Birding Jamaica Celebration
A 10-Day Tour

Although Jamaica is best known for its beaches and coffee, this island has much more to offer naturalists: it ranks fifth in biodiversity among the world’s islands which is why birding in Jamaica as a holiday is growing quickly in popularity.

Since 1990 Jamaica has increased the number and quality of its national parks, recognizing the global importance of its rare species. The island is an excellent location for a winter birding trip. Though you might not automatically associate the island with birds, Jamaica has the highest number of endemics for any island of its size - even more than neighbouring Cuba, an island 10 times bigger. This is because of its origin as an oceanic island, which has never been connected to another landmass.

Our 'Birding Jamaica' goal is to see all 28 of the island’s endemic bird species, including the Jamaican Owl, Jamaican Mango, Jamaican Becard, Jamaican Tody, the Hummingbirds and more.

At less than 2.5 inches long, and weighing around three grams, the Vervain Hummingbird is the second smallest bird in the world (the even tinier bee hummingbird lives in Cuba). They look more like large flying insects than birds, and buzz around from flower to flower like a bumblebee, sipping nectar as they go.

In addition to time on the Caribbean coast, we explore a variety of habitats, including montane and rainforest, quiet rivers and lush valleys.

Many of the endemics are among the island’s commonest species, including the White-chinned Thrush, the Jamaican Woodpecker and the delightful Jamaican Tody. The Tody, from a unique Caribbean family, looks like a hummingbird on steroids, and goes by the local name of ‘robin redbreast’. Other folk names are just as descriptive: ‘Hopping Dick’ for the thrush and ‘Markhead’ for the Stripe-headed Tanager, ‘Little Tom fool’, for the Jamaican Pewee, a tiny flycatcher.
 
The official bird names are just as weird and wonderful. Bananaquits, Orangequits and the Jamaican Mango make up a veritable fruit salad; while the Jamaican Euphonia fails to live up to its name, sounding instead like a car trying to start.

In addition to its unique bird species, discover Jamaica’s flora includes a variety of ferns, butterflies, orchids (66 endemic species) bromeliads and other unusual flora. Enjoy walks on mountain trails, local culture and time to relax on the beach or go snorkelling. This journey is a great opportunity to combine tropical pleasures of a Caribbean vacation with exploration of an exceptional island.

YOUR ITINENARY

Day 1 Arrival in Kingston, Lime Tree Farm

Our journey begins in Kingston, where we will arrange transfers for you upon arrival to Lime Tree Farm in Tower Hill, above Mavis Bank in the Blue Mountains, which is part of a working coffee plantation, and has a large variety of fruit trees.

This bountiful food source is quite a draw for both local birds and neotropical migrants. The farm is located in the centre of the Blue Mountains where they grow the finest coffee in the world. This is appropriate, for watching wildlife in Jamaica is rather like drinking Blue Mountain coffee - a refined and acquired taste just like Champagne! Jamaican wildlife is all about quality rather than quantity - not a mug of frothy latte but a cup of espresso - and all the better for that.

Day 2 Blue Mountains - Cinchona Botanical Gardens

Enjoy a wonderful breakfast with delicious Blue Mountain coffee, before venturing off to the higher reaches of the mountains. Here, we walk through small farm lands, forests with tree-ferns, Caribbean pine, bromeliads, and a wide variety of orchids - of Jamaica’s 820 endemic flowering plant species, 66 are orchids! Bromeliades are extraordinary plants, which grow on virtually every tree, wall and telegraph wire, have no roots. So they collect water by growing specially shaped leaves which create a store of liquid in the base of the plant, a technique that has earned them the nickname ‘ponds in the sky’. As a result bromeliads play host to all sorts of creatures, including tree frogs, and even a crab that raises its young many metres off the ground. You can enjoy the views overlooking the Mountain range and landscaped gardens with a range of lilies, roses and old man’s beard trailing from the trees. After a delicious picnic lunch return to the hotel, to relax, or walk around in the area and explore the small community of Tower Hill or visit the coffee factory at Mavis Bank ( optional)

Day 3 Birding at Abbey Green

Early morning (5.30 am) departure -- picnic breakfast in tow -- to drive to another fabled birding and hiking spot at Abbey Green. Here we should encounter Jamaican Woodpecker, Yellow-shouldered Grassquit, Rufous-tailed Flycatcher and Ring-tailed Pigeon - all endemic species.

Day 4 Birding at Hardwar Gap

Early morning (5.30 am) departure - again picnic breakfast in tow -- to drive to another fabled birding and hiking spot at Hardware Gap, nestled at 5,000 feet. In this lush forested area, listen to the beautiful dawn chorus -- especially the flute-like call of the often elusive Rufous-throated Solitaire. This is the scenic realm of the endangered Jamaican Blackbird, which feeds on insects associated with the abundant bromeliads.

On the way stop to do some birding on private gardens of a coffee estate house near Newcastle, the military training camp then at Hardware Gap, then lunch at the Gap Café with lovely views overlooking Kingston. Look for high-elevation bird species such as Jamaican Woodpecker, Rufous-tailed Flycatcher, the endangered Ring-tailed Pigeon, Chestnut-billed Cuckoo, Rufous-throated Solitaire, and the beautiful Crested Quail-Dove.

At Hardware gap birding is possible along the way, often at the edge of coffee plantations, where fruiting shade trees, particularly figs, can be magnets for birds. with an annual rainfall of more than 100 inches, the forest hosts an array of fascinating ferns; some of the giant Tree Ferns reach a height of 30 feet!

Amid this lush vegetation we look for Arrow-headed Warbler, White-eyed Thrush, Jamaican Becard, Blue Mountain Vireo, Sad Flycatcher, and more. Native trees include huge Mahogany, Cedar, Blue Mahoe, and Broadleaf. Agile White-collared Swift fly high above the canopy. We can also look for mixed flocks of tanagers and warblers and listen for the noisy Jamaican Woodpecker. The Jamaican Tody is also to be found here, and you may find this bright green jewel.

Transfer to Greencastle Estate

Day 5 Greencastle Estate

This morning after breakfast we first visit a working fruit and coconut plantation farm. See how the coconuts are harvested and what a wealth of products can be derived from the coconut. Wander the grounds at your leisure for more sightings of Jamaican endemics.

Day 6 Hotel Mocking Bird Hill

Travel along the coastal road to the lovely Hotel Mockingbird Hill, your home for the next four nights.
This remarkable hotel is set high on a hill with fantastic views of Port Antonio and the Caribbean Sea. Owners Shireen Aga and Barbara Walker run the establishment on strict eco-friendly lines, with rigorous policies designed to minimise environmental damage.

Stop on the way for some jerk lunch at Blueberry Hill just outside of Buff Bay. In the afternoon, you can either relax by the pool or traverse the trails of the hotel grounds for some late-afternoon birding. You can do some bird watching at dusk on property if you get there in time.

Relax and have a delicious dinner. Before dinner enjoy the bar overlooking looking out over the Caribbean sea in one direction and the Blue Mountains in another, Jamaican Mangos (another hummingbird) will feed or rest in the flowering Poor Man’s Orchid Tree just a few feet away. Here the Streamertails are of the black-billed variety (another endemic species). Whereas the red-billed can be seen all over the island, the black-billed species is only to be found in East Portland. Seeing one of these with their wonderful hues is certainly a cure for the northern winter blues.

Here as many as 40 species can be found. Watch for other fascinating birds such as the Caribbean Dove, the Ring-tailed Pigeon, and the Rufous-tailed Flycatcher. You can also see both native species of cuckoo - the huge chestnut-bellied and the smaller Jamaican lizard-cuckoo. These are known respectively as Old Man Bird and Old Woman Bird because their extra-ordinary calls sound like grumbling senior citizens.
 
Have dinner at the hotel’s first-class restaurant acclaimed by Gourmet magazine -- a fantastic culinary experience! Enjoy the scent of Night Jasmine and the cool tropical breeze from your room’s balcony.

Day 7 Birding at Ecclesdown

Begin with an early start. You are driven to Ecclesdown at the foothills of the John Crow Mountains with a packed breakfast. Spend the morning walking along a forested road where a number of endemic birds can be seen including Black-billed and Yellow-billed Parrots, Jamaican Becard, Jamaican Oriole, and Jamaican Crow.

Refresh yourself with a dip at Reich Falls, some lovely secluded falls surrounded by lush forest. Take pleasure in discovering this virtually unspoilt waterfall. There are numerous pools upstream where you can enjoy a river dip. Local guides will escort you upstream towards the source of the river, where you can take a swim to cool off if you like before having lunch on the beach, a lovely stop to experience the Caribbean Sea and take a dip in the waves.

You can also walk along the longest beach in this area. Back at the hotel in the afternoon your guide will lead you around the hotel’s lushly vegetated grounds. At day’s end, enjoy another engaging evening of dinner and conversation at this beautifully situated hotel, with your hosts.

Day 8 Scenic Rio Grande River Rafting / Sightseeing

Enjoy a change of pace today! After a delightful breakfast, take off for a scenic rafting adventure on the Rio Grande. Originally these rafts were used to transport bananas; then Port Antonio’s most famous resident, the movie star Errol Flynn, made raft rides popular by challenging visitors to race down the Rio Grande.

This “pièce de résistance” sounds decidedly dangerous - but it is not. You just drift down the river on two-person rafts enjoying close-up views of some of the herons. There will be Kingfishers and sandpipers along the river, while Turkey Vultures drift overhead on stiffly-held wings ...just great. Take a relaxing trip on these two-seater bamboo rafts, lazily floating down this mostly quiet, scenic river to get close looks at herons, egrets, kingfishers and possibly some shorebirds.

Not only is this a very pleasant experience in terms of enjoying the landscape, but this also offers a good opportunity to see some of the water birds. Stop on the river for lunch at Miss Betty's, another chance for authentic Jamaican food. Return to Mockingbird Hill for the afternoon. You can then end the day relaxing at Frenchman’s Cove, a lush cove with lovely sand beach and a stream flowing through the gardens.

Day 9 Relaxation

Enjoy Frenchman’s Cove Beach, where there is also good birding on the property. For those who prefer to spend the morning at the hotel, this is possible and lunch will be served at the hotel after which you can be taken to Frenchman’s Cove for an afternoon at Jamaica’s prettiest white sand beach; or simply relax and enjoy the streamertails from your balcony. Lounging by the pool is also a very enticing option for many! Then enjoy a final, marvellous dinner at the Hotel Mockingbird Hill, overlooking the blue Caribbean.

Day 10 Departure from Kingston

Following breakfast, you are driven back via a scenic route to the Kingston airport.  A packed lunch can be provided.