ARIMA, Trinidad (AP) The Asa Wright Nature
Center, deep in the northern Trinidad rain forest, is
not only one of the most spectacular places to
observe exotic birds it is one of the most civilized.
Its a place where English visitors take afternoon tea on
the sprawling verandah and exclaim, Oh, how perfectly
lovely, as a brilliantly hued hummingbird hovers
dramatically before their faces.
Its also a place of extreme contrasts a small space of
luxury surrounded by Trinidads Northern Range,
mountains that reach some 3,000 feet (1,000 meters)
and spread from the eastern tip of the island to its
westernmost reach.
The 1,100-acre (440-hectare) center dips and rises with
the contours of the lush Arima Valley. The drive up to it
is a breathtaking scene reminiscent of an old Tarzan
movie.
Unlike other Caribbean islands, Trinidad is actually a
small piece of the South American continent, separated
from Venezuela by an ancient cataclysm. Locals say
thats why flora and fauna are much more diverse and
plentiful than on other islands and why Asa Wright is
world-famous among botanists, entomologists, assorted
naturalists and bird-watchers of every kind.
On hand are more than 400 recorded species of birds,
108 mammals, 55 reptiles, 617 kinds of butterflies and
2,300 flowering plants.
This diversity led Marilyn Kolton, a visitor from the Illinois
Audubon Society, to call the park a bird-watchers
paradise in its promotional literature.
The visual feast starts the moment you walk through the
reception area of the main house, a 90-year-old building
with hardwood floors and portraits of Asa Wright, who
once owned the former coffee, cocoa and citrus
plantation that now houses the center.
On the verandah, feeders hang from the roof and an
assortment of hummingbirds zip back and forth, their
wings fluttering up to 200 times per second and hearts
beating 1,260 times per minute. Its easy to see why the
Carib Indians named Trinidad Iere, meaning the land of
the hummingbird.
Lean over the railing and look down to where the staff has
laid out fruit for the birds. You can see 40 species just
from there, including red-legged honeycreepers,
blue-and-scarlet tanagers and golden-headed manakins.
The surrounding trees are alive with birdsong and color.
Huge, menacing matte lizards skulk on the sidewalks
looking for scraps.
Just down the sidewalk leading from the main house is
the herb garden, with lemon grass, Spanish thyme and
torch ginger. Past the garden are lime, banana and
grapefruit trees, and past those the trails begin.
There are at least two tours a day included with the price
of admission ($6). The guides are friendly, knowledgeable
and quite convincing as they warn you to stay on the
trails.
We are surrounded by breeding grounds of pit vipers,
guide Joel Ramtahal tells a recent group. They definitely
bite and you can die within two hours. Well be sticking
to the trails today.
The center receives roughly 8,000 day-visitors a year and
about 2,000 guests who stay overnight at the 24-room
lodge (double rooms are $81 per night), but the trails
rarely seem crowded.
There are also environmental education programs and a
rare-bird committee that visitors can call to report lucky
finds.
Someone spotted a short-tailed pygmy tyrant a couple
of months ago, says guide Sheldon Driggs, delivering
the momentous report. It was the first time that bird was
seen in Trinidad and Tobago in 30 years.
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