ABA DONOR TRIP
Grand Bahama and Abaco Island
with Tony White and Jon Dunn
March 30 - April 6, 2004
Bird list (Acrobat File 15k)
This Grand Bahama and Abaco Island Donor Trip for Century Club members was planned by Tony White, and led by Tony and Jon Dunn. Both are ABA Board Members. The members of our group came from around the USA and gathered during the afternoon of March 29 at the Pelican Bay at Lucaya Inn, on Grand Bahama Island, to enjoy a leisurely dinner and get to know each other.
All would agree it was a great trip, having seen 127 species of birds including 23 species of warblers and all three Bahamian endemics: Bahama Woodstar, Bahama Swallow and Bahama Yellowthroat. We also saw the endemic race of Yellow-throated Warbler that may be elevated to species status. We also saw about 100 buffy flower-bats at Ben's Cave in Lucaya National Park.
Here's the day-by-day report for your reading pleasure.
Grand Bahama
3/30 Tuesday
Bird around Freeport, GB including Garden of the Groves, Shannon Golf Course (abandoned), and Rand Nature Centre. Those of us who awoke before 5:30 AM heard Chuck-will'swidows singing near the hotel. This became a morning ritual. Highlights of the day included a Wilson's Warbler behind Garden of the Groves and a Swainson's Warbler on Shannon Golf Course. There was a large flock of Tree Swallows with a few Bahama and Barn Swallows drinking from the golf course pond.
 3/31 Wednesday
West End, Old Bahama Bay Club, Ruby and Emerald Golf Courses, Princess Hotel blackbird roost. The waterfront at West End yielded three Lesser Black-backed Gulls. We really hit the jackpot on the nature trail at Old Bahama Bay Club – a Black Vulture (3rd or 4th Bahama record), 42 Great Blue Herons heading north out to sea, a cooperative pair of Key West Quail Doves, and a Great Crested Flycatcher. The ponds on Ruby and Emerald Golf Courses had good numbers of Least Grebes. Nearby we watched a female Archilocus feed on Agave blossoms. It was probably a Ruby-throated Hummingbird based on range and the fact that it did not flip its tail when feeding; but the possibility that it was a black-chinned Hummingbird could not be discounted. We found a Louisiana Waterthrush and a Shiny Cowbird at the blackbird roost.
4/1 Thursday
Owl Hole Road, Dover Sound Park, Lucaya National Park, Gold Rock Creek. On Owl Hole Road we Olivecapped Warbler and the Bahamian race of Yellowthroated Warbler, both pine woods specialists. A sea watch from the pier at the mouth of Gold Rock Greek was surprisingly productive. Four Northern Gannets were seen soaring in the distance, a flock of 18 American Wigeon flew by, and a dark-morph Parasitic Jaeger was observed flying from the sea into a Casuarina grove. If this wasn't bizarre enough, it later flew out over the ocean twice and returned to the trees each time. We also watched flocks of migrating Great Egrets and Green Herons fly by. The Green Herons were surprising as the Bahamian population is thought to be an endemic sedentary subspecies.
4/2 Friday
The drive to McLean's Town (East End) to catch ferry to Abaco was direct with little chance for birding, but we did see a Northern Harrier and had our first good view of a Bahama Yellowthroat at the edge of town.
Abaco
 4/2 Friday
Arrive at Crown Haven by ferry, Angel Fish Point, Bahama Star Groves, Treasure Cay Golf Course, and Marsh Harbour. The ferry ride to Abaco was fast and we only saw a few cormorants in the distance. At Bahama Star Groves we watched a female Cuban Emerald feed her newly fledged youngster, and we saw our second Bahama Yellowthroat. The Treasure Golf Course had a good number of White-cheeked Pintails and a questionable Mallard. After dinner that night we heard a Barn Owl on the hotel grounds.
4/3 Saturday
Bahama Palm Shores, and Sandy Point. We stopped by some pine woods across from the old sugar cane fields to watch Bahama Swallows. Just as we were leaving a Swallow-tailed Kite flew over. Bahama Palm Shores provided excellent views of Bahama Parrots, West Indian Woodpeckers, and Indigo and Painted Buntings.
 4/4 Sunday
We saw two Western Kingbirds on the grounds before leaving the hotel. On the drive to Hole-in-the-Wall we saw parrots and the pine woods specialists again. During an ocean watch from the remote lighthouse we saw 12 White-tailed Tropicbirds, 8 Magnificent Frigatebirds and an adult Northern Gannet.
4/5 Monday
Abaco Beach Hotel Grounds and Green Turtle Cay. The sand flats at Green Turtle Cay were loaded with shorebirds. We saw 63 Dunlin, 80 Short-billed Dowitchers, 40 Sanderlings, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 12 Willets. Large numbers of Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers were joined by a few Piping and Wilson's.
4/6 Tuesday
Bahama Palm Shores, Marsh Harbour Dump, and pond near airport. Our final day started with 6 Cedar Waxwings at the hotel. A quick trip to Bahama Palm Shores gave us another view of the parrots, and a final trip to the dump produced a Purple Gallinule and two Prothonotary Warblers.
For more information about ABA Donor Trips, please call (800) 850-2473 ext 233 or email
.
|
