About Arrowhead Birding Tours
Arrowhead Birding Tours is the brainchild of Ricardo Miller, who saw the need for a high quality, customer oriented birding experience in Jamaica. So in July 2012, Arrowhead Birding Tours was formed with the sole purpose of taking the Jamaican birding experience to a whole new level.
We understand that birders do not want to be confined to all-inclusive hotels but want to get out and see Jamaica for what it truly is. They want to feel the cool cascading waterfalls that flow through the mountains; they want to smell the blooms of the forests; they want to hear the snoring frogs; and they want to see starry night skies and fireflies.
…Oh yes, and birds. We will see birds.
Above all things, we understand that birders want to experience this in a safe, organized and friendly environment, and that is what we intend to deliver at Arrowhead Birding Tours.
What’s in the name?
We are named after Jamaica’s only endemic warbler, the Arrow-headed Warbler (Dendroica pharetra). This bird takes some effort to find but even more effort to properly photograph as it moves quickly through the vegetation gleaning for insects in leaf axils and clusters of dried leaves. ‘Arrowhead’ is also fitting as each birding trip is like a hunt. A hunt to see that bird that has been calling all morning, or to see the last endemic for the trip or simply to get a better view of a bird we saw earlier.
The hunt for Jamaica’s unique and most beautiful treasures is the Arrowhead Experience
[/two_third_last]
Your Guides
Ricardo
Ricardo has always been interested in nature and wildlife but his specific interest in birds started in 2002 when his professor convinced him to do a Masters project studying columbid game bird populations in Jamaica. He simultaneously worked for the government in wildlife and ecosystem management. He also volunteered at bird banding stations and quickly learned all the birds and their calls and before long he started taking guests around the island to show them the birds and their habitats.
He served as President of BirdLife Jamaica from 2010-2012 and a Director at Large of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB) during the same period. Here he contributed to numerous local and regional conservation initiatives.
Now with 10 years birding experience, Ricardo is about as good as they get, but he will be the first to point out that he does not know half as much as he needs to. He has seen 195 different bird species in Jamaica (and counting) and hundreds more in South, Central and North America. He understands that birds do not exist in a vacuum and has expanded his repertoire to include butterflies and other insects, plants, natural history and the rich Jamaican culture.
Ricardo is lots of fun, witty and has a cool personality. Ricardo is a part of the Arrowhead Experience.
Dwayne
Dwayne started birding in 2008 but you would think he has been doing this all his life. His love for birds and nature started from childhood while growing up in the lush rural area of Robin’s Bay on the north coast of the island. However, his passion was really ignited when Peace Corps Volunteers Bob and Adrienne Lockett, avid birders, became his mentors for the period they worked in Jamaica.
The pace at which Dwayne absorbed the knowledge was remarkable and before long he was taking his first guests on birding trips in Robin’s Bay.
Now 4 years on, this soft spoken young man is a true testament of the benefits that nature has to offer. He has been on many birding trips and interacted with guests from all over the world. He has even been featured in one of the Jamaican series of the Birding Adventures TV show with James Currie.
Dwayne is lots of fun to be with and even more fun when he sees his favourite bird, the Mountain Witch. Care to guess which Jamaican endemic that is?
[/raw]