Lifer #146 - Baltimore Oriole

Male Baltimore Oriole

Yes, another lifer, the third for the month, I AM ENJOYING JANUARY 2022 BIRDING.  This one came as a surprise, a bird that I never dreamt of seeing in Barbados and it came so casually. But I’ll take it, Barbados Lifer 146 a male Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) it all its splendor.  

The male Baltimore is a stunner, bright orange with a black head and bold white wingbar. Females vary from yellowish to bright orange below, often with blotchy black on the head.  The last record of this species here was netted at Harrison Point, St. Lucy on October 25, 1998 (Frost & Massiah 2001).

Lifer 148 is closer than you think can we get to 150 in the first month of the year?  It’s in the works.

Stay Safe

110/10 Big Year Update: 3rd Week of January

I had an exciting third week of birding for my 110/10, but it is still slow goings on the photographic side. For 3 days back to back I saw year-birds, but my bird of the week was, Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia) a bird I misidentified in week two, but was corrected and confirmed as my 146th local lifer this week, read about it here.

Snail Kite

On Monday the 17^th my first-year bird for the week was the elusive Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis).  I got a few images, one of which may make it to the photo challenge.  The following day, the 18^th, was the Red-billed Tropicbird

(Phaethon aethereus) at Green Point, Christ Church,
and finally Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) at Oistins also in the parish of Christ Church.  These birds allowed me to close the week with 68 species.

This Weeks Goals

Would you believe I am yet to see a Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) for the year? That would be my main target bird in the final week of January.  Other birds I would be on the lookout for are, Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), early returning Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis), and the parrots. 

I would like to close off January with at least 70 species, smashing my previous personal best of 65 species.  So on to week four.

Lifer #145 – Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

My second lifer in just the first month of the year whoopee!  I actually saw this bird, a Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia), in the second week of the year while birding in the Turners Hall Woods, St. Andrew.  I incorrectly identified it, on seeing the bird’s white undertail, as a Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), but thanks to the keen eyesight and the birding acumen of Ed Massiah the correction was made.  

According to the book The Birds of Barbados (an annotated checklist by Buckley, Massiah, et al), there were seven records of this species on the island, before this one, with the last sighting in March 1981.   

It is a small bird 4.3-5.1” (11-13 cm) in length, weighing about 0.2-0.5 oz. (6-15 g) and nest in North America while spending winters in South and Central America. 

This second rare warbler and lifer has motivated me to keep warbling (birding for warblers) at Graeme Hall and Turners Hall Woods in February and into the spring migration period, April-May, because I have placed the goal of ending the year with 150 local lifers back on the table, and I am four species away.  

110/10 Big Year Update: 2nd Week of January

Week two of 110/10, my 2022 big year challenge was very productive.  I reached most of the goals set for the week and also added a few of the more common species ebird.org target list highlighted I needed.  After adding 11 species, my tally at the end of the second week of the year stands at 64, a new high for January.  My previous best was 61 in 2019 and 2020.  Here is how the week went.

Caribbean Elaenia

I collected a few common species while traveling around the island on Tuesday 11th. A singing Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) in the Black Rock, St. Michael area, and a Caribbean Elaenia (Elaenia martinica) feeding on pittosporum berries from a hedge in a carpark. Then on my way home from work, I stopped at Pile Bay and was rewarded with a lone Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) sitting on a yellow buoy far out to sea.

 Glossy Ibis 

I visited the north on Friday afternoon, with my son who is also doing a big year.  We both got the long stay rarity, the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), my other targeted bird for the north, but was unable to locate the Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor), which was last seen on December 6^th.  From that trip, I also added Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica) Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), and a Sora (Porzana Carolina).

Magnolia Warbler

Saturday was Turners Hall Woods with the tedious task of searching for wintering wood warblers.  While it is a difficult place to bird, it provides the best opportunity of seeing these migratory warblers.  The downside is that it is dark, very difficult for photography, the birds are small and move around very quickly, and tend to stay at the top of the trees.  It also involves hiking for over a mile over uneven, slippery terrains, navigating fallen trees and deep water trenches quarried by fast-moving water of torrent rains pass, extreme birding for sure.  I got the two warbler species I was targeting in the woods, both rated as rare for the island, American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla) and the beautiful Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia*). 

??

I saw and photographed a bird, a warbler, I was unable to identify at first glance, and sadly the image quality was so poor that thus far it identity is still up in the air. These were my last additions for the week.

Photo Big Year

Masked Duck

The Photo Big Year is finally on its way with two images, a Masked Duck (Nomonyx dominicus) and a Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus).  More images are on their way so stay tuned.

This Weeks Goals

I know the weeks of adding 10+ even 5+ species are just about done as most of the more common birds are accounted for, with just a few exceptions – the parrots and Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).  I will continue my search for wood-warblers mostly at Graeme Hall, not sure I can make it back to Turners Hall this month. Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor), and our missing Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) will also be on my radar. 

I am happy with the start of the 110/10 but have a lot of work to do with the photo big year. So Stay Tuned!

*correct was made to the post on January 21,2022, that the bird I  identified as Prothonotary Warbler was later correctly identified as a Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)

110/10 Big Year Update: 1st Week of January

At the end of the first week of my 110 for 10 (110/10) 2022 birding big year I have seen a mixed bag of birds. One lifer, a few rare birds, and lots of local birds, all of this in birding just in the southern and south-easterly parishes. Thus far my checklist stands at 53 species but because of technical difficulties – no images have been posted for the photo challenge.

The Lifer

Northern Parula

Adding a new bird to one's life list is always a big deal, but it is nothing to compare to getting a lifer, in the first week of a big year, it’s an amazing feeling. The bird that gave me that wonderful feeling was a Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) I saw it, my 145th Barbados lifer, at the Graeme Hall Swamp on the 3^rd. It gave me hope for the remainder of the year.

The Rare Birds

Along with the Northern Parula (Setophaga americana) I saw three other rare birds:

Purple Gallinule

• A juvenile Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica) at Bayfield
• Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) also in the parish of St. Philip and a

  

  Lesser Black-backed Gull

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) that flew right over my car while parking at Carlisle Bay, Bridgetown.

Goals for this Week

My goal for this week is to get into the North for Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), and Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor).  In the south, I will continue my search for wintering warblers at Graeme Hall Swamp.  Other than that Ebird Target Species said there are 23 species I have over a 2% chance of seeing in January.  I am taking those odds and seeing as many of those birds as I can this week.

I hope everyone will have a good and safe week, birding-wise and otherwise.

Lifer #144 - Northern Parula

Northern Parula

It is just the third day into my 10^th year of birding, and I have registered my 145^th bird species for Barbados.  It happened while I was birding at the Graeme Hall Swamp today, looking for two species of warblers, Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis) and Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea) both of which put in a no show.  An unexpected warbler did show, a Northern Parula (Setophaga americana), a bird considered rare for the island.

Northern Parulas breed in eastern North America from southern Canada to Florida.  It is about 4.3 to 4.9" in length, with a mainly blue-gray upper parts with two white wing bars.  The adult male have an extensive black and rufous breast band and a prominent white eye crescent while young females are plain yellow.

It was a welcome addition to my 110 for ten big year challenge, helping me to close the day with 46 species for the year.