On Sunday 16 December, EPIC led a successful bird walk along the shorelines and forest edges of Little Bay Pond. Bird walk participants joined EPIC to search for resident and migratory birds among this wetland habitat. The bird watchers were able to spot numerous species of migratory warblers in the large red mangroves along the northern shoreline, including Northern Waterthrush, Northern Parula, and American Redstart. The birders continued along the trail that contours the west side of the pond and spotted many small flocks of Black-faced Grassquits feeding on the grass seeds on the trail. Bird songs were heard the entire time, including that of the secretive Mangrove Cuckoo. Small clearings along the trailside allowed watchers to spot birds on the pond including groups of ducks, such as the White-cheeked Pintail, and waders such as the Great Egret. The group’s guide, Adam Brown, a Senior Biologist with EPIC, said of the walk, “The trail along Little Bay is fantastic for bird watching. There is a wide variety of bird species here thanks to there being both tall mangrove forests along the pond and thorny dry scrub brush on the hillsides.” On the way back from the walk, the birders stopped by EPIC’s bird watching hut along the northwest edge of the pond. Over the past years, the mangroves have grown tall around the hut. This natural camouflaging allowed the birders to get close views of Caribbean Coot, Green Heron, and Common Moorhen. EPIC is looking forward to hosting additional bird walks in the future.
