West Indies & Bermuda: Spring 2026

Waterfowl through Ibis

Rare in the Dominican Republic, a drake Gadwall was photographed at Wyndham Alltra, Samaná on 23 Apr (Jess Davis). A Black-billed Cuckoo was a good spring record at the Agricultural Grounds, Grand Cayman on 24 Apr (Peter Davey); and also at Spittal Pond, Bermuda on 8 May (Paul Watson). One Black Rail was seen with up to three more calling at Red Bays IBA, North Andros, Bahamas on 8 Mar (Lev Frid). An American Avocet, a scarce visitor to the Dominican Republic, was photographed at Las Salinas, Peravia on 7 Apr 2026 (Cory Gregory). A Pacific Golden Plover at Congo Road Private Impoundment, St. Philip, Barbados on 29 Mar–2 May was likely the same returning bird seen in previous years (Michael St. John). Snowy Plover numbers on Anguilla peaked at 24 birds (including three chicks) at Long Pond on 19 Apr (Jacqueline Cestero); while two were noted at Salines d’Orient, Saint Martin (French part) on 17 May (Laurens van der Waaij). A Common Ringed Plover was present at North Point, St. Lucy, Barbados until at least 22 Mar (Andrew Farnsworth, Julian Moore)—possibly the same bird discovered in Oct 2025. An Upland Sandpiper was a good find on Tanteen playing field, Saint George, Grenada on 1 May (John Griffith). A Eurasian Whimbrel photographed at Petite Terre, Guadeloupe on 30 Apr was possibly the same individual as in January at La Désirade (Anthony Levesque). A Ruff was recorded at Lalanne, Guadeloupe on 25 Mar (Frédéric Portier). Uncommon in the spring, single White-rumped Sandpipers were seen at St. Vincent, Castries, Saint Lucia on 9 May (Brian Piekarski), and Chancery Lane Swamp, Christ Church, Barbados on 28 May (Quincy Clarke). In Barbados, a Pectoral Sandpiper was seen at Chancery Lane Swamp, Christ Church on 8 Apr (James Boccia) with another two at Congo Road Private Impoundment, Saint Philip on 14 Apr (Dave Bennett).

A South Polar Skua was seen nearly 200 miles to the north of Bermuda (34.802, -66.152) on 8 May (Steve B). A Black-headed Gull was last seen at Cabrits NP, Saint John, Dominica on 1 Mar (Paul Prior). A Lesser Black-backed Gull was photographed on Howard Cooke Boulevard, Montego Bay, Jamaica on 2 Apr (Rich Hoyer). Lesser Black-backed Gulls were reported from many other islands, but a count of 60 birds at Basseterre Harbour, Saint Kitts and Nevis on 1 Mar was quite exceptional (Henriette de Vries). With only 10 sightings in Bermuda in the past 50 years, a Glaucous Gull was a very good sighting on Port Royal GC—a one-day appearance on 29 Mar (Ingela Persson). Rarely seen in May, a Brown Noddy was seen at Nova Dock, West Bay, Cayman Islands on 18 May (Jen Artuch, Simon Artuch, Tonja Wight). A single Gull-billed Tern was seen at Petite Terre, Guadeloupe on 19 Apr (Anthony Levesque) and two at McKinnon’s Salt Pond, Saint John’s, Antigua on 25 May (Andrea Otto). In Guadeloupe, a passage of Arctic Terns was observed at Pointe des Châteaux between 15–20 May by members of AMAZONA. Scarce in Jamaica, a Black Skimmer was photographed at Old Harbour Bay Mud Flats, Saint Catherine on 4 May (Ricardo Miller). A Band-rumped Storm-Petrel was a first island record at sea off Guadeloupe on 8 May (Anthony Levesque, Laurant Malglaive). A Black-capped Petrel was photographed about 200 miles to the south of Jamaica on 12 Apr (Tom Uslan); while another was photographed about 50kms north of San Salvador Island, Bahamas on 20 Apr (Brad Rogers). A sea-watch from Cooper’s Point, Bermuda on 25 May witnessed a huge movement of Great Shearwaters, with 657 counted in 76 minutes (Paul Watson). Two Northern Gannets were seen following a cruise ship about 70 kms south of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos on 1 Mar (Kevin Bourke). A Western Reef Heron was discovered at McKinnon’s Salt Pond, Antigua from 7 Mar–28 May (Margarita Zavidonova); while another that arrived in Dec 2025 was last seen at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, Christ Church, Barbados on 8 Apr (James Boccia). A long-staying White-faced Ibis was last seen at Lyford Cay GC, New Providence, Bahamas on 14 Apr (Peter Kemp). A Eurasian Spoonbill was on the Lagoon Beach area, Mustique Island, Grenadines on 17 Mar (Kate Charles).

Vultures through tanagers

The first Cayman Islands record of Black Vulture was seen soaring over Barker’s NP, West Bay, Grand Cayman on 17 May (Denny Swaby). A Snail Kite was photographed at Laguna Jacana, Monte Plat, Dominican Republic on 28 Mar (Gabriel Lugo-Ortíz)—the first record for the country. While birding at Fosters Private Wetland, St. Lucy, Barbados on 1 May, Michael St. John thought at first he had photographed a Peregrine. He had in fact photographed the first Red-footed Falcon to be seen in the West Indies and only the second record for the Western Hemisphere. Michael says, “It flew by overhead fairly fast and continued towards the southeast”. The photos and a short video clip were sent to raptor expert Dick Forsman who commented, “It appears to have moulted its underwing coverts partially, which is not normal for a 2CY bird. However, these are clearly dark, contrasting with the retained pale and barred juvenile feathers identifying it as a Red-Footed Falcon”.

A Great-crested Flycatcher, a rare vagrant to the Cayman Islands, was seen at West Bay on 28 May (Peter Davey). A Grey Kingbird was photographed at Fort Scaur, Bermuda on 16 May (David Sannier). A Fork-tailed Flycatcher was a nice surprise for observers at the Agricultural Grounds, Grand Cayman on 17 Apr (Simon Artuch, Peter Davey). Two Short-eared Owls were still present at Bermuda Airport until 8 May (Paul Watson). A Red-eyed Vireo (photo) was unexpected at Providence (Est), Guadeloupe on 4 May (Anthony Levesque). Observations of at least two White-winged Swallows were made at the Woburn MPA Observation Tower, Grenada from 25 Mar–27 May (Eric Delcroix, Frantz Delcroix). Two Grey Tremblers were last seen at Consett Bay, Saint John, Barbados on 2 Apr (Macrae Hoyos). A Dark-eyed Junco was a very good find on the Agricultural Grounds, Grand Cayman on 17 Apr (Simon Artuch, Peter Davey). A White-crowned Sparrow, the first sighting in Grand Cayman, was seen in the observer’s garden at Savannah Grand, North Side on 27–28 Apr (Peter Davey)—there are single records from Cayman Brac and Little Cayman in 2021.

Single Baltimore Orioles were seen at Shoal Bay West, Anguilla on 21 Apr (Brent Bomkamp); Mount Scenery, Saba on 30 Apr; Deshales, Guadeloupe on 8 May (Muriel Aboso); and one on Old Quill Road, Sint Eustatius on 23 Mar was joined by another on 4 Apr (Antonne Durby, Jethro van’t Hul). In Cuba, a long-staying Great-tailed Grackle continued its stay until at least 31 May and was photographed in Desembocadura Río Almendares, La Habana, Cuba on 5 Apr (Laura Arañaburo)—similarly in Guadeloupe with one male found in 2025 and still present to 30 Apr at Pointe-à-Pitre (Joévin Marquès). Scarce migrant warblers in Barbados included a Prothonotary Warbler at Turners Hall, St. Andrew on 12 Mar (Ocean Campbell), Magnolia Warbler at Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary on 24 Apr (Alma Gomez) and Prairie Warbler in St. Peter on 4 Mar (Julian Moore). In Guadeloupe, notable warbler sightings included a Tennessee Warbler at Saint Jacque on 8 May (Frantz Delcroix); a Hooded Warbler at Providence (Ouest) on 5 Apr (Muriel Aboso, Anthony Levesque); a Bay-breasted Warbler at Corossol on 25 Apr (Michel Leroux); and a Chestnut-sided Warbler present in the vicinity of Impasse de Chouchou, Guadeloupe from up to 9 Apr (Jérôme Oster).

Very scarce in the spring in Cuba, a Cerulean Warbler was seen in the Jardín Botánico Nacional, La Habana on 1 Apr (José Alberto Pérez Hechavarría). A Hooded Warbler was found at Hanson’s Bay Flashes, Saint Mary, Antigua on 18 Apr (Jermaine Jarvis). A Blackpoll Warbler was an unusual sighting on the Rutland Trail, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on 28 Mar (Kate Charles). Black-throated Green Warblers were photographed at Petite Terre (phare), Guadeloupe on 2 May (Baptiste Angin) and in Codrington, Barbuda on 16 May (Mosaiah Williams). A bird survey on San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina, Colombia 9–16 Apr proved very successful and included 726 individual warblers of 21 sp., including a banded Canada Warbler (Anthony Levesque, Muriel Aboso). Seldom recorded on Anguilla, two Scarlet Tanagers were seen at the Anguilla National Trust on 15 Apr 2026 (Binkie van Es); with single birds seen at Diego Piece, Saint Mark, Grenada on 7 Apr (Sahid Martin Robles Bello), on the Crispeen Track, Saba on 22 Apr (Tom Brokke), and on Lagoon Beach area, Mustique I. on 9 May (3KCbirding team).

Report edited by Andrew Keaveney, 27 Sep 2026.