Little Bay Pond is an eight-hectare site located in the south of Sint Maarten. Fringed with mangroves planted by the Nature Foundation of Sint Maarten, Little Bay Pond is home to a variety of ducks and wading birds, including the Caribbean Coot, a species of concern.

The non-profit Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) and the Nature Foundation partnered with Adventure of the Seas cruise ship to build a wildlife watching hut on the shore of this publicly owned property.

A development at Little Bay resulted in a road scar bordering the pond. The development was halted due to lack of funding, leaving a tragic legacy.

Binkie van Es, born in the Netherlands and a 34-year resident of Sint Maarten, is a trained guide and very active bird conservationist. He sits on the board of the Sint Maarten Nature Foundation, is Vice Chair of the Board of the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance, and heads the Dutch Caribbean Bird Conservation Initiative in partnership with Vogelbescherming Nederland and Birdlife International. He is also active as an educator with Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Sleuth program and is the regional validator for eBird.

Binkie offers private tours through his business, Sint Maarten Birding, maximum 3 persons with larger groups by special request only. His tours will, at a minimum, cover all the sites mentioned on the Caribbean Birding Trail and will contain many stories about the history and culture of the island. He loves showing off “his” island and birds!