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With a strong commitment to conservation
and environmental protection, the Cayman Islands are
a popular choice for bird watchers and the feathered
friends they treasure. While the Cayman Islands is
home to a wide variety of bird species; dozens of
others make Cayman their home away from home, providing
bird watchers a glimpse of up to 200 different species
in peak season. |
Over
two hundred different bird species have been logged
in the Cayman Islands, though many of these are, like
their human counterparts, short-staying visitors that
have flown in to escape the winter further north.
About fifty species are all year-round residents,
including significant populations of seabirds, waders
and some interesting endemic birds that can be seen
on all three islands.
Accessible
bird watching areas in the islands include seven bird
sanctuaries as well as mangrove margins, brackish
and freshwater ponds and several areas of old growth
forest. On Grand Cayman the sixty-five acres of the
Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park is a good place to
start. Not far from George Town heading east you’ll
find the Governor Michael Gore Bird Sanctuary, just
under two acres in all but important because it acts
as a reliable watering hole even in the dry season.
The sanctuary was created by Michael Gore who was
Cayman Islands Governor from 1992-95. Birds seen here
include Plovers, Terns, Kingfishers, Fly-Catchers,
Vireos, Herons and Egrets as well as ducks and Purple
Gallinules.
Access to the pond is
across a purpose-built boardwalk and there is a hide
for viewing. Grand Cayman is also home to the Salina
Reserve which has limited public access but covers
over six-hundred acres of virtually untouched natural
forest in the north-east of the island. This is an
undisturbed wild habitat for the island’s breeding
birds. A large area inland of South Sound (about 1,500
acres) of mangrove wetlands is also protected on Grand
Cayman. The wetlands are an important sanctuary for
resident birds and a crucial source of water for the
island, contributing significantly to agricultural
and natural irrigation resources. More accessible
to the visitor is Meagre Bay Pond, a saltwater lagoon
close to Bodden Town and another birding site popular
with waders, including Snowy Egrets. Grand Cayman
is not alone in providing sanctuaries for the islands’
bird population.
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