The Barbados Birds and Birding Report - April

A rare spring visit of a Wilson's Phalarope

What an April of birding we had. Eight new species were added to the island's 2024 checklist, one of which was a first record for Barbados. 

These were:

• Least Tern (Sternula antillarum)
• Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
• Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
• Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor)
• Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea)x
• Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii)
• Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)
• White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus)

The White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) was the first record for the island read about it here. Closing the month with 92 species recorded so far for 2024.

May Notes 

• May is historically known for attracting mega-rare birds to the island, making it a truly thrilling month for birding - (read May, A Thrilling Month For Birding). What mega-rare bird will we see in May 2024? 
• It is Global Big Day Month. This year it will be held on Saturday, May 11th.  Our local team The Bajan Birders & Friends will again participate in the Birds Caribbean annual Global Big Day fundraiser. It is a team comprising local birders and others from across the world who have visited and birded on our island. We invite you to join us for this exciting event!.
• During the month some species like Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors), Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularius), and Solitary Sandpipers (Tringa solitaria) would have migrated to their breeding grounds while Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) will be returning here to nest. Look out for them in the hills of Cambridge, st. Joseph, as you travel along the Ermy Bourne Highway, the East Coast Road.

April Rare Bird Sightings

April compensated for the scant number of new rare sightings in March. Five new rare species were documented, featuring a bird new to the island, spotted on the final day of the month. Here's a parish-by-parish breakdown of the noteworthy rare birds observed in April:

(* denotes birds that remained from previous months)

St. Lucy

One of the three Glossy Ibis seen during the month

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)*(3)  - Long-stay birds who enjoy this location.
• Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) (172) - A significant sighting at North Point between 22nd and 24th 172 birds flying east to west. Most birds were in brown phase with one in white. 

  

  Fulvous Whistling-Duck

• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)* - reported periodically throughout the month.

St. Philip

Ruff 

• Ruff (Calidris pugnax)* (1) - This is one of the three that are moving between this and a nearby wet area.

  

  White-tailed Hawk, a new species for the island

• White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus) - A new bird for the island and the second for the region. This bird was spotted by Jason Moore as a dot in the sky on the 30th but could have been on the island for months. - see here

Christ Church 

The three Ruffs at WSR

• Ruff (Calidris pugnax) (3)- All three birds spent most of the month at Woodboure Shorebird Refuge (WSR).  Two paired off, with one of the pair behaving aggressively towards the unpaired bird; 
• Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) (1) - this bird was seen at Inch Marlow on the 6th;

  

  Tricolored Heron

• Tricolored Heron (Egretta tricolor) (1) - Seen at Chancery Lane 

Grey Heron

• Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)* - seen at the WSR and another private location;

  

  Wilson's Phalarope

• Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) - a rare spring visit, bird first seen on the 6th actively feeding at WSR

St. Thomas 

• Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea) - This small warbler became trapped in a window, in Welches 

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   

Bajan Birders & Friends Flock Together for GBD 2024

May is Global Big Day month, and this year, it falls on Saturday, May 11th! Our local birding team, The Bajan Birders & Friends, is once again participating in BirdsCaribbean's annual Global Big Day fundraiser.

This team unites local birders with those who have visited our beautiful island and share our love for birds and birding. Last year, our ten-member team, which was made up of birders spread across four countries, raised an impressive $435 and spotted a remarkable 220 bird species! This fantastic achievement landed them in 7th place for the most birds seen on the day.  This year we are looking to improve in all categories, so help us by joining our team and/or making a donation.

This year's fundraising efforts aim to support Caribbean nationals with travel scholarships to attend the upcoming Birds Caribbean 24th International Conference, taking place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from July 18th to 22nd. Last year, 17 teams from 35 countries identified an astounding 1,146 bird species and collectively raised over $20,000 for the crucial Caribbean Bird Banding program.

This year you can get involved by joining our team "Bajan Birders & Friends"!

1. Go to the fundraising page clicking the JOIN A TEAM button below the Global Big Day graphic on this page.
2. Click "Join an existing team "
3. In the box "Which team would you like to join?" Scroll down  until you find our team "Bajan Birders & Friends" and click "Join Fundraiser"

and/or . . .

Donating to one or more of the birding and fundraising teams. Simply click the DONATE button at the top of the page and you can specify if you want your donation to go to the general campaign or to a particular team (all funds go to the same cause but teams do compete to raise the most funds).

Come out May 11, have some fun and enjoy your birding

A New Avian Species Record for Barbados – White-tailed Hawk

Yesterday, April 30, a new avian species was added to Barbados’ checklist. The bird was not only a mega-rarity for the island but also for the region. The bird in question was a White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus), observed soaring high above St. Philip by young birder Jason Moore. I photographed it and was quickly identified by expert birder Ed Massiah from the photograph. Interestingly this may be the same unidentified raptor photographed in January in the same parish. This sighting represents the second record for the region, with the first being in St. Vincent in June 1964 (Gochfeld et al., 1973).

White-tailed Hawks are large and stocky birds, measuring approximately 17 - 24 inches (44 - 60 cm) in length, with a wingspan of up to 4.5 feet (142 cm). Adult White-tailed Hawks are predominantly gray above with a rufous chest and a white belly, while juveniles are a darker brown with streaking. Their range extends from southern Texas in the United States southward through Central and South America to central Argentina and Trinidad, where they are considered “very rare visitors” (Birds of Trinidad & Tobago by Kenefick et al.).

This sighting of the White-tailed Hawk in Barbados underscores the island's potential for unexpected avian visitors and will no doubt keep us local birders on our toes. 

Stay safe and Enjoy Your birding!