Waterfowl to Shorebirds

Two Black-bellied Whistling Ducks were seen at Harrington Sound, Bermuda 31 May (Kieran Richardson). A Fulvous Whistling-Duck was present at Fosters Private Impoundment, St. Lucy, Barbados 2–31+ May (Julian Moore). A Greater White-fronted Goose was a surprise arrival at Bermuda Airport 18–24 May (Paul Watson). A Brant was photographed at Laguna de Las Salinas, Matanzas, Cuba 23 Mar (Cynthia Lawes, Alejandro Alfonso Garcia, Robert Lockett, Craig Robson) for the country’s first record—see photos on eBird. A Key West Quail-Dove was photographed at Boca Quebrada, Vieques 28 Mar (Erick Bermúdez)—a new location on the island for this species. Two Antillean Nighthawks were seen at La Diamant, Martinique 24 May where they now seem to be well established on the island (Eric Delcroix, Franz Delcroix). A Sora was observed at Lac de Gaschet, Port-Louis, Guadeloupe 23 Apr (Mattéo Antoine). A Purple Gallinule first seen in Jan in juvenile plumage was slowly moulting into adult plumage and last seen at Bayfield Pond, Saint Philip, Barbados 31 Mar (John Webster). An American Avocet pair continued their stay at Rendezvous Bay Pond, Anguilla with the female last seen 3 Apr and the male last seen 9 Apr (Jacqueline Cestero). An American Oystercatcher was present 22 Apr–8 May at Inch Marlow, Christ Church, Barbados (Julian Moore) but fisherman at that beach said it had been around for a few weeks. A Pacific Golden Plover was present in the parish of St. Philip, Barbados 21 Feb–18 Mar (John Webster). An Upland Sandpiper was photographed on the runway at Little Cayman, Cayman Islands 10 May (Nicole Martin). A Red Knot was seen at Tobacco Bay and then Stocks Harbour, Bermuda 16–22 May (Miguel Mejias); and one visited Cove Pond, Anguilla 29 May (Jacqueline Cestero). A Ruff was photographed at Freeport Pine Ridge Landfill, Grand Bahama 21 May (Bridget Davis). A Pectoral Sandpiper is unusual in spring in Guadeloupe with one at Port-Louis swamp 26 May (Anthony Levesque). A count of 40 Short-billed Dowitchers was made at Salines d’Orient, Saint Martin 30 Mar (Sam Reitsma, Binkie Van es).

Skua to Ibis

A South Polar Skua was seen from the Oasis of the Seas about 250 km to the northeast of Great Abaco, Bahamas 27 May (Victor Stoll, Ruben Stoll). A Parasitic Jaeger was well described from the Disney Fantasy in the Northwest Providence Channel off the coast of Grand Abaco, Bahamas 25 Mar (Aaron Holschbach); while another photographed on the ferry crossing from Vieques to the main island 16 Apr, was the first Vieques record (Mikey and Jo Lutmerding)—see photos here. A Black Headed Gull remained at Pile Bay, Saint Michael, Barbados to 23 Mar (Julian Moore). A Lesser Black Backed Gull, first seen in late 2021, was last seen at Bay Street, Bridgetown, Barbados 18 Apr (Julian Moore). Guadeloupe’s second White-winged Tern was discovered at Barrage de Gaschet 21–26 May (Anthony Levesque). Attracted to the lights of the cruise ship in Bridgetown Harbor, Barbados 18 Mar, a Leach’s Storm-Petrel briefly settled on the ship before flying off (John Ingham); while an incredible 35 were counted passing Cooper’s Point, Bermuda 16 Apr (Paul Watson). Four Band-rumped Storm-Petrels were seen and photographed off Highbourne Cay, Bahamas 27 Apr (Bruce Purdy). A Black-capped Petrel was observed from a cruise ship well off the north coast of Jamaica 30 Mar (Aaron Stutz). A good passage of 433 Manx Shearwaters was observed from Pointe des Châteaux, Guadeloupe 23 Mar (Jérémy Delolme). A Brown Booby was seen off Cooper’s Point, Bermuda 19 Apr (Paul Watson) and perhaps the same bird offshore 15 May (Luke Foster, David Wingate). An adult Northern Gannet was seen from the Disney Fantasy south of Freeport, Grand Bahama 25 Mar (Aaron Holschbach). An American White Pelican continued its stay at McKinnon’s Saltpond, Antigua to at least 9 May (Jermaine Jarvis). A Grey Heron present in the winter was last seen at Tappy Pond, Saint John, Barbados 1 Apr (Julian Moore). Striated Herons are being seen more regularly on Barbados with another on a small pond at the SBRC Mangrove, St. Thomas, Barbados 19–31 May+ (Julian Moore). A long-staying Glossy Ibis was still present at Fosters Private Impoundment, Saint Lucy, Barbados 27 May (Niels Larsen).

Kite to Bullfinch

No doubt under-recorded in Turks and Caicos, a Swallow-tailed Kite was photographed at Whitby Highway, North Caicos 3 Mar (Naqqi Manco); while another was photographed at Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse, Bermuda 21 Mar (LeShun Smith). A Snail Kite continued its lengthy stay at Bay Street, Bridgetown, Barbados to at least 31 May (John Webster). A Black Kite was seen and photographed in the area around La Sagesse, Saint David, Grenada 8–16 May (Kenrith Carter). Following multiple reports of a very large raptor roaming the west end of Bermuda in late March, the presence of an immature Bald Eagle was confirmed when one was seen chasing an Osprey over Morgan’s Point 3 Apr–31 May+ (EH, JS)—the first record since 1988. A female Green Kingfisher was well described at Ashton Lagoon, Union Island, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 8 Mar (Kent Russell) providing a first record for the country. A late Merlin was seen at Pointe des Châteaux, Guadeloupe 14 May (Franz Delcroix). A Wood Thrush was an excellent find at Wallings Forest, Saint Mary, Antigua 30 Mar (eBird) with a photo posted here. A male Baltimore Oriole in the Bunker area on Vieques 5 Apr was only the fifth island record (Samantha Lang). An early spring passage Louisiana Waterthrush was seen at Ferry Point Park, Bermuda 15 Mar (Paul Watson). A male Common Yellowthroat was seen north of Petit-Canal, Guadeloupe 23 Mar (Malo Braquier). A late Palm Warbler was seen at Petite-Terre, Guadeloupe 27 May (Anthony Levesque). Single Scarlet Tanagers were seen at Sogecoa Woodlands, Saint George, Grenada 6 Apr (Kenrith Carter); Folkstone, St. James, Barbados 13 Apr (Barbados Birds); Spring View Close, Barbuda 24 Apr (John Mussington); and north of Grand-Bourg, Marie Galante, Guadeloupe 27 Apr (Gabriel Naudet). A Rose-breasted Grosbeak, the fifth record for Vieques, was seen in Vieques National Wildlife Refuge 27 Mar (Erick Bermúdez). A Dickcissel, rarely seen on Little Cayman, was photographed at Booby Pond, Cayman Islands 26 Apr (Nicole Martin). One male and two female Lesser Antillean Bullfinch in two different locations on the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge were photographed on 27 Mar for the second and third records of this species for Vieques, Puerto Rico and the Greater Antilles (Erick Bermúdez). The first record of this species on Vieques and the Greater Antilles was 31 Jan 2022, so in the span of three months two males, two females, and an immature have been reported from Vieques—perhaps they are breeding on the island?

Report processed by José Ramírez-Garofalo, 1 Nov 2022.