Archive for the 'Birding in Jamaica' Category

Green Castle Estate is fortunate to host both species of Jamaica’s owls plus the very odd Northern Potoo.

Barn Owls (right) are a familiar species to most visitors. These white-faced tawny-backed birds nest on the property and are most often encountered patrolling the open pastures at night. Their eerie shriek, given in flight, is occasionally heard but their wingbeats are silent, lending them a ghostly appearance.

The endemic Jamaican Owl (left) is also relatively common on the Estate, and can be heard giving their spooky, breathy “whuuhr” call most nights during the winter and spring. A medium-sized owl, they often perch in towering guango trees.

The Northern Potoo (right) is one of seven species of potoo, all found in the Caribbean and Central/South America. Potoos are cryptically colored, blending in perfectly when roosting on the tops of fenceposts. At night they are voracious consumers of flying insects, which they capture in short flights from their woody perches. We most often see them along Tower Road after dark–their red eyeshine gives them away!

Confusingly, the Jamaican name for owls and potoos is patoo and it’s often unclear which of these three species is being referenced. Many locals associate patoos with death, and the birds are therefore regarded with dread.

Green Castle Estate recently hosted Rich Hoyer and 6 participants on his Jamaican birding tour. Rich is a Senior Leader for Wings, one of the premier birding tourism companies. The group visited the reservoir, where Rich found a couple of American Coots in addition to our resident Caribbean Coots. So add another species to our Estate list! We were pleased to be able to offer something in return: great looks at a Northern Potoo at its day roost along the Waterfall Trail.

We also added Eurasian Collared Dove to the Estate list, as several singles have been seen in recent weeks.

We’re happy to report that our Peace Corps Volunteers, Bob Lockett and Adrienne Wolf-Lockett, have an article about Green Castle birding published on the popular BirdFellow blog (birdfellow.com). It’s the 2nd blog entry for March 2010. We hope you enjoy it and the many other informative articles on the site.

It was just February 9^th that we reported adding Grasshopper Sparrow and Lesser Scaup to the Green Castle Estate bird checklist, taking us to 121 species recorded on the property. At that time we wondered what the next addition would be. We didn’t have long to wait: what a surprise to add not just another species but another of Jamaica’s endemics!

On February 12, while birding the Waterfall Trail with Green Castle guests Mike and Jenny Whiteside, a single pigeon was found sitting high in a tree by bird guide Reginald Fairweather. Identification was difficult due to the poor light conditions—a dark object against a bright sky—but eventually all agreed that the bird was a Ring-tailed Pigeon. Meanwhile, Mike took the accompanying photo.

This is the 21^st of 27 or 28 endemics recorded on the Estate (the ambiguity regarding the number of Jamaican endemics revolves around the status of “Black-billed” and “Red-billed” Streamertails.) Given Green Castle’s coastal location, the presence of 21 endemics is quite remarkable. It means that birders who spend some time at Green Castle and one or two highland locations (we can arrange day trips to these spots) have an excellent chance to see all of the Jamaican endemics plus several Caribbean endemics. Come visit!

On Monday, 15 February we revisited one of our favorite birdwatching sites on the island: Portland’s Ecclesdown Road. This time we were introducing a father and son, Green Castle guests, to the lush and scenic stretch of road bordering the John Crow Mountains. Although the morning was gray and cloudy, we were lucky that serious rain didn’t begin until our birding was almost done. That, of course, is the risk when visiting a spot with one of the highest annual rainfall totals on the island.

Jamaican Crows were especially obliging, and we saw 15 to 20 while enjoying the fantastically weird jabbering calls of this species. Blue Mountain Vireo, Jamaican Pewee, both large cuckoos, both parrots, and Arrowhead Warbler added to the endemic count. But the bird of the day was an obliging Mountain Witch (Crested Quail-Dove) ambling down the road displaying its unlikely teetering gait. All in all, we counted 20 endemics in less than 4 hours of birding.

Our guests added an additional 6 endemics while birding Green Castle so left satisfied having seen all but 2 of Jamaica’s unique species plus a good number of Caribbean specialties. Perhaps just as importantly, there was ample opportunity for snorkeling, a boat trip and hike to Kwaamen Falls, learning dominos, and plenty of pool time during their 6-day stay.

The already lengthy checklist of birds seen on the 1600 acre Green Castle Estate is now 1.7% more impressive! Two more species–Grasshopper Sparrow and Lesser Scaup–bring the list to 121. We know of no other private property in Jamaica that hosts this many species.

We know the list will continue to grow as birding hours increase. There are a few more North American warblers that should show up, a few more shorebirds that probably occur during fall or spring migration, and even a handful of Jamaican residents that may occur in low numbers.

Any guesses on the next species to be added?

Wayne Sutherland, one of our BirdLife Jamaica guests, kindly shared these images from the group’s visit. Thanks Wayne!

Green Castle Estate had the pleasure of hosting members of BirdLife Jamaica for the group’s January field trip. Twenty-four birders from around the island took to the field here last weekend, finding 13 Jamaican endemics and another 3 Caribbean endemics.

Most members arrived Saturday, birded Davey Hill Lookout, then spent the night on the Estate.  High points were nose-close views of Jamaican Mangos and Red-billed Streamertails at the Estate House feeders, a Northern Potoo that patiently allowed close approach and unlimited photo and video opportunities, and a spectacular full moonrise over the Caribbean.

Although we woke to gray skies and rain Sunday morning, Blue Mountain coffee and muffins helped to cheer us until the showers paused. Then the group headed down the popular Waterfall Trail. Highlights were good views of a female Jamaican Becard, two Jamaican Elaenias, and all 3 Myiarchus flycatchers: Rufous-tailed, Sad, and Stolid. Plus, at trail’s end, Mingo Falls’ cascades delighted everyone!

After brunch, spotting scopes on the veranda focused on an American Kestrel tearing into a Bananaquit on a nearby mango tree. Then the group was off to the ponds for more birding and “butterfly-ing” and a visit to the coastal headlands before heading home. We thank BirdLife Jamaica for making Green Castle their weekend destination and look forward to their return in the coming months.

http://www.gcjamaica.com

Guests at the Estate House cannot help but notice the furious battles waged regularly on the veranda. Luckily, no one is injured and the combatants seem perfectly content to repeat their skirmishes the next day.

The prizes are any of the numerous hummingbird feeders hanging from the veranda rafters. The contenders are two of Jamaica’s most spectacular endemics: Jamaican Mango and Red-billed Streamertail. The latter is emblematic of Jamaica and one of the world’s truly magnificent birds. It’s locally called Doctorbird as its long black tail feathers resemble the coat tails of early British physicians.

Jamaican Mango lacks streamers but substitutes dark, iridescent plumage in shades of green and purple. Its frequently flared tail is an almost indescribable hue of pinkish-lavender-purple. Mangos are more aggressive and heavier bodied than Streamertails. Watch for a while, though, and you’ll notice that the Streamertails do find opportunities to feed.

The diminutive Vervain Hummingbird, one of the world’s smallest birds, wisely avoids these frays, but can still be glimpsed feeding on the Estate’s abundant flowering plants. A Caribbean endemic, the Vervain is found only on Jamaica and Hispaniola.

Why hummingbirds expend so much energy defending an abundant resource is curious. But they do, and it’s quite entertaining, if occasionally unnerving, to watch them dash around in hot pursuit of their rivals, almost oblivious of humans.

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.