Last Saturday was the May Global Big Day birdwatching event.  Four local eBirders spent over 35 cumulative hours crisscrossing Bonaire to find and count as many species as possible.  Birding separately to accommodate COVID-19 protocols, we did cross paths on numerous occasions throughout the day.

For the intrepid birders, the “day” began at 5:00 AM and finished at 7:30 PM, well after sunset.  We walked the shorelines of the island’s salinas, beaches, and salt ponds, and we trekked the island’s dry forests and fields with the hope of meeting or beating Bonaire’s Global Big Day record of 91 species (October 2020).

Although Global Big Day occurred a bit late in our spring migration, we still found a nice number of migrating shorebirds and many were displaying the beginning of their elaborate summer (breeding) plumage.

Noteworthy observations on Bonaire’s Global Big Day, May 2021.

Cattle Egret in breeding plumage.

It’s always enjoyable to espy a Cattle Egret here on Bonaire, but it becomes extra special when the egret is in breeding plumage.

In normal plumage, the Cattle Egret is uniformly white with dark legs.  However, in breeding plumage, as illustrated here, the legs turn yellowish, and the crown, bill, and chest will turn a deep orangish color.

American Golden Plover

Although not unusual to find the American Golden Plover on Bonaire during fall migration, it IS unusual to find it during spring migration.  This same individual was first spotted about one week prior to Bonaire’s Global Big Day, and it conveniently stayed around so it could be counted on May 8th!  In the seven to ten days since its first sighting, the plover molted into more golden hues, and, in this image, one can even see the flecks of gold on the upper parts.

Glossy Ibis

Last September, I was absolutely thrilled to come across a grouping of six Glossy Ibis, the largest grouping ever reported for Bonaire on eBird.  This month, a single Glossy Ibis was spotted the week before Global Big Day, and the ibis also was accommodating to stay long enough to be counted in Bonaire’s species.  The Glossy Ibis isn’t migratory, but rather nomadic, so it travels around at its will.  I wonder if the ibis we spotted on Global Big Day is one of the six spotted last September?

White-rumped Sandpiper

This small Nearctic sandpiper makes one of the longest animal migrations in the Western Hemisphere, with just a few, very long, non-stop flights, each of which can take as long as 60 hours, rocketing these amazing sandpipers 4000 kilometers/2500 miles further along their migration path!

During spring migration, the sandpiper will start its flight plan from the southern reaches of South America, with the Canadian Arctic as its final destination, where it will breed during the summer months.  Bonaire is an excellent halfway point for the White-rumped Sandpiper to rest and refuel its fat reserves for the next leg of its long journey.