Todys, here a Jamaican Tody, are perhaps the most distinctive Caribbean landbird. Photo: Rich Hoyer
With at least 27 endemic bird species—more than any other Caribbean island—as well as a host of Antillean and Neotropical specialties, Jamaica offers some of the most exciting birdwatching in the West Indies. It is also the only island where one has a very good chance of seeing every endemic in a single week. A unique part of this short tour is the opportunity to stay at delightful Marshall’s Pen, the 200-year-old working ranch, nature reserve, and home of biologist and conservationist Ann Sutton. In these idyllic surroundings we expect to see many of the island’s endemic birds as well as abundant butterflies, anole lizards, and tink frogs. Delicious local foods (such as ackee, callaloo, bammy, and the famous jerk recipes) and a look at Jamaica’s fascinating history and culture round out a very special experience. We’ll also visit the desert-like southern peninsula and spend three full days exploring the more lush and mountainous eastern end of the island, where any remaining endemics will await us.
Day 1: The trip begins this evening in Montego Bay. Night in Montego Bay.
Day 2: After breakfast, we’ll visit a series of pools just behind the airport, where we may encounter Clapper Rail, Wilson’s Plover, and a variety of shorebirds and herons. Later we’ll stop at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, where Red-billed Streamertails and Jamaican Mangos perch on your fingers and many of Jamaica’s endemics, including Orangequit and Jamaican Oriole, visit feeders at arm’s length. We’ll conclude the day with a drive to Mandeville, a town situated on a plateau more than 2,000 feet above sea level, and our home for the next three nights, the utterly delightful Marshall’s Pen.
Days 3-4: Marshall’s Pen is a 300-acre estate and private nature reserve. A few lucky birdwatching tours get to stay here. Birds are numerous and easily seen, both in the gardens around the Great House and from the extensive trail system. The Marshall’s Pen experience starts even before we rise with the glorious song of the endemic White-eyed Thrush, and by lunch we may have seen almost 20 of Jamaica’s endemic birds and several Caribbean specialties including Jamaican Tody, Jamaican Elaenia, Chestnut-bellied and Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoos, Jamaican Spindalis, and Sad Flycatcher. In the afternoon we’ll drive to the lowlands to the southwest, where we’ll scan ponds, lakes, and marshes for additional species. If we’re lucky we might see Masked Duck, Yellow-breasted Crake, Caribbean Coot, West Indian Whistling-Duck, or perhaps a crocodile waiting expectantly under the heron roost. One of the best parts of the day at Marshall’s Pen is the evening meal on the verandah, the table full of delicious Jamaican food and the diners surrounded by the sounds of the Jamaican night—the voices of Jamaican Owl, Northern Potoo, and myriad amphibans.
One day we’ll rise early and drive into the Cockpit Country, home to several birds not always easily seen elsewhere on the island. We’ll arrive in time to see the mist lift from the “egg-box” hills that give the area its name, and, more importantly, to view the early morning flights of Yellow-billed and Black-billed Parrots. The rugged karst formations here have been an effective deterrent to forest clearing, making the Cockpit Country some of the most pristine habitat in Jamaica. We’ll look especially for Ring-tailed Pigeon, Rufous-tailed Flycatcher, and Jamaican Crow. We’ll return to Marshall’s Pen in mid-afternoon. Nights at Marshall’s Pen.
“The Jamaica tour was excellent and Rich Hoyer was a fantastic leader. I ended up seeing all 41 possible life birds! Again, thanks, and I’m already looking into WINGS trips for the next several years.”
Jerry Theis, Peoria, AZ
Day 5: We’ll depart Marshall’s Pen at mid-morning for the radically different habitats of Portland Ridge. Here the arid acacia scrub resembles eastern Africa more than it does other parts of the island and is home to the endemic subspecies of Bahama Mockingbird, Vervain Hummingbird, and Stolid Flycatcher. Caribbean Martin may also be found nearby, and a search for waterbirds in the mangrove lagoons and northern migrants in the surrounding scrub will add to the day’s interest. Night in Silver Hill Gap.
Days 6-7: We’ll spend the morning high in the Port Royal Mountains, where as much as 100 inches of rain a year supports luxurious and fascinating vegetation—highland trees such as the Blue Mahoe and a heavy growth of mosses, lichens, and bromeliads—which in turn harbor some of Jamaica’s most elusive specialties, such as the splendid but secretive Crested Quail-Dove, the striking Rufous-throated Solitaire, and the unusual Jamaican Blackbird, the only member of its genus. After lunch in town we’ll continue to our Port Antonio area hotel, which offers spacious grounds and a beach.
From our base in Port Antonio, we’ll spend a full morning in the Drivers River Valley, where we’ll search for the quail-dove or the blackbird if we’ve missed them before; we should also see Jamaican Woodpecker, White-chinned Thrush, Blue Mountain Vireo, Arrowhead Warbler, and Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo, some of which may still require better views. The one bird found only at this end of the island (including our hotel grounds) is the distinctive black-billed subspecies of the endemic Streamertail. Nights in Port Antonio.
Day 8: Our final day should allow a relaxed morning to enjoy the beautiful and birdy hotel grounds, where we’ll get our last looks at species such as Jamaican Oriole or Jamaican Euphonia. We’ll make a stop at the spectacular sea cliffs of nearby Hector’s River, the nesting habitat of the equally spectacular White-tailed Tropicbird. We’ll also stop at Kingston Harbor to look for shorebirds, terns, and gulls. Night near the Kingston International Airport, Port Royal.
Day 9: The trip concludes this morning in Port Royal.
Updated: 02 July 2008
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Notes
This tour is limited to seven participants with one leader and 12 with two leaders.