Roseau, Dominica

We hired a bird guide, Bertrand Jno Baptiste, also known as Dr. Birdy, and he took us and two others to the Syndicate Trail for the day. He is very good at identifying the local birds and other animals.

He visits the trail area frequently and knows where he frequently sees certain birds. The birds of course may not be there. We looked for the white-tailed tropicbird along the coast but we didn’t see it.

When we stopped for the Blue-headed hummingbird, he pointed out certain branches that the hummingbird commonly sits on, and he pretty much accurately predicted the spots it would sit. There are four different hummingbirds in Dominica and we managed to see them all. We saw the Purple-throated Carib yesterday as well. The Blue-headed Hummingbird is unique to Dominica.

Morne Trois Pitons National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We hiked for about 20 minutes to a valley overlook to attempt to spot the Imperial Amazon. We spent nearly an hour looking for the Imperial Amazon, but didn’t see it.

He spotted this Mantis that perfectly blends in with the tree along the trail.

We did see the Broad-winged Hawk soaring over the valley and just before we left, it landed on a tree near us.