My name is Chris. Me and my partner Sandra visited Aruba in May and I would like to give you a report of my time birding on the island. Sorry its a bit late but here goes anyway.
We spent a week in Aruba between 10/5/2011 and 17/5/2011. We chose Aruba as it seemed an ideal Caribbean island for a relaxing break and in addition some very good birding to be had too. We were not dissapointed as the island proved to meet both criteria and was exactly how we had hoped it would be. Although the island did not have an extensive list of birds it did hold an interesting mix of both north and south American species as well as plenty of caribbean birds too.
We opted to stay at the Riu Palace which is very close to the Bubali nature reserve and is in fact the perfect location for birding the whole island as it is very central with the Bubali on its doorstep, the Arikok natural park to the east and the Californian lighthouse to the north. Behind the main road opposite the Riu Palace hotel was a small lake plus an untouched wild area of dried out lake bed and vegetation which was literally teeming with birds. It was here plus Bubali where I did most of my birding and almost all of the species on my trip list were spotted within a mile of the Riu Palace hotel.
Around the hotel and in fact all along the coast there were Magnificent Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans to be seen. You can't miss them just look up. Common birds that we saw in most places without trying hard were Laughing Gull, Bare-eyed Pigeon, Eared Dove, Tropical Mockingbird, Bananaquit, Black-faced Grassquit, Carribean Grackle and House Sparrow. One bird that I thought would be a lot harder to find was a Troupial which we spotted within a 100 yards of leaving the hotel although for the rest of the holiday we only really got them in more rural areas such as the Californian Lighthouse and Arikok national park.
The Bubali nature reserve is a fantastic place. A huge area untouched by any development set aside for the large amount of water birds that use it. However there was a large building site between the main road and the opposite side of the lake from the observation tower so how much impact this will have remains to be seen. The building site was very close to where the birds roost so if it is to be another large resort hotel that could affect whether those birds choose to remain where they are. The observation tower had clearly been rebuilt as it was not in the least bit hazardous and was very effective for views across the whole reserve. However I did feel it was a long way from the 'action' and good views of the roosting birds were unobtainable unless you had a scope (which I didnt). However birds in flight were easier to spot and there was always stuff coming in a bit closer now and then to keep you busy. High lights were Great Egret, White Cheeked Pintail, an Osprey that roosted everyday and was also seen hovering over the lake, Yellow Warbler, Brown Throated Parakeet, Common Yellowthroat, and a Purple Gallinule that popped out of the reeds amongst the moorhens. Groove-billed Ani's were also spotted on the edge of the reserve close to the main road. It was on the building site that I had previously mentioned that I had cracking views of an adult Crested Caracara. This was a real thrill as it was a bird that was top of my list and I didn't want to miss out on seeing one. Also along the main road is the Butterfly farm. This was a great place to spot the Blue Tailed Emerald Hummingbird as there were lots of bushes and small trees around in full bloom.
The lake across the main road from the Riu Palace was a really great find. The place was teeming with birds. Herons, Egrets, Cormorants, Pelicans and waders. The biggest surprise was the flock of sixteen Black Skimmers that were resident everyday. Just to see one or two would have been great but there they were in all their glory mainly roosting but occasionally two or three would go off feeding providing a great spectacle. Green Herons were everywhere as were Black-necked Stints. They were the noisiest birds around by far as one or two pairs had chicks around them and they didnt take to kindly to me or the large Great Blue Heron that was bothering them. Black-crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets were also numerous as were Neotropic Cormorants. Several Southern Lapwings were also a great surprise as I wasn't expecting those. They proved that with Aruba being so close to the South American mainland the type of birds seen here could be very different from those further north in the Caribbean.
On our second day we took a trip up to the Californian Lighthouse. From the cafe we attempted to get closer to the golf course as I thought this could be a good spot. As we edged closer a medium sized brown bird flew up from the ground and across to the other side of a small bush. We both froze and soon realized we were walking towards a family of three Burrowing Owls. We kept our distance and thankfully the owls stayed put to give us some great views and pics. After that we didn't really bother with the golf course we just explored the other side of the lighthouse towards the sea. Highlights were a Peregrine Falcon, an American Kestrel and a small flock of Least Terns fishing. An added bonus was a small group of Crested Bobwhites that crossed the road in front of us as we took a cab back to the hotel.
Further along the main road from the Riu Palace heading north I found another small lake which was on the opposite side to the Marriot complex just a bit further up. There were several species of waterbirds that I got here that I didn't see at Bubali or the lake opposite the Riu Palace. These included Tri-coloured Heron, Reddish Egret, Sandwich Tern, Whimbrel, and Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.
Another trip we took was to the Arikok national park which was a super place to explore but unfortunatly the midday sun got the better of us. Probably best to visit early in the morning. I spotted a pair of Crested Caracaras soaring in the distance and there were Hummers, Troupials and Mockingbirds around but nothing that we hadn't seen closer to the hotel.
The following day we drove to Roger's Beach and Baby Beach. Here just offshore from the old oil refinery is a small islet that was clearly packed out with breeding Terns. Unfortunately without hiring a boat we couldn't get close views so I had to console myself with standing as close as I could to the sea at Roger's beach so as I could just make out the many Sooty Terns and Brown Noddys that were flying to and from the islet. Another highlight here was a close view of a resting juvenile Crested Caracara and a Shiny Cowbird.
The last place we visited was the capital Orangestaad where we enjoyed watching the Common Terns and Brown Pelicans fishing in the harbour and also managed to find a Royal Tern.
All in all it was a very enjoyable holiday with many birding highlights and I would thoroughly recommend Aruba as a birding destination if you wanted to try somewhere that wasnt too challenging but provided a good mix of caribbean birds with a few surprises thrown in.
Total trip list for the holiday was 60 species.