24th June - 7th July 2009
Mark Barrett

 

 

I spent two weeks based at the Rui Palace Hotel on Eagle beach, which is 5 minutes walk from the Bubali Reserve. The entrance to the reserve is just south of the large windmill. Access is limited to the large observation tower, and part of the wooden flooring has rotted away. The views from the tower were good and this is where I did most of my birding at first light and again practically every evening.

Behind the windmill there is an area of rough ground that is clearly flooded during part of the year. Whilst traversing this ground, be careful of the vicious thorn bushes. Walking along the beach was occasionally rewarding, the best sighting being a Black Skimmer seen flying over the beach on 4th July.

I managed to get a bus to California lighthouse and take a taxi to the Spanish Lagoon area. I was fortunate enough to hire a taxi that was prepared to wait for us at various locations while we watched birds. I would not recommend wandering off there on your own, as it is quite isolated and you can easily get lost. I was fortunate enough to see Aruban rattlesnake in this general area. They are no problem; if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone.

I was able to get on a trip around the island with Eddie Croes, whose company can be found at www.sensitivehikers.com Whilst he does not run bird watching trips per se, this is an excellent way to get around the island and learn about the history, natural history, and culture of the island from a well informed local whose tours are laid back and very good fun. On his trips, which encompass the Arikok National Park, Baby Beach, and Spanish Lagoon, I was able to see birds that I would not have otherwise seen. I did not hire a car while I was on the island.

The book I used for identification was The Birds of Venuzuela by Steven Hilty. I have never been birdwatching in the New World before, but I am a very active bird watcher and have seen many New World birds; particularly waders and wildfowl in the UK.

Pied-billed Grebe - common seen daily at Bubali

Least Grebe - rare seen once at Bubali on 070709

Brown Booby - rare seen once on Eagle Beach 030709

Neotropic Cormorant - very common, daily at Bubali

Magnificent Frigatebird -very common, daily at Bubali & along the coastline

*Pinnated Bittern - rare, one at Bubali on 070709

Great Egret - common, daily at Bubali

Snowy Egret - common, daily at Bubali

Little Blue Heron - rare, one at Spanish lagoon 280609

Tricolored Heron - common seen at Bubali most days

Reddish Egret- rare, one at Spanish lagoon 060709

Cattle Egret - rare, one at Bubali on 050709

Green Heron - very common, daily at Bubali

Black-crowned Night-heron - common, daily at Bubali

Black-bellied Whistling Duck - a party of 17 were seen at Bubali following stormy weather the previous day

White-cheeked Pintail - common, daily at Bubali

Osprey - rare, one at Bubali on 020709

Crested Caracara - one at California Lighthouse on 050709 & one at Bubali on 060709

American Kestrel - quite common seen at Bubali on several occasions

Purple Gallinule - at least two birds seen daily after 010709

Common Moorhen- common, daily at Bubali

Caribbean Coot - common, daily at Bubali

Killdeer - common, daily at Bubali after 010709

American Oystercatcher - rare one on Palm Beach on 010709

Black-necked Stilt - common, daily at Bubali 7 seen at Spanish Lagoon

Greater Yellowlegs - a party of 7 seen at Spanish Lagoon on 280709

Ruddy Turnstone - one seen at Oranjestad harbour

Laughing gull - common seen daily

Royal tern - common, daily at Bubali & Eagle Beach

Sandwich Tern - common, daily at Bubali & Eagle Beach, mainly the ‘cayenne’ race

Least Tern - one at Spanish lagoon 280609 & a colony on the North Coast Arikok National Park 050709

Bridled tern - several at Baby Beach on 050709

Sooty tern - common, many seen at Baby Beach on 050709

Brown Noddy - common, many seen at Baby Beach on 050709

*Black Skimmer rare seen once on Eagle Beach 040709

Bare-eyed Pigeon - common throughout the island

Eared Dove - common throughout the island

Common Ground Dove - reasonably common throughout the island

Brown-throated Parakeet - common, daily at Bubali & around the hotel area

Groove-billed Ani - small parties occasionally seen both a Bubali and on the waste ground north of the windmill

Ruby-topaz Hummingbird - rare seen twice at Bubali shortly after dawn

Blue-tailed Emerald - Often see outside the Butterfly farm 5 minutes walk from Eagle Beach

Scrub Flycatcher - rare, one at Spanish lagoon 280609

Brown-crested Flycatcher - rare, one at Spanish lagoon 060709

Gray Kingbird - common, daily at Bubali & waste ground north of the windmill

Fork-tailed Flycatcher - following inclement weather a party of nine birds were seen at Bubali on 040709, prior to that, one seen on waste ground north of the windmill on 280709

*Brown-chested Martin - rare, one at Bubali on 270609

*Caribbean Martin - rare, one at Spanish lagoon 280609

Swallow sp. - seen occasionally over Bubali

Tropical Mockingbird - very common, ubiquitous, seen around hotel grounds

Yellow Warbler - common, daily at Bubali

Bananaquit - very common, ubiquitous, seen around hotel grounds

Black-faced Grassquit - common, ubiquitous, seen around hotel grounds

Rufous-collared Sparrow - rare, one at Baby Beach on 050709

Carib Grackle - very common, ubiquitous, seen around hotel grounds as well

Shiny Cowbird - rare one seen by houses across the main road from Bubali

Yellow Oriole - rare one seen at Spanish Lagoon 060709

House Sparrow - common in any built up area


*EDITORS' NOTE: These species are rare and not personally verified by us. We have included them here in order to be as comprehensive as possible.