Leptotila jamaicensis - Caribbean Dove
It was a steaming hot day on the private 1,600 acre Green Castle Estate in Jamaica. Other members of the group sensibly opted for the swimming pool after breakfast, but I had other ideas... The local guide, Dwayne, had told us about a near mythical bird in the rainforest - and I just had to give it a try.
I carried my camera with a 400mm lens and 2x extender in my left-hand and a sturdy tripod over my right shoulder. And with a litre of water in a small backpack I set off along the leafy Waterfall Trail for a kilometre to the spot where Dwayne had seen a pair of the birds. It had the forest to myself...
I set up my stall on the left side of the track and waited... and waited... and waited. After one hour, beads of sweat were stinging my eyes. After two hours, I had sipped the last drop of water. After three hours, I was ready to pack up and limp exhausted back to the comfort of the estate house and the pool.
As I was about to take the camera off the tripod, I noticed the leaves of a bush move about 30m along the track. I focused on the spot and to my delight a wonderful pair of beautiful Caribbean Doves, an endemic race on Jamaica, at last ventured into open ground.
At that precise moment, after waiting silently for 180 minutes in 90 degree heat, three jolly Germans came bounding around the corner from the waterfall direction towards me! To my horror, the doves flew off into the forest – never to be seen again.
I was mortified and speechless... I managed to take this single test shot before the doves fled. If you ever walk the Waterfall Trail, three small crosses mark the spot of this unforgettable encounter with one of Jamaica's most elusive birds...
Leptotila jamaicensis - Caribbean Dove
It was a steaming hot day on the private 1,600 acre Green Castle Estate in Jamaica. Other members of the group sensibly opted for the swimming pool after breakfast, but I had other ideas... The local guide, Dwayne, had told us about a near mythical bird in the rainforest - and I just had to give it a try.
I carried my camera with a 400mm lens and 2x extender in my left-hand and a sturdy tripod over my right shoulder. And with a litre of water in a small backpack I set off along the leafy Waterfall Trail for a kilometre to the spot where Dwayne had seen a pair of the birds. It had the forest to myself...
I set up my stall on the left side of the track and waited... and waited... and waited. After one hour, beads of sweat were stinging my eyes. After two hours, I had sipped the last drop of water. After three hours, I was ready to pack up and limp exhausted back to the comfort of the estate house and the pool.
As I was about to take the camera off the tripod, I noticed the leaves of a bush move about 30m along the track. I focused on the spot and to my delight a wonderful pair of beautiful Caribbean Doves, an endemic race on Jamaica, at last ventured into open ground.
At that precise moment, after waiting silently for 180 minutes in 90 degree heat, three jolly Germans came bounding around the corner from the waterfall direction towards me! To my horror, the doves flew off into the forest – never to be seen again.
I was mortified and speechless... I managed to take this single test shot before the doves fled. If you ever walk the Waterfall Trail, three small crosses mark the spot of this unforgettable encounter with one of Jamaica's most elusive birds...