The Journey to Bird Rock - Part 3

Since 2019, the birders of the island stepped up plans for a return to Bird Rock, one of the few nesting colonies of Audubon Shearwaters (Puffinus lherminieri) in the Caribbean. (see The Journey to Bird Rock - parts 1,2 ) The last time data, anecdotal or otherwise, was taken at this location was over 20 years ago and there was a need to update the status of the roost.  One factor that hindered data collection was that these birds are most active around the colony at night, preferably moonless dark nights, and with the main observation point being only accessible through a gully, a hike that can be trying during the day and daring at night, you can understand the drought of records. 

In 2019 the discovery of a better vantage point made regular observation possible (see The Journey to Bird Rock 2 ) but before we were able to visit the site COVID-19 closed the island down.

The view of Bird Rock from the new vantage point

On the night of December 21^st, three birders – Ed Massiah, a new birder Mike St. John and myself journeyed to the new location. We arrived around 6:30pm as the daylight was fading.  Armed with various lights in all shapes and sizes we made our way across the grass field to this new untried, last scouted 3 years ago, lookout point.  I was relieved to find the clear unobstructed view of the rock stack some 100 meters away, at the 11 o clock position from the vantage point, was still there.  Mike had the most important tool, a powerful torch, but sadly it only lit up fractions of the stack at a time. All of us took turns holding the torch and searching the illuminated section, with our binoculars, for flickers of white - the underbellies of the shearwaters.

At a few minutes to 7pm Mike saw the first bird, then we saw another and another as the birds slowly arrived, with some even calling as they flew to and from roosting.  We recorded the 100th sighting around 7:25 and then the arrivals sped up.  Two hundred sightings by 7:36, 300 by 7:45, 350 at 7:49, 400 – by 7:55, and 451 was our last tally at 8pm.

Although this count was anecdotal, it proved that this 300-year-old Audubon Shearwaters colony is still very much active and striving.

I would love to see this very important and unique site protected by law and an in-depth study done on the ongoing health and status of the colony.  The naturalist Colonel Henry W Feilden collected seven eggs for a Bird Rock on March 22, 1889, and three chicks on May 9^th, 1888, since then I found no other records of any studies done at Bird Rock.  One thing is for sure, with easier access to this new vantage point, records of this locally breeding bird, the Audubon Shearwater, will be a yearly norm, not a 20-year project.  

Stay safe and enjoy your birding. 

Birding, Learning, and Exploring the Wondrous Wetlands of Barbados

Meike gets her certificate from Michele Kading and Lisa Sorenson. (photo by Kierra Clarke)

With bird migration in full swing September was the perfect time for BirdsCaribbean to head to Barbados for a Wetlands Education Training Workshop! From September 27-28, 2022 30 participants took part in this ‘train the trainers’ event at Walkers Reserve, where they learned all about the wondrous wetlands and wetland birds on Barbados. During the two days of fun-filled and hands-on learning, participants were armed with tools, resources, and inspiration to help them share what they learned with others. Read all about what the workshop was like from the perspective of workshop participant Meike Joseph.  

In September I completed a two-day Wetlands and Bird Education Training Workshop held by BirdsCaribbean at Walkers Reserve, Barbados. Initially, when I found out about this workshop, I got excited. I see birds on a regular basis but have not been able to identify them... continue reading here

 

The Barbados Birds and Birding Report – November

Bank Swallow was one of the new additions for November

We are almost to the end of the year and the island 2022 avifauna checklist continues to tick over with three more yearbirds.  There were Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca), Bank Swallow aka Sand Martin (Riparia riparia), and Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous), closing the month with a total of 117 species. 

November’s Rare Bird Sightings

 Here is a complete list, highlighted parish by parish. (* continuing Birds)

St. Lucy

two of the six Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)(6)*- Last year December we saw 3 birds, then in January only one bird, as two of the 3 migrated but in August, 5 birds joined our loan bird.
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)* – the lone duck that was seen last month was joined by another 2.
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus)(6) - six birds at Harrison's Point early in the month was the last sighting for the year thus far.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)* - Most likely the seem long stay bird that frequents Carlisle's Bay, this bird made its round around the island during November.

  

  One of the two sighting of Killdeers for the month

• Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) flew into a private marsh late one evening.

St. Philip

• Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)*

Christ Church

• Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) seen at Rockley
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)* - Most likely the seem long stay bird that frequents Carlisle's Bay, this bird made its round around the island during November.
• Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) seen from a south coast hotel by a visiting birder.
• Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) at Oistins, reported by a visiting birder.

St. James

• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) was reported by a visiting birder.

Feel free to contact me, Julian Moore @ 100birdsbarbados@gmail.com, John Webster @ barbadosbirds@gmail.com, or Ed Massiah @ ebmassiah@hotmail.com to report any rare bird sightings, or if you need assistance identifying a bird, we would be happy to help.  A new tool to help with your local bird identification is our Facebook Group, The Birds of Barbados. Click here to join   

Ducks, Ducks and More Ducks

Blue-winged Teals

Shorebird migration has slowed but the island is still seeing the effects of the fall migration with the arrival of ducks, ducks, and more migratory ducks.  Our most numerous migratory duck, the Blue-winged Teal (BWTE) (Spatula discors), was reported at three locations with numbers close to 100, and in one case over 200 birds.  On November 5th a season-high of 220 Teals was recorded at Woodborne Shorebird Refuge (WSR), Christ Church.  On the 6th, 86 birds were reported in the north of the island while 70 were tallied at a location in the parish of St. Philip on the 8th.   We can assume that numbers like these are also at other suitable locations across the island.

Male and Female Ring-necked Ducks

The duck species with the second highest count was the Ring-necked Duck (RNDU) (Aythya collaris) but its numbers were nowhere close to that of the BWTE.  It was recorded at four locations.  Fours birds were seen at St. Lucy on October 30th, while a high count of three ducks at the WSR on November 7th.  The following day four birds were seen in St. Philip and three more at Redland, St. John/ George. Another close relative to the RNDU, Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) also stopped in at the WSR with six birds reported by a visitor to the island. 

Female Northern Pintails

Three female Northern Pintails (Anas acuta) were reported at three locations between WSR and St. Philip.  WSR continued its outstanding fall migration with the only Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) seen so far for the year.

We are still midway through the duck migration so we should see some more arrivals maybe even a rare species or two, which would be nice. Yes, the ducks are here, lots of them,  ducks, ducks, and more ducks, I hope you get to see them as you Enjoy your birding.

The Barbados Birds and Birding Report – October

Black-and-white Warbler was
seen at Harrison's Point

October was a good month for birding.  Seven year-birds were added to the island’s 2022 checklist, including two rare songbirds and a few ducks, closing the month with 114 species. The new species were Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Northern Pintail (Anas acuta), Ring-necked Ducks (Aythya collaris), Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata), White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) and our two rare songbirds - Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) and a Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia). The last record of these birds on the island was, for the Black and White Warbler in 1988, in the Turner's Hall Woods, Saint Andrew and for the Summer Tanager, 2004 at Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, Christ Church, so both were welcome additions.

November Birding

November is an exciting month for birding. This is because historically, not just rare-birds were recorded during this month, but mega-rare birds - birds you usually only see once in a lifetime in this region.  Here are a few examples of mega-rare birds seen during November:

• Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) – 26^th November, 2021
• Eurasian Marsh-Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)  - 5^th November, 2015
• Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) -  24^th  November, 2015
• Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) – 19^th  November, 2014
• Blackburnian Warbler (Setophaga fusca) – 2^nd November, 2014
• Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)  - 18^th  November,  2013
• Greater Ani (Crotophaga major) – 18^th  November, 2012
• Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) – 15^th November 2009

Let's see what will turn up this year.

 

October’s Rare Bird Sightings

October saw a few new birds entering the list. Here is a complete list, highlighted parish by parish. (* continuing Birds)

St. Lucy

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)(6) – remains at this location. Six other birds were seen in the east, which may or may not be these birds.
  
  

  

  Fulvous Whistling-Duck

• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)(2)* - numbers varies between 1 to 3 birds 

  

  Gull-billed Tern

• Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)* - This bird appears to be carrying a slight injury last month, happily, it now appears in good health.
• Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) - a high count of 6 birds seen at Harrison's Point.
• Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica) - seen and photographed at a private location.
• White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) - first seen on the 1st of the month and last seen on the 30th.
  
  

  

  Summer Tanager

• Summer Tanager (Piranga rubra) - seen at Harrison's Point
• Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) - seen at Harrison's Point

  

  Blackpoll Warblers

• Blackpoll Warblers (Setophaga striata) - seen at Harrison's Point
• Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) - seen at Harrison's Point.

St. Philip

• Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)* - not far from where it was first seen last month.
• Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) (2) - female birds seen first, one or both relocated to WSR and lost themself among a sea of teal.
• White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) - most likely our bird from St. Lucy relocating to the east.
• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) - (6) - may or may not  be the six from the north 

  

  Least Tern

• Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)* - relocated from North Point, St. Lucy to Chancey Lane

Christ Church

Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) (1) -  a single bird seen at WSR.
• Northern Pintail (Anas acuta) - A female among a large flock of teal

  

  Snail Kite

• Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) - was seen in the back lake at WSR

St. Michael

• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)(2) - Reported at Pile Bay.
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) –  on Carlise Bay.

  

  Snail Kite

• Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) - seen at its roost in Bay Street

St. James

Brown Pelican

• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) - Seen at Paynes Bay but known to roost just off of Sunset Crest. The same birds were seen in Pile Bay, St. Michael. 

Feel free to contact me, Julian Moore @ 100birdsbarbados@gmail.com, John Webster @ barbadosbirds@gmail.com, or Ed Massiah @ ebmassiah@hotmail.com to report any rare bird sightings, or if you need assistance identifying a bird, we would be happy to help.   

 

Birding in Barbados: American Coot (episode 2)

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Birding in Barbados: Common Gallinule (episode 1)

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The Barbados Birds and Birding Report – September

Yellow-billed Cuckoo one of the seven yearbirds

It was a birding September to remember with plenty of highlights like World ShorebirdDay and Global Bird Count,  the reactivation and installation of MOTUS monitoring stations, Birds Caribbean Wondrous West Indian Wetland Workshop and lots of birds.  Yes for the month of September 7 species were added to the islands 2022 checklist, there were Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon Nilotica) and Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica) on the 4^th,  Upland Sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda) on the 8^th, another rare tern Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) the 12^th, Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) and House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) on the 23^rd, 27^th and 30^th respectively.  This meant at the end of September the island had a year tally of 107 species.

World Shorebird Day and Global Bird Count

more than 2,400 Lesser Yellowlegs seen

World ShorebirdDay and Global Bird Count were started to raise awareness of the need to protect shorebirds and their habitats throughout their life cycles; to raise public awareness of the need for continued shorebird research, monitoring, and conservation, and to connect people with shorebirds through wetland sites around the world.  This year's event took place between the 1st - 7th of September and clearly highlighted the need for continued work in the area of shorebird conservation.  Over that week the island's birders saw 18 species of shorebirds totaling 3,953 individual birds at just 5 locations.  This total was made up of over 2,400 Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), mainly juveniles, in an unprecedented week-long "flight" sadly many did not make it off the island.

MOTUS Monitoring Stations

On the 26th a team from Birds Caribbean visited the island and installed and reactivated MOTUS monitoring stations.  A new monitoring station was set up at Walker Reserve, St. Andrew while another, at Golden Grove, St. Philip, was reactivated.  The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Motus is a program of Birds Canada in partnership with collaborating researchers and organizations like Birds Caribbean.

Wondrous West Indian Wetland Workshop

Michele Kading talking about mangroves

Then on the 27th and 28th, Birds Caribbean ran the workshop Wondrous West Indian Wetland at The Walkers Reserve.  This train-the-trainer training program was led by Lisa Sorenson, Birds Caribbean Executive Director, and Wetlands Educator Michele Kading, who equipped participants with the skills and materials needed to train others about the beauty and importance of wetlands to the island, region, and the world.

September’s Rare Bird Sightings

Yes, it was a September to remember with many birds and birding highlights.

Here are the rare birds seen during the month, highlighted below parish by parish. (* continuing Birds)

St. Lucy

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)(6)*- The six birds that was first seen in August continued into September.
  
  
  
  
  
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)* – the lone duck that was seen last month was joined by another 2;
  
  
• 
• Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris)*seen in the same near Little Bay.
  
  
  
• Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) - This bird appears to be carrying a slight injury but was first reported in St. Philip.
  
  
  
• Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) - this tinny tear was spotted among shorebirds at North Point.
• Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica) - one bird was seen at a private mash during heavy weather, 
• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)(2) - two birds were seen on the rock just off of North Point.

St. Philip

• Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) - the first reported sighting of this bird for the year, this same bird was seen in St. Lucy days later.
• Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) - first for the year
  
  
  
• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) - one bird was at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge.  It is unclear if this bird was part of the six in the north.

St. Michael

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) – was seen at Carlise Bay
• House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - Ed Massiah was surprised by a female bird not far from the entrance to the port.

Honorable Mentions 

Pink Cattle Egret

• Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) - Is the pinkish colorization dye or is it natural? The debate will continue about this beauty seen at Pile Bay, St. Michael.
• Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) a grackle with an unfamiliar call and a greenish iridescent sheen was seen and heard close to the port. 

Feel free to contact me, Julian Moore @ 100birdsbarbados@gmail.com, John Webster @ barbadosbirds@gmail.com, or Ed Massiah @ ebmassiah@hotmail.com to report any rare bird sightings, or if you need assistance identifying a bird, we would be happy to help.   

October Big Day 2022: A global birding achievement - By Team eBird

 On 8 October, people in 185 countries around the world joined together to celebrate birds for October Big Day. More than 34,670 contributors reported an incredible 7,453 species on 80,000 checklists, setting THREE new records for the single biggest day in October birding history!

An extra warm welcome to the 2,800 contributors around the world who eBirded for the first time on October Big Day. This year’s global team featured an astounding 2,000 more participants than last year, including 600 participants in Africa, 2,160 in Asia, 2,960 in Europe, and 5,460 in Central and South America.

October Big Day wouldn’t be a global phenomenon without YOU, the global birding community .... click here to continue reading 

A Big Weekend of Birding

October Big Day

Global Bird Weekend 7-9th

The weekend starting October 07th, will be a big weekend of birding worldwide. This is because birders from across the globe will come together for two major birding events, the October Big Day, on the Saturday 8th, and the Global Bird Weekend, starting Friday the 7th right through to Sunday the 9th.  (Click the above links for more).

In 2020 the island recorded its highest species count for this weekend of birding, 66 species. Last year we fell six species short of that total.  Can we surpass 66 species this year? You can help, How?  

Here is how to participate in the October Big Day:

• Get an eBird account: eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by millions of birders. It’s what allows us to compile everyone’s sightings into a single massive Global Big Day list—while at the same time collecting the data to help scientists better understand birds. Sign up here. It’s 100% free from start to finish.
• Watch birds on 8 October: It’s that simple. October Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. You don’t need to be a bird expert or go out all day long, even 10 minutes of birding from home counts.
• Enter what you see and hear on eBird: You can enter your sightings via our website or download the free eBird Mobile app to make submitting lists even easier. Please enter your checklists before 12 October to be included in our initial results announcement.
• Watch the sightings roll in: During the day, follow along with sightings from more than 190 countries in real-time on our October Big Day page.

Join us for the Big Weekend of Birding.

Birds Caribbean Wondrous Wetland Birds Workshop in Barbados

Calling all Educators and School-age Care Providers - Join our friends at @birdscaribbean and @cpribarbados for a 2-day Wondrous Wetland Birds Workshop on September 27th and 28th at Walkers Reserve, St. Andrew Barbados.

 This workshop is a train-the-trainer course focused on teaching you the importance of our wetlands and the birds that inhabit them. The workshop will equip educators, who work with learners of all ages (age 4 to postsecondary) with the skills, activities, and lesson plans to be able to pass on the knowledge.

For no cost, you will undergo 1 day of classroom learning @walkersreservebarbados where you will learn how to use the materials, practice the skills to teach the subject matter. On day 2 you will be taken on tours of popular wetland sites, taught how to identify different shoreline birds, and experience what an outdoor lesson would look like, amongst much more!

Click Here to Sign up 

The Barbados Birds and Birding Report – August

White-rumped Sandpiper one of the new birds for 2022

Barbados recorded its 100th bird species for 2022.  The bird was a Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), which was seen at Inch Marlow, Christ Church on August 24^th.  This was just one of five new bird species for the year. The others were: White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis), seen in the parish of St. Lucy on the 1^st, and a Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) sitting on a fishing boat in the bay at Oistins on the 3^rd, a Red Knot (Calidris canutus) joined the hundreds of shorebirds on Long Beach, Christ Church feeding among the sargassum Seaweed, and a rare Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) was seen by John Webster at Walkers Reserve, St. Andrew on the 23^rd.

With a few days of Southernly winds predicted we may be in for a few rare birds in early September even as migration continues.  Of course, we will keep you up to date.

August’s Rare Bird Sightings

Here are the rare birds seen during the month, highlighted below parish by parish. (* continuing Birds)

St. Lucy

Six Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)(6)*- Last year December we saw 3 birds, then in January only one bird, as two of the 3 migrated but in August, 5 birds joined our loan bird;

  

  Fulvous Whistling-Duck

• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)* – the lone duck that was seen last month was joined by another 2;

  

  Tricolored Heron

• Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)* seen in the first half of the month but no sighting during the latter half of the month;
• Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris)*seen in the same area at North Point.

St. Andrew

• Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis) this stiff tail was seen by John Webster at Walkers Reserve on the 23^rd.

Christ Church

Lesser Black-backed Gull

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)* – This juvenile was with us for most of the year so far, which is rare in itself.  It is somewhat of a celebrity on some beaches with food, eg. sardines, being provided for it on regular occasions.  In this instance it was seen at the Oistins ice-pier instead of its usual stomping ground at Carlise's Bay;

Brown Pelican

• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) was first seen at Oistins and then at Inch Marlow.

St. Michael

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)* – seen at Carlise Bay.

  

  Snail Kite

• Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)* seen at its usual spot on Bay Street

Feel free to contact me, Julian Moore @ 100birdsbarbados@gmail.com, John Webster @ barbadosbirds@gmail.com, or Ed Massiah @ ebmassiah@hotmail.com to report any rare bird sightings, or if you need assistance identifying a bird, we would be happy to help.