Discover Jamaica with Nature Alberta
Jamaica has a very special flavour all its own, and we’re not referring only to its jerk chicken. This island nation surprisingly hosts many species found nowhere else; for instance, its 28 endemic bird species are the most of any island in the West Indies, testament to Jamaica’s impressive mix of altitude, topography, and climate. We’ve designed this tour to include a range of Jamaica’s habitats, including dry lowland forest, wooded foothills, cloud forest, arid scrub, coastal mangrove lagoons, and freshwater wetlands. Through this experience of diversity, we’ll develop a sense of Jamaican nature as a whole, while giving ourselves opportunities to observe its signature species.
The colourful Jamaican Tody, Black-billed and Yellow-billed Parrots, Jamaican Woodpecker, Arrow-headed Warbler, and Jamaican Oriole are some of the island’s notable birds that we’ll watch for. Expect also to encounter many North American breeding songbirds, including several of the familiar wood-warblers that migrate through and (in many cases) breed in North America. Endemic plants such as the Thatch Palm and various reptiles and amphibians are also part of the cast of tropical flora and fauna.
Ann Haynes-Sutton, Jamaica’s foremost naturalist and leading conservationist, joined by Nature Alberta’s Erin McCloskey for this tour that promises to be an eye-opening view of this Caribbean gem – be a part of the discovery with them!
Itinerary
Click here to view the detailed itinerary.
At a glance:
| DAY | ACTIVITY |
| 1 | Meet in Kingston |
| 2 | To Port Antonio |
| 3 | Ecclesdown Road and Port Antonio |
| 4 | Transfer to Blue Mountains, Hardwar Gap |
| 5 | To Marshall’s Pen via Portland Ridge |
| 6 | Black River |
| 7 | Cockpit Country |
| 8 | To Montego Bay, Rocklands Bird Sanctuary |
| 9 | Depart Montego Bay |
Your Tour Leader
Ann Haynes-Sutton is a conservation ecologist who has spent her working life in Jamaica. She is the senior author of “A photographic guide to the birds of Jamaica” published by Princeton University in 2009, and has been leading bird and natural history tours in Jamaica and other islands for many years.