Scott and Amy Weidensaul spent at week at the Asa Wright Nature Centre this March to celebrate the Centre’s 50th Anniversary in partnership with Caligo Ventures.
The Asa Wright Nature Centre through the eyes of Scott Weidensaul: “In a word — fantastic! … a most memorable week.”
Caligo Group with Scott & Amy Weidensaul at Grand Riviere by Karen LeMay
Caligo Ventures Announces New Optics for Trinidad’s Asa Wright Nature Centre — in partnership with Birders’ Exchange
Birding from the AWNC Verandah by Peg Abbott
In March, ten guides and members of the education staff at the Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) in Trinidad’s scenic Arima Valley will have access to 10 brand-new pairs of binoculars. Guides and visitors alike will also benefit from three new spotting scopes and two new tripods thanks to the generosity of the American Birding Association’s Birders’ Exchange!
Birders’ Exchange (BEX) collects donated new and used equipment and distributes it to colleagues working to conserve birds and their habitats in 30 countries throughout Latin American and the Caribbean. Optics and books are allocated based on availability and requests. Continue reading New Optics at the Asa Wright Nature Centre→
2017 marks the 50th Anniversary of the famed Asa Wright Nature Centre, and we are so excited! We can think of no better way to commemorate this incredible milestone than by celebrating with author Scott Weidensaul in a style that is completely in sync with the mission of this unique non-profit: Inviting YOU to visit, learn, bird, and enjoy — Trini-style!
Scott Weidensaul by Bill Clark
So, what could be better than a late-winter trip to Trinidad and Tobago? How about a late-winter trip to this warm, bird-full island nation with a birding celebrity? Author, researcher, and educator Scott Weidensaul visits the Asa Wright Nature Centre March 18 – 25, 2017, and you’re invited to join him. Continue reading Join Scott Weidensaul at the Asa Wright Nature Centre→
We came to the Asa Wright Nature Centre for the birds, but little did we know we were in for a sweet treat — a chocolate making demonstration!
A guest blog post by Kimberly Vetter.
Kimberly Vetter & Richard Gibbon by Lynn Tennefoss
Do you like chocolate? I know I do and was pleasantly surprised when I learned I would be visiting a bona fide cacao farm during my stay at Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad for a chocolate making demonstration. (A special treat, this agro-tour is a regular feature on Caligo Venture’s all-day Blanchisseuse Road field trip in the Northern Range.) Although the island country has been growing cacao for more than 100 years, it was only recently that local growers started making actual chocolate. Continue reading Chocolate Making at Brasso Seco Paria→
Asa Wright Nature Centre: Where the birding is only surpassed by the staff.
By guest blogger Kimberly Vetter
Group Birding in Trinidad by Dodie Logue
Let me start with a disclaimer: I am a casual birder. I enjoy adding new finds to my life list and I don’t mind going the extra mile to do so as long as I have a guide to help me – OK hold my hand – along the way.
I guess the format of Birdwatcher’s Digest‘s The Big Sit! worldwide bird survey is pretty well known by now. On one designated day every year, you bird-watch from dawn till dusk at one particular site never straying outside of a five meter radius and document the number of species you see or hear. This year, the event took place on the weekend of 8 – 9 October. We chose the Saturday. Continue reading The Big Sit! 2016 at the AWNC→
By Martyn Kenefick, author of Birds of Trinidad & Tobago
The Asa Wright Nature Centre’s Famed Verandah by Peg Abbott
Once again it was time to participate in The Big Sit! at the Asa Wright Nature Centre verandah. Last October, the sometimes lonely vigil was maintained by Ann and myself, with occasional help from other members of staff. This year we were joined by Conservation Officer Kimberly and had periodic help from trail guides Mukesh, Barry, Brandon, and Elsa together with visitors Dan and Danielle from Massachusetts and not forgetting continual encouragement from the 26 member contingent of Saw Mill River Audubon Society, New York. We certainly were not lonely. Continue reading The Big Sit! 2015 at the Asa Wright Nature Centre→