A Good Weekend of Birding

I had a really good weekend of birding. It was one of rarities, shorebirds and egrets and herons, large ones. Here are a few images I capture during that period 

Our first Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata) for the season

One of the two Hudsonian Godwits (Limosa haemastica) I saw during the weekend.  Our big guy is here feeding with the much smaller Stilt Sandpipers (Calidris himantopus)

This Ruff (Calidris pugnax) at WSR is the third for the migration season. Seen here with a beautiful Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) preening. 

Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)

I was happy to see my first Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) in almost two years.

 

The Herons

The herons and egrets put on a show this weekend.  For most of the week we saw a fair amount of Great Egret (Ardea alba) turning up a various location, and it remained so into the weekend with over ten of these large, majestic birds sighted at one location.

A good representation of egrets and a heron I saw over the weekend - Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) the largest of the group, and the smaller white egrets - Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta), Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) and Cattle Egrets (Bubulcus ibis)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Little (Egretta garzetta) and  Snowy Egrets  (Egretta thula)

And the Shorebirds

Shorebirds are still around in smaller amounts than a few weeks ago.

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

Global Bird Weekend & October Big Day - Day 2

Hudsonian Godwit

The October Big Day birding went better than I anticipated. I knew I would have only been able to get out late in the afternoon, so I planned and maximized the time I had ending the day tallying 51 species.   Nineteen of those species were a first for the Global Bird Weekend, ending yesterday with fifty-five species.  The final day of the Bird Weekend will be even busier for me but I will try to add a few more species.

Here is the days checklist:

1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
2. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
3. Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
4. Scaly-naped Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa)
5. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
6. Common Ground Dove (Columbina passerina)
7. Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita)
8. Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus)
9. Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus)
10. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
11. Black-bellied Plover  (Pluvialis squatarola)
12. American Golden (Plover Pluvialis dominica)
13. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
14. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
15. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)
16. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
17. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
18. Sanderling  (Calidris alba)
19. Least Sandpiper  (Calidris minutilla)
20. White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
21. Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
22. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
23. Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
24. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
25. Wilson's Snipe  (Gallinago delicate)
26. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
27. Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
28. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
29. Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
30. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
31. Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
32. Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
33. Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
34. Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
35. Great Egret  (Ardea alba)
36. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
37. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
38. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
39. Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
40. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
41. Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
42. Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
43. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
44. Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
45. Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
46. Caribbean Elaenia (Elaenia martinica)
47. Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)
48. Caribbean Martin  (Progne dominicensis)
49. Barn Swallow  (Hirundo rustica)
50. Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)
51. Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris)
52. Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola)
53. Bananaquit Coereba flaveola
54. Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis)
55. Black-faced Grassquit (Melanospiza bicolor)   

Global Bird Weekend & October Big Day - Day 1

Three of the four Hudsonian Godwit at WSR

A fair start to this weekend's birding.  On day one I saw thirty-six species with the highlight being a Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) and four Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica). See the list below.

1. Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
2. Scaly-naped Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa)
3. Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
4. Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita)
5. Green-throated Carib (Eulampis holosericeus)
6. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
7. Black-bellied Plover  (Pluvialis squatarola)
8. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
9. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
10. Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica)
11. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
12. White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
13. Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
14. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
15. Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
16. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
17. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
18. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
19. Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
20. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
21. Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla
22. Royal Tern - Thalasseus maximus
23. Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens
24. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
25. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
26. Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea)
27. Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
28. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
29. Green Heron (Butorides virescens)
30. Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
31. Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
32. Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)
33. Shiny Cowbird - Molothrus bonariensis
34. Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris)
35. Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis)
36. Black-faced Grassquit (Melanospiza bicolor)

Weekend Birding

October 8th, 9th & 10th

October 9th

The team will be out this weekend for the October Big Day and  Global Bird Weekend.   We set a goal to see 70 species over the weekend and 50 for the Big Day.  Look out for the daily updates as we have fun birding.

Shorebirds at River Bay

I stopped at River Bay, St. Lucy on Friday.  Lots of shorebirds were present. Here are just a few example of the species I saw:

lots of Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) like this on on its own island

I was surprised to find this American Golden - Plover (Pluvialis dominica) there

a few nice looking White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) like this one

only about three Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) but this one was photogenic 

I tried hard to turn these Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) in to the much rarer  Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) but alas to no avail 

 

Global Shorebird Counts - Day 7

September 7th, Global Shorebird Counts Day 7

I had an anticlimactic conclusion to the  2021 Global Shorebird Counts after I was unable to do any birding on day seven.  So after visiting five locations, two of them twice, taking eight counts, I saw sixteen shorebird species totaling 661 birds thus ending another year of the Global Shorebird Counts and World Shorebirds Day. Here are the name and images of the birds I saw.

Black-bellied Plover  (Pluvialis squatarola)

Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)

Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)

Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)

Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)

Solitary Sandpiper  (Tringa solitaria)

Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)

Willet  (Tringa semipalmata)

Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)

World Shorebirds Day - Day 6

White-rumped Sandpipers @ WSR 

On World Shorebirds Day, Day 6 of the Global Shorebird Counts, I made it to two locations and added a new species to my  count checklist.  My first stop was to WSR for a second count.  I tallied over thirty more birds and added one new species, Solitary Sandpiper  (Tringa solitaria) to my Global Shorebird Counts checklist.  There was also a significant increase in the number of White-rumped Sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis)(34) over the first visit.   

Black-bellied Plover in breeding plumage

At the second location, I saw my first Black-bellied Plover  (Pluvialis squatarola) in breeding plumage for the migration season.  On the final day of the count, I will make a huge effort to see new shorebirds. 

Here is a summary of day four's birding:

Total Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 14
New Shorebird Species seen on  Day 4: 1 (Solitary Sandpiper)
Total Individual Bird Seen for the Day 4: 146 (White-rumped Sandpipers)
Total Shorebird Species for the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 17
Total Individual Birds For the Global Shorebird Counts 2021: 551

Images

White-rumped Sandpiper in flight showing diagnostic white rump 

Comparing White-rumped & Semipalmated Sandpiper in flight

Pectoral  with two Semipalmated Sandpipers

Stilt Sandpiper