101st & 102nd Birds for 2020

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Last week I added two more yearbirds to my list. The first one a  Black Tern (Chlidonias niger) I saw at Long Beach, Christ Church but overlooked, but thanks to the keen eyes of John Webster, who photographed it, and our local expert Ed Massiah, for identifying it.   The second bird, a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) is a common migrant at this time of the year.  These two birds brought my tally to 102 just eight species adrift of my target.

+8

100th Bird for 2020

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

On October 03^rd, while carrying out a Caribbean Waterbird Census at North Point, St. Lucy, I recorded my 100^th bird for the year.  The bird, a Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis), well three of them, were in fine color with the buff coloration on the nape showing a faint reddish tint. Sadly the images below don't do justice to this bird's beauty.

10 more to go

Big Year Update: September

Snail Kite

It was a September to remember, as a second straight month of great birds and birding puts one of my 2020 challenges in view.   August added 6 new species, including my 141^st local lifer, to my Big Year Challenge. That was bettered in September with 8 species adding including my 142^nd lifer.  That lifer was a Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) seen on the 8^th.  The other year – birds were Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor), Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea), Striated Heron (Butorides striata),

Red Knot

Red Knot (Calidris canutus), Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus), and Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor). This brought my total at the end of September to 99 species, needing 11 more in three months to reach my goal.  Let’s hope the birds keep showing as in the previous two months.

Things were not as rosy with the other 2020 challenge, the Photographic Big Year. The tally for the end of the month was 62 images adding 8 images during the month. I would like to reach 75 images at the end of October.  Will see how that goes.

Stay safe and enjoy your birding.

Here are the new additions for September:

55. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

56. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

57. Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)

58. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)

59. Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)

60. Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)

61. Striated Heron  (Butorides striata)

62. White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)