A Week of Fine Birding

on the Islands of

Jamaica & Grand Cayman

For Endemics & Specialties

Jamaican Birds including:

the Doctorbird, Mountain Witch, Old Woman Bird,

Hopping Dick, Mountain Judy,

Little Tom Fool, Big Tom Fool, just plain Tom Fool,

Sarah Bird, Banana Katie, Shine-eye, & Ants Picker.

See the list following the itinerary for an explanation of these names.

Birds on Grand Cayman include:

the endemic Vitelline Warbler,

the Rose-throated Parrot & West Indian Whistling-Duck

(tour FON/WI-7, '00)

June 16-22, 2000

Itinerary:

Day 1: Mid-day arrival at Montego Bay, Jamaica. An afternoon visit is planned to the Rocklands Feeding Station. Numerous birds can be seen during a relatively short-stay, including the Orangequit and Caribbean (or White-bellied) Dove. Hummingbirds, the exciting Streamertail and Jamaican Mango come in, at close range, to feed. All of the flycatchers of Jamaica are in the area, as is the Jamaican Potoo. Overnight in the area of Montego Bay.

 Day 2: Morning birding in "the Cockpit Country". In this "backcountry" of the island, there are some of the "best" birds of the island, endemics and rarities. Among them, both of the native Jamaican parrots, the Yellow-billed and Black-billed. Also, the Jamaican, or Jabbering, Crow. Usually, in this area, we get good looks at the Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo (1 of 2 endemic cuckoos on the island). Occurring, as well, is the local and often reclusive Yellow-shouldered Grassquit. It's not actually a grassquit at all, but an endemic genus and species most closely allied to the Greater Antillean Bullfinch. In this area during one of our '98 tours, we saw one of the more difficult of the Jamaican birds to find: the Jamaican Blackbird. In the afternoon, we'll travel east toward Port Antonio, where we'll spend the night.

Day 3: Birding, this day, in the beautiful area of Port Antonio. Here, during previous FONT tours, we've had some wonderful birding, with fine looks at the rare Ring-tailed Pigeon, the Jamaican Becard, and Jamaican Euphonia. But the foremost bird of the area is the localized Black-billed Streamertail. We'll also have another opportunity, here, for the Yellow-shouldered Grassquit, the "grassquit" that's not a grassquit. This will be a good area, at the day's end, to do some owling: both the Jamaican Owl and Barn Owl occur. Another overnight in the area of Port Antonio.

 Day 4: A good part of this day birding in the Blue Mountains, where endemic and specialty birds include the Blue Mountain Vireo, the arboreal Jamaican Blackbird (we'll have another shot at it, in case we missed it in the Cockpit Country), and the ethereal Rufous-throated Solitaire. Other niceties of the area include: Crested Quail-Dove, Arrowhead Warbler, and White-eyed Thrush. In the afternoon, travel west along the northern coast of the island, back to Montego Bay. Overnight there.

Day 5: After morning birding, an afternoon flight to Grand Cayman Island, in the Caribbean northwest of Jamaica, a small island but with an endemic bird - the Vitelline Warbler. A species only in the Cayman Islands. One of the two subspecies, the brighter one, only on Grand Cayman. Our first of 2 overnights there.

 Day 6: There are other birds to see on Grand Cayman as well, and we will during this full-day of birding on the island. Among the best: the Rose-throated Parrot and the West Indian Whistling-Duck. Overnight, again, on Grand Cayman.

 Day 7: Departure from Grand Cayman for home.

Price: US $1,175 per person, based upon double occupancy.

Single supplement US $215.

Includes: All overnight accommodations.

Meals from Jun 16 thru 21, except dinners.

Ground transportation in Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Services of the birding guide.

Does not include: Dinners, alcoholic drinks, and any items of a personal nature. Flights: to Jamaica, between Jamaica and Grand Cayman, and from Grand Cayman. Airport taxes. Gratuities.

Tour to be led by Armas Hill.

A deposit of US$ 300 would assure a place on the tour.

Maximum number will be 12 participants.

 Jamaican Birds, Jamaican Bird Names  

(A listing of some Cayman Island bird specialties follows this Jamaican bird list.)

Codes:

(e) endemic to Jamaica 

(t) a globally threatened or rare species, designated by Birdlife International.

(nt) a nearly&ndashthreatened species globally.

Birds:

Pied-billed Grebe Duck-and-Teal

White-tailed Tropicbird Bo'sun Bird

Brown Pelican Old Joe

Magnificent Frigatebird Man o'War Bird

Snowy Egret Golden Slippers

Little Blue Heron Blue Gaulin

Cattle Egret Tick Bird

Black-crowned Night-Heron Quok

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Crab-catcher

West Indian Whistling-Duck (t) Night Duck

Turkey Vulture John Crow

American Kestrel Killy-killy

Clapper Rail Mangrove Hen

Yellow-breasted Crake Twopenny Chick

Black-necked Stilt Captain Lewis

Northern Jacana River Chink

Plain Pigeon (t) Blue Pigeon

Ring-tailed Pigeon (e) (t) Ringtail

White-crowned Pigeon Baldpate

White-winged Dove White-wing

Zenaida Dove Pea Dove

Caribbean Dove White-belly

Crested Quail-Dove (e) (nt) Mountain Witch

Ruddy Quail-Dove Partridge

Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo (e) Old Man Bird

Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo (e) Old Woman bird

Jamaican Owl (e) Patoo ("with the big eyes")

Jamaican Potoo (e) Patoo ("with the long bill")

Antillean Nighthawk Gimme-me-bit

Streamertail (e) Doctorbird

Vervain Hummingbird Little Doctorbird

Jamaican Tody (e) Robin Redbreast

Jamaican/Yellow-crowned Elaenia (e) Sarah Bird

Sad Flycatcher (e) Little Tom Fool

Rufous-tailed Flycatcher (e) Big Tom Fool

Stolid Flycatcher Tom Fool

Gray Kingbird Petchary

Jamaican Becard (female) (e) Mountain Judy

Jamaican Becard (male) (e) Mountain Dick

Jamaican Crow (e) Jabbering Crow

Rufous-throated Solitaire Mountain Whistler

White-chinned Thrush (e) Hopping Dick

White-eyed Thrush (e) Shine-eye

Black-whiskered Vireo John To-Whit

Jamaican Vireo (e) Sewi-sewi

Arrow-headed Warbler (e) Ants Picker

American Redstart Butterfly Bird

Bananaquit Sugar Bird

Jamaican Euphonia (e) Blue Quit

Jamaican Stripe-headed Tanager (e) Mark Head

Yellow-shouldered Grassquit/Finch (e) Yellow-back

Jamaican Blackbird (e) (t) Wildpine Sargeant

Greater Antillean Grackle Cling-cling

Jamaican Oriole (e) Banana Katie

 Other Jamaican endemics:

Jamaican Parakeet (*), Yellow-billed Parrot (nt), Black-billed Parrot (t), Jamaican Mango, Jamaican Woodpecker, Jamaican Pewee (#), Blue Mountain Vireo (nt), Orangequit.

 (*) sometimes considered part of Olive-throated Parakeet (of Central America).

(#) formerly part of Greater Antillean Pewee.

Rose-throated Parrot (has been called Cuban or Bahama Parrot)

Grand Cayman Thrush (formerly. now extinct)

Yucatan Vireo (only place in the Caribbean for this species)

Vitelline Warbler (endemic)

Jamaican Oriole (formerly)