Sixty- Six Species to Start the Year

Grey Heron, was one of the rare birds I saw in January 

I saw 66 species in January,(see here) which is pretty impressive, especially with the start of the year I had. In the first week, I recorded only one bird, a Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) that flew past my house on the 3rd. The reason for my slowest start ever was sickness, I caught that nasty flu that was spreading on the island and it kept me in bed for a week, but once I recovered, I was eager to go birding again. My first trip was with a friend from Trinidad, Jerome Foster, who was on the island for a few hours in transit. We visited some spots near the airport and spotted 32 species, some of them new to him. 

Ruff

Some of the birds I saw were uncommon, like the Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), and the Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea), which had lingered from last year. But I also found some new ones, like the Ruff (Calidris pugnax) and the Northern Parula  (Setophaga americana). It was a good start to the year so far, even though I am not trying to do a big year. Still, I wouldn’t rule it out completely. Let's see how it goes in February.