Archive for January, 2010

My attention lazily drifts from my book to gaze at the passing clouds. One here, one there, no sign of rain, no worries… And then I begin to think about all the ways the skies over Green Castle have absorbed my attention over time.

There are the deep blue skies that reflect back into the waters, creating a sea green-sea blue color that provokes the unoriginal, “Ah, this is the Caribbean.” From my chair on the veranda, I look around to see if anyone is watching as, admittedly, I can stare seaward for hours.

There are the clouds that travel with purpose toward the hills of the Blue Mountains, then congregate around its peaks. From far away, I can hear the deep crash of thunder rolling, rumbling, reverberating… Within an hour, the skies are clear from horizon to horizon.

There are the dark clouds that gather far out at sea that foretell rain. Locals aptly call this “blaack up.” More often than not, these clouds dissipate before they reach our coastline, but when they bring rain, it’s wonderful—I revel in the sudden coolness and the din of rejoicing frogs.

Then there are the night skies. At dusk, the rustling palms are silhouetted against the sky, losing all color but not their ragged shape, a shape that always reminds me I’m in the tropics. As the night skies darken, familiar stars in unfamiliar places draw my attention. Over the Estate House, the rising moon marks the sky, creating deep shadows that cross the threshold of the open bedroom doors. I drift into a restful slumber.

http://www.gcjamaica.com

Green Castle Estate guests visited Ecclesdown Road in Portland Parish on December 29, three weeks after other birding guests made the same trip. Results were delightfully similar:  16 endemics were seen along the enchantingly quiet, paved track through lush, bromeliad-laden forest. Jamaican Crows were much in evidence, both Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo and Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo afforded great looks, and Black-billed and Yellow-billed Parrots were impossible to miss. In fact, one of the highlights was an eye-level close look at 4 parrots perched on a branch within 6 feet of one another: a Black-billed, 2 Yellow-billed, and another Black-billed! Arrowhead Warblers also put on a good show, with 6 seen. Perhaps the oddest sighting was of a partially albino Turkey Vulture—a very strange bird, indeed. If you’re coming to Green Castle Estate and want to add to your endemics list, a trip to Ecclesdown Road is highly recommended.

Mingo Falls at Green Castle

Two Estate guests from Wisconsin reported having had a bird-filled walk along the Waterfall Trail Sunday, December 27. The father-daughter duo was hoping to see some Jamaican endemics and weren’t disappointed. They were thoroughly enchanted by intimate encounters with 8 Jamaican Todies and repeated sightings and vocalizations of multiple female Jamaican Becards. Joining the noisy Jamaican Woodpeckers was an unusual immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker plus Jamaican Vireos, Elaenias, Euphonias, Spindalis and Mangos; Streamertails, and White-Chinned Thrushes. Orangequits were seen bathing in the bromeliads of a giant guango tree. Although American Redstarts were the most abundant warbler of the day, 5 other North American warblers were found flitting among the trees. At trail’s end, the birders took in the beauty of Mingo Falls. All in all, they recorded 13 endemics during their morning outing.

Epilogue: The following day, they had a pair of Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoos on this same trail and saw Northern Potoo at dusk along the road!