A group of students from the Antigua State College’s Advanced Level Department, under the leadership of their lecturer Vince Best and yours truly from the Environmental Awareness Group, went on a field trip to Great Bird Island.

This September 23rd outing was no ordinary field trip or a day at the beach for a swim. Rather, it was a science expedition for the students. The focus was observation and data-gathering of the eco-systems, particularly regarding the type of vegetation and animals found there.

To some of the students, it was work, work, work and no fun in the sun, while the more scientifically inclined ones were in investigative mode and eagerly went off like budding young scientists with inquiring minds.

I could hear them commenting on the different birds that they observed and how the Magnificent Frigatebirds looked more majestic in flight than the other avian fauna.

Great Bird Island, the primary home to the harmless Antigua Racer snake, was buzzing with these young promising scientists and environmentalists who were in groups going off in several directions to explore.

For the first-time visitors, it was exciting just being on a boat, let alone being on an island that was infamous for its inhabitants. Those with keener eyes pointed out tracks made by lizards and snakes while others looked intensely for the real McCoy, an Antigua Racer. They searched beneath the bushes, in the overgrown areas, under rocks and in the wooded areas, but to their disappointment, did not find a single snake.

It was then that I suggested that they take a short hike to the highest point of the island, visit the blow holes, see more birds and experience the magnificent, picturesque view of the other neighbouring islands.

A smaller group of students and I remained on the low-lying areas and continued the search for the main prize of the trip. There it was in the shade beneath the wooded areas which lie in the centre of the island: a male racer, a little over three feet long, was carefully caught by one of the students, taking care not to harm the agitated reptile.

The alarm was sent off to the others, who came racing downhill to witness, for the very first time, a real snake in living colour. After an enlightening period of information-sharing and note-taking, our frightened captive was released by the captor. We thought that was the highlight of the day but we were all so very wrong.

A few minutes before departure time, my attention was demanded by EAG member Ryan Rahaman. My eyes followed in the direction to which he was pointing and that was way up in one of the tallest trees near the southern beach. High above, I noticed what appeared to be a broken branch but as my eyes focused on the object, I realised that it was another male racer with an object in its mouth.

Several of us went closer to see what the object was and then realised that the snake had a live bird captive in its mouth. This was indeed a sight to behold, especially since we knew racers to be ground critters, and that other EAGers had previously observed them to only venture up trees when they are in distress.

Additionally, they were known to dine mainly on lizards, which would satisfy their appetite, sometimes for as long as two weeks. But, lo and behold, here in plain sight was a racer with a young adult bird’s head down its throat. This bird was about five times the width of its captor, which had a vise grip on it.

The questions that were asked were: has the racer had a change of appetite? Was this an adaptive or survival transformation?

However, according to herpetologist Dr Jenny Daltry of Fauna & Flora International, racers are indeed known to dine on small birds. It’s simply a matter of what food is available and within reach. Without the keen eyes of the ASC students and their guides, many of us would not now be aware of this fact.