Two New Birds for Barbados

Birding in Barbados is always a surprise, like opening a box of Cracker Jacks. You never know what kind of gift you will discover, and sometimes it could be something amazing. That's what happened a few days ago when birders found two amazing gifts in the box: a new bird and a new subspecies for the island.

Strange Swift

On June 3rd, I went to the Ermy Bourne Highway, St. Joseph, with my son Jason and two Canadian birders, Richard and Tammy Mckay. We were searching for Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger), the only swifts that visit our island annually. These swifts are generally black in color, as the name suggested, so imagine our surprise when we saw one with a white rump and a white patch under the neck.  Not knowing what type of swift it was, help was sought from the wider birding community, including world-renowned swift experts Gerald Driessens (Author of Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World) and Justin Jansen (Naturalis Biodiversity Center) to identify it. This bird sparked a lot of interest and discussion among the community with some thinking it might be either a Little Swift (Apus affinis), which lives in Africa and southwestern Asia, or a House Swift (Apus nipalensis), which is found in Japan, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. Either way, it would be a first record for the island. I will keep you posted.

Cayenne Tern by Michael St. John

The second bird was seen by the sharp eyes of birder Michael St. John at Long Beach, Christ Church on June 6th. He was watching and photographing some terns feeding on bait fish just offshore when he noticed a bird he didn’t recognize. The bird had a black crest, white rump, and tail, yellowish bill, and was generally pale in color. It was identified as a Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus eurygnath), a South American sub-species of Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis). While Sandwich Terns are rare visitors to Barbados, this sub-species have never been recorded here before. This was another first for the island.

Two new birds for the island are so exciting. Let’s keep our eyes open for more surprises. Stay safe and enjoy your birding.