Bermuda’s spring migration is certainly not as dramatic as the fall migration. In the fall we can witness thousands of birds travelling south but most in rather dull non-breeding plumage or drab coloured juveniles. During the spring months, birders have to search out migrants travelling north from Central and South America to North America, but the reward is brightly coloured birds in breeding plumage: Blue Grosbeaks, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanagers – all as colourful as their name suggests.
The nature of weather systems and the fact that the more experienced adult birds are travelling north tends to deny us the beautifully plumaged warbler species found on the continent – but when the odd one does arrive, it provides a real treat and may even give us a burst of song too – perhaps a Prothonotary Warbler or Bay-breasted Warbler. There is always the chance of a real rarity, like a Swallow-tailed Kite.
Material adapted from “A Birdwatching Guide to Bermuda” by Andrew Dobson, Arlequin Press 2002.
