Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 22/Jan 02:58

A day in the Trinidad wild

This newspaper started its Thursday (marine) environmental column in July 2016 in the edition of the paper printed and distributed free in Tobago. Dr Anjani Ganase, then a PhD candidate in Australia, wanted to spread awareness and inspire appreciation of their marine environment with residents of Tobago just as she was herself learning more about the ocean in her studies of marine biology and coral reefs around the world. All the weekly columns have been collected in the Wild Tobago blogspot and shared on-line; and are still available at www.wildtobago.blogspot.com This feature, published January 22, 2026, in the on-line edition of the Newsday, is the 500th column. Over the time, she has shared the space, every Thursday, with other environmental thinkers, scientists and activists. She felt it was fitting that this 500th should go to the other end of the islands to showcase another unique ecosystem existing in Trinidad. One of the principles of this column is the idea that all ecosystems are connected, from the mountain to the reef, from rivers to the ocean, savannahs to wetlands; another is the wonder that all creatures in the ocean, as on land, are also connected and worthy of our regard for their places in this vast web of life that some call Earth, some Ocean, still others Gaia (our planetary ecosystem). And so, a small team comprising Faraaz Abdool, who has thrilled with his birding features and photography and Anjani Ganase, coral reef ecologist, together with friends, chose to celebrate and honour the spaces that have been available to them in the Newsday with an adventure to Icacos. Journey to the end of the road Anjani: I was never averse to new adventures, whether it was to travel to Australia to live on a remote island or to start writing a weekly column for the Trinidad and Tobago Newsday in the midst of my PhD. I was only afraid I would talk myself out of it. This weekend was no different, though sleep has become very precious to me. We planned to journey from the north of Trinidad to the southern toe to view the incredible wildlife of the Icacos wetlands, the best time for viewing was sunrise. We left Santa Cruz at 3.30 am to drive to the south western tip of the island. We bundled into the car in the dark with light only emerging as we enter Icacos. Here in the gathering day was a place as magical as the lakes of Kenya or the wetlands of Australia. With fellow Wild Tobago naturalists Faraaz and Joanne Husain, we stood in awe as the sky turned yellow-salmon-pink-blue. Over the years, Faraaz and I have written perspectives of the world we study: for me life below the ocean while Faraaz looks to the skies. Other contributors have connected with people to tell their stories and engagements in the natural world. Icacos magic Faraaz: We arrived just as the first glimmer of light began to touch the eastern horizon, the wetland beginning to shift from night into day. As the sun began peeping over the horizon and twilight rays stretched their way across the mostly vacant sky, the dawn chorus began. Hordes of Carib Grackles – familiar to most as urban denizens divebombing unsuspecting passers-by, this time in their native preferred wetland habitat – jostled for position among the branches of the swamp ferns. The grackles all seemed to have something to say, with the males eagerly bending forward as they belted their songs under a salmon sky. In smaller groups were their close relatives, the spectacular yellow-hooded blackbirds. Closer to the road, the rattles of many pairs of wily yellow-chinned spinetails drew us with their sound. [caption id="attachment_1203845" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Any reminder of keeping the place clean seems to encourage some people to litter. - Photo courtesy Joanne Husain[/caption] As we reconnected with the natural world in this sonic landscape, we were jolted back to our senses when a very unfriendly growl broke through the din. Was it a jaguar that had floated across from the Orinoco? Did we just deny ourselves several hours of sleep to become tomorrow’s headline? No, it was the deep bellow of a large male spectacled caiman, eager to pass his genes onto the next generation. We observed him as he drifted closer to a smaller caiman, gradually raising his snout and tail before emitting a series of rhythmic grunts. These ultra-low vocalisations were accompanied by a display of “dancing water” over his back (also known as Faraday waves.) Overhead, a flock of more than 50 scarlet ibis whirled past, so close we could hear the swishing of their wings. In the distance, a few ospreys sat patiently on high perches, waiting for to see into the shallow water. At the water’s edge, wattled jacanas picked at tiny bits of floating vegetation and common gallinules, wary of our presence, took hurried, clumsy flights toward more dense cover. Signs posted on both sides of the roadway bisecting the lagoon claimed this as protected space, but the birds’ furtive behaviour led us to believe that some people may have ignored that guidance. [caption id="attachment_1203832" align="alignnone" width="819"] A scarlet ibis preens itself along the road at Icacos village. - Photo courtesy Faraaz Abdool[/caption] We eventually departed and took a slow drive through some of the adjoining estates. A trio of muscovy ducks dipped into the distant vegetation, a towering cocoi heron eyed a tasty cascadoux and a flock of fork-tailed flycatchers took wing. Typically, these ornate, distinctive birds are here during the austral winter, but this group belonged to a different subspecies with different habits. As the sun rose higher, we turned our attention northeast. A pass in Pointe-a-Pierre Faraaz has inherited membership from two generations of family members who were members of the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust after it started in 1966 so we stopped to see some of their birds: all the ducks, a cocoi heron on a perch above the pond filled with duckweed; and macaws. The Trust continues to be a beacon of conservation, education, and positive action: surely we saw evidence of their efforts a few hours earlier: three wild muscovy ducks in Icacos. Muscovy ducks were hunted to extinction on our islands, but thanks to the Wildfowl Trust’s determined breed-and-release programme, they are now in a few remote locations on Trinidad. Also on the Trust’s protected land is Freebird Restaurant, run by sibling duo Rhenard and Rhe-Anne Callendar (R Squared). Like Faraaz, they are both long-time visitors to the Pointe-a-Pierre Wildfowl Trust. Freebird Restaurant provides spectacular, world-class meals with a local twist, and this was where we settled for brunch. Respecting the web of life in TT Anjani: Wild Tobago articles championed nature when the government planned to hand over our only marine protected area to the development of the all-inclusive Sandals resort. They argued that it would enhance the marine environment. Scientists and Tobago marine operators were part of the effort to highlight the value of the only extensive and interconnected coral reef to seagrass and mangrove ecosystem in the country, protection declared since the 70s. [caption id="attachment_1203838" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A carib grackle is in full display mode. - Photo courtesy Fraaaz Abdool[/caption] Today, the Rocky Point ecosystem linked to Mt Irvine Reef is under threat from hotel and housing development. Mt Irvine Reef is one of the remaining intact and healthy reefs in south-west Tobago and supports the best surfing on the island. Why this push for large-scale coastal development despite international and local best practices around management and protection of these dynamic and sensitive areas? The future of TT’s biodiversity is uncertain. Marine ecosystems are already suffering the onslaught of climate change, and still our government is slow to implement even basic marine management activities which would employ citizens and advocate the value of nature. Too few natural biodiversity hotspots are actively protected even with legislative backing, while many lack any legal protections at all. Our twin islands, our unique geographic location, hold an incredible mix of Caribbean and South American diversity. Too few citizens are aware or recognise the need for protected natural spaces, while developers see these as waiting to be sub-divided. We are hopeful that environmental story tellers will continue to be afforded vehicles to enlighten our communities. We also hope that other media would be receptive to exposing and advocating our islands’ wonderful natural diversity. The Wild Tobago Journey, what next? [caption id="attachment_1203836" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The spectacled caiman at the peak of his display. - Photo courtesy Fraaaz Abdool[/caption] Everyone can undertake a Wild Tobago journey anywhere in our islands. Beaches. Rivers. Mountain trails. Birds. Coral reefs. Wetlands. Savannahs. Every place on our islands offers an experience to anyone willing to see, to learn, to be amazed. With your eyes, your appreciation, your wonder and respect, you help create the villages that care, that are conscious of purpose among the inhabitants of the shared land, sky and ocean spaces. If we can learn to care for birds in our backyards, for the animals we don’t have to see, for fish we don’t have to eat, maybe we will care more for each other.   The post A day in the Trinidad wild appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.