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In the Bird Lane
By Helga Trim
Newsday August 2009
TRINIDAD may be the land of the hummingbird, but Tobago has its
fair share of fluttering residents. And Adventure Farm and Nature
Reserve, on the Arnos Vale Road, Adventure, Plymouth, seems to be
their chosen place of abode. Not even at Asa Wright, where there are
more species of hummingbirds, did I see so many in one sighting.
Yes, there’s more to Tobago than Store Bay and Pigeon Point. The
island won the World Travel Awards for “Best Eco-Destination in
the World” and also the “#1 Eco-Destination in the Caribbean”
from the Caribbean Travel Awards Committee.
Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve is just one of the places that
gives credence to such honours. As I walked up the slope, my eyes
could see the trees covered with mangoes and the ground carpeted
with the fruit that is bountiful this season. I thought to myself,
in Trinidad, the owners (passers-by) would pick the mangoes before
they even had a chance to hit the ground.
Petra greeted me at the top, ready to give me a soursop drink
made from soursop grown on this 12-acre estate. Water was all I
craved in the heat, and she gladly obliged. When I spotted two jars
of mango chutney on a table with information about the birds, I
realized that most of those mangoes I had seen on my way up ended in
such delicious fare.
Ean Mackay, the owner of this lush, organic estate, informed me
that they make drinks as well as ice cream with the mangoes. In
fact, all the fruits are used for products sold on the estate.
Adventure Farm and Nature Reserve is a sustainable venture that
reminds me of the old days my mother talks about. Back then, the
true value of land was measured by its produce.
In these days of eco- and agro-tourism, Tobago is a good place to
see how it works. I went to see birds and saw much more than I
expected. Hummingbirds up close and stationary was something I had
never seen before, not even in Ecuador where one can find as many as
52 species of hummingbirds. But there they were at Adventure Farm
and Nature Reserve just chilling out on a branch, five in a row.
Granted this lasted all of two minutes. Two memorable minutes that
make this Plymouth stop worthy of a break from the beach.
There were literally dozens of birds feeding from hanging feeders
or eating bananas in a luxury birdhouse or branches that day. About
a dozen and a half were hummingbirds. Their lithe tongues moved as
fast as their wings as they flew in for Ean’s gourmet concoction.
There were a couple straggler Ruby-topaz Hummingbirds who did not
migrate to the mainland with the rest of their flock. Their ruby-red
plumes lit up in the sunlight as they fluttered their wings about 51
times per second. I did not count.
In all there are five types of hummingbirds on the estate. And in
between hummingbird feedings, other birds flew in and out. I saw
little yellow birds that Ean said were the birds sung about in
“yellow bird way up on banana tree”.
“Those are bananaquits”, Ean pointed out. I think they like the
sound of the ship’s bell Ean rings when it’s time for feeding
because they come in droves. There was a Red-crowned Woodpecker
family enjoying the day on their tree. The baby’s feathers hadn’t
fully filled out yet. I could have sat and let the world pass by as
the birds did their thing.
Some people choose to stay at the charming villas or the
apartment on the estate se they could enjoy the full benefits of
life among the birds and the trees. There are even bees. The two
self-contained villas, somewhat reminiscent of living in a tree
house, are constructed with Guyana hard woods and furnished with all
the comforts on a four-star hotel. Guests can literally reach out
and touch nature. They can pick aromatic herbs from the garden to
put in the meals they prepare knowing everything is fresh. Energy in
the house is all run on solar panels which make the house a bit more
green and cut down on costs.
I eventually did do a half-hour tour around the estate with Ean
and his guide dogs, Heidi the Labrador and Lexie the lady of mixed
pedigree. But the birds were the main attraction. Adventure Farm and
Nature Reserve is open from 7am Monday to Saturday. Ean says the
best time to see a multitude of birds is early morning or late
afternoon. I was there mid-afternoon and I saw plenty. |
