The Enthusiastic Birder: Truncated Global Big Day 2020

Yellow-crowned Parrot

Every year I look forward to the Global Big Day but knew this year would be different because of the restrictions that are in place because of COVID-19. I took advantage of the few hours given for exercising and beach visits, between 5:30 and 9 am, to do some express birding. After 2 ½ hours, my bird tally was 32 species including a 1-year bird. The most eye-raising sighting for the day was what appeared to be a breeding pair of parrots of different species, Orange-winged and Yellow-crowned Parrot. It reminded me of a parrot John Webster photographed which was identified as a hybrid of these two species. Interesting!!

On returning home I saw an invitation, by email, to be part of The Flying Pintails (go donate) team as part of Birds Caribbean Global Big Day fundraiser. The two other birders on the island who were part of the big day, John and Ed, were part of the team President's Perch (go donate).

I got started at 5:40 AM and quickly tick a few common birds like Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis), Scaly-naped Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa), Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) and the ubiquitous Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto). My first stop was at Pile Bay for sea birds but only saw Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens), but I added Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis), Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). As I drove through Bridgetown I got a few feral Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) and then to Belleville to look for Parrots and Parakeets but only saw the Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri). My next stop was the Graeme Hall Swamp but on my way there I saw two parrots in a tree, a Yellow-crowned Parrot (Amazona ochrocephala) and Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica) that I referred to earlier. A quick drive on the outskirt of the swamp gave me Little (Egretta garzetta) and Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Green Heron (Butorides virescens) and Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina). At my next stop, Oistins I added Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla). From Oistins, I headed for home making a stop at Redland and adding Sora (Porzana carolina), Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius), and Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria) with my final bird of the morning being Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus). In the late afternoon added my final species for the day Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus).

I would have loved to spend the full day birding but I am satisfied with the result of the 2 1/2 hours spent. I hope you guys had a wonderful World Migratory Bird Day and an outstanding Global Big Day.

Here is a list of the birds I saw: