Booby Pond

Booby Pond takes up a substantial share of Little Cayman's interior, a shallow brackish lagoon fringed with red mangrove, and in those mangroves nests the largest colony of red-footed boobies in the western hemisphere, something in the order of five thousand pairs. Magnificent frigatebirds nest alongside them and spend a good deal of their time harassing the boobies into dropping their catch, which is the show. The National Trust maintains a house on the road with a viewing deck, telescopes and a small display. The pond is a Ramsar site and holds waders and West Indian whistling ducks as well.

What you actually see

• The booby colony - the largest in the western hemisphere.
• Frigatebirds - nesting alongside and robbing the boobies in flight.
• The viewing deck - telescopes set up on the National Trust house.
• The Ramsar wetland - waders and whistling ducks on the pond.

When to go

The colony is most active from around January to July when the birds are nesting and raising chicks. Late afternoon is when the boobies return and the frigatebirds go to work on them, which is the best hour. The Trust house keeps limited hours.

Honest expectations

The birds nest across the pond and are seen at distance; the telescopes on the deck are what make it work, so going when the house is open matters. The National Trust house has limited opening hours. Mosquitoes around the pond are severe. There is no access to the colony itself, correctly.

Nearby

Blossom Village is nearby; Tarpon Lake is across the road.