Bird Report – October 2010
Observation date: October 8th and 11th, 2010
Number of Species observed: 67
Observations: Michael H. Ryan
Notes :
Please note that the observations were undertaken over two days (Friday, October 8 & Monday, October 11, 2010) with about 6 hours of observations each day. It was primarily undertaken in 3 areas of St. Kitts,
A)Frigate Bay,
B)South East Peninsula flats, and
C)Wingfield level.
One interesting observation that stood out was that 19 Ospreys were observed in about 5 minutes over a stretch of no more that a half mile. Surprisingly, eighteen of the nineteen were either perched in the trees or on the ground, while only one was flying. Two Peregrine Falcons were spotted, one close to the sea and the other up in the hills.
While a total of 67 species were seen over the two days, an additional 4 species were spotted during the next few days (Prairie Warbler, Scaly-breasted thrasher, Bridled Quail dove and a Tricoloured Heron). Surprisingly, a few relatively common birds were not seen (e.g. Green throated humming Bird, House Sparrow etc.)
Number of species: 67
Blue-winged Teal – Anas discors
White-cheeked Pintail – Anas bahamensis
(They live and breed in St.Kitts and are usually seen all year.)
Helmeted Guineafowl – Numida meleagris
(Likely escaped from captivity a few years ago, but now apparently wild.)
Red Junglefowl – Gallus gallus
Magnificent Frigatebird – Fregata magnificens
Brown Booby – Sula leucogaster
Brown Pelican – Pelecanus occidentalis
Great Blue Heron – Ardea herodias
Great Egret – Ardea alba
Snowy Egret – Egretta thula
Little Blue Heron – Egretta caerulea
Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis
Green Heron – Butorides virescens
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron – Nyctanassa violacea
Osprey – Pandion haliaetus
(Over 19 Ospreys (carolinesis)were seen in a half-mile stretch of road on the South East Peninsula.)
Red-tailed Hawk – Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus
(Two were seen between the Friday, Oct 8, and Monday Oct 11, the two days taken for the survey.)
Common Moorhen – Gallinula chloropus
Black-bellied Plover – Pluvialis squatarola
(Usually seen most years.)
American Golden-Plover – Pluvialis dominica
(Not been seen for a few years, but quite a number were seen this year.)
Wilson’s Plover – Charadrius wilsonia
Semipalmated Plover – Charadrius semipalmatus
Killdeer – Charadrius vociferus
(These are seen every year, in reasonably numbers.)
Black-necked Stilt – Himantopus mexicanus
(Common every year in great numbers.)
Spotted Sandpiper – Actitis macularius
Solitary Sandpiper – Tringa solitaria
Greater Yellowlegs – Tringa melanoleuca
Lesser Yellowlegs – Tringa flavipes
Whimbrel – Numenius phaeopus
(Seen every year.)
Hudsonian Godwit – Limosa haemastica
(These sightings were a pleasant surprise! Only one solitary bird had been sighted by me over the previous 6 years.)
Ruddy Turnstone – Arenaria interpres
Semipalmated Sandpiper – Calidris pusilla
Western Sandpiper – Calidris mauri
Least Sandpiper – Calidris minutilla
Pectoral Sandpiper – Calidris melanotos
Stilt Sandpiper – Calidris himantopus
Short-billed Dowitcher – Limnodromus griseus
(Seen every year)
Wilson’s Snipe – Gallinago delicata
(Seen every year)
Herring Gull – Larus argentatus
Least Tern – Sternula antillarum
Royal Tern – Thalasseus maximus
Rock Pigeon – Columba livia
Scaly-naped Pigeon – Patagioenas squamosa
Eurasian Collared-Dove – Streptopelia decaocto
White-winged Dove – Zenaida asiatica
(These are common in a few areas of St.Kitts)
Zenaida Dove – Zenaida aurita
Common Ground-Dove – Columbina passerina
Yellow-billed Cuckoo – Coccyzus americanus
(They were seen in great numbers all over the place, usually by the mangroves, but even up in the hills. They were everywhere!)
Purple-throated Carib – Eulampis jugularis
Antillean Crested Hummingbird – Orthorhyncus cristatus
Belted Kingfisher – Megaceryle alcyon
(Seen every year)
Caribbean Elaenia – Elaenia martinica
Stolid Flycatcher – Myiarchus stolidus
(These birds breed in St.Kitts)
Lesser Antillean Flycatcher – Myiarchus oberi
Gray Kingbird – Tyrannus dominicensis
Black-whiskered Vireo – Vireo altiloquus
Barn Swallow – Hirundo rustica
Pearly-eyed Thrasher – Margarops fuscatus
Brown Trembler – Cinclocerthia ruficauda
Yellow Warbler – Dendroica petechia
Blackpoll Warbler – Dendroica striata
(These are common every October)
Black-and-white Warbler – Mniotilta varia
(Only the second sighting by me over the past 6 years.)
American Redstart – Setophaga ruticilla
(Was seen on at least 6 different occasions (male) and one female sighted.)
Bananaquit – Coereba flaveola
Black-faced Grassquit – Tiaris bicolor
Lesser Antillean Bullfinch – Loxigilla noctis