Western Cattle Egret

 

The resort was also a very popular spot for Western Cattle Egrets with a gathering of at least 25 or more every day. Especially around the jerk chicken shack. Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets and Yellow-crowned Night Herons could also be found along the beach area daily.

Jamaican Resort Doves

 

Some of the doves and pigeons around the resort in Jamaica. The White-crowned Pigeon, the White-winged Dove and the Eurasian Collared Dove.

Jamaican Woodpecker

 

The Jamaican Woodpecker is a species of wooded habitats. The white face framed by the red of its nape and crown and its finely barred black-and-white back is distinctive. Usually first detected by its determined excavation of rotting wood.

Although our resort was fairly sterile tree and shrub wise, there was usually a couple woodpeckers hanging around.

However, on the first early morning of birding, I was trying my best to get an image of a woodpecker in the row of trees between ours and the next resort, when a security guard informed me I was in a restricted area for photography as the next resort was a nudist resort.

Rufous-tailed Flycatcher

 

The Rufous-tailed Flycatcher is a medium-sized woodland species endemic to Jamaica that prefers moist forests where it typically “flycatches” from perches in thick foliage beneath the canopy.

Note its bright rusty tail and the extensive rust on its wings. Other flycatchers we observed like the Sad Flycatcher is much smaller-bodied and smaller-billed and lacks the rusty tail and wings. And the similar Stolid Flycatcher is also smaller-billed and smaller-bodied with more limited rust on tail and wings. The Rufous-tailed Flycatcher has a darker gray head and chest than either Sad or Stolid Flycatchers.

Jamaican Tody

 

Another cool endemic bird to observe in Jamaica was the Jamaican Tody. It seems every Caribbean Island has it’s own endemic Tody as this is the fourth uniquely endemic Tody we have photographed in the Caribbean Islands.

The Jamaican Tody is a small, gemlike, woodland species usually found in pairs. Its rather large head, long bill, and short tail create a unique profile. Also note the shimmering green upperparts and red throat. It usually hunts from low-to-middle level perches, sitting nearly still before leaping upwards to snatch prey.

Red-billed Streamertail

 

We have just returned from a week’s vacation with family in Negril Jamaica. Although a resort type holiday I hired a guide to go birding in the Bluefields Mountain area of the parish of Westmoreland. We observed 42 species on our day of birding, observing 19 new lifers of which 16 are endemic to Jamaica.

My trip was set up with Wolde Kristos of RAJ and my guides for the day were Deceita and Tasha, both excellent birding guides. My day was a very enjoyable experience and I would highly recommend them. Their website with contact info is at www.Jamaicabirding.com

Probably the most enjoyable bird to observe was the Red-billed Streamertail.

This long-tailed beauty is Jamaica’s national bird along with the Black-billed Streamertail, which is now considered a separate species. The male has a glittering green body, black crown, and red bill. The younger males and molting birds may not have the signature tail streamers, giving them a somewhat different look. And the female lacks the long tail and is similar to Black-billed Streamertail, but usually shows a pink tinge to the base of the lower part of her bill. Her relatively large size and longer bill help separate her from the Vervain Hummingbird. We were able to observe the Vervain around the resort however I was unable capture a decent image.

Found in forest in most of the island. Local names for this species include “doctor bird” and “swallow tail humming bird”.

American Flamingo

 

We had such a short time ashore on Bonaire however we were extremely happy and enjoyed our afternoon birding Bonaire with Susan Davis from Bonaire Bird Tours.

Susan was an excellent guide around the south end of the island and we observed many species.

Her email address is susan@bonairebirdtours.com

Her webpage is here www.bonairebirdtours.com

The American Flamingo is a resident breeder on Bonaire. Thousands could be seen gathering in the Bonaire salt flats.

Brown Noddy

 

During sea days on our cruise, I would periodically check the sea for sea birds. On this occasion I observed a Brown Noddy trying to hang on to the Radome of the cruise ship. Eventually the wind blew the Noddy off the Radome and away it flew into the ocean.

Radomes are the big white balls on top of cruise ships. A Radome is made up of two parts, a Radar and a Dome, hence the name Ra-dome. The dome covers the radar equipment protecting it from the weather and hiding it from guests.

The Brown Noddy is a dark-bodied tern of tropical offshore waters, rarely seen from mainland. They breed in colonies on rocky and sandy offshore islets. Sometimes found with offshore feeding flocks of boobies and other terns. They feed by picking from the surface, not plunge-diving like most terns. 

Adults are solidly dark brown with a white cap. The white is limited to the forehead on immature. Cornell All About Birds

Brown Booby

 

We had observed Brown Boobies in the Galapagos Islands however when a half dozen adult and immature started following the cruise ship one day the opportunity for flight shots was overwhelming. Although I’m pretty sure I would have won the pickleball, shuffleboard and bingo tournaments that day. Not to mention the Karaoke contest.

Brown Boobies are large seabirds of inshore and offshore waters in tropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific Oceans.

Head, neck, and upperparts are solidly brown. The adult has a well-demarcated white belly and the immature has a variably mottled brown belly that rarely looks solidly brown.

It is often seen from beaches, sometimes just beyond the breakers. They breed in colonies on offshore islands, nesting on the ground.

Recently showing up more regularly as a vagrant on inland lakes and reservoirs in the U.S. and Canada, and further north along the Atlantic coast. Cornell All About Birds

Tropical Kingbird

 

The Tropical Kingbird is a gray-headed bird with bright yellow underparts and a pale gray-green back. It has a whitish throat and dark gray-brown wings and tail.

Tropical Kingbirds forage by catching large flying insects on the wing, sallying out from a favored perch (often a telephone line) and returning to it to consume the prey. Also feeds on fruits, particularly during cooler weather. Perches conspicuously and when nesting flies out to confront many sorts of birds that come too close to the nest.

They are found in almost any open or semi open habitat. They favour parks, towns, and rural areas with scattered trees for nesting and other perches for hunting, often near water.