Bubbles from the Naturalist Jerry's tank - by Jerry Ligon BIRDS of BONAIRE

John McKean contacted me by e-mail in late 2007 asking if I would be able to take him and his wife out on a birding excursion when they arrived on Bonaire in February.  I immediately started planning our excursion with special emphasis on his request to do a photo shoot of the islands birds.  This was easy because every February, there is a special tree that blooms with bright red flowers and not only is a beauty to us humans, but also to the birds.  It is called Coral Bean Tree, Erythrina herbaceae, belonging to the Legume family of plants (peanut and bean family) and this species can be found in the SE sections of the United States and throughout South America. An interesting facet about this plant's flowering is that the wintering members of the Oriole family that spend their winters in South America, but nest in Eastern North America are the main pollinators of this species.  It has copious amounts of nectar and on Bonaire all nectaring species are found visiting the flowers.

The following photos are the best that I have been associated with and depict a majority of the beautiful woodland birds of Bonaire.  Enjoy.

Each image is legally protected by U.S. & International copyright laws and may NOT be used for reproduction in any manner without the explicit authorization of John McKean

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American Oystercatcher	Bananaquit	Bare eyed Pigeon	Black-faced Grassquit
Blue-tailed Emerald male (immature)	Blue-tailed Emerald male	Blue-winged Teal	Brown Booby (immature)
Brown Pelican	Prothonory Warbler	Pearly-eyed Thrasher	Brown Pelican
White tipped Dove	Brown Throated Parakeet	Scaly-naped Pigeon	Brown Throated Parakeet
Brown Throated Parakeet	Caribbean Elaenia	Caribbean Flamingo	Caribbean Flamingo
Common Emerald	Crested Caracara	Great Blue Heron	Great Egret
Green Heron Juveniles	Least Grebe	Lesser Yellowlegs	Magnificient Frigatebird
Osprey	Reddish Egret	Ruby Topaz Humminbird	Saffron Finch
Tropical Mockingbird	Venezuelan Troupial	Yellow Oriole	Yellow Shouldered Parrot
Yellow Shouldered Parrot	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	Yellow Warbler Immature	Snowy Egrets