What’s your favourite fowl species?
Ahh, I’ve so many! Being right here on Bonaire within the Dutch Caribbean, we’ve got many stunning birds, and favorites at all times embody the island’s icon, the American Flamingo, in addition to the Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot. However I must say that my “spirit fowl” is the White-tailed Kite. The kite was one in every of my “firsts for Bonaire” and I used to be in a position to take pleasure in its presence for a three-week interval. It was (up to now) the one and solely go to of this explicit species to Bonaire.
American Flamingo
What’s your identify, and the place do you reside?
My identify is Susan Davis, and I reside and fowl on the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire. We’re the “B” within the ABC islands—Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao—that are positioned simply north of South America within the Caribbean Sea.
What are the primary areas or places you cowl as a fowl information?
As a information, I solely provide birding excursions on Bonaire, however for a small island (about 112 sq. miles) we’ve got all kinds of habitats, together with the tropical dry forest within the north, which starkly contrasts with our pink photo voltaic salt ponds within the south, a haven for a lot of shorebirds, seabirds, and different waterbirds.
American Oystercatcher
How lengthy have you ever been a fowl information?
I’ve been main birding excursions since 2018.
How did you get into fowl guiding?
Since childhood, I’ve been a nature lover, in addition to a fan of images. Once I first moved to Bonaire (33 years in the past), it was as a SCUBA teacher and underwater images teacher. As I bought a bit older, I hung up my fins for binoculars and the remainder is historical past. I began making private images excursions, and more often than not, my topics have been birds. However I didn’t know what I used to be , so slowly – one fowl at a time – I taught myself the species which are resident on Bonaire and people who go via on migrations.
In 2016, BirdsCaribbean (a division of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology) performed a guiding course right here on Bonaire. That course supplied me with the experience to transform my private birding type right into a fowl guiding type—decoding the birds of Bonaire to guests, regardless of their stage of experience.
Blue-tailed Emerald
What are the points of being a fowl information that you just like finest? Which points do you dislike most?
I can’t consider any points of fowl guiding that I dislike. What’s to dislike? I get to spend my day in nature, with different fowl lovers, having fun with the number of avian life right here on the island.
However there’s a lot to love! I solely do small teams—as much as 4 individuals—so I get to know my birders on a private stage and once they return, we go to totally different areas. Now we have enjoyable and fascinating conversations—not solely about birds, however present occasions, nature, or absolutely anything else. Every tour I do is particularly geared to the pursuits of the contributors—some need stunning birds to {photograph}, others simply wish to exit and luxuriate in a while in Bonaire’s nature, whereas others are on a treasure hunt to tick these particular species which have eluded them.
Brown-throated Parakeet
What are the highest 5-10 birds in your area that you just assume are probably the most fascinating for visiting birders?
Limiting it to 5 birds is a bit tough, however I’ve to say the #1 fowl that visiting birders wish to see is our American Flamingo. Proper after that comes our Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrots, an endemic subspecies, and the Brown-throated Parakeet, additionally an endemic subspecies. Then, in fourth and fifth place I’d say our hummingbirds—the Ruby-topaz Hummingbird and the Blue-tailed Emerald—though our native Yellow Oriole can also be a giant favourite!
Yellow-shouldered Amazon Parrot
Are you able to define no less than one typical birdwatching journey in your space? Please briefly describe the places, the important thing birds, and the approximate period of such a visit
Certainly one of my favourite excursions is to the southern part of the island. Our photo voltaic salt works comprise about 1/3 of the island and provide beautiful views of the pink salt ponds, white salt mountains, inexperienced mangroves, and turquoise and cobalt-blue waters. After all, our coral-colored flamingos dot the panorama, and in some areas, we are able to observe them fairly carefully. It’s a “nationwide past-time” to take a seat on the southern tip of the island at Willemstoren Lighthouse at sundown—to attend and look ahead to a gaggle of flamingos that may fly off to Venezuelan feeding grounds for just a few days. They will fly proper over our heads!
The flat topography of this southern space and low vegetation are excellent for birding as we normally have a superb line of sight with the birds. We will see quite a lot of herons and egrets—together with the uncommon white morph of the Nice Blue Heron, Reddish Egrets, Inexperienced Herons, Tricolored Herons, and Snowy Egrets. A mess of shorebirds both over-winter within the salt ponds or use them to relaxation and refuel throughout migrations together with plovers, sandpipers, and bigger shorebirds. Throughout our summer season months, visiting terns and gulls arrive from South America to breed within the salt ponds, so it’s enjoyable to first watch their courtship conduct, after which, weeks later, to witness the adults feeding their chicks.
Royal Tern
I normally advocate that this tour is completed in 4 hours, to supply the most effective enjoyment of the world, but it surely may very well be executed in three hours, if we transfer a bit extra shortly.
What different solutions are you able to give to birders all in favour of your space?
Located nearly 12.5 levels north of the equator, Bonaire enjoys a plethora of adjusting birding seasons all year long. Between our native and resident species, North American migrants within the winter, and South American migrants in the summertime, it’s at all times good birding! I’d counsel that guests planning a birding journey to Bonaire plan for the time of yr that finest meets their birding objectives. There may be only a style of the altering birding seasons on Bonaire out there right here: https://www.bonairebirdtours.com/year-round-birding-seasons-on-bonaire/
Yellow Oriole
If any reader of 10,000 Birds is all in favour of birding with you, how can they finest contact you?
Those that are considering a birding journey to Bonaire can go to my web site at www.bonairebirdtours.com which has a wealth of details about the island’s avifauna, or electronic mail me straight at [email protected]. I’m at all times comfortable to reply any questions.
Ruby-topaz Hummingbird
