SLIDE SHOW: After "flight" from Nassau, Ed Gates releases White-cheeked Pintail into their new home

Freeport, Bahamas - During the recent months the Garden has added several new animal attractions and we would like to introduce two of them to our friends and visitors.

A flock of White-cheeked Pintails have become quite at home at the Garden of the Groves. They are commonly called Bahama Ducks and they were recently donated to the Garden by Mr. Pericles Maillis on behalf of the Bahamas National Trust. Hundreds of these beautiful birds live in the waters of Mr. Maillis property at Adelaide Creek in Nassau. Permission had been granted by the Ministry of Agriculture and fourteen were captured there and transported via plane by Mr. Ed Gates from Nassau to Grand Bahama Island. We hope that they will remain at the Garden and breed here. White-cheeked Pintails can be found on most major islands of the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and the Lesser Antilles but are very rare on Grand Bahama. They do not occur in the United States.

SLIDE SHOW

There is the new Bahamian Raccoon Exhibit which has been placed in the childrens' playground as the younger set is especially attracted to these little creatures!  Raccoons look cuddly but are quite fierce and aggressive when handled. They are clever and immediately associate humans with food when one approaches the enclosure.

 

Garden of the Groves elected to have a raccoon exhibit for humane reasons rather than for human entertainment. If the raccoons that were trapped at the Garden would be allowed to roam freely they would be devastating our bird population during nesting season in spring. Raccoons are excellent tree climbers and they forage for birds' eggs and baby birds and destroy the nests in the process. In addition they hunt and eat our Curly Tail Lizard and compete high in the treetops for fruits and berries with White-crowned Pigeons, Antillean Bullfinches, Western Spindalis and other native bird species. The raccoons in the exhibit at the Garden have been spayed or neutered to prevent reproduction. The expected life span of the aniedmals is approximately 6 - 8 years.

 

The Bahamian Raccoon ( Procyon lotor maynardi) is small compared to the average size of raccoons in the United States. Its delicate skull and dentition are similar to the ones of the Guadeloupe raccoon and the small subspecies of the Florida Keys. The coat is gray and with a slight ocher tint on the neck and shoulders and the mask is interrupted by a distinct gap between the eyes.

 

The assumption that raccoons in the Bahamas are the result of human-caused introduction just a few centuries ago is supported by the fact that the Bahamian Raccoon seems to be closely related to the Guadeloupe Raccoon found on that Guadeloupe, an archipelago 1200 miles away!

 

 

Make a note in your calender to join us for our next bird walk at the Garden on the third Saturday in March at 8:00am. During our February bird walk we observed 30 species and for many of the 24 participants a sighting of the male Painted Bunting was the highlight of a memorable morning. Charmaine Hall was presented with the Bahamas Birding Certificate for having reached a total species number of 66 birds. The program encourages local and visiting birders to get out and observe as many birds as possible in the Bahamas. It is sponsored by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and the Garden of the Groves.

 

Painted Bunting

 
For information on school field trips, internships, tour guide training, wildlife care call the Garden of the Groves at 242-374-7778 

Visit our website: www.thegardenofthegroves.com