Marsh Harbour

Monday, January 15

--Blogpost written by Bob

We met Reggie Patterson this morning at the Conch Inn & Marina to begin our 1/2-day nature tour of Great Abaco.

Abaco Parrots (found on Great Abaco Island) have 
beautiful green and red plumage and 
have a very distinct chirp.

The Abaco Parrot stands about a foot tall. They typically hang out in small groups (three to six birds). With four toes on each foot, two face forward and two face backward. This big bird eats mainly small berries, fruits (of which there are many in the Abacos), and nuts. 

Two Abaco Parrots occupy the crown of the tree.

Building their nests underground is unusual for a bird this size and it leaves their nests prey to feral cats, wild boars, snakes, rodents, and even heavy rains. They typically lay two to four eggs per breeding season. Estimates of their population on Great Abaco range from 3,000 to 10,000 birds.

The Abaco Parrots are found only in the pine forests of southern Abaco Island and on Inaugua Island in the Exumas.  On our eco tour we saw perhaps a dozen parrots.  They did not seem to be afraid of humans but it was difficult to get close to them because they perched high in the trees.  You could actually hear their distinctive chirp before you could see them.

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The next stop on our tour was the Sawmill Sink Hole.  The Sawmill Sink Hole is one of six sink holes found on Great Abaco Island.  This sink hole has a depth of 170 feet and it then spreads out into miles of horizontal passages. Sculls and skeletons of crocodiles dating back thousands of years have been found at the bottom of this sink hole.  Among all the fossils of reptiles, mammals, and birds, the remains of a native Lucayan child was found--it was 1000 years old.

This sink hole was located off a logging road that was about 1/2 mile from the main road (Great Abaco Highway) and there were no signs of any king along the road.  It would have been difficult to find without a guide.

This is one of half dozen or so sink holes on Great
Abaco--this one is called Sawmill Sink Hole.

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Gilpin Point was the next stop on our eco tour.  It is the site of a real estate development but no homes have been built here yet.

There are lots of large rocks off the ocean
beach at Gilpin Point.

The rooted remains of trees inboard of
the rocks at Gilben Point.

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A beautiful view a few miles east of Sandy Point.

Sandy Point is a small fishing village on the
southwestern tip of Great Abaco.

Sandy Point, located about 60 miles from Marsh Harbour, was the last stop on our eco tour-- it is a small fishing village of maybe a few hundred inhabitants.  There are a few shops and restaurants/bars as well as a couple churches.  Most of the residents make their living fishing.  The people seemed very friendly.

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More on our visit to Marsh Harbour in our next blogpost...

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