Waterfowl to Gulls

Eight Snow Geese were most unusual at Autopista Nacional entre Mayabeque Y Matanzas, Cuba 2 Dec—“They flew at low altitude, perfectly observable from the seat of a bus. It was a group of seven individuals forming a closed triangle. And an eighth individual was following them 100 m behind” (Tania Piñeiro); and four Snow Geese photographed at New Providence Ecology Park, Bahamas Feb 10 were thought to have been there for at least three weeks (Carolyn Wardle, Lillian Russel). A swan sp. was seen in Well Bay, Cooper’s Island, Bermuda 14 Dec (Paul Watson)—the first swan record since 1995. It was either a Tundra or Trumpeter Swan. Frustratingly, photos were unable to clinch identification. Had it been a Trumpeter, it would have been a first record for Bermuda. A drake Eurasian Wigeon was present on the airport pond, Bermuda 16 Jan–29 Feb+ (Paul Watson); while a female Eurasian Wigeon first seen in Nov at Jubilee Road, Bermuda was last seen 1 Feb (Andrea Webb). Grenada’s first Northern Pintail, a handsome drake, was photographed on Antoine Lake, Saint Patrick, Grenada 12 Feb, and on returning to the same site 19 Feb, two male birds were present (Kenrith Carter). A Redhead was at Cayo Coco wastewater treatment ponds, Cuba 18 Dec (Odey Martínez Llanes); and a Redhead was photographed at Hobby Horse Pond, New Providence, Bahamas 6 Jan (Carolyn Wardle). Daphne Gemmill (et al) counted 19 Lesser Scaup, the third record for the island, at Laguna Punto Gato, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 9 Dec with ten still present 30 Dec. Rare in winter, two Ruddy Ducks were observed at Laguna Puerto Mosquito, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 21 Feb (Mark Martin).

Eurasian Collared Doves are not established in Bermuda, but one was seen on St Georges GC 16 Dec (Paul Watson). An Eastern Whip-poor-will was heard calling five times on Canaan Land Road, North Road, Grand Cayman 4 Feb (Ian Kirkham et al)—a probable first record for the Cayman Islands. In Bermuda, single Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were seen at Jubilee Road 25 Jan (Neal Morris) and photographed in the Botanical Gardens 12 Feb (Andrea Webb, Miguel Mejias). A Clapper Rail was seen at Savannah, Bodden Town, Grand Cayman 4 Jan (Ian Kirkham)—a rare record for Cayman Islands. A Grey-breasted Crake was photographed on a cruise ship that had just docked in Bridgetown Port, Barbados 8 Feb—presumably ship-assisted from Iles de Salutes or Amazon River ports (Cindy Johnson). An American Avocet remained in Bermuda at Ship’s Hill Pond to 26 Feb (Paul Watson). At Soline d’Orient, Saint-Martin a single Piping Plover was present Jan 24 with two birds there Jan 30 (Pam Watters, Phil Riebel). A Piping Plover was photographed at Daniel’s Head Farm, Bermuda 14 Feb (Miguel Mejias). Scarce on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico and rare in the winter, a Whimbrel was photographed at a lagoon at Puerto Ferro, 26–30 Dec (Dale and Priscilla Doucette). A Red Knot, only the second island record (and first for the winter season) was sighted at Laguna Anones, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 30 Dec (Mike Barandiaran). A Ruff was present at St Philip, Barbados 10–29 Feb+ (John Webster). A Baird’s Sandpiper at Gaschet Reservoir, Guadeloupe 3 Feb was completely unexpected at this date, and only the second record for Guadeloupe (Anthony Levesque).

A very early Pomarine Jaeger was seen chasing a White-tailed Tropicbird off Cooper’s Point, Bermuda 14 Feb (Paul Watson). A Bonaparte’s Gull at Oistins Pier, Christ Church, Barbados 26–28 Dec (Julian Moore) was the first record for 42 years! A Black-headed Gull was present at Port-Louis Swamp, Guadeloupe Dec 6–29 Feb+ (Anthony Levesque, Frantz Delcroix). A very early Laughing Gull was at Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe 29 Feb (Anthony Levesque). A much photographed Franklin’s Gull was last seen in Havana Harbor, Cuba 1 Feb (Orlando Llerena). A Glaucous Gull was seen on the airport pond, Bermuda 8–10 Feb (Paul Watson).

Terns to Bullfinches

Three Least Terns were at Fort James Beach, Antigua Feb 3 (Shanna Challenger); while a single Least Tern at Petite Terre Nature Reserve, Guadeloupe 13 Feb provided a very rare wintering record (Anthony Levesque). A Gull-billed Tern was seen at Port-Louis Swamp, Guadeloupe Dec 6 (Anthony Levesque, Frantz Delcroix). A Black-capped Petrel was seen during a seawatch from Les Galets, Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe 18 Jan (Anthony Levesque). A rare white morph Great Blue Heron, the first for Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, was photographed at Laguna Playa Grande 10 Jan (Erick Bermúdez). A single Glossy Ibis observed at the Radio Tower wetland, was a fourth record for Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 17 Dec (Erick Bermúdez).

A Swallow-tailed Kite was photographed over Emerald GC, Freeport, Grand Bahama 20 Feb (Suzanne Zuckerman); and two were seen over Port Royal GC, Bermuda 26–29 Feb+ (Herb Marshall). A Cooper’s Hawk was photographed at Ferry Point Park 2 Dec for a very rare sighting of this species in Bermuda (Richard Brewer).  A Yellow-headed Caracara was seen on a Sunrise Birding trip at Grooms Beach Resort, Saint George, Grenada Jan 23 (Ryan Chenery).

An Ash-throated Flycatcher remained at Kindley Field, Bermuda until 3 Jan (Jayden Parker). A Tropical Kingbird, photographed, was a great find on the Maravillas de Viñales Trail, Viñales, Cuba 3 Jan (Ernesto Reyes).  A Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was photographed at Mangrove Cay, South Andros, Bahamas 10 Dec (Rinald Rolle). A Philadelphia Vireo was an unusual winter sighting at Orquideario de Soroa, Cuba 2 Feb (Liz Harper). A Red-eyed Vireo was photographed at the Cerro El Buey bunker area, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 8 Jan for a fourth island record (Gustavo Meléndez). A Northern Shrike was discovered on Mid-Ocean GC, Bermuda 9 Jan (Paul Watson). Very rare in the winter season, three Bank Swallows were observed at Sun Bay, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 30 Dec (Mark Martin). Only the third island record of Gray Catbird was reported on Mt. Pirata, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico 7 Jan (Liam Pentangelo). A Tropical Mockingbird was a good find at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, Barbados (Julian Moore). A White Wagtail, first seen 26 Feb 2023, was last seen 22 Feb (2024) at Humedal, Mota, Granma, Cuba (Ricel Polán Hernández).

Of the very scarce sparrow species to occur in Bermuda, a Fox Sparrow 26 Feb and a Vesper Sparrow 30 Dec, were well described at Spittal Pond, Bermuda (Paul Watson). A White-throated Sparrow was seen on a cruise ship at Barbados Feb 26 (Kent Davis). A Lincoln’s Sparrow was photographed at Farm Road, East End, Grand Cayman 24 Feb (Jen Artuch). Rare in Cuba, a Brown-headed Cowbird was photographed in Havana, Cuba 5 Jan (Jean Carlos Vega). On Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, Worm-eating Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and an island first, Blue-winged Warbler, were photographed along Rt 995 on 12 Dec (Gustavo Meléndez). Unusual winter warbler records in Cuba included a Golden-winged Warbler at Loma de Cunagua, Ciego de Ávila 8 Feb (Alejandro Espinosa, Yaro Rodriguez); a Connecticut Warbler at Playa Larga, Matanzas 6 Feb (Liz Harper); and a Kentucky Warbler at Los Hondones 18 Dec (Ernesto Reyes, Tania Piñeiro). A Common Yellowthroat was seen at Port-Louis Swamp, Guadeloupe Dec 6 (Anthony Levesque, Frantz Delcroix). A Kirtland’s Warbler was a great surprise at Kindley Field Road, Bermuda 9 Dec (Andrea Webb)—only the third record for Bermuda. An exceptional winter for Cape May Warblers in the Lesser Antilles, including up to nine birds at Hanson’s Bay, Antigua (Natalya Lawrence, Jermaine Jarvis). A Cerulean Warbler was an exceptional find and photographed at Barker’s NP, West Bay, Cayman Islands 25 Jan (Denny Swaby). A late migrant Blackpoll Warbler was seen at Ferry Point Park, Bermuda 16 Dec (Neal Morris); while in Cuba, presumed wintering individual Blackpoll Warblers were seen at Humedal Mota, Granma, Cuba 25 Jan (Ricel Polán Hernández) and Lagunas Oxidación, Holguín 26 Jan (Maikel Cañizares Morera).

A fleeting glimpse of a female Summer Tanager at Cerro El Buey Wildlife Refuge (Bunker area) 6 Dec (Daphne Gemmill) was further confirmed with photos at the same location 23 Dec for a first record on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico (Gustavo Meléndez). In Antigua, a juvenile male Rose-breasted Grosbeak was recorded on a trail camera on the McNish Trail 19 Feb and a male bird was photographed in the Upper Dunnings area 25 Feb (Kevel Lindsay). Lazuli Bunting is rare in Cuba, but one was captured in a cage trap at San Nicolas, Cienfuegos 28 Jan (per Aslam Ibrahim). On Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, three Lesser Antillean Bullfinches were photographed along the entrance road to Punta Gallinde, 10 Dec–29 Feb+, indicating a western expansion as this species colonizes the island (Ana Pazos); a male was photographed on the Punta Gallinde road 11 Dec (Daphne Gemmill, George Jett); two juveniles photographed at Cerro El Buey Wildlife Refuge (Bunker area) 23 Dec established a new and furthest west location for this species (Gustavo Meléndez).

Report processed by Andrew Keaveney, 15 Jun 2024.