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This is the entrance to Rockland's Bird Sanctuary in
Jamaica. It was an hour and a half drive from Negril where we stayed.
($150 American for the cab) Montego Bay is a lot closer I'm told, only
about a half hour or less drive. There is an $8 charge per person to sit
on the porch and feed the birds.
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Most of the bird feeding activity is on the porch of the
home on the Sanctuary. We had just arrived and my wife Jean (on the right)
is waiting with great anticipation for the birds to come. They have sugar
water feeders (just small bottles, about a pint, with a pinhole through
the bottle top) set up all around the porch. When the people are there
finger feeding the birds they tip the bottles up so the hummers must go to
the finger bottles. Also around the porch are feeding stations with little
bathroom cups half filled with granular sugar. The finches and other
birds come and feed on the sugar. There are also platform feeders with
seed that the warblers come and feed on. One platform had a banana that
kept a Jamaica Oriole interested. |
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This is what Rockland's Bird Sanctuary is so famous for.
Here is a male Red-Billed (or Western) Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus
polytmus) coming in for a landing. We also had the Jamaican Mango (Anthracothorax
mango) feeding but they were too fast for a good picture with my
camera. It is an amazing experience to have several buzzing around you at
the same time. |
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OK, who looks more satisfied here? The bird or me? |
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Everyone can get into the act. This Lady is from the UK. She
saw a show with Joan Collins on television about Rockland and decided to
pay them a visit. |
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Another Lady from the UK feeding the finches. |
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This happy face is Fritz. He is the caretaker of
Rockland's Bird Sanctuary.
We were only there for about a half an hour to an hour but it made our trip to
Jamaica successful.
Thank you Fritz.
Other Links to birding Jamaica:
http://www.birdlifejamaica.com/ |
Endemic Species/Subspecies
Crested Quail Dove (Geotrygon versicolor)
Olive-throated Parakeet (Aratinga nana)
Jamaican Mango (Anthracothorax mango)
Red-Billed (or Western) Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus polytmus)
Jamaican Woodpecker (Melanerpes radiolatus) I missed but wife saw.
Sad Flycatcher (Myiarchus barbirostris)
Loggerhead Kingbird (Tryannus caudifasciatus)
White-chinned Thrush (Turdus aurantius)
Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola)
Greater Antillean Grackle (Quiscalus niger)
Jamaican Oriole (Icterus leucopteryx)
Other Species/Subspecies
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnifcens)
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Great Egret (Casmerodius albus)
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
Royal Tern (Sterna maxima)
White-crowned Pigeon (Columba leucocephala)
Common Ground Dove (Columina passerina)
Cave Swallow (Hirundo fulva)
Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens)
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We were primarily there for a wedding at the Beaches in Negril
so we didn't do that much birding, however on the left is my trip
list. Since I have never birded outside the US and am basically a
beginning birder I had a few Lifers. There are others I may add when I get
a chance to examine my pictures more carefully.
Bart Erickson
Cherry Hill, NJ
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