As the
aircraft touched down at the southern tip of St Lucia, I saw four Scaly-naped
Pigeons fly across the airfield. Immediately outside the terminal, a
large group of Caribbean Grackles were gathered in
the trees as we loaded our bags into the taxi. It was late afternoon and light
was fast fading but as we set off down the road I saw a Gray
Kingbird sitting on the electric wires. Further along the road we saw
three more Gray Kingbirds (see
pic left) and
a couple of Cattle Egrets, giving me four species
before arriving at the St James’s Club Morgan Bay Hotel. It was 7pm in the
middle of August but was now totally dark.
After a good night's sleep I awoke in time for first light at 6am. From our balcony we had good views across a grassed area, dotted with flowering trees, to the Caribbean Sea. A large tree a short distance from our room seemed a good place to start looking for birds. I soon spotted my first hummer, a beautiful Green-throated Carib (see pic below left), darting between the large red flowers in the top of the tree, stopping momentarily to hover in search of some nectar.
Some Caribbean Grackles and a couple of Zenaida Doves were feeding below on the grass. A small party of noisy Shiny Cowbirds arrived and quickly joined the doves feeding on the grass. I then saw my second hummer, the tiny Antillean Crested Hummingbird. The sea looked quiet but inviting with the early morning temperature in the 80’s. A Magnificent Frigatebird soared over and circled round before carrying on its way. A few minutes later two Laughing Gulls flew by. As I continued this lazy approach to bird watching from my balcony, two Little Blue Herons flew by, a white phase bird and shortly after, a blue phase bird. Occasional Cattle Egrets also flew by, leaving their roost in nearby Castries and setting out to their feeding grounds. I counted 18 Cattle Egrets before taking a break for breakfast. Last but by no means least, two Royal Terns flew around feeding in the bay. I also saw from the balcony that morning Tropical Mockingbird, Black-faced Grassquit, Banaquit and Lesser Antillean Bullfinch (see pic below left) taking my first day species count to 16.
Next
morning I set out to search the hotel grounds for birds and soon found an
interesting area bordering the hotel. It comprised a stream, surrounded by a
variety of large trees and bushes, which then opened out into an interesting
scrubby area. A Green Heron perched on a low branch above the stream whilst
three Caribbean Martins flew around over the top of the trees. Two
Black Whiskered
Vireos flew into a nearby bush giving me excellent views. There were plenty of
Caribbean Grackles, Gray Kingbirds, Black-faced
Grackles, Zenaida Doves and
Tropical Mockingbirds around. At the point where the stream flowed out to
the sea, a Spotted Sandpiper was feeding at the edge of the water.
Further
exploration of the hotel grounds during the next few days produced summer and
winter plumage Sanderling, Turnstone and
Yellow-crowned Night Heron on the
beach, an adult Moorhen with a juvenile and a Bare-eyed Robin (or as some
prefer, Bare-eyed Thrush).
After a
few lazy days we decided to try an organised land rover drive into the rain
forest. We were driven up steep hills, around sharp hairpin bends into the heart
of the island where we deviated onto a very rough steep track, surrounded by all
manor of giant ferns, bamboos and trees. It was hot and humid and we were much
relieved when we arrived at an opening with good views across the rain forest.
Here we were greeted with a welcome
selection of fresh tropical fruits provided by the locals. After feasting
ourselves on fresh bananas, mangos and pineapples we continued along the trail
until we reached a small opening which marked the start of a trail down a very
rugged path. Our guide offered to lead us down the track for an hour's easy walk
in the rain forest. It soon became clear, however, that this was not a walk for
the feint hearted or the unfit. The track soon merged into a stream and we
stumbled over slippery stones, struggling to stay on our feet as we descended
into a valley. But high in the canopy I could hear some birds calling and was
soon rewarded with good views of two St Lucia Orioles, displaying their
contrasting bright orange and black plumage. As we continued along the trail we
also saw Adelaide’s Warbler and a probable St Lucia Black
Finch.
The
trail continued up over a steep hill before descending again to the river where
we seized an opportunity to cool off in a pool at the bottom of a waterfall. We
eventually returned to our Landrover some two hours later. It was a good walk and
a true rain forest experience, but as so often in a rain forest we heard a great
deal more than we saw.
The
next day we learnt why St Lucia is so green. It poured with rain all day.
Thankfully this was the only day we encountered such weather. Next day the
weather was back to normal, hot and mainly sunny with just the occasional
shower. A Broad-winged Hawk was perched in the top of a tree in the grounds
adjacent to the hotel. I also found some Ground Doves and a
Purple-throated
Carib whose iridescent reddish purple throat shone brilliantly in the sunlight.
We
ventured down the coast next day to the Pitons on a small local speed boat. As
we sped along we saw a small group of Lesser Antillean Swifts
and a juvenile Brown Booby. At the Pitons we had good views of
Magnificent Frigatebirds and two Brown
Noddys. We also experienced some excellent snorkelling in brilliantly
clear water just in front of the Hilton Hotel.
Later
that week we treated ourselves to a return day trip to the Grenadines where we
experienced some more excellent snorkelling. Unfortunately many of the nesting
birds had departed but we did see plenty of Brown Noddys and
five Brown Pelicans.
Over
the next couple of days we saw Sandwich Terns feeding in the bay in front of the
hotel and a pair of Lesser Antillean Flycatchers in the botanical gardens near
Soufriere. We also saw Green and Purple-throated
Caribs, Black Whiskered Vireo, Bananaquit
and Green Heron here.
I set
off next day for a birding day by myself and drove down the east coast to the
Des Cartieres Rain Forest trail. This was well marked off the main road but then
required navigating along some tiny roads with no road marking or clues as to
whether I was going in the right direction. The roads deteriorated to a rough
track through banana plantations and eventually led me to the trial. There were
no other visitors present, just the ranger and a couple of forest workers. Great
from my point of view, but probably not so good for the economy. I paid my fee
and set off round the trail with birds calling everywhere. I soon spotted some
Adelaide’s Warblers and Lesser Antillean
Bullfinches. There were Antillean
Crested Hummingbirds (see pics below) and Purple-throated Caribs along the trail and
Scaly-breasted Thrashers living up to their name thrashing about in the tops of the
trees. Soon I came to one of the parrot watch points and almost immediately saw
two large brightly coloured St Lucia Parrots fly across and disappear into a tree.
Two Broad-winged Hawks were circling around and calling.
Careful
searching in the canopy soon revealed my first definite St Lucia Black
Finch. A St Lucia Peewee was calling and soon gave good but brief views. I continued round the
trail and was soon attracted to the loud haunting call of the Rufous-throated
Solitaire. I searched around, getting very close to the bird but without seeing
it. Eventually out of frustration I tried pishing when much to my amazement, it
jumped up onto a branch in front of me, giving excellent views, and called.
I
carried on round the trail and saw two more St Lucia Parrots before eventually
arriving back at the wardens hut. The warden advised that one of the best
general areas was the area at the start of the trail, so I returned to this area
in the hope of seeing a few more species. I was soon rewarded with good views of
a couple of Mangrove Cuckoos and two more St Lucia
Orioles. I also saw two Lesser
Antillean Swifts, some more Scaly-breasted Thrashers
(see pic below) and two more Broad-winged Hawks.
After
leaving the Des Cartieres Trail I set off to Veaux Fort where I found a Snowy
Egret feeding in a stream. I stopped along the coast to view the sea out towards
the Maria Islands. Sooty Terns and Laughing Gulls
(see pic below) could be seen flying around
near the island and there were many Cattle Egret and
Scaly-naped Pigeons flying
between the main land and Maria Islands.
Next
day back at the hotel, I found two more Mangrove Cuckoos in the adjacent grounds,
together with a Lesser Antillean Saltator and two Scaly-breasted
Thrashers. Later
that morning we travelled to the Fair Helen dive boat departure point on the
outskirts of Castries where I found the roosting point for the Cattle Egret
(small road opposite the airport main runway). There was a tree next to a small
hotel over looking the harbour that was full of egrets, mostly Cattle Egrets
and
a few Snowy Egrets. Unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to investigate
this tree any further, but its well worth checking out if you’re in the area.