Jamaica
The third largest island in the Caribbean, Jamaica is home to 25 species and a further 20 or so subspecies that are endemic to the island. Around 200 species are regular breeders, passage migrants or winter visitors and another 50 have been recorded as vagrants. Most of Jamaica�s original forest cover has been cleared but there are still areas of montane forest in the Blue Mts of the east, wet limestone forest in the John Crow Mts of the far east, the Cockpit Country of central Jamaica and at Dolphin Head in the west as well as dry limestone forest on parts of the south coast. Excellent wetlands survive at Great Morass in the far south-east and in the Canoe Valley and the Black River Lower Morass of the south coast.
The road between Newcastle and Hardwar Gap in the Blue Mts gives easy access to montane forest birds such as Ring-tailed and Plain Pigeons and Crested Quail-Dove, Jamaican Tody, White-eyed Thrush, Rufous-throated Solitaire and the rare Jamaican Blackbird. For those staying at Montego Bay on the north coast there is excellent birding at Rocklands Feeding Station near Anchovy, St James. A small entrance fee to this private feeding station will guarantee Red-billed Streamertail, Jamaican Mango and Black-faced Grassquit and the surrounding woodland holds various doves and cuckoos, Jamaican Owl, Jamaican Becard and Orangequit. Guides are available to assist birders in this area. A similar range of birds can be seen in the sugar plantation at Good Hope which can be visited by prior arrangement. The wet limestone forest of the Cockpit Country can be explored via the rough road from Clark�s Town to Albert Town. Endemics to be found here include Black-billed and Yellow-billed Parrots, Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo and Jamaican Crow. Almost all Jamaica�s endemics can be seen at Marshall�s Pen, near Mandeville, Manchester. This private reserve can be visited by prior arrangement. The arid scrub of the Portland Ridge, Clarendon, in the far south of the island is home to doves, Stolid Flycatcher and Bahama Mockingbird. White-tailed Tropicbird nest on cliffs near Hector�s River, Portland, in the east of Jamaica and Black-billed Streamertail can also be seen in the area. Jamaica�s best wetland for birds can be found at Black River Morass, St Elizabeth in the south-east. A variety of waterbirds including Black-billed Whstling-Duck, herons, rails and wintering waders can be seen in the Lower Morass and nearby Parrottee Ponds. The Upper Morass has been drained but the area around Elim still holds breeding Black-crowned Night-Heron and Limpkin. Another good wetland with Least Bittern, Glossy Ibis and Caribbean Coot can be found at Caymanas Dyke Ponds, St Catharine, near Kingston. Jamaica is a very popular holdiay island with plenty of accommodation, easy car-hire, etc. Most visitors stay on the north coast at Montego Bay or Ocho Rios but most roads are good except across the Cockpit Country which may require 4WD.
Birds
Birds you can see here include:
Pied-billed Grebe, podiceps occurs in winter), Least Grebe, White-tailed Tropicbird, Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Brown Pelican, Magnificent Frigatebird, Great Blue Heron, race occidentalis ), Great Egret, race egretta), Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Tricoloured Heron, Reddish Egret, Cattle Egret, Green-backed Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Least Bittern, American White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, common in W), Greater Flamingo, Jan-Mar, race ruber), Black-billed, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Blue-winged Teal, race orphna), Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, Masked Duck, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, rare in Su, race carolinensis), Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, race columbarius), Peregrine Falcon, race anatum), American Black Rail, race jamaicensis), Spotted Rail, race inoptatus), Clapper Rail, Sora Crake, Yellow-breasted Crake, American Purple Gallinule, Common Moorhen, American Coot, Caribbean Coot, Limpkin, Black-necked Stilt, Northern Jacana, Grey, [[Wilson�s Plover]], Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer Plover, Sanderling, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Stilt Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, [[Wilson�s Snipe]], Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Willet, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Aug-May), Lauging Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Oct-May), Caspian Tern, Oct-May), Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Oct-Mar), Roseate Tern, rare), Least Tern, Apr-Sep), Bridled Tern, rare Apr-Aug), Sooty Tern, Apr-Sep), Black Tern, Apr-Nov), Common, Apr-Sep), Plain Pigeon, very rare), White-crowned Pigeon, Jamaican Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Zenaida Dove, White-winged Dove, Common Ground-Dove, White-bellied, Crested Quail-Dove, Ruddy Quail-Dove, Olive-throated Parakeet, sometimes considered a full species), Green-rumped Parrotlet, now widespread), Yellow-billed Amazon-Parrot, Black-billed Amazon-Parrot, Mangrove Cuckoo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, rare breeder, race americanus), Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo, Jamaican Lizard-Cuckoo, Smooth-billed Ani, Barn Owl, Jamaican Owl, Common Potoo, Antillean Nighthawk, race gundlachii), [[Chuck-Will�s Widow]], Black Swift, White-collared Swift, Antillean Palm-Swift, Jamaican Mango Hummingbird, Jamaican Streamertail Hummingbird, Red-billed scitulus in eastern Jamaica and Black-billed polytmus in the remainder of Jamaica), Vervain Hummingbird, Jamaican Tody, Belted Kingfisher, Jamaican Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Jamaican, Greater Antillean Elaenia, Greater Antillean Pewee, Sad, Rufous-tailed Flycatcher, Stolid Flycatcher, Loggerhead Kingbird, Grey Kingbird, race dominicensis), Jamaican Becard, Tree Swallow, Golden Swallow, endemic race euchrysea), Northern Rough-winged Swallow, rare migrant Jan-Apr and Aug-Nov), Sand Martin, rare migrant Jan and Sep), Cave Swallow, Barn Swallow, migrant, Jan-Apr and Aug-Nov), Caribbean Martin, Feb-Oct), Cedar Waxwing, Crey Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Bahama Mockingbird, Rufous-throated Solitaire, Veery, Grey-cheeked Thrush, rare migrant Oct-Dec), [[Swainson�s Thrush]], rare migrant Apr and Sep-Oct), White-eyed Thrush, White-chinned Thrush, [[Lincoln�s Sparrow]], Grasshopper Sparrow, Saffron Finch, Yellow-faced Grassquit, Black-faced Grassquit, Yellow-shouldered Grassquit, Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orangequit, Jamaican Euphonia, Stripe-headed Tanager, Summer Tanager, rare Oct-Apr), Scarlet Tanager, Bananaquit, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Oct-May), Arrow-headed Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Apr-May and Oct-Nov), Yellow-throated Warbler, scarce Sep-May), Prairie Warbler, Palm Warbler, Sep-May), Bay-breasted Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, American Redstart, Prothonotary Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler, [[Swainson�s Warbler]], Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Aug-Apr), Louisiana Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat, Sep-May), White-eyed Vireo, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, migrant Sep-Oct), Black-whiskered Vireo, Jamaican Vireo, Blue Mountain Vireo, Jamaican Oriole, race leucopteryx), Baltimore Oriole, Jan-Apr and Oct-Nov), Jamaican Blackbird, Greater Antillean Grackle, Bobolink, Mar-May and Sep-Oct), Yellow-crowned Bishop, Common Starling
Content and images originally posted by Steve
