West Indies & Bermuda: Summer 2026

Doves to Shorebirds

An Eared Dove was unusual at Dadoud (Petit-Canal), Guadeloupe on 26 Jul (Anthony Levesque). Four Yellow-billed Cuckoos were seen at Cerro El Buey Natural Area, Vieques Island on 25 Jun (Erick Bermúdez) with numerous reports of 1 to 4 individuals at this location during the month—a family group of 3 established the first breeding record for the island (a rare breeding resident in Puerto Rico). Eight Double-striped Thick-knees was an impressive number, seen by Randolph “Casper” Burrows while hunting pigs at night at Cooter Road, Inagua, Bahamas on 18 Jul. Seven American Golden Plovers were noteworthy at Patrick’s Island Lake, George Town, Grand Cayman on 27 Jul (Peter Davey). A Southern Lapwing, Cayman Island’s first, and only the second sighting for the Greater Antilles, was discovered at Cayman Brac Airport from 10–16 June (Peter Davey & Denny Swaby). A Collared Plover was noted at Animal Flower Cave Road, Flatfield, Saint Lucy, Barbados on 4 Jul (Julian Moore). A count of 29 Semipalmated Plovers at Playa Grande westside, Vieques Island, Puerto Roco on 14 Jul may have been over-summering or early southbound migrants (Erick Bermúdez). A Eurasian Whimbrel was seen on Petite Terre, Guadeloupe on 28 Jun and 5 Jul (Anthony Levesque). Four Red Knot were seen at San Gregorio de Nigua, San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic on 30 Jul (Eloy Contreras); and a single bird was photographed at Baie Olive, Grande Terre, Guadeloupe on 19 Jul (Frantz Delcroix). A Franklin’s Gull was seen at Shelly Bay, Bermuda 4–7 Jun (LeShun Smith).

Another Blue-billed White Tern appeared in Bermuda at Shelly Bay on 4 Jun (Eva Bottelli) following previous records in 1972 and 2025—and it was seen at various Bermuda locations to 31 Jul+. Extremely rare in the summer, a flock of five Sooty Terns was observed from the ferry at Isabel Segunda, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico on 21 Jun (Jared Fisher)—only the fourth record for the island. A pair of Bridled Terns were photographed on a nest site (with a visible egg) at Punta Negra to establish the first breeding record for this species on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico (Gustavo Meléndez)—a chick with an adult were photographed at this location on 17 Jul (Erick Bermúdez). In Guadeloupe, between 169–174 pairs of Least Terns nested on the Petite Terre Nature Reserve, with most (106) on three special tern platforms (Anthony Levesque).

Scarce on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, a Red-billed Tropicbird was photographed on 25 Jun (Gustavo Meléndez). A small number of White-tailed Tropicbirds were also seen with both Caribbean subspecies of tropicbirds considered birds of conservation concern.

Petrels to Grosbeak

Four Leach’s Storm-Petrels were seen from a ship nearly 200 miles NNE of Central Abaco, Bahamas on 31 Jul (Jake Schlosser). A Magnificent Frigatebird was seen over Albuoy’s Point, Bermuda 30–31 Jul (Andrea Ottley). Jeremy Madeiros, Bermuda Government Conservation Officer, reports that the last of this year’s cohort of Cahow (Bermuda Petrel) chicks fledged out to sea from the Castle Harbour Islands, Bermuda on 30 Jun—the total number of successfully fledged chicks this nesting season was 78, just under the record number of 79 in 2022. This year stands out with a total of six Cahow fledglings having to be taken into care and rehabilitated (two for infected eyes with acute bacterial conjunctivitis, and the other four being critically underweight due to premature parental abandonment and too weak to fledge)—these birds were all rehabilitated successfully (Jeremy Madeiros). Two American White Pelicans were with Brown Pelicans on McKinnon’s Saltpond, Saint John’s, Antigua on 16 Jun (per Anthony Levesque). A Western Reef-Heron seen amongst Snowy Egrets at Place de Sainte-Marie from 21–25 Jul was the first record for Martinique (Jocelyne Mouriesse). A Striated Heron was a good find at Barrage de Gaschet, Guadeloupe on 28 Jun (Frantz Delcroix). Single Eurasian Spoonbills were seen at Cotton House Ponds, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 8–16 Jun (Kate Charles) and again on 17 Jul (Shawn Allard) with another at Grand Marais de Port-Louis, Guadeloupe on 17 Jun (Anthony Levesque). Two Eurasian Spoonbills were at Saline du Gosier, Guadeloupe on 22–25 Jul (Carl Converty et al).

A Mississippi Kite was a very good sighting at Safehaven, West Bay, Cayman Islands on 18 Jun (Denny Swaby). The first of two male Cuban Martins was seen at the old police station (Port-louis), Guadeloupe on 26 Jul with one of them observed on a nest, providing a rare nesting record (Anthony Levsque). European Starling is certainly uncommon in the Cayman Islands, but one was seen at North Sound Road, George Town on 23 Jun (Simon Artuch). An extremely unseasonal breeding male Bobolink was singing at Fosters Private Wetland, Saint Lucy, Barbados from 1–13 Jul (Michael St. John). A Brown-headed Cowbird was photographed at Freeport Pine Ridge Landfill, Grand Bahama on 29 Jul (Martha Cartwright). An American Redstart was unusual at Golden Rock, Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis on 12 Jun (Perian Dillan). A Palm Warbler was well described from Pointe des Colibris (La Désirade), Guadeloupe on 12 Jun (Eric Delcroix). A Rose-breasted Grosbeak at Petite Terre (Pointe Cocoteraie), Guadeloupe on 14 Jun was an extraordinary summer sighting (Anthony Levesque).

Report edited by Andrew Keaveney, 28 Sep 2026.