Birding along the Bay of Acul

The gravel beach at the end of the road

If you want to see shore birds and waders, including glossy ibis and black-necked stilts, travel the road that runs along the west side of the Bay of Acul. It leaves National Rt. 1 less than 2 miles from UCNH in Haut Limbe as you head toward Cap Haitien, or about 9 miles west of Cap Haitien. The road ends at a gravel beach that has restaurant stalls. We were there early in the morning so didn’t get to see how many people come to use the beach, or how many food stalls operate. The only birds were English House Sparrows and a passing Great Egret and Cattle Egret.

The hub of bird activity is in the rice fields along the bay. Stop along the road and follow a path towards the bay. You should have a Haitien friend escort you into the fields, to ask permission to pass and explain to the local people why you are there. We drew a little crowd. We saw many glossy ibis, killdeer, lesser yellow legs, and cattle egrets. We also saw 13 bird species on the walk along the road between St. Louis and St. Michel, including a grassquit and 2 red-tailed hawks. If you enter your birds into eBird, be sure to mark the shore and rice field/mangrove survey as part of the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC)!

Rice fields and mangroves - there are many birds out there!

Walking the road between St. Louis and St. Michel

Hotel Mont Joli Cap Haitien

I had the opportunity to stay at the Mont Joli so I could meet with fellow ecologists and water scientists. The Joli is a cute hotel tucked onto the hillside above Cap Haitien – you can’t tell how steep the road is from satellite imagery or maps. It doesn’t occupy much space, but offers scenic views of the bay and town below. The restaurant is down the stairs next to the pool, and offers typical Haitian chicken and seafood plates plus burgers and pasta (please don’t eat conch/lambi – they are ENDANGERED!). Along with the typical limited options for vegetarians (pasta, french fries, fried plantains and rice), not too exciting, but it was good. There is seating on the main level near the bar for relaxing and meeting other hotel guests. The rooms have AC and hot water, along with a view of the bay. There’s a little gift shop in case you forgot essentials or want a t-shirt that says Mont Joli. If you are up it you can walk down the step hill to the Roi Christophe and nearby restaurants. Or hug the side of the road and walk up hill to see trees and maybe the scaly-naped pigeon that I saw on a property located above the Joli.

Musee de Guahaba

Along National Highway 1 in Limbe in northern Haiti is a small museum of pre- and post-Columbian artifacts found in northern Haiti. Medical doctor and amateur archaeologist Dr. William Hodges led expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the University of Florida, to unearth artifacts created by the Taino and other native groups who lived in Haiti before Columbus and Europeans landed, and in the 1980s created the museum to display them (more info here). While some of the wording is reflective of western attitudes of Dr. Hodges era, the museum is a nice presentation of the history of Haiti, including the colonial slave period. Hours aren’t posted, just stop and look for the caretaker who has the key. I gave him a small donation for letting me and my friend see the museum. He explained some of the paintings, and perhaps would have explained more if we had more time to spend there. Allow an hour if you want to read everything. We were able to briefly look at most everything in 20 minutes. Signs are in French and English, but unfortunately the red ink of the English has faded on many signs. While the stone, ceramic, and metal artifacts seem stable, the displays are showing age and the entire museum could use a cleaning and upgrade. I work in a nearby university – contact me if you are interested in training students and others as to how to preserve this museum!

 

Restaurants in Cap Haitian

Cap Deli veggie pizza and passion fruit juice

Cap Haitien has many restaurants – here are some. All seem to take American money and credit cards. Please don't order lambi (conch) - they are endangered!

Cap Deli - This restaurant is along the main road Buccaneer (Blvd du Cap-Haitien) that runs along the bay and port and as a pizza and burger joint is a good place for lunch within walking distance of Hotel Roi Christophe. It has covered patio seating upstairs with views of the port, or dining inside. See menu photos, lots of vegetarian options, slowish service but interesting views for waiting.

Lolos - Also within walking distance of Hotel Roi Christophe, Lolo’s has outdoor partially covered seating in a nice ambiance of Haiti art and outdoor lighting – a nice place for dinner. They make their own pasta! I’ve had the flatbread, and pasta with alfredo sauce, but my favorite was the pumpkin spheres because they are so different. They are gooey melted cheese balls with a pumpkin puree coating. Because there is only 3 and they are rich, they would be better with a salad, or small side of pasta. See menu photo, vegetarian options, not horribly slow service, nice ambiance for waiting.

Auberge Villa Cana – Walk through the hotel property towards the back and you will come to the restaurant (see this post for hotel info). I didn’t take a photo of the menu but remember it was typical Haitian food, and maybe burgers, with not many vegetarian options. The Haitian spaghetti with no meat was very good, and they have juices. Typical slow service.

Lea Market – This is a relatively new modern grocery store on Rue 5 Blvd (see facebook page) that has a deli (sandwiches and juices) and western-style foods (imported mainly from Europe) – cheese and dairy products, wine, good chocolate, packaged and canned foods. It is very clean. They don’t give goudes as change if you pay in American dollars, but you can use a credit card!

Hotel Roi Christophe restaurant - The restaurant has a nice setting on a covered porch in front of the hotel. They offer burgers and sandwiches, appetizers such as the mozarella and tomatoes pictured, typical plates of seafood, chicken, and goat, and ice cream for dessert! My cheese sandwich and french fries were good. Please don't order the lambi/conch - it is engangered! Service wasn't too slow.

Cap Deli menu side 1

Cap Deli menu side 2

Lolo's menu - front side

Lolo's - making pasta

Lolo's dining area

Lolo's yummy pumpkin spheres

Roi mozzarella and tomato appetizer, & granadia juice.

Roi ice cream

Roi menu 1

Roi menu 2

Hotel Roi Christophe

Hotel Roi Christophe is a quaint hotel in Cap Haitien, not far from the main road people call Buccaneer (Blvd du Cap-Haitian on the map). It is in a colonial-era building which gives you a close-up experience with the history of Haiti. The rooms are comfortable, with ceiling fan, tv, mini-fridge, and hot water. Complimentary breakfast comes with the stay: eggs, oatmeal, or Haitian spaghetti, with fruit, rolls, and coffee. The restaurant also serves lunch and breakfast. There is a pool, conference rooms, and nice gift shop. Also a ticket counter for Sunrise Airline.

The best part of the hotel for me is all the trees and plants in the courtyard. Yellow-crowned night herons nest here! Plus woodpeckers, banaquits, and palmchat. The endangered white-necked crows and plain pigeons also visit! Unique statues and iron-work, and some canons decorate the grounds.

The hotel is within walking distance (<10 min.) from several restaurants and a tourist souvenir area next to the water. Lots of typical Haitian arts and crafts, but also some unique items, like paper mache birds. Some people are pushy about getting you to buy something, but for the most part it is easy to say no and walk away.

Hotel gift shop

Mozzarella plate

Entrance to the Cap Haitien tourist market

Booths at Cap Haitien tourist market

UCNH - birding and academic hotspot!

Hispaniolan parakeet - endemic, threatened

One hour west of Cap Haitien, off of Rt 1, sits a university whose founders and subsequent presidents prohibited cutting of trees (directions here). Today Université Chrétienne du Nord d'Haïti (UCNH) and the surrounding area of Haut Limbe is home to over 30 species of birds, and is a relaxing place to enjoy large trees full of lianas, bromeliads, and other life you’d expect to see in a tropical forest. Parakeets fly by every day and sometimes hang out on campus, warblers make it their winter home, and woodpeckers, palmchats, red-tailed hawks, and banaquits raise their families here. If you are up for a hike, there are great views from the surrounding hills and you might see a loggerhead kingbird, merlin, or plain pigeon. See here for list of birds.

UCNH also has a snack shop, copy center, bookstore (academic books in French), and library. Agronomy students have a plant nursery on campus, and you can visit a cacao grove and learn about chocolate. Perhaps while visiting you’ll get to see a performance by the fine arts students. Contact me if you’d like to set up a tour and a budding ecotourism student can show you around and take you birding, or to see cacao and plantain/banana groves.

Red-tailed hawk on campus

Plain pigeon - endemic, threatened

White-necked crow - endemic, threatened

Louisiana waterthrush

Hispaniolan lizard-cuckoo - endemic

A sisal factory!

Plantation Dauphin is an old sisal plantation and factory, built in the 1920’s across the bay from Fort Libertie on the north coast of Haiti. Not only is it a piece of Haiti’s booming sisal history (#1 in the western hemisphere in the 1940s), there are birds, as well as fish and other coastal life, such as sea urchins and jellyfish. It is an easy walk around the old buildings, and a cement wall allows you to get close to the sea life.

male and female kestrels

jellyfish and fish

warbler