February 2018 – Grand Bahama Birding

This was another spur of moment birding trip that brought us to the Grand Bahama Island. The last time we were here was 2012 when we hired a guide to show us the birding hotspots. This time we decided to bird on our own and had quite a few target birds in mind. We arrived at the Bell Channel Inn in time for dinner at the 3rd floor restaurant, Upstairs on the Bay. Great place for happy hour, drinks and dinner in this designated ‘No Stress Zone’.
Our first stop Sunday morning was the Reef Golf Course where they don’t mind birders early and away from the golfers. We birded for less than an hour and saw 13 species including two of our targets: Western Spindalis and Smooth-billed Ani.

Western Spindalis

Smooth-billed Ani

While on our way east we kept the windows down and stopped when we heard a bird singing. Another vehicle pulled over to ask what we were looking at and identified the bird as a Thick-billed Vireo. The driver was none other than Erika Gates, who is undeniably the most famous birder on the island and a person I have always wanted to meet. The day was getting off to a great start.

Thick-billed Vireo

Our next stop was Garden of the Groves where we saw Cuban Emerald, White-crowned Pigeon and six warbler species. We had great looks at a Black-throated Blue Warbler on the path behind the Chapel. This is a nice place to spend the morning, walking the trails and enjoying the beautiful landscaping and water features.

Cuban Emerald

White-crowned Pigeon

It’s hard to believe we saw all these great birds before lunch. Next, it was a stop at the Grand Lucaya Marketplace for the best conch salad you will ever have. Make sure you stop at Daddy Brown’s Conch Stand, it’s worth the wait. We walked across to the Grand Lucayan Resort to look for Reg-legged Thrush. The resort has been closed since Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which has really hurt the area economy and tourism.

Daddy Brown’s Conch Stand

Red-legged Thrush

After lunch we headed to the Emerald Golf Course that is a known waterfowl hotspot. Highlights were the White-cheeked Pintail and Least Grebe. A pair of Common-ground Dove were a nice surprise. This part of the golf course has been abandoned for years but the local birders have a designated access area to the main pond. Overall, a nice end to our day of birding where we tallied 32 species.

White-cheeked Pintails

Monday morning we decided to do some beach birding and headed to Taino Beach/St Georges Park. Four gull species including the sought after Lesser Black-backed Gull were present. We continued to Williamstown Beach where we had great looks at a Loggerhead Kingbird. Truly a beautiful beach with some conch shells lined up for sale.

Loggerhead Kingbird

Conch Shells

While driving the backstreets near the beach we saw several dolphin jumping high out of the water. We quickly realized it was a dolphin training area. While not a fan of animals in captivity, it was amazing to watch.

Dolphin Training

Next, we decided to take the Grand Bahama highway to the Owl’s Hole, a popular diving spot. Mike was brave enough to descend the 30 foot ladder to swim in the crystal blue water. The road to the Owl’s Hole is pretty rough so we recommend an SUV if you go. We had to park the car before we got there which allowed us to bird as we walked the remaining way. This rewarded us with another target bird, the Cuban Pewee.

Owl’s Hole

Cuban Pewee

Our final stop this trip was the Rand Nature Center, with 100 acres of flora and fauna. A Red-legged Thrush in the library was quite entertaining. As we got close to the exit we came across the target bird, La Sagra’s Flycatcher. A Hairy Woodpecker was also a nice surprise.

La Sagra’s Flycatcher

 

Hairy Woodpecker

We highly recommend you put Grand Bahama on your birding destination list. It is much more laid back than Nassau and has diverse habitats which means diverse birds.

 

Trip Birds: 47   Life Birds: 0

Next up: San Francisco