tdgraves 8th big year 2021

[elefromoz]

Nice new ones there, suddenly you're at 134 with more to come.Glad you managed to get away eventually.

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @shazdwn and  @elefromoz 

I did sit down at the pc the other day with the intention of processing some photos, but I ended up down a rabbit hole looking for a couple of folders which I thought had gone missing! Maybe later today I could try again…

[Tdgraves]

Right, I have finally had time to process the Grenada photos. This was a plan C holiday booked when travel was still red, amber and green and SA and Seychelles (moved at least once previously) were still on the red list. I booked it before the Caribbean had opened up, as I had a feeling it would be one of the first islands to go green and I was not wrong. When the new travel announcement came, the holiday was almost double the price that I booked it for! We stayed at Calabash, a small family owned boutique hotel which was amazing. Really luxurious, without being in your face. The food was fabulous, but we never fully felt like we took advantage of it as our body clocks were so exhausted, we never got into the correct time zone, despite being there two weeks. Definitely the best Caribbean hotel we have been to so far. Not as good for birding as St Lucia though, as there were only small manicured gardens and the shoreline to explore, rather than the hilly rainforest at Anse Chastanet, but I managed . Luckily I had booked an all day bird tour in advance, which also helped. We couldn’t visit all of the usual places on the tour though, due to covid restrictions.

 

As with all places that think they have got away with COVID, there was a big outbreak after we arrived and the country went into a semi-lockdown, which didn't affect us in the hotel, but it was rather spooky driving to the airport with empty streets and police road blocks!

 

I shall start with the new ones. There are only three true endemics, of which we saw one, the Grenada flycatcher, put just as I was pressing the shutter release, it flew off! We also managed two of the Lesser Antillean endemics, one of which was new... 

 

Grand Etang National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 3200, f5.6, 1/640, EV +2/3

 

7T4A0509a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0512a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

135) Lesser Antillean tanager

Edited December 30, 2021 by Tdgraves
Typo

[Tdgraves]

Grenada is the only part of the Carribean where these can be seen

 

Belmont Estate, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 3200, f5.6, 1/800, EV +1

 

7T4A0548a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1250, f7.1, 1/320, EV +1

 

7T4A0547a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

136) Rufous-breasted hermit

Edited December 30, 2021 by Tdgraves
typo

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/2000

 

7T4A0658a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

137) American purple gallinule

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/1600

 

7T4A0635a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

138) Ruddy duck

[Tdgraves]

Somewhere in the hills, South West Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f7.1, 1/1600, EV +2 1/3

 

7T4A0268a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f7.1, 1/2000

 

7T4A0276a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

139) Orange-winged parrot

[Tdgraves]

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 500, f7.1, 1/1600

 

7T4A0476a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

140) Snowy egret

[Tdgraves]

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 500, f7.1, 1/2000

 

7T4A0460a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

141) American golden plover

[Tdgraves]

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/1000

 

7T4A0498a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

142) Solitary sandpiper

[Tdgraves]

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/2500

 

7T4A0368a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

143) Pectoral sandpiper

[Tdgraves]

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/640

 

7T4A0421a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

144) Lesser yellowlegs

[Tdgraves]

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/2500, EV +1/3

 

7T4A0348a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0350a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

145) Fork-tailed flycatcher

[Tdgraves]

We also saw a yellow-bellied seedeater (no photo) and least sandpiper (no photo as yet)...

[shazdwn]

What a great way to end your big year.  Love the rufous-breasted hermit - the name, the bird and the photos

[Tdgraves]

Not finished yet @shazdwnthese were just the lifers…

[PeterHG]

Good to see your Grenada additions and looking forward to more!

[Tdgraves]

so, on to the "old" birds!

 

Next to the airport, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/4000

 

7T4A0491a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

146) Little blue heron

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 500, f7.1, 1/2500

 

7T4A0590a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0602a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

147) Laughing gull

Edited December 31, 2021 by Tdgraves
extra photo

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/2000

 

7T4A0583a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

148) Semipalmated plover

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 640, f7.1, 1/2000

 

7T4A0637a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

149) Common gallinule

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 2000, f5.6, 1/1000

 

7T4A0674a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0679a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0691a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A0698a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

150) Yellow-crowned night heron

[Tdgraves]

Levera National Park, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1600, f7.1, 1/4000

 

7T4A0665a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

151) Caribbean martin

[Tdgraves]

Belmont estate, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 800, f7.1, 1/1250, EV +1/3

 

7T4A0562a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

152) Common ground dove

[Tdgraves]

Belmont estate, Grenada, 6/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f5.6, 1/250

 

Male

 

7T4A0557a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Calabash, Grenada, 10/9/21

 

Canon 5D mark IV, 100-400 mark II, ISO 1000, f5.6, 1/1000

 

Female

 

7T4A9855a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

153) Black-faced grassquit