New Avian Species on the Best Day of Birding

December 26 will surely go down as one of—if not the—best birding days of 2025 in Barbados.

Western Reef-Heron one of the rare birds at WSR

That morning, most of the island’s birders gathered at the Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR), drawn by the sharp eyes of its principal, Ian “Bolt” Alkins. He had spotted a strange-looking heron wading in the shallows, and his alert quickly brought the community together. The bird turned out to be a Western Reef-Heron (Egretta gularis), a true mega-rarity for the region.
As if that weren’t enough, while scanning the refuge we discovered another surprise—a Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope). Both species are exceptionally rare in the Caribbean, though each has been recorded on the island before.
The excitement didn’t end there. As birders chatted and compared notes at WSR, one of the newer and enthusiastic members of the community, Macrae Hoyos, shared a video of a bird no one expected to see in Barbados. He then led me and fellow birder Ocean Campbell on a twisting and winding drive throught the parishes of St. Philip and St. John to the eastern fishing port of Consett Bay, St. John.

Gray Trembler

There, the mystery bird was quickly confirmed: a Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis), a near-endemic of Saint Lucia and Martinique. Measuring about 9–10 inches (23–26 cm)—roughly the size of our familiar Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus dominicensis)—the trembler showed off its grayish-brown plumage, paler breast and belly, and a slightly darker facial mask. Most striking of all were its eyes, glowing with the brightest golden hue I’ve ever seen.

This unexpected find nudged Barbados’ official avian tally even closer to the 300 species milestone, a testament to the island’s rich and ever-surprising birdlife.

Two New Avian Species Record for Barbados

It’s been a little while since my last post—not because things have been quiet, but quite the opposite. The final quarter of 2025 has been packed with birding headlines, and the biggest news of all is the addition of two new species for Barbados, both of Old-World origin.
The first of these was spotted on May 6th by local birder Quincy Clarke at Harrison’s Point, St. Lucy. The bird was later identified as a Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Unfortunately, his photograph was too poor for a confident identification at the time, but it set the stage for what was to come. Just two weeks later, on May 20th, I had my own fleeting encounter with the same bird while driving along Highway 7 near Top Rock, Christ Church. It was flying from the direction of the Graeme Hall Swamp. I pulled into a nearby car park to snap a photograph to assist with the identification, but a series of unfortunate events thwarted that effort. In my eBird post at the time, I described the bird as:

“A large bird of prey. Because of the backlighting and looking into the sun, I couldn’t make out color. It had broad wings with finger-like extensions, held in a V-shape while gliding, and a long tail.”

Hen Harrier photographed by Michael St. John

The mystery lingered until June 11th, when Michael St. John finally captured a usable photograph of the bird in St. Lucy. Even then, local and regional eBird reviewers debated whether it was a Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), a raptor from the Americas, or a Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus), its Old-World counterpart. Yes—even with an image, the identification remained elusive. Finally, in early September, the puzzle was solved. Dr. Mark Avery, former Conservation Director of the RSPB, reviewed the evidence and confirmed the bird as a Hen Harrier, clearly explaining his reasoning in a blog post.

The second new species was much easier to identify. It was discovered by visiting birders from Guadeloupe, Muriel Aboso and Anthony Levesque, right at the close of their highly successful trip to the island. Remarkably, they spotted it on their way to the airport—a final highlight before departure. Their find was a Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), a small raptor observed along the Belle, St. Michael stretch of the ABC Highway. Widely distributed across Europe, Asia, and Africa, the Eurasian Kestrel is best known for its distinctive hunting style. Using a hovering flight technique called kiting, it faces into the wind and flaps rapidly to remain suspended in place, scanning the ground below for prey. Its diet typically includes small mammals, insects, and birds, making it a versatile predator.

With these two remarkable sightings, the island’s official bird tally has now risen to 292 species (Clements checklist)—a milestone that underscores the richness and diversity of Barbados’ avifauna.