Southern Caribbean 2023 - Day 3 Aruba

Rock Pigeon at the Aloe Factory 

On the fourth day of the Southern Caribbean Cruise, I started birding later than normal, around 6:30 AM because I was feeling unwell. As we arrived at the port of Oranjestad, the capital of Aruba, I saw some familiar Caribbean Seabirds like Laughing Gulls (Leucophaeus atricilla), Magnificent Frigatebirds (Fregata magnificent) and Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis). I had planned to join a guided birding tour with Michiel Oversteegen, of  Bird Watching Aruba, but it didn’t work out. Instead, we visited some interesting places and one of the best birding spots on the island.

The first place we went to was the Aruba Aloe Factory, where we saw how they made products from a single plant. I learned that the Aloe Vera subspecies they used had the same Latin name as our island - Barbadensis. I wondered if there was any connection to Barbados because one of the birds I wanted to see on this trip also had that name - Amazona barbadensis, the Yellow-shouldered Parrot. The factory was surrounded by a dry and dusty landscape, with Hubada (Acacia tortuosa) shrubs everywhere. The only birds I noticed were common ones like Bare-eyed Pigeons (Patagioenas corensis), Rock Pigeons (Columba livia), House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), and so on.  I got excited when I spotted an owl on a roof, but it turned out to be fake, lol.

Five Neotropic Cormorants at Bubali Bird Sanctuary, my only lifer from Aruba

The only real birding stop we made was at the Bubali Bird Sanctuary, a wetland oasis with tall buildings around it. We walked along a trail from the road to a lookout tower that overlooked the marshy grassland. There, I saw my first Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) of the trip in the bushes below. I also saw my fifth lifer for the trip, Neotropic Cormorant (Nannopterum brasilianum), in that area.

After Bubali, we went back to the ship for a late lunch and some rest. There were no more birding surprises for the rest of the day. I hope to come back to Aruba someday and take that tour with Michael because there are so many beautiful birds to see on this island.

Number of Species recorded on the Day: 22
Number of Lifers recorded on the Day: 1

Total Species recorded for the Trip: 51

Total Lifers recorded for the trip: 5 

<---Day 2 | Home | Day 4 --->

Harrison Point Warbler Season 2023

Blackpoll Warbler, an annual visitor to Harrison's Point 

I love October because it’s the time of year when warblers visit Harrison’s Point in St. Lucy, a hotspot for migratory birds. I have had some wonderful experiences there over the years, such as seeing 15 Blackpoll Warblers (Setophaga striata) on a wet day in 2017, a Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) in 2014, and two new birds for me: Black and White Warbler (Mniotilta variaon) and Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) last year.

Northern Wheatear, one of my 3 lifers from HP in 2023

But this year was the best. I spotted 37 species, including three lifiers: Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), and Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera), which was also a new record for Barbados. Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were everywhere, I counted more than 200 on August 29th. They were so abundant that they outnumbered all the other seed eaters, even the Grassland Yellow-Finch (Sicalis luteola). Yellow-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus) also put on a great display at HP this year. I recorded over 50 individual birds for the year. A pair of Upland Sandpipers (Bartramia longicauda), a bird that is very hard to find on the island, were easily visible there this year. 

Upland Sandpipers

Why did the birds gather or stay at Harrisons Point this year? I don’t know for sure, but I think it had something to do with the two open fields across from the hospital entrance where most of the birds were seen. This field used to be covered with River Tamarind (Leucaena leucocephala), but that was cleared and it was ready for planting, but then we had a lot of rain and some native grasses with seeds grew, which drew in the seed eaters. Some plants also attracted butterflies and moths, which the Cuckoos, Upland Sandpiper, and Warblers took advantage of. It shows how vital feeding areas are along the migration paths of these travelers. I hope this is not the last time we see Harrison Point full of migratory birds like it was in 2023.

Images from HP 2023

lots of Bobolinks 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak one of my 3 lifers

Blue-winged Warbler another lifer 

Prothonotary Warbler was the prettiest warbler at HP this year

A curious Yellow-billed Cuckoo 

Another Yellow-billed Cuckoo drying out after a downpour

My 2023 Images - September

September was a month of bird photography for me.  After being inspired by a visiting bird photographer from the UK, Mark Went (Art Studio Wild), I made time just to get out and photograph birds artistically, and not just in a documentary style.  A planned morning of strictly bird photography with a few members of our local photographic club, The Barbados Photographic Society, also helped in that endeavor.  You may notice for the second month in a row the focus was on shorebirds, my favorite subject, which may change in the coming months as I try to balance documenting the arrival of migratory songbirds and planning and preparing photo excursions in the ever-decreasing spare time I have available. As you may know, my tools of choice are trusty Canon 7D II, Candace II, and a Sigma 150-600mm 5-6.3 Contemporary DG OS HSM, also known as Big Selma, and edited the photos with Lightroom 5.  I hope you will enjoy the images and feel free to contact me for prints or otherwise. 

Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage 

Camera shy Sanderling

Sanderling in the morning light

Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turn so 😁

Least sandpiper at Portvile Sugar Factory

Yellow Warbler

Little Blue Heron in the fading light 

Laughing Gull

Gull-billed Tern

Masked Duck

October Birding at HP

Northern Wheatear, one of my two Harrison's Point Lifers for 2023

Harrison’s Point (HP), St. Lucy, is my favorite birding spot in October. This place is known for attracting migratory sound birds every year. This month has been halfway through, and I have already seen some regular visitors and some unexpected ones.

A Blackpoll Warbler at HP last year

Some of the birds that I usually see at HP around this time are Blackpoll Warblers (Setophaga striata), Yellow-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus), and Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). They have all shown up this year as well. Sometimes, HP also surprises me with some rare birds, like the Black and White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) and Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) that I saw last year, or the Black-throated Green Warbler (Dendroica virens) and Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) that was spotted in 2014.

Prothonotary Warbler, my first record of this warbler at HP

This year, I have seen four special birds so far, two of which were lifers for me - the elusive Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), the stunning Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), and then two lifers: a Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe), which is extremely rare in this region and only the third record for the island, and the Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), which is probably the second record for the island. With just two more weeks to go in October, I will be looking forward to seeing more birds at Harrison’s Point.  

 

My 2023 Images - August

 August was shorebird month for sure, I photographed hundreds of them, various species,  all over the island.  Here is a sample of some of the images I got both shorebirds and others.

Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) were the most common shorebirds on the ground

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Semipalmated Sandpiper

This one at the beach among the sargassum 

The other semi, Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), was also numerous

Semipalmated Plover aka Ring Necks

another ...

and another 

I found this beautiful Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), still showing signs of breeding plumage at the Portvile Sugar Factory 

Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus), like this one photographed at
 North Point, St. Lucy, were very visible this year 

this one was seen in St. Philip 

The rain briefly paused this White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) feeding, but it was soon back to the task of fueling up to continue its migration trek 

Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos), to me, was not as prevalent as in other years 

The ever-present Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularius) - This on is still sports some of the dotted breeding plumage that gives it its name

Yes, I did photograph other birds too!!

A Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) sitting on its nest at the quickly developing Bawdens Aquapark. I hope the projected increase in activity does not bring an end to this species' breeding at this location

A juvenile Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) 

A Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) hunting for fish 

Global Shorebird Count - Day 2

Semipalmated Plover showed up on day 2

On the second day of the Global Bird Count, I visited three sites on the island’s south coast: Inch Marlow, Long Beach, and Chancery Lane,  Christ Church. The most common bird was the Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla), with a total of 116 individuals. Two other species had more than 50 individuals: the Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) with 74 and the Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) with 85. I also recorded four new species for our list: the Ruddy Turnstone, the Sanderling (Calidris alba), the Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), and the Willet (Tringa semipalmata).

American Golden-Plovers on the Polo Field at Lion Castle

In the afternoon, I went to Lion Castle Polo Field in St. Thomas and spotted some American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis dominica), which have been migrating in large numbers recently.

Here are the stats at the end of day 2:

Total Shorebird Species seen today - 15
Total Individual birds I saw today - 349
Total shorebird species for the count - 17
Total Individual birds for the count - 583

List of Shorebirds seen:

1. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
2. American Golden-Plover - Pluvialis dominica
3. Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
4. Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus
5. Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
6. White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis
7. Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos
8. Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
9. Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
10. Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
11. Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria
12. Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
13. Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes
14. Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres
15. Sanderling - Calidris alba
16. Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
17. Willet - Tringa semipalmata

Global Shorebird Count - Day 1

Three shorebirds listed on day one at WSR - L-R White-rumped Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, and Lesser Yellowlegs

I am participating in the Global Shorebird Count which is part of World Shorebird Day. This international bird count will run from today, September 1st to 7th, the day after World Shorebird Day, which is observed on the 6th.   On the first day and visited three sites in the eastern parishes of St. Philip and St. John. The first site was Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, a wetland that hosted a variety of shorebirds thus far for the migration season. However, on this occasion, I only saw eight species there. The most abundant species were the Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) with 89 individuals and the Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus) with 20 individuals. This wetland is the first shorebird sanctuary on the island.

(L-R) Stilt Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher at site #2 

The second site was another shorebird sanctuary which is known to attract a high volume of birds, but that was not the case this afternoon.  This was due in part to the high water levels at this artificial wetland caused by extensive rainfall just hours before.  The high water levels cover the mudflats, the main feeding area of the smaller birds.  Still, while the bird count was low, 52 individual birds, it was divided among nine species, which included 16 Short-billed Dowitchers (Limnodromus griseus) and Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). The last site was a field in Redland, St. John, where chicken guano was stored for fertilizing the grass fields. This attracted seven shorebird species, among them two American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica). In total, I recorded 13 shorebird species and 234 individual birds on the first day of the Global Shorebird Count.

Total Shorebird Species seen today - 13

Total shorebird species for the count - 13

See Day 1 images here

List of Shorebirds seen:

1. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
2. American Golden-Plover - Pluvialis dominica
3. Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
4. Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus
5. Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
6. White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis
7. Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos
8. Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
9. Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
10. Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
11. Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria
12. Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
13. Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes