24 - 28 April 1999
by Anthony White
Itinerary:
Sailed from Miami Beach 9:00 AM April 24, 1999 aboard Sea Fever, a 106 foot live-on dive boat. Arrived Bimini approximately 12:30 and cleared customs and refueled. Participants had about 15 minutes ashore. Sailed from Bimini about 2:00 PM for Cay Sal Bank. Stopped briefly to observe feeding seabirds and pilot whales enroute. Arrived on the bank well after dark entered near Dog Rocks and anchored off Damas Cays. Sailed 8:00 AM next morning for Cotton Cay in the Anguilla Cays. Participants went ashore from 9:00 AM to noon. Thick brush and lack of paths made walking inland very difficult. After lunch we went a blue hole near north end of Anguilla Cays for snorkling and SCUBA diving. Birders visited two rocks about a mile north of the boat where many terns and gulls were roosting. Sailed for Cay Sal in late afternoon, arrived about sunset. Spent April 26 and early morning April 27 at Cay Sal. Sailed past Double Headed Shot Cays and moored off Elbow Cay early afternoon April 27. Participants went ashore on North Elbow Cay. Sailed to Muertos Cay early AM 28 April, spent about an hour ashore and then sailed for Bimini arriving there about 4:00 PM. Spent evening at Bimini and sailed at 4:00 AM for Miami Beach arriving at 8:00 AM. Cleared US customs and immigration by 9:00 AM.
Weather:
The weather was very good. Both crossings of the Gulf Stream were calm. Most of the time winds varied from NE to south 5 - 7 knots - ideal weather for migrating birds. On the night of 27 April there were thundershowers, but we did not detect any large fall out on Muertos Cay the next AM.
BIRD LIST:
Comments:
The only seabirds we found nesting were Audubon's Shearwaters which were nesting on Damas Cays and Elbow Cay. No terns were seen in appropriate nesting habitat indicating the terns on Cay Sal nest later than the ones on the Dry Tortugas. This is also true of terns nesting elsewhere in the Bahamas. Because we had no baseline data to measure against it is difficult to estimate the effects on Hurricane Georges on the resident birds on Cay Sal. The only resident land birds we saw were Mourning Doves and White-crowned Pigeons both of which are big enough and strong enough to have evaded the hurricane. The absence of Common Ground-Doves was notable, and they may have been killed off by the hurricane. Gray Kingbirds are summer residents and would have flown south before Hurricane Georges hit the cay. It is impossible to say whether the Black-whiskered Vireos were transients or summer visitors who would breed on Cay Sal. They were not singing as if they were establishing territory.
* indicates new species for Cay Sal Bank or Bimini. All Bimini
records
are North Bimini.
| Audubon's Shearwater | 4/24 10 seen between Bimini and Cay Sal Bank, 4/25 many heard and seen before dawn flying around boat anchored off Damas Cays, 4/27 approximately 25 dead birds found at base of lighthouse on North Elbow Cay. Birds had been killed, stripped and breasts eaten presumably by Cuban refugees on the cay. A short search of some accesible holes revealed at least 30 live shearwaters on the nest. Much of the island was not checked this closely. 4/28 6 seen in mixed flock with noddies and Bridled Terns enroute Bimini |
| White-tailed Tropicbird | 4/28 2 enroute Bimini |
| Brown Booby | 4/27 25 seen roosting on Double Headed Shot Cays, 4/28 1 seen enroute Bimini with mixed flock of shearwaters and terns |
| Brown Pelican | 4/26 3 on Cay Sal, 4/27 2 on Cay Sal, 1 near North Elbow Cay |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 4/25 1 Cotton Cay, 4/27 1 Cay Sal |
| Magnificent Frigatebird | Seen daily, high counts 4/25 3 Cotton Cay and 4/27 6 Double Headed Shot Cays |
| Great Blue Heron | 4/24 1 at sea enroute Bimini from Miami |
| Great Egret | 4/24 2 Bimini, 4/26 & 27 1 Cay Sal* |
| Little Blue Heron | 4/26 & 27 1 in pied plumage Cay Sal* |
| Cattle Egret | 4/25 2 Cotton Cay, 4/26 7 Cay Sal, 4/27 4 Cay Sal |
| Green Heron | 4/26 1 Cay Sal, 4/28 1 Bimini |
| Yellow-crowned Night-Heron | 4/26 & 27 1 adult Cay Sal |
| White Ibis | 4/26 & 27 4 immatures Cay Sal |
| Blue-winged Teal | 4/28 4 Bimini |
| Red-breasted Merganser | 4/26 1 live bird and 1 dead bird Cay Sal* |
| Osprey | 4/24 1 off Bimini, 4/27 1 between Cay Sal and Double Headed Shot Cays |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 4/26 1 Cay Sal*, 4/27 2 Cay Sal, 1 Double Headed Shot Cays |
| American Kestrel | 4/24 1 Bimini, 4/27 1 North Elbow Cay |
| Merlin | 4/25 2 Cotton Cay, 4/26 2 Cay Sal, 4/27 3 Cay Sal and 2 North Elbow Cay, 4/28 1 Muertos Cay |
| Peregrine Falcon | 4/27 1 North Elbow Cay* |
| American Coot | 4/26 & 27 2 Cay Sal* |
| Black-bellied Plover | 4/26 & 27 3 Cay Sal |
| Wilson's Plover | 4/26 & 27 1 Cay Sal* |
| Semipalmated Plover | 4/27 2 Cay Sal |
| Killdeer | 4/26 6 Cay Sal seen at a distance* |
| Black-necked Stilt | 4/26 & 27 6 Cay Sal (paired), 4/28 2 Muertos Cay |
| Lesser Yellowlegs | 4/28 1 Bimini |
| Willet | 4/26 2 Cay Sal |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 4/25 1 Cotton Cay, 4/26 1 Cay Sal |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 4/24 3 Bimini, 4/28 2 Bimini |
| Semipalmated Sandpiper | 4/27 1 Cay Sal |
| Least Sandpiper | 4/26 15 Cay Sal, 4/27 6 Cay Sal & 1 North Elbow Cay |
| Short-billed Dowitcher | 4/26 & 27 1 Cay Sal* |
| Jaeger sp. | 4/24 1 enroute Bimini from Miami, possible Parasitic Jaeger |
| Laughing Gull | seen daily, common on Bimini, 60 on rocks at north end of Anguilla Cays 4/25 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 4/24 1 Bimini |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 4/24 1 adult and 1 one year old Bimini*, 4/28 1 adult |
| Royal Tern | common seen daily |
| Sandwich Tern | seen daily. High counts 4/25 30 on rocks at north end of Anguilla Cays, 4/27 20 Cay Sal |
| Roseate Tern | 4/25 30 on rocks at north end of Anguilla Cays. All Roseates Terns had black bills and were believed to be migrating through the area. One tern with a red bill was not identified to species. |
| Least Tern | 4/26 5 Cay Sal, 4/28 12 Bimini |
| Bridled Tern | 4/24 12 enroute from Bimini to Cay Sal Bank, 4/28 4 on return trip to Bimini |
| Sooty Tern | 4/24 20 enroute from Bimini to Cay Sal Bank |
| Brown Noddy | 4/24 2 enroute from Bimini to Cay Sal Bank, 4/28 40 on return trip to Bimini |
| Rock Dove | Seen on Bimini 4/24 & 4/28 |
| White-crowned Pigeon | 4/26 5 Cay Sal, 4/27 6 Cay Sal |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | Seen on Bimini 4/24 & 4/28 |
| Mourning Dove | 4/26 5 Cay Sal, 4/27 4 Cay Sal, 4/28 1 Muertos Cay |
| Common Ground-Dove | Not Found on Cay Sal Bank, 4/28 2 Bimini |
| Yellow-billed Cuckoo | 4/26 & 27 1 Cay Sal, 4/28 1 Muertos Cay |
| Antillean Nighthawk and Nighthawk sp. | 4/28 1 silent bird Muertos Cay, 2 Antillean Nighthawks and 2 silent birds Bimini |
| (Chuck-will's-widow) | 4/27 remains of 1 male North Elbow Cay. Tail feathers collected. |
| Belted Kingfisher | 4/26 1 female Cay Sal, 4/28 1 Bimini |
| (Yellow-bellied Sapsucker) | Work seen on trees on Cotton Cay and Cay Sal (Empidonax sp.) 4/26 1 Cay Sal |
| Gray Kingbird | seen daily, high counts 4/26 5 Cay Sal and 4/28 5 Bimini |
| Barn Swallow | Common, seen daily |
| Northern Mockingbird | 4/24 1 Bimini, 4/28 3 Bimini |
| Red-eyed Vireo | 4/28 1 Bimini |
| Black-whiskered Vireo | 4/26 & 27 1 Cay Sal, 4/28 1 Muertos Cay (taken by Merlin) & 6 Bimini |
| Northern Parula | 4/25 1 Cotton Cay, 4/26 1 Cay Sal, 4/27 1 North Elbow Cay, 4/28 1 Bimini |
| Yellow Warbler | 4/26 1 Cay Sal* |
| Magnolia Warbler | 4/26 1 Cay Sal* |
| Cape May Warbler | seen daily, high count 4/26 10 Cay Sal |
| Black-throated Blue Warbler | seen daily, high count 4/25 2 Cotton Cay and 1 on board boat |
| Black-throated Green Warbler | 4/28 1 Bimini* |
| Prairie Warbler | seen daily, high count 4/25 2 Cotton Cay |
| Palm Warbler | common, seen daily except 4/24, high counts 4/26 40 Cay Sal, 4/28 10 Bimini |
| Blackpoll Warbler | 4/24 1 Bimini, 4/25 2 Cotton Cay, 4/28 1 Bimini |
| Black-and-white Warbler | 4/26 & 27 1 Cay Sal |
| American Redstart | seen daily except 4/24 high counts 4/26 3 Cay Sal and 4/28 4 Bimini |
| Worm-eating Warbler | 4/26 1 Cay Sal, 4/28 1 Bimini |
| Northern Waterthrush | 4/26 2 Cay Sal, 4/27 1 Cay Sal, 4/28 2 Bimini |
| Common Yellowthroat | seen daily except 4/24, high counts 4/26 3 Cay Sal, 4/28 6 Bimini |
| Blue Grosbeak | 4/26 2 Cay Sal* |
| Indigo Bunting | 4/26 2 Cay Sal, 4/27 1 Cay Sal |
| Bobolink | 4/26 4 Cay Sal |
| House Sparrow | seen Bimini 4/24 and 4/28 |
Total species: 75
Species new to Cay Sal Bank - 13
Species new to Bimini - 2
CdrAWhite@aol.com