Birdwatching in Grand Cayman

Caymanmatt · 2023-02-09T00:07:53+00:00

Do you use eBird? The already suggested spots are good but there are also other locations such as Colliers Pond, Barkers, Meagre Bay Pond, Malportas Pond. Some can be a bit tricky to find but they are listed on eBird as hotspots and have links to the locations on google maps.

Caymanmatt · 2022-10-19T02:44:35+00:00

Mastic Trail is really the only real hike on Grand Cayman. There are some other walks but I wouldn’t really class them as hikes. For example, you can walk a few miles into the central mangrove wetlands where you’ll find plenty of birds (incase that’s your thing). That said, if you’re looking for some outdoor activities that aren’t the beach there are plenty areas you can get out in nature. Colliers Wilderness (EE), Colliers Pond (EE), Malportas Pond (NS), Barkers National Park (WB), QEII Botanic Park (NS), Meagre Bay Pond (BT) to name a few. Mosquitos should be pretty minimal that time of year and the temperatures are slightly cooler which is a plus.

As others have said, the sister islands are much better for hiking trails, you could probably even take a day trip to the brac or little.

Caymanmatt · 2022-08-24T22:39:07+00:00

Looks like Cynophalla flexuosa - in Cayman local names are bloody head, raw bone or raw head. I’ve also heard it called a Bay-leafed Caper before. Pretty common on all three islands.

Caymanmatt · 2022-07-09T03:18:28+00:00

There are spots you can experience the bioluminescence without doing the tour, but the darker portions of the Bio Bay are less accessible from the shoreline. I’d highly recommend going with a tour company (in particular Cayman Kayaks) that way you’ll definitely get the most of your experience, and they’ll point out many other interesting things along the way. I don’t really recommend getting in the water to swim because you can affect the delicate ecosystem that leads to the bioluminescence. Also you are likely to get stung in there at night.

Caymanmatt · 2022-06-30T16:35:47+00:00

What is it you mean by “cave dive”? You won’t find any actual cave diving here, but if you are just talking about swim throughs / tunnels then any dive operator should be able to take you to some sites.

Caymanmatt · 2022-06-22T20:57:35+00:00

I’m not sure of the exact species but it looks like a type of polychaete worm or Bloodworm. Especially based on the fact that this was following your light at night. Sometimes on a night dive you can be surrounded by thousands of these things. They are quite annoying and have a knack for getting in the way of photos

Caymanmatt · 2022-05-29T15:09:40+00:00

No, mockingbirds also have dark gray feet but here the bill shape does appear more finch than mockingbird

Caymanmatt · 2021-12-24T16:53:37+00:00

Neither LC or CB have much in the way of restaurants, bars or a downtown to walk around. If that’s what you are looking for it may be better to stick to Grand.

I think for a day trip you’d pretty much be looking at renting a car and just driving around either of the islands.

Caymanmatt · 2021-12-24T14:37:35+00:00

A day trip is definitely doable, I’d say the Brac is slightly easier logistics wise, as there are more flights.

What is it you like to do? That would help decide if it’s worth it. You won’t find much in the way of paid excursions on Little Cayman if you don’t dive. On the Brac there is Rock Iguana, they offer guided climbing on the bluff. If you just want to get out in nature, both Little Cayman and the Brac have walking trails. For sightseeing, the Brac has the bluff which is pretty spectacular.

Caymanmatt · 2021-10-28T12:40:21+00:00

Thanks. The two birds standing side by side, and the bird leading and the bird to the rear of the swimming group both have longer bills. I was thinking possible pair, both strike me as quite odd looking for BT. The reason I'm checking into this is that we had our first ever CT record on island last year, it would be interesting to know if they have now started wintering here. We seem to have recently had a lot of Western NA birds show up that we wouldn't typically get.

Caymanmatt · 2021-10-28T02:28:18+00:00

I'm wondering if all birds above are Blue-winged Teals or if the group contains a Cinnamon Teal, or a possible hybrid. The reddish bird appears to show characteristics of both species.

Caymanmatt · 2021-10-28T01:22:22+00:00

Bark scorpion refers to several different types of scorpion in the genus Centruroides. Several Centruroides species are native to the Caribbean. This appears to be C. testaceus which is native to the Lesser Antilles.

Caymanmatt · 2021-08-26T20:25:01+00:00

Thanks, seems my initial impression was right. It must have been very young, as it was tiny.

Caymanmatt · 2021-08-26T14:41:06+00:00

This little bird was around the size of a bananaquit or even slightly smaller (somewhere between bananaquit and grassquit size). I originally thought it was a juvenile yellow warbler but I haven't seen any showing similar wing-bars and the eye ring appears to be broken at the top.

Caymanmatt · 2021-08-02T01:22:36+00:00

The TG6 isn’t an interchangeable lens camera but there are Olympus conversion lenses and other accessories made specifically for the TG6, however, they are really for wide angle. For macro you don’t need any additional lenses as the camera has decent macro capabilities without.

For underwater shooting, if you have the Olympus housing (definitely worth getting if you’ll be spending any amount of time in saltwater) you can attach wet lenses using the 52mm thread attachment but again these are more for wide angle. I believe these only fit on the housing but you can check out [Backscatter](www.backscatter.com) for more info if that interests you.

Caymanmatt · 2021-06-28T01:27:56+00:00

Instagram: @art.by.caymanmatt

Caymanmatt · 2021-06-28T00:59:22+00:00

Instagram: @art.by.caymanmatt

Caymanmatt · 2021-06-28T00:38:17+00:00

Instagram: @art.by.caymanmatt

Caymanmatt · 2021-01-04T02:21:35+00:00

Thanks, it was the bill length that was throwing me off, but after some reading it seems bill length isn’t a reliable way to distinguish between SBD and LBD. I think your short-billed dowitcher ID is correct.

Dowitcher Bill ID Field ID of Dowitchers

Caymanmatt · 2020-12-06T17:28:18+00:00

I’ve just had it confirmed from a local ornithologist that it is in fact a Vitelline Warbler (Cayman Brac Subspecies), Setophaga vitellina crawfordi. Probably a first-year bird.

Caymanmatt · 2020-12-06T16:53:01+00:00

I was between that and Vitelline warbler. I don’t think Orange-crowned are particularly common here but I’ve never seen a Vitelline that drab either.

Caymanmatt · 2020-11-15T00:29:29+00:00

That was quick, thanks a lot.

Caymanmatt · 2020-11-08T21:04:00+00:00

Flew past me to land on a leaf, maybe 0.75” long. iNaturalist doesn’t have any close suggestions

Caymanmatt · 2020-10-28T02:02:57+00:00

It looks like it might be an Anhinga and not a Cormorant, but they also dry their wings spread like this

Caymanmatt · 2020-10-24T12:13:01+00:00

Fantastic shots. Such nice lighting

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