Labor Day, June 19, 2012. Besides going to see the Maracas Waterfall... the tallest in Trinidad... I also went with Binh Meador and her family to the Coroni Swamp. So why would anyone go to a swamp on their holiday?
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To ride in one of these spiffy boats and to see the birds, of course. In this case we're off to see a very specific variety of bird.
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But first, let's enjoy the swamp. The Coroni swamp has almost no actual land but is made up almost entirely of Mangrove trees. These trees, in addition to being pretty weird looking with roots coming out of them at all spots and dropping down into the water, are one of the few plants that tolerate salt water and air. After some years they die and start land forming in what was all salt water. And they create a habitat that's suitable for birds, snakes, crabs and a bunch of other fun animals.
So we cruise through the waterways, looking for and for the most part not seeing anything.
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| But never fear, our guide is there to point out the snakes dangling in the branches over our heads... You didn't see that one? We'll back up so you can see it better. See Binh? There's a six foot Boa Constrictor right over your head... What's wrong? You hate snakes? Sorry about that, Binh. Here take a look at these spider like crabs climbing up the Mangrove roots right next to the boat. Yes, a fun time was had by all.
But seeing Binh cower in terror about the snakes wasn't we came there for. We came to see the birds.
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Now as it turns out, the Coroni Swamp is a major habitat of the national bird of Trinidad. The Coat of Arms of the nation of Trinidad and Tobago (what do mean, your country doesn't have a coat of arms? And just one national bird? What kind of cheesy country do you live in?) features the national bird of Trinidad, the Scarlett Ibis, the national bird of Tobago, the Cocrico and the national bird of the Caribbean, the Hummingbird.
We've come to see the Scarlett Ibis. But during the course of the cruise, we only see a couple. But after an hour and a half of cruising around the swamp seeing a few herons and osprey, our guide stops the boat and we wait. But not for long.
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My poor little camera doesn't really do them justice but before long there are wave after wave of herons and Scarlett Ibis flocking to the trees on the far side of the water from us. Sometimes in twos and threes. Sometimes in dozens or more.
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Before long, the trees across the swamp are covered with them. A good pair of binoculars or a solid telephoto lens would have helped here but still it was pretty impressive seeing all those bright red birds... they turn red from eating the crabs pretty much just like Georgia does... in flight.
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