Birding Images: First Half of July

To me, the birding in the first half of July was much better than the entire month of June.  I saw some impressive birds thus far, four of which were yearbirds, two of those four are considered rare for the island.  The best part is that it is going to get even better as we head into the migration season in a  month or so. Here are a few images from the first half of July.

Rare Birds

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

I saw this juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) at the Graeme Hall Swamp on the 5th, just after the passing of Hurricane Elsa.  The water levels were higher than normal at that point and many of the trees were damage.  That probably forced this nocturnal heron to the front of the mangroves.

The second rare bird for the month have become a yearly fixture at the SBRC at Mangrove, St. Thomas.  This Striated Heron (Butorides striata) was seen on the 10th in the pond next to the entrance to the recycling plant. 

Insectivores on the coast

On the 10th, I stopped on the East Coast Road and observed three insectivorous birds - Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger), Barn Swallows(Hirundo rustica) and Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis) hawking for prey over the hills.

Black Swift 

Barn Swallow

Caribbean Martin

More birds

A pair of Martins, an odd pair, a flying duck and a few seabirds

A pair of Caribbean Martins on the powerline at Inch Marlow, Christ Church

The odd pair -A Golden Warbler with its surrogate Shiny Cowbird chick (more here) 

A Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) in flight 

Seabirds @ Oistins ice jetty - Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) above and Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) below

Laughing Gull