Mike in the Wild

On my first visit to the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia in almost ten years, it was easy to decide what to do on my cruise ship's nine-hour stop: find a Saint Lucia amazon.  The island is the only place this endemic parrot lives, where only fifty years ago it faced near extinction due to habitat loss and hunting.  Even with a robust recovery in its population, Saint Lucia's national bird still only roams a small portion of its historic range - so I hired a guide to guarantee I found it. While most of my fellow passengers scattered towards thermal springs, beaches, gardens, and the majestic volcanic spires called the Pitons, my husband and I met Nestor on a busy street outside the cruise port in Castries.  In addition, two other birders from the ship also piled into our guide's well-worn 4Runner.  We made our way out of Saint Lucia's capital and largest city as lines of heavy traffic streamed in for work and school.  The mountainous landscape was mostly f...