Saint Barthélemy
Saint Barthélemy is a small French Caribbean island in the northern Lesser Antilles, known for its dry climate, low volcanic hills and rocky coastline. At around 25 km², it is considerably smaller and drier than neighbouring Saint Martin and the larger volcanic islands farther south. The landscape consists mainly of dry scrub and xerophytic vegetation, with steep coastal slopes, small beaches, salt ponds and offshore islets. The island's low relief means relatively little rainfall, while exposed Atlantic trade winds further reinforce its dry character. Despite intensive development and a strong luxury-tourism industry, protected areas preserve important coastal, marine and wetland habitats. The Réserve Naturelle de Saint-Barthélemy covers several offshore islets and coastal areas, including parts of Colombier Bay and the surrounding marine environment.
Overview
Saint Barthélemy is particularly interesting for its seabird colonies and coastal wetlands, rather than endemic land birds. Offshore islets within and around the nature reserve support Brown Booby, Royal Tern, Brown Noddy and tropicbirds, while the island's ponds attract shorebirds and migrants. Grande Saline is an especially useful wetland, with American Stilts and several species of sandpipers and plovers; access is restricted during the Little Tern breeding season from April to September. The reserve also supports Peregrine Falcon, Brown Pelican and Audubon's Shearwater. Saint Barthélemy is not a major specialist birding destination, but its combination of seabird colonies, salt ponds and winter migrants makes it worthwhile for birders already visiting the island. The compact size and good infrastructure make exploration easy, while some of the most important seabird sites require boat access.
Top 10 target species
| Species | Annual frequency | January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bananaquit Coereba flaveola | 65.5% | 70.5% | 71.6% | 69.8% | 81.6% | 70.5% | 50.9% | 60.9% | 70.0% | 87.2% | 34.3% | 41.6% | 76.5% |
| Zenaida Dove Zenaida aurita | 63.3% | 67.1% | 65.6% | 63.2% | 70.7% | 66.1% | 71.3% | 62.5% | 52.5% | 82.2% | 58.5% | 47.2% | 52.3% |
| Gray Kingbird Tyrannus dominicensis | 54.3% | 65.1% | 46.4% | 52.2% | 61.8% | 51.1% | 59.5% | 46.9% | 70.0% | 83.3% | 19.9% | 37.9% | 57.7% |
| Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens | 32.2% | 45.5% | 23.8% | 26.5% | 36.3% | 40.3% | 27.5% | 46.9% | 20.0% | 54.5% | 17.7% | 22.6% | 24.7% |
| White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica | 31.7% | 20.3% | 18.5% | 31.7% | 31.9% | 17.0% | 57.1% | 39.1% | 42.5% | 45.8% | 37.4% | 18.4% | 20.7% |
| Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla | 25.6% | 2.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 21.7% | 48.6% | 71.4% | 59.4% | 57.5% | 36.7% | 0.0% | 4.2% | 5.6% |
| Pearly-eyed Thrasher Margarops fuscatus | 25.5% | 14.2% | 8.9% | 28.7% | 18.9% | 51.7% | 37.4% | 42.2% | 47.5% | 15.3% | 5.5% | 19.6% | 16.3% |
| American Kestrel Falco sparverius | 25.1% | 33.8% | 17.0% | 20.9% | 47.2% | 18.9% | 29.2% | 28.2% | 25.0% | 3.8% | 12.4% | 29.6% | 35.5% |
| Brown Booby Sula leucogaster | 24.2% | 48.9% | 32.4% | 22.7% | 19.2% | 16.8% | 16.8% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 11.6% | 14.4% | 44.9% | 37.6% |
| Green Heron Butorides virescens | 23.2% | 31.0% | 18.9% | 17.8% | 16.8% | 18.2% | 27.5% | 34.4% | 35.0% | 10.1% | 32.2% | 20.2% | 16.3% |