the big year

Brown-throated caribbean parakeet


Common Emerald hummingbird

Bananaquit

yellow-shouldered amazon parrot

troupial

Saffron finches

Yesterday, my cousin and our husbands saw the movie "the Big Year" at our local cinema.

It was a very entertaining fun movie. First of all my "boyfriends" starred in the movie: Owen Wilson, Jack Black and Steve Martin. The movie was funny, clean and clever. You could safely watch this movie with your mother.

The film was about competative "birders" out to log the most number of birds sighted. I could completely relate to the 'how" and "why" of that obsessive mental "treasure hunt" of seeing new birds.

I also do that with scuba diving. It is the thrill of the "visual hunt" to seek out and log those special and different fish species.

While I was in Bonaire, I logged different bird species I spotted on this visit.

Here is my October 2011 list:

frigate bird

Bahama pintail (duck)

black winged stilt

least sandpiper

ruddy turnstone (they are everywhere!)

eared dove

common ground dove (one of these little guys liked to stay under my truck at night)

white faced dove

brown throated parakeet*

yellow shouldered amazon*

common emerald hummingbird (the first time I've seen one in Bonaire!)

scrub flycatcher

grey kingbird

thrasher

house sparrow

bananaquit (another favorite!)

saffron finch (still another favorite!)

troupial

yellow oriole

bare eye pigeon ( and yet, another favorite of mine!)

I didn't venture out looking for flamingoes this year but regardless, it was still "the Big year' for birds for me!