Western Caribbean

Birding Cruise January 30 - February 10, 2017

Join Tropical Audubon Society’s Robin Diaz and Carefree Birding’s Ken Burgener and Linda Warschauer for a 12-day, 11-night birding cruise through the western Caribbean aboard the Celebrity Equinox. The cruise, which begins and ends in Ft. Lauderdale, includes stops in:

• Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands • Cartagena, Colombia • Colon, Panama • Puerto Limon, Costa Rica • Cozumel, Mexico

Birding excursions are scheduled at each port of call, led by local guides arranged by Carefree Birding. Pelagic birding opportunities are also possible during daytime hours at sea.

This tour is designed for birders of all ability levels and birding excursions are typically slow paced, short, physically easy and fun-filled! The tour is limited to 20 participants.

Cost: As low as $2,359.00 per person double occupancy; includes port fees, taxes and the full package of birding excursions. The cost also includes a $100.00 donation per participant to Tropical Audubon Society by Carefree Birding. Cabin upgrades are available. Non-birding spouses and friends that do not book the birding package receive a $700.00 discount. Assistance in identifying a roommate is available upon request. Payment Timeline:

• A cabin registration deposit of $900.00 within 30 days of booking or by May 31, 2016, whichever comes first.

• Full payment of an $800.00 birding package by August 31, 2016. • Full payment of cabin balance by November 16, 2016.

All payments are made to Carefree Birding or their agents. Payment instructions will be provided upon receipt of a signed tour application.

Itinerary

Monday, January 30 – Celebrity Equinox departs Port Everglades, Ft. Lauderdale at 4:00pm. For all meals on board, participants are provided an opportunity to eat as a group. Tuesday, January 31 – A fun day at sea that may include pelagic birding en route to our first port of call in the Cayman Islands. All days at sea will include a group meeting to discuss the next ports of call. The group also meets daily with leaders to review the day’s bird list. Wednesday, February 1 – Arrive in George Town, Grand Cayman at 8:00am. Our first shore excursion will be provided by Grand Cayman National Trust and may include birding stops at Pedro Castle, where White-tailed Tropicbirds nest in winter, and Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park. Target species at the botanic park include West Indian Whistling-Duck, Caribbean and Zeneida Dove, Cayman Parrot (caymanensis subspecies of Cuban Parrot), West Indian Woodpecker, Northern Flicker (gundlachi subspecies), Caribbean Elaenia, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Yucatan and Thick-billed Vireo, the near-endemic Vitelline Warbler, Bananaquit, Western Spindalis and Cuban Bullfinch (likely to be split soon). Also possible is the endemic Blue Iguana. Ship departs at 5:00pm. Thursday, February 2 – A fun day at sea as we head southeast through the western Caribbean towards the South American coast.

Friday, February 3 – Arrive in Cartagena, Colombia at 7:00am. Today’s birding excursion will be led by a local guide. Over 700 bird species can be found in the Colombian Caribbean and about 50 species are found nowhere else. Birds we hope to see include Northern Screamer, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Southern Lapwing, Russet-throated Puffbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Brown-throated Parakeet, Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Bicolored Wren, Yellow-chinned Spinetail, Pied Water Tyrant, White-

headed Marsh Tyrant, Black-chested Jay and Stripe-backed Wren. Ship departs at 4:00pm. Saturday, February 4 – Arrive in Colon, Panama at 8:00am. Panama is considered by many birders as one of the most exciting and unique birding locations in the world. Panama's position as the link between Central and South America places it at the southernmost edge of the range of many species and the northernmost of many others. Today’s birding excursion will be provided by Advantage Tours. Species we may encounter include Common Black Hawk, Greater Ani, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, White-tailed Trogon, White-necked Puffbird, Keel-billed Toucan, Lineated Woodpecker, Blue-headed Parrot, Crimson-backed Tanager, White-shoulder Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Saffron Finch and Yellow-rumped Cacique. Ship departs at 6:00pm.

Sunday, February 5 – Arrive in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica at 7:00am. Costa Rica is a small country, but with great diversity of habitat and a very rich flora and fauna. Your shore excursion in Costa Rica will be provided by Alex Martinez. Species we’ll search for include Spectacled Owl, Squirrel Cuckoo, Green-breasted Mango, Gartered Trogon, Black-cheeked Woodpecker, Crimson-fronted Parakeet, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Black-crowned Tityra, Passerini’s Tanager, Golden-hooded Tanager, Red-breasted Blackbird, Black-cowled Oriole and Montezuma Oropendola. Ship departs at 6:00pm.

Monday, February 6 – A fun day at sea as we head north along the Central American coast towards Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Tuesday, February 7 – Arrive in Cozumel, Mexico at 12:00pm. Time permitting, there may be opportunities to shop or explore around town. Wednesday, February 8 – Cozumel's mostly undeveloped interior is covered by jungle and swampy lagoons, home to tiny mammals and endemic birds that have never left the island. Species to look for here include Yucatan Parrot, Cozumel Emerald, Yucatan and Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Yucatan Flycatcher, Cozumel and Yucatan Vireo, Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Black Catbird, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Western Spindalis and Yellow-faced Grassquit. Your shore excursion in Cozumel will be provided by Luis Ku’ Quinones. Ship departs Cozumel at 5:00pm. Thursday, February 9 – Our final fun day at sea as we head east through the Gulf of Mexico and back to Florida. This will be our final opportunity for pelagic birding. Friday, February 10 – Arrive in Ft. Lauderdale at 7:00am. For additional information about this tour or to request a tour application, email Brian Rapoza, Tropical Audubon Society Field Trip Coordinator, at fieldtrips@tropicalaudubon.org. Instructions for booking your cabin and birding package, as well as payment instructions, will be provided upon receipt of a completed application.