The Yearly Return of the Black Swifts

A Black Swift at Bell Point, St. Philip

April and May are spring migration months.  This annual journey to breeding grounds in North America can be clearly seen as the number of migratory birds on the island steadily declines. There are some exceptions to the norm, as is the case with Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger).  These birds, instead of heading north, fly to breeding sites in the West Indies.  One such nesting site can be found on the east coast of our island, nestled in a hard-to-reach sea cave in the sea cliffs of Bell Point, St. Philip.  Black Swifts are listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This is because the species is undergoing a rapid decline throughout its North American range. The reasons for the decline are uncertain, but one of the biggest dangers to migratory birds, animals in general is the loss of habitat.  It is even more so a problem for bird species like Black Swifts, which are known to have a high nest-site loyalty (Collins and Foerster 1995), which means that these birds will return to the same site for nesting every breeding cycle. That is why I am encouraged by the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Plan, drafted by the Coastal Zone Management Unit.  Some of the directives within the plan can inadvertently protect the sea caves at Bell Point, thus protecting the nesting site of this vulnerable species, and trust me, migratory birds need all the help they can get.   So if you’re out and about in the Skeet’s Bay Area, or along the East Coast Road, or gazing over the vista at Melvin’s Hill, St. Joseph, you just may see them, these masters of flight – the Black Swifts. 

Global Big Day 2025 A Record-Breaking Event

A Grey kingbird, photographed during the GBD

The local birding community came together in full force for Global Big Day 2025 (GBD25)! While we missed two of our most experienced birders, it was inspiring to witness the enthusiasm and dedication of our two first-year participants. By the end of the day, we recorded an impressive 59 species—likely a record for this time of year.

All local birders were part of our dedicated team, Bajan Birders & Friends, which proudly participates in  BirdsCaribbean's annual Global Big Day fundraiser. This year, we shattered all previous team records! We saw peaks across multiple categories:

• Team members: 15 participants—the most we've ever had.
• Countries represented: 4, broadening our reach.
• Checklists submitted: 104 from these four countries.
• Species observed: 251—soaring past last year’s record of 221.
• Funds raised: $840—a new high for our team!

The outstanding effort from everyone made this year's event truly special. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for an incredible day of birding, on behalf of both our team and BirdsCaribbean.

Team Members

• Barbados: Julian Moore, John Webster, Michael St. John, Quincy Clarke, Ocean Campbell, Macrae Hoyos
• UK: John Lepley (Birded in Barbados)
• Trinidad & Tobago: Jerome Foster (Contributed from St. Lucia)
• United States : Bert Alm (Florida) (Contributed from Puerto Rico)
• United States: Andrew Farnsworth (New York), Karen Sullivan (Ohio), Judd Patterson (Colorado)
• Canada: Janet Spiers (Ontario), Corinna Chaudhary (Ottawa), Keith Miles (Alberta)

Local Trip Report | Bajan Birders & Friends Trip Reports

An incredible effort from everyone this year—let’s keep the momentum going for future birding adventures!

PS: Lookout for a post from the rookies on their first Global Big Day

Come Bird with Our Team for Birds Caribbean Global Big Day fundraiser

May is Global Big Day month, culminating this year on Saturday, May 10th! Our local birding team, The Bajan Birders & Friends, is proud to once again participate in BirdsCaribbean's annual Global Big Day fundraiser. This inspiring initiative connects passionate local birders with fellow enthusiasts who have visited our beautiful island and share a love for all things avian. 

Table for BirdsCaribbean.org

Last year, our ten-member team, with members birding from three different countries, collectively identified an impressive 216 species—the 6th highest total—and, more importantly, raised over $300 to support crucial regional bird conservation efforts.

This year, we're aiming even higher! We hope to see more birds, grow our team, and raise even more funds. Our ambitious goal for 2025 is to surpass 225 species, climb into the top 5, and raise over $400. We can achieve these milestones and make an even greater impact with your support. Join us and be part of this remarkable effort!

To team up and rep Bajan Birders & Friends 

• Head over to this Givebutter link, 
• Log in by clicking the “sign-in” link at the bottom of the pop-up window, or make a profile if you don’t already have one (you likely have an account if you were on a team in the past—it’s easy to reset your password if you have forgotten it). 
• Hit the “Join an existing team” button and choose Bajan Birders & Friends.

To Donate:

• Simply click the DONATE button at the top of the fundraising page, and you can specify if you want your donation to go to the general campaign or to a particular team, e.g Bajan Birders & Friends (all funds go to the same cause, but teams do compete to raise the most funds).

Keep Soaring with Us: Join us for Global Big Day 2025! by BirdsCaribbean

Global Big Day (GBD) is fast approaching, and bird lovers are gearing up for an exciting adventure in nature. Organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, GBD takes place annually on the second Saturday of May—this year, it’s Saturday, May 10th, 2025. On this day, bird enthusiasts and nature lovers around the world head outdoors to document as many bird species as possible in just 24 hours. These observations help scientists monitor bird populations, track migration patterns, and identify habitats in need of conservation.

What makes GBD truly special is that it’s open to everyone—whether you’re an expert birder or just starting out, there’s a place for you in this global effort to understand and protect the incredible diversity of birdlife.

Compete for the Cause: Join Our Team Challenge!

We’re thrilled to bring back our popular teams competition, and we’d love for you to be a part of it! Both national (individual islands) and multinational teams are invited to join in the effort to make a lasting impact on the birds and ecosystems of the Caribbean. We’re especially eager to see a team representing each Caribbean island, so if you don’t see your island listed here, now’s your chance to step up and take the lead (more details below). 
In addition to hosting what is (unofficially) the most exciting birding competition in the region, we’ll also be raising funds to support our programs. These initiatives focus on capacity building, research, education, and outreach. This year’s fundraising theme, Help BirdsCaribbean Keep Soaring, is a call to action that ensures the continued success of our important work.

Continue reading >>

 

Global Big Day—10 May 2025 by Team eBird

Be a part of birding’s biggest team! Global Big Day is an annual celebration of the birds around you. No matter where you are, join us virtually on 10 May, help celebrate World Migratory Bird Day, and share the birds you find with eBird.

Participating is easy—you can even be part of Global Big Day from home. If you can spare 5 or 10 minutes, report your bird observations to eBird online or with our free eBird Mobile app. If you have more time, submit several checklists of birds throughout the day. You never know what you might spot. Your observations help us better understand global bird populations through products like these animated abundance maps brought to you by eBird Science.

Last year, Global Big Day collected more data about birds on a single day than ever before. More than 63,000 people gathered observations on 156,000 checklists, setting new world records for a single day of birding. Will you help us make this the year we surpass 150,000 checklists on a single day?

How to participate

• Get an eBird account: eBird is a worldwide bird checklist program used by millions of birders. It’s what allows us to compile everyone’s reports into a single massive Global Big Day list—while at the same time collecting data to help scientists better understand birds. Sign up here. It’s 100% free from start to finish.
• Enjoy birds on 10 May: It’s that simple. You don’t need to be a bird expert or go out all day long, even 10 minutes of birding from home counts. Global Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. You can report what you find from anywhere in the world.
• Enter what you see and hear in eBird: You can enter your sightings via our website or download the free eBird Mobile app to make submitting lists even easier. Please enter your checklists before 13 May to be included in our initial results announcement.
• Watch the results roll in: During the day, follow along with bird observations from more than 200 countries in real-time on our Global Big Day page.

Continue reading here at ebird.org

Great Backyard Bird Count 2025—when the world comes together for the love of birds! By Team eBird

Carib Grackle and chick, one of the birds to see during GBBC

The annual Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) is Friday, February 14 through Monday, February 17. The GBBC was one of the first online projects to collect information on wild birds and was also instrumental in the creation of eBird back in 2002. Now there are more ways than ever to participate and share your love of birds!  

If you’re new to birding, participate with Merlin: beginning bird admirers can participate in the GBBC using Merlin Bird ID—simply identify birds and save them with the app anytime February 14-17.

If you’re already eBirding, participate with eBird: go birding for at least 15 minutes anytime February 14-17, count all the birds you see or hear, and enter your observations via the GBBC website or eBird Mobile app. If you haven’t used eBird since the last GBBC, take the free eBird Essentials course for a refresher.

Below are some additional details about Great Backyard Bird Count and how to get involved.

Continue Reading >>>

Weekend Birding Blitz

An image of an adult Black-crowned Night-heron by Quincy Clark during last weekend's birding blitz

Last weekend (January 25th-26th) saw a flurry of birding activity across the island. Ten birders, mostly visitors, submitted over 40 checklists to eBird, contributing significantly to our island's 2025 bird list.

The highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly the addition of three new species:

• Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea): A stunning discovery by Ed Massiah near Gays St. Peter.
• American Wigeon (Mareca americana): Two of them along with several other duck species, were discovered in a flooded cane field near the Mount Gay Distillery in St. Lucy by the dynamic duo of experienced birder Quincy Clark and first-year birder Ocean Campbell—both of whom are already tallying impressive counts of 70 and 61 species respectively in their Big Year campaigns; 
• Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri): Observed by visiting birder Ian Alkins at the Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge (WSR).

What an exhilarating start to the new year! I can’t wait to see how things unfold month by month. If every weekend turns out to be like this one, we might be in for a record-breaking 2025. How wonderful that would be! 

I hope you also had a good weekend of birding, If you did or not, I hope you continue to enjoy your birding.