Breakfast was fantastic. This is a nice hotel. And it was early, because we were off to the Jardin de Balata in the center of the Island. I also found my camera batteries were dead, so it was iPhone time. Still, this is a pretty fair shot of a Martinique Oriole.
Harbison's Travels
A blog about my trips. Many birds.
Looking NE from Cerro Dragon
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Lesser Antilles Day 12; Martinique, and then to Guadeloupe.
Monday, May 6, 2024
Lesser Antilles day 11: Martinique
We boarded a ferry in Castries harbor to get across the channel to Fort au France, Martinique.
A Brown Booby welcomed us.
We were dumped in the Parc la Savane while our guides went in search of a rental car, and so took the opportiunity to have some beer at Snack Super Maxinis, before we briefly inspected the ornate Bibliothèque Schœlcher.
Monday, April 15, 2024
Lesser Antilles Day 10: St Lucia
So off we went, at 6:30 a.m., across the island, to see the white breated thrasher and St Lucia oriole.
Also....Scaly-named pigeon, (setting out) Lesser Antillean Swifts, Green-throated Carib.
Then we went to a wetland, where we saw Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaups, Pied-billed Grebes, Common Gallinules, American Coots, Greater Yellowlegs, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, a Green Heron, Western Cattle Egrets, Great Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, an Osprey, a Gray Kingbird, Barn Swallows, Carib Grackles, and a Yellow Warbler.Yawn!
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Lesser Antilles Day 8: Grenada
We went to the Hartman plantation (lower track) to search for the national bird of Grenada, the Grenada Dove, which is going extinct, completely unnoticed by the government of Grenada.
And we didn't see it. Well, one of us says he saw it, and some of us claim we heard it, but all in all, pretty disappointing. We did see a Grenada flycatcher.
and a Mangrove Cuckoo
Monday, April 8, 2024
LesserAntilles Day 7: St Vincent Day 2
Next morning, we were back out, in search of the elusive Whistling Warbler. And so we drove 'round what looked like an old caldera, and then hiked up onto the mountain.
We goit a few glimpese of the Lesser Antillean Tanager at the parking lot, and then it was up into the cloud-forest.
Sunday, April 7, 2024
Lesser Antilles Day 6: Saint Vincent Day 1
Exhausted by our 10-line day airport adventures, I slept, notwithstanding my sunburned face. woke up, and had breakfast, at our very nice but bossy-staffed Bridgetown hotel, and then a walk on the beach, eying the tiny translucent crabs but unable to get as picture of one. We weren't long in Barbados.
Early we were back to the airport and off to St Vincent. Short hop, small 'plane. We drove around the back of the airport, to a small creek flowing into the Caribbean. to eat a bag lunch.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Lesser Antilles Day 5
At 7:15 a.m. we were on the waterfront of St. Johns, boarding a fast speedboat trip to Barbuda, the smaller bit of Antigua and Barbuda.
A Madagascar periwinkle, not native, of course, but transported around the world as a supposed diabetes cure.
I mean, one has to ask, does the world need all these aerial pirates, seabirds that can't land on the water because they can't get their feathers wet, and so spend their lives harassing other birds until they throw up, and the frigatebird eats the puke. This is what happens when you escape Noah's triage, and just float above the ark, unaffected by the global flood.
(No, I don't believe any of this)
The trip back to Codrington was miserable. Cramped, and the combination of a stiff breeze and waves threw up enough spray that sitting in the port stern of the boat, I got soaked. Still, the nice thing about the tropics is you dry out quickly. We ate a box lunch at the Martello Tower and then shiped back to Antigua, for a van transfer to the airport.
In addition, thanks to Peg Abbott
At/on the way to the frigatebird colony
- Spotted sandpiper
- Barn Swallow
On the way to Codrington
- Green-throated Carib
- Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Lesser Antilles)
- Ruddy Turnstone
- Brown Pelican
- Green Heron
- American Kestrel
- Caribbean Elaenia
- Gray Kingbird
- Caribbean Martin
- Carib Grackle
- Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
- Black-faced Grassquit
The rest of the day was hell. We got to the airport about 2 p.m.. Then we stood in a line to check in. Then we stood in a long-long line for the security check. Then we stood in a line to check our passports. Then we stood in a line for a bag check. Then we stood in a line waiting to board, and another couple of lines, and then finally we took off, over five hours later.
And this was just to get out of Antigua!
Our sunset, 45 minute flight down to Barbados was quite beautiful, as were the admission procedures, which were fast and efficient. What a contrast. Our hotel, the Blue Horizon, was OK, and there was food.
Lesser Antilles Day 12; Martinique, and then to Guadeloupe.
Breakfast was fantastic. This is a nice hotel. And it was early, because we were off to the Jardin de Balata in the center of the Island. I...
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Birds of Miami Springs. Well, a dozen house-sparrows, and a half-dozen mockingbirds, and collared doves, and mourning doves, and boat-taile...
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Exhausted by our 10-line day airport adventures, I slept, notwithstanding my sunburned face. woke up, and had breakfast, at our very nice b...