Posted by Jamaica MAX on
July 7th, 2008
Some pictures of birds and butterflies in Jamaica.
Red Billed Streamertail or the Jamaican Doctor Bird
Jamaican Oriole
Jamaican Kingfisher
Other Jamaican Birds and Wildlife
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Posted by Jamaica MAX on
March 5th, 2008
The Circle B Farm was my first choice for accommodation on our first night in the Ochi area because they were one of the few places we spoke with that still offered camping when we called them. Sadly that all changed when we arrived on site and were informed that the owner no longer offered camping because the bathroom and shower facilities outdoors were non functioning and all they had to offer us was a room for rent. The room was clean and simple and only cost $1500 for a nights stay so we took it and were glad we did. I liked the place so much we spent a second night there and enjoyed the place for another beautiful morning.
Circle B Farm is a hostel and farm operating on 140 acres of surreal beauty and lush tropical landscaping. The farm is predominately a banana farm with many other fruit trees on site such as the variety of mango and even a Giant Lemon which I have never seen or heard of before. The farm is busy but quiet for most of the day and if you stay at the rooms up front you may never know what lays in the property around you if you don’t take a walk. There are cows, goats, pigs, dogs and a donkey on site but the domestic animals are less important than the natural flora and fauna found surrounding the place. The farm has a small man made river which runs from the hillsides along the southern border and actually circles the entire facility. This running water and all the sweet smelling fruit trees keeps the area covered in butterflies, birds and insects of all sorts. The bats swirl around at night feeding on the flying insects trapped in the beams of light around the buildings at night for a pretty cool night show.
The stream runs in front of the hostel rooms for rent and around almost every building on site you can sit and peacefully enjoy the sounds of rushing water all day long from just about anywhere on the property. The running water and numerous fruit trees means that early mornings at Circle B are filled with the sounds of a dozen songbirds as they sing praise to the new day before us. One both mornings we were there it was true pleasure to stroll through the banana and pineapple fields and listen to the kingfisher and mockingbirds try to out sing each other. I’m going to need a much better camera in order to catch photos of many of the birds of Jamaica as I simply cannot get close enough to most of them for a decent shot but trust me when I tell you the air was thick with the sounds of birds and nature and it was beautiful.
Circle B is a great location to begin a number of eco tours of the area and central to the many attractions of the North Coast and Ocho Rios area. You can make it to Dunns River, White River Valley, the Bob Marley Mausoleum and much more in an hour or so from this place and its a great place for anyone interested in a youth hostel or camping vacation on the North Coast of Jamaica. For those budget minded travelers interested in tours of the North Coast and Ocho Rios but not wanting to spend more for a place to sleep then you will on the days activities then consider Circle B as a place to stay in your Jamaica travel planning.
E-mail them at: info@circlebfarm.com
or call them at: 1-876-913-4511
You can write to them at: Priory P.A., St-Ann, Jamaica W.I.
Make sure to tell them Alfred @ JamaicaMax sends his love and maybe you’ll get a special tour.
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Posted by Jamaica MAX on
March 3rd, 2008
Here is a video of me hand feeding the Red Billed Streamertail Hummingbird which is better known in Jamaica as the Doctor Bird at the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary outside of Montego Bay. We stopped in for a feeding session in the late afternoon and were blessed to catch the birds at a feeding peak. There seemed to be hundreds of birds in the trees surrounding us and we even noticed a heavier concentration of birds leading up to the park in the outlying neighborhoods.
The park is located in the mountain village of Anchovy in hills of St James Parish and was founded by Lisa Salmon in 1958. Miss Lisa Salmon or “Miss Lis” as she was known was born in Kingston Jamaica and a lifelong advocate for the protection of birds and an avid birdwatcher. She began working for bird protection in 1952 when she took to writing articles against bird hunting. In 1959, primarily as a result of her efforts, the bird hunting season was reduced from 6 months to 6 weeks. Miss Salmon passed away in 2000 at the ripe old age of 96 leaving the Rocklands Bird Feeding Station as it is also known to many in the control of trusted associates who still run the park today. I think it’s become a bit more commercial and the keeper was offended when I offered him $500 JA as a tip when I did not even take a tour. All I really did was sit and take some pictures with the family. I coughed up another $500 for a total of $1,000 Jamaican Dollars or about $15 US to spend a half an hour with the birds. In the same time I watched him collect the same figure from two other couples and it seemed he had been at it for some time. I think the new caretaker is making more money from this than Miss Salmon ever did.
The park lies about 3.5 miles outside of Montego Bay down the A1 highway which runs to Negril through Lucea. You will make a turn South at Reading which leads to Anchovy about 1.5 miles up a pretty steep and poorly maintained road. When we visited we drove in from the Ocho Rios side of Mobay and actually grabbed the B2 highway all the way over to Sav La Mar and on to Negril. We passed a number of other natural attractions such as Animal Farm and Nature Village which I understand are must see Jamaica attractions as well.
This is my wife Elise hand feeding the Doctor Birds. There where so many birds at Rocklands that it was distracting and difficult to get any really good pictures because they kept in motion. I was able to grab some decent video clips and we plan a return trip soon for better video. I would like to go a bit earlier and see if we can’t get a sunny day with better lighting so we can really bring you the variety of colors in the birds here.
An afternoon at Rocklands Bird Sanctuary makes a wonderful Day Trip from Negril or just about any city on the island. It’s a little over an hour from Negril on a decent enough road with other places to visit along the way. Pack a lunch if you’re picky about foods as there are few commercial eateries in the area other than an occasional jerk barrel, fruit stand or convenience store.
Rocklands at BirdForum.Net
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Posted by Jamaica MAX on
February 18th, 2008
No South Coast Jamaica trip is complete without at least driving through Black River and on this occasion we decided to stop and take a trip with J. Charles Swaby on his Black River Safari and Riverboat Cruise. It was an exceptionally hot day and the sun was shining as bright as ever so we decided that a ride on the boat was a great way to spend the day. We set out for Black River from Treasure Beach and arrived in the early afternoon while most of the towns people of Black River we’re off to lunch or whatever they do in the heat of the mid day sun.
This Jamaica attraction was rather slow on this day and we were able to get reservations on the very next boat leaving. We we’re glad to do so because sitting around in the sun and waiting was sucking the life out of me fast. It was really hot this day and I was hopeful that the clouds would blow over and we might end up with an overcast day because the sun was blazing. As it were I was in luck and the clouds came over us just after lunch and cooled the day off for us all. With all the shade it was still a hot sunny boat ride around a very beautiful river and wetlands area.
I really do love the natural beauty of Jamaica and Black River is one of the highlights of any nature or eco tour of the country. The Black River is home to some of the rarest and most unique of all Jamaican wildlife and there are all sorts of animals to see on this tour. The most popular of all wildlife on the Black River tour is the Jamaican Crocodile. There are no alligators in Jamaica and the only crocodile species is the American Crocodile found all over North America. The Jamaican crocs hang out in the brackish waters of South Coast rivers and Black River is a hot spot for croc activity. You can also find manatees in the river but we did not encounter any on this trip.
The Black River is also a birdwatchers dream with dozens of birds to be seen on any given day. I’ve become much more of a birdwatcher since our return and I was glad to be able to get some pictures of birds in Jamaica on this trip. The birds here in Jamaica scare easily but the ones on the Black River tour seem to be used to the boats and noise and they allowed us to approach them rather close. It was really cool to see the Egrets hanging out with the Crocodile in the shots above. I don’t think I could have asked for a better shot from them.
The Black River Safari runs about 1 1/2 hours and costs $15 per adult and half price for children. Resident pricing is available if you present a Jamaican ID or TRN card. I suggest you bring a lunch with you as there are limited choices in the area for dining and it is a bit out of the way. Travel time from Negril is just over one hour with good traffic conditions. There is no swimming area on the Black River and lots of folks head on to YS Falls and Bamboo avenue after spending a half day on the River.
Check out over 300 more pictures from the Black River Safari in our photo gallery here
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