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Birdwatching in Cayman Islands

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Local Birdingpal Contacts

Local Birdwatchers

Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away.
Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club.
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Professional Guides

If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.

Initial Last Name Area Available Language
G & J Hislop George Town Anytime English
Geddes Hislop is a Wildlife Biologist living on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, he developed an interest in the rich variety of wildlife on his island home from an early age. Today he has a degree in Wildlife Biology and several years of experience in wildlife field research and environmental education in Trinidad, Tobago and Grand Cayman Island. His Cayman attributes include interpretative development of the Q.E II Botanic Park and Grand Cayman’s famous Mastic Trail.


Being an educator at heart, Geddes shares his knowledge with all levels of interest and frequently works with everyone from kindergarten students to professional photographers and field scientists exploring the "outdoor laboratory". He owns and operates Silver Thatch Excursions- a (land-based) ecotourism service operating on Grand Cayman since 1996. This ecotourism award-winning business grew from a passionate love of nature and the outdoors, after realising the need for a professional interpretative service to enrich a visitor’s exposure to Cayman’s natural and historic heritage. Nature-watching, hiking, ecology and culture- particularly ethno-botany & zoology (cultural uses of plants & wildlife) are his areas of top interest, but birdwatching is his favourite!


Geddes currently works as a curator of terrestrial exhibits and education programs, and conducts birding tours on weekends and select weekdays, searching for his self-designated “Cayman Big 7” among other local and migratory birding prospects.



These are testimonials for Geddes:

Dear Birding Pal, I am a birding pal member (Minda Bernstein, Montreal). My husband and I appreciated getting this contact for a fabulous birding tour. Here is our testimonial:

We had extraordinary good luck in finding Mr. Geddes Hislop to be our birding guide on Grand Cayman Island. Mr. Geddes is the owner/operator of Silver Thatch Excursions and we rate his enterprise for birding tours as a superior operation and here is why: Very solid and prompt communication to establish a realistic target list in the weeks prior to our trip. As Sunday was his day off from his role as curator of the terrestrial and education programs at Cayman Turtle Farm Island Wildlife Encounter, we planned for a full day excursion.

Mr. Geddes picked us up at our hotel promptly at 6:30 and spent the next 7 hours taking us to every known (and unknown) birding hotspot on GCI. Mr. Geddes has a personal list of the 8 endemics on GCI and strives to see each one of these along with all the others in his tour. We saw 50 different species on our day, and 7 of the 8 on his list.

The tour was an amazing mixture of lakes and ponds, both fresh and salt water, dry and wet forests, Oceanside, and off-road, rural "bush" roads, leaving no stone unturned. All the while, Mr. Geddes demonstrated a charming and disarming modesty about his extensive knowledge of birds in general and CI birds in particular. It makes a great combination to have a warm personality and a comprehensive knowledge of the islands, the history, both political and natural, always with a slant towards informal but engaging education.

What more can be said if you are looking for a professional and friendly bird guide, none can compare to Mr. Geddes and his tour!

By the way, Mr. Geddes taught us that it is an appropriately ingratiating signature of friendship to address each other the Caymanian way with a polite Mister or Miss in front of one's first name. And so we are pleased to think of Mr. Geddes as a newfound friend on GCI.

You could not find a more competent guide. He is knowledgeable about birds history culture current events, and more. Hire him. You won't be sorry.
M K O'Neil. Beachwood Ohio USA.

Several weeks ago, my husband and I met wildlife biologist Geddes Hislop on Grand Cayman Island. I am an avid birder, while my husband only has a mild interest in birdwatching. Geddes made our excursion wonderful for both me and my husband. He was extremely knowledgeable about birds and also made the time extremely interesting for my husband. In addition to birds, Geddes knew all about flora and fauna and also provided us with interesting facts and history of the island. I would highly recommend Geddes to both birders and people who want to know more about Grand Cayman's history.
A. McNair


On January 5, 2018 Mr. Geddes Hislop of Silver Thatch Excursions escorted my husband and myself on a half day birding trip at Grand Cayman Island.

Mr. Hislop was very punctual in replying to my e-mail inquiries about a birding trip and always very polite. We had booked his services several months in advance and it was a great half day of birding and learning the history of the island.

Mr. Hislop met us at the exit of the cruise tender area even though the ship had changed docking places the night before our arrival. He made a point to help me find the island endemic species and was very knowledgeable about the birds on the island and where to find them. He also gave us a great tour of the island. It was a wonderful day for us and we enjoyed Mr. Hislop's company and help very much.

He is a true professional. I would highly recommend him for other birders traveling to Grand Cayman.
C. Fulton, Stow, Ohio USA

Local Information
Service Information
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cayman Islands
Local weather Yahoo
National Trust for the Cayman Islands Conservation
Birding Hotspots around the world Sites