Abaco in the Bahamas Jan 16-20 produces great birds including Kirtland's Warblers

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

I took a trip down to Abaco in the Bahamas on January 16 and spent the next four days there mainly looking for a few resident warblers as well as overwintering migrants (with the most unusual overwintering species being Kirtland's Warbler).  This was my third time in the Bahamas with my first being a short visit to Nassau on a cruise in 2003 and the next being a trip to Grand Bahama in February 2017 (posts from that trip...part 1 and part 2).  I happily found all my targets and had a great time...more details below.  To see more on warblers check out the attached link: Warblers on Abaco.

Prairie Warbler, Murphy town, Abaco, Jan 16, 2024

The forecast for the day I was leaving changed at the last minute and the snow moved in earlier than predicted just a half day before which resulted in some delays in Hartford on my way to Atlanta and then onto Marsh Harbor. Thankfully I picked a flight that had a couple hour layover so I still made the second leg of the journey with a few minutes to spare. After a few more weather delays in Atlanta (thanks to a frozen door on the jetway and the need to get the plane deiced) I made it to Abaco. I picked up my rental, headed to the supermarket and then onto my Airbnb. I wanted to stay south of Marsh Harbor but a cancellation a few weeks ago at my original lodging I had to settle for a spot in town. I birded a little in the neighborhood and turned up a few overwintering species. Although a bit breezy it was at least warm with temps in the 70’s.

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Cuban Pewee, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Pine lands at dawn, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

The Toyota POS, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Atala Hairstreak, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Cuban Parrots (Bahama subspecies), Crossing Rocks, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Western Spindalis (Bahamas Green-backed), Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Thick billed Vireo, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Black faced Grassquit, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

My plans for the first full day on the island was to get up well before dawn and drive almost an hour south to Abaco National Park. As I headed out the door a little before five it was obvious it had rained hard at some point overnight. The drive south on the wet roads with puddles was less than relaxing and I had to deal with a little additional rain from time to time. I did add a Chuck Wills Widow on the way (my first new Bahamas species for the trip). I arrived at the entrance to the park a bit before six and waited for it to get light enough to see to start my walk for a few miles south on the dirt road. If I had a better vehicle with more clearance it would have been easier to get further south but I was stuck with what I had for a vehicle. One of the first birds I heard for the morning were a couple of Bahama Yellowthroats. I got some recordings and a few looks but no chance for any photos (I did get much better looks and some photos a bit later in the morning). I spent the next three hours walking the road and only had to deal with a few passing showers as I turned up about twenty species, including several Cuban Parrots (Bahama subspecies) and nine species of warblers. I made brief visit to the very end of the island at Sandy Point, which was quite windy and fairly barren of bird life. I then spent the next four plus hours slowly working my way back north to my lodging with multiple stops along the way. I added several species for the day along the way (including two new species for my Bahamas list with West Indian Woodpecker and Western Cattle Egret) and finished the day with 39 species.

Bahama Woodstar, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Red legged Thrush, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Cuban Emerald, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Bananaquit, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Ovenbird, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Yellow throated Vireo, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Common Ground Doves, Columbus Cay Eco Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Northern Waterthrush, Columbus Cay Eco Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Lincoln's Sparrow, Treasure Cay, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Black faced Grassquit, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Magnificent Frigatebird, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

La Sagra's Flycatcher, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

For my second full day on the island I decided to head north all the way to Treasure Cay and see what the north end of the island had to offer. The morning started off overcast and breezy and eventually some drizzle started up. I was able to get in a few walks before a more steady rain began and added two new species to my Bahamas list with Tricolored Heron and Eastern Phoebe. As the rain continued to fall I made a few more stops but did not venture far from the car. These stops were also productive with some shorebirds and waterfowl. By around 9:30 the rain stopped and I was able to take some longer walks in the area of Treasure Cay. Among the highlights was the first life bird of the trip with distant views of a couple Bahama Swallows (life bird #1994). I also added a few more species to my Bahama list including a rare Lincoln’s Sparrow plus Yellow throated Vireo, Willet and Baltimore Oriole. I made it back to my lodging in the early afternoon and the sun actually stayed out for a good part of the rest of the day. Overall I found a total of 52 species for day. 

Dawn over Pinelands, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Swallow, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

West Indian Woodpecker, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Loggerhead Kingbird, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Black throated Green Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Western Spindalis (Bahamas Green-backed), Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

My plans for the last full day on Abaco was to make the drive back down to Abaco National Park before dawn and then walk south to the end to get out of the pine lands and into an area that might host an overwintering Kirtland’s Warbler. It would be a long shot chance for sure that would require at least a ten mile hike one way. I was out the door early on a very humid morning that featured some low fog in spots that made the journey more adventurous. I got a caution light on the car when I was perhaps 2/3 of the way but after stopping and trying to figure it out I started the car back up and the light went out. I almost turned back at that point but decided to press on. I made it to the park a little after six and drove in perhaps two miles over rough dirt roads and then stopped and started the hike down with all my gear and lots of water (which was still not enough). I walked steadily down with not much stopping along the way to look for birds with most tallied along the way as heard only. The best bird by far on the way down was a distantly calling Key West Quail Dove, which became species 1995 for me. I eventually made it out of the pine lands after a little over four hours of walking and about ten miles distance. I then walked another hour or so in the blazing sun in the area I hoped would have a Kirtland’s Warbler. I made it to within sight of the lighthouse and then turned back with no luck. I knew I still had to retrace all my steps back to the car and I didn’t want to arrive back too late in case the car had issues getting me back north to my lodging. As I started my walk back I heard a loud chip that sounded unlike others I have heard and after a few moments I got fleeting looks at a Kirtland’s Warbler! I then spent the next 15 minutes or so trying to get some photos and recordings and at that point I noticed there were two Kirtland’s Warblers and not just one. Although I had the species way back when on their breeding grounds in Michigan when I made a day long drive to get them when I was in Ohio I had never gotten photos of them before. I then made the long slog back to the car where I arrived tired, thirsty and with some blisters after walking over 23 miles total…almost a marathon but worth the pain and effort for sure. The chances of coming across an overwintering Kirtland’s Warbler in the vast habitat was quite small so I felt incredibly lucky. I made a couple more brief stops on my way home and added some species for the trip as well as new Bahama species for me…getting me to 99 species ever in the Bahamas and a total of 41 species for the day.

I had a few hours available on my last morning before making the short flight to Miami. I decided to not push my luck with the crappy car by driving anywhere so I walked around the neighborhood. Nothing out of the ordinary but I did add my 100th species to my Bahama list with a couple of Limpkins.

During my short time in the Bahamas I found a total of 74 species with two of the those being life birds for me (Bahama Swallow and Key West Quail Dove). I had 18 new species I was able to add to my Bahama list, bringing that total to a nice and even 100 species.

All photos from trip at the following link.

Antigua and Barbuda trip -Feb 27-Mar 1, 2020

Barbuda Warbler, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

I just returned from a final trip down to warmer locales for this winter season. The trip began with a solo trip down to Antigua on Thursday the 27th with the main purpose of the trip to finally get over to Barbuda to track down the endemic Barbuda Warbler (more details on the warblers here). The small island was devastated by Hurricane Irma back in September 2017 (a Category 5 storm with 185 MPH winds) and there were fears that little if any of the birds made it though a record setting storm. Although we had stopped in Antigua on two previous cruises (March 2019 and December 2017) out of San Juan the day time cruise stops were never long enough to get over to Barbuda (a supposed 90 minute ferry ride away from Antigua...more on that later). There are three ways over to Barbuda from Antigua: a ferry trip, a small plane ride or a helicopter and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the best mode of transport as they all have their positive and negative attributes. The helicopter flight was out as it is way too expensive and I decided against the flight as it involved possibly spending a night on Barbuda as the flights over and back don’t leave a lot of time to look around and weight restrictions would keep me from bringing all the items I would need for the trip. Of course that meant it would be a trip over on the ferry. I had left myself two full days on Antigua in order to have a back up day if the ferry got canceled by bad weather (something that apparently happens with some frequency). It was a great plan until the ferry schedule changed and no trips were planned to Barbuda for Saturday so it would have to be a Friday trip and I would have to keep my fingers crossed the trip didn’t get cancelled.

Barbuda Warbler, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Barbuda Warbler, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Bananaquit, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Cape May Warbler, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Lesser Antillean Flycatcher, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Common Ground Dove and Zenaida Dove, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Black faced Grassquit, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Mangrove Cuckoo, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Helmeted Guineafowl, Coco Point Road, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Looking back toward Antigua, Barbuda, Feb 28, 2020

Friday arrived and I got down to the ferry dock in St.Johns for 5:30am for a 6AM departure (or so I thought!). Despite multiple emails confirming the departure time the ferry was not actually leaving the port until 7AM....so much for the confirmation! The boat finally got going a little after 7 and then we took a turn away from the route to Barbuda to go to another pick up spot further south on Antigua (Jolly Harbor). After lots of waiting around there we finally got underway to Barbuda. We never arrived until 9:45 so the advertised 90 minute trip to Barbuda turned into a much longer ordeal...oh well, at least we eventually made it there. I immediately headed out to walk along Coco Point Road and River Road to Codrington (the only town on the island). After a very short time I started coming across a few Barbuda Warblers in the low scrub vegetation that dominates the island. It was great to see a decent numbers of warblers as well as many other species that made it through the hurricane from a few years ago. The most common species along the road were the Barbuda Warbler, Bananaquits and Black faced Grassquits. Among the more expected species I had two rare sightings with a male Cape May Warbler in a mixed flock as well as a Merlin that rocketed past chasing an American Kestrel (both flagged as rare in eBird with no previous records for the warbler and only one for the Merlin). The damage from the storm was still quite evident but the island was certainly slowly coming back to life. I walked almost all the way to town before turning back and heading back toward the ferry drop off. With a little remaining time I headed south of the ferry dock for almost a mile and added a new bird for the day with a couple of Helmeted Guineafowl from an established feral population that flushed as I was walking by. It was a very hot day with little in the way of shade but I made it through relatively unscathed with no hydration problems but got burned a bit in spots I didn’t put sunscreen on quite thick enough. The return trip also turned into a bit of fiasco with a slightly delayed departure around four and then the advertised 90 minute trip back to Antigua and another detour to Jolly Harbor before finally making it to St. John’s around 6:30pm. I would recommend to anyone thinking of taking the ferry over to Barbuda to leave and return out of Jolly Harbor instead of St John’s as you won’t have to leave as early and will get back quicker. I was totally beat when I got back and then could not find my previously arranged driver and after having no luck contacting him I decided to just make the half hour walk back to my lodging...bringing me up to over ten miles walked for the day with all my equipment and supplies.

White cheeked Pintail, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

Gray Kingbird, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

Bananaquit with nest material, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

Cattle Egret, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

Yellow crowned Night Heron, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

West Indian Whistling Ducks, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

Antillean Crested Hummingbird, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

Saturday would be a more relaxed and slow paced day compared to Friday with my day spent relatively local to my lodging along Fort Road (although I did walk several miles once again). I headed out before dawn to hit the nearby McKinnon's Saltpond (a great spot for waterfowl, waders and some shorebirds and a spot I had visited on one of my previous trips to Antigua). I walked about a mile and a half before turning around to retrace my steps as the day warmed up quickly. The salt ponds featured some good birds with numerous species of waterfowl including West Indian Whistling Ducks, White cheeked Pintails and a high count of Ruddy Ducks, four species of shorebirds, nine species of waders and loads of Bananaquits and Yellow Warblers. I headed back out late in the morning to walk out to Fort James. The middle of the day consisted of a few shorter walks and an occasional break from time to time as I tried to limit my time in the direct sun after getting a little burned the day before.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Feb 29, 2020

As the day came to a close I headed back to McKinnon's Saltpond again and stayed there until sunset where I had yet another apparently rare sighting for the island when I heard a familiar chip note and found a group of three Yellow rumped Warblers along one of the hedges. I managed to get a recording as well as a few identifiable photos with my phone through binoculars (I left the big camera back at my lodging to give my back and shoulders a break). There are no eBird reports of the species for Antigua and just one record from Barbuda of a single individual back in December of 2006. I also found a few new species of shorebirds for the trip plus watched some of the evening flight of waders as they came into roost.

Cattle Egret, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Mar 1, 2020

White cheeked Pintail, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Mar 1, 2020

White crowned Pigeon, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Mar 1, 2020

Black faced Grassquit, McKinnon's Saltpond, Antigua, Mar 1, 2020

On Sunday morning I had some time available before I had to head to the airport late morning for my flight down to Grand Cayman via Miami to begin the second part of the trip. I once again walked over to the nearby McKinnon's Saltpond early in the morning, covering most of the areas I hit the previous day. Mostly the same species were around but I did add a new species for the trip with a Northern Waterthrush. I also had a higher count of waders as I got to the pond a little earlier and had more birds leaving their roost. I finished up around the pond before nine and headed back to get ready for the next portion of the vacation.

Species total for the trip to Antigua and Barbuda came to 56 species. Total for Antigua and Barbuda from this trip and two previous day stops during cruises now stands at 65.  Much more details on the warblers seen during this part of the trip can be found at the following link: Antigua and Barbuda warblers.