Big Southern Bush Turks and Caicos

Big Southern Bush is an interesting wetland island in the Caicos Banks, and is located to the south of Middle Caicos and East Caicos. The isle is surrounded by very shallow water, is uninhabited, and has a collective area of about 137 acres (55.5 hectares).

Big Southern Bush is located near the southern side of the channel (Windward Going Through) that separates Middle Caicos from East Caicos, and is a useful navigation point. Tawka Point, the windward eastern coast of Big Southern Bush, offers a narrow and silty beach. The remainder of the coast consists of red mangroves. The beach and corresponding small dune is essentially the entirety of the dry ground on the cay.

Very few people other than the rare bonefishing enthusiast visit Big Southern Bush, often while transiting to one of the many remote channels or flats located off of Middle Caicos, East Caicos, or Hog Cay.

Like much of the southern coasts of Middle Caicos and East Caicos, the waters surrounding Big Southern Bush are quite shallow, and can prohibit all but the shallowest draft vessels. Tides and tide lags can also be quite challenging, with delays that may be hours off of those of the open ocean.

Birdwatching

Although the terrain on Big Southern Bush appears to not vary from the miles of red mangrove wetlands in the area, the cay attracts a unique range of birds, including an impressive number of warblers, doves, and other tropical dry forest birds. It’s not clear why this is.

Larger wading birds such as herons, egrets, and flamingos can often be seen in the shallows around the cay, although not in numbers.