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