Lesser Antilles Day 4.

Off to Montserrat, the Emerald Isle,  on a small airplane. 

Yes they call it the Emerald Isle, probably because of a deep historical connection. Apparently in the 19th century there were so many Irish slavers here even the African slaves spoke Irish. 

At Antigua airport, spotted Zenaida Doves, A White Crowned Pigeon, Magnificent Frigatebirds overhead, a Cattle Egret, a Caribbean Elaenia (Caribbean), Gray Kingbirds, many Carib Grackles, and a couple of Yellow Warblers.

White-crowned pigeon

Carib grackles

Quick flight, looking at the streams of Sargasso weed underneath...going to be another seaweed year. Didn't see the Tropicbirds a couple of our fellow travelers reported. We met our new guide, who calls himself Nature, and who might have been a little inebriated. 

We headed up the mountain, to find the Montserrat Oriole, in two locations, but I couldn't get photos.

Other birds

• Scaly-naped Pigeon
• White-winged Dove
• Zenaida Dove
• Smooth-billed Ani
• Mangrove Cuckoo
• Purple-throated Carib
• Green-throated Carib
• Magnificent Frigatebird
• Western Cattle Egret
• Great Egret
• American Kestrel
• Caribbean Elaenia
• Gray Kingbird
• Caribbean Martin
• Scaly-breasted Thrasher
• Pearly-eyed Thrasher
• Yellow Warbler (Golden)
• Bananaquit
• Lesser Antillean Bullfinch

Then, after a lunch of local food, we headed for the volcano observatory.  The volcano was uncooperative, remianing shrouded by cloud. And then, we found TD's bakery and Catering Service. Which, it turns out, is a bar...

They stock bush rum, and apparently the local manufacturer of the dubious concoction had just died. So we drank to his passing.

Some of my fellow travelers reported being up all night after drinking this mysterious liquid, made (according to Nature, our guide) from rum and some native jungle leaves. But I noticed nothing untoward. 

Montserrat holds perhaps the world's most unusual St Patrick Day's celebration. It's a ten day affair, starting on March 17. In truth, it doesn't really celebrate St Patrick's day, but a slave revolt that started on St. Patrick's day. Fair enough. 

And then back to Antigua...