St Lucia, West Indies

12 - 27/6/2012

We spent two weeks at the Bel Jou Hotel in Castries, St Lucia.

Most of the bird photos were taken in the hotel grounds plus a few on our trips out.

Lesser Antillean Bullfinch

This is one of the commonest birds on the island. It's favourite food appears to be sachets of sugar stolen from the hotel! Empty a sachet on the balcony and they will there in minutes. We had one that would fly into our room, land on the bed, hop onto the tea tray and steal a sachet. It would then take it to the floor, peck it open and eat it. It would then wipe it's beak on the bed before flying out!

Male bird - note the sugar around his beak!

Female bird on a chair on our balcony.

Another male bird.

Bananaquit

Another common bird which also has a taste for sugar

Zenaida Dove

Common all over the island with several of them in the hotel grounds all of the time.

American Kestrel

Another hotel resident, always around either sitting on the roof or on top of a Palm Tree. Totally unafraid of people, I was able to get very close - within 10 foot.

Tropical Mocking bird

Another common bird. There were a number of juveniles around still being fed by their parents.

Antillean Crested Hummingbird

The books say that this is the commonest bird on the island - it was certainly my favourite!

Green Throated Carib

Another, slightly larger Hummingbird often seen on the feeders at the hotel.

Purple Throated Carib

The other Hummingbird, not as common the first two. I only saw one at the hotel but managed photos on the Rainforest Aerial Tram ride.

Carib Grackle

This is, I suppose, the Caribbean equivalent to our Jackdaw, and are found all over the island in large numbers.

Male Bird

Juvenile

Black-faced Grassquit

A small finch, often difficult to spot as they spend all their time rummaging in long grass for seeds.

Male bird

Male bird

Female bird

Gray Trembler

Often seen digging around in dead leaves in the trees. It often stops and "trembles", hence it's name.

Scaly-breasted Thrasher

Another bird often seen around the hotel gardens

Broad-winged Hawk

A Buzzard-like bird, only ever seen at a distance

A distant shot of the hawk being mobbed by Tropical mockingbirds

Cattle Egret

Very common all over the island

Laughing Gull

On to the sea birds now, this one was taken from the beach and is very similar to our own Black-headed Gull

Brown Booby

Very much like a Gannet but flies very fast ans low over the sea. I only saw two and they were some distance away.

Ruddy Turnstone

The same bird as we see in the UK

Magnificent Frigate Bird

Lives up to it's name, it is a magnificent bird. Fairly common around the harbours and beaches but is usually flyinf fairly high up.

Male bird. Unfortunately he is not displaying the red throat as the breeding season was over.

Female bird, identified by the white breast.

Immature bird, identified by the white head and breast. I hesitate to call it a juvenile as it was HUGE!

Other birds seen but not photographed

Gray Kingbird

Lesser Antillean Swift

Caribbean Martin

Green heron

Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon

St Lucia Oriole