Cayman celebrates its remarkable birdlife

As migratory birds arrive from North America, a free wildlife event on Thursday, 15 October, offered residents an opportunity to discover why the Cayman Islands is a birdwatcher’s paradise.

The Life of Birds talk attracted a full house at the South Sound Community Centre, and included presentations from wildlife biologist Geddes Hislop and Simone Williams,

research officer with the Cayman Islands Department of Environment, Terrestrial Resources Unit.

October is an exciting time for birdwatchers in the Cayman Islands, as thousands of feathered visitors begin arriving from North America, joining an already remarkable collection of resident birds, including several species found nowhere else on Earth.

The event followed World Migratory Bird Day on 10 October and the international October Big Day bird count.

Members of the Cayman Islands Birding Club joined birdwatchers around the world recording species as part of one of the largest citizen-science initiatives on the planet. It was eventually confirmed that Cayman birders achieved a 65% increase in the number of checklists submitted, which was the eighth highest increase worldwide – a result that indicates the level of interest in the local birdlife is growing fast.

Geddes Hislop, curator of terrestrial exhibits and education programmes at the Cayman Turtle Centre and a keen local birder, proposed the wildlife talk and served as master of ceremonies.

“I wanted to come up with a way to celebrate migratory bird month and introduce the Cayman public to the joys of birdwatching, and at the same time highlight some of the talented birdwatchers and wildlife photographers we have right here in Cayman,” Hislop said.

“In the end, we had both birders and non-birders come out for the presentations, and I hope it inspired people to get out there in the outdoors and enjoy Cayman’s birds and nature.”

A paradise for birds

Despite its relatively small size, the Cayman Islands punches well above its weight when it comes to birdlife.

More than 270 bird species have been documented across the islands, including approximately 50 indigenous breeding species and more than 200 migratory visitors.

October is particularly rewarding as migrating warblers, shorebirds, ducks and birds of prey arrive from northern breeding grounds, some remaining for the winter while others continue their journeys south.

Among the visitors are barn swallows, famous for their graceful, acrobatic flights, and merlins, small but remarkably powerful falcons capable of pursuing other birds at high speed.

Cayman’s birdwatchers have already demonstrated just how extraordinary the islands can be.

During the October 2024 global count, local enthusiasts recorded an impressive 123 species in a single day, placing Cayman fifth in the Caribbean, ahead of several much larger islands.

Some of Cayman’s resident birds are rare.

Earlier this year, scientists confirmed that the Grand Cayman vireo, affectionately known as the Sweet Bridget because of its distinctive song, is a separate species found nowhere else in the world.

It joins the Grand Cayman bullfinch as one of two bird species endemic to Grand Cayman.

The islands are also home to the colourful Cayman parrots and the vitelline warbler, whose global population is concentrated overwhelmingly in Cayman.

Discovering Cayman’s hidden treasures

For anyone inspired to explore, some of the best birdwatching locations include the Mastic Reserve, Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park and Malportas Pond in North Side.

The latter, an internationally recognised important bird and biodiversity area, now features viewing platforms overlooking wetlands that attract everything from herons and ducks to flamingos and migrating sandpipers.

As local birdwatcher Tonja Wight previously told the Compass: “There are birds everywhere in the Cayman Islands. There are just not enough people looking at them and recording them.”

This year’s World Migratory Bird Day theme, “Every Bird Counts – Your Observations Matter,” encourages everyone to participate in bird conservation by observing and recording sightings.

Getting started requires little more than curiosity, a pair of binoculars and perhaps a free bird-identification app.