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Bird Watching

Gulls soar and swoop over the seas. Pelicans dive-bomb the water in search of a fishy feast. Hummingbirds flit from flower to flower filling up on sweet nectar. St Thomas is defiantly a bird-watcher’s paradise.

Over 160 species of birds call the US Virgin Islands home for part or all of the year. The palm-sized bananaquit is the territory’s national bird. Veteran birders will recognize it by its bright yellow breast, black crown and white eye stripe, while novices will know they’re looking at this namesake “sugar bird” if its perched on a bowl of its favorite food — granulated sugar.

“There are several places to bird-watch on St. Thomas,” says Judy Pierce, chief of wildlife for the Fish & Wildlife Division of the V.I. Government’s Division of Planning and Natural Resources.

Magens Bay: A trail located at the south end of the beach leads along a boardwalk through a dense stand of mangroves up 500 feet to a hilltop. A number of warblers congregate at the higher elevations during spring and summer migrations, while sea level is the place to spot the more rare bridled quail dove. Brown-throated parakeets often perch in the sea grape trees that line the bay.

Red Hook Salt Pond: A 1,000-foot boardwalk, marked by educational signs and two overlooks, makes it easy to bird-watch while waiting for a ferry. Look for Bahama ducks, pelicans and herons.

Compass Point Pond: This marine reserve and wildlife sanctuary, located across the car park at the Compass Point Marina, is home to many shorebirds and waders such as egrets, sandpipers, stilts, ducks, herons, coots and moorhens.

Those who venture offshore by boat can see several types of seabirds, says Pierce. “Fifteen species of seabirds nest on the Virgin Islands’ offshore islands and cays. This includes laughing gulls, red-footed boobies and roseate terns.”

The Audubon Club of St. Thomas conducts bird-watching tours throughout the year. For more information, call 340-774-3745.

Find a complete list of activities, island tours and day trips, tour operators, charter boats for dive, snorkeling, fishing and swimming, golf and water sports - right here in our Activities Directory.