West Indies & Bermuda: Winter 2025–2026

Waterfowl to Shorebirds

A Snow Goose was at Reef GC, Freeport, Grand Bahama from 16 Dec–11 Feb (Gustavo Reyes); with another present on Mid-Ocean GC, Bermuda from 6 Jan–28 Feb+ (Miguel Mejias). An Egyptian Goose, the first record for Cuba, was shot by hunters in Pinar del Río Province and posted on social media on 22 Dec (Alexander Morales Zamora)—this species has been introduced to several regions of North America, including Florida, where it has become successfully established. A Northern Shoveler was seen in a flooded cane field near Mount Gay, St. Lucy, Barbados on 6 Dec and 18 Jan (Michael St. John). Guadeloupe’s first record of Eurasian Wigeon remained on Saline du Bourg until 16 Dec (Lionel Sineux). A Eurasian Wigeon that appeared in Barbados at Fosters Private Wetland, St. Lucy on 24 Dec (Michael St John) may have been the same bird that reappeared at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge on 26 Dec–2 Jan (Julian Moore, John Webster et al); while another Eurasian Wigeon was photographed at Reserva Natural Medio Mundo y Daguao, Ceiba, Puerto Rico on 28 Dec (Juan G. Ruaño). An American Black Duck was photographed next to Rt 115 near Córcega, Rincón on 13 Feb for a rare sighting in Puerto Rico (Mirielle Villanueva). High counts of wildfowl on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico on 24 Jan included 59 White-cheeked Pintail at Laguna Punta Gato, plus six Lesser Scaup and five Ruddy Ducks at Laguna Puerto Diablo, (Daphne Gemmill et al). A drake Eurasian Teal was photographed at Ruby GC, Freeport, Grand Bahamas on 28 Feb (Bridget Davis). A Bufflehead was photographed on Snow Bay Quarry Pit, San Salvador and Rum Cay, Bahamas on 27 Dec (Janet Storr). A Common Merganser was present at Spittal Pond, Bermuda from 31 Dec–2 Feb (Andrea Webb).

Three Ruby-throated Hummingbirds spent the winter in Bermuda with a maximum of two at Botanical Gardens, Bermuda 5 Dec–15 Jan, and another in Jenningsland on 19 Jan (Paul Watson). A Black-necked Stilt remained at Congo Road, St. Philip, Barbados until 28 Jan (John Webster). A Common Ringed Plover discovered by Muriel Aboso and Anthony Levesque on 21 Oct was still present at North Point (Old Cave Swamp), Barbados on 22 Feb (John Webster). A Piping Plover was seen at Bermuda Airport on 7 Jan (Paul Watson). A Killdeer continued at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, Barbados until Feb 28+ (Ian Atkins).

An impressive count of 10 Hudsonian Whimbrel were photographed at Salines d’Orient, Saint Martin on 20 Feb (Quentin Brown). A Eurasian Whimbrel was seen at Pointe des Colibris (La Désirade), Guadeloupe on 2 Feb (Anthony Levesque). Single Long-billed Dowitchers in Guadeloupe flew over Barrage de Gaschet on 3 Dec (Anthony Levesque, Lionel Sineux) and was amongst Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs (and a Ruff) at Grand Marais de Port-Louis on 11 Feb (Anthony Levesque). Rare on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, a Solitary Sandpiper was observed at the freshwater pond at km marker 4.7 on Rt. 977 (Daphne Gemmill et al). A Ruff was discovered at Grand Marais de Port-Louis, Guadeloupe on 11 Feb (Anthony Levesque). An estimated 950 Stilt Sandpipers at Laguna Sombe, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico on 25 Jan was just shy of the record count for Vieques Island (Daphne Gemmill et al).

Razorbill to Spoonbills

A Razorbill, the first for the Bahamas and West Indies, was videoed at Fattys Conch Bar, Hope Town and Green Turtle Cay on 3 Feb (Meg Hoyle)—there is one record from Bermuda in 2015. A Black-legged Kittiwake passed Cooper’s Point, Bermuda on 27 Jan (Paul Watson).

An exceptional influx of Bonaparte’s Gulls saw a record count of 64 birds at Spittal Pond, Bermuda on 28 Feb (Andrea Webb). A Franklin’s Gull was still present at Rum Point Dock, North Side, Grand Cayman on 14 Dec (Simon Artuch, Ian Harrison, Tonja Wight).

The identification of a Common Gull along the Causeway at Bermuda Airport on 18 Dec (Eva Bottelli) was made possible after analyzing a series of photos. Eva commented, “Looks like a small Ring-billed, Short-billed, or Common Gull, kept mistaking it for the Black-headed Gulls due to small size and backlighting. Thin, pointy bill with pushed-in look and large dark eyes. Bill slightly down curved and appears to be mostly black with pale base though lighting was horrible. Very round forehead, making its eyes look farther back than on a normal Ring-billed. Body is very round looking too, making it look like it’s got a short neck. Primaries look long and pointy”. The bird was seen at the Causeway, Bermuda on 21 Dec by Paul Watson who provided a detailed description—there is one record from the West Indies (Antigua 2015) and multiple records from the northeastern seaboard, so the appearance in Bermuda was not unexpected.

Very scarce in Barbados, a Ring-billed Gull was present at Oistins, Christ Church, Barbados from 12 Jan–5 Feb (Ocean Campbell). A record high count of 123 Lesser Black-backed Gulls was made at Port Royal GC, Bermuda on 23 Feb (Paul Watson). An Iceland Gull was seen in St. Georges Harbour, Bermuda on 20 Feb (Miguel Mejias). A Black Skimmer was seen at George Town Port, Cayman Islands on 12 Dec (D Lohr). A Horned Grebe was in Ferry Reach, Bermuda from 3–14 Feb (Chris Flook). The corpse of a Red-necked Grebe was found at West Whale Bay, Bermuda on 13 Feb. This is significant as this species was last documented in Bermuda on 28 Feb 1979, the last of only 2 previous records (per Paul Watson). An unseasonal White-tailed Tropicbird was seen at the Reefs Hotel, Bermuda on 7 Dec (PW).

A Black-capped Petrel was spotted flying south between La Désirade and Pointe des Châteaux, Guadeloupe on 11 Feb (Frantz Delcroix). A Cory’s Shearwater was taken into a rehab unit in Grenada after being accidentally caught on a fishing line off Grenada on 15 Dec (Kenrith Carter). Unusually so close to shore, two Sargasso Shearwaters were seen at the Olea Canal, George Town, Cayman Islands on 8 Feb (Calliope Joseph)—perhaps the result of a strong cold front. Three Masked Boobies were seen in Barbados: the first one off North Point, St. Lucy on 10 Dec (Julian Moore) and two birds at Deeble Point, St. Lucy on 21 Feb (Quincy Clarke).

Extremely rare on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, a Least Bittern was on a pond on private land near Isabel Segunda on 5 Dec (Angie Hernandez). A Western Reef Heron was a remarkable find at Woodbourne Shorebird Refuge, Christ Church, Barbados on 26 Dec and was still present to 28 Feb+ (Ian Alkins et al). A Striated Heron was seen at Ferry Point, Bermuda on 29 Dec (Miguel Mejias), likely the same bird from earlier in the year. The incredible influx of Eurasian Spoonbills that began in Sept 2025 continued, with a total of 5 to 8 different birds appearing in Guadeloupe. Of note were three together at Îlet Fajou on 19 Jan (Anthony Levesque, Parc National), one at the mouth of the Petite Rivière Goyave on 3–16 Jan (Cédric Gourret), and one on La Désirade on 16 Feb (Corinne Rolland). Single birds were also photographed on Mustique Island, Grenadines on 22 Feb (Kenrith Carter); and one long-staying bird on Barbados was last seen at Fosters Private Wetland on 15 Jan (Michael St John).

Kites to Buntings

Two early Swallow-tailed Kites arrived in Bermuda on 22 Feb (Neal Morris) with a maximum of three birds together on Jubilee Road on 23 Feb (Joanne Smith, Paul Watson). A Northern Harrier, the second record for Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, was seen at Laguna Puerto Diablo on 24 Jan (Daphne Gemmill, Mike Barandiaran, Gustavo Meléndez, Lionel Sanchez). Three Short-eared Owls together at Bermuda Airport on 2 Jan was a new high count for the island (Paul Watson). A Eurasian Kestrel present at Deeble Point, St. Philip, Barbados from 11–24 Feb (Quincy Clarke) was likely the same bird present in the Fall 2025 near Bridgetown. A record nine Western Kingbirds were counted at Ruby GC, Freeport, Grand Bahamas on 28 Feb (Bridget Davis, Tivonia Potts, H Rudy Sawyer). Scarce vireos on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico included the island’s fifth record of White-eyed Vireo in the mahogany forest on Rt 995 on 25 Jan (Gustavo Meléndez) and Yellow-throated Vireo from 4–31 Jan at Cerro El Buey (Ana Pazos); Black Whiskered Vireo was also observed at Cerro El Buey. A female Cuban Martin was photographed at Canaan Land Road, North Side, Cayman Islands on 18 Feb (Peter Davey, Ian Harrison).

Apparently seen multiple times over the previous few months, a Grey Trembler was finally photographed at Conset Bay, St. John on 26 Dec—the first record for Barbados (Ocean Campbell, Macrae Hoyos, Julian Moore). When others looked for the bird on Dec 28, they were astonished to see two birds present with characteristics suggesting it to be the St Lucia race rather than Martinique (Ed Massiah). A Northern Mockingbird, scarce in Bermuda, was present on Wreck Road on 20 Dec (Wendy Frith). Eight sparrow species were documented during the winter in Bermuda including an unseasonal Grasshopper Sparrow at Clearwater on 4 Dec (Paul Watson). A Bobolink on the Southampton Driving Range, Bermuda on 6 Jan was an extraordinary find for a species that should be in southern South America (Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina) during our winter months (Paul Watson). A Baltimore Oriole was a good observation at Petit Marais de Port-Louis, Guadeloupe on 19 Feb (Ernest Fagan, Anthony Levesque).

Cerro El Buey proved to be a good location for rarely seen warblers on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, with a Louisiana Waterthrush on 30 Jan (Erick Bermúdez et al), a Blue-winged Warbler on 17 Feb (Andrew Baker), and a Hooded Warbler on 8 Jan (Erick Bermúdez). Rare in Barbados, a Black-and-white Warbler was seen at Turners Hall Woods, Saint Andrew on 15 Dec with possibly the same individual at the same location on 25 Feb (Julian Moore). A Kentucky Warbler was discovered at Pépinière ONF, Guadeloupe on 5 Dec (Anthony Levesque) and remained until 17 Jan (Frantz Delcroix). A Townsend’s Warbler was a surprise find at Spittal Bermuda on 27 Dec (Angelo Pimental). Very rare in Bermuda, a Western Tanager was photographed in Cedar Grove Fields on 13–16 Dec (LeShun Smith). Rarely seen in Bermuda, a Painted Bunting was present on St. Georges GC from 5–16 Jan (Paul Watson). Also rare in winter in Bermuda, single Dickcissels were seen at Spittal Pond on 27 Dec and Mid Ocean GC on 20 Dec and 10 Feb (Paul Watson, Andrea Webb).

Report edited by Andrew Keaveney, 9 Jun 2026.