Just in case there are any bird watchers in the audience, I was able to add a few to my life list on the cruise along with seeing many old friends. While these particular birds are not roasted or fricasseed, they might still be of interest to some folks.
The brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) is a small pelican found in the Americas. This possibly immature specimen was photographed in the Port of Galveston.
I’m not sure what this specimen is, though it was flying blithely along side the Carnival Breeze in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico when it was photographed.
A feral chicken was the only bird spotted during our stop in Montego Bay, Jamaica. apparently what used to be a household food bird there, became a neighborhood standard as the bird ran loose and bred. I’m told by a local that they are everywhere and are treated sort of as community pets.
Frigatebirds (also listed as “frigate bird” or “frigate-petrel”) are a family of seabirds which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. This specimen appears to be a magnificent frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). It was photographed along the coastline of George Town on Grand Cayman.
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is also called fish eagle, sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk across it’s rather cosmopolitan range. It appears on all the continents with the exception of Antarctica, though this specimen was photographed along the coast of Cozumel, Mexico.
My bet is on this bird being some species of cormorant. This specimen was perched on the forward rigging of the Carmival Breeze while we were at sea in the Gulf of Mexico.
Any assistance in identifying the two unknowns is most appreciated.
— Ann Cathey
thewanderingtexans 