Keep to the Left! - 13 Mar 2011

After a great morning of Bahama Woodstar photography, it was time to rent a car and see the island of Nassau, Bahamas.  We called Avis and they came from the airport and picked us up.  As we pulled into the airport proper I saw a White-crowned Pigeon fly overhead! Carolyn was right, these birds fly with a purpose and don't dally...

We picked up the car and Robin took first turn at the wheel. The nice lady at Avis reminded us to "Stay on the left" as we weren't in America, anymore.  We drove the north shore toward Paradise Island and pretty much had no problems following traffic, which was heavy for a late Saturday morning.  After a stop at the McDonald's it was my turn.

We drove past the turnoff to Paradise Island and continued on a circle trip of the island.  A few miles east of town we pulled off and found a small flock of Laughing Gulls enjoying the calm seas.  Note the varying stages of moult.  It wasn't until we were ready to continue on that I noticed the small flock of Black-bellied Plovers disappearing in plain sight!

Most of these birds were sleeping, but examination of their plumage revealed varying levels of wear, and evidence of a feather change.  One bird had already started moulting into its breeding black feathers.

A Ruddy Turnstone was in the parking lot next to the car, and was a challenge to photograph as it walked just a few feet from the side of the car.  It wasn't until it jumped up on the wall that I was able to get some nice portrait shots with green-sea in the background.

The rest of the drive was uneventful, unless you count the 1/2 mile or so I drove on the right side of the road after pulling off to turn around.  Luckily, I snapped back to reality just moments before an on-coming car came around the corner at 35 mph...

We then stopped and had lunch at Compass Point, where news of Japan's historical earthquake and tsunami were plastered all over the television!

Here's a tip for you boys and girls shooting pics w/ the little point & shoot cameras: use your sunglasses as a polarizing filter to improve the quality of photos taken in the middle of the day, when everything looks flat due to lack of shadows. 

Back to the hotel for an afternoon nap, and one last pic of the little Bahama Woodstar in the courtyard!

Nassau Cruise Ship Terminal, New Providence, BS
Mar 13, 2011 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     Trip around island
5 species

White-crowned Pigeon (Patagioenas leucocephala)  1
Bahama Woodstar (Nesophlox evelynae)  1
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  6
Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)  2
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)  12

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42487347

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)