Caribbean Birding Trail

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You are here: Home / St. Vincent and the Grenadines / Grenadines / Bird Sanctuary

Bird Sanctuary

  • About Bird Sanctuary
  • The Birds
  • How to Get There

This is the third largest surviving mangrove swamp in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Not counting seabirds, about two thirds of Mustique’s bird species rely on mangrove habitat as their main or sole habitat in the drier months. The Bird Sanctuary is on the northern side of Mustique’s airstrip, on the north of the island. It consists of an open lagoon with clumps of mangrove bushes, surrounded to the west, north, and east by dense mangrove forest.

Mangroves in the Bird Santuary (Photo by Aly DeGraff)
Mangroves in the Bird Sanctuary (Photo by Aly Ollivierre)

The open lagoon can be comfortably viewed from the roadside and hillside just south of the runway, ideally with a telescope, but a lot can be seen with binoculars or even without. A good place to look in to the mangrove forest itself, is from the road to the west by the service entrance to the Cotton House. Another spot is by the little wooden bridge at the northeast corner of the sanctuary, near the L’Ansecoy Bay entrance. It is also possible, but not easy, to penetrate the mangrove forest from the northern side to reach the lagoon, or more easily to explore the forest itself.

Bird Sanctuary North of the Airport (Photo by Aly DeGraff)
Bird Sanctuary North of the Airport (Photo by Aly Ollivierre)

Late afternoon is a good time to watch the lagoon from the road to the south of the airstrip, as several heron species and Whimbrel arrive to roost. This is the best site for Black-crowned Night-Heron, a good place to see an Osprey or a Belted Kingfisher in action, and Blue-winged Teal are always present during January and February. Year-round resident species Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Scaly-naped Pigeon and Antillean Crested Hummingbirds are often seen in the mangrove forest itself. A number of rarities have been seen at this site. Astonishingly 12 heron species (including the 2 night-herons) have been recorded in the Bird Sanctuary, out of 14 on Mustique as a whole!

Yellow-crowned Night-heron (Photo by Michael Paice)

Mustique is a private resort island, so please note that island access may be seasonally limited.

Villa Rentals: www.mustique-island.com
Hotel and Guest House Rentals: www.cottonhouse.net and www.fireflymustique.com.

Day trips from other islands are available, check local charter companies or yacht charters.

Bird Sanctuary

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sites

Richmond Beach

Bird Sanctuary

Mustique Lagoon

Mustique Ponds Walk

St. Vincent and the Grenadines Partners

  • Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC)
  • Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.


St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tour Operators

  • Archipelagics
  • Isle of Reef Tours
  • SCIENCE Bird Tours
  • SCIENCE Bird Tours

Recommended Field Guides

Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines by Juliana Coffey and Alison Ollivierre

The Bird-Life of Mustique in the Grenadines: A Field Guide to the Birds of Mustique Island in the Grenadines by Michael Paice and Rob Speirs

Birds of the West Indies by Herbert Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis Raffaele

Birds of the Lesser Antilles by Ryan Chenery

Want to know how you can be involved?

Do you know of a place that should be part of the Caribbean Birding Trail? Are you the owner of a lodge or hotel and want to attract eco-tourists? Are you a guide interested in the birdwatching market? Then, get involved with our project!

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