Great Bird Island

Great Bird Island lies in the North Sound off Antigua's northeastern coast, a small island with a beach on one side and low cliffs on the other, and it matters because of the Antiguan racer: a harmless snake reduced to around fifty animals on this island alone by the 1990s, and brought back through rat eradication across the offshore islands. Red-billed tropicbirds nest on the cliffs and a short path climbs to the top.

What you actually see

• The Antiguan racer - the harmless snake saved from near extinction on this island.
• The tropicbird colony - red-billed tropicbirds nesting on the cliffs.
• The clifftop path - the short climb to the island's high point.
• The beach - the sand on the sheltered side where boats land.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and calmest for boats. Tropicbirds nest through the first half of the year. Swell cancels trips.

Honest expectations

Day trips are packaged and several boats can arrive at once on a small island. The racer is rarely seen and should never be handled. There are no facilities.

Nearby

Parham is south, and the North Sound islands surround it.