Wild Tobago

Birding is for Everyone!  Faraaz Abdool presents twelve of the many reasons that we should all be bird-watching!   Oh, birds! We’ve all experienced them at some point. Whether in passing or deliberately, birds, their superhuman abilities, and their symbolic representations have captivated humans for millennia. Presently, the term “birder” is a person who enjoys birds, irrespective of degree or methodology. While some may argue to the contrary, a person who cracks a smile upon hearing the sweet song of the wren in the morning is as much a birder as the person who sloshes through kilometres of flooded forest, battling millions of mosquitoes to catch a glimpse of a roosting potoo that looks like nothing more than a broken branch.   Being a birder is both a right and a privilege. There is no specific dress code, nor a thousand-strong species list needed to qualify one’s status as a birder. Being a birder does not make anyone into an authority either...

Pat Ganase recommends shopping for outstanding local products. Published in the Newsday on December 11, 2025 (Photos by Pat Ganase)   The malls are decorated with nutcrackers and fairies and wonderlands foreign to our tropical weather. The grocery aisles are energized by Christmas classics, from traditional carols to soca parang. All in the effort to drive sales. Businesses, corporations and some economists promote the positive effects of Christmas: more (even temporary) jobs in retail and service sectors, increases in production and spending, uptick in travel and tourism, and in some instances, generous donations to charities. While Christmas revenues in Western countries may amount to one-fifth of annual income, there is a downside to Christmas production and spending that ought to be considered: stress for consumers especially those who just cannot make ends meet; the ensuing financial struggle for those with credit cards; over-consumption and waste that result in environmen...

Anjani Ganase asks us to consider reducing waste and to give gifts that are meaningful and matter … to everyone involved, and to the planet. Christmas in our islands is seen as the occasion to spend with the loved ones ... and to spend. The commercial aspect of gift giving has overtaken the season with variety and extravagance, and with detrimental environmental impact as a result of waste production. Waste produced during Christmas fall largely into the categories of food waste, plastic and electronic pollution and an increased carbon footprint. Globally, plastic waste increases by 30% during the Christmas holidays owing to the plastic waste from product packaging, food wrappers, decorations and even gift wrapping.   It is the time when plastic cups, forks and plates may be preferred because no one wants to be bothered with the chore of dishes. Most of the plastic waste ends up in the landfills as opposed to recycling centres with a high portion of the plast...

  Faraaz Abdool invites us to welcome the birds migrating through our islands by observing them, and giving them space.     The looming winter echoes across the boreal forests and tundra of the far north from where coldness never truly leaves; icy fingers only loosen their grip for a short few weeks. The transition comes swiftly, often overnight - and so this warning must never go unheeded. Waves of wispy winter tendrils thread their way south, thickening as the north pole tilts away from the sun. Like cold air cascading from an open freezer door, it threatens the unprepared without discrimination. Those who can flee do so with urgency, not out of fear but out of deference to time-honoured traditions that form the foundations of global ecology. Human eyes and minds perceive this annual phenomenon as bird migration. Here in the southern Caribbean we bear witness to the arrival of weary wings around September.   Throughout most of thei...

Pat Ganase looks at two short films by Elspeth Duncan (published in the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, November 24, 2025)   For as long as I’ve been coming to Charlotteville – over 30 years now – there have been dogs in this village. We call them strays (even when they wore collars) pothongs or more caustically shithongs.   Amazingly, they are never fierce. Even when we brought our own pup – Jet – on one of our first trips, he was not barked at, attacked or lured away.   Around the Man-o-War Bay cottages, we feed them our scraps and bones. Most of the dogs that come around or sleep in the crawl space below the cottages are well-mannered and patient. They don’t need to speak for us to understand them. “We are here to welcome and look after you while you visit,” as they join us on the beach or the road. And in the casual way of vacations, we are friends for the while.   In recent years, we see the same dogs, the ones we called Max, Toby...