The Barbados Birds and Birding Report - July

Shorebirds like this Semipalmated Sandpiper (Calidris pusilla) were migrating during the month

As the fall migration season progressed, more birds flocked to the island in July. Two rare species joined the 2023 checklist, one of them being a new record for the island. Megan Muxlow, a visiting birder, spotted a Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) on the water break at the Sugar Bay Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church on July 12th. This seabird belongs to the tern family and is seldom seen on the island. Mike St. Hill, an aspiring birder, encountered a mysterious raptor in the northern parish of St. Lucy. His photos revealed that it was a Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis), a first for the island. With these two additions, the island’s 2023 checklist reached 99 bird species by the end of the month.

July's Rare Bird Sightings

The migration season was heating up by the end of July. Many species of shorebirds came, and continued, to pass through the island. Migratory ducks will join them by the end of August, and a few rare birds may even tag along, but we can be sure that the birds are on the move. Here are the rare bird sightings for July, grouped by parishes. (*birds that remained from previous months)

St. Lucy

Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)(6)*- These birds have been at this location for over a year now, during the month one of them was photographed carrying nesting material. Could this be a breeding attempt on its way?

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

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

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• Collared Plover (Charadrius collaris)* -  Multiple sightings throughout the month, maybe more than one bird around.

• Mississippi Kite (Ictinia mississippiensis) - seen twice by Mike St. John, first on the 20th and then on the 22nd. This is a first record for Barbados and maybe the Lesser Antilleans.
• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)* - multiple sightings throughout the month. 

St. Andrew 

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)* - maybe the same bird that visits a private marsh in the north. This bird was seen at 3 locations in the parish during the month -the irrigation ponds at Bawdens, Long Pond, and Green Pond. 
• Cayenne Tern (Thalasseus eurygnath)* - this subspecies of Sandwich Tern, which was a first for the island last month was seen at Green Pond.

St. Philip 

• Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous) - multiple sightings at private locations.

Christ Church

Brown Noddy

• Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) - seen at the Sugar Bay Hotel, Hastings, Christ Church on July 12th by Megan Muxlow

St. Michael

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) - an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen on the buoys off Pile Bay.

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