ROCKLANDS BIRD SANCTUARY AND FEEDING STATION

The legend. Thanks to an almost supernatural gift that enabled her to communicate with and tame the wildest birds, Lisa Salmon was given the lovely nickname of "Bird Lady". This renowned Jamaican naturalist, passionately in love with nature and birds, retreated far from civilization to the Anchovy Hills overlooking Montego Bay in 1954. She set up home away from the world and the city lights, in a small house with basic comforts, nestled in a lush tropical garden with an extraordinary view over the whole of Montego Bay. Lisa christened her home Rocklands. Here she can give free rein to her passion. She tamed birds of all shapes, sizes and colors, both local and migratory, by hanging small containers of sugar water from the branches of the trees. Little by little, the birds grew bolder and got into the habit of coming to feed at Rocklands, which became a rendezvous for the feathered gentry. With patience, Lisa even manages to feed them with her fingertips. Birdwatchers flock from all over the world to witness this unprecedented spectacle and watch the incessant ballet of birds, fluttering from branch to branch in a gentle concert of chirps, songs and flapping wings. Given the growing success of her enterprise, and the curiosity of visitors, Lisa decided to open her garden to the public in 1962.

The visit and the hummingbirds. Since then, Rockland has become an off-the-beaten-track tourist stop for nature lovers, but also a place of meditation, symbiosis with nature and incredible serenity. The Lady of the Birds passed away in 2000 at the age of 90, and her nephew continues to run the house and welcome visitors. After a few explanations on the birds' lifestyle and habits. You'll be given a small pipette of sugar water, so arm yourself with patience... and you'll be lucky enough to welcome a tiny hummingbird on the tip of your index finger. This is one of the few places where you can observe the country's fetish bird, a hummingbird with an emerald-green tail. Excursions are also organized by naturalist guides in the surrounding hills. To get there, the road at the end quickly turns into a stony track, but is nonetheless passable in a normal sedan.