ANTIGUA, BARBUDA, DOMINICA, MONTSERRAT, ST. LUCIA, ST. VINCENT & BECQUIA

From October 29 to November 14 I birded the Lesser Antilles and Puerto Rico. This trip report is for the Lesser Antilles only, from October 30 through November 9. Puerto Rico is written up separately. Warblers are my favorite birds, and a main objective was to see 4 species - Whistling, Plumbeous, Barbuda, and St. Lucia- as well as the other endemics. I'm pleased to say mission accomplished. The original idea was to visit all the islands with endemic birds from Barbuda and Montserrat through Grenada, with a return stopover in Puerto Rico. The multi-island "super pass" sold by LIAT airlines, allowing as many islands as you want within 30 days, has risen considerably in price to $600 plus taxes. Their other option is a 3-island pass where you can visit 3 islands, returning to the point of origin, for $300 plus tax, about $340 total. When I actually paid for the ticket in St. Lucia I was only charged EC $600, about $235 USA. For both tickets you must book all the individual flights at least 1 week in advance of the initial flight, with about $40 in fees for each subsequent change - not much flexibility there. I opted to drop off Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Grenada for this trip, missing 3 endemics, but reducing the costs significantly. Other factors to consider are that each island has a departure tax averaging about $15-$20, and, excepting the French territories, requires a special "temporary driving license", also averaging $15-$20. Car rentals tend to be pricey, usually about $70 per day, although some better deals can be had. A multi-island cruise that allows sufficient time for birding stops might be a reasonable alternative, but I have no idea of the contacts or prices. There is also a ferry service that visits St Lucia, Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe. Another factor to consider is that using local guides can often be cheaper or at least no more expensive than renting a car, and of course it helps the conservation cause. I went solo; with 2 or 3 people the per-person costs would have been significantly less. I was very lucky with the weather, never being rained out, and actually seeing little rain, although it was the rainy season. I usually spent at least 2 days on each island to allow for bad weather. St.Vincent could be done in one visit to Vermont Forest and the Botanical Gardens.

Reference Material

Articles & Trip Reports taken from:

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/maybank/main.htm

Lesser Antilles Dec 2000 Gail Mackiernan - SL, Dominica, St Vincent - contacts, detailed species info
Southern Caribbean Cruise Feb 2002 Mark Lockwood - Grenada, Dominica - contacts
Dominica March 1999 Edward Massiah
Bird Bonanzas LA Bird Cruise 1996 Mike Flieg
St Vincent & Grenadines May 1998 William & Susan Smith - better for Grenadines
Lesser Antilles Nov 1999 Frank Frazier
Montserrat Oct 2001 Larry Manfredi - contact info
Windward Islands April 2002 Craig Faanes - good for Barbuda
Roland Wauer Feb & Aug 1990 Birding - not too much

www.visitmontserrat.com for schedules and prices on getting to Montserrat

Books

Allan Sander & Mike Flieg - A Photographic Guide to the West Indies - also excellent assistance through personal communications - Thanks guys!

Lonely Planet Eastern Caribbean, 3^rd Edition, Sep 2001 - also has good high level maps of each island

A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies - Raffaele, Wiley, etc - the best around but very weak on subspecies, alternate plumages, and specific distributions. For the relatively small number of specialties they should have provided much more information

Birds of the West Indies - Bond, 5^th edition, 1993 - virtually useless

AAA Caribbean Travel Book - also useless for my trip

Names and Contacts

St. Lucia - Lyndon John lynjohn1@yahoo.com or lynamazon@hotmail.com 
Lyndon is interested in receiving your bird sightings, especially regarding migrants like US warblers.
Stephen Lesmond, contacted through the Fox Grove Inn at Mon Repos
Moses Wilfred - phone 450 - 6080. All 3 work for the Forestry department

St. Vincent  - Fitroy Springer springball@vincysurf.com

Dominica - Bertrand Jno Baptiste dr_birdy2@cwdom.dm (there is an _ between dr and birdy)
Phone: 446 6358 cell 245 4768

Barbuda - George Burton at 460-0103 home, or 773-5940 (cell)

Montserrat - James "Scriber" Daly at (664) 491 2546 (forestry dept), 491-3412 (home)
E-mail is Scriber14@hotmail.com but he often doesn't check it or can't receive it

TRANSPORTATION

CARS - I rented from Hertz and Budget, arranged in the USA before arrival. Arranging car rentals in your country of origin is recommended, as you can often get better deals and unlimited mileage. A 2-day rental with Hertz on St. Lucia, unlimited mileage, automatic Compact, was $137 USA with taxes. The highways are not in good shape and full of potholes, but generally manageable, with the exception of the road to the Edmond Preserve. I forget the exact price of gasoline, but it is a bit more than the USA. On Dominica I rented from Budget, also compact automatic, unlimited mileage, $154 US for 3 days. Roads here are good with fewer potholes. It is sometimes cheaper and easier to use taxis or the local guides referenced earlier, especially if there are 2 or more people. Each island has a small pocket sized map of the island put out by their respective tourist bureaus. These are adequate to get to most sites, although they lack detail.

AIR - Roundtrip from NY to St. Lucia was $490 plus taxes, totaling nearly $600 US. I used a $500 voucher from a previously oversold flight where I agreed to be bumped. See notes on LIAT airlines in the introduction. Phone number for LIAT toll free San Juan, Puerto Rico, 8AM-5PM, at 800 - 468 0482, or 268 - 480 -5600, when they feel like answering the phone. Their computers go down for days at a time, and they can't give you schedule information when this happens. Persevere. In general the flights were on time or no more than 30 minutes late. Note that the planes are small with no overhead compartments. Also schedules can change frequently, so double check if you booked well in advance. There is helicopter service to Montserrat, and air service on a different airline to Barbuda (Carib Airways?)

Note that for each island they use the same generic entry form, which is not always supplied by LIAT on their flights. When you find the forms, it may save time in the future by getting extra copies if you will be visiting more than one island. Both Dominica and St. Lucia have 2 airports, so verify which one is used.

MONEY MATTERS

The unit of currency is the Eastern Caribbean Dollar, fixed at $2.67 to the US dollar, but beware lower rates when using credit cards and at some hotels and restaurants, often $2.60 or lower. I brought traveler's checks, American Express, US dollars, and some cash. The checks can be difficult to change outside major cities or tourist areas. Every place accepted US dollars cash. Some places accepted credit cards, but often at 2.60 to the dollar. Ask first, it's sometimes better to pay cash. I estimated total expenses for the 11 days in the Lesser Antilles were about $2100, which includes the LIAT airpass for $235 and the two car rentals for about $300.

ACCOMMODATIONS & FOOD

This is not a low budget place. Cheaper hotels that might cost $15 in Mexico would be around $45 on most islands. Anything "moderate" will usually cost at least $60, often more. Hotels cost me $580 for 11 nights on 4 islands. Food in local restaurants isn't that costly. Water is usually safe to drink and I drank tap water everywhere except Barbuda, where I had brought over Antigua tap water for the day. Shops have limited supplies, and I survived on granola and fruit bars that I brought from the USA for morning outings.

TELEPHONE / COMMUNICATIONS

I believe you can buy telephone cards that are good on several islands, but I never tried. I managed to find Internet cafes on most islands with moderate rates - about $5 EC per 30 minutes. I was unable to use my MCI phone card on most islands, even though they were supposed to have access with the US 800 number. I don't know and don't care about AT&T since the bastards screwed me before on a calling card.

Note that telephone calls between the Caribbean and the USA are very expensive, about $1.75 a minute, so use e- mail as much as possible.

SITES

Most islands have one or two locations where you can find the endemics. They are in the trip report.

BIRDS

I saw 105 species, and heard one more, with 25 lifers and 4 new for North America. I saw all the single island endemics.  My biggest misses were Bridled Quail-Dove and Antillean Euphonia (heard only). Inquiries about specific species will gladly be answered at: davehawkowl@msn.com

THE TRIP

October 29, Tuesday - travel day

I caught a direct flight from New York JFK to St. Lucia Vigie airport near Castries, changing planes in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I arrived on time around 8:45 PM. The bank at the airport was not open. Hertz had a car for me, but I could not find the Chesterfield Inn in Castries. When a local finally helped me find it, the elderly woman said she couldn't accommodate me, although there was nobody else there. She had made arrangements for me to stay at the Ocean View, which she repeated twice. It turned out to be Sea View Apartments, behind a Shell station with no apparent signs of life. When I parked in the closed station, a man hanging out across the street with some friends called out to me. He was the caretaker, opened the gates, and showed me a rather nice studio apartment with AC. It was $59 rather than Chesterfield's $35, but it was 10 PM, and I took the room. The local language or patois on St. Lucia seems to be a form of Creole - if you understand French, you can understand the majority of what's said. It's very different from the local dialects on the other islands.

October 30, Wednesday - St. Lucia, Edmond Forest Preserve

I started out at dawn south towards Soufriere. It took about an hour, then another 20 minutes to drive about 5 of the 7 miles to the Edmond Preserve. En route to Soufriere was a small flock of Lesser Antillean Swifts. The left turn to Edmonds is just past the town center square where the buses are. This road is beat to shit, with deteriorated broken pavement that leaves big drop-offs. After bottoming out twice, I left my compact automatic in front of a local woman's house (Carol) and started walking the remaining 2 miles. I got a lift shortly on a flat bed pickup that was taking local farmers to their fields. I arrived at the unattended entrance at 7:45 and walked the trail in the forest. I had a female St. Lucia Finch near the first patch of bamboo right in the trail. There is a small bridge after about 15 minutes walk, which is a good spot to look for parrots. I had a pair flying by on the left after 20 minutes, then another 3 closer to the right that disappeared into a nearby clump of trees. Also seen were many Purple-throated Caribs, Antillean Crested Hummingbird, LA Bullfinches, 1 St. Lucia Oriole, a bit past the bridge, LA (St. Lucia) Pewee, LA Flycatcher, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, and Gray Trembler. On the trail on the way back was a mountain crab with bright orange legs. After a couple of hours I walked out to the entrance, which was now attended. Note there is a rather hefty daily entrance fee of $10 US, which I paid. At the entrance I finally saw a St. Lucia Warbler pair, which I had only heard earlier. There was also a flyby cuckoo, probably Mangrove. I walked back to my car, which was a pleasant walk through open forest. I drove back to Soufriere for lunch and a bank to change money. After lunch I drove south past the airport at Vieux Fort. This passes through very nice scenery, but the winding roads, potholes, and road construction gave no opportunities to admire the scenery. It took over an hour for the relatively short distance. I continued around east and north to Mon Repos and the Fox Grove Inn, a bit past the unsigned town of Micoud. This highway is less winding and in good condition. The Fox Grove Inn is in a lovely spot with a distant view of the sea, with Internet access. A Swiss woman, Ester, and her SL husband, who is an excellent cook, run it. I had a room for $45 with taxes. There is a short trail off to the left as you look towards the sea. There were St. Lucia Warblers here, several medium size flocks of Shiny Cowbirds flying past about 5 PM, and a Bare-Eyed Robin/Thrush along the road by a small stream. Upon finding out I was a birder, the owner contacted Stephen Lesmond, a forestry department worker who lives nearby. Stephen said he would take me out birding the next morning at Quilesse Forest. There was no fee per se. Weather was sunny, hot, and humid.

October 31, Thursday - St. Lucia, Quilesse Forest Preserve and East Coast

Stephen arrived at 6 AM by bicycle, and we set off on another potholed road, but it was manageable in the car. We parked about ¼ mile before the entrance, getting there after 45 minutes or so. While walking towards the entrance we saw a Blackpoll Warbler, apparently rare for St. Lucia. When we arrived at the entrance, where there is a covered picnic area and bathrooms, we took the trail to the far right, which Stephen said was good for the finch. Stephen knows his bird vocalizations well and pointed out the call of an Antillean Euphonia, which we only heard and was the only one of the entire trip. About 10 minutes along I spotted a male SL Black Finch, giving great looks. It lowered its tail a lot, and the legs were bright pink. This bird can be easily confused with the common LA Bullfinch, which also has light colored legs. Note the tail dipping behavior, and the brighter pink legs. A group of 3 Rufous-throated Solitaires were also in the area. Also present were SL Warbler, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, and Gray Trembler. We returned to the entrance area, and walked up the trail that goes up a hill in the center and a bit to the right. We heard parrots squawking, and shortly had a good look at a pair in nearby trees - much more satisfying than the previous day. We also saw another SL Oriole. So I had seen all the single island endemics at each of the 2 preserves. We left Quilesse before 8, returning to the car, and driving out to the airport area at Vieux Fort where Stephen told me we could find Eared Dove. There was one perched on the airport fence on the eastern side. It was the only one we saw - Stephen said they were usually common on the western side. Past the turnoff into town the coast is very close, and we saw 2 Brown Boobies and a few Royal Terns flying by. At the far western side of the airport, after the fence ends and just as the road goes up a hill, there is a small wetland to the right, where Stephen said he always gets Masked Duck. Of course this time we couldn't find it, although Stephen said he thought he saw one disappear as we arrived. We stayed about 30 minutes, but only saw a Moorhen. Possibly the nearby loud airport construction scared them away. We then drove back up the east coast, not very far past the Fox Grove Inn turnoff, to a farm that was owned by his cousin. It was near the beginning of the ridge that the highway climbs. This ridge is the area for the White-breasted Thrasher, a localized 2-island endemic. Stephen said the best time for the bird was around 11 AM. We parked on the side of the highway, and walked no more than 5 minutes to the forested edge of a field. He pointed out an old thrasher nest. He pished, then I played a tape of its song. After a few tries the Thrasher appeared and gave an excellent look, staying for over 10 minutes. Also in the area were Pearly-eyed and Scaly-breasted Thrashers. This was about 10:30 AM. I drove Stephen back to the Fox Grove, gave him $20, and drove up the east coast and over to Castries. I stopped to confirm the road to Castries from a well-dressed woman at the road junction on the west coast. I wound up taking her up the hills above Castries to look at an apartment, then decided to drop off the car at the airport and buy my LIAT airpass for the other islands.  I was pleasantly surprised to find they only charged me $600 EC, which was $234 US rather than the $300 plus tax I expected. I took a taxi to Bon Apetit in Morne Fortune, on a hill above Castries. The view of the Castries harbor is excellent. A very pleasant Barbadan woman of British origin and her Scottish-Italian husband run it. The room was basic, but OK. I arrived about 2:30 and there seemed to be some day traffic of couples. Maybe this also serves as a short stay hotel. There is usually a restaurant there, but due to decreased business after Sept 11, which incidentally has hit the whole area hard, it was closed. Nonetheless she graciously cooked me a nice fish dinner, didn't charge me for the 2 sherries or the beer, and only charged me $39 for the room and dinner - probably the best deal of the trip. Weather - sunny, hot, humid.

November 1, Friday - St. Vincent, Botanical Gardens and Vermont Forest

A previously arranged taxi arrived at 6 AM to take me to the airport. I flew to St. Vincent with a short stop and change of planes in Barbados, arriving about 9 AM. Customs insisted on seeing my outward plane ticket - did they think I was trying to immigrate illegally? I checked into the basic Heron Hotel, $100EC plus taxes, total $117, for a room with AC, and took a cab to the Botanical Gardens. There are several people at the entrance serving as guides. I couldn't shake one, insisting that I only wanted to bird by myself, but he still followed me, explaining the various trees. Grenada Flycatcher was seen quickly, a couple of hundred yards to the left of the entrance, flying between the large trees. Black Hawk supposedly nests in the area, and I saw one flying away up the mountains. A frangipani tree had large black and yellow striped hornworm-like caterpillars. The all black Bananaquit was here, as well as in the mountains. I read in a trip report that the more normal yellow one can be found at coastal locations. I only saw the black form. Bare-eyed Thrush was here, and Antillean Crested Hummingbird. It was about 10 when I arrived on a hot sunny day, and I only stayed about 45 minutes, also checking out the caged parrots. I walked back through Kingstown and arranged a cab for an afternoon trip to Vermont forest. I thought I had arranged $160 EC for 2 separate trips, but Richard the driver said it was for one, as I found out later. So much for negotiating a bulk purchase. Richard had a small booth outside the Heron Hotel. We left at 2:15, arriving around 3, as he was an extremely slow driver. The road up to Vermont is a bit rough in spots, but definitely driveable in a normal car. Both he and a subsequent driver told me there had been a well off local woman murdered there not too long ago, but the Vermont Forest seems safe enough. I did not see anyone else on both visits, other than a caretaker at the water tanks. It takes about 30-45 minutes to walk to the parrot overlook, which has a wooden platform and benches. Mike Flieg had advised me not to stop until the parrot overlook, since the target birds are here. En route I glimpsed 2 or 3 thrushes, finally identifying a Cocoa Thrush. After crossing the bridge and starting uphill I tried the Whistling Warbler tape and had a nice look at a male. This was one of the main target birds of the trip, and it's a nice looking warbler. Although I later heard a few singing near the parrot overlook, I did not see any more, in spite of trying my tape. At the parrot overlook, I saw several pairs of parrots flying in the distance. This is one of the most striking parrots anywhere, with the white heads and yellow tails quite visible even at a distance, but quite striking in the afternoon sunlight. I spent about 90 minutes at the overlook, also seeing Lesser Antillean Tanager and Brown Trembler there. I returned to the beginning of the trail around 5:30, seeing a pair of swifts flying over the water reservoirs - Lesser Antillean? My driver arrived, and I returned to Kingstown, dining at Basil's below the nearby Cobblestone Inn. I got into a big dispute over the fare, as mentioned earlier, and finally gave him $100EC, more than I thought was agreed upon, although he was insisting on $140. I checked out their rooms, a huge improvement over the Heron Hotel, costing $65, although I stayed at the Heron. These rooms are nice and would be worth the price. I arranged another driver, Ken Alexander, through the Heron Hotel for $100 EC, bargained down from $120. Weather - sunny with no rain during the day and light showers in the evening.

November 2, Saturday - St. Vincent, Vermont Forest, and Becquia (Grenadines)

Ken arrived at 5:45 AM, but his car had problems, so he brought a friend, Bertrand?, who took me there for $120 EC round trip. He was a good guy and got me there in about 35 minutes. He opted to wait for me rather than make 2 more car trips. On the walk in there were parrots very close on the ridge, but I couldn't get a good look at them. I kicked up a Ruddy Quail-Dove en route, and again I saw the male Whistling Warbler. I heard several throughout the morning, but none responded to my tape. I saw another Cocoa Thrush, Brown Trembler, Scaly-breasted Thrasher, and the blue crested form of the Antillean Crested Hummingbird. I spent over 2 hours at the parrot overlook, again seeing Lesser Antillean Tanager and the parrots, and another Whistling Warbler. I only heard the Rufous-throated Solitaire, and was disappointed to miss this dark-backed subspecies, which is not easy on St. Vincent. Bertrand stopped at a local bar in Vermont to have a drink with his buddies, showing me the delights of mixing rum, water, and coke - very strong rum at that. I returned to Kingstown by 11:30 and took the 12:30 ferry to Becquia, a bargain at $28EC round trip. It was a sunny crossing although there was some rain after we arrived. All dark dolphins jumped out of the water. I saw Brown Boobies, as well as an adult Red-Billed Tropicbird sitting in the water, tail streamers sticking out. Most shops were closed, and I walked along the waterfront, literally, as the path is at the water's edge, to Maranne's Ice Cream shop. At the Gingerbread Café there are toilets behind the building, and behind that is a road that goes up a small hill. Along this small uphill road were Yellow-breasted Elaenias. The yellow Bananaquits were here. Walking back on this back road about 100 yards I found a small flock of Eared Doves drinking at a small puddle from the recent rain.  William & Susan Smith mention a spot for Rufous-vented Chachalaca further afield. It would be well worth spending a day or 2 here if you can spare it, as this looks like a quiet relaxing spot. A Brown Booby was circling the harbor constantly. On the ferry back, he perched on the mast for 10 minutes. It was dusk, and small groups of Brown and Red-Footed Boobies, brown and white morphs, were flying by. I had dinner at Basil's again. Weather - sunny, at times overcast, and with showers at Becquia.

Species totals for St. Vincent & Becquia - 39 plus 1 heard

November 3, Sunday - Antigua, little birding

7:40 AM flight to Antigua, arriving at 9:15. I had previously booked 3 nights at Lashings at Runaway Bay through the Internet for $165 including all taxes. The room was nice, right on the beach, with fan but no AC. They have a 24-hour bar situated far enough from the rooms that it's not a disturbance. This was mostly a day off. There is a lagoon opposite Lashings where I birded from 10:45-11:30. It was hot but there were a few shorebirds - Wilson's, Black-bellied, and Semipalmated Plover, Ruddy Turnstones, and a White-rumped Sandpiper, among others. Yellow Warbler was in the bushes along the lagoon, possibly the "Golden" Yellow Warbler. I spent the day relaxing and at the beach, then walked around the right side and up the dirt path dividing the 2 bodies of water. White-cheeked Pintails were at the far side of the lagoon. I walked along the road that borders the lagoon for a mile or so, seeing more shorebirds, a Blue-winged Teal, and surprisingly 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls, the only gulls around. Another White-rumped Sandpiper was seen and a Blue-winged Teal also. Weather - sunny and hot, clouds in mid-afternoon

November 4, Monday - Montserrat

I took the hydrofoil to Montserrat for $120EC, leaving at 6:30 AM. If you go Saturday, the ticket is only $75 EC. While waiting on the Antigua dock I saw my only Laughing Gull, an adult in alternate plumage, a flyby White-crowned Pigeon, Sandwich and Royal Terns. I had made previous arrangements with James "Scriber" Daly, who met me after the customs booth. He charged me $40 US for the morning, quite fair. Scriber is a great guy, good to bird with. Our first stop was on a road to the left of the bank about 10-15 minute's drive from the dock. We drove a short distance to a house, then walked up a trail about 20-30 minutes. We had a male Montserrat Oriole come in to a tape at very close range. Forest Thrush was heard, and I saw the head of a bird with the yellow eye ring. A female oriole was seen on the way out. After an hour or two here, Scriber took me to another spot further up the road past the town of Salem. This trail followed a water pipe, as did the previous one, but this area was more forested. Scriber kicked up 2 Bridled Quail-Doves on the way back, but I didn't see either one - the big miss of the trip for me. We stopped at a concrete water storage tank, where there was a fruiting tree. I got a short, but good look at the Forest Thrush. Also in this tree were Scaly-breasted and Pearly-eyed Thrasher, and Northern Parula Warbler was in the vicinity. We had lunch in Salem. The volcano obviously disrupted the life of the locals. Scriber's family is living in England, and he only gets to see them once a year, but is hopeful they can return to Montserrat soon. We could see the volcano surrounded in haze from the second location. Scriber dropped me off at a small pond about a mile from the ferry on the main road. It feeds into the sea. There was a Snipe here, and according to Scriber ducks, but not today. Be careful of the stinging machinel trees here - don't touch anything. There was a large iguana sunning on a tree branch. Other than a Belted Kingfisher and a distant Merlin, I didn't see much else. I spent another couple of hours killing time by the ferry, and returned to Antigua, having dinner at the Commissioner's Grill in St. John's, very nice although a little pricey. The local black pineapple is delicious - very sweet. Weather - hot, sunny, humid

Species total for Montserrat - 28 plus 2 heard, plus 2 by Scriber (CommonMoorhen, Bridled Quail-Dove)

NOTE: If you have been in Antigua for less than 1 day when you do the day trip to Montserrat, you are not charged the departure tax from Antigua. If you have been there more than 24 hours, you are hit with the departure tax, and again when you finally exit the country.

November 5, Tuesday - Barbuda

I flew to Barbuda for $72 US return on Carib Aviation, leaving around 7:30. The return flight actually left 10 minutes early. It's a short flight, less than 30 minutes. Using Craig Faane's trip report as a guide, I turned right from the airport. You actually have to follow the airport boundary, turning right, then right again at the southern (?) boundary, following the fence. After walking about 20 minutes, George Burton found me. He is the local guide and arranger of transport. I told him I did not want the tour, as it was too expensive for me solo. I agreed to let him take me to the spot for the Barbuda Warbler, saving me maybe 30 minutes walking in the heat. This is quite easy to find. Along the main road that goes south, about 2 miles from the airport is a thick section of pipe on the left. There is an embankment about 100-200 feet to the left, which apparently has water sometimes, but was bone dry with no signs of having been a pond when I visited. There is a pond on the right as well, mostly dry. Just before reaching the embankment I heard a warbler sing, and shortly thereafter saw the Barbuda Warbler. There are several paths through the scrub, some of which peter out into thick scrub. Just walk through the larger paths. If you continue about a hundred yards past the pipe on the main road, there is a wide dirt track to the left that goes in a ways. I saw and heard many Barbuda Warblers during the 3 hours I spent here. I spooked a pair of Helmeted Guineafowl past the embankment. I also had excellent looks at Lesser Antillean Flycatcher, berlepshcii  subspecies, Mangrove Cuckoo, and Caribbean Elaenias. George picked me up at 11 AM, and took me up the road near Coco's, where he had to go to visit his son. He dropped me off by some ponds with mangroves(?) along the edges. I saw White-cheeked Pintail, Stilt Sandpipers, and a few other shorebirds. Walking up a few hundred yards there are large salt pans and dry open areas adjoining lagoons. I saw Wilson's Plover, White-rumped and a pair of Pectoral Sandpipers here, as well as a few peeps. George drove me back to a restaurant by the dock, where I had a cheap but decent lunch, seeing Snipe in the marshy area adjacent. George arranged to get me on a boat trip to the Magnificent Frigatebird colony with 2 other Americans who were staying at his sister's guesthouse. We left for the Frigatebird colony about 2 PM. It was mating season, and the Frigatebirds were in full display, huge red ballon-like throat pouches puffed up. There were a couple of Brown Boobies perched in trees. I had thought only the Red-footed Boobies perched in trees, but maybe it's the only one that nests in trees. We also stopped at a very nice beach, supposedly planned for development. The boat trip lasted about 90 minutes. I spent the rest of the time walking around the town, looking for hummingbirds and swallows. There were Cliff Swallows with Barn Swallows at the airport, supposedly rare for Barbuda. The return flight actually left 10 minutes early, and I returned to Lashings for dinner and the delights of beach cricket, the Tuesday night event.  The arrangement with George Burton had been a bit loose, and I gave him $100 EC. There is a place in the lagoon not far from the wharf where West Indian Whistling Ducks come in the evening, which would be a worthwhile trip for anyone staying overnight at Barbuda. I believe the American couple paid $80 US per night to stay at George's sisters' place. George is the man for trips on Barbuda, and asked that I let people know that. Weather was hot and sunny, with some light to moderate wind.

Species totals for Antigua and Barbuda - 57 and 1 heard

November 6, Wednesday - Dominica, various spots

6:30 AM flight to Dominica, stopping at Guadeloupe en route, arriving at Dominica 8:15. I had heard great things about Dominica, but my initial impressions were not good. The customs guy was a jerk, chastising me for not cutting the line (!) to get the customs form, making me wait until the others had been processed. I picked up the mandatory "temporary" driver's license from the same customs guy for $30EC. Budget had not received my reservation from the US office, and there was nobody to meet me. The information office called them, and somebody quickly arrived to take me to the Budget office, which was a few minutes down the road. I had to wait about 45 minutes while Budget found me a compact automatic, but the local rep was extremely helpful. There was a bakery next door, and he ordered by stepping on concrete blocks and shouting over a wall through the back door to get me something to eat and drink. Everything after this in Dominica went well. This is a beautiful island - lush, undeveloped, mountainous, with helpful, pleasant people, and a cultural touch with a local population of indigenous Caribs. I drove to the Springfield Plantation Guest House and told them I would be staying there the subsequent 2 nights, but not tonight. Note they have slightly modified their e mail address; it's now springfield2@tod.dm (formerly there was no "2"). I drove about 20 minutes to Emerald Pool, arriving about 10:00. It was hot and pretty quiet, but I got a Plumbeous Warbler near the entrance on the way out, completing my sweep of the 4 target warblers for the trip. The road from Springfield to Emerald Pool has some big potholes, and was the worst stretch of highway that I encountered on Dominica. I drove out to Castle Bruce and up the east coast, a lovely drive that only took an hour or two to get to Calibishie on the northeast coast. I had lunch at a very nice terrace restaurant on the beach run by a Canadian expat and his Dominican wife. I drove around through Portsmouth to the Portsmouth Beach Hotel, where I got a room for $60 US plus tax, totaling $69. This was a rather nice dormitory type room with AC, with the beach at the end of the hallway. There is a strange setup here - there are actually 2 hotels, with 2 different price structures. Many students are in these rooms, as there is a nearby medical school. The advantage of this place is that it's only 30 minutes to the Syndicat Trail, which is where I went from 3:30 to 5:30, looking for parrots. It's 7 km to the turnoff, then another 8 km mostly uphill to the Syndicat Trail, which is well signposted. It's only a 5-minute walk to the first parrot overlook, which I had read was the best. I saw several Red-necked Parrots, or Jacquots. They are a bright emerald green, with blue wings, and a bright yellow-green tail, key for separating it from the Imperial Parrot, called Sisserou, with a darker tail. Blue-headed Hummingbird was feeding on an agave-like plant at the overlook. I had seen one also outside the reception for the Portsmouth Beach Hotel. Lesser Antillean Swifts flew by, and a pair of Plumbeous Warblers was at the beginning of the trail. The second overlook seemed completely overgrown. The third was good in that the parrots were a bit closer and against the green mountains, allowing better looks. However, this was a bit lower, and Raffaele says the Imperials prefer higher altitudes. I spent most of my time waiting at the 1^st one, also seeing Pearly-eyed Thrasher and Brown Trembler. I drove back to Portsmouth just after dark, looking for the Catholic church that was supposed to have the local race of Barn Owl. I finally found the church, which is inland about 2 blocks from the main road that goes to Cabrits Park. Mass or choir practice was in full swing, and I didn't see any owl in he steeple. I returned to the hotel for dinner. Weather was hot and sunny.

Note: The next afternoon I contacted Bertrand Jno Baptiste, a bird guide who lives in Coulibistrie, south of Portsmouth, who told me that the owl is usually present at the church, and that he had seen 4 or 5 birds in fields near where he lives. My recommendation is that if you have 3 days in Dominica, spend 2 nights in this area, since the Imperial Parrot is tough and requires repeat visits, and you could also see the local race of Barn Owl in the area. I never saw it, because I didn't want to drive back the next day to Springfield at night on Friday.

Second note: Dominica charges admission for most sites. The best bet is probably to buy the week pass for $10 US. Nobody is there to check at Syndicat, but they do check at Emerald Pool and Cabrits. In any event Dominica is doing a great job of preserving habitat and it all helps the cause.

November 7, Thursday - Dominica, Syndicat Trail and Cabrits Park

I set off early, arriving at the Syndicat Trail at 6 AM. On the first 2 km along the road to Syndicat a couple of large dark birds with white tail edges flew off. I realized on the way out that they were Red-legged Thrushes. On the way up the Syndicat Trail I spooked a quail-dove, not seen well. The first bird I saw at the overlook was a Little Blue Heron, which flew up from the river below to perch on a treetop for 5 minutes. I stayed at the first parrot overlook from 6 to 9, seeing quite a few Jacquots, the Blue-headed Hummingbird, seemingly territorial, LA Saltator, but no Imperials. I think I saw 2 fly up the mountain, but it was a distant view. I checked out overlook 3 from 9:15 to 10:15, but only saw Jacquots, giving good views against the nearby green mountains. I heard but did not see Rufous-throated Solitaire. I saw the dark brown local race of House Wren, which has a different call from the North American one. Lesser Antillean Pewee was near the small bridge by the trail beginning. I returned to the hotel and drove to the Catholic church. It was open and I went inside, climbing up a ladder into the steeple. There were no signs of an owl, only a dead bat. Next stop was Cabrit Park, even though I had read it was disappointing for birds. Many of the walks are shaded even at midday and there are some interesting ruins. Caribbean Elaenia and Northern Waterthrush were here and some more common birds, along with a couple of snakes and interesting lizards. You could easily spend a few hours here exploring the wooded trails and ruins. I only stayed about 90 minutes, since I had a rematch with the Sisserou, and it was very humid walking the trails. I got back to Syndicat at 3 PM, this time finding a small group of eco-tourists at the overlook. We all waited a while, seeing more Jacquots. The guide said the 3^rd overlook was his personal favorite, since the views against the mountains were better, and he often saw the Imperials there. About 5 minutes after they left for overlook 3 a lone Imperial flew in from behind me to a tree on the other side of the hill. A scope would have helped immensely, but the dark red colored tail was in striking contrast to the bright yellow-green tail of the Jacquots. He stayed put, but never gave me a frontal view. I had called out to the others, but they were too far away. I had not seen the Green-throated Carib yet, at least not well, and the guide said they could be found at the second stream crossing (the first if you're driving up the road). I pulled over past the second stream crossing and found a flowering tree full of hummers, including the GT Carib. Lower down, within a mile or so of the highway, I had a good luck at a Red-legged Thrush in a tree by the road. I drove the hour-long drive to Springfield Plantation House, arriving just after dark. En route a very large (fruit?) bat flew past the highway. I had an excellent meal at Springfield. Two nights, two dinners, and one breakfast cost me $189 US - not that cheap, but it's in an excellent location, surrounded by a few hundred acres of forest. It's an old wooden plantation house, grandiose in its own way, with large rooms, although there are no screens on the windows. Fortunately I wasn't bothered by mosquitoes. My shower didn't work, and I had to shower in another room. Their pay phone was the only one where my MCI 800 access number worked.   Weather again was hot and humid, with a brief shower.

November 8, Friday - Dominica, Emerald Pool, Springfield grounds, drive south

I had read that it is essential to get to the Emerald Pool at or before dawn to see the Forest Thrush. I left at 5:15, arriving at 5:35. It was still dark and the gate was closed, but not locked, so I opened it and parked inside. A guy was asleep in his pickup and when he spoke to me I told him I had the pass and that I had closed the gate. When I left at 7:15 he was gone. I walked to the picnic area, only a few minutes from the entrance. The first bird was the usual LA Bullfinch in half-light. Next was a House Wren, which approached quite close. About 6:10 I turned from watching the wren to see the Forest Thrush quite close in the middle of the trail, as you look away from the picnic area towards the bathrooms, away from the entrance. He hopped up the trail to a mossy log on the bend, then flew off. I had a tape and later tried it, but it was not effective. I did not hear the bird calling. I walked up the trail a bit, and saw it fly off near the locked bathroom cabinets. About 10 minutes later I returned and saw it again feeding by the mossy logs at the bend in the trail. I tried to get camcorder footage in the poor light, which didn't come out well. The bird flew off and I didn't see it again. I walked the trail, again hearing, but not seeing the Solitaire. I got back to Springfield where they decided to give me a fruit breakfast, accompanied by Bullfinches waiting for handouts. I birded the grounds from about 8-9, before breakfast, walking down the trail to the right of the house, looking towards the sea. Apparently this trail goes for a couple of miles, but I only went a few hundred yards, seeing LA Pewee, LA Flycatcher, Scaly-breasted Thrasher by the patio, Plumbeous Warblers, LA Saltator, and all 4 hummingbirds. Quite a decent yard list here! After breakfast I relaxed then went to the cave by the Hummingbird Inn road, another spot for Barn Owl. I scrambled up the loose rock and soil, not that easy, to the cave entrance. Many swallow-sized bats, an abandoned nest with broken egg to the left (Zenaida Dove?), but no signs of an owl. It would be possible to climb into dark crevasses with a flashlight and look, but I hadn't brought mine, and gave up. No owl for Dave this trip. Next was a short stop at the Botanical Gardens to check out the caged parrots, Red-Necked and Imperial. The lady sweeping said I couldn't go in, then grudgingly asked me to be quick. The Imperial is a beautiful parrot, although one of the two birds has a deformed bill. I drove south through the small town of Soufriere, and the smaller town of Scott's Head on the southwest tip of the island. I had a drink at the overpriced but well situated Hersche's Beach bar. This was a nice drive, but I didn't stop for any birding. I had lunch in Roseau at the rather posh and very nice La Robe Creole, and returned to the Springfield for the rest of the day. After a siesta I birded the same trail from 4 to 5:15, seeing the same birds as mentioned earlier, as well as finally seeing a Rufous-throated Solitaire, the only one on Dominica. The local House Wren was here, Mangrove Cuckoo, an unidentified large dark heron flew up from the forest trail, and Yellow Warbler was near the terrace. During a beautiful sunset watching the distant sea a Peregrine Falcon soared in the distance. A nice dinner finished the day. Incidentally, there was no alcohol here during my stay, but they made a tasty fruit juice of fresh banana and grapefruit. Weather was hot and sunny, with rain from 2-3.

Species total for Dominica - 42

November 9, Saturday - St. Lucia, northeast

I spent 30 minutes birding near the terrace, then drove to the Budget office, and flew to St. Lucia, arriving at 8:20. This time I stayed at the Modern Inn, only a few minutes drive north of the airport. I had an adequate room with AC for $35 US, with a common kitchen area with a large refrigerator. There is a shopping center about 5 minutes walk north with shops, a supermarket, cafes, an internet shop and a cab stand. Through Lyndon John I had arranged to try for the House Wren and Nightjar with his colleague Moses Wilfred, even though it was the wrong season for the nightjar. I visited the shopping center in the morning, and took it easy until 3 PM. Moses phoned to say he would be a little late, arriving about 3:15 and driving me inland towards Desbarra on the east side, where he lived, almost an hour's drive on bad roads. I also met Lyndon John, who was conducting a seminar with a group of locals. The trail down to the east coast is gated, and Moses hadn't obtained the key from the caretaker. As I was about to give up, the caretaker arrived just before 4:30 and we set off in the hour or so of remaining light. We stopped at the first spot near an old excavation site, with no luck, although I had great looks at St. Lucia Warbler and a St. Lucia Oriole. The entire area is an old plantation owned by an Englishman, who may have development plans. It is noteworthy as being a main breeding site for 3 species of sea turtles. We pished along the way, and stopped near the bottom in a swampy area. We quickly pished in a House Wren, and I used my sophisticated $40 tape recorder to tape its call and bring it in. This is a different bird, with a strong white supercilium, reminiscent of the White-browed Wren of Mexico, and white underparts. The bill is very long for a House Wren, with a yellow-orange lower mandible and base of upper. We continued to an open field near the water, walking to the right where there was a large pond. We kicked up a Snipe near the truck. I was pleased to find Masked Ducks here, at least 6 and maybe a dozen, at the far edge and among the vegetation. This was a trip highlight, although not a life bird, as I had never seen the males before. We walked to the far side of the pond, which was the nightjar spot, and waited for nightfall. Moses has good photos taken by a photographer he brought here on a previous visit. A night heron flew by at dusk (Black-crowned?), and the many moorhens were noisy. I tried the nightjar tape, but we never saw or heard one, as expected. The nightjar, now considered a subspecies of Rufous Nightjar, is rarely seen outside of the breeding season. Incidentally, a trip report mentions seeing a nightjar fly by during an early morning drive from Castries to Soufriere, but Lyndon feels this must have been a large bat, maybe a fishing bat, since this was the wrong habitat and season for the nightjar. It has never been seen on the west coast, to the best of my knowledge. Where it goes in the off season, if anywhere, seems to be a mystery. I paid Moses $70 US for his efforts, and he drove me back to the Rodney Bay area, where I had dinner. This seems to be a major tourist area, but even though it was Saturday night, was relatively quiet at 8 PM. Weather - hot and sunny.

Species total for St. Lucia - 46 + 1 heard

November 10, Sunday - Flight to Puerto Rico

A previously arranged taxi took me to the airport at 6 AM and I flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico, described in a separate trip report. The good news for me was that American Airlines forgot to charge me the $100 fee for changing my flights. There are few exceptions to this $100 fee rule now, as they have tightened their policy over the last year. $100 for a few minutes work, nice work if you can get it.

SPECIES ACCOUNTS

ENDEMICS or near endemics are in capitals

A=Antigua, B=Barbuda, BQ= Becquia, D=Dominica, M=Montserrat, SL=St. Lucia, SV=St. Vincent

L=lifer, AOU= new for AOU area (North America)

Red-billed Tropicbird - one adult sitting in water on ferry to Becquia, about 20 minutes from Becquia

Brown Booby - B, BQ, SL, M

Red-footed Booby - BQ - many small flocks flying past ferry near sunset, also a few on the way over

Brown Pelican - A, B, M, SV

Magnificent Frigatebird - all islands; impressive displaying males at colony on Barbuda

Great Blue Heron - A - Lashings lagoon, 2 birds

Great Egret - A -Lashings lagoon

Snowy Egret - A, SL

Little Blue Heron - D, SL - treetop at Syndicat, Dominica; near pond on northeast, SL. Surprisingly scarce based on other trip reports, although I visited few wetlands

Cattle Egret - all islands

Green Heron - SL; heard only on Barbuda and in the forest on Montserrat

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron - A, Lashings lagoon; Montserrat on pond about 15 minutes from wharf

Black-crowned Night-Heron - possibly this species flew over SL pond on northeast, based on silhouette, not counted in trip totals

White-cheeked Pintail - A, Lashings lagoon, 4 birds; also a group of 4 or 5 in Barbuda, near Coco's

Northern Pintail - B - female, pond en route to Coco's resort, vagrant according to Raffaele

Blue-winged Teal - A - Lashings lagoon, one female or eclipse male, about a mile from Lashings

Ring-necked Duck - B - female or eclipse male, same pond as Northern Pintail. May be a record for Barbuda, as Raffaele doesn't even have it as a vagrant

Masked Duck - SL - At least 6 males and some females on pond in northeast by nightjar site

Osprey - A, B, M, SL

Common Black-Hawk - SV - Botanical gardens and Vermont Forest at parrot overlook

Broad-winged Hawk - A, D, SL, SV - common at Springfield Guest House, Dominica - breeding?

American Kestrel - all islands except St. Vincent

Merlin - B, M, D

Peregrine Falcon - D - 2 or 3 birds; 1 off hill at Scott's Head, 1 probable en route, and 1 at Springfield

Helmeted Guineafowl (L)- B - 2 birds flushed at warbler spot past the embankment

Common Moorhen - B, SL - also one seen by Scriber on Montserrat at pond 1 mile from wharf

Black-bellied Plover - A, Lashings lagoon; B near Coco's

Wilson's Plover - A & B, same as above. A few of the Antigua and Barbuda birds had some rufous at the rear of the crown and cheeks, and a cinnamon/rufous collar. Hayman, Marchant, & Prater refer to a "rufinucha" subspecies in the Shorebirds guide - maybe these were rufinucha?

Semipalmated Plover - A - Lashings lagoon

Black-necked Stilt - A - Lashings lagoon; B - near Coco's

Greater Yellowlegs - B, Montserrat on pond 1 mile from wharf

Lesser Yellowlegs - A - Lashings lagoon

Spotted Sandpiper - A, B, M, SV

Ruddy Turnstone - A - Lashings lagoon

Sanderling - A - Lashings lagoon

Semipalmated Sandpiper - B - near Coco's

Least Sandpiper - A - Lashings lagoon

White-rumped Sandpiper - A, B

Pectoral Sandpiper - B - near Coco's, 2 birds

Stilt Sandpiper - B - near Coco's, a small flock with BN Stilts and White-cheeked Pintails

Wilson's (Common) Snipe - B, M, SL

Laughing Gull - A - surprisingly only one black-headed adult by the Montserrat ferry dock in Antigua

Lesser Black-backed Gull - A - Lashings lagoon 2 birds. After returning home and researching Grant & Harrison I decided that one was a second summer, the other a third summer, both birds halfway into their winter plumages. Listed as a vagrant by Raffaele.

Royal Tern - All except Montserrat

Sandwich Tern - A - Montserrat ferry dock in Antigua, small flocks with Royal Terns

Rock Dove - B, D, SV

Eurasian Collared Dove - M, Dominica in Roseau area only

Scaly-naped Pigeon - D, SV

White-crowned Pigeon - only one flyby in Antigua at the Montserrat ferry dock

Zenaida Dove - all islands, common throughout

Eared Dove (AOU) - SL at Hewanorra airport, BQ behind Gingerbread restaurant

Common Ground-Dove - everywhere

Ruddy Quail-Dove - SV - one or two flew off the Vermont trail in late afternoon

Bridled Quail-Dove - my biggest miss. On Montserrat Scriber kicked up 2 different birds at the second location, but I only heard one flying. He says they are more active later rather than earlier in the morning

RED-NECKED PARROT (L) - D - pairs and lone birds on all visits to the Syndicat Trail at the overlook

ST. LUCIA PARROT (L) - SL - 2 pairs seen at Edmond; 1 pair seen well at Quilesse

ST.VINCENT PARROT (L) - SV - several seen on both visits to Vermont Forest Preserve. Probably the easiest parrot to identify, even at a distance with its white head and multicolored plumage. A stunner

IMPERIAL PARROT (L) - D - one lone bird seen reasonably well on 3^rd visit to Syndicat. Probably another pair seen in the distance during second visit. One of the toughest endemics

Mangrove Cuckoo - B, D, M; also heard on Antigua and St. Lucia. Although it is in mangroves, it is also found in the mountain forests

Smooth-billed Ani - SV - lower parts of Vermont forest road; D - by the airport

LESSER ANTILLEAN SWIFT (L) - D, SL, SV

PURPLE-THROATED CARIB (L)- D, SL, SV - the common forest hummingbird

Green-throated Carib - D, SL - surprisingly scarce; my only decent look was at the second, or first if you're driving in, stream crossing at Syndicat. I had seen it previously, so did not spend any effort looking for it, but even so expected to "bump into" it more often

Antillean Crested Hummingbird - all islands; blue-crested form noted on most

BLUE-HEADED HUMMINGBIRD (L) - D - territorial at parrot overlook at Syndicat. Also seen outside Portsmouth Beach Hotel reception, and on Springfield Guest House grounds

Belted Kingfisher- A, B, M, BQ

Caribbean Elaenia - all islands, heard only on Montserrat

Yellow-bellied Elaenia- Becquia - behind the Gingerbread restaurant, 2 birds

Lesser Antillean Pewee - SL, D - Raffaele rather cavalierly elevates St. Lucia Pewee to species status with no explanation. The AOU doesn't recognize it yet. Hopefully a future split, and hopefully Raffaele will give more explanations and more information in general in future revisions. The St. Lucia race is darker than the birds on Dominica

GRENADA FLYCATCHER (L) - SV - Botanical gardens, and possibly at clearing in Vermont Forest

LESSER ANTILLEAN FLYCATCHER (L) - B, D, SL - common at warbler spot on Barbuda, and Springfield Guest House on Dominica

Gray Kingbird - everywhere, the Caribbean equivalent of Tropical Kingbird in terms of abundance

Caribbean Martin - M - one pair flying over valley, between Salem and the dock

Cliff Swallow - B - some flying with Barn Swallows at Barbuda airport, a vagrant according to Raffaele

Barn Swallow - Barbuda and Dominica (Melville Hall) airports

House Wren- D, SL, SV - very different birds, both from the North American forms, and from each other. The St. Lucia form is localized in the northeast; the other two were in forests on their respective islands. The SV and Dominica forms are all dark brown, more like a Winter Wren, but the St. Lucia form is quite distinct, with white underparts and supercilium, and a long bill with a yellow-orange lower mandible and base of upper mandible. It had a buffy-orange wash on its breast.

Rufous-throated Solitaire - D, SL. Hard to see. A big disappointment was only hearing the dark-backed St. Vincent subspecies. An attractive bird, when you finally get to see it!

Cocoa Thrush (AOU) - SV - Vermont forest, quite wary and hard to see

Bare-eyed Thrush (AOU) - SL, SV - on SL only seen on Fox Grove Inn trail; Botanical Gardens on SV

FOREST THRUSH (L) - D, M - Another tough multi-island endemic. Seen at both locations on Montserrat, although only a partial look at 1^st location and a short look at one bird at location 2. The Emerald Pool at dawn is the spot on Dominica. Also occurs on Guadeloupe. Note the tail shaking behavior, and wing-flicking while feeding. Lyndon John said he had never seen it on St. Lucia, and the bird may no longer occur there

Red-legged Thrush- D - only along first stretch of road to Syndicat. Not common, like on Puerto Rico

Tropical Mockingbird- all islands except Montserrat. One bird at the Bon Apetit feeders on St. Lucia had bright buff-brown across the upper breast. I assume this was an immature, but can't find information other than the Mexico and Panama guides, which say the immature is buffier and browner below.

WHITE-BREASTED THRASHER (L) - SL. Supposedly a tough near endemic, only occurring here and Martinique. I suspect it is local rather than rare, since others and I found it fairly easily with the assistance of a guide

SCALY-BREASTED THRASHER (L) - D, M, SL, SV - Note the broad white tertial edges, a good field mark from a rear view. Fairly common

Pearly-eyed Thrasher - D, M, SL - Noticeably larger than the Scaly-breasted, and a bit scarcer. The pearly white eye is not always easy to see

BROWN TREMBLER (L) - D, SL, SV - Only one seen poorly on SL; common on the other islands

GRAY TREMBLER (L) - SL - seen at both Quilesse and Edmond forest 

Black-whiskered Vireo - D, M, SL, SV - Scarce, only one or two birds seen on each island

Yellow Warbler - A, B, D, SL - Probably includes the "Golden Warbler", some had large brown caps

Northern Parula Warbler - M - One at second location past Salem with Black-whiskered Vireo

ST. LUCIA WARBLER (L) - SL - Fairly common in a variety of habitats. This is probably the prettiest of the Adelaide's group, with its black facial marking and bright colors

BARBUDA WARBLER (L) - B - quite common in the dry scrub, with many singing birds. Got this one on the Camcorder

WHISTLING WARBLER (L)  - SV - The hardest of the 4 endemic warblers. I saw one bird well on the first visit, and two on the second visit. It generally did not respond to my tape, although several birds were singing. A striking bird

PLUMBEOUS WARBLER (L) - D - Seen on all outings to Emerald Pool and Syndicat. This bird is more attractive than illustrated. The white facial markings stand out more dramatically from the dark gray plumage on the males

Blackpoll Warbler - SL - one along path before entrance to Quilesse. Rare on St. Lucia

American Redstart - M - one female at first location

Northern Waterthrush - B - near Coco's

Bananaquit- everywhere, all black race on St. Vincent

LESSER ANTILLEAN TANAGER (L) -SV - seen on both visits to Vermont Forest at the parrot overlook

Antillean Euphonia - SL - heard only at Quilesse, a big miss. Stephen Lesmond said he sometimes sees the birds along the path towards the nightjar spot, but due to delays we didn't have much time to look for it. It's difficult to see because it's a canopy bird, preferring mistletoe

Black-faced Grassquit - all islands

LESSER ANTILLEAN BULLFINCH (L) - A, D, SL, SV - common everywhere

ST. LUCIA BLACK FINCH (L) - SL - A female seen at Edmond's, and a male seen at Quilesse. Easily confused with LA Bullfinch. The tail dipping behavior is a good guide, and the bright pink legs, but note that the Bullfinch also has pale legs. The female's gray head contrasts with the brown body.

LESSER ANTILLEAN SALTATOR (L) - D, SL - probably fairly common, but I spent most of my time in forest habitat rather than open areas, and only saw a few

Carib Grackle (AOU) - All island except Montserrat, where it is local, according to Scriber. Small for a grackle

Shiny Cowbird - SL - I was not disappointed to only find this bird on St. Lucia

ST. LUCIA ORIOLE (L) - SL - rather scarce; one seen at Edmonds, another at Quilesse, and one at the White-breasted Thrasher spot. The Edmonds bird constantly flicked its wings and tail while feeding.

MONTSERRAT ORIOLE (L) - M - You will need Scriber to find this bird, which took a while to find

MAMMALS

Agouti on Dominica, Syndicat Trail

Mongoose - St. Lucia, possibly St. Vincent (can't remember)

Bats - several species, but I have no idea which. St. Vincent's and Dominica

Dolphins en route to Becquia