2017 Photographic Big Year 28-31

Saturday 25^th was a very hectic day but I was able to squeeze in a few hours of birding in the eastern part of the island. Even though it was hectic I was still able to capture 4 species for my Photographic Big Year gallery moving my overall tally to 31 species/images. I am not too impress with the images and will be planning to try again, at least for the tropicbird and Masked Duck.  Here are the birds numbering 28-31: (28) Red-billed Tropicbird; (29) Least Sandpiper; (30) Caribbean Martin; (31) Masked Duck.

See all the images here.

28- Red-billed Tropicbird -  Phaethon aethereus

29- Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla

 29- Caribbean Martin - Progne dominicensis

30- Masked Duck - Nomonyx dominicus

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

2017 Photographic Big Year 24-27

Coming out of the Great Backyard Bird Count weekend I added four more images to my photographic big year list. Here are the birds numbering 25-28:(24) Stilt Sandpiper; (25)Ruddy Turnstone; (26) Peregrine Falcon; (27)Black-whiskered Vireo.
See all the images here.

24- Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus

25- Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres

26- Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus

27- Black-whiskered Vireo - Vireo altiloquus

2017 Photographic Big Year 21-23

For 2017 I will be attempting to photograph 100 birds seen in Barbados. Here are birds numbering 21-23:(21) Grey Kingbird; (22) Shiny Cowbird (F); (23) Little Egret.
See all the images here.

21- Gray Kingbird - Tyrannus dominicensis

22- Shiny Cowbird - Molothrus bonariensis

23- Little Egret - Egretta garzetta

Great Backyard Bird Count 2017

Do you have plans for this weekend? Why not join the thousands of birders around the world for the 20th annual Great Backyard Bird Count.  It is easy!  Just count the birds you see during February 17^th to 20^th, and follow the direction here to record them.  Your effort would go a long way to help with bird conservation. So have fun, get a workout, and assist in bird conservation by being part of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

More information here