2007 Tour Narrative
The early arrivals began the tour near Montego Bay checking the ponds behind the airport, where a white Reddish Egret, a sleeping Clapper Rail, multiple Blue-winged Teal and recently hatched Killdeer were the highlights. We then went to Rocklands Bird Sanctuary, including a walk on the trails and a visit to thethe feeders, where in a flurry of activity Jamaican Mango, Red-billed Streamertail and Black-faced and Yellow-faced Grassquits fed using us as perches. A real bonus here was a roosting Jamaican Owl at close range. Starting the tour with several endemics in as many minutes delivers quite a shock to the senses.
Marshall’s Pen delivered the bulk of our island endemics (about 20) within the framework of a fabulous setting, gracious hospitality, delicious meals and the living museum of the Great House. Though not all endemics, Jamaican Elaenia, Jamaican Oriole, an amazing view of Common Potoo, more Magnolia Warblers than in the past 10 years of this tour combined, our best views of White-eyed Thrush, many Vervain Hummingbirds and our only Antillean Nighthawks were some of the more cooperative and memorable. A mating pair of the endemic Thersites Swallowtail was a great sighting.
Our full morning in the Cockpit country was superb. Bird activity was higher than usual, and we had Jamaican Crows, Sad Flycatcher and Jamaican Euphonias almost immediately upon arrival. Then while trying to tape in a furtive Yellow-shouldered Grassquit, our attention was diverted by a gorgeous Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo as it slowly worked its way out into the open at very close range, possibly stirred by its own curiosity about us. Numerous and confiding Jamaican Todies, both Yellow-billed and Black-billed Parrots, perched Ring-tailed Pigeons and finally a gorgeous Yellow-shouldered Grassquit were some of the highlights. Plants and butterflies also made our walk through the Cockpit Country enjoyable. A cooperative Thoas Swallowtail poised for photos, a Miss Perkins’s Blue and a Common Bluevent (a skipper) darted about, and lovely flowers distracted us, among them Blakeia trinerva (our first of several melastomes), Bletia purpurea (a pink orchid), a pink Passfilora on a woody vine, a giant yellow Turnera and a more delicate yellow Lisianthus. The distinctive Phyllanthus, with it’s stems modified to look like leaves, was seen but not in bloom. Ferns, palms, figs, Cecropias as well as at least two kinds of Anolis lizards in this unique karst region made for a great morning.
After a final morning at Marshall’s Pen, when we got more and better looks at Crested Becard, Jamaican Vireo and yet another Magnolia Warbler, we began our drive to Port Royal and Blue Mountains…but first we made a detour to the Portland Cottage area near the southern tip of the island and in the heart of the Portland Bight Protected Area. Here we had hoped to see Bahama Mockingbird. We were not disappointed, first finding a pair feeding recently hatched young at the nest (while surrounded by territorial Northern Mockingbirds), and then spotting one after another, ending with a daily total higher than on any WINGS tour in the past decade. We also improved on oiur view of Stolid Flycatcher, taped in a gullible Clapper Rail that came well up away from the mangrove edges to have a look and saw Mangrove Cuckoo. We had fabulous views of a Least Bittern next to the roadside as we continued towards Kingston. We finished the day with a drive through the still fog of the Port Royal Mountains, pausing to watch a female Black-and-white Warbler probe the dead, flaking bark off a twig just outside the van windows, and continuing to drive upon a cooperative Crested Quail-Dove in the road only 300 yards from our hotel. At the hotel White-collared and Black Swifts zoomed by in the thinning mountain fog.
We started our day in the mountains with a stroll to see if the Crested Quail-Dove was back, finding instead a pair walking on the road, heaving their tails exaggeratedly with each step. How can a day start any better? The rest of the morning was a parade of soul-satisfying views of the endemics that were still waiting for us and more. A Blue Mountain Vireo came in very close to tape, while later individuals just showed themselves obligingly without prompt. An amazing two pairs of Jamaica Blackbirds appeared, the second demonstrating the probe-and-pry foraging behavior so unlike any other icterid and reminding us of foliage-gleaners, and we watched them for several minutes. A pair of Jamaican Elaenias showed their bright yellow coronal patches seldom seen so well, while a Greater Antillean Elaenia gave us better looks than we had ever hoped for. The appearance of two Rufous-throated Solitaires side-by-side on a branch was exquisite, a memorable sight that complimented another’s song permeating the lush mountain forest slopes. Finally, trolling for Jamaica Lizard-Cuckoos paid off with a pair that eventually came in very close and then resumed foraging behavior while being scolded by Jamaican Vireos.
Our time on the far eastern end of the island was more relaxed pace and allowed us to get better views of some species we had seen only briefly or just a few times. Here we all caught up with Arrowhead Warbler, had our best views of Yellow-shouldered Grassquit, saw a few more Blue Mountain Vireos and saw both of the endemic cuckoos again. We also saw White-tailed Tropicbird twice, once in a spot near Boston Bay where not before recorded (where we also had an authentic jerk-style lunch) and again at very close range at their known site near Hector’s River. An exciting final evening began with viewing gulls, terns, pelicans and Magnificent Frigatebirds above while looking at sea-cucumbers, sea stars and various fish (including needlefish and a huge pufferfish) below, and finished with a last-minute, pre-dinner excursion to see Cape May and Bay-breasted Warblers, the latter a new species for the all-time tour list.
Rich Hoyer
Updated: June 2007