Rob's Chickadee

Hi,

My day at the beach in Labadee Haiti in March 2012 produced 11 species, the following bird sightings:

Brown Pelican

Red-tailed Hawk

White-winged Dove

Gray Kingbird

Black-whiskered Vireo

Cave Swallow

Northern Mockingbird

Palmchat (Endemic to Hispaniola)

Bananaquit

House Sparrow and

Village Weaver

Hi !

I'm looking for tips and info on the birding at

1. Cartagena Colombia

2. Colon Panama

3. Puerto Limon Costa Rica

4. Costa Maya Mexico and

5. Cozumel Mexico

I'm a serious birder and would be looking to possibly hire a private local guide at 2 or more of these ports.

I have found some info for Colon Panama but welcome any reviews or tips for birding these ports.

I sail in February 2016.

Thanks.

Hi Heather,

I would love to hear more details about your time birding in port of call Colon, Panama.

I'm sailing on Celebrity Equinox in Feb 2016 and want to bird privately with a guide. I see you found your guide through birding pal. I'd like to know what I can expect to pay. It might be just my husband and I birding, or we might be 2 couples. Also, can you speak about the vehicle used, if refreshments were supplied (water or soft drinks) and how long you birded. Can we do what you did in a half day or were you out longer? I reviewed the images you posted on Smug Mug. Looks like you had a great birding adventure.

Hi Chelsie

 

Hope you find people to join you! we had a fantastic time birding during our Panama Canal Cruise. We birded 4 out of 6 possible ports of call.

 

Costa Rica and Panama were the highlights and it was crazy great!!!

 

I am still uploading photos, but here is a taste of what you can see in Panama (Achiote Road - not far from Colon):

 

 

With kind regards and HAPPY BIRDING!

 

Heather

Ontario Canada

Hi Heather,

I noticed this post and am interested in booking private bird guides for Colon Panama and possible Puerto Limon in Costa Rica.

Do you have any recommendations?

Thank-you,

a fellow birder from Ontario

Cinda, I booked 3 guides for birding while on my 2 week trip in Hawaii in 2010.

1. On the Big Island when the ship was in port at Hilo my husband and I reserved our day with Warren Costa of 'Native Guide Hawaii'. He picked us up at the port, provided a delicious lunch and showed us many interesting things including a lava tube and several endemic birds on a hike at a kipuka.

2. On Kauai we booked with Carl Berg, who also picked us up from the port, and I got to see many great birds. That day was very worthwhile.

3. I had a booking with Michael of Oahu Nature Tours when in Waikiki. His company does custom Birdwatching tours for small groups, and I was really looing forward to going birding with him. Unfortunately that day an earthquake offshore initiated a sunami warning and the trip was cancelled.

I recommend you book people early so as avoid disappointment.

Tammy, you have some time before you sail so I would advise you purchase a field guide to the birds of the Caribbean ( if you don't have one already) and spend some time getting familiar with the birds you might encounter.

This will enhance your birding experience immensely!

I bought a Princeton Field Guide titled 'Birds of the West Indies' by Herbert Rafffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith and Janis Raffaele before my last cruise and found it very helpful. The illustrations in this book are very good and the range maps show which island the bird can be found on.

Bring it with you on your cruise.

Birding from the ship close to port can also be very productive. As has been mentioned in the last post, keep a look out for Frigatebirds, Boobies, Tropicbirds, interesting gulls and terns, even Shearwaters farther out at sea.

Have you considered hiring a guide to take you birding on any of the islands?

We did that in Puerto Rico and Hawaii and had wonderful experiences.

Birding from Explorer of the Seas RCI out of Bayonne New Jersey Feb 27-March 9 2012:

Now I wish I had kept better notes... my memory begins to fail me..but I will relate what I remember...

Gulls were abundant around the pier at Bayonne and the extreme wind out on deck made birding difficult as we left port.

Great Black-backed Gull

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Canada Goose on the grass at Tear of Grief Park

Labadee Haiti:

Gray Kingbirds common

White-winged Doves

Black-whiskered Vireos singing in many trees

2 Red-tailed Hawks soaring on thermals overhead

Northern Mockingbird

Banaquits

Palm Chat perched on the top of a dead tree near entrance to Barefoot Beach Club

Village Weaver colony in a tree beside the floating mat station for Barefoot Beach Club

approx 200 Cave Swallows hawking bugs over the beach at Columbus Cove

House Sparrows near the Dragon's Cafe

Puerto Rico:

Old San Juan - Greater Antillean Grackle, Rock Pigeon, Bananaquit,

Bayamon- Julio Enriques Monagues NP

Bananaquit

Black-faced Grassquit

Red-legged Thrush

Pearly-eyed Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

White-winged Dove

Scaley-naped Pigeon

White-crowned Pigeon

Zenaida Dove

Puerto Rican Spindalis

Puerto Rican Woodpecker

Puerto Rican Flycatcher

Green Mango

Northern Parula

Greater Antillean Grackle

Shiny Cowbird

Black-whiskered Vireo

Heard but not seen:

Mangrove Cuckoo

Adelaide's Warbler

Puerto Rican Bullfinch

More later...

Last year I hired Gabriel Lugo as a guide during our cruise ship stop in San Juan. I was very pleased. He has a great ear and was excellent. You can read about him on trip advisor. You can also check his bird lists on ebird.pr

Happy birding!!

Cinda

I too found info on birding with Gabriel. He was already booked for the day I was to be in port, but he graciously gave me the name of a colleague so my husband and I will be birding San Juan parks with Julio instead.

I purchased 'Birds of the West Indies' by Herbert Raffaele, and have been studying the island endemics and tropical species I don't get to see at home in Canada.

My hope is to get 30 or more lifers and some much needed added experience with migrants and the local more common tropical species.

My birding plan for my upcoming cruise (Feb-March 2012) involves several strategies:

1. Bird on my own with bins and scope from the decks while at sea for pelagics and hope others may join me ( the more eyes searching the better).

2. Book the services of a pro guide for a little serious birding at one port - set up for San Juan Puerto Rico for 3-4 hours late afternoon till dusk, just my husband and I for endemics and Caribbean specialties. :D

3. Labadee beach day- try and be among the first ashore and search the shoreline, trees, shrubery thickets ( if any), keep an eye on the skies and ear open and hope I find a few new species.

4. In St. Maartin, after a water activity shore excursion with family ( we are 16 people cruising together) where I will have an eye on the sky as much as possible, I plan to head to the nearby salt ponds.

Anybody know what I can expect to see there? Ducks, shorebirds, gulls, terns, herons, egrets, ibis, perhaps?

5. Sunday on Antigua is still not planned- I have the afternoon available.

6. St. Kitts - also still open. I'm leaning toward the rainforest excursion that includes a visit to the Batik place. I read the gardens there are lovely and I suspect could be quite birdy!

If anyone has experience birding these sites and can offer comment and a list of what species you have seen- I'd love to hear about it.