West Indies Cruise - 02 Mar 2010
We arrived in port just before 8 am. For once, there were more than just Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans in the harbor. Today, there were Royal Terns, and Caribbean Martins feeding among the two docked cruise ships.
We had a 5-hr. catamarand ride around the island scheduled for today, but opted to cancel. I was still feeling sunburned, and didn’t want any more exposure. We headed off the ship, instead, and decided to walk around town. But after 20 minutes of working the gauntlet of taxi-drivers trying to get our business, we decided to turn back and go back onboard. Neither of us felt like fighting the heat and local business-seekers. St. John’s is a pretty town just off the harbor, but streets are narrow, packed w/ buildings, and oriented much like a maze that takes you from one Taxi stand to the next. Locals are friendly, and non-intimidating, but unless you have a destination, there’s no easy way to walk outside of town.
On board, I took advantage of the ship’s height to get some nice fly-by photos of the Magnificent Frigatebirds. A flock of Sandwich Terns kept flying back and forth toward the back of the ship, so I spent some time trying to get flight shots as they turned and swirled like a flock of shorebirds.
Overhead a Peregrine Falcon soared for several minutes, but too far to get any decent images. An Osprey passed close enough for a few pics, however. Near shore a large roost of Cattle Egrets, Great Egrets and Brown Pelicans provided some birding from the ship. Among the pickings were Carib Grackles, Zenaida Doves, and a Little Blue Heron.
As we pulled out of the harbor the churning waters attracted numerous frigatebirds that flew at eye-level and below. Some birds passed close enough to touch! A burnt-out hull of an old ship was anchored in the harbor and made for a nice portrait in rust.
As we pulled out of the harbor the churning waters attracted numerous frigatebirds that flew at eye-level and below. Some birds passed close enough to touch! A burnt-out hull of an old ship was anchored in the harbor and made for a nice portrait in rust.
Port of St. John's, Antigua, Saint John’s, AG
Mar 2, 2010 8:00 AM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments: NCL Cruise in port
12 species
Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) 2
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) 46
Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 2
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) 4
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) 2
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) 1
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) 12 active roost
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 6
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1 soaring high overhead. Large falcon w/ pointy wings and visible mask
Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis) 6
Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Mar 2, 2010 8:00 AM
Protocol: Incidental
Checklist Comments: NCL Cruise in port
12 species
Zenaida Dove (Zenaida aurita) 2
Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) 46
Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 2
Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens) 4
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) 2
Little Blue Heron (Egretta caerulea) 1
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) 12 active roost
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 6
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1 soaring high overhead. Large falcon w/ pointy wings and visible mask
Caribbean Martin (Progne dominicensis) 6
Carib Grackle (Quiscalus lugubris) 2
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S4
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
