A Good Morning At The Cave

shorebirds in one of the trays @ The Cave Wetland 

This morning my son Jason and I, visited the old hunting swamp at North Point, St. Lucy - next to the Animal Flower Cave.  This is one of those wet areas that is benefiting from the increased rainfall the island is having over the last few weeks, and while this picturesque location is not at full capacity, it has enough water to attract migrating shorebirds.  We saw 16 bird species including year birds for both of us.  Jason’s year birds were Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), and Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus) bringing his total for the year to 72 species.  My year birds were White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) and a Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) bringing my Big Year total to 90 species.

This wetland, because of its location on the most northerly point on the island, is an important stopover point for migrants and I dream of one day seeing it becoming a reserve and setup to retain water year-round but for now, we will enjoy it this year.

Juvenile Barn Swallow 

Here is a list of the birds we saw at the Cave Wetland:

1. Cliff Swallow - Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
2. Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus
3. Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes
4. Grassland Yellow-Finch - Sicalis luteola
5. Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
6. Snowy Egret - Egretta thula
7. Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis
8. Zenaida Dove - Zenaida aurita
9. Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
10. Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
11. White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis
12. Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
13. Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
14. Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
15. Caribbean Martin - Progne dominicensis
16. Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica