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This splendid male Orangequit was one of many cooperative individuals at our last stop. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

My thanks to our group for choosing Field Guides for your Jamaican birding adventure! Dwayne and I very much enjoyed showing you all the fabulous birds found only on Jamaica, and I hope that our squeaky clean sweep of the endemics sent you all home happy.

On our first full day together on the island we awoke to a tremendous gale. Despite the challenging conditions, we managed to spot a dozen of the endemics on the trails of Green Castle Estate (GCE) before lunch. Favorites among the lifers were Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo and Jamaican Tody. After our blustery morning, we wised up in the afternoon and headed down to the sheltered reservoir to get out of the wind. Four West Indian Whistling-Ducks, a regional specialty, highlighted the list of waterbirds we picked up there.

That big storm dropped a huge amount of rain on the Blue Mountains. We witnessed a staggering volume of water rushing down the Buff Bay River as we wound our way up to Hardwar Gap on our second morning. Dense and persistent fog was the challenge of the day when we finally reached our destination at over 4000 feet. What a surprise to see that Osprey perched on a snag and being harassed by a Streamertail! Our most important prize before descending was an obliging Jamaican Blackbird, often a tough species to find.

Day three started predawn with perched and calling Northern Potoos. A delightful walk at Vinery yielded our only White-eyed Thrush of the trip, plus a cooperative pair of Jamaican Becards, super close Jamaican Todies, and a Jamaican Mango nest. On our way back to GCE, we stopped at Annotto Bay for some shorebirding at the mouth of the Wag Water River. We were thrilled to discover an American Golden-Plover, which is a real rarity on Jamaica and was a lifer for Dwayne. The cherry on top at the end of this great day was a successful outing for Jamaican Owl.

We then headed to the eastern end of the island for day four. The foothills of the John Crow Mountains are well known for species richness, and they lived up to reputation with some Black-billed Parrots, a pair of Chestnut-bellied Cuckoos, and Jamaican Crows before we could even get breakfast started. The Black-billed subspecies of Streamertail was a necessary tick as it seems destined to be split. The unquestionable high point of the outing came when Dwayne spotted the elusive Crested Quail-Dove walking in the road way ahead of us. We celebrated our success with the best Jamaican Jerk around for lunch in Boston Bay. Our return toward GCE was interrupted with pleasant stops in Port Antonio, at the Swift River Bridge, and at Annotto Bay again.

We spent our last morning at GCE trying to clean up Jamaican Elaenia. While that species remained elusive for the time being, we saw quite a few of the endemics again well before packing up and heading for Cockpit Country. Almost immediately out of the bus, we then scored a very cooperative pair of Jamaican Elaenias to complete the clean sweep! For the grand finale, we made our way to the far side of Montego Bay and savored the intimate experience that is Bird Sanctuary. A gleaming Streamertail on your finger is an unforgettable experience.

Predictably, Jamaican Tody was voted the favorite. Runners-up were Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo and Jamaican Owl. Thanks again for being such an agreeable and fun-loving bunch of beautiful birders. I sincerely hope our birding paths cross again someday.

Best,

Eric

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

"Doctorbird" -- Jamaica's national bird. The red-billed subspecies of Streamertail is about as gorgeous as a bird gets. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

This leucistic Turkey Vulture had us scratching our heads until it turned around. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

The absurdly long toes of a Northern Jacana are often most obvious in flight. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

Caribbean Doves exhibit a beautifully iridescent nape in the right light. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

This Northern Potoo's cryptic plumage is top notch, but the bird barely gets a passing grade when it comes to selecting a hidden perch. We weren't complaining. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

The windmill tower at Green Castle Estate dates back to the 1600s. Photo by participant Alan Abel.

The Olive-throated Parakeets in Port Antonio seemed too focused on gobbling up blossoms to be wary of us. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

We first encountered Jamaican Elaenia on day one, but it wasn't until the last day that we found this cooperative bird and completed the clean sweep of endemics. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

Local guide Dwayne Swaby and participant Saint Seifert chose the worst seat in the truck but seemed to be having the best time. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

Don't let the close-up fool you; Vervain Hummingbird is one of the smallest birds in the world. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

Clearly personal space is a priority for these Black-necked Stilts. Photo by participant Alan Abel.

Seeing the endemic Sad Flycatcher made us happy every time. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

The Blue Mountains of Jamaica are world famous for coffee production, so we had to stop at an estate for a tasting. Photo by guide Eric Hynes.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Totals for the tour: 113 bird taxa and 1 mammal taxa