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The haunting call of the West Indian Whistling Duck has long been a sound synonymous with the ever-shrinking wetlands of the Caribbean. But, as with so many other species, these birds have been left to do their own whistle blowing. The whistling duck call carries with it the crimes of big business, the failures of [...]

An era of phenomenal photographic field guides is dawning, its golden rays finally extending all the way to the blue-water beaches of the Caribbean islands. Only last year, I declared Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele to be the finest field guide to the entire region.  Visitors to Jamaica would still do well to purchase that excellent reference [...]

In the past few years, my most excellent fortune has been to visit a variety of eco-lodges in the Neotropics. Most of these destinations have been absolutely fantastic yet still slightly… rough. Perhaps rustic would be a better descriptor for some, or homey or even, if I may be so bold as to introduce a [...]

Anyone who has ever visited the Greater or Lesser Antilles can attest that the 564 fantastic bird species known to appear in the West Indies deserve a high-quality field guide. The current consensus is that the finest field guide to the exotic archipelagos of the Caribbean is Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele. [...]

I’ve raved about the birds (and beaches) of Jamaica, even highlighting the island’s lovely lizards, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I liked its leps. Jamaica offers predictably potent butterfly watching. For example, the island is swell for swallowtail butterflies, with a number of endemics including the largest swallowtail in the [...]

Most visitors seem to be drawn to Jamaica for its admittedly world-class beaches and with good reason; having enjoyed that warm, clear Caribbean from a gorgeous, white sand beach myself, I wish I had spent more time at the seaside. Yet, when I look back on my all-too-brief visit to Jamaica, my thoughts first turn [...]

Visiting Jamaica is truly a sensory experience. Not only does one see astounding beauty and feel that warm Caribbean sun, but one also hears every night a collection of chirps, croaks, and hoots that fairly falls between a symphony and a cacophony. This unmistakable ruckus, which persists until birdsong takes over at dawn, is the [...]

With its wealth of endemic avifauna and varied microclimates, Jamaica may offer the best bird watching in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, the birding may very well be best in Portland Parish, the northeastern corner of this gorgeous island. Narrowing our focus even further, the best birding in Portland is reputed to be found on Ecclesdown [...]

Self-help supplicants know that the Nile isn’t just a river in Egypt. But did you know that the Rio Grande isn’t just a river separating the United States from Mexico? In fact, the the name “Rio Grande” has been bestowed upon waterways all over the Americas and beyond. Of course, most of these countries consider [...]

Preparing for a birding excursion can be tremendous fun if one actually enjoys studying field guides, trip reports, and various and sundry other resources. I personally love the process. Not only does the preliminary research heighten anticipation of an already exciting trip, but the payoff in the field when I have no problem recognizing a [...]

Jamaica is the perfect destination if you’re looking for sensational Caribbean birding. Considering the colorful nicknames bestowed upon just about every species on the island, Jamaicans truly love their birds.  And of these birds, none is more beloved than the delightful Doctor Bird. Doctor Bird is the name given to the fetching avian identified in [...]

Since I’m headed to Hotel Mocking Bird Hill in Jamaica in November (and you’re still invited to join me), I’ve been brushing up on my Caribbean avifauna. The hours invested learning expected birds prior to a birding trip not only pay massive dividends in the field, but also enhance the anticipation of actually arriving. In [...]

Our window for birdwatching in Puerto Rico was heartbreakingly brief, but the true reason for our trip was the wedding of our dear friends, Tarra and Evan. Their ceremony was beautiful and the celebration lasted long into the night. The next day, we had time but for a brief visit to Old San Juan and [...]

Isla Verde is OK for casinos and clubs but hardly offers a sufficient survey of Puerto Rico’s amazing avifauna. The birding centerpiece of our brief Puerto Rican trip was a morning excursion to El Yunque Caribbean National Forest. For a country so blessed with avian diversity, Puerto Rico seemed woefully light in the birding tour [...]

Current U.S. Territory and potential 51st state, Puerto Rico boasts 349 bird species, including 17 or so endemics, as well as the second highest alcohol consumption per capita in the world, behind only Russia. Sara and I traveled there in November 2004 for a weekend wedding, but also attempted a whirlwind tour of the northeastern [...]

The field guide guiding us on our January 2006 trip to the Bahamas was A Field Guide to the Birds of the West Indies by James Bond. This volume, written by one of the most well respected names in Caribbean aviafauna, edited by Roger Tory Peterson, and illustrated by Don R. Eckelberry, Earl L. Poole, [...]

Though we had observed most of Paradise Island’s avifauna the previous day, we got great follow-up views as our trip progressed. The predominant gull we saw was Laughing, mixed in with a handful of Herring and Ring-billed. The prevalent raptor was American Kestrel, the Bahamian race possessed of a pure white belly. Collared doves and, [...]

Our first full day in the Bahamas was slated to be our big birding day. Having done a fair bit of research before setting out, I realized that we couldn’t possibly experience the best of New Providence birding on our own. We sought too many rarities with too small a window for success. So, I [...]

The first bird Sara and I spotted in the Bahamas was the same species as our last in the United States, a House Sparrow as at home in the Nassau International Airport as its cousin was in JFK. The second bird we saw, a ubiquitous invasive that has overwhelmed this particular island, was a Eurasian [...]

When it’s a Spindalis species tanager, obviously! Traveling these days is hardly the carefree, spontaneous, all-I-need-is-a-toothbrush-and-ten-bucks experience it used to be before I took up birding.  Now, every excursion is preceded by serious research into potential and target species, checklists, rare bird alerts, and trip reports.  But this intensive ornithological preparation is doubly beneficial: first, [...]