Great Backyard Bird Count 2017

Ruddy Turnstone @ Oistins

I was unable to take part fully in the 20^th Great Backyard Bird Count which took place over the last weekend, but still tallied 46 species at the end of it.  I got out on the first day, Friday 17^th, and the last day, Monday 20^th.  I added 1 species to my year bird count and four images to my Photographic Big Year challenge.  

Friday 17^th   

Two Least and a Semipalmated Sandpiper @ WSR 

I opened my 2017 GBBC account with an afternoon visit to the Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR) and a private location in the East of the island.  I recorded 23 species at WSR including a continuing family of Black-crowned Night Heron¹ and a Belted Kingfisher². The other birds were Lesser Scaup³, Great Egret⁴, Little Egret⁵, Little Blue Heron⁶, Cattle Egret⁷, Green Heron⁸, Common Gallinule⁹, Least sandpiper¹⁰,  Semipalmated Sandpiper¹¹, Spotted Sandpiper¹², Solitary Sandpiper¹³, Greater¹⁴ and Lesser Yellowlegs¹⁵, Common Ground Dove¹⁶, Caribbean Elaenia¹⁷, Gray kingbird¹⁸, Northern Waterthrush¹⁹, Yellow Warbler²⁰, Bananaquit²¹, Barbados Bullfinch²² and Carib Grackle²³.

0ne of three Stilt Sandpipers seen on first day

A new bird for the year, a Stilt Sandpiper²⁴, was the highlight of my second stop.  It took my current year tally to 59 species .  A handsome Grey Heron²⁵ was still showing well, it was a staple at this location for over a month and is a fine example of this Eurasian heron.  These were among the 8 species added to my GBBC count ending the first day with 31 species.  Here are the other species: Ruddy Turnstone²⁶, Black-bellied Plover²⁷, Scaly-naped Pigeon²⁸, Eurasian Dove²⁹, Zenaida Dove³⁰ and Eared Dove³¹. 

Monday 20^th

Belted Kingfisher @ Six Men's Bay

Monday, the final day of the GBBC, I was able to make two stops in the morning and two in the afternoon.  In the morning I added 6 species- Magnificent Frigatebird³², Sanderling³³, Belted Kingfisher³⁴, Caribbean Martin³⁵, Masked Duck³⁶, Black-whiskered Vireo³⁷ and Sora³⁸.  The afternoon’s 2 locations added Blue-winged Teal³⁹, Pied-billed Grebe⁴⁰, Great Blue Heron⁴¹, Rock Pigeon⁴² (a year bird), Antillean Crested Hummingbird⁴³, Shiny-cow Bird^44, Black-faced Grassquit⁴⁵ and Snowy Egret⁴⁶.

I would have loved to participate more fully in the 20^th GBBC but there will always be next year. Enjoy your birding!

 Here are a few more images

One of two Great Blue Herons @ Chancery Lane

Black-whiskered Vireo

Yellow Warbler