The Barbados Birds and Birding Report – March

Visiting birders dominated during the month of March.  Over twenty of them submitted over 120 of the 188 checklists that were submitted to ebird.org during the month.  I do hope the Ministry of Tourism is taking note.   Together with our local birders added three new birds, Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla) Leach's Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous), and Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri), to the island’s year checklist, ending the month with 81 species.

The sighting of the Leach's Storm-Petrel highlighted an area of the local avian fauna that is least explored, that of the birds that inhabit the seas around our island, pelagic birds.  These are birds that spend most of their life at sea only returning to, or close to land for nesting or during bad weather.  Storm-Petrels are some of the smallest birds in that group. For example, Leach's Storm-Petrels are between 5 – 7” in length (12-17cm), which is about the size of a Common Ground-Dove (Columbina passerina).  So if any of you readers have a boat, we would not mind tagging along with you every now and then, all in the name of science.

March Rare Bird Sightings

Very few new rare birds entered the list during March., and after this would be the last time the American Coot white-shielded (Fulica Americana) will be listed as a rare bird, as was done by ebird.  This bird continues to nest successfully at a few locations across the island. The red shielded variety, which is the rarer of the two will continue to be listed.  
Here are the rare birds seen during the month, highlighted below parish by parish. (* continuing Birds)

St. Lucy

Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) (1)*-  this bird continued its stay long-stay at a private location in the parish.

St. Andrew

• American Coot white-shielded (Fulica Americana) (15)*- 12 adults and 3 juveniles at Walkers Reserve, which continues to be the hub for this species’ strong return to the island;
  
• American Coot red-shielded (Fulica Americana)* (1) – at Walkers Reserve;
• American Wigeon (Mareca Americana) (5)* seen among a large flock of Teal.

St. Thomas

• Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)* – after being absent for close to three months, the Snail Kite turned up in Farmers, St. Thomas on the 17th.   Sightings were also reported on the 20th and 21st.
  

St. George

• American Coot white-shielded (Fulica Americana)*(3) - a pair with a single chick at Redland.

St. John

Grey Heron

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) - The first sighting of the year.

ST. Philip

• Purple Gallinule (Porphyrio martinica)*- sub-adult at the Bayfield’s Pond, first reported by a  visitor to the island but as subsequently molted, or in the process of molting,  into its beautiful adult plumage.

Christ Church

Black-headed Gull

• Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)* – This bird was seen on the ice pier at Oistins, with Royal Terns on the 10^th.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

• Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) an adult bird seen at Oistins on the 19th. 

St. Michael

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)* – this large immature gull was seen at the Bridgetown Fishing Complex on the 5^th. It was most likely the bird that was seen late last year.
• Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) – most likely the same bird that was reported at Oistins Christ Church;
• Leach's Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) – reported to ebird by visiting birder  John Ingham who note “ (the bird) was attracted to the lights of our cruise ship in Barbados cruise terminal before we set sail and settled on a ledge. It seemed exhausted. It was the size of a small pigeon…”  The last time this species was reported on was March 2018 by another visitor;
• Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis)* seen once again at its Bay Street roost after exploring the island

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.