In his book The
History of Barbados (1848), the German-born British explorer and surveyor Sir
Robert Hermann Schomburgk, wrote of a day in September when because of a storm,
the winds were blowing out of the south-west, not the accustomed easterly direction
we are accustom to. He wrote that the
flight of wild (shore) birds, on that day in 1846, were so numerous that they
were struck down with stones, and thousands were shot.
September 20th was a day like that one some 175 years ago, with the
only difference being the number of birds seen. Hurricane Peter, churning away far north of the island, triggered winds out
of the southwest. The result - shorebirds
that would normally pass high over the island on their migration path to
wintering grounds in South America, came down for rest, feed, and self-pampering. Sadly,
but not surprisingly, the numbers seen on that day were not as vast as those in 1846, because of the rapid decline of this family of birds across the
globe and especially in the Americas. Here
is a synopsis of what was reported by birders at locations in the south and
southeast of the island.
 |
| Lesser Yellowlegs were one of the species migrating in large numbers |
A total of 19 shorebirds species were seen, tallying
close to 1000 individual birds. The most numerous species were Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), and Semipalmated Plovers (Charadrius semipalmatus,) around two
hundred birds, Semipalmated Sandpipers
(Calidris pusilla), White-rumped Sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis), and Pectoral Sandpipers (Calidris melanotos) were close
to one hundred birds. We also saw a few rare birds in the mix.  |
| A Ruff at WSR was one of the rare shorebird seen |
A Ruff (Calidris pugnax) at
Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, and at a private sanctuary five Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Calidris subruficollis), and a Red Knot (Calidris
canutus).The most refreshing note of the day though, was that over 60% of the
recorded sightings were made in safe spaces set up primarily as sanctuaries for
these long-distance travelers. Sadly, like that day in September 1846, for many of these birds, the journey violently
ended here, here in the bloody fields of Flanders . In another 175 years, do you think that an
observer will be able, on a hot September day, with the wind blowing from the southeast,
to witness the spectacle that is shorebird migration, as was done on September 20th? The optimist in me says YES!! But each one of us have to do our part, even if it’s a small part (See the links below). Continue to stay safe, enjoy the birds and enjoy your birding.
Here are a few links 1 Link 2 with ways we can help shorebirds.
Shorebird images from September 20th here
A list of the shorebirds seen
- Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
- American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica)
- Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
- Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
- Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
- Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
- Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
- Stilt Sandpiper (Calidris himantopus)
- Sanderling (Calidris alba)
- Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
- White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)
- Buff-breasted Sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis)
- Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos)
- Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla)
- Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius)
- Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus)
- Solitary Sandpiper (Tringa solitaria)
- Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
- Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)
