Grand Cayman,  Cozumel, Cancun, and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas

25 - 31 January 1998

by Mark Lockwood

In January 1998, my wife and I took a Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines.  The cruise made stops at Grand Cayman, Isla Cozumel, Cancun and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.  I birded at each of the ports in the time available.  In preparation for the trip I investigated potential birding locations within a short distance for the port city/town.  I had originally planned to hire a taxi for these excursions, but ended up renting cars at all but the stop in the Bahamas.  The process of getting off the ship, renting a car, returning the car and getting back aboard by the desired time left less time for birding than I had anticipated.

The first stop was Georgetown, Grand Cayman.  We had from about 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and our intention was to visit the areas described in Bradley's Birds of the Cayman Islands.  Upon reaching the first two locations, we found they had undergone considerable development and opted for a visit to the Queeen Elizabeth II Botanic Park on the eastern end of the island.  For details of the site see Lockwood, M.W. 1998.  Birdfinding Insert: Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman.  Winging It 10(5): 9-10.  We were generally successful in finding the West Indian specialties, including Vitelline Warbler.

The next day was spent at Isla Cozumel, Mexico.  We birded two locations, the road leading north out of San Miguel to what is called Punta Norte and the Chankanab Snorkeling Park.  We saw several Black Catbirds as well as Cozumel and Yucatan Vireos, Bananaquit, and many neotropical migrants along the road for the Punta Norte development.  This is an excellent place to visit.  There are paved streets and sidewalks, but the development was never completed.  From here we traveled northward to the sewage lagoons where we called up Ruddy Crake.  Chankanab Snorkeling Park offered good birding as well, we found Cozumel Emerald, White-crowned Pigeon, Caribbean Dove and others here.

The next day was spent at Cancun.  We rented a car and drove to the Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin Botanical Garden located on the south side of Puerto Morales where we spent the day.

Our final stop was at Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas.  Great Stirrup Cay is leased to the crusie line as a "private island".  The only bird of note we found was Bananaquit.

ITINERARY:

25 January - left Miami at 4:00 pm, birding in Miami area not included here.

26 January - at sea

27 January - Grand Cayman: birded Newlands area and Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park.

28 January - Isla Cozumel: birded road to Punta Norte and Chankanab Snorkeling Park.

29 January - Cancun: birded Puerto Morales area, including the Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marin Botanical Garden.

30 January - at sea

31 January - Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.

Annotated Bird List

Pied-billed Grebe - five in the Newlands area of Grand Cayman
Brown Pelican - fairly common at Cozumel, Cancun, and Puerto Morales; three at Great Stirrup Cay
Double-crested Cormorant - one imm. at Cancun
Neotropic Cormorant - up to five at Cancun
Magnificent Frigatebird - 24 at Grand Cayman, two at Cozumel, five at Cancun, and 15 at Puerto Morales, and one at Great
    Stirrup Cay
Great Blue Heron - two in the Newlands area of Grand Cayman and one on Cozumel
Great Egret - common on Cozumel and in the mangrove swamp at Puerto Morales
Snowy Egret - one at Newlands, Grand Cayman
Little Blue Heron - three at Newlands and one at QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Tricolored Heron - one on Cozumel
Cattle Egret - six at Newlands, Grand Cayman and 30+ on Cozumel
Green Heron - one at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
White Ibis - a flock of eight on Cozumel
Roseate Spoonbill - one on Cozumel
Turkey Vulture - common on Cozumel and on the way to Puerto Morales
Black Vulture - abundant on Cozumel and on the way to Puerto Morales
Blue-winged Teal - eight at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Lesser Scaup - 15+ at Newlands, Grand Cayman
Ring-necked Duck - three at Newlands, Grand Cayman (book mentions only one previous record)
Osprey - one at Grand Cayman
Gray Hawk - one just outside Cancun
Common Black-Hawk - one in the mangrove swamp at Puerto Morales
Plain Chachalaca - on at the Marin Botanical Garden
Ruddy Crake - one seen and three others heard at the sewage treatment plant at Cozumel
Sora - one at the sewage treatment plant at Cozumel
Purple Gallinule - one at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Common Moorhen - common on Grand Cayman, two in the mangrove swamp at Puerto Morales
American Coot - common on Grand Cayman
Northern Jacana - two in the mangrove swamp at Puerto Morales
Ruddy Turnstone - 12 at Great Stirrup Cay
Laughing Gull - one off the coast of Cuba on the 26th, common at
Cozumel, Cancun area and Great Stirrup Cay
Ring-billed Gull - five at Great Stirrup Cay
Royal Tern - two off Grand Cayman and a three at Great Stirrup Cay
Forster's Tern - six at Great Stirrup Cay
Rock Dove - common in urban areas
White-crowned Pigeon - one at Georgetown, Grand Cayman; three at Chankanab park on Cozumel
White-winged Dove - abundant in disturbed habitats on Grand Cayman
Zenaida Dove - two at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman and one on Great Stirrup Cay
Common Ground-Dove - common on Grand Cayman and Great Stirrup Cay
Ruddy Ground-Dove - one on Cozumel and several in the Puerto Morales area
White-tipped Dove - two at the Marin Botanical Garden
Caribbean Dove - one at the Chankanab Park on Cozumel
Monk Parakeet - two at Savannah, Grand Cayman (not mentioned in book)
Olive-throated Parakeet - eight at Marin Botanical Garden and two just outside Cancun
Cuban Parrot - two at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Squirrel Cuckoo - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Smooth-billed Ani - common on Grand Cayman in disturbed areas
Groove-billed Ani - four at Puerto Morales
Vaux's Swift - common on Cozumel and about 15 at Puerto Morales
Cozumel Emerald - one male at Chakanab Park feeding on Giant Turk's Cap
Cinnamon Hummingbird - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
White-bellied Emerald- one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Black-headed Trogon - three at the Marin Botanical Garden
Blue-crowned Motmot- one heard at the Marin Botanical Garden
Collared Aracari- one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Red-vented (Yucatan) Woodpecker- one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Golden-fronted Woodpecker - at least five at the Marin Botanical Garden
West Indian Woodpecker - one seen and two others heard at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Ivory-billed Woodcreeper - four at the Marin Botanical Garden
Northern Beardless Tyrannulet - two at the Chankanab Park, Cozumel
Caribbean Elaenia - 20+ at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Yellow-olive Flycatcher - two at the Marin Botanical Garden
Dusky-capped Flycatcher - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
La Sagra's Flycatcher - one at Newlands, Grand Cayman
Social Flycatcher - one at Puerto Morales
Boat-billed Flycatcher - six at the Marin Botanical Garden
Tropical Kingbird - common on Cozumel and between Cancun and Puerto Morales
Loggerhead Kingbird - one at Newlands and two at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Rose-throated Becard - male and female at the Marin Botanical Garden
Masked Tityra - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
White-eyed Vireo - one at Newlands, Grand Cayman; three at the Marin Botanical Garden
Thick-billed Vireo - one seen and two others heard at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Cozumel Vireo - one just north of San Miguel on Cozumel
Yellow-throated Vireo - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Red-eyed Vireo - five on Cozumel
Yucatan Vireo - three on Cozumel and two at the Marin Botanical Garden
Lesser Greenlet - at least five at the Marin Botanical Garden
Rufous-browed Peppershrike - three at the Marin Botanical Garden
Brown Jay - one near Puerto Morales
Spot-breasted Wren - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - three on Cozumel, and two at the Marin Botanical Garden
Clay-colored Robin - one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Gray Catbird - five on Grand Cayman
Black Catbird - at least eight on Cozumel
Northern Mockingbird - common on Grand Cayman and one at Great Stirrup Cay
Tropical Mockingbird - six+ at Cozumel and several around Puerto Morales
Northern Parula - one at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman and two on Cozumel
Yellow Warbler - one on Grand Cayman, 20+ on Cozumel and one at the Marin Botanical Gardens.  The males on Cozumel
    had the reddish caps diagnostic of "Golden" Warbler
Magnolia Warbler - three on Cozumel
Cape May Warbler - two beautiful males at Newlands, Grand Cayman and one male at Puerto Morales
Yellow-rumped Warbler - one on Cozumel and about 15 on Great Stirrup Cay
Yellow-throated Warbler - one at Newlands, Grand Cayman, one on Cozumel and one at Puerto Morales
Prairie Warbler - five at Newlands, Grand Cayman and one on Great Stirrup Cay
Vitelline Warbler - one (possibly two) at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Palm Warbler - common on Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay
Black-and-white Warbler - two on Cozumel
American Redstart - fairly common at Grand Cayman, Cozumel and at the Marin Botanical Garden
Ovenbird - singles on Cozumel and at the Marin Botanical Garden
Louisiana Waterthrush - one in the mangrove swamp at Puerto Morales
Common Yellowthroat - one at Georgetown, Grand Cayman and two at Puerto Morales
Hooded Warbler- one at the Marin Botanical Garden
Bananaquit - two at Newlands and 8 at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman; at least ten on Cozumel and three on Great
    Stirrup Cay
Red-throated Ant-Tanager - a pair at the Marin Botanical Garden
Stripe-headed Tanager - a pair seen very poorly at Newlands and a pair seen very well at the QE II Botanical Garden, Grand
    Cayman
Summer Tanager - a male and female at the Chankanab Park on Cozumel
White-collared Seedeater - one north of San Miguel on Cozumel
Cuban Bullfinch - a male at Newlands and two males at the QE II Botanic Park, Grand Cayman
Yellow-faced Grassquit - eight around Newlands, Grand Cayman
Indigo Bunting - 25 at Puerto Morales
Greater Antillean Grackle - about 10 around Newlands, Grand Cayman
Great-tailed Grackle - common at Puerto Morales
Black-cowled Oriole - one male at the Marin Botanical Garden
Hooded Oriole - three at the Marin Botanical Garden
Yellow-backed Oriole - two at the Marin Botanical Garden
Orange Oriole  - three at the Marin Botanical Garden
Altamira Oriole - two at the Marin Botanical Garden
Baltimore Oriole - one on Cozumel

117 species

Mark Lockwood
Austin, Texas 78745
mwlockwood@juno.com