Highlights Map
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We wake up early in the morning so we can enjoy the birds outside. There are a few lifers that we see but mostly we just enjoy the sunrise while we prepare breakfast and wait for the Botanical Garden to open so we can start our touring day. Today we have a busy day planned so we want to be prepared so we can see everything that we intend to see.
One of the cutest birds that we see while on the terrace is the Reddish Egret, it looks like it had a really bad hair day this morning.
Breakfast is nothing really exciting, we are eating the last of the provisions from the supermarket on the first day and drinking some good coffee and tea left by the host. This is in contrast with the previous accomodation which didn’t offer either coffee or tea.
We explore also the grounds of our house for a while, seeing the usual assortment of palm and yellow warblers. We were hoping for something a bit more rare but nothing is forthcoming.
However we still manage to see an endemic species, the Grand Cayman Anole. There are quite a few of them around and they are exquisite, such beautiful colors and contrast.
We are at the Botanical Garden almost as soon as it opens. It is supposed to be a great birdwatching place and also a good place to spot the endemic Blue Iguana and we hope to do both. As we buy tickets we get some directions on where it is likely to see iguanas and on we go….for a few meters. Just outside the visitor center we see birds milling about and the unmistakable sound of the parrots so the hunt is on.
And yes there is a parrot but quite well hidden and not very photogenic. We have however better views of a Caribbean Elaenia, a lifer and a Zenaida Dove, both seem to be quite used to humans.
As we take photos a teacher with a group of kids come from up the trail and tell us of a group of parrots with much better views further up the trail. And they are still there and the view is magnificent, they seem to be quite trusting and allow people to approach at a reasonable distance.
Still excited about the parrots it is time to take the trail through the Orchid Conservation Area. Here there are a multitude of orchids, some local some exotic but unfortunately only very few are in bloom and only exotic ones.
However we are still continuing to see exciting birds including a Cuban Bullfinch and an unexpected American Redstart.
Next is an open air museum section with a typical Caribbean house surrounded by fruit trees. The house is quite small with a couple of bedrooms but the reason why it looks so small is that the kitchen and living areas are outdoors or separated, this is strictly bedrooms.
The kitchen in the Cayman Islands is separated, this is to avoid setting fire to the main house and also to not further warm the house in summer when cooking food.
The fruit garden is a bonanza for birding. We have much better views of the Cuban Bullfinch and our first view of the West Indian Woodpecker that previously just flew above our heads crying. Both are lifers so this is quite cool.
This is a botanical garden first and foremost of course so there are some beautifully arranged areas full of flowers. We really like the water lilies that are just flowering and the narrow trails that seem wild but are clearly maintained and planted.
However the garden also has a section which is more natural. The trail passing through it is called the Woodland Trail and it is one of the best places to see the Vitelline Warbler the only near endemic bird species in the Cayman Islands. We find our first one right at the beginning of the trail and luckily we get good views as it is the only one throughout our trip.
There are other endemic plants on the trail like Cayman Agave, and a few lifers and endemic subspecies like the local subspecies of Thick-billed vireo.
Of course not all birds are endemic or unusual to us, for example we see a Mockingbird enjoying itself on a tree branch and doing some weird acrobatics.
And then in front of us is a dinosaur. Or so it seems as it is quite sudden but then we recalibrate and notice it is a Blue Iguana. How cool, we take quite a few photos before both we and the iguana move on. As we arrive at the Visitor Center we are a bit overheated so get an icecream and a cold soda and sit outside excitedly exchanging stories of what we have seen.
Now it is time to change tack and visit a few beaches for the rest of the day. We start with Rum Point Beach because it is good for snorkeling but more importantly has a beach bar with food, we are quite famished.
We look around and are not sure where to snorkel so return to the bar, order the food and then read online to understand where to dive. The food is nothing exceptional but it hits the spot and allows us to continue on.
We decide on an area for snorkeling but initially it doesn’t look that good. There is lots of seaweed and nothing else unfortunately. However as we get further out there are a few coral heads and soon the fish start appearing. In fact they appear really fast as one of them tries to protect an area aggressively by repeatedly charging at us – we nickname him the Golden Arrow given his behavior.
We explore for some time and find a few more area with fish and satisfied we return on land and continue on to the last stop for the day.
Starfish Point is quite popular for a singular reason. As you would expect based on the name you are almost guaranteed to see starfish here. We see a minimum of five and we didn’t even make such a big effort. As such there are lots of boats anchored here with people from the boats making the swim to the shore to find the starfishes.
We explore the beach a bit more and return on a slightly different way that leads to an abandoned gate of what likely was supposed to be a luxury resort. Luckily we can exit through it and return to the car parking lot.
On the way in we noticed a grocery store which is actually quite famous here, Chisholm Supermarket. On the way back we stop to buy provisions for the last days and also to see what, for a long time, was the only grocery store on East End. In fact it was accepting fish and rope as payment at different points in time. Now we have to pay cash unfortunately.
At home we enjoy again the disco ball while looking at our bought souvenirs, who can resist psychedelic blue iguanas? And then it is time to sleep and prepare for the next day, our last full day in the Cayman Islands.
