Shorebird Migration

A noisy Lesser Yellowlegs with three Least Sandpipers

Shorebird migration has started!!  This was emphasized by the number of shorebirds, especially Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes),  seen yesterday.  Dr. John Webster tallied over 150 of them at a location in the parish of St. Philip. He commented “Migration in progress …flocks coming down to drink, bathe, rest and then depart again heading South” towards South America.

Whimbrel

In the evening  I visited the wetlands at Chancery Lane and saw more shorebirds including five Willets (Tringa semipalmata), and a Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus).

two Willets at Chancery Lane

The day before Carla Daniel of the Barbados Sea Turtle Project saw another Willet at Bath Beach in St. John , which suggested that this species was in the midst of migrating.  This influx of shorebirds was not surprising with the weather we had yesterday.  Most of these birds would have passed high over the island or to the east, but in adverse weather conditions, many seek shelter and make landfall, staying just a short while before continuing to South America.  I am expecting this trend to continue into today so be on the lookout. 

Below is a list of shorebird species seen yesterday:

1. Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) (18)
2. Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
3. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
4. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres) 
5. Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
6. Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
7. Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
8. Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
9. Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
10. Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
11. Willet (Tringa semipalmata) (5)
12. Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
13. Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) (152)

North American Birds Regional Reports! - West Indies & Bermuda

The North American Birds Regional Reports Winter 2020–2021: 1 Dec–28 Feb for the West Indies & Bermuda is now out.  It contained local sightings by John Webster, Ed Massiah, Quincy Clarke and yours truly Julian Moore.  You can see the report here.

The West Indies and Bermuda Region includes Bermuda and all the islands of three major archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago (The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos). In addition, the region encompasses a few outliers in the southwestern Caribbean Sea. Politically, the region comprises 12 independent nations, six U.K. overseas territories, four French territories, three Dutch territories, three U.S. territories, and one Colombian territory. The region’s total land area is approximately 3000 square km spread out over 7000 islands and islets. Myriad ecosystems have developed atop volcanoes, tectonic rifts, uplifted limestone seabed, and exposed continental crust. read more

Shiny Cowbird and Yellow Warbler

Juvenile Shiny Cowbird with Yellow Warbler

Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) are brood parasites, that is, a bird that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds leaving them to rear their young. On the island, the most common host for cowbirds are Carib Grackles (Quiscalus lugubris). It is so common to see grackles caring for juvenile Cowbirds, that most persons thought that these brownish birds were how juvenile grackles looked*.  Other more uncommon suitors are Barbados Billfinchs (Loxigilla barbadensis) and Yellow Warblers (Dendroica petechia).  While I have seen the latter once or twice I have never been able to document it with images, until now.
On July 12th, as I was driving through the agricultural area of Golden Grove, St. Philip, I heard the loud and persistent calling of a bird, so I stopped and investigated. 

Yellow Warbler in Flamboyant tree

The call was coming from a Flamboyant tree (Delonix regia) and straight away I saw the Yellow Warbler busily searching for food among the leaves and flowers of the flowering tree, but it was not the source of the call. A Caribbean Eleana (Elaenia martinica) was also sitting quietly on a branch, but partially hidden among the leaves and branches was the source of the call, a juvenile Shiny Cowbird.  How one small bird created such a racket, was beyond me. The crying only paused briefly when the surrogate parent pacified it with a bite but then the begging recommenced.  The Yellow Warbler was busy!  seemingly unable to satisfied the voracious appetites of the larger youngster. 

Yellow Warbler feeding Shiny Cowbird

It flew to another location, a small River Tamarind or Mimosoid tree (Leucaena leucocephala), which is always a good source of caterpillars.  The Yellow fed her charge once and then flew off into the nearby shrubbery.  

It was an interesting and rare sighting, one I hope would remain uncommon, as I am unsure of this species ability to survive a major parasitic incursion from these brood parasites.   

 * Unlike juvenile Carib Grackles in most of the Lesser Antillean island, which is brown, the ones in Barbados are black.

The Yearly Return of the Black Swifts

Black Swifts 

April and May is spring migration time.  This annual journey to breeding grounds in North America can be clearly seen, as the number of migratory birds on island steadily decline. There are some exceptions to the norm, as is the case with Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger).  These birds, instead of heading north, fly to breeding sites in the West Indies.  One such nesting site can be found on the east coast of our island, nestle in a hard to reach sea cave in the sea cliffs of Bell Point, St. Philip.  Black Swifts are listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This is because the species is undergoing a rapid decline throughout its North America range. The reasons for the decline is uncertain but one of the biggest dangers to migratory birds, animals in general, is the loss of habitat.  It is even more so a problem for bird species like Black Swifts, who are known to have a high nest-site loyalty (Collins and Foerster 1995), which means that these birds will return to the same site for nesting every breeding cycle. That is why I am encouraged by the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan, drafted by the Coastal Zone Management Unit .  Some of the directives with in the plan can inadvertently protect the sea caves at Bell Point, thus protecting the nesting site of this vulnerable species, and trust me, migratory birds need all the help there can get.   So If you’re out and about in the Skeet’s Bay Area, or along the East Coast Road or gazing over the vista at Melvin’s Hill, St. Joseph you just may see them, these masters of flight – the Black Swifts.