December in Review

December in Review

It is all over now and what a time I had doing my first big year.  December was a month of obstacles; I was not able to do as much birding as I would have liked too. For the month, I was able to post only two birds. I added two species to my year and life count bringing the total to 90 species.   

The score

As 2013 slowly fades into history the Challenge remains unmet. For the 2013 Photo Challenge the goal was 100 species of birds, I was only able to record 82 species 18 species short of the mark.  Challenge number two was to set a new record for the number of bird species recorded in one year here in Barbados. The record stands at 118 species.  I was only able to record 90 bird species 28 species short of the mark.  Excuses? It was a strange year.  Migration was not as I expected it to be, and I also missed a number of birds but… I did my best.  

Will I try it again? Yes but not in 2014.  For 2014 I am planning on working more on my photography, writing and birding skills.  I think I will give both challenges a try maybe again in 2016.

Photo of the Month

My Photo of the month was shot while out one morning with Dr. John Webster, probably the most popular birder on the island because of his Television program “Breakfast with the Birds”, we were looking for two flocks of ducks. One of about 9 Northern Pintails and another of a mix flock of Blue and Green Winged Teals and American Wigeons.  During this trip we had a close encounter with an Osprey.  We watched as this bird hovered in search of food in a number of ponds; then without warning it landed in a semi dry pond not far away from us. So like soldiers creeping up on the enemy’s position we approached the pond and there it was.  The result was my Photo of the Month.

My Plans for the blog

I plan to keep the blog active to sensitize persons about the Birds of Barbados and the locations for birding here on the island.  I will try to highlight some birding locations. I also hope to have a couple guest writers and photographers comment on equipment, techniques and much more.  I will also keep a running list of my year count, highlighting any lifers and rare birds.  I am also hoping to add a trip to one of the neighboring islands; I have short listed three - Dominica, Trinidad and Tobago.  I encourage you to continue following this Blog and feel free to continue leaving your comments.

A new year is always exciting, full of promise; let us see what birds we will see here on the island of Barbados in 2014.

November in Review

November in Review

What a month! I must admit that this migration season was strange, but November made me smile. Just look at the numbers!  I was able to post 5 birds, half of the total needed to stay on the course.  I added 6 new species to my year and life count, moving both to 88 species.

What a Month!

I started off November feeling a little down.  The migration season was not going as I had imagined it would go.  I was coming to grips with the fact that I am not going to complete the challenge and I was also feeling a little tired. It was one of the months where I did not get out birding as much, but the days in which I did, were truly fulfilling.  My highlight was a trip to a pond in the north of the island, on the afternoon of November 18. It was after work, and I was in the area so I stopped in. In the 45 minutes I spent, I was able to observe 16 species, but the highlight was a strange looking duck, one I had never seen before.  I was not even able to find it in my Field Guide.  On arriving home I e-mailed the photographs to three of the top birders on the island, Dr. John Webster, Dr. Karl Watson and Mr. Edward Massiah.  It was later confirmed that this strange duck was a new species to the island and maybe even the region.  It was a Common Shelduck “Tadorna tadorna”. Some of the other exciting birds observed during this month were Wilson's Phalarope “Phalaropus tricolor”, Northern Shoveler “Anas clypeata”, Ring-necked Duck “Aythya collaris” and Hodsonian Godwit “Limosa haemastica”.

Hudsonian Godwit

Northern Shoveler

Wilson's Phalarope

Bird of the Month

My bird of the Month, and possibly bird of the year, was the Common Shelduck “Tadorna tadorna” observed and photographed on November 18, in the north of the island.

On to December

This is the final month of the challenge.  We still have some exciting birds to see.  I saw a Wood Sandpiper but the photographs were not the best.  A Grey Heron may also be on the island, and I look forward to seeing that. So December here I come!

October in Review

The most of my birding this month was in search of the seemingly elusive Black Poll Warbler “Setophaga striata” at Harrison’s Point St. Lucy. Up until the end of October this bird was nowhere to be seen.  However for the month of October, I posted five (5) birds moving my Photo Challenge count to 75 species.  I also was able to add three (3) new species to my year and life count, both of which now stand at 82 species.

The search for Blackpoll Warblers

I spent three Saturdays and some weekday afternoons in search of Blackpoll Warblers at Harrison’s Point.  The first Saturday I met with Edward Massiah, Co-author of the book Birds of Barbados, at about 6:30am. I was happy to add the Yellow –billed Cuckoo” Coccyzus americanus” to my list on that day. The Yellow Warblers were also plentiful at this location and I was able to get my best photo to date of this bird.

The 2^nd Saturday we were joined on our expedition by Dr. John Webster, Host of the Local, Regional and dear I say, International, bird show Breakfast with the Birds.  I felt honored to be birding with my mentors.  There is a wealth of knowledge between the two of them, which I so often tap into. However, after about 4 to 5 hour of looking we called it quits.

The 3^rd Saturday we were all hyped up. We heard of a massive Blackpoll Warbler fall out in Bermuda. I met Edward at about 6:30am to continue our hunt. I am not just a birder I am “naturer", (lookup that word in your dictionary and add it, if it is not there); hence, after realizing that this outing was going to be like the others, I switched from my long lens to the micro lens and took photographs of some of the insects around. The hunt for the Black-poll Warbler will continue but you will have to hear about that next month.

Photograph of the Month

My Photograph of the Month is of a Juvenile Peregrine Falcon "Falco peregrinus". The photograph was taken on October 31, 2013. 

 

Harrison’s Point

October 5^th would have been the second time I had been to Harrison’s Point but the first time for Birding. Located on the Northern tip of the island, Harrison’s Point, a decommissioned American Naval Base turned make shift prison, now stands abandoned with empty dilapidated buildings, over grown  by shrubs and trees.  The Myamosee or River Tamarind tree “leucaena leucocephela” is the predominant tree in this area. This tree is known to attract many worms and caterpillars making this area a perfect place for migrating birds like Warblers. A study done by Douglas McNair, Edward Massiah and Martin Frost at Harrison’s Point involving mist netting, added a number of species to the local Avifauna and offered valuable information on the migration of Blackpoll Warblers. So this location known for its lighthouse, is also an important area for birds. Link to the studies done at Harrison’s Point.

The Lighthouse @ Harrison's Point

On Identified Moth

Dragonfly

On To November

I entered November needing twenty-five birds. This pretty much seems like an impossible task, however, I am hoping to get at least ninety birds. I will continue the lookout for the Blackpoll Warblers and also the Godwits. The Blue-winged teals are here, and I will be looking for any vagrant among them.  I missed out on two juvenile Yellow-crowned Night Herons at WSR, but I hope that they are still around. So I am keeping my ears to the ground my eyes to the sky. So here is to another month of birding in Barbados.  

See the following post for Photograph for the Month of October.

September in Review - Part 1

Thirty birds in three months! Can I do it? My biggest supporter, my wife, thinks I can, but if I needed thirty birds in one month she would still feel that I could do it. Hmm! For the month of September I posted five (5) birds moving my count to 70 species. I also added two (2) new species to my year and life count both of which now stand at 79 species.

Thirty Birds in three months

If this was a marathon, we would view this as the home stretch.  It seems like a lot of birds to find. I am still 90% sure that I will see and be able to photograph the following before yearend:

1. Peregrine Falcon  Falco peregrines
2. Merlin  Falco columbarius
3. American Coot  Fulica Americana
4. Caribbean Coot   Fulica caribaea
5. Hudsonian Godwit  Limosa haemastica
6. Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis
7. Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus
8. West Indian Whistling Duck  Dendrocygna arborea
9. Blackpoll Warbler  Setophaga striata
10. Roseate Tern  Sterna dougallii

I will be hope for a lot more outside of this list.

Photograph of the Month

In the month of September I spent two afternoons at the Woodbourne Shorebird Rescue totaling about 3 hours. In those three hours I recorded 33 species of birds.  My photo of the month was taken on my first afternoon at WSR. It is of a 1^st Year Laughing Gull circling the main pond in search of food.  

10,000 Page views

A year ago, if someone had said to me that in less than a year of sharing my hobby and love for birds and birding in the blogosphere, that I would see persons from over 15 countries in the world reading my content, I would have said no way. I would also not have envisioned that in less than 1 year that my page would have been visited by over 10,000 viewers. Well that is what happened in the month of September. I would like to say thank you to all who visited this blog and I hope that it helps you to know more about the Birds of Barbados and to a lesser extent the Birds of the Caribbean.

Equipment Upgrade

No I don’t now own an L series lens or a Canon 1DX but I am accepting donations (lol). My trusty Canon Rebel XT, code name Candace, has been relegated to second shoot thanks to the all most “new”, addition to my gear bag, a Canon Rebel T3, codename Candis. Its upgrades over the XT include an increase in megapixels from 8 to 12mp; a higher ISO range, a larger LCD display with live views and best of all, it offers video.

On to October

October will be a very important month; I must reach my goal of 10 species to stay on course. The good news is that the official 2013 hunting season will end on October 15^th thus opening up more locations for birding.  Ducks will also be arriving very soon along with the Warblers.  So it’s on to October!  Please stay tuned to the continuing saga of the 100 Barbados Birds Challenge.

Part 2 of this post shows some of the birds I photographed throughout the month of september.