A Big Weekend of Birding

The results from the big weekend of birding are in.  The two global birding events in celebration of World Migratory Bird Day, namely , Global Bird Weekend and the October Big Day resulted in record-breaking numbers in reported species (7,269) and the number of countries (195) reporting.  Here are the snumbers.

The second annual Global Bird Weekend started on Friday, October 8^th, and ended on Sunday, October 10^th.  Over 200 international teams, including 2 from Barbados, signed up and took part in the event.  In all some 32,670 people reporting 7,670 bird species, while birding in 195 countries across the globe.  The funds raised from this event, goes a long way in helping BirdLife International's fight to Conserve Coastal Wetlands and Save Threatened Migratory Birds across the Globe.  

The October Big Day, was  on the Saturday of that weekend. Some 32,670 birders from 195 countries submitted 78,024 checklists with 7,269 species, 43,153 photographs, and 1,170 audio recordings to www.ebird.org.  It was also noted on the ebird website that more than 2,800 contributors submitted their first checklist to this site on that day. 

Our beautiful island was also part of the do.  We recorded 60 species for October Big Day, which was the 8th highest species count among the islands of the West Indies.  It was also six less than our highest count of 66 species which was recorded in 2020.  The three days of the Global Bird Weekend event saw two local teams registering, The Moore's Birding Team (#184) led by yours truly, and Barbados Supernova Team (#193), led by Ed Massiah. The combine teams saw 63 species over the three days.

It was a big weekend of birding locally and internationally, as birders came together on World Migratory Bird Day to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. This international effort caused us to “Sing, Fly, Soar – Like a Bird!”.   Until our next chat, stay safe and enjoy your birding.

See images from that weekend here

Here is a list of species seen over the 3 days, also click here for images

1. Black-bellied Whistling-Duck - Dendrocygna autumnalis
2. Blue-winged Teal - Spatula discors
3. Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
4. Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
5. Scaly-naped Pigeon - Patagioenas squamosa
6. Eurasian Collared-Dove - Streptopelia decaocto
7. Common Ground Dove - Columbina passerina
8. Zenaida Dove - Zenaida aurita
9. Green-throated Carib - Eulampis holosericeus
10. Antillean Crested Hummingbird - Orthorhyncus cristatus
11. American Coot - Fulica americana
12. Common Gallinule - Gallinula galeata
13. Black-bellied Plover - Pluvialis squatarola
14. American Golden-Plover - Pluvialis dominica
15. Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus
16. Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus
17. Hudsonian Godwit - Limosa haemastica
18. Ruddy Turnstone - Arenaria interpres
19. Stilt Sandpiper - Calidris himantopus
20. Sanderling - Calidris alba
21. Least Sandpiper - Calidris minutilla
22. White-rumped Sandpiper - Calidris fuscicollis
23. Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Calidris subruficollis
24. Pectoral Sandpiper - Calidris melanotos
25. Semipalmated Sandpiper - Calidris pusilla
26. Western Sandpiper - Calidris mauri
27. Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus
28. Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata
29. Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius
30. Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria
31. Greater Yellowlegs - Tringa melanoleuca
32. Willet - Tringa semipalmata
33. Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes
34. Laughing Gull - Leucophaeus atricilla
35. Least Tern - Sternula antillarum
36. Roseate Tern - Sterna dougallii
37. Royal Tern - Thalasseus maximus
38. Magnificent Frigatebird - Fregata magnificens
39. Great Egret - Ardea alba
40. Little Egret - Egretta garzetta
41. Snowy Egret - Egretta thula
42. Little Blue Heron - Egretta caerulea
43. Tricolored Heron - Egretta tricolor
44. Cattle Egret - Bubulcus ibis
45. Green Heron - Butorides virescens
46. Striated Heron - Butorides striata
47. Black-crowned Night-Heron - Nycticorax nycticorax
48. Glossy Ibis - Plegadis falcinellus
49. Snail Kite - Rostrhamus sociabilis
50. Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon
51. Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus
52. Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri
53. Caribbean Elaenia - Elaenia martinica
54. Gray Kingbird - Tyrannus dominicensis
55. Caribbean Martin - Progne dominicensis
56. Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica
57. Shiny Cowbird - Molothrus bonariensis
58. Carib Grackle - Quiscalus lugubris
59. Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia
60. Grassland Yellow-Finch - Sicalis luteola
61. Bananaquit - Coereba flaveola
62. Barbados Bullfinch - Loxigilla barbadensis
63. Black-faced Grassquit - Melanospiza bicolor