Jamaica An Island of Endemics

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1 Naturetrek Tour Itinerary Outline itinerary Day 1 Day 2/7 Day 8 Day 9 Fly Kingston and transfer Green Castle Eco Retreat Explore Green Castle Grounds and visit Blue & John Crow Mountains Final exploration and fly UK Arrive UK Departs Feb, March Focus Birds (mainly) & other wildlife Grading Grade A. In the main easy birding walks only Dates and Prices See website (tour code JAM02) Highlights Explore the superb Green Castle Estate acre grounds A chance to see all 28 Jamaican endemics. Visit the Blue and John Crow Mountains A whole host of other species which should include a range of stunning American wood warblers. Superb photographic opportunities. Black-billed Streamertail, Jamaican Woodpecker and Northern Potoo. all taken on the tour by Tom Mabbett Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0) E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W:

2 Jamaica An Island of Endemics Introduction Jamaica, third largest of the islands that comprise the West Indies, is also one of the richest in wildlife with extensive tracts of surviving rain forest, particularly in the Blue Mountains just inland from the capital Kingston. Perhaps better known for the lively tourist developments, there is a much quieter, stunningly picturesque side to Jamaica amid the coffee plantations and forests of the mountains. For this tour we have decided a single centre approach is the way to go and we will base ourselves for the 7 nights at the fantastic Green Castle Eco Resort. Green Castle has private grounds of around 1600 View from Green Castle Estate acres and this large size means a great diversity of ecosystems and in turn a rich and thriving birdlife. Habitats here include fresh water ponds, a mangrove swamp, streams, forests, pastures and coastline. Areas of water have been left highly vegetated being ideal for wetland species and Jamaica s endemic bird habitats are encouraged in these vast grounds. Indeed without leaving the grounds of Green Castle a great number of species, many of them endemic, can be found. In total 171 resident and migrant bird species have been recorded. Over 20 miles of walking trails make birding easy and enjoyable but incredibly exciting and varied. During the week we will explore the trails from our base and also venture out to the Blue and John Crow mountains where some key endemics not to be found around Green Castle will be our target. 27 or the islands 28 endemics have actually been recorded at Green castle over the years with Crested Quail Dove the only one not to have been seen. This tour offers some superb birding with all 28 endemics a distinct possibility and also allows for a holiday at the same time. For those that would prefer to skip an activity or take an afternoon off you can do just that. Reading by the swimming pool or relaxing in a hammock are some of the options. NB. Please note that the itinerary below offers our planned programme of excursions. However, adverse weather & other local considerations can necessitate some re-ordering of the programme during the course of the tour, though this will always be done to maximise best use of the time and weather conditions available. Day 1 In flight We will depart the UK and arrive into Kingston following a direct flight. Depending on the time we may have the opportunity to stop at suitable habitat en-route to Green Castle to get our first taste of Jamaican birding. Naturetrek 1

3 On arrival at the Estate House we will be welcomed with a fresh local fruit juice or if you prefer, some homemade rum punch. We shall enjoy dinner and discuss the plans for the exciting activities that lie ahead. Day 2 Exploring Green Castle After yesterday s long flight we shall spend the day exploring the wonderful grounds. There will be the option of a pre-breakfast hot drink and the opportunity for an early bird walk should you wish. Following breakfast we will head out for a relaxing half days birding and orientation. It may be we take the Waterfall Trail and spend all morning bird watching this impressive track, hopefully encountering a dozen or so endemics as well as numerous other species. The Red-billed Streamertail is fairly common here and Jamaican Mango often Jamaican Mango (Duncan Dine) visits the feeders. The endemic Jamaican Woodpecker, Orangequit and Jamaican Euphonia are just some of the birds we might find. Following lunch we will spend the afternoon again around the estate grounds in search of more birds, walking another section of the 20 miles of trails. Northern Jacana, Olive-throated Parakeet and Caribbean endemics such as Jamaican Oriole and Greater Antillean Bullfinch are all possible amongst many others. It will be a relaxed yet exciting start to the holiday and we shall get a good feel for what the estate grounds has to offer. Day 3 Visiting the Blue Mountains Today we will make an early start, have a hot drink and head out at around 5.00am with a packed breakfast. Our destination will be the Blue Mountains which lie approximately 2 hours drive to the east and inland from Green Castle and we will spend time at the Hardwar Gap area looking for more specialities of Jamaica. We will bird here by walking along a winding paved road and with significant areas of damp forest remaining here and with lush flower rich gardens this area has a great deal to offer. The Blue Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo (Tom Mabbett) Mountains hold the islands highest point with Blue Mountain Peak at 2256m and during our time birding in the area we shall hopefully encounter endemics such as Jamaican Blackbird, Blue Mountain Vireo and, if we are lucky, the beautiful but elusive Crested Quail Dove. 2 Naturetrek

4 Rufous-throated Solitaire, Arrowhead Warbler, Jamaican Elaenia and Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo are just a few of the other species we may encounter here. We should see a whole host of species at this site, many of which will be endemics and it makes for very exciting birding. Packed lunch will be taken in a personal cooler and we shall enjoy this out in the field. We will break for a cup of Blue Mountain Coffee at some stage and have the opportunity to buy some of this famous coffee to take back home. The afternoon will be spent birding a little further up the road enjoying more of Jamaica s superb bird life before we journey back to Greencastle. Jamaican Tody (Roger Wasley) Day 4 Exploring Green Castle After yesterday s busy day we will spend today exploring another section of Green Castles 1600 acre grounds. Again the itinerary is flexible and as always there is the opportunity to relax by the swimming pool or take a morning off should you wish. Today we will explore different areas, looking at the pools, the tower areas and possibly the coast within these impressive grounds. Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo, Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo and Yellow-shouldered Grassquit are among the endemics we may encounter. At this time of year there will also be Black-throated Blue Warbler (Roger Wasley) migrant birds to be seen and we shall be keeping sharp eyes out for the wonderfully coloured American Wood Warblers that may be feeding in the grounds before continuing their journey north. Many of these little gems have been recorded at Green Castle and include such delights as Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Prairie Warbler, and Yellow Warbler. After dinner we can head out for a walk and some spotlighting to look for another Jamaican Endemic.the Jamaican Owl. We may also encounter Northern Potoo which is an endemic Jamaican sub-species. Exploring by night is always exciting! Day 5 Visiting the John Crow Mountains Naturetrek 3

5 We shall make an early start again today leaving at around 5.00am with a packed breakfast. Today we shall drive to the foothills of the John Crow Mountains, to an area called Ecclesdown Road. Ecclesdown Road is a superb birding area and has good numbers of endemics. The road loops around the eastern section of the John Crow Mountains and despite agricultural land encroaching on the forest there is nonetheless a great section of the route that passes through wonderfully intact habitat. One of the star birds we are looking for today is the Black-billed Streamertail. It is endemic to a small area of Jamaica and one that we are unlikely to see anywhere else. At the foot of the John Crow Mountains lies the wettest forest on the island and the most endemic-rich area in the Caribbean. We have the chance here again to see the difficult Crested Quail-Dove and the scarce Jamaican Blackbird though the birding in general is varied with lots to be found, Black-billed Amazon, Yellow-billed Amazon and Jamaican Crow are three other key species for the area. Northern Mockingbird Today we shall enjoy lunch at a local Jerk Centre at Boston and for the remainder of the day we shall spend Jamaican Owl time bird watching in the various habitats, looking out for Jamaican Oriole, Jamaican Becard and Arrow-headed Warbler to name a few. We will then head back to Green Castle and if time permits visit a site on the coast such as Frenchman s Cove. Magnificent Frigatebird and Royal Tern are often seen over the sea here. We shall return to Green Castle for dinner and to run through our sightings for the day. Day 6 Exploring the Green Castle Estate Today will be spent enjoying the estate grounds once more trying to find and enjoy new species and taking in the wonderful scenery and exploring the different habitats. We may take the trails that incorporate the Orchid Ginger Farm and the reservoir as these areas will be new to us. We should encounter such species as the Red-billed Streamertail, Jamaican Tody, Jamaican Vireo, Whitechinned Thrush and Rufous-tailed Flycatcher. Lunch will be eaten at the lodge and we may bump into a Black and White Warbler, Northern Waterthrush or Vervain Hummingbird (Roger Wasley) Ovenbird and a range of other species as we explore this area. Checking flowering shrubs and plants should reveal the tiny and very widespread Vervain Hummingbird. The second smallest bird in the world! 4 Naturetrek

6 The afternoon will be free to do as you wish. Maybe to relax by the pool or enjoy watching and photographing more birds along the trails around the grounds. The options are varied and the itinerary is flexible. Following dinner we may again take an evening walk to search for Jamaican Owl and Potoo! Day 7 Exploring Green Castle If it is necessary to re-visit any sites then today is the day to do this and we shall choose an area of the estate grounds to visit, hopefully catching up with anything we may have missed out on during the week. Some may choose to spend some of our final full day relaxing and taking in our wonderful surroundings and the itinerary for the day is again flexible. Day 8 Final exploration and travel to the airport Today we will have to leave for the airport and will have time for a final pre-breakfast walk and some birding around the grounds. Before we depart for the airport, time can be spent packing, relaxing or birding around the gardens or trails before we must set off to Kingston to catch our flight home. On route to the airport, time allowing, we can make a short stop in Kingston. Some may like to have a look at the local market and nearby to here on the coast Brown Pelican, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern and Magnificent Frigatebird can be seen. Day 9 Tropical Silverspot Gulf Fritillary (Duncan Dine) Arrive back into the UK following our overnight flight Accommodation and group size We have 8 rooms at Green Castle so the group size will depend on the number of singles in the party and cannot exceed 16. All rooms have fans. Naturetrek 5

7 Green Castle is set on a safe private 1600 acre estate that boasts prime ocean views, land that slopes gently down to a 2 mile long private coastline. This coastline is around a 1.5 mile walk from the lodge and swimming here is not always recommended. The Estate House hosts a lovely pool, tennis court and beautiful vistas. If you want, or need to keep in touch with the outside world there is free internet access. Guide Our group will be led by one or two of the lodge s expert guides. Flights We shall travel on a direct service from London Gatwick to Kingston with British Airways. Grading To enjoy the trip to the full you should be reasonably fit and mobile as we will be spending time each day on foot. It is by no means a strenuous or difficult tour though, and all outings and walks are optional. This is not a hard-core birding holiday from dawn to dusk with an eye on rushing around and ticking as many species as possible. It is a relaxed, but focused, birdwatching holiday in lovely surroundings. We certainly hope over the week to see a great majority if not all Jamaican endemics though! Weather Red-billed Streamertail (Duncan Dine) Weather at Green Castle during February and March can be very warm with high humidity. Rain is always a possibility at any time being a rainforest habitat but soon passes so not to the extent that it will spoil your enjoyment. A shower is often very welcome! Clothing Please inspect the separate clothing list in our pre-departure information. Food & accommodation included in the price All accommodation and meals are included. Green Castle has a large free fresh water dispenser for bottle filling and complimentary tea and coffee are available 24hrs a day. 6 Naturetrek

8 All the rooms are very comfortable with lovely views and are en-suite. Three rooms are distinctly larger and of greater quality than the others and if you wish to stay in these rooms then there is a surcharge of 175 per person for the week. Extra expenses Please note that we do not include items of a more personal nature such as drinks not mentioned above, laundry, tips and souvenirs. How to book your place In order to book your place on this holiday, please give us a call on with a credit or debit card, book online at or alternatively complete and post the booking form at the back of our main Naturetrek brochure, together with a deposit of 20% of the holiday cost plus any room supplements if required. If you do not have a copy of the brochure, please call us on or request one via our website. Please stipulate any special requirements, for example extension requests or connecting/regional flights, at the time of booking. Naturetrek 7