Ryan Chenery - Birds of the Lesser Antilles

To my wonderful parents Percy and Jeanne for their unwavering support, and for encouraging me to always follow my dreams; and to my Lil Family (my beautiful wife Alex and two precious daughters Ariadne and Leilani): birding may be my passion, but the three of you are unquestionably my heart. Thank you all for your constant love and belief in me, and for allowing holidays to always be in places where we can fit in a bit of birding on the side!

HELM

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First published in the United Kingdom 2022

Copyright Ryan Chenery 2022

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CONTENTS

A special and most heartfelt thanks to Patricia E. Bradley (the author of Birds of the Cayman Islands and co-author of Birds of Cuba: A Photographic Guide), and the late Yves-Jacques Rey-Millet (photographer for Birds of the Cayman Islands and Birds of Cuba: A Photographic Guide) for granting permission to use a selection of Yves-Jacques photos, and for their encouragement of my birding tour company (Birding the Islands: www.birdingtheislands.com) that now delivers birdwatching trips throughout the Lesser Antilles.

I would also like to extend my deepest thanks to all of the other photographers who kindly allowed me to include their fabulous images in this book. A personal thank you to: Alex Large, Alexandra Chenery, Alicia Williams, Andrea Easter-Pilcher, Anthony Levesque, Batrice Henricot, David Petts, Faraaz Abdool, George Tuthill, Jane Hartline, John Dyson, Julian Moore, Keith Clarkson, Larry Therrien, Mark Greenfield, Mike Barth, Nigel Lallsingh, Paul R. Reillo, Skye Haas, Steve Race, Steven Woon, Vaughan Ashby and Vaughan Francis. A special thanks also to the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority for allowing me to use some of their wonderful images.

Thank you to Bertrand Jr. Baptiste, Lester Nanan and Lisa Sorenson for their recommendations of photographers to contact.

Thank you to my publisher, Jim Martin, for approaching me to undertake this work. It has been a project I have enjoyed immensely, and I am grateful to him for the opportunity. Thank you also to my editor, David Campbell, for his advice and assistance with format, layout and content.

White-headed Munia.

The islands of the Lesser Antilles are renowned worldwide for picturesque beaches, stunning coastlines and sparkling turquoise seas and they do indeed offer such attractions to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who visit the region every year. But look closer, and you will find that they are also home to a host of spectacular birds, many of which are threatened and often found nowhere else on the planet.

Whether you are heading off on vacation to relax on the beautiful white sand beaches of Antigua and Barbuda; on a hiking holiday through the verdant forests of the Nature Lovers Island of Dominica; surfing the thunderous rollers that batter the rugged east coast of Barbados; or if you are one of the increasing number of birders targeting these islands as an adventurous and rewarding destination to add to your life list, this book will help you identify the many feathered gems to be found along this remarkable island chain.

Nestled within the easternmost part of the Caribbean, the Lesser Antilles comprises a chain of islands which, running from north to south, begins in Anguilla (181323.77 N 630323.88 W) and descends in a long sweeping arc culminating on the Spice Isle of Grenada (120635.89 N 614136.66 W). Ideally positioned between North and South America, with the warm tranquil waters of the Caribbean Sea bordering their western coastlines and the heaving Atlantic Ocean thundering against their eastern shores, these multiple island nations are ideally situated to receive flights of birds: almost unfathomable numbers of North American migrants during autumn and spring; Old World vagrants that have inadvertently crossed the Atlantic; and even austral migrants from South America that have set off on an exploratory journey north (much like the original human colonisers of the islands did some 5,000 years ago). Added to these fascinating visitors is a wondrous array of regional breeding residents, including a wealth of endemics and near-endemics, and a host of endemic subspecies, all of which serves to ensure your birding experience in the region will be truly memorable.

Species present year-round

Endemics, e.g. Imperial Parrot on Dominica, Whistling Warbler on St Vincent, Montserrat Oriole on Montserrat.

Near-endemics, e.g. Blue-headed Hummingbird on Martinique and Dominica, Plumbeous Warbler on Guadeloupe and Dominica, Grenada Flycatcher on Grenada and St Vincent, Grey Trembler on St Lucia and Martinique.

Lesser Antillean Endemics species restricted to the Lesser Antillean region, where they are found on multiple islands, e.g. Purple-throated Carib, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, Brown Trembler, Lesser Antillean Saltator.

Breeding Residents species that do not migrate outside of the region post-breeding, e.g. Caribbean Elaenia, Scaly-naped Pigeon, Common Ground Dove.

Species primarily present in the Lesser Antilles during spring migration (March and April) and autumn migration (July to October)

Migrant waders, waterfowl, herons and warblers, along with other migratory species such as kingfishers, grosbeaks, cuckoos and buntings.