[email protected] tel: (868) 667-4655 june 2018...

Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre

June 2018 [email protected] Tel: (868) 667-4655

On the weekend of our Board Meeting, we paid tribute to two of our longest-serving staff members – Juliana Walcott-Stewart and Pamella Allemany. Juliana has worked here for 35 years and Pamella, for 30 years. Thank you for your dedicated service to our nature centre!

Cheers to our long-serving sta�

”“

Juliana Walcott-Stewart and AWNC Chairman, Graham White.

Photos by Johanne Ryan

Pamella Allemany shows the token that AWNC gifted to her

In June, Dr. Carol Simon and Dr. Howard Topo� hosted a series of lectures on tropical biodiversity for our guests. They covered the topics of Social Insects of the Tropics, Rainforest Botany, Bird Brains, Primates, Tropical Amphibians and Reptiles. Thank you to Caligo Ventures for making this possible and to all members of the public who attended the lectures as well.

Biodiversity Lectures Dr. Howard Topo� and Dr. Carol Simon

Photo courtesy Howard Topo�

J U N E • PAGE 2 June 2018


By Nicholas MunvesOn 11 June, Asa Wright Nature Centre hosted Luke Rostant, a researcher from the University of the West Indies and founder of Trinibats, a bat conservation organization. After dark, Luke hung a mist net (which resembled a volleyball net) across the Discovery Trail. It ensnared almost a dozen bats over the course of the evening. Wearing heavy gloves to guard against their razor-sharp teeth, Luke invited us to see the bats up close. They resembled creatures from myth, with grotesque nostrils, beady eyes, and enormous ears. If they were any larger, bats would be the stu� of nightmares, but in the palm of your hand they are rather endearing.

Luke showed us half a dozen bat species, which showcased a great diversity of faces, diets, and lifestyles.

Conservationist sheds light on T&T’s bats

Yet we saw barely a fraction of Trinidad’s incredible bat diversity. More than seventy species are native to the island, making bats the most diverse and abundant mammal group on the island. They exhibit a colossal diversity of lifestyles. Many snatch insects from the air, while others prefer fruits. Some even sip nectar from � owers, working the

Dr. Luke Rostant examines a bat

Students from The University of Glasgow participate in the exercise Photos by Randell Duberry

night shift in the hummingbirds’ niche. Three species are vampires, bats that subsist on blood. They creep up to unsuspecting animals, often livestock and occasionally humans, make an incision with scalpel-like teeth, and drink their � ll.

Unfortunately, the habits of a few bloodthirsty species have sullied the reputation of all bats in Trinidad. Seen as livestock pests and health hazards, bats are often targets of extermination. They now face habitat loss and population decline, with potentially devastating consequences for the ecosystems they inhabit. Luke, and his colleagues at Trinibats, hope to avert the bats’ demise. Through education, they work to change the public’s perception of bats. Trinibats’ campaign has already borne fruit: the government recently moved to protect most bat species.



Atwells’ trip to the Asa Wright Nature Centre

The Prep 5 students of Atwell’s Educational Institute, a primary school in Trincity, were invited by Asa Wright Nature Centre (AWNC) to spend the morning there on Tuesday 5th June. This day is designated as World Environment Day each year and the purpose of the class’ visit was to help the Centre commemorate this year’s event. They were met by Ms. Johanne Ryan, Conservation O� cer at the Centre, and Mr. Edmund Charles of the Forestry Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries.

The day began with Mr. Charles explaining what the role of the Forestry Division is. They learnt that the Forestry Division is responsible for protecting the nation’s forests and wildlife and

On World Environment Day, students of Chaguanas North Secondary School and Atwell’s Educational Institute

(AEI) visited the Centre. Here is an account of the experience, written by students of the Prep 5 class of AEI.

Continues on next page

Design and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature CentreDesign and Layout courtesy Lonsdale Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Ltd, a friend of the Asa Wright Nature Centre


that their o� cers, such as Mr. Charles himself, travelled around the country educating citizens about ways in which they could do the same.

During the presentation, the Atwell’s students shared their ideas on the importance of forests. They discussed its role in preventing soil erosion and providing oxygen, food, habitats, medicine and even jobs through eco-tourism and logging. Mr. Charles then highlighted a critical point. When the rain falls, forests absorb water and thus help prevent � ooding, a major problem a� ecting some communities in Trinidad and Tobago. The water is

Atwells’ trip to the Asa Wright Nature Centre (continued)

From previous pagestored in aquifers and is gradually released throughout the year.

Next, Ms. Ryan took the children for a tour of the Discovery Trail which used to be the only route to Arima in the old days. Their � rst stop was the verandah where she gave them some history about the Centre. Students observed various animals eating chunks of watermelon, and hummingbirds drinking sugar water from hanging feeders. They also held a jackfruit, the largest tree-borne fruit in the world, and saw agoutis and tegu lizards (called ‘matte’ by locals). When a matte encountered an agouti, the Atwell’s students were surprised that they did not attack each other and realized they were friends.

In the Herb Garden, they touched and smelled clove and bay leaf, popular local spices. Along the trail, Ms. Ryan pointed out several interesting details such as a giant ant nest, the torch ginger plant and a strangler � g tree. They also saw male manakins dancing, like the Michael Jackson moonwalk, to attract the females.

The Prep 5 students of Atwell’s Educational Institute, thank Asa Wright Nature Centre for an enjoyable visit and for giving them a better appreciation of the value of trees and forests.



Atwells’ trip to the Asa Wright Nature Centre (continued)

From previous page



YOUNG ENVIRONMENTALISTOF THE MONTHIf you think your child, aged 5-16, has done something helpful to preserve the environment, please feel free to share it with us. Either write a short story or send a few pictures to [email protected]. He/she may be selected as our Young Environmentalist of the Month. Once your child is featured in our monthly newsletter, he/she and two adults will be given a complimentary day visit to Asa Wright Nature Centre, which includes viewing birds/animals on the verandah, a nature tour and use of the clear water pool.


Our June Visitors

From left to right: Peter O’Connor, Johanne Ryan, Martyn Kene� ck, June De Gale-Rampersad, Graham White, Janelle Penny Commissiong,Ann Sealey and Neil Mohammed.

T&T’s � rst Miss Universe, Janelle Penny Commissiong, Chair of The Tourism Trinidad Destination Management Company Ltd., visited AWNC with her fellow Board Member, Mr. Mohammed.

Photo by Johanne Ryan

Minister of Tourism, The Honourable Randall Mitchell and his son, Sebastian enjoy the ambience on our verandah. Thank you for visiting and do come again!

Photo by Johanne Ryan

ECIAF Campus FairFrom left to right: Johanne Ryan, Elizabeth Naipaul, AWNC intern Nicholas Munves and Mr. Neemedass Chandool of the Forestry Division at Asa Wright’s booth at this year’s Eastern Caribbean Institute of Agriculture and Forestry (ECIAF) Campus Fair.



By Martyn KeneifckEvery year, worldwide birding gets bigger and bigger. This year the Global Big Day event took place on 5th May. In summary, almost 28,000 birders, watching in 170 countries, recorded 1,600,000 bird sightings of no less than 6,899 species in 24 hours – that’s two thirds of the world species population. Here in T&T, no less than 178 species were recorded by 39 di� erent bird checklists.

With northbound migration all but over, the birdwatching focus transferred to our resident breeding season and rare wanderers from South America.

For the third time in four years, the seasonal highlight at Springhill was of Amethyst Woodstar. Not content with one arriving on 22nd May, and favouring the Vervain bushes along the border of the upper car park, a second appeared on 1st June, remaining at least until 14th June.

By 15th June, the second chick had � edged from our resident Green Hermit nest in the lounge. That now brings to seven, the number of broods this Mummy has successfully raised at Asa Wright and she doesn’t look like stopping any time soon. In fact, she is already doing a bit of interior decorating to the rim of her nest before starting another family.

Elsewhere in Trinidad, the most exciting news has been the con� rmed successful breeding of a pair of Crane Hawks in the south of the island. Having � rst been discovered here as recently as 2000, they have now spread to all quadrants of the island except the north and north-west.

Of wandering rarities, the appearance of a highly probable male Slaty Elaenia in dry forest within Chaguaramas National Park from 31st May to 2nd June was the undoubted highlight. Sadly it only performed for the original � nder but if accepted by the national rare birds committee, will constitute just the third ever documented record of this species for the country.

Other notable sightings included several � ocks of White-collared Swifts � ying up the Arima Valley, the long-staying Gray Heron on the tidal mud� ats at Brick� elds, a juvenile Boat-billed Heron perched beside a lake on the Millennium Golf Course at Trincity and the � rst White-faced Whistling-Ducks of the season at Aranguez on the 16th June.

Over in Tobago, two major events involved species common in Trinidad but to date never documented for the sister isle. During late May, an experienced observer heard what is likely to be the � rst Boat-billed Flycatcher for the island in the Kilgwyn Swamp area and on the 14th June, a swift photographed � ying through Cu� e River is almost certainly a Band-rumped Swift.

Elsewhere on the island, White-tailed Tropicbird sightings on Little Tobago continued during May and the now annual appearance of Black Skimmers in the south-west got underway, with 37 birds seen at Bon Accord on 28th May.

The mid-year birding doldrums – May & June

Boat-billed Heron Photo by Sataish Rampersad

[email protected] tel: (868) 667-4655 june 2018...

Documents