Wild Tobago

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. ...

Pat Ganase considers our well-watered island. Photos by Joanne Husain.     Water is life. It surrounds us. It refreshes and sustains us.   Having benefited from over two centuries of conservation – preserving the Main Ridge Forest Reserve - for the purpose of safeguarding rainfall, all citizens of Tobago must maintain and enhance the terrestrial features that secure and harvest water.   By protecting our rivers from degradation, pollution and deforestation, we ensure our constant and available water supply. We all live in a watershed: uphill from the coast or downhill from the mountains: it’s time we learned our place in the watershed, between the sky and the sea.   The forest reclaims the bridge over the river that runs to Dead Bay, west of Bloody Bay. Photo by Joanne Husain The protected Main Ridge Reserve extends about half the length of Tobago from the northeast and occupies over 4000 hectares; or 40 sq km in Tobago’s total terrestrial area of 3...

  Faraaz Abdool returns to Tobago’s Main Ridge Forest Reserve. Birds are everywhere. Who knows what we might find in these easily accessible forests, with a knowledgeable guide? (All photos courtesy Faraaz Abdool)   An adult male Blue-backed Manakin at the lek. Squelching through one of the many muddy trails leading into the Main Ridge Forest Reserve, I drew in a sharp, deep breath. The crisp, cool mountain air rushed into my lungs, satisfying my soul on so many levels. The pandemic had brought a months-long separation between me and Tobago’s lush rainforest. Finally, this spell was broken, and I was back. Blooming side by side, the vivid vermilion flowers of the invasive immortelle almost overshadowed the Olympic torch-like flowers of the native bois flot tree. Both species of trees provided a banquet to countless nectar and fruit seekers. From oropendolas to honeycreepers, the canopy was abuzz with activity. The raucous calls of the Rufous-vented Chachalacas were inter...

Hike the Main Ridge in Tobago. Take the Gilpin to Bloody Bay trail and immerse yourself in an authentic Tobago experience that allows insight into why the forested backbone is so vital to the health of the island. Dr Anjani Ganase follows some waterfalls to the sea.   The Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve was declared protected in 1776 for one reason – water. Guided by the findings of English scientist Stephen Hales, who noted the correlation between t rees and rainfall; Soame Jenyns, a member of the British Parliament, convinced the lawmakers that the main ridge traps the water so vital to Tobago’s fertility, climate and island ecology. Over two hundred years later the importance of the Tobago Main Ridge – more than ever – continues to hold true.                                                View of Bloody Bay at the...