On the trail of St Lucia's 'small six' rare and endangered species

Safari aims to raise awareness of the island's lesser-known

- BY HANNAH STEPHENSON

Waiting at the lookout point high in the hills of the rainforest in St Lucia, a fine white mist snaking its way through the lush verdant canopy of trees, we suddenly see a flash of green, crimson and yellow flying across the valley.

To gasps of delight, our guide Nestor Toussaint points out the St Lucia parrot, the island's vibrant, vocal national bird and one of the rare and endangered species we are searching for on this fertile island in the Eastern Caribbean in a new 'small six' safari, an alternative take on Africa's 'Big Five'.

The trail in the centre of the island, an hour from the famous west coast with its pristine beaches and five-star resorts, is the place these colourful birds, St Lucia's national symbol, make 'cac-cac' calls before crossing the rainforest corridor, flying in circles and across the great tree canopy. We see a further five before we leave.

Others in the 'small six' which can only be found on the island include the St Lucia black finch, the distinctive black and orange oriole (a species of songbird), the worm (thread) snake, whiptail lizard and pygmy gecko.