Student Blogger: Ali M
Pretty lotuses rising from the pitch
Feet sinking into the solid pitch.
Greetings from Trinidad! Today was jam packed with fun thing, one of which was La Brea. La Brea is a pitch lake in Trinidad and is the largest of 3 known in the modern world. Pitch is a stone like object that is dug out, then sent to a processor, who then makes it into asphalt.The byproducts are then made into vinyl records and road sealant tar. Our tour guide took us out onto the solid lake. It was beautiful! There wear areas where it was dry and solid, then there was other places where it was wet and if we would step there, we would fall into a pit of quicksand like mud. The tour guide even had us take off our shoes and walk through the lake barefoot. It was a truly amazing and breathtaking experience that everyone enjoyed! 
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Student Blogger: Mariah L
We ended our afternoon on December 16th going to the Caroni Swap Bird Sanctuary. The Caroni swap is home to 186 species of birds, and is 40 square miles long and 45 feet deep. While there we took a boat tour through the swap & the mangrove trees. These trees grow with their roots submerged in the mud of the swap, and serve to filter salt from the water and protect the sore line. On the tour we were able to see small crabs climbing the mangrove roots, Cook’s Tree Boas sleeping in the tree tops, and Blue Herons flying to and fro. We were even able to spot some flamingos in the far distance.
The group enjoying the swamp!
Tiny clams at the base of the mangroves
The main attraction though was our final hour watching all the Scarlet Ibis birds flock to a small island. The Scarlet Ibis is the national bird of Trinidad, and is protected from hunting by law. These beautiful bright red birds with black tipped wings get their color from their diet of crabs, small fishes, shrimp, insects, and algae. Since these foods are found in abundance around the swap they continue to flock there year round. The Ibises weren’t the only birds to flock to the island though, we saw White Egrets and Common Black Hawks as well. Watching all the birds come to the one cluster of trees was an awe inspiring experience, and we can all now cross the Scarlet Ibis off of our bird watching lists.
Video of the scarlet Ibis nesting area. IPhones don’t do it justice. More photos after we’re able to download my camera card-Dr N