BAHAMAS -- ABACO AND ANDROS

24 - 30 March 2000

by Tony White

Participants: Dennis and Donna Forsythe, Ed Kenney, Pat Kessler, Bob Odear, and Tony White.

Highlights:

Cosmic Mind-Blower: A Black Rail was heard calling about 20 times at Owens Town, Andros at 10:30 AM on March 30.  It was in a grass meadow at the edge of Stafford Creek.  It started singing when I slammed a van door, and we assume it was alone because there was no response.  I went back to Owens Town 3/31/00 and heard the Black Rail again.  When I played the brief section from the Florida birds tape, it only chirrred and did not give the ke-ke-do call.  It came almost to my feet, but I still couldn't see it.  This is the third report of Black Rail in the Bahamas, including some bones found in cat scat in 1998 at Red Bays, Andros.

Good birds:

• A dark morph Reddish Egret was at Stanniard Creek, Andros March 28.
• 5 White Ibis were seen from the Fresh Creek Bridge, Andros March 30.
• 5 West Indian Whistling-Ducks were seen the pond at San Andros Airport 3/28.
• Approximately 35 Ruddy Ducks, 35 Lesser Scaup and a couple of D-C Cormorants were found in a pond along the road to Captain Bill's Blue Hole, Andros 3/29.
• A female Red-breasted Meganser was seen there the next day in addition to the other ducks.
• A Northern Harrier overflew Casuarina Point, Abaco 3/27.
• Ten Willets at Casuarina Point, Abaco may have been early arrivals.
• Single Common Snipe were flushed from the Small Hope Bay marsh, March 28 and 29.
• A first winter Herring Gull was seen at Sandy Point, Abaco 3/25.
• Four Cuban (Bahama) Parrots were seen in the first 2 miles of Hole-in-the-Wall Road 3/25.  Two more were seen at Bahama Palm Shores 3/26.
• Single Great Lizard-Cuckoos were seen at Captain Bill's Blue Hole 3/29 and heard near the pond off the same road (see new sites below) 3/30.
• A Chuck-will's-Widow was singing at Casuarina Point 3/24 and 3/26.
• Cuban Emeralds were common on both islands.
• The only Bahama Woodstar we saw was a female at the burnt out Zion Baptist Church when you first enter Stanniard Creek.  It perched on a wire over a stand of tubular red Russellia blossoms near the corner.
• 35 Bahama Swallows were perched on a wire about ten miles south of Marsh Harbour 3/24.
• 1 Tree Swallow and 4 Bahama Swallows were flying in Sandy Point, Abaco 3/25
• Good migrants included Magnolia Warbler 3/24, Yellow-rumped Warblers 3/26, Hooded Warbler 3/27 at Casuarina Point; Indigo Buntings 3/26 at Bahama Palm Shores, and Worm-eating Warbler 3/29 at Small Hope Bay.
• We had little trouble finding Bahama Yellowthroats along Hole in the Wall Road and the road to Captain Bill's Blue Hole.
• Black-cowled Orioles were easy to see at Small Hope Bay where they were feeding in the coconut trees in front of the cabins.

Abaco:

• There is pond on the east of the Queen's highway about halfway between Treasure Cay and T.C. Airport. Lots of White-cheeked Pintail and Blue-winged Teal. Single Great egret, Common Yellowthroat and Northern Waterthrush were also seen.
• The old clubhouse at Treasure Cay has excellent broad-leaf habitat all around it and a good view of the marsh for rails. I don't have detailed directions, but Woody Bracey can tell you how to get there.

• There is a large brackish pond just north of the road to Captain Bill's Blue Hole. Go in 0.6 mile from Queen's Highway and stop at a white junked truck on the right. The obscure path to the pond is just past the truck. Although the pond is only 50 feet away, you cannot see it from the road. It is excellent for diving ducks and cormorants.
• At the turn -off to Owens Town the highway goes right (north) and the Owens Town road is on the left (south). Go straight (west) and take your first left (100 yards?). In just a little way you will see a parking area on the right. Park and follow the path to a patch of thick coppice. Orioles, Warblers, Tanagers and Bullfinches were found here. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons reportedly roost here.

I no longer recommend Different of Abaco also called the Great Abaco Bonefish Club as a place to stay. The charges are too unpredictable, and the ponds and property are deteriorating as bird habitat.

BIRDS SEEN ON BAHAMAS TRIP 3/24-3/30/00:

First number is number of days seen; second is highest daily total. These figures are computed separately for each island.

LEAST GREBE   AB-1/2   AN-1/1
PIED-BILLED GREBE   AB-1/1  AN-2/10
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT  AB-1/21  AN-1/2
MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD  AB-1/2  AN-2/1
GREAT BLUE HERON  AB-4/3  AN-1/1
GREAT EGRET  AB-3/4  AN-4/5
SNOWY EGRET  AB-2/2  AN-4/10
LITTLE BLUE HERON   AB-2/2   AN-4/4
TRICOLORED HERON   AB-4/3   AN-4/8
REDDISH EGRET   AN-1/1
CATTLE EGRET   AB-1/8   AN-2/4
GREEN HERON   AB-4/2   AN-3/2
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON   AN-2/1
WHITE IBIS   AN-1/5
WEST INDIAN WHISTLING-DUCK   AN-1/5
WHITE-CHEEKED PINTAIL   AB-2/90
BLUE-WINGED TEAL  AB-2/22   AN-1/4
LESSER SCAUP   AN-1/25
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER   AN-1/1
RUDDY  DUCK   AN-1/25
TURKEY  VULTURE   AB-4/40   AN-4/30
OSPREY   AB-4/1   AN-1/1
NORTHERN HARRIER   AB-1/1
RED-TAILED HAWK   AB-1/3   AN-2/2
AMERICAN KESTREL   AB-2/2   AN-2/2
MERLIN   AN-2/2
BLACK RAIL  1/HEARD
CLAPPER RAIL   AN-3/10
COMMON MOORHEN   AB-4/8   AN-4/8
AMERICAN COOT  AB-1/3   AN-2/25
LIMPKIN   AN-1/HEARD
BLACK-NECKED STILT  AN-4/2
GREATER YELLOWLEGS  AN-4/12
WILLET   AB-1/10
SPOTTED SANDPIPER   AB-2/1   AN-1/3
RUDDY TURNSTONE   AN-2/8
COMMON SNIPE  AN-2/1
LAUGHING GULL   AB-2/50   AN-4/30
RING-BILLED GULL  AB-2/10
HERRING GULL  AB-1/1
ROYAL TERN   AB-1/12   AN-4/2
ROCK DOVE    NO DETAILED COUNTS
WHITE-CROWNED PIGEON   AB-1/1   AN-1/3
EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE   AB-4/20   AN-4/20
ZENAIDA DOVE   AB-1/2
MOURNING DOVE   AN-1/2
COMMON GROUND-DOVE   AB-4/3   AN-4/10
CUBAN PARROT   AB-2/4
GREAT LIZARD-CUCKOO  AN-2/1
SMOOTH-BILLED ANI   AB-1/5  AN-3/8
CHUCK-WILL'S-WIDOW   AB-2/HEARD
CUBAN EMERALD   AB-4/12   AN-3/6
BAHAMA WOODSTAR   AN-1/1
BELTED KINGFISHER   AB-4/2   AN-3/3
YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER   AB-2/1   AN-1/1
HAIRY WOODPECKER   AB-3/3
CUBAN PEWEE   AB-4/5   AN-2/2
LASAGRA'S FLYCATCHER   AB-3/7   AN-4/4
LOGGERHEAD KINGBIRD  AB-3/3
TREE SWALLOW   AB-1/1
BAHAMA SWALLOW   AB-3/35
BARN SWALLOW   AB-2/4
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER   AB-4/15   AN-4/20
RED-LEGGED THRUSH   AB-3/3   AN-3/3
GRAY CATBIRD   AB-2/2   AN-1/1
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD   AB-4/6   AN-4/5
BAHAMA MOCKINGBIRD   AB-4/6   AN-3/3
THICK-BILLED VIREO   AB-4/20   AN-3/10
NORTHERN PARULA   AB-2/1
YELLOW WARBLER   AB-2/2  AN-2/5
MAGNOLIA WARBLER   AB-1/1
CAPE MAY WARBLER   AB-2/4   AN-1/1
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER   AB-1/1
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER  AB-2/3
YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER  AB-4/1   AN-1/1
OLIVE-CAPPED WARBLER   AB-2/20
PINE WARBLER   AB-3/12   AN-4/10
PRAIRIE WARBLER   AB-4/3   AN-3/3
PALM WARBLER   AB-4/30   AN-4/25
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER  AB-2/1   AN-2/4
AMERICAN REDSTART   AB-4/3   AN-3/2
WORM-EATING WARLER   AN-1/1
OVENBIRD   AB-2/1
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH   AB-4/4   AN-1/2
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT   AB-2/1   AN-1/2
BAHAMA YELLOWTHROAT   AB-1/3    AN-2/6
HOODED WARBLER   AB-1/1
BANANAQUIT   AB-4/20   AN-3/3
STRIPE-HEADED TANAGER   AB-4/5   AN-2/2
INDIGO BUNTING   AB-2/3
BLACK-FACED GRASSQUIT   AB-4/50   AN-3/12
GREATER ANTILLEAN BULLFINCH   AB-2/12
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD   AB-4/25   AN-4/20
BLACK-COWLED ORIOLE   AN-2/3
HOUSE SPARROW   AB-4/10

Tony White
CdrAWhite@aol.com