The Barbados Birds and Birding Report - July

July began on a tumultuous note with the passage of record-breaking Hurricane Beryl. While the storm caused minor damage to the island, it did significant damage to our neighboring islands. It also unexpectedly brought some pelagic birds closer to the island. One of these avian visitors, a Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus), was spotted on the south coast by Mike St. John, marking a new species record for the year.  Adding to the month's birding excitement, a rare Red Knot (Calidris canutus) in breeding plumage was discovered at Chancery Lane, Christ Church, by Ed Massiah on the first of the month. Furthermore, a Striated Heron (Butorides striata) was observed at the SBRC pond in Mangrove, St. Thomas.  These three remarkable sightings brought Barbados' 2024 bird species count to over 100, specifically 102.

Looking Ahead to August

Spotted Sandpiper was one of the first species to return from breeding grounds

Fall migration in Barbados usually kicks off in earnest around mid-August. However, we’re already witnessing signs of this seasonal shift in late July, with the return of Spotted Sandpipers (Actitis macularius) and a few Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). As the month progresses, keep an eye out for increasing numbers and species of shorebirds in the birding areas across the islands.

July's Rarebird Alerts

Outside of the rarebirds seen during and after the passing of Hirricane Beryl it was a relatively slow month for new rare birds sightings. Here's a breakdown of the other rare sightings for the month, listed parish by parish.

(* denotes birds that remained from previous months)

St. Lucy

Glossy Ibis

• Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)*(1)  - Long-stay birds who enjoy this location.
• Fulvous Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna bicolor)(2)* - the month started with one bird sighted but was joined by a second bird on the 13th which remained through the month.

St. Joseph

White-tailed Hawk

• White-tailed Hawk (Geranoaetus albicaudatus)* - this bird was first seen at the end of April, and later found regularly at a pond in St. John. It then relocated to East Coast, hills of Cambridge, St. Joseph. 

Christ Church

 

Red Knot

• Red Knot (Calidris canutus) - this bird was seen on the 1st, the day Hurricane Beryl passed to the south of the island.  It was in full breeding plumage, which is rare for the island.

St. Michael

Audouin's Gull

• Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)* This bird was first seen on June 20th and remained throughout July.
• Brown Noddy (Anous stolidus) (4) - these birds were seen during and after the passing of  Hurricane Beryl. Two were reported by Micaeh St. John at Hasting during the passage and two by Ed Massiah at Oistins after the all clear was given.
• Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) -mutiple birds seen during at after the passing of  Hurricane Beryl. A undisclosed amount were reported by Micaeh St. John at Hasting during the passage and one by Ed Massiah at Inch Marlow after the all clear was given.

St. Thomas

Striated Heron at the SBRC

• Striated Heron (Butorides striata) - bird was firstly seen on 28th at its ugual location at the pond at SBRC.

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