Just off the North east coast of Antigua are a group of small islands known as the North Sound National Park. One of these is known as Great Bird Island and is a favorite spot for catamaran tours to visit, have lunch and snorkel or just swim in the warm, clear, blue water. Beautiful white sand beaches and, remarkably clear water are perfect for a day out. Great Bird Island is visited by more than 20,00 tourists every year most of whom respect the island and are careful to leave nothing but their footprints! A few have been known to disturb the nesting birds and even start fires. If you plan to visit this lovely island please treat it with respect.

by chris_lori

Bird island is also famous as the home of the Antiguan Racer Snake which is found nowhere else in the world. The snake is completely harmless by the way! Other wildlife seen on the island include the Frigate Bird, the Red Billed Tropic Bird which makes it's nest in the cliffs and the West Indian Whistling Duck. There is a large population of mangroves on the island which act as nurseries for marine life so the snorkeling on the reef close to the island is among the best in Antigua.

Nearby is Rabbit Island which is home to the Brown Pelican and on Long Island a very successful project has monitored Hawksbill Turtles which come onto the island to lay their eggs. These turtles are critically endangered due to fishing practices and some countries, notably China and Japan have caught them to eat. They have also been used for tortoise shell which was used in a wide range of products in the past. Hawksbill Turtles return to the same beach every year to lay around 140 eggs, which hatch at night about two months later, when the baby turtles make their way to the sea.

You can visit Great Bird Island with Treasure Island Cruises, enjoy a barbecue on the beach and hike to the top of the island for a spectacular view of Antigua and the surrounding islands. You can also have fun taking part in their famous treasure hunt.