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.