St Lucia was bathed in bright sunshine with blue sky and a warm breeze when we landed; a far cry from the cold, damp and dreary London we’d left behind some 8 hours beforehand.
Our short journey north to our hotel produced Broad-winged Hawk, American Kestrel, Carib Grackle and numerous Gray Kingbirds - a good start! On arrival in Rodney Bay we had a short time to enjoy a few of the more regular local species such as Zenaida Dove, the local black-faced Bananaquits and a couple of soaring Broad-winged Hawks, all whilst enjoying the rum punch served as our welcome drink. This is the Caribbean after all - ‘you gotta have rum…and we managed to, most nights in fact!
Our first full day produced many highlights, not least the fantastic warm weather! Along the Rodney Bay Trail our first highlight had to be the Grey Trembler, which we watched ‘trembling’ on a low branch. That was followed by the trio of St Lucia Warblers which showed above our heads, and the shy Spectacled Thrush which eventually showed well. Nearby a Spotted Sandpiper fed in a puddle alongside a small group of Black-faced Grassquits and Common Ground-Doves, whilst numerous Carib Grackles and Shiny Cowbirds worked their way through the leaf litter. Further around the bay produced both Royal and Cabot’s Terns, a few Turnstones and a small flock of Semipalmated Plovers, whilst Brown Boobies fed offshore and Magnificent Frigatebirds glided effortlessly overhead in the warm breeze.
After a tasty lunch we set off for Pigeon Island where some of the group climbed to the top of the lookout. From here we could see Rodney Bay and Castries Harbour laid out far below us like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, each bordering the sparkling blue Caribbean below. We found a few new species on the island with Black-whiskered Vireo, Scaly-breasted Thrasher and Lesser Antillean Saltator all noted. The choice of ice cream nearby was a difficult decision with around 30 different flavours, all of which looked totally mouthwatering!
After watching the fishing boats heading out into the tremendously rough seas off Dennery at dawn the next morning we took our positions in an area of dry forest waiting for White-breasted Thrasher to appear. As we scanned the vegetation, I suddenly realised that the dry leaf-litter where we were standing was rustling. Looking around, then behind me, revealed a very smart Boa Constrictor about 7-8 feet in length slithering off from us and heading for the nearby tree. In fact, we'd probably inadvertently disturbed it by standing where we did looking for the thrasher, which did show briefly, and was soon followed by further individuals at another site nearby along with Mangrove Cuckoo, St Lucia Black Finch, and another Lesser Antillean Saltator.
Moving up into Des Cartier Rainforest produced several new species including the stunning Rufous-throated Solitaire and brief flight views of St Lucia Parrot. St Lucia Pewee gave great views as did a pair of St Lucia Black Finch but, although vocal, the normally obliging Lesser Antillean Flycatcher remained hidden from view. The Lesser Antillean Bullfinches in the car park were, by contrast, very obliging. On our way back to the hotel, we stopped off at Dennery and watched as the whole village was involved in sorting, cleaning and processing the fish caught that day. Young children sorted through the fishing nets, and the boatman prepared their boats to brave the choppy seas again the following day. What we saw here was also a great social event and a huge sense of community, all pulling in the same direction to help each other.
The following day saw us all climbing into a converted Land Rover early morning and heading down to the rough terrain of a barely drivable dried river bed at Grand Anse. We stopped briefly en route to check the water treatment plant for herons with at least 4 Black-crowned Night Herons and a single Green Heron noted. On our arrival at Grand Anse, St Lucia Wren showed well but briefly on our arrival and was followed fairly quickly by Lesser Antillean Flycatcher. Quail-doves are never ‘easy’ wherever you go and it was clear that Bridled would also fall into that category on this tour with flight views for the majority of the group and brief views on the deck for a lucky few. Ruddy Quail-dove was slightly more generous with a few flushed and seen well in flight. A Yellow-crowned Night Heron tried very hard not be noticed as it hid behind a trunk, and White-breasted Thrasher showed briefly whilst scolding us from a dense tangle of moss and vines. A few Short-tailed Swifts moved along the coast just before lunchtime and we also got to inspect the beach where in around months’ time, Giant Leatherback Turtles will be coming ashore during darkness to lay their eggs.
We completed our visit to Grand Anse by calling in at a roadside café whose speciality dish was Pigtail Bouillion. It actually tasted much better than the name might suggest, and after our hot and tiring morning it tasted even better when washed down with an ice-cold ginger ale. Heading back north we stopped in at a couple of water treatment ponds which produced a handful of Turnstones, Spotted Sandpipers and both yellowlegs, as well as a couple of Bank Swallows and a Barn Swallow.
Bouton and Soufriere were next destinations and despite a damp start the increasing number of range-restricted bird species we kept bumping into, for example Caribbean Elaenia, Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, the Saltator and Lesser Antillean Swift was our reward for birding through the rain. St Lucia Parrot had proven to be quite elusive on our visit to Des Cartier Trail however this morning a couple of close fly-pasts, and a perched bird giving excellent ‘scope views, were very much appreciated. Nearby a St Lucia Oriole also gave great views. Moving down the valley a very obliging Pearly-eyed Thrasher showed well and the first returning Caribbean Martins of the year were also noted. Having heard their ventriloquial clicking calls at Des Cartier we once again found ourselves chasing Antillean Euphonia this morning. After about an hour a male broke cover and landed briefly before heading back to the mistletoe we’d been watching earlier. Within a few minutes we’d pinned down a pair and excellent ‘scope views were enjoyed by all.
Moving down into Soufriere Harbour, our only Laughing Gulls of the trip showed well feeding within the harbor confines and dodging the marauding Magnificent Frigatebirds. Some of the 40 or so gulls had already moulted into summer plumage and were sporting a jet-black hood which contrasted well with their broad white eye-crescents and blood-red bill.
Lunch was taken in Soufriere at a local barbecue restaurant, followed shortly afterwards by a pleasant stroll through the Zen garden which produced several displaying Green-throated Caribs and Antillean Crested Hummingbirds as well as Lesser Antillean Bullfinch and Scaly-breasted Thrasher. Working our way back up the valley produced several more St Lucia Parrots and a flock of around 60 Lesser Antillean Swifts.
Our day out on the Caribbean Sea arrived, and we were armed with hats, suncream and a sense of expectation at what we might see as we boarded Captain Mike’s boat. Seabirds were having a day off it seemed, with only a few Royal Terns and Brown Boobies noted as we headed out of the bay. Reaching our furthest point a few Magnificent Frigatebirds hung effortlessly above the boat and eventually 5 Red-footed Boobies gave a fly-past. Whilst the birds were not ultra-accommodating the cetaceans were, by contrast, just showing off. Throughout the journey we had several large pods of Short-beaked Common Dolphins, and these were replaced by a couple of pods of Fraser’s Dolphin and Pantropical Spotted Dolphin, with a lucky few of us also getting brief views of Short-finned Pilot-whale. The hoped-for Sperm Whales were no doubt nearby somewhere but they obviously didn’t want to come and see us as much as we wanted to see them.
The following day saw us take the 20-minute flight over to St Vincent. [Country No 119 for one of the group!]. Once we’d checked into our hotel, seen some Black Bananaquits and had lunch, we headed out for the Botanic Gardens in Kingstown. It was a very blustery day and birding here was not at all straightforward - in fact it was very challenging! Our first new bird was Grenada Flycatcher which appeared at the base of a bush, allowed us to admire it, and then promptly disappeared. Its timing was impeccable as our local guide Lystra had just given us all very juicy mangos to eat, and yes you’ve guessed it, everyone was dripping with mango juice whilst also trying to see a new bird through their now quite sticky binoculars! We persevered and although we didn’t see another Grenada Flycatcher we did see the endemic musicus form of House Wren, both Yellow-bellied and Caribbean Elaenia's and a migrant Merlin, most probably a taiga bird from the breast pattern and undertail. Scaly-naped Pigeon was numerous around the palm fruits and several Antillean Crested Hummingbirds also showed well. Nearby a group of eight Eared Doves were also new for the tour.
An early start the next day saw us travelling to the north-east of the island. Our main target here was the once critically-endangered St Vincent Amazon. As we watched it get light we were soon on our way up to the lookout point on the mountain-side. Parrots could be heard in the half-light and soon became visible flying around as they emerged from their roost. The next 45 minutes produced around 70 birds with several close fly-pasts allowing us to enjoy the heady mix of bright colours shown by these superbly impressive parrots. From here we moved along a valley tracking its way around the main ridge of the caldera at La Soufriere in search of warblers. Not just any warbler either, the Whistling Warbler is a highly sought-after range restricted endemic only found at 2500 feet, and with a habitat preference for cane-break and bamboo scrub you could say it is, well, tricky. Over the next 3 hours, at least 3 birds were heard with 2 seen very briefly, revealing that these are indeed very shy and elusive birds. Altogether more obliging were our next 2 endemics with at least 3 each of Lesser Antillean Tanager and Brown Trembler noted. We also enjoyed probably the tastiest bananas in the Caribbean when we stopped for snacks and fuel along the roadside.
Our final day was spent working our way south along the east coast of St. Lucia. South of Dennery we heard more White-breasted Thrashers and had good views of St Lucia Pewee and numerous Bananaquits. In the far south of the island our visit to Moule-a-chique produced at least 6 Red-billed Tropicbirds offshore, several Caribbean Martins battling the strong winds around the lighthouse, and an Osprey drifting overhead. Nearby at Vieux Fort wetlands, a great selection of waders included Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers, Hudsonian Whimbrel, and a handful of Spotted Sandpipers. A very nice surprise for us was also present, in the form of two new waders for the trip; a shy Solitary Sandpiper followed by a Western Sandpiper. A check of the scrubby bushes at Vieux Fort following a rain shower produced incredibly close views of St Lucia Warbler, which very quickly became the bird of the trip.
Our tour recorded 88 species and included the vast majority of often tricky-to-see endemics including both Amazonas parrots, a very shy warbler, and a handful of superbly marked thrashers. Non-avian highlights included the rather impressive Boa Constrictor which gave us such tremendous close views, and for those who are not keen on snakes we had the wonderful spectacle of 3 species of Dolphin during our pelagic trip. The hospitality and food were excellent, and we became very good friends with some of the Caribbean’s better-known residents; namely Piña Colada, Daiquiri, Mango Sensation and, of course, the aptly named Painkiller!
So, our last day was filled with birds, a fitting way to end our first tour here. I think the lasting memories of brilliant birds, great scenery, good food, delicious cocktails and warm, welcoming and friendly people will live long in the memory. Thanks to everyone for making it such a memorable trip, and to Vision who was not just our guide but also a very patient and courteous driver!
Bird of the trip was, for once, unanimous - the superb and often obliging St Lucia Warbler.
