The Barbados Birds and Birding Report - February

Cliff Swallow was one of the new birds for February

In February, eight new bird species were added to Barbados’ 2024 checklist. Among these, three species stand out and can be consider rare. There were Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus), Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), and Grey-breasted Crake (Laterallus exilis).  Of these three, the Grey-breasted Crake is particularly noteworthy as it marks the first record of this bird species on the island. With these additions, the total number of bird species recorded in Barbados during the first two months of 2024 now stands at 82. (See list here)

As we dive deeper into the dry season, the wet areas that rely on rainfall as their primary source are gradually drying up. However, this transition brings a brief surge in the food supply for wading birds. Fish and other aquatic critters become easily accessible, creating a feeding frenzy for various species of herons, egrets, and shorebirds. Thankfully, places like Chancery Lane Swamp still retain a significant amount of water, ensuring a more stable food source for birds and excellent birding opportunities for birders for a few more weeks or longer if there is a heavy down pour.

March Notes

In early March, the island will achieve a remarkable milestone: 10,000 checklists submitted to ebird.org. Among these records, the oldest dated entry harks back to 1887 - but submitted hundreds of years after - featuring a Yellow-hooded Blackbird (Chrysomus icterocephalus). This historical record indicates that the bird was collected (a term from that era which meant shot) in September 1887, possibly at Chancery Lane according to the book Birds of Barbados. The bird’s preserved skin now resides in the Cambridge University Museum, cataloged as specimen number 27/Ict/1/c/12. This Yellow-hooded Blackbird is just one of the many local bird specimens housed in museums worldwide. On a more contemporary note, the oldest modern checklist was submitted by Bruce Parker in 1967, while he was birding in the Hasting Christ Church area. (see here).  The oldest local media file is that of a Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) uploaded by Mouser Williams of the USA in on March 1st, 1991.  While he said he saw the bird at Heywood's Beach St. Peter, the image looks like it was photographed at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve. 

To date, this nearly 10,000-checklist archive has documented 230 out of the over 280 species of birds recorded on the island, along with an impressive collection of over 5,700 photographs—painting a vivid picture of the island’s avian history. While celebrating this achievement, we recognize areas where we can enhance our data. Specifically, we aim to improve our documentation of pelagic birds and increase submissions of audio and video recordings—currently standing at 76 and 17, respectively. Let’s continue to explore and appreciate the rich avifauna of our beautiful island!

February Rare Bird Sightings

Certainly! In February, birders had the opportunity to spot some fascinating rare birds. While some were new sightings, others were familiar from previous months. Here’s a summary of the notable rare birds observed (*birds that remained from previous months)

St. Lucy

One of the two remaining Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)*(3) While the year started with the usual six birds at a private sanctuary, the numbers declined to just, two more returned to end the month with three birds. 
• Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous)*(4) - last seen on the first of February.

Grey Heron

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)* - a Long-stay Eurasian visitor, seen to favor this location but was also seen nearby egrets roost.

St. Philip

• Ruff (Calidris pugnax) - John Webster first alearted us to this birds presents on the 10th. It was again late afternoon of the 16th at the same location.

Christ Church 

Lesser Black-backed Gull

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)* - multiple sightings of a single bird at the Oistins ice pier.
• Yellow-crowned Night Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) This bird continues to roost at the Graeme Hall Swamp during the day, giving very good looks.

  

  Grey Heron

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) - spotted at two locations in the parish, still try to confirm if it a diffrent bird than the one in St. Lucy.
• Tropical Mockingbird (Mimus gilvus) - clearly seen one late afternoon at the WSR (see post)

St. Michael

• Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) the second bird from Oistins appeared to have relocated to Pile Bay.
• Gray-breasted Crake (Laterallus exilis) - A shipped-assisted bird, the bird was seen and photographed by cruise passenger Cindy Johnson while dock in the Bridgetown port. (see here)

St. James

• Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) - A guest at The Club Barbados hotel reported seeing one flying close to shore and diving into the sea.

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