Kirtland's Warblers ( and others) on a trip to Abaco in the Bahamas January 16-20

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Back from a recent short trip down to the island of Abaco in the Bahamas.  Although the island would not feature any new warbler species for me it did have some range limited species including Bahama Yellowthroat, Bahama Warbler and Olive capped Warbler plus a wide variety of overwintering species. My hope was to get some photos of a Bahama Yellowthroat (a species I have seen before but was not able to get photos of) and perhaps a view of a wintering Kirtland’s Warbler.  I had a very successful trip and found all the birds I was after.

Prairie Warbler, Murphy town, Abaco, Jan 16, 2024

After some weather delays in Hartford and then Atlanta due to a snow storm up north and then below freezing temps in Atlanta I finally arrived in Marsh Harbor early afternoon. I picked up my POS car, stopped for groceries and then headed to my Airbnb in town. I really wanted to stay further south but my previously booked Airbnb canceled a few weeks before my trip and I had to scramble to find a new spot. Birding was limited to just a brief walk in the neighborhood but I still picked up four species of warblers to start off the trip with Palm, Yellow throated, Prairie and Yellow rumped Warblers.

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Pine Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Bahama Palm Shores, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 17, 2024

On my first full day I headed south before sunrise to make the hour drive down to Abaco National Park. As I headed out it was obvious we got some showers overnight and as I drove south the showers kicked back in a few times and made driving less than fun. I arrived at the park with the sun not yet up and got prepared to make a walk down south through the park. One of the first birds I heard for the morning were a couple Bahama Yellowthroats. I got some good looks but they were not cooperative for photos early on. As I walked a bit over two miles south I ran across multiple pockets of warblers with the most numerous species being Pine Warblers followed quickly by Olive capped Warblers and Palm Warblers. I managed nine species of warblers during my walk with decent looks at a few but many stayed up fairly high and the overcast conditions made photos tough. Nonetheless I did get a few shots of various species. I made the drive out to Sandy Point at the very end of the island and despite the windy conditions I had a single Northern Waterthrush to make the trip worth the effort. I then started the long drive back north with another stop at Abaco National Park and this time I got killer looks and some great photos of a Bahama Yellowthroat. A number of other stops on my way back north (including one at Bahama Palm Shores) produced more warblers and by the end of day I had found 13 species of warblers. 

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Ovenbird, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Robert's Nursery, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Northern Waterthrush, Columbus Cay Eco Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

Northern Parula, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

American Redstart, Murphy Town, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 18, 2024

For the second full day I decided to do a little less driving and head north up toward Treasure Cay. The weather was less than ideal to start with overcast conditions that eventually brought in some drizzle and then a bout of light rain. I managed to get a couple walks in before the steadier rain started and found a number of warblers but nothing new for the trip. Once the rain stopped around 9:30 I was able to go for a number of longer walks and added a new warbler for the trip with a few Ovenbirds. I got some great looks and a number of photos of several species over the course of the morning into the early afternoon. The sun actually came out midday and stayed somewhat sunny for the remainder of the day. Overall I had 10 species of warblers for the day. 

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Dawn over Pinelands, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Hole in the Wall Lighthouse in distance, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Kirtland's Warbler habitat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Olive capped Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Black throated Green Warbler, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

Bahama Yellowthroat, Abaco National Park, Abaco, Bahamas, Jan 19, 2024

On my final day on Abaco I got up very early once again and made the long drive back down to Abaco National Park with the long shot goal of finding an overwintering Kirtland’s Warbler. Thankfully it was not raining on this trip but as I headed out the door around five it was very humid and the result of that was foggy conditions that varied in thickness the entire drive down. When I was about two thirds of the way to the park entrance I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid some potholes and after that a warning light came on in the car. As there was no owners manual with the car I could only guess at the issue and my first thought was a flat tire. I checked and came up with no obvious issue so started the car back up and the light disappeared. I contemplated turning around at that point so I didn’t get stranded at the end of the island but I decided to risk it and press on. I drove a couple miles down the rough dirt road as far as I dared and then parked and started walking south in the dark. In researching the handful of reports of the warbler on Abaco the best chance I had to find one was to make it down to the southern end of the park past the pine lands, which meant a ten mile plus hike one way. In order to make it down in time to give myself a short search window and make it back out before it was too late in the afternoon to summon help if the car failed me I walked steadily with very few pauses for birds. Even with counting mostly heard only species I still had an impressive haul for a number of warblers including Pine Warblers, Olive capped Warblers, Prairie Warblers Bahama Yellowthroats and Bahama Warblers. I eventually made it out of the pine lands after about four hours of walking and into the low scrub where I started my search for the Kirtland’s Warbler. I walked another mile plus in the blazing sun to within sight of the lighthouse. At this point I had no luck with finding my target but did have two new species of warbler for the trip with Black throated Green Warbler and Black throated Blue Warbler. I knew I had to head back at that point so I turned around and started the long trek back out. As I was still in the scrubby area I heard an odd chip when I was spishing a spot and knew it was possibly something good. A bit of movement and a raise of the binoculars and I was looking at a Kirtland’s Warbler! I was blown away as I knew the chances of actually finding one in the area was very low. I spent some time following it around and getting photos through the brush and then I noticed there was a second Kirtland’s Warbler! After getting some decent photos and a recording I hit the trail satisfied. The walk back was long as the sun beat down on me and despite all the water I dragged along I ran out a few miles south of the car. Eventually I made it back to the car around 2:30 and rehydrated. I had walked a little over 24 miles for the day at that point (almost a marathon) with all my equipment and supplies and I was totally beat. All the pain and blisters were certainly worth it as I got the species I was after. Although I had seen Kirtland’s Warblers on their breeding grounds in Michigan I had not gotten any photos at that time so it was satisfying for sure to finally get some photos of one of (if not thee) rarest warbler. Overall for the day I had 16 species of warbler, which turned out to be my most productive day for the entire trip. 

With just a little time before my late morning flight to Miami I spent some time in the local neighborhood and found a few warblers but nothing new and no photos as I had already packed the camera. 

During my short stay in the Bahamas I found 17 species of warbler with two of those being new for my warbler list in the Bahamas (Kirtland’s Warbler and Black throated Blue Warbler), bringing the total warbler species seen in the country to 19 species.

Complete coverage of the trip beyond the warblers at the following link:  Bahamas January 2024

Hurricane Dorian impacts on warblers in the Bahamas and in Nova Scotia

Bahama Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Bahama Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Olive capped Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

A quick update on the impact of recent Hurricane Dorian on warblers.  First the impact on the northern Bahamas (Grand Bahama and Abaco) looks to be extremely bad with descriptions from the area not giving a lot of hope for several imperiled species.  Specific warblers heavily impacted would include the Bahama Warbler (which is endemic to just Grand Bahama and Abaco), Bahama Yellowthroat (present on both above mentioned islands as well as others further south) and Olive capped Warbler (present on both Grand Bahama and Abaco in the Bahamas and a separate population in western Cuba).  The exact impact on the resident species as well as migrants that had already arrived on the islands is unknown for certain at this point but it does not look to encouraging.  If one were so inclined to assist in helping the birds impacted there you can donate to a fundraiser sponsored by Bird Caribbean at the following link.

Meanwhile well to north in Nova Scotia where the storm eventually made landfall while still at hurricane strength.  The storm brought in a large selection of southern warblers including Cerulean, Kentucky, Prothonotary, Yellow throated, Hooded, Worm eating and even a Swainson's Warbler!  Most warblers were found at Hartlan Point which is just southeast of Halifax or along the Atlantic View Trail in Three Fathoms Harbour (approx 12km east of Halifax).  Below are the numbers and locations for unusual warblers that were moved well north by the storm (totals as of today).  Sadly there were likely many more that perished after being caught up in the storm.

Cerulean Warbler : two at Hartlan Point and one at Atlantic View Trail
Kentucky Warbler:  two at Hartlan Point and one at Atlantic View Trail
Prothonotary Warbler:  one at Sambro Creek (southwest of Halifax), one at Hartlan Point and one at Atlantic View Trail
Yellow throated Warbler:   one at Hartlan Point, one in Three Fathoms Harbour and two on or near Atlantic View Trail and one on an island off coast of New Brunswick near Maine
Hooded Warbler: five at Hartlan Point, one in Halifax, at least three more about 10 km east of Halifax on the southern coast
Worm eating Warbler: three at Hartlan Point and two or three in the area of Three Fathoms Harbour
Swainson's Warbler: one at Hartland Point

I will update the numbers above as the days go on.

End of year wrap up

Bahama Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Olive capped Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Arrowhead Warbler, Ecclesdown Road, Jamaica, Mar 10, 2017

Golden cheeked Warbler, Balcones Canyonlands NWR, TX, Apr 8, 2017

Colima Warbler, Big Bend NP, TX, Apr 10, 2017  

Time once again for a year end wrap up of the warblers seen this year.  I managed to find a total of 50 species overall with six new species including Olive capped Warbler, Bahama Warbler, Bahama Yellowthroat on Grand Bahama in February, Arrowhead Warbler in Jamaica in March and Golden cheeked Warbler and Colima Warbler in Texas in April.  I have now seen 69 total warbler species ever (sadly I cannot count Yellow breasted Chat any longer)

MacGillivray's Warbler, Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Nov 13, 2017

As far as within Hampshire County I had my best year ever with a total of 33 species of warblers plus a variety of hybrids including both Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers.  The highlight by far was a MacGillivray's Warbler that showed up in Hadley in November and stayed for a few days.  It is only the second county record and the best documented sighting by far.  The MacGillivary's Warbler brings my warbler total in Hampshire County up to 35 again (after the Yellow breasted Chat was demoted from a warbler to a non warbler).  Other unusual species included a Golden winged Warbler and a Hooded Warbler plus well above normal counts of Connecticut Warbler and Mourning Warblers as well as others (Detailed look at various warbler species in above normal numbers).

A full photo review of the warblers this year can be found here: Photo review

Below are few tables of warblers seen overall for the year, warblers per month and warblers seen in Hampshire County by month.

Warblers (running tally for year)

Jan       Feb      Mar      Apr      May      Jun     Jul      Aug     Sep      Oct      Nov     Dec
0          20        24         33        41          41      43       44        44        44        44        44


Warblers overall per month

Jan       Feb      Mar      Apr      May      Jun     Jul      Aug     Sep      Oct      Nov     Dec
0          20        15         25        30          23      24       24        26        17        4          7


Hampshire County warblers by month

Jan       Feb      Mar      Apr      May      Jun     Jul      Aug     Sep      Oct      Nov     Dec
0          0          0           17         30         23      18       24        26        17        4         2

Grand Bahama trip Feb 7-11 produces three new warbler species

Ovenbird, Garden of Grand Bahama Birders B&B, Grand Bahama, Feb 7, 2017

The second part of our recent vacation started with a ferry ride on Tuesday the 7th from Fort Lauderdale over to Freeport, Grand Bahama. My main targets for the trip over to Grand Bahama were the two endemic warbler species (Bahama Warbler and Bahama Yellowthoat) plus another near endemic warbler (Olive capped Warbler...also found on Cuba).  Sadly the two endemic warblers have not been reported since Hurricane Matthew devastated Grand Bahama back in October so I would really have my work cut out for me in finding them.  The first afternoon produced a number of warblers at our B&B including Palm Warbler, Northern Parula, American Redstart and a couple of very tame Ovenbirds.

Olive capped Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Olive capped Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Pine Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Yellow throated Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Cape May Warbler, Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Northern Waterthrush, Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Cape May Warbler, Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

Black throated Green Warbler, Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama, Feb 8, 2017

On Wednesday the 8th I hired a guide (Erica Gates) for the entire day to try to track down the above mentioned targets and had some success as well as a few misses. We started out in the pine lands on the way to Owl's Hole looking for pine specialties and after a bit of walking we ran across a mixed species flock that contained at least two Olive capped Warblers. Although we tried to turn up the other two endemic warbler we had no luck here (or any of the other spots we checked over the course of the day). I was certainly happy to get to see, hear and photograph the Olive capped Warbler.  The pine lands also produced a number of other warblers including Common Yellowthroat, Pine Warbler, Palm Warbler (western), Yellow rumped Warbler (myrtle) and Yellow throated Warbler. After an entire morning out in the pine lands we headed over to Garden of the Groves for lunch and a few hours around the park where we ran across a few more new species of warblers for the Bahamas including Northern Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Cape May Warbler and Black throated Green Warbler.  Erika is a great guide and knows the island extremely well and I would recommend her to anyone visiting the island.

Bahama Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Bahama Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Bahama Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Bahama Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Bahama Warbler, Owl Hole Rd,  Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Olive capped Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Olive capped Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Hooded Warbler, Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

Pine Warbler, Pine lands east, Grand Bahama, Feb 9, 2017

I decided to make a slight change from my original plans of hiring a guide for a second day and instead rented a jeep for a couple of days to explore some areas on my own. With Sherri doing some other activities on Thursday I had the entire morning into the afternoon free to explore the pine lands east of Freetown in search of the two endemic warblers I missed the day before. As mentioned before these two species (Bahama Warbler and Bahama Yellowthroat) have apparently become very tough to find following Hurricane Matthew that hit the island last October but I was determined to track them down. I headed out just before sunrise to start looking east of Lucayan NP and after one minor missed turn I was on my way (the toughest part was driving on the left...a throwback to the English roots of the Bahamas). The area past the national park was somewhat quiet and there were not any good spots to penetrate into the pines so I decided to head back to a series of old logging roads which had some sightings of both of my target species before the hurricane. I started on a road north of Owl's Hole Road and one of the first birds I noticed was a Bahama Warbler crawling its way up the side of a pine much like a nuthatch. I was really not expecting it to be so easy to find the bird after a lot of looking yesterday but luck was with me I guess. The area to the north of the main highway would eventually produce at least four individuals of this species plus I added two more individuals later on in the morning along Owl's Hole Road. Glad to see several individuals made it through the storm and continue to occupy the area. I ran across lots of other expected species but I had no luck finding a Bahama Yellowthroat north of the highway. I then decided to try my luck south of the highway in an area we spent some time in yesterday along Owl's Hole Rd. This proved to be a great decision as I ran across a Bahama Yellowthroat about a half mile down the road. I was pishing and had a yellowthroat scolding from the deep undergrowth but I was fully expecting to find another Common Yellowthroat. I tried a little playback and the bird immediately popped up giving me brief but decent looks at a female Bahama Yellowthroat that promptly dove back down and would not show itself again so no luck getting a photo.  The only other new warbler for the Bahamas for the trip was a Black and White Warbler.  At this point it was midday and after all morning out in the hot sun I was ready for a break so I headed back to Garden of the Grove to try my luck there and although I didn't find anything new I got much better looks at a Hooded Warbler there compared to yesterday.

American Redstart, Lucaya NP, Grand Bahama, Feb 10, 2017

Black and White Warbler, Owl Hole Rd, Grand Bahama, Feb 10, 2017

Ovenbird, Garden of Grand Bahama Birders B&B, Grand Bahama, Feb 10, 2017

Our last full day on Grand Bahama dawned much cooler than previous days with temps in the low 60's but the sun quickly warmed us up into the 70's. We took the jeep out to Lucayna NP to walk on some of the trails there before the crowds appeared. The winds was picking up on our way out there and it they would continue throughout the day which made finding birds a bit tough. Our next stop was over to Owl's Hole Road where we walked for about an hour down through the pine lands.  No luck finding a Bahama Yellowthroat there despite a lot of effort but did have a lot of the same species I had the day before including more Bahama Warblers and Olive capped Warblers.

Black and White Warbler, Garden of Grand Bahama Birders B&B, Grand Bahama, Feb 11, 2017

Palm Warbler (western), Reef Golf Course, Grand Bahama, Feb 11, 2017

Ovenbird, Garden of Grand Bahama Birders B&B, Grand Bahama, Feb 11, 2017

Prairie Warbler, Garden of Grand Bahama Birders B&B, Grand Bahama, Feb 11, 2017

Our last day in the Bahamas was spent relatively locally and I started the day just before dawn at the Reef Country Club checking the various ponds and edge before the golfers showed up for the day. Nothing too unusual but large number of western Palm Warblers were around. After about an hour and a half at the country club I headed back to our lodging and the gardens right outside our back door which produced more warblers but nothing new.  Yesterday our host (and guide) asked if I wanted to go I here to a couple of other nearby golf courses to try to get some other new birds and I figured, why not? We headed out late morning to the Emerald Golf Course where we found a number of new species but no new warblers. This golf course has been closed since a couple of severe hurricanes back in 2003/2004 and the area has become overgrown providing some great bird habitat. We walked along some paths through the dense vegetation and had a very intriguing yellowthroat that may have been a Bahama Yellowthroat but we never got good enough looks to be sure.  The rest of the early afternoon I spent more time exploring the gardens at our lodging as well as packing for the trip home. We made it to the port to await the ferry and while there got a message that our flight was already cancelled for Sunday due to another big snow storm back home.

Overall for the trip I managed to find a total of 20 species of warbler with Florida producing 15 species and the Bahamas producing 17.  The trip added three more species of warblers to my list (Olive capped Warbler, Bahama Warbler and Bahama Yellowthroat) bringing my total to 67.