Lesser Antilles Day 5

At 7:15 a.m. we were on the waterfront of St. Johns, boarding a fast speedboat trip to Barbuda, the smaller bit of Antigua and Barbuda. 

The crossing was fun but rough; with great relish, Ryan, our guide, noticed we had left the official ferry, the Barbuda Express, far behind. After landing, we drove to a Martello Tower on the south side of the island. The tower, dating to the Napoleonic war, is still the largest building on Barbuda, which says more about Barbuda than about Martello towers.

We wandered the dusty roads near tthe tower to find our second Antillean endemic, the Barbuda warbler, which makes its exclusive abode on this tiny, dry, dusty island. And although there were also plenty of 'golden warblers', the local subspecies of the Yellow Warbler, around...

...we had little difficulty locating our unique quarry.

...and here's another!

A Madagascar periwinkle, not native, of course, but transported around the world as a supposed diabetes cure.

Donkeys are feral on Barbuda, and at an estimated population of 6,000, outnumber people.

So, the warbler recorded for posterity, we piled back into the bus and headed for the old slavers' capital of Codrington, noticing the still obvious devastation left by cat 5 Hurrican Irman, nearly 7 years previously. Codrington itself isn't much of a place, apparently with only one show/snack bar. The town's toilets were locked. 

There, we all boarded onto one tiny skiff (the other promised to Ryan had taken off) and proceded across the lagoon to the frigatebird colony.

The colony was impressive, and stinky, bneing home to a few brown boobies and 5,000 frigatebirds. Here's a fine looking male.

And here's junior, posing photogenically in front of a couple of camera-shy mommies.

Lots and lots of frigatebirds.

I mean, one has to ask, does the world need all these aerial pirates, seabirds that can't land on the water because they can't get their feathers wet, and so spend their lives harassing other birds until they throw up, and the frigatebird eats the puke. This is what happens when you escape Noah's triage, and just float above the ark, unaffected by the global flood.

(No, I don't believe any of this)

The trip back to Codrington was miserable. Cramped, and the combination of a stiff breeze and waves threw up enough spray that sitting in the port stern of the boat, I got soaked. Still, the nice thing about the tropics is you dry out quickly. We ate a box lunch at the Martello Tower and then shiped back to Antigua, for a van transfer to the airport.

In addition, thanks to Peg Abbott

At/on the way to the frigatebird colony

• Spotted sandpiper
• Barn Swallow

On the way to Codrington

• Green-throated Carib
• Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Lesser Antilles)
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Brown Pelican
• Green Heron
• American Kestrel
• Caribbean Elaenia
• Gray Kingbird
• Caribbean Martin
• Carib Grackle
• Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
• Black-faced Grassquit

The rest of the day was hell. We got to the airport about 2 p.m.. Then we stood in a line to check in. Then we stood in a long-long line for the security check. Then we stood in a line to check our passports. Then we stood in a line for a bag check. Then we stood in a line waiting to board, and another couple of lines, and then finally we took off, over five hours later.

And this was just to get out of Antigua! 

Our sunset, 45 minute flight down to Barbados was quite beautiful, as were the admission procedures, which were fast and efficient. What a contrast. Our hotel, the Blue Horizon, was OK, and there was food.