January 1997

by Tony White

Here is a trip report from the little visited island of San Salvador, as well as New Providence where Nassau and Paradise Island are.

Here is a list of birds seen by Aileen Bainton, Bruce Hallett and Tony White during a week's birding in the Bahamas. Paul Dean birded with us  Jan 18 on New Providence. NP stands for New Providence, SS for San Salvador. The numbers after each island are the the number of days seen/the highest daily count.

Least Grebe: NP 2/5, SS 5/4 Paired on SS.

Pied-billed Grebe: NP 2/8, SS 1/2 Seen Jan 22 Cockburn Town Ponds.

Brown Booby: SS 3/400+ Seen Jan 21, 24. Approximately 200 nests on White
Cay, most with downy young.

Red-footed Booby: SS 2/3 Seen Jan 21,24 One nest on White Cay no egg or young.

Double-crested Cormorant: SS 4/4 Seen on inland ponds and lakes. Count lower than expected.

Neotropic Cormorant: NP 2/8 High count Jan 17 on Lake Cunningham.

Magnificent Frigatebird: SS 4/100+ Seen Jan 21, 24 on White Cay and occasionally over main island. Fifty nests on White Cay nearly all with eggs.

Least Bittern: NP 1/4 Jan 18 Two heard Wilson's Pond, two seen Paradise Island Ponds, Jan 18.

Great Blue Heron: NP 1/12  Jan 18 Wilson's and Harrold's Ponds, SS 1/1 Jan 22 Aileen Bainton only

Great Egret: NP 2/25, SS 5/5

Snowy Egret: NP 2/35, SS 2/10 High count seen at island dump, Jan 22.

Little Blue Heron: NP2/25, SS 2/2

Tricolored Heron: NP 2/5, SS 3/2

Cattle Egret: NP 1/50, SS 2/2

Green Heron: NP 2/4, SS 4/4

Black-crowned Night-Heron: NP 1/1 Wilson's Pond, Jan 18.

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron: NP 1/1, SS 6/4

White Ibis: NP 1/15 in one flock Jan 18 at Wilson's Pond.

Glossy Ibis: NP 1/6 Jan 18 scattered individuals at Wilson's and Harrold's Ponds. Paul Dean says there are more around.

West Indian Whistling-Duck: SS One road kill south of Sugar Loaf Jan 20.

White-cheeked Pintail: NP 1/60 Saw 50+ at Adelaide Jan 18. SS 3/8

Northern Pintail: NP 1/2 Adelaide Jan 18, present since November.

Blue-winged Teal: NP 2/40 Saw 25+ at Adelaide Jan 18, SS 1/2

Northern Shoveller: NP 1/1 Paradise Island Ponds Jan 18.

American Wigeon: SS 2/13. Widespread and more common than expected.

Ring-necked Duck: SS 1/1 Cockburn Town Ponds Jan 22.

Lesser Scaup: NP 1/11 Lake Cunningham Jan 17. SS 1/21 Bahamian Field Station (BFS) Trail Jan 19.

Hooded Merganser: SS 1/5 Bahamian Field Station Trail Jan 19.

Red-breasted Merganser: SS 1/1 Off Dump Reef Point Jan 23. Hallett's 200th Bahamian Bird.

Ruddy Duck: NP 2/3.

Osprey: NP 1/1 Continental type. SS 6/3 Pair (West Indian race)  nesting on water tower at BFS

American Kestrel: NP 1/1 Cuban race Adelaide Jan 18, SS 6/30 All Cuban race (F. s. sparvaroides). High count was made on day we circumnavigated the island. One dark morph female paired with light morph male seen & photographed at Grotto Beach Jan 22.

Merlin: NP 1/1 Fly by Jan 18.

Peregrine: SS 1/1 Little Lake Jan 20.

Clapper Rail: SS 2/1 BFS Trail Jan 19.

Sora: NP 1/1 Paradise Island Ponds Jan 18.

Common Moorhen: NP 2/40, SS 2/1 Same bird Jan 20, 22 Airport Ponds.

American Coot: NP 2/100s, SS 6/150.

Black-bellied Plover: NP 1/Heard only, SS 3/6.

Snowy Plover: SS 1/1 Seen and photographed by Aileen Bainton Sandy Point Beach. Jan 22.

Wilson's Plover: NP 1/7 Brown's Point Jan 17.

Semipalmated Plover: SS 1/2  Beach on south east side Jan 20.

Killdeer: NP 1/5, SS 6/25  Very common both places.

American Oystercatcher: SS 2/1 BFS Beach Jan 19 (AB only), and south east beach, Jan 20.

Black-necked Stilt: SS 2/23 High count 23 Fresh Pond, United Estates, Jan 21.

Greater Yellowlegs: NP 1/2, SS 3/3

Lesser Yellowlegs: NP 1/4, SS 6/10

Spotted Sandpiper: NP 2/3, SS 2/1

Ruddy Turnstone: NP 1/9 Arawak Cay Jan 17, SS 1/1 Hallett only.

Least Sandpiper: NP 1/10 Wilson's and Harrold's Ponds Jan 18, SS 3/4 BFS Catchment Basin.

Short-billed Dowitcher: NP 1/6 Wilson's Pond Jan 18.

Common Snipe: NP 1/1 Paradise Island Ponds Paul Dean only Jan 18, SS 1/1 BFS Catchment Basin Jan 19.

Laughing Gull: NP 2/abundant.

Bonaparte's Gull: SS 2/1 Same bird first winter plumage seen & photographed at Fresh Pond, United Estates Jan 21-22.

Ring-billed Gull NP 1/2 Arawak Cay Jan 17.

Herring Gull: NP 1/1 Arawak Cay Jan 17.

Rock Dove: NP 1/20 Wilson's Pond, SS 1/6 Cockburn Town

White-crowned Pigeon: NP 1/1

Eurasian Collared-Dove:  NP 2/100s

Zenaida Dove: SS 4/1 BFS Catchment Basin

Mourning Dove: NP 1/15

Common Ground-Dove NP 2/12, SS 6/10

Mangrove Cuckoo: SS 1/1 Dixon Hill Trail Jan 24, White and Bainton only

Smooth-billed Ani: NP 2/25,  SS 6/15

Bahama Woodstar: NP 2/2, SS 3/2 Much less common on SS than on previous visit probably due to Hurricane Lily.

Belkted Kingfisher: NP 1/1, SS 2/2

Cuban Pewee: NP 1/2

LaSagra's Flycatcher: NP 1/3

Loggerhead Kingbird: NP 1/1 Lyford Cay Jan 17.

N. Rough-winged Swallow: SS 5/3 seen every day but one, flying over BFS and BFS catchment basin.

Red-legged Thrush: NP 1/4

Gray Catbird: NP 1/3, SS 1/1

Northern Mockingbird: NP 2/12, SS 6/2

Bahama Mockingbird: NP 1/Heard, SS 6/6

Pearly-eyed Thrasher: SS 3/4

European Starling: SS 1/4 United Estates Jan 22.

Thick-billed Vireo: NP 2/6, SS 6/12

Yellow-throated Vireo: NP 1/1

Orange-crowned Warbler:  NP 1/1 Lyford Cay Jan 17, Hallett only

Northern Parula: NP 2/6, SS 2/3

Yellow Warbler: NP 1/1 Harrold Pond Jan 18 Poss D.p. flavipes, very uncommon in winter on NP, SS 6/50 Abundant, presumably all D.p. flavipes

Magnolia Warbler: NP 1/1, SS 1/2

Cape May Warbler: NP 2/12, SS 3/3

Black-throated Blue Warbler: NP 1/3, SS 2/3

Yellow-rumped Warbler: NP 1/1, 1/2.

Black-throated Green Warbler: NP 1/1 Lyford Cay Jan 17.

Yellow-throated Warbler: NP 2/3, SS 6/2

Prairie Warbler: NP 2/6, SS 6/30

Palm Warbler: NP 2/50, SS 6/8

Black-and-white Warbler: NP 1/1, SS 3/2.

American Redstart: NP 2/4, SS 3/5

Worm-eating Warbler: NP 1/1 Paradise Island Jan 18 Paul Dean only, SS 1/1 banded.

Ovenbird: NP 1/4, SS 2/4

Northern Waterthrush: NP 1/6, SS 6/5

Common Yellowthroat: NP 1/6, SS 4/4

Bahama Yellowthroat: NP 1/1 Breeding plumaged male, Gladstone Ridge, Jan 18.

Hooded Warbler: SS 1/1 Jake Jones Road, Jan 23, Hallett only

Bananaquit: NP 2/4, SS 6/8 Much less common than on previous visit. Hurricane Lilly blamed.

Stripe-headed Tanager: NP 2/1

Indigo Bunting: SS 4/7

Cuban Grassquit: NP 2/4

Black-faced Grassquit: NP 2/8 nesting in crown of thorns on my patio, SS 4/6

Clay-colored Sparrow: SS 1/2 Seen well by all three. White median line in crown and outline of cheek patch seen clearly. first record for SS. This species seems to be more frequent in Bahamas than one would expect.

Savannah Sparrow: NP 1/9 Gladstone Road Agricultural Station, Jan 19.

Bobolink: SS 1/1 Basic plumage, photographed near Storr's Lake.

Red-winged Blackbird: NP 1/15

House Sparrow: NP 2/3

Total species: NP 82, SS 76, Combined 107.
 

Tony White
CdrAWhite@aol.com