St Thomas has two birdwatching organizations. One is http://www.ebird.org/USVI and the other is a National Audubon Society. Both of them hold outings, though not that frequently, and not on a regular basis.

I think the National Park Service on St John (you can Google it) also offers a bird-watching walk of some sort. If so, it's on their online calendar on their website.

For just casual observance of birds, if you're in town along the Waterfront, you're likely to see egrets, pelicans, sea gulls, herons, cranes and a few others. You'll see banana twits (that's what they're called here, anyway!), and hummingbirds all over the island. If you're lucky and very observant, you might see some green parrots flying around or in the trees.

If you go up on Skyline, at Beacon Point, they have guinea hens, and I think, peacocks.

Enjoy, and please report what you find bird-wise after your trip.

A good place to go birding in St. John is the salt marsh behind Francis Beach. A trail (about a mile long, easy walking) circles the marsh and has 2 viewing spots. One is elevated and the other is a "dock" at marsh level. The trail is accessable from the beach or the road near the parking area for the beach. I'm not a birder so I don't know names but there was an interesting variety of what I'd call shore birds that I don't see up here in New York. If you're into snorkeling Francis Beach is a good place to find sea turtles. John

Thanks for the tips.
Will continue to monitor this thread until I leave.
I'll put a summery of what I saw and where on once I've returned.
Thanks again. - L.H.

Here's the latest update:

In Herbert A. Raffaele's "Birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands", it recommends birding Mangrove Lagoon on St. Thomas and Mary Point Pond on St. John. I also found a website that gushed about the Francis Bay shoreline trail as a good place to bird on St. John.

I'm trying to determine what species to "target" while I'm there this March. I'll use Raffaele's book mentioned above as well as his "Birds of the West Indies" to figure out what to expect to see easily and what might take a little determined hunting.

I'll add a list of target species to his thread once I've figured it out. When I come back, I'll report on what I actually "bagged".

Cheers! - L.H.

I assume you'll be taking photos. Do you use a digiscope?

I've been trying to photo hummingbirds for the longest time, and discovered yesterday that the Orchid Tree is quite the hummingbird magnet. It was late afternoon, and they couldn't seem to stay away. I'm a rank amateur, but I finally got a fairly decent shot of one perched on a tree using my Canon ultrazoom.

ms411

Each August we stay in a timeshare unit that has a tree next to it that is frequented by several dark teal colored hummingbirds along with a few bananaquits and the occasional iguana perched in its limbs. This tree has a pale pink colored flower that, in August, blooms in the daytime and in the evening has no flowers. We haven't determined if the flowers close at sundown or actually fall off as there are often dead flowers below the tree. A few years back I was told by someone who I wouldn't think an expert that this is a mock orchid tree. I never was able to confirm this information. Does it sound like a mock orchid to you?

We spend many pleasant moments on our third floor terrace watching the activity in this tree.

Another hummingbird question: About 5 or six years ago I saw what I thought was a rather large bumblebee sniffing up to flowers in a shrub. Upon closer look it appeared to be a very very small hummingbird. Does anyone know if there are teeny tiny hummingbirds, about an inch or less in size, or was it most likely really a large bee?

Lars, I'm looking forward to your report.

Thanks

Gerie

Gerie, I'm looking in my "Flowers of the Caribbean" book, and they describe the orchid tree as having magenta flowers. I've seen another, similar tree with the lighter pink flowers, but I don't see it in this book.

I've also seen what I thought were black, humongous bees, but haven't been able to photo. Their bodies look too round, to me, to be hummingbirds.

There's another insect with a blue/black body with bright red wings that I see flitting from flower to flower. Anybody know what that is?

Thanks.

ms411 - Sorry, don't photograph birds much, have problems enough just getting a good solid look at them sometimes!

Gerie - I'll go with ms411 on the flora question...I don't know a thing about the plants and trees on the islands, sorry.

Your question about that really small hummingbird (?) is interesting. I think what you saw was probably a large bee or a moth. The smallest bird in the world is, I believe, the Bee Hummingbird (at about 2.25 inches) - it is very rare and only found on Cuba. Hummingbirds on the V.I.s are at least 3.25 to 4.75 inches - probably too large to be mistaken for anything but a hummingbird.

Hope this helps, - L.H.

Here's my rough list of what I'll be looking for this March on St. Thomas and St.John.
Does anyone know these birds and/or have good ideas on how I might locate them...I've only got a week and would like to see at least 12 or so of the birds listed:

_ Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
_ Magnificent Frigatebird
_ Scaly-naped Pigeon
_ Mangrove Cuckoo
_ Antillean Crested Hummingbird
_ Gray Kingbird
_ Green-throated Carib
_ Caribbean Elaenia
_ Caribbean Martin
_ Pearly-eyed Thrasher
_ Black-whiskered Vireo
_ Shiny Cowbird
_ Troupial
_ Brown Booby
_ Roseate Tern
_ White-crowned Pigeon
_ Brown-throated Parakeet

So what do you'll think are my chances of seeing these?
- L.H.

ms411 and Lars,

Thanks for your replies.

I've definitely seen two of the birds on your list, Lars. Magnificent frigates are often spotted by craning your neck way back and gazing upward. I've never noticed one not in flight. I'm sure they light somewhere. Last summer I had the pleasure of being bombarded by brown boobies while I was bobbing in the sea at Limetree Beach. There must have been lots of appetizing fish in the water. The pelicans and brown boobies were numerous and thought nothing of diving and floating right next to me. It was fun, actually, and I felt privileged to be so near to them. I must admit to having ducked a few times in fear of being beaned by a divebomber with poor eyesight.

I haven't done serious birding while visiting the islands, but I like your list and may consider copying it and logging any sightings next time I'm there.

Good luck.

Gerie

If you are on St. Thomas and you get a chance to go up to Paradise Point, there is a bird show put on by one of the locals. There are also a lot of humming birds and other types of birds in the area where the show is. It's a good place to sit and watch them along with sipping on one of the better Bushwackers on the island.

The insect referred above is the Spotted Oleander Caterpillar Moth Empyreuma affinis)
http://bugguide.net/node/view/10160/bgimage. We've seen some that are quite large. You'll find lots of birds on the hiking trails and around most any villa or beach too.

Diana, thank you soooo much! A moth! Who woulda thought??? I do see them on oleanders, but also on yellow elders. Their catepillars are out now.

Gerie - Thanks for the tip on the Frigates and Boobies, looks like I'll have a very good chance of bagging those sightings.

Dave - Paradise Point sounds like a good spot for "Hummers", I'll difinatly try to get there. If I see the ones I'm looking for, I'll down a Bushwacker in your honor!

Diana - Great call on that moth!

- L.H.

Only a month to go until we leave for the islands.
Does anybody else have any tips on seeing birds on St Thomas and St John in early March?

Thanks, L.H.

Just got back from my trip and, as promised, here is the list of interesting caribbean birds I spotted:

Lesser Antillean Bullfinch - everywhere on St. John, less numerous on St. Thomas.
Magnificent Frigatebird - just look up and wait.
Scaly-napped Pigeon - Maho Bay on St. John an The Greathouse gardens on St. Thomas.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird - common on both islands.
Gray Kingbird - most common on St. John.
Green-throated Carib - rare in the Coral Bay area of St. John.
Pearly-eyed Thrasher - omnipresent.
Brown Booby - seen in most bays along with the Brown Pelicans.
Brown-throated Parakeet - Drake's Overlook, near Megan's Bay, St. Thomas.
White-tailed Tropicbird - Offshore, Turtle Bay near St. Thomas.
White-winged Dove - not common, but around on both islands.

The most birdy place I visited was the Francis Bay Trail on St. John.
Had a great time, still recovering from sunburn and "Painkillers". Cheers!

- Lars Hansen

Dear Lars,

You didn't mention the ground doves, bananaquits and grassquits, anis, egrets, herons (both white and Great Blue with the latter still comfortably living around the Mandahl saltwater pond area) and the brown pelicans.

Obviously another trip is in order! Sunburn and painkillers? More protection obviously necessary as far as the former is concerned and more abstinence where the latter is concerned! Cheers!