Eden, paradise, Shangri-la, Wild Fowl Trust. 

All should be synonyms for each other. What a spectacular property! One gets the feeling of being at an amusement park with something exciting to experience literally every 3 or 4 feet. Driving through the Point-à-Pierre refinery, after having passed through security, on the final stretch to the Trust, gave the feeling too, of being on the movie set of an epic adventure film, with the rusting silos and the very sci-fi looking distillation towers.

A nominal entrance fee is paid in a very well-kept, wooden cabin down a slight slope from the car park. There is where we all congregated until all had arrived. Then the ride began!

We were taken on a walking tour by Jaleen West. It would be remiss of me not to say a few words about Jaleen. Jaleen was simply exceptional! She was professional, extremely knowledgeable, entertaining and a delight as a guide. The whole Garden Club will remember the colour of the bougainvillea flower that we were shown! The other staff too, were very welcoming and friendly.

We were invited to either walk along with Jaleen, on the ground or use a boardwalk. We divided ourselves into two fairly equal groups and proceeded on our tour.

Jaleen picked a huge lotus leaf from the adjacent pond and gave us many interesting details of the uses of the lotus in various parts of the world. What a beautiful flower it bears too! No wonder it is the national flower of India.

A short distance along, the Wild Fowl Trust really had all their ducks in a row. There must have been at least 15 black-bellied, whistling, tree ducks all lined up on the side-railing of a small bridge. They were ambivalent about our presence but didn’t move an inch, allowing many a lovely picture to be taken.

 A bit further along were some large aviaries with macaws and scarlet ibis, of course separated. The Trust breeds and releases threatened and endangered birds and lobbies for their protection. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to them for such important and amazing work.

Being in the dry season, many shrubs and trees were in flower. The pomerac was no exception. The fuchsia flower was not only lovely to look at but, being edible, was tasty too, having a fresh and tangy flavour.

There were paddling boats on picturesque ponds, with lilies growing in the distance, and near the bank of one of these ponds, basking on a log, was a tortoise. Large aquatic pond dwellers, including caimans and pacu (herbivorous relative of the piranha) could also be seen. Occasionally the gorgeously unusual snake bird could be seen surfacing in the middle of the pond, stretching its neck into the air like a mini-Loch Ness monster. Nature at its best!

The whole area was a photographer’s paradise. An inspirational area too, for poets and writers. I will be visiting again for sure, to snap away with my camera and to allow my mind to wander where it may.

Once we made our way back to the wooden cabin, we sat around, chatted and marveled at what we had just experienced. We enjoyed too, some lovely finger-foods supplied by the adjacent restaurant, Free Bird.

Between the animals, the plants, the expert guidance of Jaleen and the company of friends, this trip to The Wild Fowl Trust was a trip to remember for a very long time.