Birdwatching trip report - Netherlands Antilles

Cindy and I spent 7 days in Bonaire in October 2005. I was lecturing at a conference so most days were at least partly spent inside at the conference. Cindy and I, however, had enough free time and a completely free day to go out and search for birds. The island’s primary areas for birding are in the northern and southern tips. There are no endemics to the island, but it is the best of the three Netherland Antilles islands for birding and since it is considered part of South America, it is the best location to add several Caribbean species to your South America list. It is also reportedly easier to find Yellow-shouldered Parrot in Bonaire than in Venezuela (although, I found this species quite easy near Coro, Venezuela).

There is little information, however, either on the internet or in print for birding on this island. Wheatley’s “Where to Watch Birds in South America” provides some information, but it is limited. I found three prior trip reports on the internet (listed below). We have tried to provide information for those planning trips on their own (i.e. a non bird tour company trip, although I am aware of no birding tour companies that currently run trips to this island). Most people come to this island for diving (it is considered one of the top 3 diving locations in the world). We saw 84 species on our trip. Our timing resulted in several migrants that would otherwise not be expected.

Prior Trip Reports

http://maybank.tripod.com/SouthAmerica/Bonaire-02-2000.htm

http://listserv.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0312a&L=birdchat&P=6221

http://jpmaist.club.fr/Voyages/Bonaire/Bonaire.htm (in French)

Checklist for the Birds for Bonaire

Please see this site for a list of birds in Bonaire with comments on status:

http://www.bonairediveandadventure.com/June%2005%20Ann.%20cklst%20of%20Birds.pdf

Sites Visited:

1) Washington-Slagbaai National Park: This is the best place to bird on the island and the best place for Yellow-shouldered Parrot. It is located at the north end of the island. A 4-Wheel drive vehicle may be necessary if there has been frequent rain. There are several fresh water ponds and these, not surprisingly, were the best locations for passerines. Try the areas known as Put Bronswinkel and Pos Mangel as this was the best place for passerines. Salina Slagbaai had flamingos, other waders and a few shorebirds. The Juwa Pass had the Yellow-shouldered Parrots and some other migrants. The map given at the entrance to the headquarters should provide sufficient details to get to these places. Plan to spend at least half the day to bird this area.

2) Salt Works/Southern Tip of the Island: The southern tip of the island is composed of salt ponds for a salt works. This is the best location for Flamingo and had some shorebirds. This area is simply reached by going south past the airport and keep going south.

3) Sorobon: Sorobon is a small spot located on the southeastern section of the Island. It is on the southern side of Lac Bay. You can reach it by 1) going to the southern tip of the island and then heading north along the east side (Eeg Boulevard) or 2) going south out of Kralendijk towards the airport, just past the airport go southeast (left) on Kaya IR Randolf Statuuis Van Eps and this will take you to Sorobon. There is access to mangroves, a bay, and some beach at this spot. A prior trip report suggested that this was a spot for Ruby-topaz Hummingbird. The location has an open-air bar, a nudist colony, and an area for renting beach/watercraft (windsurfers, etc). The best spot for the hummingbird is likely the nudist colony but it has a high fence and you obviously can not walk in there with your binoculars around your neck. I was fortunate to see one Ruby-topaz Hummingbird feeding on flowers at the bar (next to the nudist colony) just as I had given up and was getting ready to leave. The bartender informed me that he occasionally sees hummingbirds come to the flowers.

4) Freshwater pond between Rincon and entrance to the Washington-Slagbaai National Park: This pond is located on the road from Rincon to Washington-Slagbaai National Park on the west side of the road). There is only one road from Rincon to the National Park so you should not miss the pond. There were signs in Rincon for the National Park. It was good for ducks, some migrants, and flamingos.

5) Inlet north of Kralendijk: As we were heading north (on Kaya GOB N. Debrot) from the developed area along the coast (main road) from Kralendijk, we crossed a bridge with a tidal area on the east side of the road. It was low tide at this time of the day, and there was plenty of exposed mud and many shorebirds. A stop later in the afternoon was useless as the tide was high and most of the birds were gone.

General Comments:

Traveling on this island is relatively easy. Many speak English (although Dutch is the official language). There is little traffic and roads are in general adequately marked.

Books:

1) Birds of Venezuela by Steve Hilty (2nd edition, 2002)

2) Where to Watch Birds in South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean by Nigel Wheatley & David Brewer.

Money:

You can use US$ which will be exchanged into Netherlands Antilles Guilders once you purchase something. Departure tax was $20.

Driving:

We rented a car (for only one day) from Budget rental car agency. The budget office is at the airport (actually a 2 minute walk to the southeast of the airport; other rental car agencies are also located here). There is a gas station about 2 miles north of the airport that you can fill it up prior to returning the car. We rented a small two-wheel drive vehicle as this is the cheapest, but to travel in Washington-Slagbaai National Park you may need a 4 wheel drive. We were informed some people tried to go into the park with a 4 wheel drive two days prior to our trip and were turned away as the roads were too wet. It did not rain the day we went but there were several sites that we were glad we had a 4 wheel drive. We actually rented a two wheel drive and then told them that we were going to the National Park and they gave us a 4 wheel drive for that time period (at no additional charge).

Maps:

We had printed off a map from the internet prior to departure (http://www.skyviews.com/bonaire/map.html). Budget also provided us with a simple map which was adequate. Make sure you get a map for the National Park as you enter. This is important for locating the best birding sites.

Hotels:

We stayed at the Plaza Resort Bonaire. It is nice. There are numerous options in Bonaire and most cater to divers.

Weather & Clothing:

It was warm during our stay with occasional rain. There was heavy rain on one day and this apparently resulted in some individuals having trouble getting into the National Park.

October 12, 2005: This was our primary birding day as we had the entire day off from the conference. Most birds were seen on this day (essentially a big day). This was also the only day that we had a rental car.

Trip List:

Hope this helps. Feel free to contact me with any questions

Jim Holmes

Sacramento, CA

jfholmes@ucdavis.edu

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