Anguilla / Special Interests / Eco/Nature

Although Anguilla is relatively flat and its soil poor, the island is not barren nor devoid of any interesting wild life. The salt ponds that now lie unused, especially the large Road Salt Pond, attract a wide variety of birds, in all about eighty, mostly migratory species, including herons. Elsewhere around the island you will spot egrets, herons, red legged stilts, white cheeked pintails, hundreds of yellowlegs, various waders, ospreys, pelicans, frigatebirds and the occasional peregrine falcon. You will also see sandpipers twittering along the shoreline in small flocks, dodging the waves.

The island is also home to a number of reptiles including the anole lizard, brown iguana, snakes and red footed tortoise, which tend to be found in the more wooded areas along the cliffs, to the north of the island. Less appealing creatures to be found are tarantulas and scorpions.

From April to November the fours varieties of turtles, hawksbill, green, leatherback, and loggerhead, come ashore to lay their eggs. There is currently a government ban (this was set for 5 years) in effect against hunting these endangered marine animals.

Hiking

The company Walking Tours, led by island notable Sir Emile Gumbs and his son Laurie, offers walking tours to historic and remote places on the island.