Earlier this year Bermudair airline began a weekly direct flight from Charleston to Bermuda’s capital Hamilton. The flight takes only two hours covering the nearly 900 mile distance over the Atlantic Ocean east of the Carolinas.
Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory, is known for beautiful beaches, turquoise water, pink powdery sand and natural limestone cliffs. I took this photograph at Horseshoe Bay. Keep reading to see more pink sand we found at Warwick Long Bay.
I had barely used my GoPro Black 8 underwater camera since then and needed to review how to use it. I did experience some malfunctions the first time or two in Bermuda but kept at it and have many nice captures, video and stills like the image above.
Alesia is a great swimmer and was very comfortable out there. I felt better wearing an inflatable “floaty” for my safety.
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 islands that is shaped like a fishing hook or the letter J. Only 20 of the islands are inhabited. The main islands are connected by bridges and causeways.
I snapped this picture when we departed. Bermuda measures approximately 21 square miles. It is about 21 miles long and 1.75 miles at its widest point. The population is around 65,000 with 54 percent being Black and 31 percent White.
The owners call their property Cove House. We stayed in the room on the first floor on the left side in this photo. Check out my video showing the layout we enjoyed.
A short distance from Cove House is this small section of sand, Pokiak Beach. Cove House is the white structure on a cliff in the distance. Getting to the beach, a beautiful quiet spot with excellent snorkeling, required a trek across a hundred yards of rocks. The owner asked us not to cut through the neighbor’s grassy lawn seen below the puffy white cloud due to past complaints from that property's owner about people trespassing.
Our room was very comfortable with plenty of room, a nice king-sized bed, a small kitchen and a bathroom with a rainfall shower that I liked very much.
Before the trip I bought the soft pineapple blanket seen on the bed. It was to be a beach blanket but we liked it here instead. In came in handy for a few naps we enjoyed.
My coffee needs were met first with the provided nespresso machine, then the French press once we bought coffee grounds at a nearby market.
We had this expansive perfectly kept lawn (soft grass too!) right outside our door. To die for views!
Early bird that I am, I caught the sunrise around 6:30 a.m. most mornings.
A walk up the steep driveway gets you to the Cove House entrance. Right behind the large marker is a charger for electric vehicles.
Our EV was this “microcar” called a Yoyo (designed in Italy, manufactured in China). It took a few days to get used to driving it on Bermuda’s narrow, curvy roads, and on the left side of the road as well. We parked it right by the charging plug-in, so that was super convenient.
On Bermuda, visitors can only rent EVs or motorbikes. The XEV Yoyo was a good vehicle though a bit cramped with limited room for our beach things. And I hit my head at least once a day when the “boot” or trunk was open. The Yoyo does have air conditioning, a major plus as temperatures at times were in the upper 80s. Some fellow visitors told us their EVs had no AC.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
1. The Beaches
We found lots of beaches that looked like this. Note the sand here at Warwick Long Bay. It was exciting to come upon pink sand, as Bermuda is known for it. The soft powdery sand reminds of confectionery sugar.
Why is the sand pink? Here’s the “AI Overview” explanation: Bermuda’s pink sand beaches get their unique color from a combination of crushed shells, coral, and the red shells of microscopic marine organisms called foraminifera.
These foraminifera, which live in and around Bermuda’s reefs, have reddish shells made of calcium carbonate. When they die, their shells are broken down and washed ashore, mixing with the other beach material to create the pink hue.
I made these two short videos at Warwick Beach to showcase the pink sand there:
They offer an intimate spot to enjoy the water, and the snorkeling near the rocks can be good too.
This is the popular Horseshoe Bay. It is acclaimed for pink sand and I think you can see some on the beach. Horseshoe Bay may be the island’s best known and most popular beach. A few people we met who had been to Bermuda years ago said that Horseshoe Bay today is too commercialized and crowded. But as you see quiet spots can still be found for reading.
Tobacco Bay in St. George’s is the beach with the calmest water that is perfect for less experienced swimmers and snorkelers.
Chairs on the beach can be also be rented. Tobacco Bay has food, a bar, and restrooms with showers. There is no fee to get in.
We were lucky to a find a (free) place to sit in this area. Tobacco Bay is as fun as it looks! People were even jumping into the water from the big rock formation seen in the back of this photo.
In this beach section of my “Five Best Things About Bermuda” I’m also including photographs of the Atlantic Ocean and snorkeling.
Here are the beaches we visited. Each is located on the eastern side: John Smith, Elbow, Chaplin, Horseshoe, Chaplin, Warwick, Tobacco and Pokiok (the one by where we stayed). Next visit we will hit the western ones and the Royal Naval Dockyard where the cruise ships go.
To follow are more of my favorite beach, ocean, sunrise and sunset photographs. If you want specific locations, please contact me.
Here is a video I made of underwater activity while snorkeling and recording still shots (above) and video (below). I have a GoPro Hero 8.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
2. The History
Over time, the “Jewel of the East” would be expanded and renovated five times, per this sign.
Portuguese explorers may have been the first European visitors. There’s a “Portuguese Rock” down the eastern coast from here that dates to 1543.
The name Bermuda comes from the Spanish navigator Juan de Bermudez who is believed to have sighted the island in 1503 or 1505. “Las Bermudas” appeared on a Spanish map in 1511.
But it would be the British who would begin to settle here in the early 1600s.
They were determined to defend it too, so many forts were built with St. Catherine’s being the first.
In 1609 it was a stormy sea that damaged this ship, the Sea Venture, and led its captain, Christopher Newport, to emergency stop at this island. Newport was leading a fleet of nine ships to supply and bring hundreds of new settlers to Jamestown, Va.
Newport and his passengers scratched out an existence on Bermuda for several months. They built two smaller ships and were able to make it to Jamestown. The cargo they brought to the New World included tobacco seeds from Barbados. Tobacco would become a major cash crop in Virginia and other southern colonies.
I thought Newport cigarettes were named for Captain Christopher but that credit goes to Newport, R.I. Newport News, Va. is named for him as is Christopher Newport University in that coastal city.
Fort St. Catherine was the first of a series of forts built to defend the valuable British possession from the Spanish, French, Portuguese and even the United States.
What views from here! It is easy to see the fort’s strategic importance keeping watch over the Atlantic Ocean.
A handout at Fort St. Catherine lists 12 other forts on the east end of the island but they can only be viewed from their outer areas.
Cannons at Fort St. Catherine range from the 17th century to the 20th century.
This anti-aircraft gun is, I believe, World War II era. Bermuda was never attacked by forces from another nation during 400 years of British rule. Seeing the fort’s design and armaments you see why it was never assaulted.
Here are more images I took from inner and outer recesses of the large fort.
Replicas of Britain’s Crown jewels.
Before visiting the fort on St. George’s we stopped at this nearby historic site called “The Unfinished Church.”
A wedding rehearsal was underway so we kept a courteous distance.
Best of luck to the bride and groom for a long, happy marriage! I zoomed in lol.
What a neat wedding setting! This reminds me of the Old Sheldon Church Ruins near Beaufort, S.C.
It’s a shame the Gothic church was never finished. The plan was that it would be big enough to hold a congregation of 650. Bad luck followed the project. Construction began in 1874 but was never completed “due to various complications” as this sign explains.
Last summer we visited another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Taos, N.M. Check out my post!
Next time in Bermuda, we will need to explore St. George’s more.
If an island has lighthouses I must see at least one! Gibbs Hill Lighthouse was a good choice for us. It is located on the eastern coast near the beaches we hit. And it has a nice gift shop in the building next to it where I bought several nifty souvenirs.
Gibbs Hill Lighthouse stands 117 feet tall. It was erected in 1846. Made of cast iron it is the oldest light in the world of its kind and one of only two cast iron lighthouses still in existence.
For a $2.50 fee you can take the spiral staircase to the top. What a bargain to see such views!
This was as close as we would get to the Royal Naval Dockyard that includes a cruise ship terminal. It is at the northwest tip of Bermuda.
Going up the lighthouse stairs, I took a few photos out the windows.
Pretty cool, yes?
Cool too was being able to see up close the Fresnel lens that magnifies a 1,000 watt electric bulb. Still operational, the beam can be seen up to 40 miles away by ships and 120 miles away by airplanes flying at 10,000 feet, according to BermudaLighthouse.com.
The big lens has a spider look to it!
Just to prove I was up there! Alesia didn’t join me for the lighthouse walk to the top, finding a spot in the shade down below to rest.
So happy to get my lighthouse fix at this interesting and special place!
It was very warm at times during our week here. Alesia found a cool place to cool down at Cathedral Cave, an underwater lake that is part of the Grotto Bay Beach resort and Bay. It is free and open to the public- the cave not the resort 😉.
We weren’t sure about the public access (though some advertising material says it is free) but just found the place and followed the signs that took us to these descending steps. There was no one overseeing the cave so we just took the plunge- literally.
Wow, what a neat spot this is! There were several other visitors at the time. Everyone was upbeat and excited for the unique experience of taking a dip in the chilly pristine water.
We spent about 15 minutes in the water. It took a moment to get used to the cold but it was so fun and refreshing. Cathedral Cave has its own website that says, “Underground lakes and inspiring stalactites and stalagmites can be found in caves all throughout Bermuda.”
A few signs cover the history of the cave, one of many on Bermuda. It says the island’s first caves were found by the British in 1609. Then: “In 1623 Captain John Smith (the one that fell for Pocahontas) wrote about Bermuda’s caves describing them as ‘very strange, dark and cumbersome.’”
It also says that Bermuda boasts one of the highest concentration of caves per square miles in the world.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
3. The Landscape and Architecture
Views like this are what bring tourists to Bermuda. The sand is soft, pink in places, and the water is clean and clear. As our week progressed we did see more of the brown algae in the ocean and on the shore, as you see here. The seaweed is called Sargassum and reports say there is more of it in Bermuda due to a record-breaking bloom in the Atlantic.
Seaweed aside, this photographer was in his element capturing the beauty of the small North Atlantic island.
As we drove and walked around Bermuda, more interesting and lovely views were revealed.
Even while we were inland, water was always on the horizon, it seemed. Tall palm trees enhance the tropical look and feel.
Romantic and scenic dining spots abound.
We had a nice surprise at Coconuts restaurant, part of the seaside Reefs on the Reefs Resort & Club, when we were seated outside on the beach. More later on the great meal we enjoyed there.
The day we walked around Hamilton this large ship, Daedalus Leader, was docked. It is a vehicle carrying vessel registered in Japan that was flying the flag of Bermuda. I’m not sure it was carrying cars. Perhaps the cargo was necessities from toothbrushes and toilet paper to food and fashion.
Other vessels we spotted included what I believe is the biggest yacht I’ve ever seen.
A Norwegian Cruise Line ferry takes passengers from the big ship at Royal Naval Dockyard to Bermuda points of interest. We spotted this vessel near Fort St. Catherine in St. George's.
The Bermudian passenger ship is a ferry that carries people back and forth from the Royal Dockyard to Hamilton.
A pair of tugboats called Powerful (left) and Faithful stand by at the Hamilton Port.
Motorcycles and motorbikes like these are popular among residents and tourists. You see them everywhere.
Bermuda is a very clean place, we observed. You don’t see litter and most streets, sidewalks and buildings are well maintained and tidy.
This is Hamilton’s City Hall and Arts Centre. It includes a museum we’ll need to see next visit. Free admission too.
PSST! What clever name for this Hamilton business. The name stands for Pizza, Subs, Salad, Sweets and Treats.
Another place for us to visit in the future!
Hamilton at night seems safe and can be fairly quiet with most of the touristy shops closing at 5 or 6 p.m.
This sculpture near the waterfront in Hamilton is called “Against Da Tide” dates to 2011. It depicts several men in a boat battling a wave.
I found this article about the artist who created the art. Looks like the plaque that was missing in 2023 when the Royal Gazette ran the piece is back in place. So that’s good news. And I like the name of Bermuda’s main newspaper: Royal Gazette.
While Bermuda is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean it gets very little fresh water from rivers, ponds or lakes. So since humans have lived here, rainwater has been captured for the essential H2O people require to live and survive. Notice the white roofs on the buildings at the Reefs Resort & Club. The shelved design of the roofs catches rainfall and channels it into pipes and cisterns for storing water.
A posting from enterbermuda.com says rain provides 50-70 percent of the freshwater used in households. Wells are used in some places and reverse osmosis, an ocean water desalination process, is also used, especially by the big hotels and resorts.
The limestone roofs are very heavy, making them able to withstand high winds, even hurricanes.
The roof seen in the middle of this photograph shows the horizontal rail piece that guides rain water into a hole allowing the water to go down a pipe into a cistern.
At the house where we stayed was a note from the owner saying how Bermudians rely on rainwater and please be conscientious when taking showers, using the sink faucets, etc.
Burial grounds also reflect the white limestone architecture and water retention too possibly. This is the cemetery at St. Mark’s (Anglican) Church. It was built with an impressive steeple in 1847. It is located in Smith’s Parish close to our Airbnb.
I’ve never seen a cemetery or graveyard like this one. It slopes down to help capture rainwater I have to think.
This picture gives you an idea of the steepness. Many of the gravesites are not marked with the names of the departed. I find this unusual and have yet to come across anything explaining why.
At St. Mark’s I didn’t find much of the cemetery artistry I like to see. This was an exception. Alice and Eliza Musson were infants when they died days apart in April 1802. Online, I found this article about the Musson family. Their prominence can perhaps explain the carving of two angelic girls on their grave marker.
You do see some traditional grave marker types such as die on base and obelisks. But the large flat white stones are the main type.
I can relate to the person buried here who must have been a coffee lover ☕️.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
4. The Restaurants
We did our share- and then some- to support Bermuda’s food and beverage industry. Alesia did a great job finding quality restaurants and booking reservations ahead of our visit.
This was a classy restaurant with excellent service.
I tried sushi, something I normally wouldn’t order. Our visit here was later in the week so I was ready for something different. I really enjoyed it and the tropical cocktail in the unusual mug. I would have bought one of the mugs if they were for sale.
After dinner, there was a nice ocean view to enjoy.
We did not have a bad meal on Bermuda! The good eats began our first full day when we had some time to kill before our EV was ready to pick up. The Current rental place is close to the beautiful Hamilton Princess and Beach Club. Love Alesia’s new hat!
For lunch at the Princess Hotel’s Crown & Anchor restaurant I enjoyed a tasty Bermudian Fish Sandwich (beer battered Atlantic cod, tomato, coleslaw, tartare sauce, raisin bread) and fries. Alesia had a salad. The fish sandwich was a meal we were told is a “must have” here. I’m glad I took the plunge. It was very good.
The Wimbledon men’s tennis final was underway on a TV at the bar. I saw that Carlos Alcaraz won the first set but later learned that Jannik Sinner took the championship in four sets.
We didn’t plan on a dessert after lunch but our server surprised us with this customized cheesecake slice. Yum! He would be the first of numerous restaurant staff we encountered who were first-rate.
The Princess Hotel is very artsy inside and out. It gave us our first taste (literally and figuratively) of Bermuda and it was all good!
After lunch we secured our Yoyo EV. Funny looking vehicle! It did the job for us but did take a few days to get used to its idiosyncrasies such as needing to start it in neutral, no rear camera, and hitting my head numerous times when the tailgate was up. You must always remember to set the emergency brake. Otherwise the vehicle might roll backwards into another car, a building, off a cliff, etc.
The steering wheel, like U.S. cars, is on the left side so that was good. Bermudians do drive on the left side of the road. It was easy to get used to that. Lots of roundabouts here so those required great care. Texting and driving is not advisable. Alesia did a great job giving directions using GPS on her iPhone.
The fully charged Yoyo has a range of 100 miles. The island is small. It got under 50 percent charged just once. The charging station where we stayed was very convenient.
Sunday, July 13 for our 40th wedding anniversary we drove up to St. George’s for dinner at the St. Regis resort.
We had the chance to enjoy the ocean views before our reservation.
The St. Regis property extends to Fort St. Catherine, which we visited later in the week (shown earlier in this post).
The Newlyweds- 40 years ago. Hard to believe! I’m a lucky guy to have lovely Alesia as my bride all these years! 💕 😘
Back at our room, we enjoyed the spectacular views from the yard before calling it a night.
Downtown Hamilton has many restaurants. We tried two: L’Oriental (pictured) and Little Venice. They have the same address, 32 Bermudiana Rd. L’Oriental is upstairs from Little Venice. We didn’t know that so it was a surprise. We knew where to park for Little Venice a few nights later.
L’Oriental has Asian fusion cuisine. We were first served the above crispy treats. Our server couldn’t really describe what they were, which was odd, but they were good.
Our cocktails were also colorful. The beef appetizer was delish (below).
I didn’t care for my first entree, Kung Pao Chicken and sent it back. The chicken taste didn’t agree with me. So I then went with the General Tsao Chicken (below), which was very good.
Alesia enjoyed her Paad Thai Noodles wok fried with chicken.
Another complimentary dessert!
Little Venice features its “Famous Casio & Pepe” cheese and pepper pasta.
A fun twist is that tagliolini pasta is flambéed tableside in a large Parmesan cheese wheel. The chef (pictured) who is also the owner says 50-pound cheese wheels are flown in weekly from Italy via British Airways.
Our server was from Romania. We met restaurant staff from all over the world on Bermuda.
Alesia recorded the flambé part (above).
The end result was excellent! And, yes, we received another special dessert.
The Reefs resort in Southampton was another place we dined.
The resort has three restaurants. I’m glad Alesia chose Coconuts because the dinner here would be my favorite of the trip.
What a nice surprise to be seated outside on the beach! Having not been here before we didn’t know that this was an option. The weather was accommodating so we enjoyed a beautiful, comfortable setting.
A popular cocktail on Bermuda is the Rum Swizzle. It includes Gosling Black Seal Rum, grenadine and different juices making for a very refreshing drink. Gosling rum began in Bermuda in 1806.
I selected the blackened rockfish and as I said it was my favorite meal on Bermuda. Here’s what made it so good: local rockfish, mashed potato, garden vegetables, Gosling black rum spiced banana chutney, crushed almonds, lemon butter sauce. Worth the $45 price.
I enjoyed every bite! Good bread here too!
Lobster was Alesia’s choice.
No better setting to enjoy delicious seafood!
Yummy dessert topped off the fine meal.
When we plan our return to Bermuda, Coconuts at the Reef will be the first dinner reservation we make!
For our "last supper" we went to the cloud.
We found The Cloud after returning our Yoyo EV to the rental place Current. We walked a few blocks to this restaurant.
We had a nice appetizer, then shared a flatbread entree. The Cloud was pretty chill. We ate inside, wanting air conditioning.
Outside was busier.
Some great views of Bermuda from The Cloud!
We had a few good lunch experiences too. On our “must see” was The Swizzle Inn Pub and Restaurant.
This place is always busy, very popular among us tourists. We were lucky to get a good outside upstairs table.
The Swizzle Inn is known for its, you got it, rum swizzle drinks. Cheers! 🥂
The food is good too. We shared a Reuben sandwich.
The Swizzle Inn has a fun vibe and we enjoyed it after our busy day at St. George’s seeing Fort St. Catherine, the Unfinished Church, and snorkeling at Tobacco Bay.
Across from the inn is the also popular Bailey’s Ice Cream Parlour. We visited this quaint place.
Gulfstream Restaurant was another lunch place for us. We were really hungry after a few hours at the beach then visiting the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. We were a bit wet and sandy and not sure if we would be let in as this restaurant looked kind of formal. But a staffer came out and said we were more than welcome. We sat outside, ordered a small pizza, and had a lovely time.
Our final full day on Bermuda was a rainy one. But that was fine. We had plenty of sun and surf all week. This was our day to explore Hamilton. After our walking and shopping we ducked into a really nice coffee shop called Brew. Hot coffee and warmed chocolate pastries were just what we needed.
Alesia bought me a cool Brew hat!
Wine time by the sea was always pleasant.
Alas, at the end of our last night on this beautiful island we ended up having a nightcap in Hamilton at the Princess Hotel, where we had lunch on our first day here last Sunday. I’m a lucky man to have Alesia by my side for these 40 years…and counting ♥️.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
5. The People
The first taxi driver who took us to pick up our EV gave great advice about safely navigating the narrow, twisty roads and the many roundabouts.
Bermuda doesn't have Uber or Lyft but does have Hitch.
I read that one-third of Bermuda’s 65,000 residents are foreign nationals with temporary work permits. We spoke with servers at restaurants who in some cases had worked in several other countries before finding their jobs here. Opportunities abound, it seems, for hard workers at high-end restaurants around the world.
A trip highlight for me was taking Alesia to the Alexandra Mosher jewelry (British spelling “jewellery”) store in Hamilton.
I spotted an ad for this shop in a Bermuda magazine picked up at the airport
Alexandra Mosher is from Bermuda. She makes all of her jewelry in a shop behind the store. I took this picture because Warwick Long Bay was the first beach where we saw pink sand.
Many of Alexandra’s creations include pink sand. These tubes contain pink sand collected at different Bermuda beaches.
We had also been seeing many birds that the locals call Longtails. The formal name is White-tailed Tropicbirds.
Keep reading to see my photos of this elegant coastal bird.
So we went to see if this fine shop had creations that incorporated both a Longtail and pink sand. The staff was very helpful.
Success! I was thrilled to buy Alesia this beautiful pink sand Longtail silver pendant as a 40th anniversary gift. Doesn’t it look great on her!
A better shot of the necklace is next…
On our trip home, Bermudair flight attendant Amaya wore a necklace similar to Alesia's. Amaya told us she bought hers at a different shop. She is very familiar with Alexandra Mosher, saying she has modeled her jewelry in the past.
PARTING SHOTS
Want to work on your putting? You can do that at Bermuda’s airport. A few putters and golf balls were available so we played for a bit.
For Bermuda I brought a special book to read on the beach, at the airport and on the plane. My niece Camille Harwood recently published her first novel titled “Carolina Girls: Surfside Beach.” Based in Raleigh, N.C. where Cami lives, she tells the story of four close friends, their trials and tribulations in life and love.
So proud of Cami! Check out her “Carolina Girls” on Amazon!
Kudos also to Bermudair. Early in 2025 the airline, founded in fall 2023, began a once-a-week direct flight from Charleston to Bermuda. The news had Alesia and I talking about a possible anniversary trip in July.
A two-hour flight to paradise sounded great to us!
Our departure from Charleston was delayed a few hours by bad weather. The Embraer E190 plane was comfortable.
Drinks were complimentary and we were even served a large chocolate chip cookie- can’t beat that!
I was surprised that the flight was only about one-third full. I heard Bermudair is considering modifying the Saturday to Saturday weekly flight. An airline worker told me some people groused that the weeklong stay in Bermuda was too long.
Not for us, it was perfect!
Again, the Bermuda airport's free baggage cart was greatly appreciated. We didn’t exactly travel light.
Due to the weather delay we didn’t get to our Airbnb until after 11 p.m.
But it was all worth it to wake up to such a beautiful sunrise on the morning of our 40th wedding anniversary!
🦢 THE BIRDS OF BERMUDA (AND LIZARDS) 🦎
As a serious birder, I was excited to spend time at a place I’ve never been before. What new birds might I see? Bermuda did not disappoint!
Many of the bird photos I took were on or near the property where we stayed, such as these House Sparrows.
A European Starling and two House Sparrows. Who tossed the cracker pieces in the yard? I’ll never tell!
European Starling. The backyard fence proved a popular perch for birds and I kept my camera at the ready.
House Sparrow and European Starling.
A House Sparrow pair.
I saw Yellow-crowned Night Herons a few times. Love this photograph!
This was another day. Probably the same Heron.
A Yellow-crowned Night Heron on the rocks. This was also near our Airbnb. I didn’t have to go far to photograph birds.
The Green Heron is the smallest member of the Heron family and has distinctive streaks of color.
I had another Green Heron encounter in Hamilton at a marina near the Princess Hotel & Beach Club. I took these pictures with my iPhone. The others I took with my Canon SX70.
The striking and petite Green Heron is one of my favorites.
Mourning Doves were among the 10 bird species, including two types of chickens, I photographed on Bermuda. So far the birds I’ve shown are all familiar faces from back home in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
I’m happy to report I also scored two lifer birds.
Meet the Bermuda Longtail, known for its long tail streamer. From our place on the coastline we would see these birds all day long flying back and forth over the ocean.
You see why the locals call them Longtails. White-tailed Tropicbird is the official name.
The birds stay close to the shore so they can keep tabs on the nests they keep in the many holes, crevices and caves in the limestone cliffs, and tree hallows as well.
The Longtail is considered an open ocean species that only comes into land to breed. It feeds on fish, squid and crabs.
No wonder the graceful, gliding bird is featured in jewelry and art across Bermuda. I'm surprised it is not the national bird of Bermuda. That honor goes to the Bermuda Petrel, a coastal bird that I unfortunately did not see or photograph. Next visit!
I heard and saw Kiskadees all over Bermuda.
I was thrilled to see in this iPhone photo taken at a hotel the yellow stripe on the head indicating his is a male Great Kiskadee.
A few dozen other types of birds were released here around the same time, including European Starlings, I’m pretty sure.
But the Kiskadees preferred other things to eat such as cicadas, the eggs of other birds, and small fish and crustaceans found in water.
Kiskadees are also blamed for spreading invasive plants around the island after eating certain types of berries.
Well, it seems the Great Kiskadee experiment wasn’t so great for Bermuda, to the point that they pose a threat to the environment, posits this article.
But they sure are nice to see in so many settings here!
Seventy one Jamaican anole lizards were released in a Bermuda botanical garden in 1905. Details here.
Overtime the lizards became so numerous that birds such as the Great Kiskadee were brought in to reduce the lizard population. Tough cycle of life and death!
Anole lizards have a retractable fan (called a dewlap) which the males extend from a throat pouch during courtship or territorial displays, per this article.
All of these lizards photos I took along the steep outside steps where we
stayed for the week.
What colorful critter these are!
These anoles are so common that Bermudians called them Warwick lizards.
Final few bird pix: Eastern Blubird, a female or juvenile probably.
And on the beach joining us for dinner one evening is this European Starling.
I forgot to include mention and a couple pictures representing the chickens and roosters we saw all over the island. Bermuda has a large number of feral fowl, by one estimate 20,000-25,000. Hurricane Emily in 1987 is blamed for destroying many chicken coops. The free ranging fowls are blamed for killing crops, causing illnesses to humans and other problems.
My bird identification app says the chickens above are Red Junglefowls and the one below is a Dorking Chicken. Great names!
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