RFI: Trinidad Asa Wright

[sally wech]

On a non avian note - Be forewarned - when I stayed at Asa Wright the chiggers were very plentiful even when we stayed on the walks.  You might want to take precaution.

Sally Wech




     

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[Cindy Beckman]

This was our experience in Trinidad as well.  We met and birded with other couples from England and California, two of whom became the unfortunate hosts of chiggers.  Having never encountered or even heard of chiggers before, they had no idea what the itchy rash was or what they might do for it.  Take precautions to avoid and/or deter chiggers in Trinidad! 



________________________________
From: sally wech <aixxss@...>
To: BIRDCHAT@...
Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 3:54:12 PM
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] RFI: Trinidad Asa Wright

On a non avian note - Be forewarned - when I stayed at Asa Wright the chiggers were very plentiful even when we stayed on the walks.  You might want to take precaution.

Sally Wech




     

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html


BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html

[Richard ZainEldeen]

Yes, it is true that Trinidad is a wonderful place for chiggers. I
know; I made the mistake of going down into the underbrush after my
thermos fell off a wall. I made a further mistake by not taking a
shower that evening. By morning my legs were so covered with itchy, red
welts that you couldn't see the original skin. The caretakers at Asa
Wright who were Trinidad natives told me it was the worst case of
chigger bites they had ever seen. The only thing that gave some relief
was hydrogen peroxide.

Richard ZainEldeen
Brooklyn, New York

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html

[Laurie Foss]

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my RFI. Lots of great info - I
really appreciate it!
The info about chiggers was something that was missing from the literature
I've reviewed - imagine that! I'm so glad to know how bad they can be. Here
in Texas, we are well acquainted with the little bugs and I will be prepared
for them now, thanks to you wonderful Birdchatters.

Laurie Foss
Austin, TX

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 3:40 PM, Richard ZainEldeen <richjack115@...>wrote:

> Yes, it is true that Trinidad is a wonderful place for chiggers. I know; I
> made the mistake of going down into the underbrush after my thermos fell off
> a wall. I made a further mistake by not taking a shower that evening. By
> morning my legs were so covered with itchy, red welts that you couldn't see
> the original skin. The caretakers at Asa Wright who were Trinidad natives
> told me it was the worst case of chigger bites they had ever seen. The only
> thing that gave some relief was hydrogen peroxide.
>
> Richard ZainEldeen
> Brooklyn, New York
>
> BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
>

--
Laurie Foss

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html

[Joseph Morlan-2]

It's always best to prevent chiggers in the first place rather than trying
to do anything about it afterwards.  In avoiding chiggers at Asa Wright, I
avoided sitting on the many inviting wooden benches around the grounds and
trails.  A lot of people picked up chiggers by sitting on those benches.  

It is possible to see the Trinidad Piping Guan near Asa Wright without the
long journey over the mountains to the area where they are more reliable.
We had good views one morning at the summit of Blancheusse Road in January
2007.  But they are probably more reliable elsewhere and we were lucky.  

I believe somebody mentioned that there are no chiggers on Tobago and my
experience confirms this.  I was disappointed in the Blue Waters resort
with mediocre accommodations and food.  On our visit there was trash all
around the grounds.  We also stayed at and much preferred a new lodge on
the other side of Tobago called  Cuffie River Lodge.  Accommodations and
food were outstanding there.

Also I can unhesitatingly recommend booking through Caligo Tours:

http://www.caligo.com/

We missed a day of our trip because of a canceled flight.  After we got
home, we got a refund for the lost day at Asa Wright in the mail from
Caligo within three days.

Usual disclaimers apply.  I have no financial interest in any agencies or
facilities mentioned other than as a customer.  

On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:40:27 -0400, Richard ZainEldeen
<richjack115@...> wrote:

>Yes, it is true that Trinidad is a wonderful place for chiggers. I
>know; I made the mistake of going down into the underbrush after my
>thermos fell off a wall. I made a further mistake by not taking a
>shower that evening. By morning my legs were so covered with itchy, red
>welts that you couldn't see the original skin. The caretakers at Asa
>Wright who were Trinidad natives told me it was the worst case of
>chigger bites they had ever seen. The only thing that gave some relief
>was hydrogen peroxide.
>
>Richard ZainEldeen
>Brooklyn, New York
>
>BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
>Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html

--
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA        jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu
SF Birding Classes start Nov. 3    http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee  http://www.californiabirds.org/
Western Field Ornithologists       http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html

[Laurie Foss]

Thanks for the advice to not sit on benches - you won't find me there now!

Laurie

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 4:17 PM, Joseph Morlan <jmorlan@...> wrote:

> It's always best to prevent chiggers in the first place rather than trying
> to do anything about it afterwards.  In avoiding chiggers at Asa Wright, I
> avoided sitting on the many inviting wooden benches around the grounds and
> trails.  A lot of people picked up chiggers by sitting on those benches.
>
> It is possible to see the Trinidad Piping Guan near Asa Wright without the
> long journey over the mountains to the area where they are more reliable.
> We had good views one morning at the summit of Blancheusse Road in January
> 2007.  But they are probably more reliable elsewhere and we were lucky.
>
> I believe somebody mentioned that there are no chiggers on Tobago and my
> experience confirms this.  I was disappointed in the Blue Waters resort
> with mediocre accommodations and food.  On our visit there was trash all
> around the grounds.  We also stayed at and much preferred a new lodge on
> the other side of Tobago called  Cuffie River Lodge.  Accommodations and
> food were outstanding there.
>
> Also I can unhesitatingly recommend booking through Caligo Tours:
>
> http://www.caligo.com/
>
> We missed a day of our trip because of a canceled flight.  After we got
> home, we got a refund for the lost day at Asa Wright in the mail from
> Caligo within three days.
>
> Usual disclaimers apply.  I have no financial interest in any agencies or
> facilities mentioned other than as a customer.
>
> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:40:27 -0400, Richard ZainEldeen
> <richjack115@...> wrote:
>
> >Yes, it is true that Trinidad is a wonderful place for chiggers. I
> >know; I made the mistake of going down into the underbrush after my
> >thermos fell off a wall. I made a further mistake by not taking a
> >shower that evening. By morning my legs were so covered with itchy, red
> >welts that you couldn't see the original skin. The caretakers at Asa
> >Wright who were Trinidad natives told me it was the worst case of
> >chigger bites they had ever seen. The only thing that gave some relief
> >was hydrogen peroxide.
> >
> >Richard ZainEldeen
> >Brooklyn, New York
> >
> >BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
> >Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
>
> --
> Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA        jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu
> SF Birding Classes start Nov. 3    http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/<http://fog.ccsf.edu/%7Ejmorlan/>
> California Bird Records Committee  http://www.californiabirds.org/
> Western Field Ornithologists
> http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/
>
> BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
>

--
Laurie Foss

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html

[Pepe Rojas]

Avoid grassy areas and when you come back from the trails shower and get a clean set of clothes. Especially underwear. Chiggers like the "tight" areas of underwear. Also you could buy the "buzz off" cloth from Ex Officio which works very well but is a little bit pricy. Another equally good option is to use the same product use in those clothes and do it yourself. There are several presentations of Permethrin on outdoors stores like REI and you can treat your garments and it will last in some cases up to 25 washes. Ihave tried several times in different parts of the neotropics with great success.

I hope it helps and enjoy Trinidad

Good birding

Pepe

Pepe Rojas

Naturalist and Birding Guide

Peru,Ecuador, Brasil and Bolivia

Palo Alto, California

Mobile in USA [phone]



--- On Wed, 10/28/09, Laurie Foss <lauriefoss@...> wrote:

From: Laurie Foss <lauriefoss@...>
Subject: Re: [BIRDCHAT] Trinidad and chiggers
To: BIRDCHAT@...
Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 3:38 AM

Thanks for the advice to not sit on benches - you won't find me there now!

Laurie

On Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 4:17 PM, Joseph Morlan <jmorlan@...> wrote:

> It's always best to prevent chiggers in the first place rather than trying
> to do anything about it afterwards.  In avoiding chiggers at Asa Wright, I
> avoided sitting on the many inviting wooden benches around the grounds and
> trails.  A lot of people picked up chiggers by sitting on those benches.
>
> It is possible to see the Trinidad Piping Guan near Asa Wright without the
> long journey over the mountains to the area where they are more reliable.
> We had good views one morning at the summit of Blancheusse Road in January
> 2007.  But they are probably more reliable elsewhere and we were lucky.
>
> I believe somebody mentioned that there are no chiggers on Tobago and my
> experience confirms this.  I was disappointed in the Blue Waters resort
> with mediocre accommodations and food.  On our visit there was trash all
> around the grounds.  We also stayed at and much preferred a new lodge on
> the other side of Tobago called  Cuffie River Lodge.  Accommodations and
> food were outstanding there.
>
> Also I can unhesitatingly recommend booking through Caligo Tours:
>
> http://www.caligo.com/
>
> We missed a day of our trip because of a canceled flight.  After we got
> home, we got a refund for the lost day at Asa Wright in the mail from
> Caligo within three days.
>
> Usual disclaimers apply.  I have no financial interest in any agencies or
> facilities mentioned other than as a customer.
>
> On Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:40:27 -0400, Richard ZainEldeen
> <richjack115@...> wrote:
>
> >Yes, it is true that Trinidad is a wonderful place for chiggers. I
> >know; I made the mistake of going down into the underbrush after my
> >thermos fell off a wall. I made a further mistake by not taking a
> >shower that evening. By morning my legs were so covered with itchy, red
> >welts that you couldn't see the original skin. The caretakers at Asa
> >Wright who were Trinidad natives told me it was the worst case of
> >chigger bites they had ever seen. The only thing that gave some relief
> >was hydrogen peroxide.
> >
> >Richard ZainEldeen
> >Brooklyn, New York
> >
> >BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
> >Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
>
> --
> Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA        jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu
> SF Birding Classes start Nov. 3    http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/<http://fog.ccsf.edu/%7Ejmorlan/>
> California Bird Records Committee  http://www.californiabirds.org/
> Western Field Ornithologists
> http://www.westernfieldornithologists.org/
>
> BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
> Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
>

--
Laurie Foss

BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html





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