From Grand Cayman Villas

One of the most fun and welcoming restaurants on Grand Cayman is Tukka’s located in the east end of the island. Not only is the food great – a “taste of Australia with a Caribbean twist,” but every afternoon at 5pm they feed the Frigate Birds which is a blast to watch.

Frigates are long-winged, fork-tailed seabirds found across all tropical oceans. What’s so interesting about Frigates is that, unlike other seabirds, their feathers are not waterproof. This lack of waterproofing renders them unable to land on water. They soar on the rising warm air during the day and glide along on trade winds. These constantly changing winds allow Frigates to easily stay aloft for months at a time.

Frigate birds spend most of the day in flight hunting for food. Their main prey are fish and squid that they catch when chased to the water surface by large predators such as tuna. Frigates also steal the food from other seabirds. For this, they are known as kleptoparasites.

It didn’t take long for Cayman’s frigates to learn about the free meals at Tukka. Every evening around 5pm or 5:30pm, Tukka’s kitchen assistants bring down a plate of seafood scraps to the shore and the frigates begin to gather. It’s so much fun to watch them hoover in the air, waiting for their turn to swoop down and take a piece of squid or fish and then shoot back up into the air.

No matter where you’re staying, bring the kids and your camera to Tukka any day around 5pm and feed the Frigates. It’s great fun and a great eco-friendly experience! Tukka’s food is good too!

IMAGES:
Tilley, one of Tukka’s employees, feeding the Frigates!
TUKKA TERRACE
GCVC guests feeding the Frigates at Tukka Restaurant in Cayman’s East End

For more on this story go to: https://www.grandcaymanvillas.net/5949/feed-the-frigate-birds-at-tukkas-in-caymans-east-end/