Images From The Global Big Day

Here are a few images from The Global Big Day and to reed more about that day click here

Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)

Snail Kite in flight

Orange-winged Parrot (Amazona amazonica)

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) stretching a leg and a wing

Ruddy Turnstone

American Coot (Fulica Americana)

American Coot sitting on a nest at Walkers Reserve, St. Andrew

Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) 

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

A fraction of the 200+Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis), at St. John

Male (L) and female (R) Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis)

More Caribbean Martins

Even More Caribbean Martins

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) in the oil fields 

Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis) with an injured eye

Barbados Bullfinch

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) in breeding plumage

Spotted Sandpiper, a winter visitor will soon be on it was north for nesting 

Male Golden (Yellow)Warbler (Setophaga petechial)

Yellow Warbler singing "sweet sweet sweet want so more sweet"

Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)our largest tyrant

Grassland Yellow-Finches (Sicalis luteola) 

 

Birds Caribbean Global Big Day 2021 Fundraiser campaign

For this year's World Migratory Bird Day and Global Big Day , the birders of this lovely island have joined the BirdsCaribbean Global Big Day 2021  Fundraiser campaign.  Our team is called "Bajan Birders" visit our page and donate to this worthy cause.

Birds of the Miracle Tree

The miracle tree is one of the many names the Maringa tree (Moringa oleifera) is called.  The health benefits of this fast-growing, drought-resistant tree are well documented, boasting many important vitamins and minerals that are good for the body.  Though native to the Indian subcontinent it is quickly finding its place here on the island and it seems like the birds are enjoying it too.  My parents has a plant on their property and my mother told me that she is seeing more hummingbirds visiting the tree, since the heavy ashfall that occurred as a result of the eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on the neighboring island of St. Vincent. 

Green-throated Caribs were the most numerous bird species I saw

I was doing some work there over the weekend and took my camera along. The tree was flowering and was alive with activity.  Birds and insects were busy going from flower to flower taking their sweet nectar but also taking pollen with them to other flowers for pollination, there was an increase in activity for sure. 

Antillean Crested Hummingbird

From my previous visits I knew the smaller of the two hummingbirds we have on the island, the  Antillean-crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus), was the most numerous species i saw at the tree, but they were now being outnumbered by the larger  Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus).

 A Bananaquit taking a drink from on of the Maringa tree flowers

Another nectivorous bird species also present was the Bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). These flowers were just the right size for their sharp decurved beck because we all know what happens to flowers that are too large for that bill to reach the nector - the Bananaquit uses its beak to pierce the base of the flower.  In most cases it may not harm the plant, but does not assist in the pollination process as no pollen is transferred from the flower to the bird's bill hence no pollination. 

Barbados Bullfinch

Two non-nectar feeding birds that visited the tree were Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis) and Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto).  The Bullfinch no doubt fed on the small insects that were attracted to the flowers but why was the dove there?  It was eating the complete flower of the tree.  I am simply amazed at how adaptive to various environments these birds are, no wonder there are spreading across the Americas at such an alarming rate.

Carpenter Bee

The visitor to the Maringa tree that deserved an honorable mention has wings and flies but is not a bird.  It is the Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa violacea?). unlike the hummers who made a fuss, fighting and all, these bees played their roll, feeding and pollinating, slow and could even say methodically, without any fuss. 

Without fuss and unassuming is how this fast-growing, drought-resistant, miracle tree that is the Maringa tree (Moringa oleifera) presents itself, but I am observing that it is not just a miracle tree for us humans, but also the birds, bees, and other animals. 

Stay safe

Over 100 Turnstones at Inch Marlow

Ruddy Turnstone beautifully adorned in breeding plumage 

I made a midday stop yesterday (April 23rd) at Inch Marlow Beach, Christ Church to see what birds were there.  

Looking South toward the Inch Marlow's peninsula

The beach and the sea were bursting with Sargassum Seaweed, the golden color of the fresh seaweed dominated the sea and shoreline, while the older one was further back on the beach.  The tide and the winds were high, causing angry waves to throw a tantrum as there lash against the unyielding rocky shores of the peninsula, but effortlessly reshaping the sandy shores at Long Beach to the north. 

Ruddy Turnstones at various stages of molting

A few species of shorebirds were on the rocky shore. They were a Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus)(4), Sanderlings (Calidris alba) (5), but the bird that dominated was the Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) (111) at various stages of molting to breeding plumage.

Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones

The birds appeared to be mostly at rest, punctuated periodically by self-grooming and the preening of feathers.  Ruddy Turnstones are one of the most colorful shorebirds when in breeding plumage and we are having a front-row seat of this transformation.  Disappointedly there are some of the few birds we get to witness make this full yearly change, as many of them, like the Sanderlings (Calidris alba), will begin the process here, but will migrate before the process is complete.  I am hoping to document as many species as possible, especially shorebirds, as their change to breeding plumage.   

Until the next post stay safe. 

April Images: First Half Of the Month

I had a slow photographic and birding start to the month of April, but I am happy to still be able to share a few images with you.   As we approach the end of the month I will be searching for birds migrating north to their breeding grounds, but for now please enjoy this mixture of some of our locally nesting birds, starting with portraits of two iconic local species -    

Grey Kingbird

Carib Grackle

Juvenile Common Gallinule in the canal at Graeme Hall Swamp

Juvenile Common Gallinule again

A Cattle Egret with dirty plumage from the ash fall from the La Soufriere volcano in the neighboring island of St. Vincent 

Snowy Egret at Chancery Lane 

The tinny Black-faced Grassquit

Adult Black-crowned Nightheron

oops! not a local breeder but a migrating visitor,
 Short-billed Dowitcher

Birding after the Pause – week 2

In the second week since returning to work after the Pause, I got out to a few of the birding locations I missed during the first week.  I was concentrating more on photography, and becoming more familiar with the Canon 7D MKII which led to a few impromptu photoshoots when finding willing feathered models, common or rare, local or migrant, it mattered not.  This drive gave me a fair week of birding and photography, in which I tallied 43 species and captured many gigabytes of RAW images. The major stops I made were at Oistins Fishing Complex, Redland, North Point, and Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR) but also got images from across the island at common "none-birding" locations.

On the afternoon of Monday 8th, I stopped at The Oistins Fishing Complex, Christ Church, which is on the South Coast, to look for seabirds.  A few Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) and Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus) were perched on one of the piers.  The Royals were at the far end of the pier, too far for the Canon EF-s  55-250mm. The Laughers, on the other hand, were much closer so I focused on the one closest to me.  It was an adult in breeding plumage, showing its black head with a pronounced eye-ring.

Laughing Gull

A beautiful Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) also in breeding plumage drew my attention away from the gulls and I was able to capture a few images before it disappeared behind a bolder.

Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage

The next time out birding was on Wednesday afternoon (March 10^th), but this time at the opposite end of the island,  North Point, St. Lucy. The wet area there has long dried up as we are now in the dry season but a few birds, both native and migratory,  can normally be found along the tundra-like flats to the south of the wetland area.  I saw 5 species of shorebirds, as I hiked along the rocky terrain.(Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), Sanderling (Calidris alba), Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) and Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)).

Least Sandpiper

Black-bellied Plover

Three Black-bellied Plovers at North Point

The next day I made a short stop at one of the irrigation ponds at Redland to check out an interesting-looking domestic duck that was hanging around with Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata).  It was a beautiful duck, probably Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) mixed.  Four Blue-winged Teals (Spatula discors), two males in breeding plumage, and two females were also on the pond along with a few shorebirds. 

domestics Muscovy Duck
and other hybrid 

Solitary Sandpiper 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Male and Female Blue-winged Teals

For the second week straight, Friday afternoon found me at the WSR.  The light was not as good as it was last week but I still got a few images.      

A remnant of the 100 Teals @ WSR, notice the Green-winged Teal leading the flight 

Solitary Sandpiper 

comparison between Lesser (front) and Greater (rear) Yellowlegs 

I had no plans for birding on the weekends because some of the COVID restrictions were still emplace, but on Saturday 13th, I took my son to an appointment and while waiting for him I did a bit of drive by birding and photography in the area.   Some of the highlight sightings and images included three Golden Warblers (Setophaga petechia) foraging among a grove of mature Acacia trees, and an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus).

Yellow (Golden) Warbler can always be found in or around
Acacia trees  

Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita)

Osprey