Aruba Day 4

November 14, 2015 • 1 Comment

Friday 14th November

After yesterday success at Areshi Beach I Thought I would try my luck again. The day started watching 3 Semipalmated Plover chasing each around the rock shore. This other was good to watch and they were quite vocal. It was pretty much the same birds as yesterday apart form a Semipalmated Sandpiper and the Sanderling went from 1 to a flock of 7. A flock of Carib Crackle were also in the area. Below is a few of my best pictures from the morning.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Plover

Sanderling

I first though the below bird was a sanderling but thought it was slightly different i have now been informed its a Semipalmated Sandpiper. A new bird for me as I didn't manage to connect with the Slimbridge bird.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Royal Tern

Black-belled Plover (Grey Plover)

Black-billed Plover (Grey Plover)

Brown Pelican

Eared Dove

Spotted Sandpiper

Common Tern

Laughing Gull

Least Sandpiper

After a great morning at Areshi Beach it was time to head back to the hotel for Breakfast but not before a quick stop on route. I noticed a Great Egret close to the roadside near the Salina next to the Skydive Centre. Here I managed to photograph the Great Egret hunting. There was also 2 Killdeer nearby.

Great Egret Great Egret

Great Egret

Killdeer

Arikok National Park and a Beautiful beach called Baby Beach was the plan today. Arikok takes up 18% of the Island of Aruba and was on the opposite side of the island to our hotel. Today I hoped to photograph a Venezuelan Troupial on a Cactus the ionic picture of these birds and also I hoped to see a Crested Caracara. The national park is also a great place to see the endemic Aruban Rattlesnake. Sadly these are very rare and as few as 500 could remain in the world. We probably wouldn't see one of these as they hunt mainly at Dusk and Dawn as its to hot during the day. They had a captive one in the visitor centre I think thats as close as Hannah wanted to get. Also by the visitor centre was a Venezuelan Troupial feeding on a Cactus sadly to far away for the photo I wanted. Whislt in the National Park we visited the Quadirikiri Caves. These caves are home to a species of Fruit bat not sure what they are called as I can't find any reference to their name. Although Southern Long-nosed bats are found in other caves on the Island.

Baby Beach was a beautiful spot. Very busy but amazingly there was a small flock of Ruddy Turnstones working through the tourists on a quiet corner of the beach there was a single Black-belled Plover (Grey Plover). The Below photo was taken by Hannah.

Baby Beach

One of my main aims was to try and photograph a Crested Caracara they aren't common on Aruba but the Arikok National Park was a good place to see them. Having not seen one all day I was almost giving up when suddenly one appeared at the side of the road!!!! I asked Hannah kindly to pull over (stooooooooop) luckily the camera was out of the bag and it was almost within touching distance sadly to close and i couldn't focus on it before it was gone behind the car. We quickly turned around but it was out of reach. A 2nd bird appeared but was also to distant and to far off the road to track!!! my chance had gone. Below is my only effort of this magnificent bird.

Crested Caracara

Where we had stopped to see if the Crested Caracaras would do a u-turn sat an American Kestrel on the top of a Cactus it was really struggling to hold on in the strong warm wind. It allowed me to get pretty close, even without using the car as a moving hide. As I photographed this one another flew overhead.

American Kestrel, Aruba, November 2015 American Kestrel

Late afternoon we were going to head up to the California lighthouse to photograph the sunset but not before 2 quick stops firstly I wanted to try and photograph the Bananaquits at the Butterfly farm and then I took Hannah to see the Burrowing Owls. Well I say I took her!!!!! in all fairness it was just an excuses to have another shot at these amazing birds.

Bananaquit