Press Release 2012
Virgin Islands Are A Birdwatcher's Paradise Maho Bay visitors enjoy great birding on St John USVI Press Release 2012
Virgin Islands (January 25, 2012) - Visitors to Maho Bay in St John spend so much of their time and energy enjoying the hiking, snorkeling, sailing and beaching that they sometimes forget that the Virgin Islands are also a birdwatcher?s paradise.
Over 144 species of birds can be seen on St. John, and 35 are permanent residents, with the balance being migratory visitors between the North and South American Continents. Many species of birds, such as Warblers seen during the summer in Boston and the Great Blue Heron seen in New York?s Central Park, spend their winters on St. John. Truly snow birds.
St. John has some great birding spots, thanks to the presence of the National Park. Large expanses of bird-friendly, moist tropical forest and dry woodland habitats cover 86 percent of the land area while mangroves and other salt tolerant vegetation edge the 49 miles of coast and the 51 bays.
St. John contains seven distinct bird communities: Ocean/shoreline, wetlands, dry forest, moist forest, salt pond, mangrove, and developed areas. Many of the bird communities are within walking distance of Maho. At Mary?s Point Pond between Francis Bay and Mary Creek, one can see Boobies, Herons, Waterfowl, Sandpipers, Pigeons and Doves, Cuckoos, Flycatchers, Thrashers and Warblers and particularly Bananaquits, the Mangrove Cuckoo, the Scaly-naped Pigeon, White-checked Pintail and Smooth-billed Ani. Laurel Brannick is the education specialist for the VI National Park. She does several activities in our area each week that are free!
Right at the bottom of our driveway on Friday mornings she starts her Francis Bay Bird Walk at 7:30 and is great for kids as well. Laurel says Franics Bay is the best overall spot for wildlife on St. John. On any given trip you can see crabs, iguanas, donkeys, deer, and of course, birds. Laurel named nearly 20 birds that could be seen including Least Grebes, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Whimbrels, and Ruddy Ducks.
A morning walk with Laurel is a treat. She observed that like all habitats, it undergoes residential changes over time. The Least Tern, smallest of the terns and an endangered species, is now breeding during the summer on St. John. The Striated Heron from Trinidad was spotted at the fresh water pond over by Salt Pond at Concordia. Some birds like the Caribbean Coot were not seen for years but are now back, 4 have been seen at Francis Bay. The National Park website has some great resources to take along with you on Laurel's bird walk or to take birding on your own!
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