The Bahamas: Andros Island 2006 Tour Narrative
The 2006 tour of Andros Island was exceptional. The relaxed atmosphere of the splendid Small Hope Bay Lodge along with the friendliness and superb service of the staff provided a perfect backdrop to birding this large Caribbean Island. We spent the mornings alternating between searching the heavily vegetated villages of Andros for migrant and wintering North American species and visiting native coppice and “upland” Caribbean Pine forests for the several West Indian species that are rare or unrecorded in the United States. A tour to such a scenic and relaxing place as the Bahamas serves as both a vacation and an opportunity for seeking out a nice assortment of birds. The trip highlights likely are different for every participant, but some of my favorite non-avian memories include the nightly social hour with truly delectable conch fritters, mingling with the varied guests at the lodge, exploring some of the many old backcountry logging roads that bisect the island’s interior, visiting several inland Blue Holes (which give the intrepid scuba diver a unique access to the extensive underwater cave systems that lie below Andros), and simply walking the white sand beaches or watching the amazingly blue sea, with a Pina Colada in hand. The birds did not disappoint with repeated and excellent looks of such range-restricted species as Bahama Woodstar, Cuban Emerald, Cuban Pewee, La Sagra’s Flycatcher, Loggerhead Kingbird, Bahama Mockingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, Bahama Yellowthroat, Greater Antillean Bullfinch and Western Spindalis. Two special treats were our prolonged view of a juvenile Great Lizard Cuckoo, catching and then devouring a large walking stick, and of repeated close studies of the endemic subspecies of Greater Antillean Oriole, which is a prime candidate for full species status and is wholly confined to Andros Island. Some other exceptional finds were an incredible 6 species of Vireos, and an amazing 21 species of North American Warblers including a very rare find for the Bahamas, the Orange-crowned!
Note: For 2007 we have expanded the tour to include the nearby island of Abaco, where we hope to add several more interesting and range restricted species such as Cuban (Bahama) Parrot, Olive-capped Warbler, Bahama Swallow and the insular race of Yellow-throated Warbler.