Darren Henry, Nature Lovers   Come to Tobago and go birding with Darren Henry - a trained forester and certified tour guide. WHOLE DAY birding tours can be arranged for keen birders.

Tobago offers many excellent locations for spotting tropical birds and migratory species, in relative ease and comfort. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve was voted "Best Eco-destination in the World" in 2003 for its excellent state of preservation and the quality of birding experiences. Darren is right at home in this setting having being born in Tobago. His tours centre around 4 main birding locations.

ALL tours are personalised, usually with 2 - 5 persons. Groups by special arrangement. BINOCULARS are useful to have - it may be possible to use an extra pair from Darren. The four main birding locations, each with distinctive birding experiences, are: South West Tobago - the Grafton Caledonian Bird Sanctuary The Wetlands at Bon Accord and the Hilton ponds. North East Tobago - Little Tobago Bird Sanctuary Central - the Main Ridge Forest Reserve.

GRAFTON CALEDONIAN BIRD SANCTUARY This was a cocoa and coconut estate up to 1963 when the island was devastated by Hurricane Flora. The hurricane destroyed both the Estate and its crops, which the owners believed could not possibly be rescued. They decided to convert the area into a bird sanctuary to rescue the hard-hit bird population. The birds are fed at 8 am and 4 pm daily. The Sanctuary is approx. 200 acres in size and is covered in secondary forest comprising Diospyros spp. Citharexylum spp, Spondias spp and many other trees and shrubs. Among the birds seen there are the White Fringed Antwren, the Yellow Breasted Flycatcher and the Red Rumped Woodpecker.

THE WETLANDS Wetlands are diverse habitats. On Tobago there are numerous small wetland areas which are excellent for birdwatching. The most popular wetland birding spots are the Bon Accord wetland area and the Hilton ponds. Migratory species such as Whimbrels, Blue Winged Teals, White Cheeked Pintails, Common Snipes, Little and Snowy Egrets, can be seen. At times an ideal comparison can be made between the Little and Snowy Egret.

LITTLE TOBAGO BIRD SANCTUARY This off-shore wildlife sanctuary was formerly known as the Bird of paradise Island. It is located east of the fishing village of Speyside on the Atlantic coast. Access is by a boat ride of approx. 15 minutes. The island is 250 acres in size and is covered by the only remaining Semi-deciduous Seasonal forest found in Tobago. Among the sea birds which can be seen here are the spectacular Red-billed Tropic bird, and the Brown Booby along with forest-type bird species.

MAIN RIDGE RAINFOREST RESERVE Tobago boasts of having the oldest forest reserve in the Western Hemisphere (1765). The reserve was established mainly to protect the watershed. It is a tropical evergreen lower montane rainforest which receives approx. 80 inches of rainfall per annum. The main tree species here comprise the Byrsonima and Licania. With the worldwide increase in Eco-tourism, five (5) nature trails were added to the reserve in 1986, increasing it's recreational potential. The area is a proposed National Park and is used for Birding, research and education. In 2003 the Main Ridge Forest Reserve was voted the "Best Eco-Destination in the World" by World Travel Awards, New York. A visit to the rainforest is richly interesting experience. Some of the birds which can be seen are the White tailed Sabrewinged Hummingbird, the Blue Backed Manakin, the Golden Olive Woodpecker, the Streaked Flycatcher and many others.