Northern Cardinal at the Feeder

 

 

We are back in Jersey. After a gray week, it was sunny this AM. This male cardinal likes safflower for breakfast. We switch to safflower at this time of year because the cardinals and titmice like it, but grackles and starlings don't (so they say).

Jamaican Shore Birds at Goldeneye

 

Great Blue Heron

White-tailed Tropicbird

Yellow-crowned Night Heron

After 6 days at Geejam, we went to Goldeneye which had fewer trees but more beaches.
There was a reef about 200 feet off shore. A great blue heron would fish there every evening. There was a yellow-crowned night heron perched above our villa the first evening. In the morning white-tailed tropicbirds would soar in the breezes.

Perching birds at Goldeneye

Northern Mockingbird

Olive-throated Parakeet

Jamaican Woodpecker

Jamaican Mango Hummingbird

Olive-throated Parakeet on a ackee tree

 

A group of Parakeets would come by every morning. They always stopped at the Ackee tree but never stayed long. One morning, Mike got his coffee early and was waiting for them.

Jamaica: Not Just 4 Birds

 

One day when walking down the road, we encountered a herd of goats that had escaped. As former goat owners (really), we know that if you restrain the leader of the herd, the others stay nearby. However, it looks like it broke free, taking the rest on an excursion.

 

One morning, a cute dog walked by in the greenery below our cottage. We gave it some left over jerk chicken from the previous day's outing.

Kingbird

 

 

Sad Flycatcher with an ant

 

The Sad Flycatcher is endemic to Jamaica. It's a little smaller and has more yellow than the kingbirds. Here it's eating an ant.