Arthur and I spent the last days of 2015 and the first of 2016 on a 7-night Norwegian cruise around the Caribbean. We had several ports: Costa Maya, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; and Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Birding was not our primary objective for the most part; I added 16 life species over the holiday.
In Costa Maya we opted for a tour of the ruins at Chacchoben which we booked via The Native Choice. In the port area and walking from the ship to the tour guide offices, we found three lifers: Tropical Kingbird; Tropical Mockingbird; and Great-tailed Grackle. At the ruins we noted 10 bird species, including lifers Brown Jay and Great Kiskadee. A Short-tailed Hawk flew overhead and there were spider monkeys in the trees.
One of several pyramids at the ruins of Chacchoben near Costa Maya, Mexico
One of several pyramids at the ruins of Chacchoben near Costa Maya, Mexico
Brown Jay at the ruins of Chacchoben (photo by Arthur)
Spider monkey sp. at the ruins of Chacchoben (photo by Arthur)
Back in port, Magnificent Frigatebirds flew low overhead; this photo was taken with my iPhone!
Magnificent Frigatebirds at the port of Costa Maya
The NCL Spirit at the port of Costa Maya (photo by Arthur)
The next day our ship docked off of George Town in Grand Cayman. Here we booked a snorkeling excursion via the cruise ship. It was a mediocre experience — the snorkel boat left behind a pair of our fellow tourists at the first location and the two spots where we stopped didn’t have much going on sealife-wise. I entered one small checklist here to note the frigatebirds flying around port and House Sparrows that were busy around a church garden. I was surprised when the sparrows got flagged by eBird as rare. Huh?
The following day we planned on birding in Jamaica — see next post!
NCL Spirit Cruise eBird Checklists: Costa Maya & Grand Cayman
Costa Maya port area
Ruinas Chacchoben
Grand Cayman port area
