I have such great news to share today! I stopped by Francis Bay with friends this morning, and I saw two flamingos hanging out in the salt pond!
For those of you who are new to reading Explore STJ (welcome & thank you for reading!), we hadn’t seen flamingos on St. John in years. One would show up here or there, but it would quickly disappear, and we would, once again, become a flamingo-less island. Well, that was until February 2023 when a flamboyance of flamingos (that’s what a group of them are called) was spotted near Salt Pond Bay, sending the island into a bird frenzy! I quickly became a self-professed bird nerd!
Earlier this year, another flamboyance descended onto the salt pond at Francis Bay – the same place I saw two today – and they stayed there for months. It wasn’t until the pond dried up due to a drought here on island that they finally moved on. I typically saw a dozen or two over there on any given day. It was incredible.
I have heard that they’ve been hanging out near Salt Pond Bay, Grootpan and even near Reef Bay over the past few months. However, I have not heard about their return to the salt pond at Francis Bay, which made today extra special for me. Francis is such a great place to watch them, because there are two viewing platforms along a boardwalk that were created specifically for birdwatching. You can’t beat the location.
Flamingos are actually native to the Virgin Islands, but all were eaten or lost to development until the reintroduction on Anegada in 1992 and then another flock later on Necker Island. Anegada and Necker Island – which is a private island owned by Sir Richard Branson – are located over in the British Virgin Islands. According to Gail Karlsson – a St. John resident who is an environmental lawyer, author, photographer and avid bird watcher – there is currently a “smallish” flock on Beef Island (near the airport on Tortola), the Necker Island flock and about 300 on Anegada, according to a bird count a few years back. Such fun facts!
Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park offers a free bird walk at Francis Bay every Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. It’s a great way to learn about different species of shore birds, as well as those who call the salt pond near Francis Bay home. If you are on island, you should definitely check it out. Just meet in the parking lot at 7:30 a.m. if you’d like to participate.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
Learn more here –> www.explorestj.com/tour
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.