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North America, British Overseas Territories
Overview
Bermuda, a group of 7 main islands and approximately 170 other named landmasses, make up a self-governing entity of the British Overseas Territories situated in the Atlantic Ocean around 650 miles / 1,050 km east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in the United States. Its capital is Hamilton.
The largest island is 14 miles/22.5 km long and approximately 1 mile wide.
The highest point in the group is on the main island is 259 feet/79 meters above sea level[1].
Birds
Notable Species
The national bird of Bermuda is the Bermuda Petrel, or as it's called locally the Cahow. It's said to be one of the rarest birds in the world with just over 100 nesting pairs, making Bermuda the only place to catch a glimpse of one.
The White-tailed Tropicbird or, as it's locally known, the Longtail, is a local favorite with 2500, or more, pairs nesting along the cliffs and on offshore islands.
The Green Heron, while having always been a regular visitor, has begun nesting in the area in the last few years.
The Chick-of-the-Village, as the locals call the White-eyed Vireo is a frequently seen species in the wooded areas of the island[2].
To that add the 404 species reported in Bermuda, their 5 endemic species and 1 breeding endemic, 16 globally threatened species, and regretfully 6 extinct species[3] and it's easy to see the birding potential on Bermuda.
Rarities
Some of the species reported as rare[3] include the Greater White-fronted Goose, American Flamingo, White-winged Dove, Alpine Swift, African Swamphen, Wilson's Plover, Purple Sandpiper, Black-headed Gull, Royal Tern, Red-billed Tropicbird, Band-rumped Storm-Petrel, American White Pelican, Little Egret, Cooper's Hawk, Barred Owl, Red-headed Woodpecker, Cave Swallow, Northern Cardinal, Dickcissel.
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Canada Goose, Mourning Dove, Common Nighthawk, Killdeer, Spotted Sandpiper, Long-tailed Jaeger, Ring-billed Gull, White-tailed Tropicbird, Manx Shearwater, Snowy Egret, Osprey, Belted Kingfisher, White-eyed Vireo,
Other Wildlife
To Do
Site Information
History and Use
The name Bermuda, or some similar spelling, was noted, by the Spanish, in connection to an island as far back as the early 1500s. They attributed its discovery to a fellow countryman Juan Bermudez in 1503.
Then in the 1600s, Englishmen, enroute to Jamestown in Virginia, in the US, were shipwrecked in Bermuda during a hurricane. Two replacement ships were constructed and the bulk of the people going on, but those remaining marked the beginning of a permanent settlement on the island.
In the years since, the island has seen people come as indentured servants and slaves and changes in governance resulting in its present day form[1].
Areas of Interest
Spittal Pond Nature Reserve is 64 acres in Smith's Parish on Bermuda's south shore is said to be one of the island's wildest places and a birdwatcher's paradise[2].
Bermuda Arboretum in Devonshire is 22 acres of walking paths, plant life, and birds.
Cooper's Island on the southeastern tip of the island is described as unspoiled, and home to birds and other wildlife.
Access and Facilities
To Do
Contact Details
"To Do"
References
- Pauline Heaton & George J. Rushe, Bermuda, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc, Published - November 27, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/place/Bermuda, Access date August 25, 2020
- Official Bermuda Travel Resource - https://www.gotobermuda.com/
- Lepage D. (2020) Bermuda Bird Checklist - Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World. Retrieved 26 August 2020
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Bermuda. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 16 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Bermuda
External Links
Maps
