Aruba (Netherlands Antilles) 27/7 11/8/2012. Alf & Jeannine King Huddersfield (UK)

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1 Trip Report Aruba (Netherlands Antilles) 27/7 11/8/2012 Alf & Jeannine King Huddersfield (UK) Introduction Aruba is neither a key nor special place for a birding holiday but offered the opportunity of plenty of sunshine and rest combined with a little recreational birding. The island is very small and not very fertile with a thinly scattered bird population and a few well-known main sites. During our two weeks there we didn t encounter another birder although one or two people were interested (or puzzled) in what we were doing. A final trip list of 71 shows how few are the species to be found particularly outside of the main migration periods. Notable highlights were: 1. An adult Wattled Jacana present at Bubali throughout. This hasn t been previously recorded for Aruba as far as I can determine. 2. An immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron seen clearly only once on a small litter strewn pool opposite the Grand East home and hardware store. 3. A Roseate Tern still in breeding plumage on a reef near Malmok Beach 4. Significant wader passage throughout the two weeks. Basics Wattled Jacana (Bubali) We flew direct from Manchester (UK) with Thomson s taking advantage of their Premium upgrade which resulted in very good and comfortable flights in both directions with just a

2 small delay on the return journey due to an issue with luggage. Arrival, processing and luggage collection were very straightforward and we proceeded to collect our hire car from Avis. For some reason this was a very slow process but we eventually emerged in our stately Kia Cerato not the newest of cars given that the island is barely 20km long and it had on the clock, and a cassette player in the dashboard; as with many things on Aruba it was also quite expensive. Navigation is very straightforward even without many road signs, given the small size of the island. We quickly found our way to our accommodation at Paradera Park a very comfortable and friendly place offering apartments of various sizes together with a welcoming pool and all facilities. This met our preferences for self-catering accommodation perfectly. Birding Resources Reddish Egret (Boardwalk pool) I was uncertain about what to take with me for the trip wondering if a telescope was really necessary and if a monopod would be better than a tripod. Fortunately I took both my scope and tripod and they both were invaluable. The island has almost permanent strong winds (trade winds) which are very welcome in the heat of the day but make hand-held photography quite difficult and cause fairly shake scope views when particularly strong. A field guide exists in the form of Birds of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire by de Boer, Newton and Restall (Helm field guides). This is apparently extracted from the much larger birds of Venezuela by the same authors. It is a slim volume giving details of all of the birds likely to be found on the islands. The plates are a bit mixed with some having been described elsewhere as naïve but the information is useable enough and it was very light to carry around. I also had with me a Stokes guide to waders which did come in handy and, to anyone who is unfamiliar with waders (shorebirds) from this side of the Atlantic I would certainly recommend a reference book if visiting in a migration period. The web site Aruba Birds was very useful and Jeff Wells also provided me with excellent information even whilst I was on the island and uncertain about accessing some sites. He is to publish a book on these sites which will hopefully be available soon. Finally, wear a hat and carry plenty of water.

3 Birding Sites There are only a few sites on the island that promise much in the way of birding although surprises may be found anywhere along the coast especially in migration season which had barely begun when we were there. Bubali Bird Reserve Although the status of this is uncertain it was the place that we visited most often. The main part is a conspicuous watchtower accessed via a dirt track opposite the large red windmill close to the Rui Hotel. The large wetlands are being rapidly encroached by extensive reed growth but a reasonable area can still be easily viewed from here. It is also possible to walk along a couple of indistinct tracks here in search of passerines but very few other than the common residents were to be found when we visited the island. Boardwalk Pool This pool didn t appear to be named on any map but was quite productive and certainly always had birds of interest on all visits. It is just north of the Boardwalk hotel behind the Aruba Skydiving hut near Palm Beach. The pool is of variable size depending upon the seasons but is very shallow and attracted numerous waders whilst we were there, including our only sightings of Semi-palmated Plover. It held a flock of around 20 Black Skimmers of the Amazonian race when we were first there declining to five by our last visit. Arikok NP This is easily found by following the numerous road signs. The entry fee is $8 pp so it is worth getting there early (8.30 am opening) to get full advantage of the cooler weather. The Cunucu trail (about 4km) is very pleasant and the best for birding with most of the rest of the reserve being fairly inaccessible but also unattractive. The trail and the grounds around the visitor centre proved very good for Yellow Oriole, Burrowing Owl (on the bridge) and hummingbirds with lizards of various species being abundant. On our second visit here we were caught out in a storm and returned in a very bedraggled state indeed. We explored driving the road down to the beach but I wouldn t advise this unless you have a car with a high ground clearance. Easing your way through the 28 storm drains there and back is quite tedious if not a little hazardous. Black Skimmer (Boardwalk Pool)

4 Roger s Beach Islands These reef islands in the south, opposite Roger s Beach can be scoped from the car park at an abandoned police station close to the refinery. As we were there outside of breeding season we only saw Brown Noddy but in season they would clearly be much more productive. Tierra del Sol Salina This is within the Tierra del Sol country club alongside the 15 th tee of the golf club, hence only accessible through the generosity of the club. When we visited we were asked to return at am when it would be less busy on the course and we were kindly lent a buggy to drive ourselves out to the Salina. Unfortunately at that time it was dry but we still found our only Killdeer and Southern Lapwing of the trip. Savaneta Pans These disused salt pans can be found in the Savaneta settlement by parking carefully alongside the road. Clearly attractive to many waders they contained plenty of interest but nothing new when we visited but would repay repeat visits. Spanish Lagoon A difficult to find site close to the old gold mines at Balushi. The entrance to the parking area should be treated with great caution as there is a hazardous ditch to trap the unwary. Once again a pair of confiding Burrowing owls were here together with a host of fairly tame waders. Lizards and land snails could be found in abundance. A couple of trails looked promising so an early morning visit would be recommended. Spotted Sandpiper (Bubali)

5 Sightings A full list of sightings is attached. If you have any queries about any of these please contact me directly. Alf King Crested Caracara (Arikok)