Hello all.
My wife and I just returned from a 7 day(Nov. 8-15) cruise through the eastern Caribbean. Along the way we ported in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica and the Dominican Republic. We spent about 8 hours in each port. This was not a birding holiday BUT the binoculars were with me at all times.
52 species seen of which 4 were life birds for me. If anyone has questions about specific islands and their bird possibilities please PM me. If this had been a bird trip may other species were available.
My sightings: (* indicates life bird)
Brown Booby
Red-footed Booby*
Brown Pelican
Magficicent Frigatebird
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
Green Heron
White-cheeked Pintail
Osprey
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Wilson's Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Rock Dove
Eurasian Collared-dove
Zenaida Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Ground-dove
Monk Parakeet
Smooth-billed Ani
Antillean Palm-swift
Purple-throated Carib*
Green-throated Carib
Antillean Crested Hummingbird
Broad-billed Tody
Belted Kingfisher
Hispaniolan Woodpecker
Gray Kingbird
Rufous-throated Solitare*
Northern Mockingbird
Pearly-eyed Thrasher
Brown Trembler*
Palmchat
Yellow Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-and-White Warbler
Bananaquit
Black-crowned Palm-tanager
Black-faced Grassquit
Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
Greater Antillean Grackle
Carib Grackle
House Sparrow
Off to dreamland,
dennis
Glad to hear you had a great time Dennis. Now for me, all but nine of your list would have been lifers!
Yes Ian, hoped for a few more lifers but couldn't transport myself to their locations in the time allowed.
Did find an excellent location to land 4 endemics to the island of Hispaniola(Haiti and Dominican Republic). Just a short taxi ride from the cruise ship dock at La Romana is a beautiful little tourist village of Altos de Chavon. There it is extremely easy to view Hispaniolan Woodpecker, Black-crowned Palm-tanager and Palmchat(the only member of its own family, Dulidae). Broad-billed Tody is also found in the village but requires alittle searching. All 4 are found only on Hispaniola. I had seen them on a previous trip to the island so the thrill was slightly lessened.
dennis