|
Date Posted: November 04, 2008.
The latest bird count performed from October 29 to 31,
tallied 2007 birds around Anguilla's Ponds with 37 different
species identified. Included in this was a male
Long-tailed Duck which was seen on the Temenos Golf Course.
It is the first documented sighting of this bird in Anguilla.
Since October 2005, the Anguilla National
Trust has been conducting monthly wetland bird counts. With
the help of a few dedicated volunteers, the ANT has been
recording total number and species of birds observed at each
of Anguilla’s mainland ponds. The count takes place at the
end of each month with the ponds on the eastern, central,
and western parts of the island being covered on three
separate but consecutive days.
Wetland Bird Monitoring Dates: Wednesday 29 October –
Friday 31 October 2008
|
Wetland Pond |
Bird
Numbers |
Species Numbers |
|
Junk’s Hole Pond |
0 |
0 |
|
Grey Pond |
5 |
3 |
|
Mimi Bay Pond |
19 |
5 |
|
East End Pond |
118 |
13 |
|
Long Salt Pond |
20 |
7 |
|
Bad Cox Pond |
3 |
2 |
|
Caul’s Pond |
5 |
3 |
|
Blackgarden Bay Pond |
1 |
1 |
|
Katouche Pond |
3 |
3 |
|
Forest Pond |
19 |
3 |
|
Corito |
79 |
10 |
|
Little Harbour Pond |
5 |
3 |
|
Road Salt Pond |
1341 |
15 |
|
Blowing Point Pond |
17 |
3 |
|
Rendezvous Salt Pond |
13 |
6 |
|
Merrywing Pond |
186 |
29 |
|
Cove Pond |
33 |
12 |
|
Gull Pond |
2 |
2 |
|
West End Salt Pond |
101 |
8 |
|
West End-By-The-Sea Pond |
3 |
2 |
|
Mead’s Bay Pond |
26 |
9 |
|
Long Bay Pond |
8 |
1 |
|
Total |
2007 |
37 |
What to Watch For: The Blue-Winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal are small ducks that prefer shallow fresh
and brackish water ponds. While these ducks’ bodies tend to
be a dull brown, a powder blue patch on its wings gives it
both a splash of colour and its name. Breeding males are
more notable with a white crescent on both sides of their
dark faces. With their dark bills, Blue-winged Teal dabble
in or submerge their entire heads under the water as they
search for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plants.
Blue-winged Teal, Photo by Jackie Cestero
The Blue-winged Teal spend their summer breeding season in
North America. These birds are among the first to migrate to
the south United States, Caribbean, Central America, and
South America in the fall where they spend the winter.
In Anguilla, Blue-winged Teal can be seen from September to
April. This month, a total of 62 Blue-winged teal were
observed on the Temenos Golf Course, the Corito landfill,
and East End Pond.
Other interesting sightings: A male Long-tailed Duck was
seen on the Temenos Golf Course this month. This is the
first sighting of this bird in Anguilla and possibly in the
Caribbean. Distinguishing features of this duck include a
black and white body, black-patched cheeks, yellow-ringed
bill, and remarkably long, up-turned tail feathers.
Long-tailed Duck, Photo by Jackie Cestero
Two Sora rails were also seen on the southwest corner of
Road Pond. The Sora is a small secretive brown and grey,
odd-looking bird that prefers the wooded and sheltered areas
of shallow ponds. While there have been a few records of
these birds at Road Pond, they often were identified by
their call rather than visually because they would hide in
the Pond’s dense vegetation. Much of this vegetation,
however, has unfortunately been cleared, presumably as part
of a clean-up effort after Hurricane Omar. It is not clear
whether these scarce birds will stay here now that their
home has been disturbed or if they will seek better and more
protected shelter on a different pond or island.
Sora, Photo by Jackie Cestero
For more information about the Anguilla
National Trust’s bird monitoring programme or to learn more
about Anguilla’s wetlands and birds, please contact the
Trust at 497 5297.
|
