September
2008
Bill
Brooking
Hi
Jeff & Allison
Please
find attached my checklist of birds seen during my Aruban holiday
last September, hope there is a sighting or two that might be
of interest to you. I was there with my wife who likes
the beach so she does not mind if I go off birding for a few
hours although the heat slowed me down a bit. It was so hot
- high nineties - everyday, so my trips out were in the late
afternoon around the Bucuti hotel where we stayed. A bit about
myself: have been birding since 1976, mostly England where we
live, with many visits to other European countries, especially
Spain where my sister lives. Also 4 visits to the states and
3 to the Caribbean. As well as my checklist, attached is a picture
of a duck. Its ID I am stuggling with. Hope you can help. It
was in the company of 2 WE pintails at the hospital pools, but
as soon as I approached it was off. The duck was slightly bigger
than the pintails and had white secondaries seen when in flight.
Yours, Bill Brooking
Jeff
and Allison: The bird in your photo is a Blue-winged Teal. It
is a common winterer on Aruba and throughout the Caribbean and
Central and South America. Thanks for your report!
Blue-winged
Teal, photographed by Bill Brooking.
CHECK
LIST OF BIRDS SEEN ON ARUBA 11 TO 26 SEPT 2008
All
birds seen within ½ mile of bucuti beach hotel
Sites
were beach,off shore,hospital pools, golf course.
Crested
caracara,fork tailed flycatcher,seen as stated
PIED-BILLED
GREBE 1 golf course lakes
BROWN
BOOBY up to 3 offshore most days
BROWN
PELICAN as above
NEOTROPICAL
CORMORANT seen flying over max 17
MAGNIFICENT
FRIGITEBIRD up to 5 offshore
GREAT
BLUE HERON seen twice flying offshore
GREAT
EGRET 1 for 4 days at the hospital pools
GREEN
HERON 1 hospital pools
WHITE
CHEEKED PINTAIL 2 hospital pools
OSPREY
4 single birds coming in of the sea on separate days
CRESTED
CARACARA 3 seen in the east of the island
AMERICAN
KESTRAL up to 2 seen around the hotel and hospital pools
COMMON
MOORHEN up to 6 golf course lakes
CARIBBEAN
COOT 1or 2 hospital pools golf course lakes
BLACK
BELLIED PLOVER 1 golf course
SEMIPALMATED
PLOVER up to 6 golf course and hospital pools
KILLDEER
as above
BLACK
NECKED STILT max 20 hospital pools
GREATER
YELLOW LEGS 1or 2 hospital pools
LESSER
YELLOW LEGS up to 5 hospital pools
SOLITARY
SANDPIPER 1 or 2 hospital pools
WILLET
1 hospital pools
RUDDY
TURNSTONE up to 5 hospital pools and beach
SANDERLING
1or2 beach
SEMIPALMATED
SANDPIPER up to 10 golf course and hospital pools
LEAST
SANDPIPER 2or3 hospital pools
WHITE
RUMPED SANDPIPER 2or3 hospital pools
PECTORAL
SANDPIPER up to 6 golf course, hospital pools and hotel grounds
STILT
SANDPIPER 1 hospital pools
SHORT-BILLED
DOWITCHER up to 6 hospital pools
LONG-BILLED
DOWICHER up to 4 hospital pools
LAUGHING
GULL common beach and offshore
ROYAL
TERN as above
CAYENNE
TERN as above
SANDWICH
TERN 1 off shore
COMMON
TERN 1or2 offshore
LEAST
TERN 1 offshore
BROWN
NODDY 5 offshore on 1 day
BARE-EYED
PIGEON common
EARED
DOVE common
COMMON
GROUND DOVE least common of the 3 doves
BROWN-THROATED
PARAKEET up to 5 around hotel
BLUE-TAILD
EMERALD 1 hospital pools
BELTED
KINGFISHER 1 hospital pools
GRAY
KINGBIRD 2or 3 also seen coming in off the sea
FORK-TAILED
FLYCATCHER 1 orangestad
BANK
SWALLOW 2 or 3 most day's hospital pools
CLIFF
SWALLOW 1 or 2
BARN
SWALLOW UP TO 10
TROPICAL
MOCKINGBIRD common
YELLOW
WARBLER only 2 all holiday hospital pools
BLACKPOL
WARBLER 2 hospital pools
BLACK-
AND-WHITE WARBLER 1 hospital pools
AMERICAN
REDSTART 1 or 2
NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSH 1-hospital pools
BANANAQUIT
common
BLACK-FACED
GRASSQUIT common
DICKCISSEL
1-hospital pools
CARIB
GRACKLE common
SHINY
COWBIRD 15 to 20 hospital pools
TROUPIAL
1-hospital pools
61
species
