JAMAICA IN DECEMBER
When one does a nature tour with Mark Smith from Portland, Oregon, you really get a nature tour. Mark is an expert birder and can almost always call in the elusive birds where ever he takes you | |
Traveling on the 'wrong' side of the road with Mark as the tour guide, we got an understanding of the geology of the region as well as a quick stop when birds posed on nearby branches. | |
Watching fishermen dicker with buyers happened because we were on Treasure beach at the right time. Catches were spread on the ground and buyers, usually women, bargained for the best. | |
Frigate birds soared close above waiting for the opportunity to snag an unwatched meal. The natives warned me not to let them drop too near me. People lose their eyes in an instant. | |
Flowers of many colors and petal arrangements bloomed all over the island. Different species favored the coast, the hillsides and mountains. Impatiences are a nuisance overrunning all habitats. | |
Inland by the Black river a special rearing pond was being used for protection and nurturing of manatees which are being killed for meat in public areas, bringing them to near extinction. | |
Naomi Sherer |