Birdwatching at Quinam Bay.

This combination cycling and hiking bird watching trail lies within the protected Southern Watershed Game Sanctuary. It starts at the corner of the Penal – Quinam Bay Road and the S.S. Erin Road at 10.16406°N and -61.46937°W. The first leg of this activity is great for an early morning bike ride. It should be done as early as possible because you’d be exposed to intense sunlight for most of this trek. There is some canopy cover upon entering the Southern Watershed Game Sanctuary at 10.09712°N and -61.50488°W. Follow the Penal – Quinam Bay Road heading 185°. Turn left heading 171° at the concrete bridge located at 10.13137°N and -61.47398°W. Continue heading 242° at the junction located at 10.11295°N and -61.50269°W. From here on you’d have lots of opportunities for really good bird sightings. Range Resources Trinidad Limited has their Mourne Diablo Farmout facility along here as well as several on-land hydrocarbon extraction pumps. There are several service roads through the Teak forest that leads to some of these mechanical pumps. There are quite a lot of birds that nest and feed along these service roads. The Quinam Bay Recreation Park is operated by the Ministry of Forestry and is located at 10.07737°N and -61.50965°W. The Quinam Bay Car Park is located at 10.07310°N and -61.50828°W. Here there are shower and toilet facilities as well as vendors selling locally made food and so on. The hiking trail is located at 10.073047°N and -61.508293°W starting at a small staircase and concrete tiled table. It skirts along the coastline and has several vantage points overlooking Quinam Bay from the top of the hill. The first such vantage point where I was able to get very exceptional photographs of Quinam Bay is 10.073010°N and -61.508678°W. This point is 17m above mean sea level. Another such vantage point is located at 10.07306°N and -61.50905°W at an elevation of 18m above mean sea level. There is a three way junction on the trail at 10.07335°N and -61.51069°W. I continued straight on and the trail ended not far along at 10.07325°N and -61.55117°W. At the three way junction a left turn follows along a very breezy path located at 10.07318°N and -61.51056°W at an elevation of 35m above mean sea level. This trail leads down to the beach. It is short but involves a steep climb down that might prove slippery of its raining. There are many different bird species along this short trail. The very close proximity to the Delta del Orinoco National Park on the Venezuelan mainland makes it ideal for spotting some of the migratory birds from South America. On my trek I was able to photograph quite a few of them. I also noticed quite a lot of hawks and kites along this trail...
Take care to walk with lots of bug spray. The first portion of the trail is exposed so sunscreen is essential. The second leg of the trail from Quinam Bay is covered under canopy and quite breezy. Be on alert for illegal hunting and trap guns that are maliciously set. Additionally, if you must venture along this trail take company and give yourself enough daylight time to complete it. The close proximity to the mainland and the mangrove cover makes it ideal for drug smugglers ferrying drugs from producers in South America through Trinidad bound for markets in North America...
Happy Trails...