The Barbados Birds and Birding Report - June

This Pectoral Sandpiper was one of additions to the island's 2023 checklist

June was a better-than-expected month for birding, with six new additions to the island's 2023 checklist, including two island firsts and a rare species. The most exciting discovery was the House Swift (Apus nipalensis), which was seen at the Ermy Bourne Highway, St. Joseph on the 3rd, a new species for the island. The other new record was the Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus eurygnath), a new subspecies for the island that you can read about both of them here. A Black Tern (Chlidonias niger), which is a rare Tern for the island, was spotted by a visiting birder, which happens to be one of Trinidad and Tobago's top birders, Nigel Lallsingh, at Inch Marlow, Christ Church. We also saw a few shorebirds - the Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris melanotos) Willet (Tringa semipalmata) and an American Golden-Plover (Pluvialis dominica). 

June's Rare Bird Sightings

June was anything but a quiet birding month, and we expect more surprises in July as the migration season begins and the rains bring more birds. Here is a list of the rare bird sightings for June, sorted by parishes. (*birds that remained from previous months)

St. Lucy

Six long stay Glossy Ibis  (Michael St. John)

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)(6)*- long stay birds at a private marsh.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Michael St. John)

• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)*(2) – Two were seen at various locations in the north, and one in St. John.

  

  Collared Plover (Michael St. John)

• Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris) -This bird was first seen during the Global Big Day since then it was seen multiple times at a private marsh. 

St. Andrew 

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)* -- seen at Green Pond. 
• Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)(2) - Michael St. John saw at Photographed these terns feeding off Green Pond.

House Swift seen on the 3rd, first record for the island

• House Swift (Apus nipalensis) - This bird was first seen on the 3rd at Ermy Bourne Highway, The identification is still being verified but it is and will be a first for the island.

St. Thomas

Striated Heron walking on water lettuce at SBRC

• Striated Heron (Butorides striata)* - continues at the SBRC pond, last seen on the 3rd. 

St. Philip 

•  Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)

Curlew Sandpiper

• Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) - a mega rare bird for the island, first reported by John on the 29th and last seen on June 4th.
• Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) - multiple sightings at a private location.

Christ Church

Black Tern (Nigel Lallsingh)

• Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)- first seen and identified by visiting Trinidadian top birder Nigel Lallsingh at Inch Marlow. It was last seen on the 29th at the same location

Cayenne Tern (Michael St. John)

• Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus eurygnath) - another first record for the island. This subspecies was seen by Michael St. John on the 9th.

St. Michael

The second sighting of House Swift  (Nigel Lallsingh)

• House Swift (Apus nipalensis) - a second sighting for the month at Needhams Point on the 24th by visiting birder David Hollie and was last seen on the 25th.
• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) - a single bird at Pile Bay on the 27th, probably the same bird seen in St. James on the 6th.

St. James 

• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) - one bird was seen at Folkestone Marine Park feeding close to shore on the 6th.

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