What a great morning!
After taking some friends to catch an early plane, Marie and Mike arrived early for the fifth VCHT Bird Walk of the season. Apologies to the group if you didn’t see all the fantastic birds that they did! But, as we say, the early bird gets the worm (and Mike and Marie were 45 minutes early)!
What a great group!
There were 22 of us on Bird Walk, and without a doubt, it was a wonderful morning. There were so many great questions, comments, discussions, and two bouts of random applause, one for our good friend Eileen Civitillo, who was not only on her very first bird walk and did the fantastic “Bird Walks Meet Up” poster, and for the Birding Team, who are always learning, and always having fun! Eileen also provided the pictures that accompanied the email sent to our Citizen Scientists, and thank you (all of you) for the $35 in cash you donated. It is now safely deposited in the VCHT Birding Committee bank account. If you didn’t donate and would like to, there is a link at the bottom!
What a great team!
A special thanks to Marie, Teresa, and Pinto, members of the VCHT Birding Team who walked on the 19th. We missed Olga, Rob, and Chuck, but you will have more opportunities to “Strut Your Stuff” in the future!
To get the ball rolling, or perhaps the feathers flying, Mike shared a little about the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust, the role of Citizen Scientists, and the focus of our birding tour. Marie and Teresa quickly jumped in with information about birding, binoculars, and our amazing avian friends.
Speaking of Citizen Scientists, there is an excellent research article about crowdsourcing bird data using eBird. Below is a summary and link to the article.
“Birds are among the world’s best ecological indicators. eBird allows volunteers anywhere in the world to submit data about the birds they see at any time and in any location. The millions of observations recorded each month, logged into a central database at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, are building a global understanding of the distribution, abundance and movements of thousands of bird species. The information is used by scientists, land managers, and bird watchers to document changes in bird distributions, pinpoint bird populations in need of conservation, and locate places to find new birds.”
Discussions among birders and members of the Birding Team highlighted the global decline of bird populations, primarily attributed to habitat changes. Insects tend to vanish when exposed to excessive heat, insufficient or too much water, or the absence of trees and foliage. Generally, when insects disappear, birds tend to follow suit.
Vieques is rich in habitat, and many parts of the island are in some form of protected status. Given the wet winter weather, birds can be found almost everywhere, but not always where you think they will be. As such, birding in Vieques (or anywhere else) can be a hit-and-miss proposition!
The Birding Team pointed out some of the typical “high flyers” at the entrance to Sun Bay, including eight Caribbean Martin on the radio tower; it’s nice to have them back (at the radio tower) this year. Four Gray Kingbirds and a Greater Antillean Grackle were also spotted. We found two Zenaida Doves, two White-winged Doves, and five Scaly-naped Pigeons and saw five Monk Parakeets in flight. The Western Cattle-Egret were great numbers, totaling 11, and there were four passerine sp. (in our case, unidentified perching birds).
From the entrance to Sun Bay, we caravanned to the end of the beach. After parking our cars and learning more about the importance of Citizen Scientists, we headed to the lagoon.
At the lagoon, we were treated to 12 species. In the distance were 250 unidentified shore birds (peep sp.). Despite the lowest water levels of the season, we found White Cheeked Pintails (mating, nonetheless), a single Black-bellied Plover, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Little Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, as well as Great Egrets and Great Blue Herons. We were also treated to a Yellow Warbler, two Mangrove Cuckoos, with one in the scope, Brown Pelicans, and an Osprey. There was even a lonely Greater Antillean Grackle flying about. Everyone was able to get good binocular and scope views, and the weather was beautiful, with virtually no bugs.
After leaving the lagoon, we trekked to the freshwater pond, where we observed six species. There were three Black-necked Stilts, one Greater Yellowlegs (remember, size and the beak, with a slight (oh so subtle) tip up at the end), and a Spotted Sandpiper. A Brown Pelican flew overhead, and a Green-throated Carib was seen flitting in the bushes. The day's best discovery was the Sora, still hiding along the bank, almost impossible to see. On returning to the cars, birders broke into groups by association or interest. They continued to talk about birds, the importance of Citizen Scientists, and the importance of the habitat we visited in Vieques.
All in all, it was a great morning! Thanks for being such a great group of birders!
If you would like to support the work of the VCHT Birding Team as we work to protect our birds and their habitat on Vieques, please donate using the link below:
In closing, the VCHT Birding Team reminds you that our birds are in trouble. Nearly 3 billion birds have been lost since 1970, and habitat loss is at an all-time high. Read more using these links
Please do what you can to support bird conservation and donate to support our work in Vieques!
If you would like to become a member of the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust, please follow this link:
Remaining Bird Walks This Season
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
All VCHT Bird Walks start at 7:30 a.m. and depart from Sun Bay, just inside the main gate. You will find us parked along the sidewalk on the right-hand side of the road!
The 126th Vieques Audubon Christmas Bird Count will occur on January 3, 2026. You are welcome to join us! Email vcht.birding.team@gmail.com to let us know you will be attending!
You are also welcome to check out our baby bird web presence at cbc.saldelmar.info and vcht.saldelmar.info. Please remember that these pages are ALWAYS a work in progress!
Announcing the 2025/2026 VCHT Birding Schedule
VCHT BW #1 - Wednesday, December 17, 2025
CBC - Saturday, January 3, 2026, followed by a 5:00 p.m. Pot-luck at the Trust
VCHT BW #2 - Wednesday, January 7, 2026
VCHT BW #3 - Wednesday, January 21, 2026
VCHT BW #4 - Wednesday, February 4, 2026
VCHT BW #5 - Wednesday, February 18, 2026
VCHT BW #6 - Wednesday, March 4, 2026
All VCHT Bird Walks start at 7:30 a.m. and depart from Sun Bay, just inside the main gate. You will find us parked along the sidewalk on the right-hand side of the road!
Bird walks last approximately two hours and cover approximately .8 (TBD) miles on foot with minimal elevation gain. Sturdy shoes and good balance are necessary!
Join the Team - If you are in Vieques during the high season, please consider joining the team! If you are here year-round, love birds, and are looking for an ecotourism job, we can help you become a birding guide. We would love to have you, regardless, as a member of the VCHT Birding Team and the Trust!
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