Tag Archives: St Lucia Amazon

Des Cartiers Trail – The Highlight Of Birding St Lucia

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I have already blogged the main part of the birding trip but I think Des Cartiers Trail deserves a post of its own.

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This is a ranger station where you pay to enter the trail although this was included in our tour fee so Vision paid for the group.dscn4039 dscn4040

Good information at the ranger station and restrooms as well.dscn4041 dscn4042 dscn4043

Vision whistling at a bird to lure it closer.  The trail is uphill and challenging for the unfit (like me) but well maintained and relatively easydscn4044 dscn4045 dscn4047 dscn4048 dscn4051 dscn4058 dscn4063

We finally arrived at a small platform where we settled in to watch for St Lucia Parrots.dscn4066 dscn4068 dscn4070 dscn4074 dscn4075 dscn4076 dscn4077 dscn4078

We didn’t have to wait long, the St Lucia Parrots were swooping back and forth in the valley.  Getting a photo was a challenge as they were far away and hard to focus on.  Below you see my best attempts.  Others have been luckier and the parrots perched in the trees near the platform.

St. Lucia Parrot

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St. Lucia Oriole

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St. Lucia Parrot

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St. Lucia Oriole

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St. Lucia Parrot

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St. Lucia Oriole

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Purple-throated Carib

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Purple-throated Carib

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Saint Lucia Amazon Parrot (Amazona versicolor)

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The Saint Lucia Amazon (Amazona versicolor) also known as the Saint Lucia Parrot is a species of parrot in the family Psittacidae. It is endemic to Saint Lucia and is the country’s national bird.

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I did my best to get photos of them as they flew by in pairs but it was hard to focus on them against the green background but at least I got the colours!img_7870a img_7860a img_7861a

This beautiful St Lucia endemic is most easily seen at Des Cartiers Trail in St Lucia.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT ST LUCIA PARROTS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

VIDEOS

How lucky to get this close to one!

Conservation efforts to save the parrots.

Birding Day Trip Around St Lucia

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Since we only had one full day in St Lucia, I had organized a birding day trip with our lodge, A Peace of Paradise.  The company is WIldLife Ambassadors and our guide was Vision, who was very knowledgeable about the island’s birds and managed to find most of the endemics for us.

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Our first stop was near Mamiku & Praslin where we saw several endemics.  The lighting was bad but I tried!  eBird Listdscn4029 dscn4030 img_7651 img_7662 img_7666 img_7681 img_7686 img_7693 img_7697 img_7705 img_7717 img_7723 img_7729 img_7771 img_7772 img_7774

Next stop was to be the highlight of the trip – Des Cartiers Trail and will be on a separate post.

The third stop was Eau Piquant Pond where we saw a number of waders and sea birds.

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The birds weren’t the only ones fishing!img_7945 img_7950 img_7953 dscn4089 dscn4090 dscn4091 dscn4093

We stopped here to buy sandwiches/takeaway for lunch.dscn4095

The final stop was on a hill top overlooking the sea.  At this point, the group went for a walk but it was so hot I decided to stay behind and relax a bit.dscn4097 dscn4098 dscn4100 img_7954 img_7956

We then drove back to Castries dropping off birders at their hotels along the way.  Since we were catching a plane to St Vincent, we asked Vision to drop us in town so we could do some shopping, then get a taxi to the airport.

Locals Show Pride In The St Lucia Amazon Parrot (Amazona versicolor)

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The Saint Lucia Amazon (Amazona versicolor) also known as the Saint Lucia Parrot is a species of parrot in the Psittacidae family. It is endemic to Saint Lucia and is the country’s national bird.

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Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species had declined from around 1000 birds in the 1950s to 150 birds in the late 1970s. At that point a conservation program began to save the species, which galvanised popular support to save the species, and by 1990 the species had increased to 350 birds.  Although the population in Saint Lucia is small it is still expanding.

It isn’t possible to get to St Lucia exclusively using airline miles as they are only served by small regional carriers such as LIAT and Caribbean Airlines (nice livery!).  St Lucia is a popular port on Caribbean cruises so why not choose a cruise that visits this lovely island?

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PARROT 

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife

My St Lucia

ECO-TOURISM LINKS

St Lucia Villas

The Jacquot Parrot is very camouflaged, so can be hard to spot. They feed primarily in the early mornings and late afternoons in the high treetops, eating fruits, nuts, seeds and berries from a wide variety of trees including Gommier, Chatagnier, Bois Pain Maron and Aralie. It also eats the new leaf-buds of the Honduras Mahogany.
They have a range of calls, from soft and liquid to coarse and ear-piercing.

To arrange a bird watching tour of the St. Lucia parrot, visit the St. Lucia Land and Forestry Department or contact them directly, 758-450 2231/2078.

 

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