Bird Tour Trip Blog 2025

Day 1

Today was our first full day at Forfar Field Station, where I worked as Station Director in the late 1980s. I was up for the sunrise as usual. Turns out a plant taxonomy class from Miami University (of Ohio) is at the field station and they are having a plant ID exam this morning. So, I join them to test my Bahamian plant identification skills. After that, I took a short walk through a coppice trail behind the field station and am rewarded with a ton of great bird sightings! In no particular order there were Ovenbird, American Redstart, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-and-White Warbler, Palm Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Red-legged Thrush, Loggerhead Kingbird, Thick-billed Vireo, and Black-faced Grassquit. My birding group arrives tomorrow and this walk has got me pumped to show them the birds of Andros.

Day 2

We visited Pigeon Cay in the morning and then took a ride up Stafford Creek, into the interior of the island, in the afternoon. On the Stafford Creek trip we saw a loose flock of 1500-2000 wintering Lesser Scaup. There were also herons and egrets, kingfishers and osprey. The highlight of the afternoon, for me, was watching an immature Peregrine Falcon try to make a Greater Yellowlegs an afternoon snack.

Day 3

Another day and, you guessed it, another beautiful sunrise. Hemmingway wrote, “I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up and was not happy.” That’s how I feel in the Bahamas. Not to mention that when I’m here I feel perpetually 23…Today, we “birded” Blue Hole National Park in the morning and scanned the mangroves for herons and egrets and rails in the afternoon. The highlight of the day for many was getting long, soul-satisfying looks at a pair of Great Lizard-cuckoos. That’s definitely a target bird for the trip, and crossing it off the list early made this trip leader happy. The park is the most “developed” birding destination on the island, and is a must visit, but when you’re there it will likely be just you and the birds.

Day 4

We’ve had summer-like weather, so far. Calm, sunny days (and mornings) as opposed to the blustery weather you can get in winter. Every sunrise so far has been like a postcard! Today, we headed south to bird some spots I wasn’t particularly familiar with, which is breaking a cardinal rule of leading a trip like this. Turns out the birding wasn’t great, but my son James came along for the day, so that was a highlight for me. And the group didn’t mutiny. Ha! Tomorrow we’ll get back on track!!

Day 5

Birded the “middle” of the island today. The middle is the agricultural part. Given the large size of Andros, there have been repeated efforts to turn it into a “bread basket” for the Bahamas. But the efforts have been problematic. With that said, the ag land habitats can make for some interesting birding. New species (for the trip) encountered on the grounds of the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute included Painted Bunting, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cattle Egret, and Savannah Sparrow. We had lunch at a blue hole where we were entertained by a pair of Least Grebes fighting over a blind cavefish. And we saw orchids and Atalla Butterflies at a stop on the drive “home”. Back at the Field Station, it was “everyone to the beach” when a pair of bottlenose dolphins were spotted. I loved how young and old were excited to see the sight and I hope I never get too “old” or “boring” to run to see dolphins!

(Animal pictures courtesy of Christine Bisaha)

Day 6

Another day in paradise, as they say. Today, the tides were right for a morning trip to a couple of tidal flats in search of shorebirds. Our first stop was at Blanket Sound where we saw 29 Piping Plovers, in addition to a handful of other species. Then, back at the Field Station Flats, we eventually found a group of 8 Wilson’s Plovers. In the afternoon, with special passes arranged by Christine Bisaha, we birded AUTEC, the Navy’s Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center. The highlight of the stop was more butterflies and moths at the sewage treatment plant than birds, but we did see Bahamas Orioles, too. Oh, and House Sparrows. Ha! There were a couple students from the Bahamas Agricultural and Marine Science Institute (BAMSI) with us for the day. They’re taking an ecoguide course and were observing the tour for class credit. They did a nice job of “fitting in” and helping. Tomorrow is the last day of this first birding trip for me in over 20 years! It’s been a great trip. And hey, we still have our Big Day tomorrow!

Day 7

Today was our birding BIG DAY. We revisited several birdy spots from earlier in the week and we explored new ground. The highlight for me was getting to Morgan’s Bluff, the highest point on the island at about 70 feet above sea level. We ended the day with 60 species. The most memorable sighting for me was soul satisfying looks at Neotropical Cormorants. Trips like these are unique because we spend so much time together. The group gets pretty close in a short amount of time. And we had a good group. Final species tally for the trip is 82 species. We missed a few, but we got some unforgettable looks at some amazing birds, too. Thanks to Christine Bisaha for sharing all your amazing animal photos. Already planning next year’s trip, January 10-17, 2026. God spare our lives, like they say down here!

Day 8

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Monique’s dad once said, as he was leaving us after a visit, “You can’t come back until you leave!” Truer words were never spoken. When we woke this morning, long before the sunrise, the wind was howling. I was concerned that our short flight to Nassau, in an inevitably small plane, would be an adventure. But the flight was smooth and we arrived in Nassau less than 20 minutes after takeoff. Mark Twain had a quote for that. He said some version of, “I’ve worried about a lot of things in my life, and some of them have even happened.” It was a trip full of soul-satisfying moments and precious time spent with my son. Sad that it’s over but hey, you can’t come back unless you leave. I chose a montage of “people pictures” for this last post, because in the end, palm trees and beaches and birds are great, but it’s all about the people you meet along the way, isn’t it?