Grassland Yellow-Finch

Grassland Yellow-Finch 

While driving through St. Thomas today, I came across a beautiful Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola). The bird seemed unconcerned by my presence and was happily feeding, allowing me to capture some photos from my vehicle. 

Here are a few of the images I took!

Southern Caribbean 2023 - Day 6 Trinidad

Trinidad, my favorite Caribbean island, was our last stop before heading back. Although our only planned activity was a visit to the public Empire Zoo, I couldn't resist keeping an eye out for feathered friends. Surprisingly, even with my camera tucked away, I managed to add a few new species to both my personal Trinidad and Tobago checklist and the overall trip list but sadly no images.

My birding began as usual around 6 am as we sailed into the Gulf of Paria. Along a five-mile stretch, I spotted six Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificent) and four Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis). Surprisingly, I had anticipated more seabird sightings. As we approached the port, Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) came into view. Scanning the mangroves paid off when I spotted my first new addition to the T&T checklist: a Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum) perched on a dead tree trunk at the mangrove’s edge. Even before docking, Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) circled overhead—a common sight in Trinidad. Once docked, the most prominent birds in the port area were Gray-breasted Martins (Progne chalybea) and White-winged Swallows (Tachycineta albiventer). Our walk from the port to the Brian Lara Promenade to get a taxi to the zoo involved a delightful detour for a classic Trinidadian street treat - roasted nuts from the nut seller (nutman) at the bottom of Frederick Street. While searching for a taxi to the zoo, I managed to add a few more common Trinidadian species to my list, including my favorite, the Great Kiskadee (Pitangus sulphuratus).  We arrived at the Empire Zoo around noon and spent about two hours exploring.  I added two more species to my Trinidad and Tobago list: the Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina) and a majestic Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). We headed back to the ship, had a late lunch or early dinner and prepared to enjoy our last night on this Southern Caribbean cruise, it was not that birdie of a trip but I totally enjoyed it.

Overall, Trinidad yielded 14 new trip additions, bringing my final Southern Caribbean 2023 list to a respectable 68 species, with 7 exciting lifers. 

Number of Species recorded on the Day: 25

Number of Lifers recorded on the Day: 0

Total Species recorded for the Trip: 68 Total Lifers recorded for the trip: 7 

<---Day 5 | Home

2024 Images - March

March was a fantastic month for photography! I planned several successful bird photography excursions and captured some great images while birding.  I've also started an Instagram page called Birds in Fine, motivating me to delve deeper into the world of bird and wildlife fine art photography.  Feel free to check it out. 

Here are a selection of ten of my images for March: 

A Lesser Yellowlegs with its catch. With the ponds continuing to dry up scenes like this
 are quite common

A Common Gallinule at the Graeme Swamp was fortunate to find some open water
 between the plant that is chocking the channel 

A Pacific Golden Plover, one of our rare
visitors from across the Atlantic 

Western Sandpiper molting to breeding plumage, a gorgeous bird 

A Least Sandpiper, the thinnest of all peeps striking a pose 

A Peregrine Falcon, predator extraordinaire 

Great Egret

Red-billed Tropicbird

Our  Barbados Bullfinch

Black-whiskered Vireo

Southern Caribbean Cruise 2023 - Day 5 Sea Day

Masked Boobies were the most numerous species on the day

On the morning of our fifth day at sea, the ship was located just south of the Venezuelan dependencies of Gran Roque. I spent about two hours birding around the deck before heading back to my room to prepare for breakfast. During those two hours, I spotted three species of seabirds: Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra), Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster), and a Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens). For most of the day, the ship was mainly escorted by Masked Boobies.

Bown Boobies 

I returned to the deck around 4:15 pm. At that time, the ship was positioned between Margarita Island to the south and La Blanquilla to the north. One new seabird species was added to the days tally - Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus)Around 5:30 pm, I noticed a large number of birds and a few dolphins engaged in a feeding frenzy. Masked Boobies were the most abundant bird species, stretching as far as the eye could see.

I returned to my room around 6 pm to prepare for dinner, as tomorrow we will be visiting my favorite island in the Caribbean, Trinidad.

The day's tally looke like this:

• Masked Booby (70+)
• Brown Booby (16)
• Magnificent Frigatebird (6)
• Red-billed Tropicbird (3)

Number of Species recorded on the Day: 4

Number of Lifers recorded on the Day: 0

Total Species recorded for the Trip: 54

Total Lifers recorded for the trip: 7

<---Day 4 | Home | Day 6 --->

Masked Booby

Bown Boobies 

Red-billed Tropicbird

Birding at the Tourist Tree

Black-whiskered Vireo

It is one of the most challenging birds to find, even when it is calling. However, at a certain time of the year and near a specific tree, you can witness them in all their glory. The bird I am referring to is the Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus), and the tree is locally known as the Tourist Tree or Turpentine Tree (Bursera simaruba).

the fruit of the Tourist Tree attracts the birds

The name “Tourist Tree” comes from the fact that the tree’s bark is red and peeling, resembling the sunburned skin of a tourist. On the other hand, the name “Turpentine Tree” is due to the strong turpentine-like smell of the tree’s resin.

Black-whiskered Vireo with a faded mustache lines can pass for a Red-eyed Vireo

Every year around this time, the tree sheds its leaves and produces small red berries, which are beloved by several bird species, including the elusive Black-whiskered Vireo.

Barbados Bullfinches were chasing off the other birds

During my recent visit to a location with three of these trees, I noticed an unusual lack of activity. Normally, when this tree is fruiting, it’s bustling with bird activity. However, each tree had only one Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis). It became clear that the Bullfinches were chasing away other birds, explaining the lack of activity.

Caribbean Elaenia was one of the bird species at the Tourist Tree

Soon enough, I spotted the first Vireo and also observed a Caribbean Elaenia (Elaenia martinica). My initial excitement was tempered when I thought I saw a Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus), a bird I had yet to see on the island. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be a black-whiskered Vireo, likely a juvenile. 

I plan to revisit the trees again during this brief fruiting period, hopefully, the Bullfinches will be more accommodating to the other bird species visiting the Tourist Tree.