Barlovento lies 60 miles off the Venezuelan coast and is visited only by an occasional fisherman or yachtsman, so its isolation has protected one of the major nesting sites of red-footed boobies in the whole of the Caribbean. As we drove among the mangroves we also spotted other species that have found this island suitable: mangrove warblers, green herons and frigatebirds. The latter soar high, waiting for the boobies to return and then attacking, forcing them to regurgitate their food. The frigates, so aptly named, are often agile enough to catch the stolen food before it hits the water.
Other predators live here as well. Peregrine falcons are often spotted and this time was no exception. And in the afternoon, we snorkeled and swam. Barlovento is very close to paradise. Sometimes you set out looking for one thing and you end up finding another. Life is full of surprises and this trip across the Lower Caribbean has been no exception.
