Day 1 - Met by your local guide and driver at Kingston. Wintering water birds and opportunity for West Indian Whistling Duck at Bogue Lagoon. Visit Rocklands Hummingbird Sanctuary at Anchovy for close up views of Red-billed Streamertail, Jamaican Mango, Caribbean Dove, Stolid Flycatcher, Orangequit and many more. Then mountain drive to Bluefields for lunch and afternoon birds at Bluefields Mountain IBA. Night at Whitehouse.
Day 2 - Early start for visit to Dean’s Valley Forest Reserve and then in woodlands above Whitehouse in the afternoon. Of the 29 Jamaican endemic species, we have observed 21 in these areas, plus a further 13 endemic subspecies. Among the regular favourites on our tours in this area are the: Jamaican Tody, Jamaican Spindalis, Orangequit, Jamaican Euphonia, Jamaican Elaenia, Jamaican Pewee, Olive-throated Parakeet, Northern Potoo (sometimes seen at day time roost),Rufous -tailed Flycatcher, Sad Flycatcher, Jamaican Woodpecker, Chestnut-bellied Cuckoo, Arrowhead Warbler, Greater Antillean Bullfinch. Night at Whitehouse.
Day 3 - Travel to Port Antonio (approx. 5 hours). Afternoon birds at Ecclesdown (subject to arrival time) and in hotel grounds and wooded environs down to the sea shore, including Black-billed Streamertail, Jamaican Oriole, White-chinned Thrush, Jamaican Spindalis. Evening search for Jamaican Owl at hotel. Overnight near Port Antonio.
Day 4 - Early start for birding at northern Ecclesdown Road, in the Blue and John Crow mountains National Park. Target birds include endangered Jamaican Blackbird, near-endangered Crested Quail Dove, Ring-tailed Pigeon, Black-billed Parrot, Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo, Blue Mountain Vireo, Vervain Hummingbird, Jamaican Tody, Jamaican Becard, Jamaican Elaenia, Arrowhead Warbler, Yellow-shouldered Grassquit, Rufous-tailed Flycatcher, Olive-throated Parakeet, Greater Antillean Bullfinch, Jamaican Crow, and other of the 29 endemics that are in this area. Night in Port Antonio.
Day 5 - Morning, White-tailed Tropicbirds at Hectors River. Then morning and afternoon birding between the gardens at spectacular Reach Falls and southern Ecclesdown in John Crow and Blue Mountain IBA. Lunch at Long Bay. Target birds for the day include Jamaican Blackbird, Crested Quail Dove, Blue Mountain Vireo, Jamaican Tody, Yellow-billed Parrot, Jamaican Becard, Jamaican Elaenia, Jamaican Woodpecker, Jamaican Spindalis, Jamaican Euphonia, White-chinned Thrush, White-eyed Thrush and Orangequit, Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo, Jamaican Pewee, Red-tailed Hawk and more. Night in Port Antonio.
Day 6 - Morning birding for anything we have missed thus far, at Goblin Hill. We will also visit a saltmarsh for shorebird. Return to Whitehouse area in afternoon, where we will be based for following two nights.
Day 7 - Portland Cottage and Portland Bight for Bahama Mockingbird in dry limestone forest. Good range of endemics including Jamaican Tody, Jamaican Vireo, Jamaican Elaenia, Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo and migrant warblers. Shorebirds, Clapper Rail, White Ibis and winter visitors also on the menu. Night at Whitehouse.
Day 8 - Black River, Upper Morass, is part of Jamaica's largest wetland and an IBA. Present in the area are very rare residents including the Spotted Rail and Yellow-breasted Crake. Also at the site, West Indian Whistling Ducks, Masked Duck, Limpkin, Spotted Rail Least Bittern, Purple Gallinule and many others are also there. Migrants include Sora, Wilson’s Snipe, Great Blue Heron, Northern Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin and often flocks of hirundines. Good numbers of wintering warblers are also present. In the late morning, we move to Black River and the Parottee Great Morass to check out wintering waders and ducks. Blue-winged Teal are the most common on the saline mud flats. Rarities in the migration periods can include flamingos, avocets, phalaropes and others. Tour ends this afternoon in Kingston.