furthest distance Pirates Bay. The hills above are green with rainy season overgrowth. Scars of raw earth show where the land slipped in the last rainy season. Bamboo clumps tower above many tall trees. “Bamboo is now 30% of forest biomass in Tobago,” says Zolani. An iguana lazes on one sturdy bent bamboo. ...

Dr Anjani Ganase provides a review of recent scientific studies on Manta rays, tropical forests, Antarctic sea ice and coral reefs. Manta Ray nursery off Florida   Monitoring of the giant oceanic manta ray ( Mobula birostris ) populations along the southeast coast of Florida has led scientists to believe that there is a manta ray nursery. Most of the mantas observed in the area were immature. This nursery would be one of three identified globally. The tracking of manta species over the years within this specific area reveal a high return to the area; some individuals were recorded multiple times over the four-year window.   Manta ray with diver, Socorro. Credit:  Hannes Klostermann / Ocean Image Bank Manta rays are relatively understudied yet the giant oceanic manta ray is endangered according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list. Genetic research also indicates the Western Atlantic rays may be a distinct species...