March
14-28 2006
Mark
Eising
My wife and I spent 14 lovely days
in Aruba in March 2006. We always try to go to countries where
we both can enjoy most we want. Consequently, we always choose
a place that combines interesting birdlife and beaches. My wife
is not as much into bird watching as I am, and I cannot make
her holidays miserable by making bird trips all day.
By choosing Aruba as our next holiday destination, I accepted
the likelihood that birdlife may not be as abundant as I would
have liked. However, my bird trips in Aruba proved to be very
exciting and rewarding and I almost never had a day that I did
not find another new species of bird.
1. Bubali Bird
Sanctuary
I found two specific locations of this water reservoir area
very rewarding: (1) the viewing
tower area on the east side (entrance opposite of the Dutch
wind mill) and (2) the small pond area on the opposite side
of the Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort on the north side of the water
reservoir (follow the dirt track into the grass land on the
left side of an (old?) electrical house and at the end turn
left at the little blue brick construction).
Bubali wetlands
from near viewing tower, March 2006.
Photo
by Mark Eising.
Viewing tower
Standing on the viewing tower you will see the water and marsh
area on the sea side which is filled with all kind of herons
and olivaceous (former name: neotropic) cormorants.
However, the distance is quite far and therefore the birds are
difficult to determine without a telescope. In the reeds I found
dozens of great white egrets, snowy egrets and various black-crowned
night herons (including many juveniles). The little pond (with
only plants) on the left side of the road to the tower almost
always only had one green heron. The little pond left from the
road to the tower (seen from the tower) proved much more interesting,
also because it contained open water and is much nearer to,
and better to observe from, the tower. Each time, besides the
Caribbean coots and moorhens, I found here 1 pied-billed grebe
and a couple of white-cheeked
pintails with three juveniles swimming. Only on 15 and 16
March, I saw here 1 male blue-winged teal. Most of the time,
I also saw here 1 or 2 tri-colored herons. Right after some
heavy rains on 15 March, I found 2 sora rails walking on the
plants between some moorhens and Caribbean coots. Almost each
time I came here I saw the sora rails (also walking between
the plants on the west side). Best time to see them (and the
other birds) is right after sunrise around 07.00. From the tower,
I also spotted numerous brown
pelicans, magnificent
frigate birds, each time the same great blue heron, sometimes
a cattle egret, 5-7 barn swallows flying just above the reeds
and the water, 5 groove-billed ani’s and Caribbean
parakeets in the tree between the pond and the road to the
tower. One early morning, a peregrine falcon flew a circle around
the tower, trying to catch a snowy egret that dived into the
reeds to escape (I found another peregrine falcon on 21 March,
at the end of the day sitting on the high raised telephone pole
in down town Santa Cruz).
Tricolored Heron and Black-necked Stilts.
Photo by Mark
Eising.
Pond area on the opposite side of the Aruba Phoenix Beach
Resort
This is probably the most exciting place, because you need to
approach the little pond (and stream into the direction of the
Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort) very secretive. If you do, it will
be rewarding. The trees next to the pond contained often groove-billed
ani’s and the sky was most of the time filled by magnificent
frigate birds. In the water I found here always many black-crowned
night herons (many juveniles), tri-colored herons, moorhens
and some killdeer. On 16 March, I spotted here 12 solitary sandpipers
and one greater yellow-legs. In the early morning of 23 March,
I saw here 10-12 dowitchers and 4-5 lesser yellow-legs. Walking
back to the road on 23 March, I was surprised to run into 2
crested caracaras flying over and a burrowing owl standing guard
in front of his rabbit hole (the pictures I took are unbelievable!).
The next morning, at the same time (08.30), the crested caracara
flew over once again and at the doorstep of the burrowing owls’
nest I saw 2 juveniles trying to get a sun tan.
Burrowing
Owl.
Photo by Mark
Eising.
Don’t forget to check out the trees opposite of the Aruba
Phoenix Beach Resort, on the west side of the butterfly farm
and next to the road. I found here always some Caribbean
grackles, tropical
mocking birds, eared
doves, bare-eyed
pigeons, yellow
warblers and bananaquits,
and on a few occasions black-faced
grassquits, a few palm warblers and green emeralds and only
once 1 common yellow-throat. Next to the entrance of the butterfly
farm, you will often see green emeralds and ruby-topaz
hummingbirds feeding from the flowers.
Blue-tailed
Emerald.
Photo by Mark
Eising.
2. Tierra del Sol Golf Course
I started to explore this area by going to the entrance of the
golf resort (on my bike, yes!). I wanted to ask permission in
the golf shop for going to the fresh water pond near the 4th
hole, but I was refused to go there without paying a green fee
and hitting some balls. On my way back to the entrance, I ran
into a troupial and a couple of crested bob-whites that were
feeding on the grass along the road. A bit further I found another
couple (again, great pictures!). Then I decided to go and have
a look at the fresh water pond from outside the golf course,
on the very north-east side on the course. The way to get there
is to go to the California Light House and some 300 meter before
getting there, to take the dirt road (there are more alternatives)
on the left side into the flat gravel/sand area. After approximately
1.5 km following the fence of the golf course, the pond is on
the right side. On my three trips I found here 2 ospreys hunting
for fish, 10-15 white-cheeked pintails, numerous Caribbean coots,
some moorhens, 4 pied-billed grebes, 25-30 black-winged stilts,
3 green herons, 2 great blue herons, two tri-colored herons,
many great white egrets and snowy egrets and more than 15 black-crowned
night-herons and some 10 yellow-crowned night-herons (mostly
juveniles). In addition, I spotted 20-25 greater yellowlegs,
1 spotted sandpiper, 1 wigeon (male), and some common ground
doves. I am sure that there were much more different species
in the many groups of birds in the pond, but without a telescope
and only a pair of binoculars, I could not distinguish more
species. A little further along the rocky coast side I found
my only American oystercatcher, feeding on the rocks. A few
times a crested caracara flew over trying to find his breakfast
on the sandy area. Each visit, I ran into an American kestrel
flying low over the ground and after some searching I found
its nest with 3 still very young chicks in it. On my way back
to the light house, I found my third (!) nest with a couple
of burrowing owls guarding the entrance (as they always do when
an intruder is around). When I came back the second time, 2
juveniles were in front of the nest while mum and dad were on
the look out. Probably the most amazing thing was the one time
I tried to get as close as possible to a Caribbean parakeet
near the pond. After some 1.5 hours of patience and persistence,
I even managed to have the bird sitting on my hand and picking
my wedding ring and nails (again, unbelievable pictures!).
Caribbean Parakeet.
Photo by Mark
Eising.
3. Spanish Lagoon
I visited this area only once, because I didn’t find many
birds here. Quite to my surprise actually, because this place
should have many birds according to the trip reports that I
found on www.surfbirds.com. On an early morning (again!), I
parked my car on the “parking lot” at the end of
the dirt road on the north-west side of the lagoon (right after
Frenchmen’s Pass take the dirt road exit on the right
side of the road marked by a wooden sign and follow the direction
“Spanish Lagoon”). Most of the lagoon was dried
out leaving beautiful cracked ground. I walked around a little
bit and run into a crested caracara that soon was chased by
a merlin, probably because it came too close to the merlin’s
nest. I walked into the dry mangroves and found my only Louisiana
waterthrush. Then I followed the path along the lagoon that
begins from the wooden poles (marked with yellow-black planks)
and runs until close to the sea. I found here a couple of troupials,
1 yellow oriole, 1 green heron, numerous eared
doves and bare-eyed
pigeons, tropical
mocking birds, Caribbean
parakeets and bananaquits.
I don’t know why I saw that few birds but it probably
had to do with the dry conditions of the lagoon.
4. Arikok National
Park
As recommended by many bird watchers, I went to the Arikok Cunucu
area on the left side after the entrance gate to the park (just
follow the signs!). It is a nice walking area through many cactuses
and big rocks. I found numerous troupials,
Caribbean parakeets,
eared doves, bare-eyed
pigeons, common
ground doves and bananaquits.
In addition, I saw 1 crested
caracara, some green
emeralds, 2 scrub flycatchers, 1 yellow oriole, and during
my second visit on 22 March, 1 ruby-topaz
hummingbird. One of the rangers told me that the two trees
next to the old-style Cunucu house, which can be visited in
this area, always have green emeralds and ruby-topaz hummingbirds
when the trees carry their red flowers.
One early morning, one of the rangers wanted to walk with me
through this area. I hoped for some great and helpful information
on the birds and their hiding places in the area, so I agreed.
Soon I discovered that the ranger had almost no knowledge about
the birds and I even surprised him by showing him the 50-60
bats living in the cave with the famous bird painting in it.
Anyway, he was a very nice man and after the walk he invited
me into the park’s headquarters where he showed me a stuffed
caracara and some snakes they had captured in the park (one
very poisonous cascabel (rattlesnake)
and 4 boa constrictors which latter have been mistakenly introduced
in Aruba and now are a nuisance to Aruba’s other wild
life).
5. Beach areas
Anyone that goes to the beaches of Aruba will inevitably run
into magnificent frigate birds (roaming the air, especially
in the ports), brown pelicans (roosting on the rocks or diving
for fish), eared doves, bare-eyed pigeons, common ground doves,
house sparrows, Caribbean grackles, tropical mocking birds (all
on the ground and trees in the hotel and restaurant areas) and
bananaquits (in the trees and even sucking from Malibu bottles
in the open beach bars). In addition, there are quite some terns
and gulls but I only distinguished a few species. On the rocky
pier some 200 meter west of the Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort,
there were always laughing gulls, royal terns and cayenne terns
roosting. In the little port on the east side of the Marriott
Hotel (at the lovely Moomba Beach Bar & Restaurant), you
will also find these birds. In addition, on 24 March, I spotted
here various ruddy turnstones on the pier and (only) 1 common
tern in between the dozens other terns. I guess the time was
not (yet) right to see other shore birds.
Brown Pelicans.
Photo by Mark
Eising.
The total number of different birds seen in these two weeks
amounted to 59. Not bad, bearing in mind that 3/4 of the almost
200 birds ever seen on the island are either occasional migrants
or uncommon or rare.
Finally, if you want to see black-faced grassquits from close
range, go and look for them in the green grass of the hotel
next to the Wilhelmina park on the south side of Oranjestad.
We found hundreds of them here.
29 March 2006.
Mark Eising
