Southern Caribbean 2023 - Day 2 Bonair

Bare-eyed Pigeon, one of the two lifers from Bonaire 

On Day 2 of the Southern Caribbean trip, I started birding at 5:30am while the ship was still miles from our next port of call, Kralendijk, Bonaire. We were just northeast of Los Roques Archipelago, a group of islands, cays, and islets under the jurisdiction of the government of Venezuela. I saw a few brown morphs of Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) but as we got closer to Bonaire I saw the other two booby species (Masked and Brown) and other sea birds. I also saw Bridle (Onychoprion anaethetus) and Sooty Terns (Onychoprion fuscatus) for the first time on this trip. A Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), a non-sea bird, circled the ship a few times before heading west. As we approached the east coast of the island, Royal Terns (Thalasseus maximus), about nine of them, followed the ship. We docked at noon and were off the ship exploring Kralendijk soon after that. In the port, I saw my 3rd lifer for the trip, the ubiquitous Bare-eyed Pigeon (Patagioenas corensis).

 Brown-throated Parakeets

A pair of Brown-throated Parakeets (Eupsittula pertinax), though not a lifer, made it to my world list on ebird. I first saw this bird in St. Marteens, where it was introduced, but these were in their native habitat. We took a walk around the port and although that two-plus hours didn’t add any lifers, we did see plenty of birds and observed various behaviors.

Last afternoon, a friend who lives on the island took us to a function. On our way there, I saw my 4th lifer - two Crested Caracaras (Caracara plancus). I got a good look at this unique-looking raptor that I had been coveting since my 2016 trip to Trinidad came up empty. Sadly, I was unable to photograph them. On arrival at the venue, it was now dark outside. As I was exiting the vehicle, I heard a familiar call and smiled as seven Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis) passed directly overhead

I saw a total of 22 species on the island but was disappointed not to see more birds and the island as it was difficult to get a taxi out of the port, so Bonaire is an island I will visit again. 

Number of Species recorded on the Day: 27
Number of Lifers recorded on the Day: 2

Total Species recorded for the Trip: 43

Total Lifers recorded for the trip: 4 

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Rock Pigeon, Bare-eyed Pigeon, White-tipped Dove, Eared Dove, Ruddy Turnstone, Laughing Gull, Sooty Tern, Bridled Tern, Royal Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Brown Pelican, Green Heron, Crested Caracara, Peregrine Falcon, Brown-throated Parakeet, Gray Kingbird, Barn Swallow, Tropical Mockingbird, House Sparrow, Venezuelan Troupial,  Carib Grackle, Saffron Finch, Bananaquit

<---Day 1 | Home | Day 3--->

Here are a few images from my trip to Bonaire 

Sooty Tern

Eared Dove

Tropical Mockingbird

Peregrine Falcon

Laughing Gull

Laughing Gulls

Brown Pelicans

Royal Tern

Saffron Finch

<---Day 1 | Home | Day 3--->

My 2023 Images - June

June was a rewarding month for birding, and I managed to snap some stunning photos along the way. I saw a variety of shorebirds, insectivores, and herons, and spent many sessions chasing Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) on the hills of the East Coast. It was not easy to get a good image of these fast and elusive birds, but I am still experimenting with the best settings for them.  The tools I used were my reliable Canon 7D II, Candace II, and a Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM aka Big Selma, and edited the photos with Lightroom 5. These are some of my favorite images from June that I hope you will enjoy.

Shorebirds

A very photogenic Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)

And accommodating 

An early Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) busy feeding

Pectoral Sandpiper

Herons

A juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Insectivores

A  Lifer, a first for Barbados, and a potential first for this region -  House Swift (Apus nipalensis)

Another view of the House Swift

Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)

and again Black Swift 

Someone had a bit too many flys for lunch Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis)

Yes, I can sing too

Others

Black-whiskered Vireo (Vireo altiloquus) the bird of our woodland that
often eludes your sight but not your ears

Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola)

 

Southern Caribbean 2023 - Day 1 Grenada

Brown Booby hunting from the bow of the ship

I began my birdwatching adventure at dawn, around 4:50AM, as the ship sailed near the western shore of Ronde Island on Grenada's northern end. I observed Red-footed Boobies (Sula sula) chasing flying fish that were disturbed by the ship's movement. As we approached Grenada, the Red-footed Boobies were replaced by Masked (Sula dactylatra) and Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster). By the time we docked at the port, only Brown Boobies remained. Most of them soared gracefully beside the ship, but one clever or lazy individual perched on the bow and waited for easy prey. I also spotted a Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) and some Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla) that morning.

Broad-winged Hawk at Annandale Falls

On the island, we hired a taxi and visited Annandale Falls, Grand Etang National Park, and some of the forts around St. Georges, the capital city. I saw my first lifer of the trip, a Grenada Flycatcher (Myiarchus nugator), and had excellent views of the Caribbean subspecies of Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus).

Lesser Antillean Tanager at Grand Etang National Park

At our second stop, Grand Etang National Park, I added another lifer to my trip list and two new ones to my West Indian list. The lifer was a dazzling Lesser Antillean Tanager (Stilpnia cucullata), which I had been eager to see. The other birds I saw in Trinidad* a few years ago, but not on my West Indies list: a Rufous-breasted Hermit (Glaucis hirsutus) and Yellow-bellied Elaenia (Elaenia flavogaster).

I wished I could have seen more species in Grenada, but the brief time I spent on this lush island made me fall in love with it and I plan to return.

*(Trinidad is part of the West Indies, but its species are considered South American).

Tally for the Day/Trip 

Number of Species recorded: 27
Number of Lifers recorded: 2

Checklist

Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Common Ground Dove, Zenaida Dove, Eared Dove, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Green-throated Carib, Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Laughing Gull, Royal Tern, Red-billed Tropicbird, Magnificent Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Brown Booby, Red-footed Booby, Great Blue Heron, Little Blue Heron, Cattle Egret, Broad-winged Hawk, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Grenada Flycatcher, Tropical Mockingbird, Carib Grackle, Lesser Antillean Tanager, Bananaquit, Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, Black-faced Grassquit

HOME | DAY 2

Red-footed Booby

Red-billed Tropicbird

Brown Booby

Broad-winged Hawk

Broad-winged Hawk

Lesser Antillean Tanager

Yellow-bellied Elaenia

Rufous-breasted Hermit

Green-throated Carib

Magnificent Frigatebird

Two Brown Boobys at the port

more Brown Boobys at the port

Laughing Gull, Royal Tern & Brown Boobys on the pier 

Global Big Day Birding - The Afternoon

Migratory shorebirds at a refuge in St. Lucy

My Global Big Day birding adventure continued in the afternoon, after a late start. I had planned to begin at noon, but I only got on the road at 2:30. This meant that I had to skip some of the places I wanted to visit in the southeast of the island. However, I was joined by the rest of team Moore Birders as we headed to our first stop Redland, St. George.

 American Coots - Red-shielded at Redland

At Redland, we spotted Pied-billed Grebes (Podilymbus podiceps) and the two types of American Coots (Fulica Americana): White-shielded and the much rarer Red-shielded. Then we moved on to our next stop at the Ermy Bourne Highway, on the border of St Joseph and St. Andrew. Here, the bird we were targeting was one not seen for the year thus far namely Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger). We were lucky to find two of them flying among Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis) over the hills of Cambridge, St. Andrew. We also saw an Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) and a Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) on the beach side of the road, wading among the rock pools on the seaside. We continued our journey northward, stopping at a few locations but not adding any more new birds to our list until we reached North Point, the northernmost point of the island. There we observed Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola) in the fields next to the solar farm. We also added one more bird, an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), as we drove to our last stop of the day.

Semipalmated Plover in the beautiful sunset 

We arrived at our final destination around 5:30, with the sun just above the horizon. My son and I quickly surveyed the mudflats and added eight new birds to our Global Big Day list. Most of them were shorebirds. We sat on the grass, watching the busy shorebirds feed in front of us as the sun set behind them, painting the sky orange. It was a beautiful, peaceful, and wonderful way to end a day of birding.

Collared Plover was the bird of the day

As we sat there, reminiscing about the birds we had seen throughout the day, our bird of the day flew in. It was a rare one: a Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris) a South American plover. It was amusing to watch it chasing around the larger Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus) from its space on the drying mudflats. It was a fitting way to end our day of birding on this World Migratory Bird Day, surrounded by examples of such migrants, at a place established to provide them with refuge as they travel across flyways in search of better conditions.

Here is a list of bird species seen during the 2023 Global Big Day:  

1. Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)
2. Eurasian Collared-Dove(Streptopelia decaocto)
3. Cattle Egret(Bubulcus ibis)
4. Caribbean Elaenia(Elaenia martinica)
5. Golden Warbler(Setophaga petechia)
6. Bananaquit(Coereba flaveola)
7. Barbados Bullfinch(Loxigilla barbadensis)
8. Scaly-naped Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa)
9. Common Ground-Dove(Columbina passerina)
10. Green Heron(Butorides virescens)
11. Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
12. Black-crowned Night-Heron(Nycticorax nycticorax)
13. Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)
14. Carib Grackle(Quiscalus lugubris)
15. Brown Booby(Sula leucogaster)
16. Rock Pigeon(Columba livia)
17. Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita)
18. Magnificent Frigatebird(Fregata magnificent)
19. Green-throated Carib(Eulampis holosericeus)
20. Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
21. Royal Tern(Thalasseus Maximus)
22. Black-whiskered Vireo(Vireo altiloquus)
23. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
24. Rose-ringed Parakeet(Psittacula krameri)
25. Black-faced Grassquit(Melanospiza bicolor)
26. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
27. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
28. Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)
29. Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
30. American Coot  (Fulica Americana)
31. Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)
32. Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus)
33. Caribbean Martins (Progne dominicensis)
34. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
35. Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola)
36. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
37. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
38. Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris)
39. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
40. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
41. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
42. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
43. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
44. Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
45. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus

Global Big Day Birding - The Morning

On May 13th, I participated in the Global Big Day, a worldwide event to celebrate  World Migratory Bird Day and bird diversity.  I had a blast birding for half a day, although I wished I could have stayed longer. Unfortunately, some urgent matters came up that shorten my outing. Nevertheless, I was proud to add my observations and photos to the island's and my team's (Bajan Birders & Friends) final counts. I spotted 45 different species of birds, two of which were first for the year for the island and four for me.

Caribbean Elaenia @ Graeme Hall 

The first bird I heard today was a Grey Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis), singing at 4:39 am. That was the start of our birdwatching day, breaking the quiet of the dawn. After a while, more birds joined the chorus, like the native Barbados Bullfinch (Loxigilla barbadensis). Then a Golden Warbler (Setophaga petechia) chimed in, followed by a couple of Caribbean Elaenias (Elaenia martinica). Some Eurasian Collared-Doves (Streptopelia decaocto) added their low tones and a pair of Bananaquits (Coereba flaveola) made their sharp noises. We had already seen seven kinds of birds by the time Jason and I left the house, around 5:30 in the morning.

Black-crowned Night-Heron @ SBRC's Pond

We went to the SBRC in St. Thomas first. We were looking for the uncommon Striated Heron (Butorides striata) and Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and we spotted them right away. We also saw a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) there. We had 14 species on our list when we left the SBRC.

We continued our journey to Pile Bay, where we spotted two Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster) perched on a distant bouy. We hoped to see a Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) at Carlisle Bay, but we only found a Royal Tern (Thalasseus Maximus) and two Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla). By the time we arrived at Graeme Hall Swamp, our list had grown to twenty-two species. 

The Graeme Hall Swamp was teeming with birds.

Golden Warbler @ Graeme Hall

This is the kind of habitat that World Migratory Bird Day and Global Big Day aim to protect and promote by emphasizing its ecological value and its crucial role in bird migration. At the swamp, we encountered seventeen species, but only three counted for our list.

A minor glitch with our vehicle delayed us a bit, so we could've only visited one more location before ending our morning's birding. That place was Oistins, Christ Church, where we added three more species to our list. One of them, a Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), was the first of the four new birds for the year for me.

Our morning birding ended at about 8:10 am with a tally of twenty-eight species seen. 

Here is a list of the birds seen at the break:  

1. Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)
2. Eurasian Collared-Dove(Streptopelia decaocto)
3. Cattle Egret(Bubulcus ibis)
4. Caribbean Elaenia(Elaenia martinica)
5. Golden Warbler(Setophaga petechia)
6. Bananaquit(Coereba flaveola)
7. Barbados Bullfinch(Loxigilla barbadensis)
8. Scaly-naped Pigeon (Patagioenas squamosa)
9. Common Ground-Dove(Columbina passerina)
10. Green Heron(Butorides virescens)
11. Striated Heron (Butorides striata)
12. Black-crowned Night-Heron(Nycticorax nycticorax)
13. Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis)
14. Carib Grackle(Quiscalus lugubris)
15. Brown Booby(Sula leucogaster)
16. Rock Pigeon(Columba livia)
17. Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita)
18. Magnificent Frigatebird(Fregata magnificent)
19. Green-throated Carib(Eulampis holosericeus)
20. Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
21. Royal Tern(Thalasseus Maximus)
22. Black-whiskered Vireo(Vireo altiloquus)
23. Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
24. Rose-ringed Parakeet(Psittacula krameri)
25. Black-faced Grassquit(Melanospiza bicolor)
26. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
27. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
28. Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)