Waterfowl through Terns

Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks are rare in Bermuda with two first reported 31 May (Keiran Richardson) increasing to four at Cloverdale Pond 5 Jun and 3 birds last seen at Eve’s Pond NR 28 Jun (Eva Bottelli). The number of Bare-eyed Pigeons on Saint Martin appears to have increased significantly with a count of at least 30 made at Salines d’Orient 31 Jul (Anthony Levesque, Binkie Van es). A Sora was a good find at Levera small pond, Saint Patrick, Grenada 6 Jun (Kate Charles). American Coot is an irregular breeding bird in Bermuda; a pair was seen with 8 young at Bermuda Airport pond 18 Jun–31 Jul+ (Paul Watson, Tim White). An adult Purple Gallinule was discovered at Stonewall Drive, George Town, Grand Cayman 2 Jun (Matt Southgate). Having bred for the first time in Bermuda in 2021, Killdeer breeding pairs increased in 2022 with further success at Bermuda Airport and two sites in the west end of Bermuda. Rarely recorded on Montserrat, two American Oystercatchers were photographed at Maragita Beach 5 Jun (Adam Stinton). An Upland Sandpiper was seen at Bermuda Airport 28 Jun (Paul Watson). Seventeen White-rumped Sandpipers were seen at Holmes Rock Wetlands, Grand Bahama 6 Jun, with one still present to 20 Jun (Martha Cartwright); and one was at Spittal Pond, Bermuda 9–14 Jun (Richard Brewer). Two Red Knot were seen at Petit Marais Port-Louis, Guadeloupe 5 Jun (Anita Hersard). At Spittal Pond, Bermuda, returning migrant shorebirds were first noted 10 Jul—Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs and 12 Jul—Spotted Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs (Janice Hetzel, Miguel Mejias). Single South Polar Skuas were seen passing Cooper’s Point, Bermuda on 9 and 13 Jun (Paul Watson). A Least Tern was a good find at John Smith’s Bay, Bermuda 6 Jun (Eva Bottelli). A Gull-billed Tern passed through Spittal Pond, Bermuda 27 Jul (Paul Watson) and perhaps the same bird there 31 Jul (Peter Adhemar). The first record of Black Tern for Turks and Caicos was photographed at French Cay 2 Jun (Simon Busuttil) —see photos here—while another Black Tern was present at Ship’s Hill Pond, Bermuda 8–12 Jun (Paul Watson). Four Roseate Terns returned to the Great Sound, Bermuda and were noted on a nest 4 Jul (Erich Hetzel).

Petrels through Buntings

Jeremy Madeiros reports another record year for the Bermuda Petrel (Cahow) with 156 pairs (143 pairs in 2021) and 77 fledging chicks (73 in 2019)—a continuing success from only 18 known pairs in 1960. A three-hour 30-minute early morning seawatch from the east end of Desirade Island, Guadeloupe 9 Jun produced an impressive passage of 227 Cory’s Shearwaters, while later in the day one Bulwer’s Petrel was seen passing (Anthony Levesque). The large movement of shearwaters was mirrored by 290 Cory’s in two hours seen off Cooper’s Point, Bermuda also 9 Jun (Paul Watson). A one hour 30-minute seawatch from Cooper’s Point, Bermuda 4 Jun produced an impressive movement of 1800 Great Shearwaters (Paul Watson). A four-hour seawatch from Pointe des Châteaux, Guadeloupe saw a passage of 160 Great Shearwaters 12 Jun (Anthony Levesque, Frantz Delcroix). Tropical Storm Alex was the region’s first named storm for 2022. Its track on Jun 6 past Bermuda coincided with peak Great Shearwater passage with more than 100 birds picked up dead from the island’s beaches in subsequent days. The storm also bought unexpected Jun shorebird arrivals including 11 Semipalmated Sandpipers at Spittal Pond on Jun 7 (Paul Watson). A Sooty Shearwater was seen off Camino Playa La Esperanza, Barceloneta, Manatí, Puerto Rico 26 Jun (Kyle Kittelberger). An Audubon’s Shearwater was unfortunately picked up dead on the shoreline at Palmas del Mar, Humacao, Puerto Rico 9 Jun (Luis Crespo). A Masked Bobby was picked up injured and taken to Hope Zoo, Portmore, Jamaica 6 Jul (Damion Whyte). An immature Bald Eagle in first seen on 22 Mar was still roaming the west end of Bermuda to 31 Jul (m. ob.). A Burrowing Owl was seen in Nueva Gerona, Isla de la Juventud, Cuba 1 Jun and a nesting pair at Cerca de Pino Alto, Isla de la Juventud 4 Jun (Sergio Luis del Castillo). A Grey Kingbird was photographed on Nonsuch Island, Bermuda 12 Jun (Miguel Mejias). A Fork-tailed Flycatcher was a good record for Mustique Island, discovered near Lagoon Beach 4 Jun (Heather Gordon). Guadeloupe’s first proven breeding record of Antillean Euphonia was made on 5 Jul when an adult with two recently fledged young were seen and photographed on the Route de la Soufrière (Anthony Levesque, Kyle Kittelberger, Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu). A further sighting was made of a single bird at the Grand Etang car park, Guadeloupe 16 Jul (Anthony Levesque). Cuba’s first record of Great-tailed Grackle was photographed at Quinta de los Molinos, Havana, Cuba 11–14 Jun (Muhammad Halim). The first fall migrant warblers in Bermuda were a Louisiana Waterthrush (ph) at Seymour’s Pond 20 Jul (Odysseas Froilan Papageorgiou) and Prothonotary Warbler at Spittal Pond 27 Jul (Paul Watson). An adult male Chestnut-sided Warbler was a late migrant at Bush Cay, Turks and Caicos 3 Jun (Simon Busuttil). Two Indigo Buntings at Paget Marsh, Bermuda 25 Jul were unusual (Peter Adhemar).

Report processed by José Ramírez-Garofalo, 24 Oct 2022.