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Posted by Brian Rapoza on 20:30:15 03/20/12
During my spring break last week, I joined a Borderland Tours trip to the beautiful island of Jamaica. The tour was led by Rick Taylor (author of the ABA Birder s Guide to SE Arizona, and Ann Sutton (author of the Photographic Guide to the Birds of Jamaica). We stayed one night each near Kingston s airport and in Montego Bay and two nights each at Starlight Chalet, in the Port Royal Mountains, Mockingbird Hill in Port Antonio and Marshall s Pen, a former coffee plantation, now owned by Ann Sutton. All of these were great birding locations in their own right; other spots we visited include Hardwar Gap and Silver Hill Gap in the Port Royal Mountains, Ecclesdown Road, Portland Ridge, Black River Morass and the incredible Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, where hummngbirds will feed out of your hand! I saw 35 of my target birds, including all 28 endemics! I can t wait to go back; considering that Jamaica is a short 90 minute flight from Miami, it would be a perfect destination for a future TAS birding trip.
Here s what I saw/heard: (* = Jamaican endemic)
West Indian Whistling-Duck (heard only)
American Wigeon
Blue-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Masked Duck
Ruddy Duck
Least Grebe
Pied-billed Grebe
White-tailed Tropicbird
Magnificent Frigatebird
Brown Pelican
Least Bittern (heard only)
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Tricolored Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
White Ibis
Glossy Ibis
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Sora
Yellow-breasted Crake
Common Gallinule
American Coot
Caribbean Coot
Limpkin
Black-bellied Plover
Black-necked Stilt
Northern Jacana
Spotted Sandpiper
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson s Snipe
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Rock Pigeon
White-crowned Pigeon
Ring-tailed Pigeon *
White-winged Dove
Zenaida Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-Dove
Caribbean Dove
Crested Quail-Dove *
Ruddy Quail-Dove
Olive-throated Parakeet
Yellow-billed Parrot *
Black-billed Parrot *
Mangrove Cuckoo
Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo *
Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo *
Smooth-billed Ani
Barn Owl
Jamaican Owl *
Northern Potoo (heard only by me, heard and seen by leaders)
Black Swift
Antillean Palm-Swift
Jamaican Mango *
Vervain Hummingbird
Streamertail (both Red-billed and Black-billed) *
Jamaican Tody
Belted Kingfisher
Jamaican Woodpecker *
Jamaican Elaenia *
Greater Antillean Elaenia
Jamaican Pewee *
Sad Flycatcher *
Rufous-tailed Flycatcher *
Stolid Flycatcher
Gray Kingbird
Loggerhead Kingbird
Jamaican Becard *
Jamaican Vireo *
Blue Mountain Vireo *
Black-whiskered Vireo
Jamaican Crow *
Cave Swallow
Rufous-throated Solitaire
White-eyed Thrush *
White-chinned Thrush *
Northern Mockingbird
Bahama Mockingbird
European Starling
Ovenbird
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-white Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Arrow-headed Warbler *
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Golden Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Myrtle Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Bananaquit
Jamaican Spindalis *
Yellow-faced Grassquit
Black-faced Grassquit
Yellow-shouldered Grassquit *
Greater Antillean Bullfinch
Orangequit *
Saffron Finch
Indigo Bunting
Jamaican Blackbird *
Greater Antillean Grackle
Shiny Cowbird
Jamaican Oriole
Jamaican Euphonia *
Below is a link to some of the photos I took while on the tour.
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