Mary Fulford brings dynamism and innovation to the sustainable tourism space! Through Island Mystique, she offers exciting, culturally immersive adventures. From delightful foodie deep dives featuring the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) must-try dishes, to handcrafting with local artisans, to listening as historians weave folklore tales by the crackle of a fire pit—Mary promises to take visitors off the beaten path by sharing the TCI that exists beyond the ‘sun, sea and sand’. Passionate about connecting guests to the wondrous diversity of her islands, Mary seized the opportunity to join the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Bird Guide Training Workshop and explore TCI’s incredible avifauna! Read on for Mary’s account of her CBT experience, and learn how she is already incorporating birding into her thrilling offerings.
When I saw that BirdsCaribbean was coming to the Turks and Caicos Islands to host a certificate guide training for the Caribbean Birding Trail, I knew I had to be there!
Participating in this training was important for me as the owner of Island Mystique—a culturally immersive tour experience company here in Turks and Caicos. During our creative tours, I want travelers to get off the beaten path and enjoy our culture through a different lens. My employee participated in the training as well and he could not stop enthusing about the wealth of information he gained, and how fun and engaging the training was! Thanks to the training, we are now better equipped to facilitate our tours, whilst teaching our customers about the bird ecosystem here in the TCI.
I have never participated in birdwatching before, so all of this was new to me—and exciting! There was so much information to take in and dissect—like learning how to identify birds based on their different characteristic traits and features. The mix between theory and getting out into the field was valuable, offering me an opportunity to go out and put what I learned into practice.
Delicious lunches and digiscoping!
These were five action-packed days of training, laughter, bonding, birding, sights, and great lunches (there was lobster on the menu with crab and rice—I am an island girl and we love our island food!). One of the main highlights for me from this experience was going out into the field and birding. It was such a great experience learning about different birds and using our binoculars and scope to see them up close and personal. I even learned how to digiscope—thanks, Beny! These little moments taught us not only how to be great birding tour guides but great tour guides in general, ensuring that our guests leave with happy smiles—as we did every day.
I partnered with Charmaine Francis from the Bahamas, and we practiced identifying birds. It was a valuable exercise, which helped us spot the birds’ distinguishing features, and become familiar with how their names recalled their different characteristics. For example, the all-black Smooth-billed Ani is a beautiful bird that reminds me of the song ‘Smooth Operator’—it just looks so suave!
Bringing a deeper meaning to tour guiding
Rick’s presentation on Interpretive Communication taught me how to bring extra meaning to my guests through our experiences, by encouraging them (and myself) to look at the bigger picture—the “Why?” Interpretation* is a form of mission-based communication that helps humans understand the natural world through storytelling with a message that can help them form a positive, sustainable relationship with the environment.
Rick helped us to figure out and understand what our target audience wants, which helps us to tailor our offering to suit them best. It’s quite similar to the concept of an elevator pitch. A key takeaway for me was that you have to truly believe in what you’re selling, because that’s what makes an individual buy into your brand, service, and passion. Conveying your message plainly yet effectively really helps to build that connection.
What has the Caribbean Birding Trail done for me?
This training has offered me insights on how to be a better tour guide. I now have a better understanding of the market and target audience, which then allows me to personalize my experiences to meet our guest’s demands. Island Mystique offers a Sip and Paint Bird Watching Premium Experience, where we first trek the bird trail with our clients, seeing and enjoying different birds. We then come to a gazebo which offers an excellent vantage point for spotting even more birdlife, and we paint one of the birds found in the TCI, with light refreshments…
How cool, right?
As a sustainably operated company, having our Caribbean Birding Trail Interpretive Guide Training certificate not only gives us a competitive advantage in the market, but also gains the trust of customers looking to book with us. This market is beginning to take flight in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and we look forward to contributing to the promotion of this niche through our service offerings (with the cooperation of our birds of course!), and to conserving and protecting the birds that we have here.
As a company, we are excited to grow in the eco- and sustainable tourism market, showcasing another side to our country’s diversity beyond ‘Sun, Sea and Sand’.
Mary Fulford is a multi-hyphenate: Hotelier by profession, Founder and Managing Director of Island Mystique a Culturally Immersive Tour Experience Company and The Woman Code 4.0(NPO), Host and Creator of Let’s Get Candid, Speaker, Mentor, and a Community Activist. She is a lover of life, travel, adventure and music and encourages others to ‘create their own narrative’ by being assertive and giving their best effort. A humanitarian in essence, Mary is poised to lead the next generation of women to their true calling. Excited to learn more about Island Mystique culturally immersive packages? Visit their website, connect with them on Instagram and Facebook, or check out their latest reviews on Tripadvisor.
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
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