Arrowhead Warblers in Jamaica

Arrowhead Warbler, Ecclesdown Road, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Arrowhead Warbler, Ecclesdown Road, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Arrowhead Warbler, Blue Mountains NP, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Arrowhead Warbler, Blue Mountains NP, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Arrowhead Warbler, Ecclesdown Road, Jamaica, Mar 11, 2017

I just returned from a brief trip down to Jamaica between my days off from work between March 9-12. One of my main reasons for making a trip down to Jamaica was to catch up with the endemic Arrowhead Warbler which I was lucky enough to see on several occasions in both the Blue Mountains and along Ecclesdown Road near the John Crow Mountains.  As I had such a brief amount of time down on the island and wanted to maximize my chances of seeing not only the warbler but the other endemic species there I hired a guide and my choice of Ricardo Miller was a good one ( I figured having his company named after my main target was a good omen).  He not only got me on a number of Arrowhead Warblers but also managed to find me every other endemic on Jamaica (he can be contacted through his company at http://www.arrowheadbirding.com/).  I also managed to get a few photos of the species as it worked its way through the thick forest. It is a sharp looking black and white warbler, quite similar to the Elfin Woods Warbler (http://warblerpursuit.blogspot.com/2016/12/elfin-woods-warbler-and-adelaides.html which is endemic to Puerto Rico.  The Arrowhead Warbler became warbler species number 68 for me.

Cape May Warbler, Hope Gardens, Jamaica, Mar 11, 2017

Prairie Warbler, Hope Gardens, Jamaica, Mar 11, 2017

Yellow throated Warbler and Northern Parulas, Hope Gardens, Jamaica, Mar 11, 2017

Besides the Arrowhead Warbler I managed to catch up with fourteen other warbler species, almost all of which will soon be heading north to breed. The only species I had a slight chance of seeing that I didn't have any luck locating was Swainson's Warbler, which winters in small numbers on Jamaica. It is a tough species to locate as it stays low in the forest and I was not surprised that I didn't see it.  I guess I will have to catch up with it at some point on its breeding grounds in the southern U.S.