Big 110/10 Big Year Update

Bank Swallow, my 110th local bird species for 2022

Get the bubbly stuff out and let the celebration begin - Today, November 14th, 2022, I Julian E Moore, for the first time ever, saw 110 bird species in Barbados for a calendar year.  The bird that took me to that mark was a Bank Swallow aka Sand Martin (Riparia riparia).  

Barn Swallow

The observation was magical, I was watching a few Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) on a powerline, when this small, more delicate-looking swallow alight on the powerline and smiled at me, no joke, it looked directly at me, and appeared to smile.  The encounter lasted less than 10 seconds before the bird flew away.  

With a month and a half still to go in 2022, I am excited to see what my end-of-year tally will be as the 110/10 big year nears its end.