Anguilla News  - Local & Regional by AnguillaLNT a SMG Product : Window To Our Wetlands: January 2010

Window To Our Wetlands: January 2010
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admin on 02/11/2010 14:20:00 Etc/GMT+1


(The Valley Anguilla - February 11, 2010) - Although few birds were seen on most
of Anguilla’s wetlands in January, there were a few notable exceptions.
Hundreds of Black-necked stilts and Lesser yellowlegs boosted the numbers at
Road Pond while Semi-palmated sandpipers and Lesser yellowlegs comprised the
majority birds at West End Pond. At Mimi Bay Pond and West End By-The-Sea Pond
– tiny wetlands when compared to the sizes of Road and West End – a
remarkable number of Black-necked stilts (73) and Lesser yellowlegs (80) were
respectively recorded there.
In January, two new volunteers joined us in the count – Mr. William Allen, a
visiting avid birder from Canada, and Mr. Remone Johnson, an Environmental
Science student who is writing his School-based Assessment on bird life on three
of Anguilla’s ponds.
Wetland Bird Monitoring Dates: Wednesday 27 January – 29 January 2010
Wetland Pond
Bird Numbers
Species Numbers
Junk’s Hole Pond
2
1
Grey Pond
13
2
Mimi Bay Pond
86
2
East End Pond
29
6
Long Salt Pond
78
3
Bad Cox Pond
11
2
Caul’s Pond
14
4
Blackgarden Bay Pond
1
1
Katouche Pond
8
2
Forest Pond
39
7
Little Harbour Pond
3
3
Road Salt Pond
809
11
Blowing Point Pond
14
6
Rendezvous Salt Pond
6
4
Merrywing Pond
29
12
Cove Pond
25
9
Gull Pond
15
7
West End Salt Pond
595
11
West End-By-The-Sea Pond
88
3
Mead’s Bay Pond
25
6
Long Bay Pond
4
1
Total
1894
22
What to Watch For: Sanderling
The Sanderling is one of the world’s most widespread wintering shorebirds,
found on nearly all temperate and tropical beaches around the world. As a
flocking small sandpiper, at 7-8.5 inches, it is larger than both the
Semi-palmated sandpiper (5.5-6.5 inches) and the Semi-palmated plover (7.25
inches).
Breeding Sanderlings nest during the summers on the islands and the coastal
tundra of the high arctic. During the winter months, they travel south the
tropics, including to Anguilla. It is not unusual, however, for non-nesting
birds to remain in their wintering grounds throughout the summer.
The Sanderling is the lightest-coloured sandpiper, with white underparts and
light gray upperparts. A black mark occurs on the bend of its wing. It also has
dark legs and a black beak.
In Anguilla, the Sanderling spends much of its time along the shorelines of the
island’s wetlands where it feeds primarily on insects. The bird can also be
seen on Anguilla’s beaches, where it runs and retreats with the waves, picking
up stranded invertebrates and probing in the wet sand for food.
In January, all 17 Sanderlings recorded were observed on West End Pond
For more information about the Anguilla National Trust’s monthly wetland bird
monitoring programme or to learn how to become involved, please contact the
Trust at 497 5297. To become a fan and to receive regular updates on Trust
activities, search for the Anguilla National Trust on www.facebook.com.