The biggest birding day of the year — Global Big Day —took place on Saturday May 9, 2020. More than 50,000 people from around the world joined in to record their sightings. Close to 300 participants from throughout the West Indies recorded 345 different species of birds! Cuba had the most species by country (135) followed closely by the Bahamas (126) and Puerto Rico (125). Regionally, 1,051 checklists were submitted, 205 more than last year. That’s an incredible achievement — way to go birders!
Birders from Cuba looking great with their BirdsCaribbean buffs in Zapata Swamp on Global Big Day. We will share more about the birding experiences on the different teams in a second blog post.
This year was quite a different experience as much of the world remains under stay at home orders or is following social distancing guidelines. Certainly many of the great open spaces that are go-to spots for birders were not open to the public for safety reasons. Nevertheless, eBird recorded a 32% participation increase from Global Big Day 2019 and more than 120,000eBird checklists were submitted. Many of us, birding from our backyards and balconies, contributed valuable knowledge about our urban and garden birds. Indeed, there has been a new and renewed interest in and appreciation of the wildlife in our yards, a silver lining to this pandemic.
For the first time, and what we hope to now have as a yearly tradition, BirdsCaribbean formed a Global Big Day fundraising campaign involving a friendly competition between teams of birders to support the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO). JCO is BirdsCaribbean’s in-house, peer-reviewed scientific publication has served our community for 32 years and counting and needs help to keep its publications free and open-access to the world.
Team Results
Over 160 people from across the globe joined one of seven teams and have so-far raised over $15,000, closing in on our original $20,000 goal! The seven teams varied greatly in size and geography but all had the common goal of seeing as many species as possible in a single day. Overall, the teams recorded a whopping 1,485 species in 43 countries – 106 species of which are endemic to the West Indies.
The Flying Pintails, led by Executive Director Lisa Sorenson, claimed the title for the most species (865) and the most West Indies endemics (78) recorded. This was the largest team by far, composed of 73 different individuals submitting eBird checklists from around the world. President’s Perch, a team of 32+ led by BirdsCaribbean President Andrew Dobson, came in a close second with 854 species and 62 West Indies endemics.
However, smaller and more local teams also had their advantages. When the total amount of species seen was divided by the number of people on the team, Far Flung Flock came in first, with an average of 33 species observed per person. The Dark-eyed Junkies observed a whopping 177 species, which is very impressive because their team of 16 were all based in the same country. Congratulations and thank you to all the teams for your enthusiastic participation; we will be sharing more about our experiences in a second GBD 2020 blog article.
The outstanding eBirder of our Global Big Day campaign was Miguel Garcia Cruz (Mexico) of the Flying Pintails, who over 11 hours recorded an incredible 114 species! He was followed by Daniel Hernandez(Mexico) of President’s Perch, who recorded 113 species. What a close finish! Both win a year’s membership in BirdsCaribbean and some awesome BC swag!
Special commendations go out to the following birders who had 15 or more endemics on their GBD checklist on May 9th:
Adrian Cobas (Casa Ana, Cuba) – 23
Ann Sutton (Jamaica) – 22
Ernesto Reyes (Cuba) – 21
Tania Piñeiro (Cuba) – 21
Maria Milagros Paulino (Dominican Republic) – 19
Ana M. Suárez – 19
Maikel Cañizares Morera (Cuba) – 18
Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico) – 16
Closing in on our Fundraising Goal and Thank You!
The Flying Pintails to date are in the overall lead for fundraising efforts, with over $6,600 and counting. Though when we account for team size, Far Flung Flock is far ahead, with Catbirds and Dogbirds not too far behind. A huge THANK YOU to all who have supported our campaign either through a donation and/or by joining one of the birding/ fundraising teams. It was an incredibly fun day and we look forward to doing it again next year. In the meantime, if you are able, please donate to our campaign to support science and conservation of Caribbean birds. We are very close to our $20,000 goal, your gift could put us over the top!
Team Profiles and Results on eBird
You can visit each birding team’s page profile on eBird to see maps of the team’s countries/ islands where birds were sighted and their checklists. You can also visit each team’s GoFundMe page and donate to specific teams to help them reach their fundraising goal, or donate to the general campaign.
Magnificent Frigatebirds at a nesting colony. (photo by Rhiannon Austin)
Do you study seabirds as a student, scientist, or independent researcher? Do you manage nesting islands or work in a seabird colony? Do you teach environmental education about seabirds or lead birdwatching groups? Are you a project director, a volunteer, a retiree active in seabird conservation? If so, we want to hear from you!
You can help BirdsCaribbean’s Seabirds Working Group (SWG) by letting us know who you are, what you do, where your activities take place, and/or how the SWG can help you. Just fill out our survey here! (Spanish and French versions are available below.)
Note: We recognize that most seabird work will likely be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we understand that your activities this year will be very different from any other year: when filling out the survey, just let us know what you would have done in a ‘normal’ year. Most importantly, we hope that everyone is safe.
Why seabirds?
Seabirds are among the most threatened groups of birds globally. The twenty-three species of seabirds that breed in the Caribbean and Bermuda are all under threat, with some having experienced dramatic declines in recent years. Many of these species have meta-populations, thus understanding their regional population trends and ecology is especially important. To conserve Caribbean seabirds efficiently, we must work together on multiple fronts to understand, promote, manage and protect this important group.
Save Our Seabirds Poster, produced by BirdsCaribbean. This poster is available in English and Spanish – let us know if you need copies for outreach and education on seabirds!
Why a Seabirds Working Group?
Since 1999, the BirdsCaribbean Seabirds Working Group (SWG) has been working to bring people who are studying and/or conserving seabirds together to promote seabird research and conservation. Its purpose is to:
Bring together those working on, and interested in, seabirds within the Caribbean
Provide a forum within which to share information amongst the community on (past, present and future) research, monitoring, and management activities in the Caribbean relevant to seabird conservation
Seek new avenues to extend seabird conservation activities within the Caribbean and support those already working towards achieving this goal!
During the last 20 years, we have seen a great increase in appreciation for the plight of Caribbean seabirds, and launched several research and conservation efforts. However, much remains to be done. Now more than ever, we need to keep working together for seabirds.
Group looking at seabirds on Catto Cay, San Salvador, Bahamas. These are participants in BirdsCaribbean’s International Seabird Training Workshop in June, 2011. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
What’s happening with the Seabirds WG?
After many years as co-chair of the group, Will Mackin took a step back and, in 2020, Yvan Satgé and Rhiannon Austin joined Ann Sutton as co-chairs of the group. Their interest and enthusiasm promise to revitalize the group.
How can the Seabirds WG serve you better?
In order to strengthen our joint seabird efforts, we must first bring the group more closely together. Therefore, we are reaching out to seabird professionals who are working in the Caribbean, to find out who you are, where you work, and how the SWG can help. Please fill in our online questionnaire. This will help us to help you in your work. Also, please feel free to share the questionnaire with your colleagues and encourage them to fill it out.
HAPPY EARTH DAY! On this 50th Anniversary of Earth Day and during these incredibly difficult days, we are thinking of all of our friends around the world and hope everyone is safe and healthy. Earth Day is a great time to reflect on how important the natural world is to all of us and the simple actions that we can all take to reduce our impacts. And while we are home-bound, we can learn to better know and appreciate the birds and nature in our own backyards.
To say that the times are challenging is an understatement. We are confused and fearful at times. Avoiding contact with others outside of our household is an unusual and difficult transition; we are social beings by nature. It is important that we find ways to adapt to this situation, so we protect our mental health, while preserving our physical health.
The most important piece of advice that can be given at this point, is to stay active. Although we may not be able to leave the confines of our yards, we cannot allow ourselves to sink into a state where all is gloom and doom. Apart from catching up on, or picking up new, hobbies such as reading, cooking, or learning a language, one of the easiest and quickest ways to lower stress and anxiety levels is to immerse yourself in nature. The natural world has not stopped. Whether COVID-19 is with us or not, taking the time to observe our surroundings does much to improve our health and well-being.
The majestic Broad-winged Hawk can often be seen atop street posts or on tree branches carefully surveying the ground beneath (Photo by Nick Hollands)
The Home Observatory
Many of us are “on lockdown” these days. Whether our home is a high-rise apartment in the city, a house with a garden, or a townhouse complex, we are spending almost all our time indoors. We are not encouraging anyone to break “stay home” orders designed for your own health and safety; but there are many simple ways you can be close to nature without any harmful side effects. Right from your window, patio, or back steps, you can observe the birds that pass by. You will likely start to see “new” birds! Sometimes these may be common residents, that you may have never observed properly before. It is almost as if you are seeing them for the first time.
Now is a great time to look for migrants that have started their journeys northward from the Caribbean. Look for warblers such as the lively American Redstart, the Black-and-White Warbler, or the attractive Prairie Warbler. Which migratory birds are still with us, and which ones are arriving? Make a note of the dates when you see a warbler for the first time, or a summer migrant, or a more unusual visitor that might just be passing through. It is a time of change in the bird world.
A Prairie Warbler male in striking breeding plumage. Prairie Warblers winter in the Caribbean and also pass through on migration. (Photo by Mark Tegges)
While some species are embarking on great journeys, other resident and endemic birds are settling down in yards and gardens across the region. It is springtime and that means the start of the breeding season for many. You may see a Bananaquit collecting nesting material in your yard. You can watch the amusing antics of the Loggerhead Kingbird darting for food for its young ones.
The handsome Loggerhead Kingbird is a common and widespread resident of pine forests in the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the Cayman Islands. (Photo by Sergey Uryadnikov)
Some birds, such as Jamaica’s White-chinned Thrush, sing melodiously during the breeding season. Like the Red-legged Thrush, it is a common visitor at gardens and can be seen hopping along country roads looking for insects, lizards, and frogs to eat. And now, at dusk, you may hear the rasping call of the Antillean Nighthawk, chasing flying insects.
The Red-legged Thrush is found in the northern Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, and Dominica. It is a common and year-round resident and visitor to gardens and yards. It hops along the ground looking for insects, fruits and small invertebrates to eat. (Photo by Dax Roman)
Bringing the Birds to You
So, what can we do to bring birds closer to us? We would suggest that you maintain your feeders and if you have the space in your yard, put up a bird bath or spray to attract birds to your yard. The birds will come to you, happily bathing. As the weather is beginning to heat up, birds get thirsty too, so you will find them sipping water.
Or what about the raptors? There are still quite a number around, including the intimidating Broad-winged or Red-tailed Hawks, that boldly announce their arrival with a loud scream. Or even the fearless American Kestrels. How about the majestic, commanding presence of one of our larger visiting raptors, the Osprey? Nature has not stood still; it is alive and vibrant all around us.
Ospreys are one of the many species of birds that you may be able to see as you observe nature from the safety of your home (Photo by Natalya Lawrence)
Now you have time. Lots of it. So, why not spend it setting up an eBird account? (If you are in the Caribbean, use eBird Caribbean). You can start logging your counts on a daily basis and contribute to the global knowledge base on birds. Become a citizen scientist! You may enjoy wearing this new hat while on lock-down, and beyond. Do not forget to also keep a good bird guide at hand, or consult with a phone app, like Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Merlin Bird ID App.
Yards Are Good for You…and the Birds Too!
There is another activity that you might also enjoy, whatever the size of your yard. And you and the birds will benefit! Gardening is a popular, but an often time-consuming pastime that you may find you now do have some time for! The plants that suffered months of neglect due to our busy schedules can now become the pride of our eyes as we nurture them with attentive care. Having trees and small plants around the house has many benefits: Gardening is therapeutic and a healthy occupation; flowering plants offer nectar to birds and bees; trees and plants provide shade and vegetation around our homes; and trees lining our streets can lower temperatures by a few degrees. Many plants attract birds (and butterflies) also! For more information and ideas on what can work, explore our free, downloadable eBook on Native Trees and Plants for Birds and People in the Caribbean. For the less adventurous, how about trying your hand at an herb collection that can thrive in small pots? Basil and French Thyme grow easily in tropical climates.
For the industrious, try your hand at composting! With a bit of extra time on our hands, it is much easier to separate your waste. Do not forget to separate plastics for recycling and to refrain from dumping organic matter. Compost it and use it to fertilize your garden.
Finding Balance…With Nature
You see, being at home is not that bad at all. Just sit down, plan out a list of actions, and if you have children in the house, get them involved. I will never forget the first time my son picked a sweet pepper from the tree he nurtured himself! He watched over that plant from seed in the dirt to picking that pepper, and the look of pride as he picked it, and watched it being incorporated into our meals is unforgettable.
While our daily routines are disrupted, the birds happily continue with theirs. We can learn more about them and enjoy their day-to-day behavior. Who knows, they may help us to achieve that mental and emotional balance that we are seeking these days.
While we wait out this pandemic in the safety of our homes, it is important that we keep ourselves busy, focused, and grounded. Most importantly, let’s be responsible and be safe!
Earth Day, April 22nd, is also the start of our one month Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). Join us as we celebrate the CEBF with our virtual “From the Nest” edition! The theme is Birds and Culture. We are sharing an Endemic Bird of the Day, colouring pages, online bird puzzles, webinars, and links to fun, free activities and resources to do with your kids. Follow us on social media (@BirdsCaribbean) and check our website every day for new stuff. We look forward to sharing with you about our beautiful endemic birds! #CEBFFromtheNest
Thanks so much to Natalya Lawrence, Emma Lewis, and Nathan Wilson for this inspiring essay.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to be hosting a fundraiser that focuses on the energy, excitement, and comradery that’s associated with Global Big Day!
Global Big Day is an annual event in which birders, often in teams, travel around an area trying to observe as many bird species as they can in a 24-hr period of time. Global Big Day is happening on May 9th this year!
Because of safety concerns with COVID-19, Global Big Day will have a different feel to it this year. Many of us will be birding individually, and from a safe place*.
In an effort to keep the event exciting, and give us all an opportunity to celebrate safe birding, BirdsCaribbean has created a fundraiser that brings us all “together” on virtual teams that can engage in friendly competition to (1) raise the most funds, and (2) collectively see the most species of birds on Global Big Day.
Once on a team, help personalize your team page with fun photos and your own lingo, and then invite family, friends, colleagues, or members of your birding community to join your team and/or donate to your team.
By inviting people to your team, you are (1) raising awareness for BirdsCaribbean and the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, (2) encouraging more fundraising to keep the Journal going, and (3) promoting Global Big Day and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.
and/or . . .
Simply making a donation to one of the birding and fundraising teams.
By doing so, you will have (1) helped support the Journal, and (2) encouraged that team to bird as hard as they can on Global Big Day.
and/or . . .
Committing to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 9), being sure to keep track of what you see and then entering that information into eBird. We hope everyone will do this, whether or not they join a team or fundraise.
This will be a fun event to fundraise for and get excited about! Be ready to set yourself up in a safe place* and go birdwatching for as much of the day as possible, knowing that all of your teammates, friends, and BirdsCaribbean community members are doing the same!
Everyone should plan to submit their observations to eBird (or eBird Caribbean). Then we’ll tally them up and see how we all did! We will send out more information about this as the event draws closer.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
We are living in unprecedented times. The important role that science is playing in understanding COVID-19 and finding solutions is more clear than ever. What science does to inform and improve public health, it also does for conservation of wildlife and nature.
BirdsCaribbean’s mission is to conserve birds and habitats throughout the Caribbean islands. This depends in large part on science—investigating causes of species decline that can then inform management and conservation actions.
To share that science, our community of researchers depends on theJournal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO). This in-house, peer-reviewed publication has served our community for 32 years and counting. But the JCO needs help to keep its publications free and open-access to the world. Explore the JCO here.
HOW YOUR GIFT WILL BE USED
This fundraiser will benefit the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology.
We are proud of our Journal and want to keep it free and open access to everyone. To do this, we need help fundraising to cover the Journal’s modest operating costs.
JCO has recently experienced remarkable growth, including adding many new and talented staff members, creating a highly efficient workflow, building a new website, completing fully-accessible Archives dating back to Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1988, and so much more.
JCO is an invaluable resource to thousands of Caribbean students, researchers, and conservationists, providing an unparalleled body of ornithological knowledge for the Caribbean region through its free, fully searchable website. This is why we are asking for your help in fundraising for JCO.
No matter what, we hope everyone will participate. You can bird by yourself, create a team or join a team, and then fundraise! Or you can simply make a donation, investing in science to help Caribbean birds. No gift is too large or too small.
As with everything in the Caribbean we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do this together. We know we can count on you to help!
ABOUT GLOBAL BIG DAY
Global Big Day is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Last year, people in more than 175 countries participated, setting a record for the most birds seen in one day all over the globe. Learn more here about this important citizen scientist initiative.
PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO:
(1) the team that raises the most funds
(2) the team with the most creative name and stylish fundraising page
(3) the team that sees the most bird species on Global Big Day
(4) the team that sees the most endemic species on Global Big Day
(5) the team with the best “find” of the day (unusual, rare, plumage aberration, etc.)
(6) the team with the best bird photo of the day (must be posted on eBird along with your list)
There will also be “Hidden Prizes”; the categories for these will be announced just prior to Global Big Day AND throughout the day on Global Big Day.
SAFETY
*Given the safety concerns the COVID-19 virus presents for doing Global Big Day counts, we recommend that you bird in your backyard. If it is safe to go out on May 9th be sure to choose birding locations that (1) comply with your municipality’s COVID-19 safety guidelines (i.e. social distancing and travel guidelines), and (2) comply with your personal safety preferences. And so whether you we will be birding at a local park, within your own backyards, or from your bedroom windows, we will all be enjoying the opportunity to distract ourselves with some safe, fun birdwatching. Additionally, we will all be birdwatching “together” for a great cause that unites us!
Thanks in advance for participating and supporting our fundraiser, however you can! We hope to see lots of teams forming throughout the Caribbean, US, Canada and beyond! We will keep you updated with more news and details about our Global Big Day, such as how to keep a count of your birds and enter your data on line – stay tuned!
Soaring above the tree tops of Los Haitises National Park is the mighty Ridgway’s Hawk. Conflicts with humans and changes in its forest habitat have made it hard for this species to survive. Marta Curti gives us an update on the exciting work of The Peregrine Fund to save this Critically Endangered raptor.
Since 2000, when we began our project to conserve the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic (DR), we began to hire and train local crew members to help carry out the field work. In 2011, we increased our recruitment and training efforts greatly. One of our main goals is to make the project sustainable in the long-term, which means giving locals the opportunity and the means to support their families while working directly for conservation.
We currently have over 20 Dominicans employed on our project. Most were born and raised in the very communities where we work, right in the heart of Ridgway’s Hawk territory. These residents range in age from late teens to over 60. They are trained in nest searching, monitoring, data collection, data entry, tree climbing, banding, treating nests to prevent nest fly infestations, and environmental education techniques. They spend long hours in the field, hiking over rough terrain, sometimes in oppressive heat and humidity or torrential downpours, to monitor and protect the hawks. While we are always so grateful for the work they do, this year, more than ever, their commitment to this project has proved invaluable.
Members of the community of Los Brazos create a home-made sign that reads “Welcome to Los Brazos. This community protects the Ridgway’s Hawk” to show their support of the conservation project
Communities Take Up the Reins During COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Thomas Hayes (Ridgway’s Hawk Project Director) and Marta Curti (Ridgway’s Hawk Project Environmental Education Specialist), will not be able to travel to the DR for the next several months, if not longer. If this were a “normal” year, we would both be planning a trip now, as the next few months are critical to our project’s success. Ridgway’s Hawk breeding season is in full swing and it is important to continue monitoring, banding, and treating nests. Thanks to our local crew, this work is being accomplished without a hitch!
At our first reintroduction site, the Punta Cana Resort and Club, our team is monitoring 17 pairs. Six of these pairs have hatched 13 young so far this year, while 9 have eggs waiting to hatch! This is an incredible achievement, considering that Ridgway’s Hawks hadn’t been documented in this area since the 1970s and breeding pairs didn’t start to form there until 2013! Though our environmental education efforts have been postponed in order to maintain social distancing, we were still able to reach 1,594 individuals at the beginning of the year. Our crew in Los Limones had a beautiful mural painted at the entrance to the town.
Our field crew in Los Limones organized the painting of a beautiful mural at the entrance to the community to highlight the importance of conserving Ridgway’s Hawk in the area (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Los Brazos: An Eco-Friendly Release Site for Ridgway’s Hawks
While our seasoned crews are doing an amazing job in Punta Cana and Los Haitises National Park, we are particularly grateful for the newest additions to our team – our crew from the town of Los Brazos, located within the Aniana Vargas National Park in Dominican Republic. The small town of approximately 100 people relies heavily on the production of shade-grown certified organic cacao. Young and old, men and women, work daily to harvest, dry, process, and sell the crop.
The town itself consists of one dirt road with houses scattered on either side. In and around the town are cacao plantations interspersed with tall trees, wildflowers and wildlife. To maintain the organic certification, they must heed certain rules: no use of pesticides, no killing of wildlife, no cutting of forests. This, and the fact that this area was designated as Aniana Vargas National Park in 2009, was the main reason we chose this area as the newest site for Ridgway’s Hawk releases. Though every area has its unique challenges when it comes to releasing birds of prey, we knew we would be ahead by leaps and bounds releasing birds here. Thanks to support from the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, we were able to release 25 young hawks in this area in 2019.
Peregrine Fund seasonal biologist, Sete Gañan, leads a jewelry-making workshop in the community of Los Brazos, the site of our newest release site for Ridgeway’s Hawk (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Exciting News to Report
Though we had planned to release another group of hawks this coming field season, we have decided to postpone this year’s releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, thanks to our local crew, we have some amazing news to report. Our team has documented a pair of hawks building a nest in the area. This is the first pair formed from the previous year’s cohort of released birds, and a huge step in developing an additional hawk population in this region.
A nestling Ridgway’s Hawk is in good hands with our local biologists (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
While there is so much uncertainty in the world at this time, it is an opportunity to focus on the things we are grateful for. I, for one, deeply appreciate the work of our amazing team and their unending dedication to protect this hawk. And I am grateful to the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund and BirdsCaribbean for continuing to support our work.
By Marta Curti, The Peregrine Fund. Marta began working as a field biologist with The Peregrine Fund (TPF) in 2000 when she worked as a hack site attendant on the Aplomado Falcon project in southern Texas. She has since worked as a biologist and environmental educator on several TPF projects from California Condors in Arizona to Harpy Eagles and Orange-breasted Falcons in Belize and Panama. She has been working with the Ridgway’s Hawk Project since 2011. This project is funded in part by BirdsCaribbean’s Betty Petersen Conservation Fund. Please donate to help this save the Ridgeway’s Hawk!
Our local field crew tracking reintroduced hawks using radio telemetry. Each young hawk was fitted with a transmitter – paid through support from the Betty Petersen Fund – so we could monitor them after release. This is a key part of the program as it helps us keep track of the young birds during the first critical weeks after release (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
A Ridgway’s Hawk nest with young (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
A local team member climbs a Ridgway’s Hawk nest tree in order to band nestlings before they fledge. Banding young is an important part of our project as it helps us monitor dispersion patterns and survivability of young hawks through band re-sightings (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Our local field crews participate in First Aid training to help keep them safe in the field. This is just one of several training programs we provide (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Peregrine Fund seasonal biologist, Julio Gañan, trains one of our local volunteers, Fredelina Espino Campo, in tree climbing techniques (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Peregrine Fund seasonal biologist, Sete Gañan, observes released Ridgway’s Hawks along with a young community member from Los Brazos. Everyone in the community showed a great interest in the project, and we had visitors both young and old almost every day during the releases (Photo by Nicholas Lormand/The Peregrine Fund)
Lisa Sorenson wearing our BirdsCaribbean buff as a face mask. The long stretchy tubular fabric has been folded back on itself twice to form a triple layer.
We’ve got you covered! The CDC and local governments recommend wearing a face mask when you go out, and even cloth/ home-made masks are helpful. Our BirdsCaribbean and Caribbean Birding Trail multi-purpose “buffs” work well for this.
We have two patterns available for sale: BirdsCaribbean logo and Caribbean Birding Trail logo (see photo to the right and in the gallery below). Get one of each so that you can wear on alternate days and wash them.
Many of our members have long worn our “buffs”—stylish tubular bandannas which can be worn in multiple ways. They are great as neck warmers, head bands, hair bands, caps, for mosquito protection in the field, and now as face masks.
If you would like to purchase one or more of our buffs, please use the links below. Apologies, but we are only able to ship to U.S. addresses right now. Limit of 6 per order.
Wear your buff and tag us! @BirdsCaribbean #BirdsCaribbeanStrong #HumansofBirdsCaribbean
Your purchase helps support our bird conservation programs – thanks!
To Use as a Face Mask:
Turn the buff inside out, then fold back it back either once or twice so that you have a double or triple layer of fabric for your mask. You are now ready to face the world with a comfortable and stylish mask! Stay safe!!!
Our buffs are made by the company Hoo-rag. The fabric is soft and stretchy. They have a UPF30 sun protection rating and are made of 100% moisture-wicking polyester microfiber. They come in individual packages.
Approx. 19” x 8.5”.
One size fits most. Machine wash cold. Line dry.
We are thinking of all of our friends and hoping everyone is healthy and staying safe. We are sending love, strength and positivity. We will get through this – together.
Sharpen your pencils and prepare your paints, everyone!
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) is just around the corner. This year, much of it will be celebrated virtually, as we continue to experience unusual challenges at this time. Nevertheless, BirdsCaribbean has a special surprise for young (and not so young!) bird enthusiasts: a beautiful 64-page Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book.
Back and Front Covers of the Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book
“We will be shipping out boxes, free of charge, to our partners to use in their education programs on birds and nature — and of course for their Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) celebrations,” noted Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “Due to the current difficult situation, we realize that the usual exciting CEBF events will not be possible and distribution of the colouring books will be delayed. In the meantime, we will share some pages online with everyone as part of our celebration of CEBF at home.”
With delicate, detailed wildlife drawings by naturalist, educator, and illustrator Christine Elder, and informative text by writer Mark Yokoyama, the book offers children of all ages the opportunity to learn interesting facts while learning the techniques of colouring the birds’ vibrant plumage.
Barbuda Warbler and Hispaniolan Lizard-Cuckoo Colouring Pages
The Colouring Book includes 50 endemic birds, with a focus on the most vulnerable, widespread, and colorful species. The front cover has an extra page that folds in and provides a Colouring Key to all 50 birds. There are also colouring tips, and background information on endemic birds, the threats they face, and how kids can help. At the end of the book there are Activity pages and a Glossary.
Colouring Tips and Colouring Key
BirdsCaribbean is working on preparing the Spanish version of the colouring book — it should be ready within a few weeks’ time. The French version will follow soon after that.
“Kids are often amazed to learn that there are birds and other animals that live only on their island,” commented our writer, Mark. “These birds, and this book, can help them discover how special their home is.”
Artist Christine Elder said, “It was an honor to work with BirdsCaribbean to illustrate these beautiful endemic birds. I’m confident that this book will serve as a valuable tool for conservation and I look forward to seeing the children’s drawings.”
“BirdsCaribbean wishes to thank the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and BirdsCaribbean members for their tremendous support for this project,” said Lisa Sorenson. “This Colouring Book has been a dream of ours for quite a long time. It was delayed by pressing issues, such as our urgent work on hurricane relief the past several years. We are so proud of the final product. We hope our partners and the public they serve will enjoy using it as a fun educational tool, and we look forward to receiving feedback.”
Help us get these books to children across the islands!
We are short on funds to ship this book to 25+ Caribbean countries as well as funding to print the Spanish and French versions. If you would like to help, please click here. No donation is too small!!
How to obtain copies of Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book
If you are an educator working for an NGO or government in the Caribbean and would like to receive one or more boxes of the coloring book, please fill out this form. To save on shipping costs, we are aiming to limit the number of shipments per country. We ask for help with distribution by a local institution to NGOs and governmental ministries for use at bird and nature education events.
You can download the colouring book for free on our Resources page.
If you would like to purchase a copy of the coloring book (US$7.99 + shipping), we anticipate that we will be able to ship you the book by the end of April. At this time, we can easily sell only to customers in the U.S. or Canada, and in small quantities (e.g., 6 or less). (Customers in other countries, or in need of large quantities, should contact Lisa Sorenson).
You can purchase up to 6 copies of the book via PayPal using the menus below (PayPal will add the shipping). If you prefer to purchase via check, please make the check out to BirdsCaribbean and mail to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760. On your check, indicate the total number of books you would like and calculate the total cost for the books plus shipping by referring to the chart below.
There is a $1 discount for paid-up (2020) BirdsCaribbean members; if you wish to join BirdsCaribbean, click here. If you need to renew your membership, click here. If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact our Membership Manager, Delores Kellman).
Are you staying home right now? Sit back, relax and enjoy this vivid account of a trip around four islands, an adventure in search of the Amazona parrots. Ryan Chenery, the Barbados-based CEO of Birding the Islands will take you there. Ryan’s company is a proud partner of BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) and shares our philosophy of directly involving and benefiting local communities. Birding the Islands tours often using CBT-trained local guides—not only contribute to conservation efforts across the islands but also to support locally owned businesses. These tours are multi-faceted, but…“We always come back to the birds!” says Ryan.
St. Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
Birding the Islands and BirdsCaribbean February 2020 trip to: St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Trinidad
Day 1: St. Lucia, Airports and Aupicon
We exit the plane at the vibrant Hewanorra International Airport and get straight into some productive airport birding. We easily spot the endemic subspecies of Carib Grackle and seemingly ever-present (yet fascinatingly split) near endemic subspecies of Bananaquit, flitting from one heavily laden calabash tree to another. A juvenile Merlin perched high atop a swaying Australian Pine is a surprising and welcome addition to our fledgling Lesser Antillean list. What a great start!
As we make for our first birding hotspot of the trip, the spectacular scenery of St. Lucia leaps out at us. This is a breathtakingly beautiful island – the perfect blend of towering forest-covered mountains and pristine white sand beaches lined by sparkling turquoise seas. It is no wonder that, centuries before, the French and British fought fiercely and passionately for the right to fly their flag atop its highest peak.
St. Lucia Parrot (Amazona versicolor) (Photo by Birding the Islands client John Dyson)
We plan our arrival at the sprawling Aupicon Wetlands to coincide with the return to their roosts of several species of heron and egret. After our vehicle winds its way through a corridor of towering Coconut Palms (their produce once the primary export crop of this lush tropical island), we catch our first sighting of migratory Blue-winged Teal and resident Common Gallinule – the brilliant blue wing coverts of the former and radiant red frontal shields of the latter gleaming in the last of the sun’s rays. Adding to the spectacle, large flocks of Snowy as well as Cattle Egrets now begin a near continuous approach to favoured roosting sites in the middle of the wetlands. The darting bills and dancing legs of Tricolored and Little Blue Herons contrast nicely with the bobbing of Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots (white-shielded Caribbean subspecies). A lone Osprey returning from the sea with a freshly caught fish is the cue for us to head to our accommodation for dinner.
Day 2: Endemic Overload!
The morning begins at our peaceful Inn, tucked away in quiet Mon Repos, where we enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast (yes, more freshly picked pineapple is on its way Nick!) on the sweeping veranda overlooking the densely forested hillsides and glittering waters of Praslin Bay.
Mon Repos is ideally located in the vicinity of some of the last remaining Dry Atlantic Forest on the island, and we start the morning’s birding by entering this wilted, scrubby landscape… only to be treated to absolutely cracking views of an inquisitive Mangrove Cuckoo. This seemingly impoverished habitat also yields our first three endemic sightings of the trip. A charming pair of St.Lucia Black Finch forages amongst the leaf litter, their pink legs dancing amongst the crisp brown leaves. With every step closer the gleaming black of the male provides an ever more diagnostic contrast to the soft cinnamon brown of his mate. We also see a stunningly patterned St. Lucia Oriole; and a brilliant adult St. Lucia Warbler, its subtle patterns fully visible in the neutral morning light.
The strikingly patterned St. Lucia Oriole (Icterus laudabilis) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
We continue northwest over the dominant mountainous spine of the island and down to the scenic west coast, gliding through the sleepy towns of Laborie and Choizeul. There is a striking difference between the rich fertile soils found here in the shadow of the cavernous Mt. Soufriere and the parched earth of our last birding site. While living beneath a volcano is not without its risks, the rewards can also be great – as evidenced by the wealth of produce in the form of yams, dasheen, sweet pototato, plantains and much more being sold here at small roadside stalls. The unparalleled fertility of this region also attracts large numbers of indigenous birds, drawn to the wondrous variety of fruiting citrus trees. We soon find ourselves surrounded by a host of other new and exciting regional specialties.
First to appear however is a curious and hitherto unknown species—“the rare St. Lucia Bum Bird”! Or at least that is what we call the odd rufous-feathered buttock sticking out of a large ripe grapefruit at the side of the trail. It is not until the head of the owner of said buttock emerges from the depths of the fruit cavity, that we are able to accurately identify it as a Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. No sooner had our group exchanged smiles and taken photos than a flurry of wings announced the arrival of a splendid Gray Trembler! As is so often the case with this fascinating near endemic (known only to the tiny islands of St. Lucia and Martinique), upon landing the bird immediately begins to convulse its entire body in a violent trembling motion – hence its name. The brief display over, the trembler proceeds to sink its impressive bill into the fleshy centre of the grapefruit, from which the bullfinch had been so unceremoniously usurped!
Gray Trembler (Cinclocerthia gutturalis) about to dig in! (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
“Beak plunging” appears to be the order of the day. An obliging Lesser Antillean Saltator is the next to start tucking into a meal. This time, the weapon of choice is a gargantuan cone-shaped beak, and the victim—the soft flesh of the golden orbed breadfruit.
Lesser Antillean Saltator (Saltator albicollis) (Photo by John MacLennan)
The birding, already going well, suddenly and unexpectedly gets even better as out of the valley below a pair of St. Lucia Parrots wing their way up towards us and perch not 30 feet away. Perfect light and unimpaired views allow for an absolutely enthralling encounter with this large and stunningly patterned parrot—the first in our Search for the Amazonas!
We round off a terrific morning’s birding with a delicious buffet lunch of creole chicken, steamed mahi mahi, fried plantain, and yam pie… all washed down with freshly squeezed lemonade and enjoyed on the balcony of The Beacon—the restaurant with an unrivaled view of the magnificent twin-peaks of Les Pitons.
Back at our locally owned accommodation some of the group enjoy a relaxing late afternoon swim in the pool before dining on yet more delights prepared by the Paris-trained chef. Tonight’s specialty: lobster bisque, flank steak (or Creole mahi mahi) and crème caramel.
Not a bad place to return to and relax after a great day’s birding!
Day 3: A Breezy Farewell
Today sees us make for the pride of St. Lucia – the splendid Des Cartiers Rainforest. Upon arrival, we enjoy our pre-packed breakfasts before starting our way along the well-maintained trail. Here we are immediately transported into another world – one dominated by towering emergents, prehistoric tree ferns and dangling lianas.
When in St.Lucia, Birding the Islands works alongside local guide and BirdsCaribbean partner, Vision, who is a superb “birtanist” (birder and botanist rolled into one) and as we walk, Vision pauses to point out the many fascinating native tree species all around us (and explain their myriad uses). These make for fascinating topics of conversation between birding hotspots.By far the most dominant tree here is the mighty Lansan. It is known only to four Lesser Antillean islands. Its aromatic resin is a key ingredient of the slow-burning incense still used widely in St. Lucia homes to ward off evil spirits.
Our first bird experience in Des Cartiers is certainly one of the most memorable: a St. Lucia Parrot poked its head out of a nest cavity some 50 feet above us. But this ancient forest is to have many more surprises in store before we leave. At an observation area with breathtaking views of the riverine valley below, we enjoy incredibly close views of the Antillean Euphonia daintily hopping amongst strands of mistletoe. A pair of Lesser Antillean Flycatchers interrupt proceedings with a low fly-by. Other arrivals during our time at this site include a fabulous Green-throated Carib effortlessly gleaning insects from the underside of a leaf, a positively delicate St.Lucia Pewee seemingly freeze-framed on a looping vine, and an overly inquisitive Pearly-eyed Thrasher.
The delightful St. Lucia Pewee (Contopus latirostris) (Photo by Jane Hartline)
After a lunch enjoyed on the white sand shores of Cocodan, our final birding stop of the day is the towering peak of Moule a Chique, where we brave the blustery winds to look down upon Red-billed Tropicbirds hurtling beneath us – their brilliant pure white plumage contrasting perfectly with the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
Later that evening after a pre-dinner cocktail, we settle in to dine on Kingfish (delivered earlier from the traditional fishing village of Dennery, where the previous day we had the opportunity to witness an intense bartering culture in action). Experiencing the culture of the islands as well as supporting local communities, while illustrating the correlation between us visiting birders and the economic prosperity of many local businesses and citizens is extremely important for Birding the Islands Ltd and our partner BirdsCaribbean. We adopt this approach on every island we visit.
Hold onto your hats!!! Our group high atop Moule a Chique (pictured from Left to Right: the Bajan Birder-Ryan Chenery, Mark Greenfield, Valerie Brown, Ken Kuehn, Jane Hartline, John MacLennan, Bonnie Sample, St. Lucia Guide-Vision James, Jane Fenton, Nick Gibbons and Liz Tymour).
Day 4: Dominica, A Day of Close Encounters
The large boulders dotted throughout this islands’ lush landscape point to a violent volcanic past. However, as our vehicle makes its way around long winding corners and upwards along the coast, the sight of sparse tree canopies and fallen forest giants are glaring reminders of the after effects of a far more recent natural disaster (Hurricane Maria in 2017). This leaves us with a deep appreciation of the hardships endured by the inhabitants of this wild and stunningly beautiful land.
Red-legged Thrush (Turdus plumbeus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Mark Greenfield)
Arriving at our cliff-side hotel, we enjoy a hearty lunch of line-caught tuna, steamed plantain, and veggie rice, enjoyed throughout in the company of a Red-legged Thrush and an absolutely brilliant Purple-throated Carib—its dazzling throat glinting in the sun as it feeds.
This Purple-throated Carib (Eulampis jugularis) provided constant entertainment at meals (Photo by Birding the Islands client Mark Greenfield)
Later in the afternoon, a sudden downpour restricts any extensive foray into the sprawling Syndicate Estate. But before the rain falls, we are treated to what surely must be one of the closest ever encounters with a Red-necked Parrot (Jaco) in the wild! Having entered the Estate in the presence of Dr. Birdy (Bertrand Baptiste) himself—the most experienced bird guide on the island and long-time BirdsCaribbean partner, we soon find ourselves surrounded by the gleeful calls of several Jaco in the fruiting trees around us. However, one particularly close cry draws us towards a heavily laden guava tree. In the heart of the sparsely leafed tree one of these brightly coloured Amazonas delicately plucks a swollen guava from the tree with its beak, and flies to a low cecropia perfectly positioned over our path. Following an excited period of hastily focusing scopes and training binoculars on the bird, we soon realize that the parrot is so distracted by its food that we can slowly approach—until we are standing a mere 15 feet beneath it! A full half an hour elapses with us caught up in this magical moment with this beautiful bird. Finally, its meal finished, it flies off towards a more secluded area.
What an experience!
Tonight we soak up the tropical ambiance at a candlelit dinner in the outdoor restaurant of our hotel—the sounds of the rolling waves beating against the black volcanic shores below.
Day 5: To the Seas!
After a mid-morning arrival at the bustling port of Roseau, we board our vessel and jet across the waters off the southwest of the island, in search of the giants that call Dominica’s deep oceanic trenches home. A whale-watching trip can be rewarding for pelagics, but in addition to the usual suspects of Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Booby and Laughing Gulls, this trip surprisingly only reveals a Sooty Tern and a Red-footed Booby as new species for the trip. The whales however are far more cooperative. We do not have to wait more than twenty minutes before the captain bellows “BREEEECH”! He knows these waters well, and skillfully guides us towards a pod of mighty Sperm Whales in such a manner that the next surfacing is far closer than the last. We are so close we can even listen via hydrophone to the popcorn popping sounds emanating from the giants as they hone in on prey below us!
From the bow of the boat we are afforded superb views as some of majestic behemoths rest near the surface, before resuming their feeding. Sadly the excitement of the encounter apparently proves too much for the engine of our craft, resulting in an earlier than planned end to our whale-watching adventure.
Maintaining our maritime theme of the day, we enjoy sumptuous fish tacos for lunch (what on Earth is in that sauce?) before settling in to a quiet final night at our beach-side hotel on Dominica. The spectacular Brown Pelicans in the height of breeding plumage settle in to roost in nearby trees.
A stunning sunset seen from our hotel room balconies on our last night in Dominica (Photo by Bajan Birder)
Day 6: A Day of Wonder
On our final day in Dominica we wake at dawn to travel into the montane forest for which this island is so renowned. As the skies clear, the birds begin to steadily appear. The methodical notes of Black-whiskered Vireo, a startlingly pugnacious Antillean-crested Hummingbird, and an inquisitive andscratchy-throated Plumbeous Warbler all provide us with excellent views. An obliging male Blue-headed Hummingbird steals the show by feeding at a flowering ginger growing conveniently close to our trail.
The fluid musical notes of a House Wren (Antillean) later lead us to a copse of flowering coffee, and an audience with this endemic subspecies. Increasing research on these islands is leading to many new species splits and the identification of a plethora of endemic subspecies throughout these closely neighbouring islands. That this wren (and many other subspecies in the Lesser Antilles) may well attain full species status in years to come is very possible indeed.
Antillean Crested Hummingbird (Orthorhyncus cristatus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
The awesome power and force of the hurricane season of two years ago has transformed this forest. A large number of trees have been either felled or their canopies have been blown off. This has resulted in a huge increase in the amount of sunlight reaching the forest floor, which has in turn provided young saplings with the impetus needed in their never ending quest for the heavens. Out of devastation comes new life, and here in this magical setting, new life is all around us. Right on cue, Liz spots a young Red-rumped Agouti scurrying out of a path in front of the group.
Back at the hotel we enjoy our now customary three-course meal before setting off for the airport. An afternoon flight to St. Vincent awaits!
Bonnie and Jane enjoying a chat before heading to the next island on our itinerary – St. Vincent (Photo by Jane Hartline)
Day 7: St. Vincent, The Perfect Send-off
Serenaded by the calls of Yellow-bellied Elaenia and the gentle cooing of Scaly-naped Pigeons, we enjoy breakfast in the spacious open-air dining room of our beachfront hotel, located on the south west coast of spectacular St. Vincent. As we chat and await our meals, we briefly lower our cups of freshly brewed Vincentian to watch a school of flying fish—scales glistening in the early morning sunshine—leaping from the vast expanse of Caribbean Sea. Their gliding attracts the attention of a large number of Brown Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds, who immediately alter their flight course in pursuit. The boobies begin shallow exploratory dives, while the frigatebirds attempt to snatch the gliding fish from mid-air. A closer inspection with binoculars also reveals a boiling sea below the birds—perhaps an indication that this feeding frenzy was started by large predatory Dolphin or Crevalle targeting the flying fish from below.
What a start to the day.
Ahh—here come the omelettes!
Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) having just caught a fish (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
After breakfast, the wonderful and knowledgeable Lystra Culzac (Caribbean Birding Trail certified guide) arrives to guide us to the birding hotspots on the island (the best of which requires her having negotiated with landowners for access to private land). We journey along the wave-ravaged Atlantic coastline, through the coastal settlement of Georgetown, with her black sand beaches and wind lashed rooftops and onward north to the volcanic slopes of towering Mt. Soufriere.
Its entrance guarded by brilliantly sapphire-headed St. Vincent Anoles, the well-maintained Soufriere Trail is lined with two species of endemic begonia. The raging Atlantic is clearly visible to the east, and expansive montane forest lines the volcanic slopes to the west. This is a forest in which the weird and wonderful come alive before your eyes. First, we spot the unique dark morph of Coereba flaveola attrata (endemic subspecies of Bananaquit) and St. Vincent Tanagers gorging themselves high in a fruiting fig. The eerily ethereal call of the Rufous-throated Solitaire, deep low notes of Ruddy Quail Dove and positively hyperactive vocalisations of Scaly-breasted Thrashers and Brown Tremblers (an entire genus restricted to the Lesser Antilles) all lead us deep within this ancient primary forest.
Rufous-throated Solitaire (Myadestes genibarbis) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
However the star of the show is so far remaining elusive…and quiet.
The song of the Whistling Warbler can travel for miles. We reach a now dry river bed, which for millennia slowly carved its way through the dark volcanic bedrock beneath our feet – and we hear THE CALL.
Cautious spisshing lures the tiny vocalist ever closer, until in a flash there he is—flitting ever so briefly out of the dense undergrowth, before once again retiring to a dark tangle of mistletoe and epiphyte-laden trunks. This is a Critically Endangered species and we are fortunate to have had even a glimpse.
Some treasures are meant to remain secret.
St. Vincent is a largely quiet and laid back island. We pass several rural communities tucked into the pocketed hillsides of a mountainous interior, on our way to the largest remaining roost of St. Vincent Parrotson the planet.
The tracks leading up to this secret location are narrow and heavily potholed, so we abandon our van and climb aboard a 4wd SUV—the only vehicle capable of making this ascent.
Crossing streams home where Green-throated Caribs bathe, lined with a multitude of tropical butterflies, we soon arrive at a quiet small holding perfectly framed by a scenic ridge.
As we arrive at the summit of the ridge, that quintessential call of parrots the world over begins to echo out of the east.
They are coming…
The birds first arrive in pairs (their constant calls seeming to reassure their respective life partners of their presence in the now steadily fading light), but slowly their numbers build, to the point where dozens of this once critically endangered parrot are winging their way over our heads.
A pair of St. Vincent Amazons (Amazona guildingii) winging their way in to roost (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
The thrill of being directly beneath them is exhilarating. However, we are only able to get a clear view of the truly spectacular deep blues and vibrant greens and oranges of their flight feathers when the parrots begin to tack hard and low down towards their favoured roosting trees, against a backdrop of the lush, verdant, forested valley below. These are stunningly beautiful birds. As they settle in to land, there are audible gasps of delight from our group.
We spend a full hour in the presence of St. Vincent’s national bird, enjoying every rhythmic twist and turn of their approach. This is one of the undoubted highlights of the trip.
A celebratory Dinner that night is a selection of creole fish dishes, washed down by the local Hairoun beer!
Day 8: Trinidad, The Spectacle
Masked Cardinal (Paroaria nigrogenis) in Caroni Swamp (photo by Mark Greenfield)
Several of us wake early to enjoy another dip in the calm waters typical of this Caribbean coastline. Then we settle into a delicious breakfast of pancakes and french toast, or for those of us feeling adventurous—salt fish buljol with all the local fixins!
The short 15-minute drive to the airport is filled with fond reminiscing of the variety of unique Lesser Antillean species seen… but we also talk about the many South American wonders that await.
We touch down in Sweet Sweet T&T (as the popular soca song so fondly refers to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and are met by beaming Lester Nanan (our terrific local guide and grandson of the renowned conservationist Winston Nanan). We board a large comfortable bus and as we have arrived at midday, it is not long before a cooler is produced and we begin tucking into pre-ordered(and gigantic) chicken rotis (done the traditional Trinidad way—bone and all) as well as veggie rotis brimming with large chunks of mango, papaya, eggplant and more.
Trinidad is such a contrast to the small quiet islands of the Lesser Antilles that we have spent the last week travelling between. The area around the airport especially has the feel of a large metropolis. But (delicious rotis in hand) we are soon leaving all this behind and making for one of the treasures of the Caribbean—the Caroni Swamp.
En route we stop to bird productive grasslands, sheltering such vibrant secrets as Red-breasted Blackbird and Saffron Finch. We visit sheltered ponds and canals home to a plethora of water—loving species—from blazingly neon-crowned Yellow-hooded Blackbirds and nesting White-headed Marsh Tyrants to Southern Lapwing and Pied Water Tyrants.
The birding is thick and fast, but as 3pm arrives, we gather back at the bus in fervent anticipation of our next destination.
There are several wetlands in the Western Hemisphere that get birders’ hearts racing, and the Caroni Swamp is one of them. This sprawling 12,000-acre wetland is home to one of the greatest spectacles in the animal kingdom—the return to roost every evening of over 3,000 Scarlet Ibis!
Tropical Screech Owl (Megascops choliba) perched directly above us (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
Although this is the main event, the warm up acts are none too shabby, as evidenced by the pair of roosting Tropical Screech Owls, their intricately patterned breast feathers perfectly mirroring the marbled bark of the White Mangroves in which they roost. We have good views of the superb stock-still Boat-billed Herons from our flat-bottomed boat, as it negotiates its way through the mangroves.
Cruising through the mangroves in our comfortable flat-bottomed boat
As we edge deeper into the swamp, the long tendril-like roots of Red Mangroves seem to reach ever further into the water, providing prime perching positions for an unbelievable array of species. The roots are festooned with oysters, barnacles and home to a plethora of Mangrove Crabs…and occasionally Mangrove Boa. A magnificently coiffured Masked Cardinal and dainty Bicolored Conebill, along with both Green and Pygmy Kingfishers, all give us cause to pause and admire. We are even treated to a vociferous exchange between warring factions of Grey-necked Wood Rails!
After almost an hour of delightful travel we approach the famous roost site, a welcome low tide ensuring an added bonus encounter with 30 American Flamingos.
As we tether the boat, and start to share out the locally brewed rum punch and freshly baked pastries, wave upon wave of 50, 100, 200 ibis at a time begin continuously streaking by. Before long the dark green of the mangrove island upon which they roost is unrecognisable. It has been transformed into a rhythmic and convulsing mass of colour. The brilliant reds of the breeding adults contrast perfectly with the soft subtle pinks of non-breeders—all set against the wondrous backdrop of Trinidad’s stunning Northern Range.
An unforgettable experience.
Scarlet Ibises (Eudocimus ruber) coming in to roost (Photo by Mark Greenfield)
Later that evening we arrive at the world-renowned Asa Wright lodge where a delicious buffet dinner awaits us. We duly indulge, before strolling to our cottages located in the heart of the densely forested Arima Valley.
Day 9: Dawning of the Light
At daybreak we make our way to the veranda of the main lodge where, coffee in hand (locally harvested from trees on the Asa Wright estate), we settle in and prepare for what is surely one of the most incredible birding experiences in the region.
Below us, the waking sun is proving the catalyst for the inhabitants of this vast rainforest to begin to stir. The sprightly melody of a Cocoa Thrush, the rapid-fire staccato of a White-flanked Antwren and cat-like call of the Spectacled Thrush, mixed in with the somewhat demonic laughter of the Barred Antshrike combine and build to a feverish crescendo.
Barred Antshrike (Thamnophilus doliatus) (Photo by Biridng the Islands client Beatrice Henricot)
As more light steadily filters down through the canopy, the last of the nocturnal brigade (in the form of Pallas’s Long Tongued Bats) begin to surrender their positions at the feeders to a veritable onslaught of colour.
A sudden white flit across the feeders—the breast of a White-chested Emerald; a sprinkle of neon pink – the stunning crown of a male Ruby Topaz; brilliant orange ear tufts and a gently bobbing tail diagnostic of the bedazzling Tufted Coquette.
The dazzling Ruby Topaz (Chrysolampis mosquitus) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Beatrice Henricot)
And still they come.
There are the dazzling rich blues and emerald greens of Blue-chinned Sapphires and glistening Copper-rumped Hummingbirds—so close you can see the minuscule fluffy white garters on their legs.Purple as well as Green Honeycreepers, White-bearded Manakins, and Violaceous Euphonias all join the fray. In the distance, away from this hive of activity, a pair of Green-backed Trogons are taking turns to diligently and carefully excavate a cavity in a termite nest affixed to a gargantuan trunk. A dozen feet below them, a lone Golden Olive Woodpecker silently begins its measured investigation of the same tree.
With all of this birding brilliance, we almost miss breakfast…almost.
The entire day is ours to walk the myriad trails coursing through the private forests of Asa Wright, and after breakfast we begin by heading down Jacaranda Trail for an encounter with Oilbirds. Isolated from the rest of the bird world in a family of their own, living in caves and using echolocation to negotiate their nocturnal feeding forays, this is easily one of the strangest birds we connect with on the trip. The cave at Asa Wright is one of the most accessible sites to see them in the world and we are rewarded with sensational views! On our way back, and after passing under a spectacular Bee Orchid, we soon enter the realm of the Bearded Bellbird—its otherworldly metallic call boldly proclaiming this land to be his. Once we have tracked the call down to a favoured perch, the bird is brilliantly visible, its superb wattled neck flickering in the shafts of sunlight with every resounding CLANK of its call.
Bearded Bellbird (Procnias averano) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Steven Kornfeld)
After this excitement we retire in the heat of the day to the veranda, where we continue to watch the birding entertainment on show. Some of us round off the afternoon with a dip in the cool fresh water pools found throughout the Centre grounds.
After dinner, our night walk provides a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the nocturnal residents of these forests. Huge Trinidad Chevron Tarantulas cling to bamboo stalks; minuscule but “swerve-worthy” scorpions, velvet worms and land crabs line the banks of the roadside; and bats flutter almost constantly overhead.
Day 10: Desserts and Delightful Birding
The Asa Wright Centre grounds are superb, but to get a true sense of the variety of inhabitants of the highest peaks in the Northern Range, one must take to the Blanchisseuse Road. We do so on our final full day in Trinidad.
Birding is slow and steady at first, with initial stops revealing sightings of Tropical Parula and a magnificent pair of Collared Trogons. Later the ground appears alive with army ants, allowing for a close (but not too close) examination of the intricate relationship that Cocoa and Plain Brown Woodcreepers as well as Great Antshrikes have with these tiny marauders of the forest floor.
Great Antshrike (Taraba major) (Photo by Birding the Islands client Keith Clarkson)
We enjoy lunch at a local chocolatier’s farm, where the proprietor explains that his return to the land and harvesting of cacao has had a positive effect on many local communities in and around Arima, with an upturn in financial independence. The birding is good here too, for Rufous-breasted Hermit, Turquoise Tanagers, a Lineated Woodpecker, and hordes of Yellow-rumped Caciques all appear as we are wrapping up our chicken pelau and treating ourselves to a dessert of his delicious chocolates!
Turquoise Tanager (Tangara mexicana) (photo by Mark Greenfield)
At our final stop, the scale of diversity and sheer beauty of the birds of the Northern Range is truly revealed. Rufous-tailed Jacamars swoop from favoured perches to pluck swallowtail butterflies effortlessly from the air. A pair of Scaled Pigeons select the highest possible perch and turn purposefully to catch the last of the afternoon light on their brilliantly chevroned breasts. A young Forest Elaenia pleads with her parent, which ever so delicately plucks and then proffers a berry to its offspring to take a bite. Later a flock of seven spectacular Blue-headed Parrots silently wing their way in to a nearby cecropia and are joined at the canopy by a stunning Channel-billed Toucan. We cap off our frenetic and highly rewarding birding of the highlands with a young Yellow-headed Caracara flying directly over our bus. A pair of Tropical Kingbirds is hot in pursuit.
Day 11: A Ferruginous Farewell
On our final day of the trip, and after our now customary morning visit to the veranda, we take a leisurely stroll along the driveway that winds its way into the Asa Wright Centre. The forest that has yielded so many of its treasures to us has one more surprise in store: a superb sighting of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, which staunchly resists the urge to flee from incessant harassment by a large mixed flock of tanagers and flycatchers.
Life in the rainforest is never dull…for any of us!
At the airport, before boarding our flight, we pay a visit to the best Doubles hut on the island and positively chow down on these uniquely Trinidadian delicacies. There’s no way we were going to come to Trinidad and not have Doubles. The fusion of chickpeas, sweet tamarind sauce, pickled cucumber and hot sauce lights up the taste buds, and is a perfect send off to our tour—a tour which has given us a true flavour for the spectacular birding that the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad has to offer.
Thanks to our Caribbean Birding Trail partner, Ryan Chenery and his company Birding the Islands, for this positively wonderful and enticing trip report! To learn how you can join Ryan and BirdsCaribbean on our next In Search of the Amazonas tour (Nov. 21st to Dec. 1st, 2021) please contact Ryan at thebajanbirder@gmail.com. To learn more about the Caribbean Birding Trail, birding sites, tours, and guides throughout the islands, click here.
An absolutely stunning look at Oilbirds, one of the strangest birds we connected with on our February 2020 trip. Isolated from the rest of the bird world in a family of their own, Oilbirds live in caves and use echolocation to negotiate their nocturnal feeding forays. The cave at Asa Wright is one of the most accessible sites to see this species in the world and we were rewarded with sensational views!
Josmar Marquez, from AveZona, has lead bird monitoring projects on Coche Island in Venezuela since 2018. In addition to data collection, his work involves mentoring young conservationists and promoting nature-friendly behavior changes in the local community of the island. Here, Josmar describes his most recent Snowy Plover monitoring season and some exciting firsts for shorebird monitoring in Venezuela. (More photo and Español debajo)
In Venezuela, thanks to the support of the BirdsCaribbean David S. Lee Fund, AveZona and the ARA MACAO Scientific Foundation have carried out population surveys of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris) on Coche Island. A large number of the birds have been recorded in the “Salina de San Pedro de Coche.” This has lead to an appreciation and increased value of the island as this species is threatened in the Caribbean region.
A newly marked Snowy Plover. (Photo by Antonio Ros)
Our project formally began in 2019, and since then we have conducted monitoring visits monthly to the San Pedro de Coche salt pans. Before we stepped foot in the field, the first step was to receive permission from the Ministry of Ecosocialism (MINEC) for the relevant permits to be able to move forward with the project. Thankfully, we were successful.
During our monitoring visits, we record the following information: number and location of Snowy Plovers, their age (adults or juvenile), sex, and any reproductive activity. In addition to monitoring, we also have indivudally marked some of the birds. Our team marked the first Snowy Plover in Venezuela in September 2019. It may seem like a small feat but it represents a lot of work! The birds are marked with black flags and white codes (right leg) and metal rings (left leg). Marking the plovers will help us better understand the behavior of each individual and to determine their site fidelity. In addition, we can learn if there is any migratory movement across the Caribbean for our local population of Snowy Plovers. To date, we have tagged seven individuals.
In February and March, 2019, we were fortunate to count Snowy Plover nests and chicks in the San Pedro salina. Joining us for this activity were students from the local community at Napoleón Narváez Bolivarian High School. It was rewarding to share information about these precious birds with young people and they were amazed to learn that the salina is so important to the Snowy Plover and other bird species (for example, Least Terns also nest there).
How many plovers are there?
A young Snowy Plover chick and egg on the beach of Coche Island. (Photo by Antonio Ros)
Currently, we are partnering with with Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez from the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, United States. Together, we are working on the detectability and abundance of the Snowy Plover in eastern Venezuela. The preliminary analyses are using samples from the non-reproductive season, from counts made at 12 points in the San Pedro de Coche salina.
We modeled the relationship between detection probability and air temperature, time of the day, and distance to salt. We included covariates for the number of feral dogs, horses and salt miners when modeling abundance. Detection probability was negatively affected by the distance to salt piles (0.49, 95% CI=0.49-0.5). Abundance was not associated with the presence or abundance of domestic animals nor salt mining activities. We estimated there were 96 (95% CI: 46-201) and 116 (95% CI=61-220) Snowy Plovers in February and December, respectively. We hope to present this information in more detail at the next NAOC and subsequently we plan to publish our results in a scientific journal.
Our group participated in the 22nd International BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe in July 2019 and in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting in October 2019 in Panama. We were so excited to present the latest results from our research and the ways in which we involve the community in our projects.
A community effort
Our partnership with the community has continued beyond school field trips. Recently, we created a unique bird-inspired mural in the school of “La Uva” community which, of course, included depictions of the Snowy Plover and the Least Tern. It is truly a beautiful work!
The new mural featuring Snowy Plovers and Least Terns. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
One of the reasons for working in this region is to promote the integration of communities that have historically been marginalized from science and conservation. In search of improving this situation, we are carrying out activities within this project that integrate and dignify the local community, and also give recognition to the worldview of the inhabitants of the biological diversity of their island.
Josmar and students in the field observing Snowy Plovers. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Since the beginning of this project, we understood that in order to protect the salina and other places on the island, it is necessary to work hand in hand with the locals. We are very grateful for the school district of Coche Island, which has allowed us to work with educational institutions. Also, we are especially fond of the Napoleon Narváez Lyceum High School 9th Grade class, and teachers from various educational institutions for their receptivity and commitment. There are many locals that have opened their doors and hearts to this project and our team: Antonio Ros, Daniel Serva, Oscar Riera, Jose Gonzalez, Jesus Escalona, JC Fernández Ordoñez.
Many obstacles can arise when executing a project of this magnitude in Venezuela, but thanks to the constant support of BirdsCaribbean (including the David S. Lee Fund for Conservation) we are achieving our objectives. It’s very important to carry out this project that will help us to better understand the population of the Snowy Plover in the islands of the Venezuelan Caribbean. For me, it is a beautiful, very peculiar bird with very interesting habits. Luckily, in Venezuela it still can be observed very frequently in some places. Being able to say that there is a reproductive colony on Coche Island, and that it remains to this day, is a light of hope in the face of the global ecological crisis.
Please enjoy these short videos showing our work with the community from our Ave Zona Facebook page!
Josmar marquez, de AveZona, ha liderado proyectos de monitoreo de aves en Isla Coche, Venezuela, desde el 2018. Además de la colecta de datos, Su trabajo consiste en asesorar a jóvenes conservacionistas y la promoción de cambios conductuales ambientalmente amigables en la comunidad local de la isla. Aquí, Josmar describe su más reciente temporada de monitoreo del Chorlito Nevado.
Una pareja de chorlitos / A pair of plovers. (Photo by Antonio Ros)
En Venezuela gracias al apoyo de la beca David Lee, de BirdsCaribean, AveZona y la Fundación Científica ARA MACAO realizan el proyecto de evaluación poblacional del Chorlito Nevado (Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris) en la isla de Coche. En “Salina de San Pedro de Coche” se ha registrado un alto número de aves, lo que ha llevado a un aumento en la apreciación del valor de la isla para la especie, que se encuentra amenazada en la región del Caribe.
El proyecto comenzó formalmente en 2019, y se están realizado salidas mensuales a la salina de San Pedro de Coche. Antes de dirigirnos al área, el primer paso fue recibir el permiso del Ministerio de Ecosocialismo (MINEC) para el estudio de campo. Afortunadamente, tuvimos éxito.
Durante las visitas de monitoreo, anotamos la siguiente información: cantidad de individuos y localidad, edad (adultos o juveniles), sexo, y actividad reproductiva del Chorlito Nevado. Además del monitoreo, también hemos marcado algunos individuos. Nuestro equipo marcó el primer Chorlito Nevado de Venezuela en septiembre de 2019. ¡Toda una hazaña! Se usaron banderas negras con códigos blancos (pata derecha) y anillos metálicos (pata izquierda). Marcar los individuos nos ayudará a entender mejor su comportamiento y determinar su fidelidad al sitio. Además, podríamos llegar a saber si existe algún movimiento migratorio entre esta población y el resto del Caribe. Hasta la fecha se han logrado marcar 7 ejemplares de Chorlito Nevado.
Durante los meses de Febrero y Marzo de 2019 logramos contar nidos y pichones de Failecito en la Salina de San Pedro. A esta actividad asistieron jóvenes del Liceo Bolivariano Napoleón Narváez. Fue muy gratificante compartir información sobre estas preciosas aves con los jóvenes y se sorprendieron al saber que la salina es tan importante para el Chorlito Nevado y otras especies de aves (por ejemplo, el Charrán Menor también anida allí).
¿Cuántos Chorlito Nevados Hay?
Marcando uno de los siete chorlitos/ Marking one of the seven plovers. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Actualmente, nos estamos asociando con Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez del Departamento de Vida Silvestre, Pesca y Acuicultura de la Universidad Estatal de Mississippi, Estados Unidos. Juntos, estamos trabajando en la detectabilidad y abundancia del chorlito nevado en el este de Venezuela. Los análisis preliminares están utilizando muestras de la temporada no reproductiva, de conteos realizados en 12 puntos en la salina de San Pedro de Coche.
Modelamos la relación entre la probabilidad de detección y la temperatura del aire, tiempo del día y la distancia a las pilas de sal. Incluimos covariables para la cantidad de perros salvajes, caballos y mineros de sal al modelar la abundancia. La probabilidad de detección se vio afectada negativamente por la distancia a las pilas de sal (0.49, IC 95% = 0.49-0.5). La abundancia no se asoció con la presencia o abundancia de animales domésticos ni actividades de extracción de sal. Estimamos que había 96 (95% IC: 46-201) y 116 (IC 95% = 61-220) Chorlito Nevados en febrero y diciembre, respectivamente. Esperamos poder presentar esta información en la próxima reunión del NAOC y publicarla posteriormente en alguna revista científica.
En agosto de 2019, nuestro grupo participó en la conferencia internacional de BirdsCaribbean en la isla de la Guadeloupe, y en noviembre de 2019 en la Reunión del Grupo de Aves Playeras del Hemisferio Occidental, en Panamá. Allí presentamos los avances de nuestra investigación, y las maneras en que involucramos a las comunidades en este proyecto.
Un Esfuerzo Comunitario
Obteniendo todos los detalles perfectos en el mural/Getting all the details perfect on the mural. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Nuestra asociación con la comunidad ha continuado más allá de las excursiones de la escuela. Recientemente, creamos un mural único inspirado en las aves en la escuela de la comunidad “La Uva” que, por supuesto, incluía representaciones del Chorlito Nevado y el Charrán Menor. ¡Es realmente un trabajo hermoso!
Una de las razones para trabajar en esta región es promover la integración de comunidades que históricamente han sido apartadas de la ciencia y la conservación. En busca de mejorar esta situación, estamos llevando a cabo actividades dentro de este proyecto que integran y dignifican a la comunidad local, y también reconocen la cosmovisión de los habitantes sobre la diversidad biológica de su isla.
Desde el comienzo de este proyecto, entendimos que para proteger la salina y otros lugares de la isla, es necesario trabajar de la mano con los lugareños. Estamos muy agradecidos con la dirección del municipio escolar Obteniendo todos los detalles perfectos en el mural.de Isla de Coche, que nos ha permitido trabajar con las instituciones educativas; así como con el Liceo Napoleón Narváez y los jóvenes de 9no grado, y docentes de varias instituciones educativas por su receptividad y compromiso. Hay muchos miembros de la comunidad que han abierto sus puertas y corazón a este proyecto y a nuestro equipo: Antonio Ros, Daniel Serva, Oscar Riera, Jose Gonzalez, Jesus Escalona, JC Fernández Ordoñez.
Observando los chorlitos/ Observing the plovers (Photo by Antonio Ros)
Pueden surgir muchos obstáculos al ejecutar un proyecto de esta magnitud en Venezuela, pero gracias al apoyo constante de BirdsCaribbean estamos logrando nuestros objetivos. Es muy importante llevar a cabo este proyecto que nos ayudará a comprender mejor la población del chorlito nevado en las islas del Caribe venezolano. Para mí, es un pájaro hermoso, muy peculiar con hábitos muy interesantes. Afortunadamente, en Venezuela todavía se puede observar con mucha frecuencia en algunos lugares. Poder decir que hay una colonia reproductiva en la Isla de Coche y que permanece hasta el día de hoy es una luz de esperanza frente a la crisis ecológica mundial.
Aliya Hosein shares about her recent trip to Saint Vincent to learn more about the endemic St. Vincent Parrot, one of the most beautiful and colorful parrots in the region!
St Vincent Parrot (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
I recently enjoyed an exciting trip to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. I spent nine days on this wonderful, mountainous island; and I can certainly say that St. Vincent Parrots (Amazona guildingii), flying over the lush ridges at Jennings Valley, was the most memorable sight of all.
I spent months preparing for this trip. I carefully planned lodging and flights and made endless calls to my friend Cathlene Trumpet, who is a Forestry Officer with over fifteen years of service to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Forestry Department. Among the questions I asked her were “Who sells the best burgers and donuts on the island?” and “Where should I go to see the parrots?” Then it was time to leave Trinidad and fly towards my adventure.
Cathlene and I met through the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Fellowship Program. For 18 months we worked on an intense, sometimes hilarious, and occasionally scary project on the illegal trade in Blue and Gold Macaws in Trinidad. I remember being in awe as Cathlene related stories about the national campaign to build pride among Vincentians for their endemic parrot. Later, I flipped through my “Parrots of the World” book to find a picture of it.
In the past the St. Vincent Parrot, locally called the Vincie Parrot, was targeted for the local and international pet bird trade because of its beauty and rarity. Although St. Vincent and the Grenadines is made up of over 32 major islands, the St. Vincent Parrot is found only on the mainland of St. Vincent. Poaching and hurricanes, from colonial times to the present day, are still significant threats to the parrot’s habitat. These pressures have resulted in it being listed as Vulnerableon the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and in Appendix I by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It is estimated that there are only 850 St. Vincent Parrots in the wild.\
How Gorgeous is the St. Vincent Parrot!
Saint Vincent Amazon in flight (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
This parrot lives mainly in the upper west and east ridges of the central mountain range, just south of Mount Soufriére and the La soufriére volcano at elevations between 125 to 1,000m. It is a large parrot, certainly larger than the Orange-winged Amazon (Amazona amazonica) I am used to seeing in Trinidad. About 40 cm long, it is mostly bronze-brown, multi-colored with yellowish white, blue and green head, greenish-bronze upperparts. It has grey feet, reddish eye, and violet blue-green wings. Its tail feathers are centrally banded violet-blue with broad yellow tips. Two morphs exist: a yellow-brown morph and a less common green morph. Male and female birds are similar. The parrot feeds on the flowers, nuts, fruits and seeds of many plants such as Ficus, Clusia and Cecropia.
There Is More to Be Learned
At the breeding facility at the Botanic Garden (Photo by Cathlene Trumpet)
Before making the trek up into the moist montane forest to see the parrots, I had the pleasure of meeting the Director of the Forestry Department, Mr. Fitzgerald Providence. Initially I was intimidated by his title and stacks of reports on his desk. But once we settled down in his office, I was relieved to find out that he was delightfully welcoming and eager to tell me about St. Vincent.
We chatted about the island’s biodiversity; about flora and fauna both known and waiting to be discovered. He had noticed that the feeding habits of the parrots were changing. The parrots are now visiting agricultural areas on the island. He attributed this change to the influence of climate change on fruiting patterns of the parrot’s natural food plants. In general, however, he felt that much was still to be known about the St. Vincent Amazon. This parrot was proving to be quite mysterious. I was hooked and more than ever wanted to see them in the wild.
Afterwards we visited the Botanical Garden of Saint Vincent where there is a breeding facility for the parrots. The breeding program was established to provide a safety net for the parrots should there be a sudden decline in the wild parrot population following, for example, a hurricane.
An Early Morning Start
The next morning, Cathlene, Ray – her fellow Forestry Officer – my friend Nandani and I headed to Georgetown in a 4-wheel drive along the winding highway. It was five in the morning and people were already up and moving. The radio was airing an announcement to farmers and a reminder of the soon-to-be closed hunting season. We stopped to pick up Ian, another Forestry Officer, before continuing along the highway.
Sunrise over Jennings Valley (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
After about 20 minutes we ventured off into a narrow rugged road leading to Jennings Valley. We arrived at a farmed property with a small cottage. The sun was now beginning to rise and I really did not expect to see or hear any parrots. About 10 minutes into our uphill walk to the look-out point we heard their loud squawks “quaw….quaw…quaw” followed by shrieking “scree-ree- lee.” It was enough to stop us in our tracks. Pairs of parrots were emerging from the ridges north of us. It was still too dark and all we saw were their silhouettes.
As the sun began to rise more parrots began flying out, sometimes directly above us. I was mesmerized by the many colours of the St. Vincent Parrot in the sunlight, against an all-green backdrop. At times it seemed as though the pairs were touching each others’ wings while flying. The largest flock we saw was a group of twelve. They were all squawking, possibly deciding where to go to have breakfast. By now we had reached the look-out; a plateau with mountain views on the northern, western and southern sides and the deep blue Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side.
The Group, Gosfield Charles, Cathlene Trumpet Wyllie, Aliya Hosein, lan Christopher, and Ray Charles, at Jennings Valley (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
For about an hour or so we continued to see parrots flying over. Only one pair flew down into a golden apple (Spondias dulcis) tree near the cottage. I could not see what they were doing from my vantage point, but my guess is that they were feeding, because they were very quiet. A flock of three flew over us. Ian suggested it was a family in which the parents, with their stocky bodies and short tails, were leading the way, with their offspring straggling behind. After this sighting there was a lull in activity. The parrots either rested at the top of the trees or disappeared into the trees along the mountain ridges. We waited for about an hour again before leaving.
It really was a remarkable experience seeing the St. Vincent Parrots flying free, with people who truly appreciated their beauty. Nevertheless there is still a lot to learn about these birds’ ecology and their role in the island’s montane forests. Not much is known beyond its population estimate and description of nesting sites. An understanding of its habitat requirements and reproductive biology are critical components of well-developed protective measures to ensure the long-term survival of this incredible bird on the island.
Article by Aliya Hosein, member of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group. Aliya works as the Leader of the Welfare and Wildlife Program at the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a biologist and avid conservationist, especially fond of parrots and hummingbirds.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to support Nils Navarro’s newest project: an updated, comprehensive Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. This is an ambitious and exciting venture, and we need your help to make it a reality!
Illustrations by Nils Navarro.
Nils Navarro is Co-Chair of the Caribbean Wildlife Art Working Group of BirdsCaribbean. He has dedicated his life to the study and conservation of the biodiversity of his native Cuba as well as other areas of the West Indies and Latin America. He holds a degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in painting. An extraordinarily versatile and internationally recognized wildlife artist and illustrator, Nils’ work is characterized by a refined technique combined with a profound understanding of the biodiversity of the Caribbean region. He is an avid conservationist and has pioneered the promotion and formation of young wildlife illustrators and artists in the Caribbean and Latin America. He co-authored the ground-breaking Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba in 2017 and has published a new edition each year since.
Nils began work on the field guide over a year and a half ago. The new guide will contain the largest number of illustrations by species published by any guidebook on Caribbean birds. Nils will be accomplishing this over five years by drawing upon a thorough review of the literature, museum collections, and field work, as well as Nils’ personal experience, and his role as an eBird reviewer for the island. The field guide will cover the different species, subspecies and plumages, dimorphism, and much more, through a new and practical structure never before used for such a guide.
There has never been a better time to produce a guidebook like this. For the first time in the history of the country, there is a local community movement of birdwatchers who are making significant contributions to the knowledge of Cuban birds. This is accomplished through platforms based on citizen science (eBird Caribbean) and sharing knowledge (via Facebook), and the local community requires an updated comprehensive field guide for identification. Many of these people use a field guide as the main tool for their work. In addition, many people from all over the world visit Cuba to birdwatch. They will appreciate having a a new comprehensive guide that covers all of Cuba’s birds.
If you’re interested to purchase Endemic Birds of Cuba: A comprehensive Field Guide by Nils Navarro, click here. This book covers the endemic birds of Cuba as well as the regional endemics.
BirdsCaribbean is proud to be a sponsoring organization for the upcoming 7th North American Ornithological Congress (NAOC) held in San Juan, Puerto Rico August 10-15, 2020. The conference is held every four years and is one of the largest of ornithological meetings, with over 1,500 expected attendees. This is the first time the conference has ever been hosted in the Caribbean and BirdsCaribbean is excited to showcase the important and exciting work our partners have accomplished!
We are thrilled to have several BirdsCaribbean affiliates representing our community on various planning committees.
Steering Committee: Dr. Lisa Sorenson and Dr. Joe Wunderle
Local Planning Committee: José A. Salguero-Faría and Dr. Joe Wunderle
Scientific Program Committee: Dr. Adrianne Tossas
Diversity and Inclusion Committee: Sheylda Díaz-Méndez and Jessica Cañizares
Early Professional Committee: Dr. Ancilleno Davis
Student Travel & Presentations Awards Committee: Andrew Dobson
Pre- and Post-Conference Field Trips – Gabriel Lugo
In addition, BirdsCaribbean will be hosting a full-day symposium “Island Treasures: Lessons learned from 30 years of avian research, education and conservation.” We are excited to share the great work and success stories of our partners, students, and researchers across the Caribbean. We hope to see you there!
Register for the Conference (Abstracts due March 9th)
Visit the registration page to learn more about pricing for students, those from particular countries that receive reduced registration costs, early professionals, and more! The deadline for abstracts and Student & Postdoc Travel and Presentation Awards has been extended to March 9th. Be sure to submit by this date in order to secure a place to share your work.
BirdsCaribbean is incredibly excited to announce that the island of Trinidad will be the location for our 23rd International Conference to be held in late July 2021! We are happy to be working with the world renowned Asa Wright Nature Center and Tourism Trinidad Limited, as well as other evolving partnerships, to create an unforgettable conference.
American Flamingo and Scarlet Ibis in Caroni Swamp. (Photo by Richard Lakhan)
Trinidad is in the very southern reaches of the Caribbean, just 11 kilometers from mainland Venezuela. Because of this, it boasts a unique blend of South American and Caribbean avifauna. If you have never been birding in South America, Trinidad is both a spectacular and manageable introduction to continental families. With almost 500 species of birds, you are sure to be amazed by the incredible biodiversity found on this tropical island.
In 2003, the BirdsCaribbean conference was hosted on Tobago, the other island in this twin-island nation. 1995 – when we were called the Society of Caribbean Ornithology – was the last and only time we held a conference in Trinidad. We think it’s high time we return to this birding paradise!
BirdsCaribbean is planning a scouting trip this spring to work on all the conference logistics, so stay tuned for more information. Please keep the second half of July 2021 open on your calendars until we confirm the exact dates for the conference. We look forward to sharing more news with you as our plans develop!
Join Jennifer Wheeler as she shares real-life stories from the field about the challenges of saving the endangered Black-capped Petrel, aka Diablotin, from extinction. You might laugh, you might cry, you might want to join the project. Hopefully you’ll feel as inspired as we are about the future of this species, thanks to the hard work of many organizations and people.
Only a very small number of people on the planet can say they have had close contact with a Black-capped Petrel. This mid-sized seabird comes to land only to breed, only at night under cover of darkness, and often heads quickly out of sight into underground burrows. This covert behavior as well as the species’ eerie, wailing vocalizations in the night sky, earned it the name Diablotin (“little devil”) from early European and African arrivals to the Caribbean. It was the birds that should have been afraid: human settlement of the Caribbean, accompanied by the introduction of invasive mammals, reduced the Diablotin from abundant on many Caribbean islands to widely considered extinct by the early 1900s.
The Black-capped Petrel nests in burrows or crevices located at typically hard-to-reach, high-elevation spots in both the Haitian and Dominican Republic portions of Hispaniola. Petrel burrows have yet to be found on any other island (Photo by Jim Goetz)
I’ve been cheerleading and coordinating conservation of the Diablotin for a decade, working with numerous partners in the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group. The species turns out not to be extinct but very rare. It is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the total world population is estimated at no more than 1,000 breeding pairs. Only about a hundred Diablotin burrows have been located to date, all on the island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic). It’s actually much easier to see a Diablotin out at sea than find one inland.
My first encounter with the species was in 2009. I saw them zipping by at a distance over the open ocean from the Stormy Petrel, a seabirding tour boat operating out of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Though the Diablotin’s breeding range is limited to the Caribbean, it turns out that they concentrate in a foraging area off the southeast U.S. To observe them at sea, one needs to be out over deep marine waters near or in the Florida Current and Gulf Stream, and that is most easily done where the Outer Banks protrude into the Atlantic. In the subsequent years, I got no closer, and I certainly wasn’t one of the group of people that could say they had touched a Diablotin, seen one up close, or even smelled their fishy body odor. Last year, I decided it was time to change that.
The small number of people who have seen a Black-capped Petrel have usually seen them at a distance from a boat well out at sea in deep marine waters (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Hoping for Haiti
In April 2019 I planned on experiencing the Diablotin first-hand on a trip to Haiti. This is the country where most of those one hundred burrows are known to occur. In fact, it was in Haiti that they were re-discovered on a mountain ridge in 1961, after being lost to science for decades. This is miraculous considering that Haiti is one of the most deforested nations in the world, with some estimates that Haiti has retained less than 1% of its primary forest. Almost all of Haiti has been converted to agriculture or grazing, and secondary forest is degraded by wood-cutting and forest product collection. Petrels don’t need trees for nesting but trees and shrubs provide cover and root structure needed for burrow construction. Additionally, socioeconomic conditions in Haiti are so dire that people encountering these species are quite likely to consume them, which of course, is what introduced rats, cats and mongoose would like to do.
The Black-capped Petrel’s exact nesting locations in Haiti have not been easy to find. Even with the knowledge that they persisted on Haiti, it took until 2002 to locate an active burrow and until 2011 to see a living chick. Finding that little fluffball took an incredible number of hours crawling along cliffs and the forest floor, aided by information collected by radar and automated sound recording devices.
There is a small but significant nesting population of Diablotin in southwest Haiti, in a small patch of primary forest near the village of Boukan Chat. Since the discovery of the Diablotin in this area, local and international conservationists have been building relationships with the citizens of the village. Beginning with humanitarian projects, conservationists now pursue a strategy of improving farming practices and empowering local farmers to convert to more sustainable crops. More productivity on existing farmland reduces the likelihood of encroachment into the forest. Winning the hearts and minds of the local people also involves outreach, education and celebration. Foremost among these is the now annual Festival Diablotin Boukan Chat, which I had hoped to personally experience.
The conservation of the Diablotin relies on the actions and support of the local people. In the Haitian village of Boukan Chat, farmers are encouraged to switch to sustainable tree crops in buffer areas around the remaining patch of forest harboring petrels (Photo by Ernst Rupp)
Unfortunately, 2019 was not a good year for Haiti and its people. Anti-government protests turned violent last February, with accompanying increases in crime. The U.S. State Department and other authorities advised against travel to Haiti. Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) is the organization spearheading much of the education and outreach in Boukan Chat. Adam Brown, project leader, made the disappointing but prudent decision to cancel attendance by international festival team members, including myself.
And yet, civil unrest did not deter the local members from carrying on with the festival! Boukan Chat held a Black-capped Petrel parade with musicians, pupils, farmers, and community members from the village to the soccer pitch. The celebrations ended with a soccer match between two soccer teams, including the appropriately logo’ed Boukan Chat team, ‘The Diablotins.’ There was a nighttime screening of the short film, Haiti, My Love, My Home which tells how the villagers, conservationists and humanitarians, have come together to protect the Diablotin. EPIC just released another amazing film The Diablotin Festival, which portrays the festival and just about makes me cry every time I watch it. I sincerely hope I can attend the Diablotin Festival in-person in the future, and more importantly, that peace returns to Haiti.
A young man in a Black-capped Petrel costume leads the parade during the Festival Diablotin held in Boukan Chat, Haiti. The festival also includes a soccer game and film screening, and is designed to instill interest and pride in the rare bird nesting in nearby forest (Photo by Anderson Jean)
Lost (it) At Sea
May 2019 brought a new opportunity to encounter petrels. This involved another trip on the Stormy Petrel in North Carolina, but with a twist. A team would be attempting to capture petrels at sea in order to fit them with tracking devices. The goal was to learn more about Diablotin movements, and if the transmitters lasted until breeding season the following winter, track them to possibly new and unknown nesting locations. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) invited Chris Gaskin from New Zealand and his super nifty, specially designed hand-held net launcher for the job.
New Zealander Chris Gaskin prepares the air compressor used to launch a spreading net into the air. The net was specially designed to capture flying Black-capped Petrels at sea, in order to fit the birds with tracking devices (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Even with this, I confess, I was a doubter. There was no way this was going to work. Petrels are fast flyers and don’t come all that near to boats. What I didn’t realize was that Chris would be shooting from a small, inflatable Zodiac, which apparently doesn’t spook petrels, especially those fixated on the smelly fish oil put out to attract them. On May 8, as I prepared to drive down to North Carolina from Virginia to join in the expedition, I received a text with an image of a flying net enfolding a Black-capped Petrel!
Turns out that the team was fantastic at catching petrels. Brian Patteson, captain of the Stormy Petrel knew where to find the birds. Brad Keitt with ABC and Pat Jodice with the U.S. Geological Survey South Carolina Coop unit at Clemson University took turns piloting the Zodiac and Chris into position. Chris never missed after his first shot. Yvan Satgé, also with Clemson, deftly fit each bird with a small solar-powered tracking device and took measurements and photos. Arriving in North Carolina, I helped celebrate the first six Diablotin ever captured at sea and I couldn’t wait to observe and assist.
The weather did not cooperate. The first day after I arrived the seas were too rough to be safe. The next day the seas were too calm; open ocean seabirds like wind. The third day was too rough again. I was out of time and actually began driving home. What was I thinking!?! An hour out I came to my senses and turned back to Hatteras to wait for good seas. Finally, on May 14, conditions looked very promising. And they were! It was so exciting to see a bird netted by Chris and watch the Zodiac speeding back to the boat to hand it over to me. And then, the dream came true: I held a living Diablotin in my hands!
One of the first Black-capped Petrels ever to be caught at sea and fit with a satellite tracking device awaits release. In total, 10 birds were tagged in May of 2019, tracking petrel movements to as late as January 2020 (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Not for long. I rushed to disentangle the net, then thrust the bird into someone else’s hands so I could rush to the side of the boat and throw up my breakfast. My big chance to handle a live Diablotin and I nearly foul its feathers with vomitus. Sigh. I was seasick for the rest of the day, providing only comic relief while the rest of the team successfully captured and fitted four more birds with satellite transmitters. Over the months to come, the birds’ movements were followed via satellite. Amazingly, the bird I almost upchucked upon was still transmitting 8 months later, longer than any other. Maybe it felt the love.
Determined in Dominica
As noted, one of the hopes of the satellite tracking was to see if any of the birds traveled to new nesting locations. Diablotin burrows have been found only on Hispaniola, but hope and evidence exists that they also persist on other islands: notably Dominica, where evidence is very strong. In 2015, radar surveys performed by EPIC picked up 900+ petrel-like targets heading in and out of the mountains of that island. Additionally, individual birds were observed through night-vision scopes during those surveys. And over many years, a handful of grounded birds have been found well inland. Following the radar surveys, technical exchanges were arranged to train and assist in ground searching. In April 2016, a team from the Dominican Republic visited Dominica; another exchange in the opposite direction took place in April 2017. Unfortunately, bad weather limited search time and no burrows were located on Dominica. Then, petrel work and just about everything else on that island was derailed when Hurricane Maria blasted Dominica in September 2017, the strongest storm in that island’s recorded history.
Jennifer Wheeler takes a break on a newly opened trail in Trois Pitons National Park, Dominica, during a January 2020 expedition to look for evidence of Black-capped Petrels on that island. (photo by Stephan Brown)
Last month, I invited myself to assist EPIC’s trip to Dominica to repeat radar surveys after five years and to help resume ground searches. Overcoming the challenges of arriving in Dominica late and alone, needing to navigate across the island’s high mountains in the dark, and driving on the “wrong” side of the road, I began to feel quite confident and helpful. I met with staff from the Division of Forestry; attended to the logistics of rental car, rental house, and groceries and obtained the heavy marine batteries needed to power the radar. My greatest success was finding a supply of small desiccant packs (those little bags of silica used to absorb moisture). I visited a dozen shops dealing with computers, appliances, and clothing, affirming that yes, I did mean those little packets that say Do Not Eat, and finally, met success at a shoe store! I was so proud. But pride goeth before the fall.
Did I mention that Dominica has really narrow roads? And it was hard to see my front left side while driving with a right side steering wheel? Fortunately, the burly body-builder was very nice about the big dent I put in his car. Repairing the suspension from shoving his car into a culvert was going to be costly though. The good news was that the damage to the rental truck was minor! You can be sure that I was relieved to turn over the driving to Adam Brown when he arrived on the ferry from Guadeloupe after two weeks of radar surveys there. And I must report that Adam often turned over the driving the really winding roads to local team members Machel Sulton and Stephen Durand. Things went smoothly after that.
We assembled the marine radar equipment and headed into the hills. Sure, setting up takes some work, but this field activity was really pleasant. We positioned ourselves on a hilltop and watched the sun set, enjoyed the cool breezes, and looked and listened for night flying creatures. Petrels appear as a distinctive pattern of blips on the radar screen. Adam would note them coming and call out for us to attempt a sighting with the night vision or thermal image scope. As was the case in 2015, the surveys detected a number of petrels at a number of locations, flying rapidly in and out of the mountains. The peak of activity commenced about 45 minutes after sunset and tapered off at about three hours. At 9 p.m. we were packing up and headed to dinner, excited about our findings but a little concerned about the drop in petrel target numbers since 2015.
Adam Brown, Stephan Durand and Machel Sulton set up for an evening of radar surveillance in Dominica in January 2020. Five years earlier, the first radar surveys conducted on the island revealed hundreds of petrel-like targets flying in or away from several of Dominica’s mountains (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Daytime work to place soundmeters required more exertion. Radar surveys only point the way to the peaks where petrels might be nesting. Placing automated recording devices in these areas to collect any vocalizations helps narrow down the sites and seasons to search. As noted, work on Dominica to find petrels discontinued in late 2017, and the trails to the peaks selected for soundmeter placement had yet to be cleared of trees felled by hurricane and two years of new growth. Division of Forestry foresters are really very good breaking trail with machetes; regardless, it was a slow, hot hike up to the first of the selected peaks. It was certainly not unpleasant, given the varied foliage, numerous orchids and occasional songbird; but I wish we had packed more food! Once we reached higher elevations, there was the chance of finding petrel burrows so off trail into the thick, prickly underbrush we went. Crawling through the dirt, peering under roots and sniffing at holes, I fantasized about finding a burrow entrance. I’m a finder by nature—I’m happy to spend hours looking for beach glass, fossils, antiques—and I just KNEW at any moment, I would see a hole with a tell-tale plop of guano or catch a fishy whiff of petrel. What a find it would be! Alas…I did not nor did anyone else. There is still no documented nesting in Dominica since 1862.
Persistence
Now it’s February, and petrel conservationists are gearing up for field work and community-based conservation on Hispaniola. I’ve heard that the biologists in Cuba are planning an expedition into the Sierra Maestra. There will be detailed reports coming out on the surveys in Guadeloupe and Dominica, with the findings from monitoring and recommendations for continued searches. Soundmeters are placed and listening. The members of the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group are strategizing for the long term and seeking funds. With the Diablotin, we must be persistent. Finding the petrel is difficult; contemplating the magnitude of its threats—human population growth, habitats invaded by introduced mammals, and climate change foremost among them—can be overwhelming. But as long as there are Diablotins, there is hope.
Here’s one more story to serve as a symbol of surviving against the odds. After placing a new soundmeter in Morne Trois Pitons National Park in Dominica, we went in search of one deployed in 2017 and actually found it. It was bleached, scratched, and breached by rainwater. The tree to which it was strapped was broken and battered by the 160 mph winds of a Category 5 hurricane. It was difficult to open the unit. Yet the SD card inside survived, containing readable data. Miracles do happen.
Jennifer Wheeler is an avid adventurer and loves volunteering her time to help conservation causes. She was the coordinator of the Waterbird Council for 10 years and Board member and Treasurer of BirdsCaribbean for 8 years. She is currently co-chair of the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group and Financial Officer for BirdsCaribbean.
The activities noted in this article were largely supported by Seabirding/Stormy Petrel, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean, Plant with Purpose, Jeune En Action Pour La Sauvegarde De l’Ecologie En Haiti, Soulcraft All-stars, Grupo Jaragua, BirdsCaribbean (and the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund of BirdsCaribbean), American Bird Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey South Carolina Coop unit at Clemson University, Dominica Division of Forestry, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Disney Conservation Fund.
Please Donate!
To help save the Black-capped Petrel from extinction while also working with the people of Haiti to farm more sustainably, please donate here or here.
To view larger images in the gallery, click on each photo; they may also be viewed as a slide show.
Conservation actions in Boukan Chat, Haiti include educational programs for both adults and children. The long-term goal of these programs is to provide local people with knowledge and appreciation for sustainable agriculture and other livelihoods that increase standard of living and protect natural resources into the future. (photo by Anderson Jean)
Adam Brown takes a GPS measurement on a ridge overlooking a valley where radar detected petrel movements in and out of the nearby peaks (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
Stephen Durand takes in the view overlooking a Dominica valley where radar detected petrel movements in and out of the nearby peaks. (photo by Jennifer Wheeler)
A soundmeter placed in early 2017 in Dominica’s Morne Trois Pitons National Park was recovered in 2020. Though the data are yet to be analyzed, the unit’s sound card was intact inside the unit, despite the devastation wrought by Category 5 Hurricane Maria (Photo by Stephen Durand)
Members of the team aboard the Stormy Petrel are all smiles after a successful expedition to catch Black-capped Petrels at sea. Can you tell who was seasick most of the trip? Back row, left to right: Yvan Satge, Chris Gaskin. Front row: Captain Brian Patteson, Jennifer Wheeler, Kate Sutherland, Brad Keith.
Jennifer releases a Black-capped Petrel fitted with a satellite tag.
The Cayman Islands Government is urging residents who are keeping Cayman Parrots as pets to have their birds registered with the Department of Environment (DoE) before February 29th, 2020. This amnesty is part of the Government’s efforts to reduce poaching and prevent further decline in the wild parrot populations on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.
The Grand Cayman Parrot (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis) and the Cayman Brac Parrot (A.l. hesterna), both represent the national bird of the Cayman Islands. The local name is “Cayman Parrot” but these parrots are a subspecies of the Cuban Parrot, which occurs in Cuba, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands and was formerly called the Rose-throated Parrot (read more on eBird Caribbean).
The Grand Cayman Parrot is generally green, with a white forecrown, white eye-rings, red cheeks (depending on whether male or female), black ear patches and blue wing feathers which are only seen in flight. Their tails are green with blue edges and red and yellowish-green underneath. The Cayman Brac Parrot is smaller in size and has a more pure white forehead with a large maroon area on its abdomen.
Cayman Parrot in the wild (Photo by Jane Håkonsson)
As is typical of parrots, they are active during the early morning, when they go out in search of fruits and berries. During the breeding season they look for food as well as tree cavities in which to raise their young. When resting quietly after their morning activities, they ‘comb’ and clean their feathers using their beaks. It is almost impossible to spot them at this time as they are perfectly camouflaged among the leaves of the trees. In the late afternoon they return to their roost.
The Cayman Brac Parrot previously inhabited Little Cayman but its prime nesting sites were destroyed in the Storm of 1932. It now has the smallest known range of any Amazon parrot in the world. Its survival depends entirely on the protection of remaining old-growth forest which can still be found on Cayman Brac.
Natural disasters such as hurricanes are a threat to the Cayman parrots’ survival—but not the only one. Habitat loss through development and trapping for the illegal pet trade also jeopardize the future of these birds.
DoE Research Officer, Jane Håkonsson, inspecting a pet Cayman Parrot
These parrots have been highly sought “gifts” and pets, even though they are protected by law. It is illegal to trap, sell and keep the birds in captivity. Yet, many people still keep them as pets. In an effort to curb the illegal trade in the national bird, the DoE set up a six month amnesty program, running from September 1st 2019 to February 29th 2020. Pet parrot owners can now legally register their birds without the risk of their pets being taken away.
Each pet parrot will be checked by a veterinarian, given an identification number printed on a small band around the parrot’s leg and implanted with an identification chip, similar to the ID tags used to register dogs and cats, at no cost to the owner.
About a year ago, the DoE started a collaboration with a private member of the public to open a much-needed Parrot Sanctuary in East End. The Cayman Parrot Sanctuary boasts native plants and trees. Parrots that are not yet able to return to the wild are housed in secure, clean and spacious aviaries. The Sanctuary is managed by Australian-born Ron Hargrave, who is very much invested in the conservation and well-being of parrots and Cayman wildlife.
The Sanctuary takes in injured parrots and provides rehabilitative care, with the goal of releasing the birds back into the wild population. The birds have a much higher chance of survival in the wild following releases from the sanctuary. They are given thorough medical exams and their health is continuously monitored. Parrots are also taught how to be wild birds again. They have natural foods to eat and learn where to find them; they are also able to form social bonds with other parrots.
Cayman Parrot at the Parrot Sanctuary (Photo by Jane Håkonsson)
Following every release, the birds are provided with temporary supplemental feeding stations. Their behavior and movements are monitored in the wild. To date seven parrots have been released.
Not all parrots can be released back into the wild. Therefore, pet parrot owners are discouraged from releasing their pet birds themselves. They should instead contact the DoE. Also, if you are a Cayman Parrot owner but have not yet registered your bird, please call Jane Håkonsson on 925-1807 or 949-8469 or email doe@gov.ky.
Spread the word and help protect the Cayman Islands’ national bird for generations to enjoy!
Special thanks to Aliya Hosein (Leader of the Welfare and Wildlife Program at the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago) and Jane Ebert Håkonsson (Cayman Islands’ Department of Environment Research Officer) for this blog article!
Erika Gates reports on the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) in Grand Bahama, just 4 months after Hurricane Dorian devastated large parts of the island. Initial surveys revealed badly damaged habitats and very few birds. What would they find on their 20th CBC?
Grand Bahama Birders and visiting participants gathered for our annual CBC, which took place in the West End area on January 4th and covered Central Grand Bahama on January 5th of this year. The group was worried. We did not know what species and bird numbers we could expect after the habitat and environment had only experienced 4 months of recovery, following the devastating damage of Hurricane Dorian over 3 days (Sept 1–3, 2019).
We had assessed bird life in the Eastern part of our island one month after the storm and sadly witnessed the catastrophic damage that the storm and surge had done there to humans and their homes! Very few of our resident birds had survived out east, especially those that depended on the Caribbean Pine forest and Hardwood Coppice like the Bahama Warbler, Olive-capped Warbler, Loggerhead Kingbird, Cuban Pewee, Hairy Woodpecker, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Black-faced Grassquit. Arriving winter migrants would have inspected the non-existent habitats, vegetation, and food sources and most likely continued on south.
The orientation evening prior to our first count day is always a happy occasion as Erika Gates welcomed visiting birders and team leaders back. This included Count Compiler Bruce Purdy from Florida, Team Leader Bruce Hallett from Atlanta, Team Leader Dr. Woody Bracey (Bahamas), and visiting birders Craig and Barbara Walker (California).
Group photo of all participants at the 2019 Christmas Bird Count in Grand Bahama. (Photo by Jock Hall)
Special guests at the Gates’ that evening were Ann and Sidney Maddock from South Carolina. Ann is finalizing her photographic hummingbird book “Winged Jewels” in the Bahamas while Sidney is conducting a winter months survey for of Piping Plovers on many Bahamian islands (with funding from Environment Canada). Upon distribution of clipboards with team and area assignments we all sat together, shared a meal, chatted a while, and then everybody retired early. I felt a sense of anxiety in the air about what to expect the next morning!
Taking a Step Back in Time
The first Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was held on December 25th in the year 1900 in the United States. Up until then it had been a tradition for persons that liked the outdoors to engage in the Christmas Bird Hunt. People would go into the fields and forests in teams and shoot any bird they saw. The winning team would be the one that brought in the largest number of dead birds! Many persons became concerned about the indiscriminate, senseless slaughter of these beautiful feathered creatures and worried about declines in bird populations. Dr. Frank Chapman, founder of Bird-Lore which evolved into Audubon magazine, suggested the alternative of counting rather than shooting birds. Thus began the first Christmas Bird Count in the year 1900 with 27 dedicated birders observing and counting birds.
Grand Bahama has participated the CBC for the past 20 years. The count now includes all Canadian Provinces, some Caribbean islands, the Bahamas, South America and several Pacific islands. This year more than 80,000 birders will have participated in this count on one chosen day between December 15th and January 5th from sunrise to sunset. The count data is becoming increasingly important in predicting the effects of climate change and decline in bird populations. Our local birders, together with their international partners, will be contributing valuable information to the longest running database in ornithology.
Team Reports
West End Teams
Jill Cooper, Gena Granger, Bruce Hallet (team leader), Woody Bracey, Randrew Martin, Barbara Zill, Erika Gates, Delores Kellman (recorder) and Bridget Davis (photographer)Louise Durocher, Bruce Purdy (team leader), Arlene Kerber, Candice Woon, Gail Woon, Melanie Darville (recorder), Judith Dawkins, Craig Walker, Barbara Walker, Rudy Sawyer, Martha Cartwright (photographer)
As expected, both West End teams got a 7 am start on a windy day of the count. Bruce Purdy’s sites included Eight Mile Rock, Holmes Rock wetlands, Josie’s Cave, Bootle Bay and Bayshore Road. Bruce Halletts’s team had been assigned to survey the Old Bahama Bay property and the West End golf course. Both teams returned back to Freeport at sunset and were elated with a combined number of 71 species observed, matching the West End count in 2017! There were several rare species to report as well, like Gadwall, Mottled Duck, Whimbrel, American Pipit, American Oystercatcher, and Snow Goose.
American Oystercatcher (Photo by Erika Gates)Beautiful pair of Mottled Ducks (photo by Bruce Hallett)Snow Goose, a rare migrant to the Caribbean. (Photo by Erika Gates)
Central Grand Bahama Teams
Our spirits were uplifted and we all were in happy moods at sunrise the next morning when we set out in four teams for our Central Grand Bahama count of many of our Freeport birding sites. Some of the most productive areas out of the 25 sites to be surveyed on day two were Lewis Yard wetlands, Emerald Golf Course pond, Reef Golf Course, LIS wetlands, Taino Trail, Garden of the Groves, Barbary Beach, Rand Nature Centre, Pine Tree Stables, and the Gates’ Bird Sanctuary.
By sunset our hopes had been restored that the catastrophic Dorian had failed to wipe out Grand Bahamas’ beautiful feathered friends and that many of our resident and migratory species as well as their habitat had shown tremendous resilience! All four teams were happy with an amazing count of 93 species for the Freeport area, almost coming close to previous years which tallied anywhere between 95 to 110! Rarities for the Freeport area were a Red-breasted Merganser, Willet, Chipping Sparrow, and Canada Goose.
Chipping Sparrow, a rare migrant to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. (photo by Erika Gates)Whimbrel (photo by Erika Gates)Canada Goose (Photo by Erika Gates)
The traditional Tally Rally and Final Dinner were celebrated at Garden of the Groves once again after the Garden had undergone four months of hurricane restoration under the expert and tireless leadership of general manager, Marilyn Laing and her team. Everyone was much encouraged to see and document that birds had returned to habitats that are still recovering.
Intensive surveys are being carried out in both Abaco and Grand Bahama by the Bahamas National Trust with support from partners (e.g., BirdsCaribbean, American Bird Conservancy, Audubon) to assess the damage to habitats and population sizes of species of conservation concern, such as the Olive-capped Warbler, Bahama Warbler, Bahama Parrot and especially the Bahama Nuthatch. We eagerly await results from these studies. For now, we are pleased with our observations from the CBC which shows that more common species are alive and coming back to our recovering habitats.
To learn more about how to participate in the Christmas Bird Count, click here, here, and here.
Erika Gates is owner and operator of Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama Nature Tours and Grand Bahama Birders’ Bed and Breakfast. Erika is a former Board member of BirdsCaribbean. She is also leading bird conservationist on the island, educating and involving youth and communities through various programs such as BirdSleuth Caribbean, the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, World Migratory Bird Day, Caribbean Waterbird Census, her annual birding course, habitat restoration projects, and more.
From all of us at JCO, thank you to all of the authors and reviewers that contributed to a very successful Volume 32!
Inside you’ll find a sizable number of publications, including 16 research articles, our first designated “Conservation Report,” 4 book reviews, Recent Ornithological Literature from the Caribbean, and a special In Memoriam for the late Dr. James. W. Wiley.
I want to give some much-earned recognition to the 2019–2020 JCO team. While they were undertaking the aforementioned load of manuscripts, they were working double-time to make some incredible improvements behind-the-scenes. Let me just say that it’s no easy task to create and adopt a new workflow while you simultaneously have a dozen manuscripts—each at different stages— moving through the old workflow. And this new workflow means better communication, a higher-caliber final product, and a more efficient pathway for a manuscript to proceed from submission to publication. All great things!
Please take some time to enjoy all of Volume 32. Inside you’ll find a suite of excellent work stemming from more than 17 countries across the Caribbean. We should all take pride in this work and make the time to congratulate each other on all of these accomplishments. If you enjoyed reading a publication, please send the authors a quick email letting them know. That is what makes Caribbean ornithology special—a sense of community and comradery unlike anywhere else.
Thank you for your support of JCO!
— Justin Proctor, JCO Managing Editor
Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 32.
On December 3rd, 2014, ornithologists spotted an American Pipet during an annual Cuba Bird Survey led by the Caribbean Conservation Trust. Previously undocumented in Cuba, this observation marks the first report of this species on the island, and underscores the importance of the Guanahacabibes region as an important stopover for fall migrants.
James F. Dwyer, Thomas I. Hayes, Russell Thorstrom, and Richard E. Harness
After a translocation program for the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk was stymied by electrocutions in the Dominican Republic, Dwyer et al. began to investigate. In this article, the authors identify the errors made while retrofitting power poles and discuss the necessity of properly mitigating electrocution risks for this project, and others throughout the Caribbean.
Meghann B. Humphries, Maribel A. Gonzalez, and Robert E. Ricklefs
Currently, there are eight subspecies of Carib Grackle distributed across the Lesser Antilles and northern South America. By sequencing mitochondrial genes of Carib Grackles across their range, Meghann et al. shed light on the phylogenetic and geographic history of the species, bringing into question the bases for the subspecies classifications.
In response to the dearth of current literature on the White-crowned Pigeon, Acosta and Mugica compiled the latest data on this Vulnerable species in Cuba. Here, they present their findings, focusing on the current distribution of the species as well as conservation measures that have contributed to the perseverance of the species.
Anthony Levesque, Antoine Chabrolle, Frantz Delcroix, and Eric Delcroix
While the Sedge Wren commonly winters in Florida, it has yet to be recorded in the Caribbean, until now. In this article, Levesque et al. recount their sighting of this species on Grand Bahama Island, providing descriptions and photographs of the bird’s diagnostic features and the habitat where it was located.
Christopher C. Rimmer, John D. Lloyd, and Jose A. Salguero-Faria
After Puerto Rico was identified as potential overwintering habitat for the globally Vulnerable Bicknell’s Thrush, Rimmer et al. conducted surveys to clarify the species’ winter distribution on the island. Here, they report that Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare and local species in Puerto Rico and highlight the importance of conservation efforts in Hispaniola, where the species is more abundant.
In 1796, Nicolas-Thomas Baudin captained an expedition to the caribbean, bringing back close to 300 specimens; however, there is controversy surrounding their procurement. After investigating the origin and spread of these specimens, Jansen and Fuchs document their findings and address the arguments of theft made by David K. Wetherbee (1985, 1986).
Currently, the six subspecies of Turkey Vulture are delineated by external measurements and subtle plumage variations, with the Antillean Turkey Vultures falling under Cathartes aura aura. However, through photographic documentation and eBird records, Graves calls attention to the similarity of facial caruncles on Turkey Vultures throughout the caribbean to those present on the eastern United States and Middle America populations. As facial caruncles are largely absent from South American populations, Graves’ work brings into question the diagnostic nature of these markings.
While there are no species of geese native to Jamaica, vagrant or introduced species have been recorded intermittently on the island. Here, Levy amalgamates the scattered history of three geese species in Jamaica and presents a new record of a Snow Goose, illustrated in 1758: the second Snow Goose ever recorded in Jamaica.
Though the comb forkedfern is native to the New World tropics, it is invasive to protected areas in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. By comparing the bird diversity between invaded habitats and fern-free habitats in the Mason River Protected Area, Davis demonstrates that increased incidence of comb forkedfern decreases bird diversity, particularly native species. Through this, Davis urges the importance of controlling fern spread to protect native bird and plant species.
Richard R. Schaefer, Susan E. Koenig, Gary R. Graves, and D. Craig Rudolph
Though the Jamaican Crow and Jamaican Boa co-occur in certain habitats in Jamaica, there are no published reports of their interactions. By detailing four accounts of mobbing by crows on boas and one probable instance of depredation of a crow’s nest by a boa, Schaefer et al. are the first to document a presumably ongoing feud between these two native species.
With violently strong winds, hurricanes are known to displace birds and transport them to new and unusual habitats. That is why, when Hurricane Maria passed over Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017, Pérez-Rivera was ready. Here, he documents several unusual bird sightings made by him and others in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
The island of La Gonâve, Haiti, boasts a diversity of bird habitats and has historically sustained a variety of both diurnal and nocturnal raptor species. However, due to rampant environmental degradation and habitat destruction, it is rarely visited by ornithologists or wildlife researchers. After conducting raptor surveys on La Gonâve in 2012, White et al. compared their findings with historical records of raptors on the island, noting that only a few generalist species have been able to sustain populations.
While the Shiny Cowbird is native to South America, over the past century, this brood parasite has spread across the caribbean archipelago and into North America – but how and when did this dispersal occur? In an effort to document the introduction and spread of this species in Jamaica, Levy compiles historical observations of Shiny Cowbirds and postulates a potential hurricane-mediated arrival on the island.
André Dhondt, Jeremy L. Collison, Matthew H. Lam, Matthew J. D’Ambrosio, and Taylor L. Crisologo
Palmchats are among the few passerine species that build complex, multi-chambered nests; however, there are no published studies of their nest-related behavior. After studying Palmchat nests in the Dominican Republic, here, Dhondt et al. report on their observations, noting differences in group size, nest size, twig-related activities, twig length and shape, and nest construction.
William E. Davis, Lisa G. Sorenson, and Ernesto Reyes Mouriño
On January 28th, 2018, birders on the BirdsCaribbean Cuba Bird Tour in Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, Cuba, spotted an almost entirely white Willet amongst a group of Short-billed Dowitchers and other Willets. In this article, Davis et al. present photographic evidence and a detailed description of this leucistic Willet and use phenotypic characteristics to classify it as a western subspecies.
Since its introduction to Cuba in 2003, the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival has achieved paramount recognition for its talks, conferences, competitions, workshops, exhibitions, and other ornithological events. By uniting and strengthening the national network of environmentalists, this festival has expanded its scope of activities and built its capacity to prepare and distribute educational materials.
[this is our first publication under the header “Conservation Reports” – we invite more of these!]
Jason M. Townsend, Rafaela Aguilera Román, Felisa Collazo Torres, José González Díaz, Chandra Degia, Hiram González Alonso, Floyd E. Hayes, Lyndon John, Steven C. Latta, Lourdes Mugica Valdés, Nils Navarro Pacheco, Fernando Nuñez-García, Carlos Peña, Herbert Raffaele, Pedro Regalado, Ernesto Reyes Mouriño, Yaroddy Rodríguez, Bárbara Sánchez Oria, Helen Snyder, Joseph Wunderle
Summary: This In Memoriam of Dr. James W. Wiley not only celebrates his foundational research career, with four decades of published work, but also the profound personal connections he built through his mentorship and friendship. Twenty authors contributed to this piece, paying homage to Jim and painting a beautiful picture of the life he lived.
A special thank you to Dr. Steven C. Latta, Director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary and longtime editor for JCO, for his continued efforts undertaking this important section of our journal that compiles recent publications from around the Caribbean. Steve has been contributing ROLs to JCO since Volume 22 in 2009.
“My idea then was to catch everything that was published after the publication of Jim Wiley’s “A Bibliography of Ornithology in the West Indies” which I always thought was a tremendous effort and a tremendous resource. I wanted to make it easier for people across the Caribbean to have ready access to the most recent literature by knowing what had been published and how to contact the researchers for copies of their papers. I also wanted to make the updating of the bibliography a whole lot easier.”
Steve has done an outstanding job and we encourage our readers to look back through his work over the past 10 JCO volumes, which can all be found in our free and open-access Archives.
Article by (1) Simon Campo – Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and a Researcher at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT; Connect with Simon via LinkedIn or email; (2) Justin Proctor – Managing Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology; and (3) Aliya Hosein – Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago.
Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. If you would like to support our mission and the broader goal of giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work, please consider becoming a supporter of JCO.
Join Chris Johnson as he recounts his experience conducting the Christmas Bird Count on Abaco just two months after Hurricane Dorian devastated the region. While the survey was a somber reminder of the destructive forces of nature and how much recovery is still needed, Chris and his team found hope and encouragement in the birds they encountered. #AbacoStrong
Abaco – my beloved island
The Bahama Yellowthroat (endemic to the Bahamas) is one of many species of birds directly affected by Hurricane Dorian. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
I have been bird-watching in Abaco, an island in the northern Bahamas, for a little over eleven years. Actually, Abaco is where I started birding at the age 7. Needless to say, Abaco is very near and dear to my heart. When Hurricane Dorian hit the island that I have so much love for, I was heartbroken. I could not begin to fathom how my favorite island would be changed forever.
The hurricane occurred in September 2019, and shortly after, I made a trip back to assist some family members. The destruction I saw was catastrophic and the numbers of bird species had declined dramatically. On December 7th, 2019 , I learned that there would be no annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for North and South Abaco. I asked fellow birder and mentor Dr. Elwood Bracey if there were any plans to conduct the CBCs on Abaco. I was distraught to learn that the two annual leaders – Dr. Bracey and Reg Patterson – would not be able to attend and assist in the conducting of these surveys. The Abaco CBCs are a yearly tradition for the past ten years; I was very disheartened. I thought it over and said to myself, “If there’s nobody else who can lead it… You have to do it!” I contacted my Abaco emailing list and began to “round up the troops” for the 2020 Abaco CBCs.
After I touched down in Marsh Harbour for the second time post-Dorian, I realized immense reconstruction had begun. Roofs were being replaced, trash was being hauled back and forth to the dumps, the roads had been cleared of debris, and the well-known Abaco food store, Maxwell’s, had reopened. Sadly, however, the resident bird life in Marsh Harbour was still immensely affected. During three hours in Marsh Harbour the only resident birds that were seen or heard were four Great Egrets; five Eurasian Collared-Doves (invasive species, now resident); and a Turkey Vulture.
The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian during one of the author’s visits showing the destruction of St. Francis De Sales Catholic School and defoliated trees. (Video by Chris Johnson)
At the end of the first day in Abaco, a gorgeous sunset peered through the pulverized pine barrens. It was a beautiful ending to the day; the South Abaco CBC would follow the very next day.
South Abaco Christmas Bird Count
I woke up on the morning of South Abaco CBC anxious for the day to come. I brewed my two cups of coffee and sat on the porch as I felt the 20 mile per hour winds roll through Cherokee Sound. My Uncle, Keith Kemp arrived at my grandfather’s house at around 6:30 a.m. so we could begin our journey south to “The Y” (a popular landmark in South Abaco) at the Abaco National Park. Along the way we collected fellow birder and leader for the South Count, Niles Primrose. Along the 28-mile drive from Cherokee Sound down to The Y, we discussed the team grouping and the leaders for each team. We all agreed that my uncle would lead the team going North of the Abaco National Park, Niles would lead the Sandy Point team and I would lead the Abaco National Park (Forest) team. We arrived at the meet-up spot for 7:30 promptly. At the Y we met our additional birding peers: Janene Roessler and Lavonda Smith. After catching up for a short time we were met by Bahamas National Trust (BNT) park warden Marcus Davis. As we discussed the plans for the day a resident Red-Tailed Hawk flew over the group. A great first bird for the Forest Team! With everyone assembled we split into our respective groups and went our separate ways.
Abaco is located in the northern Bahamas. (Map by Aly Ollivierre)
The forest team, consisting of Marcus Davis and myself, travelled into the forest armed with our binoculars, field guides and one oversized camera to count all the bird species that we could possibly find. The first species that we saw was a male Cuban Emerald, fluttering around some morning glory flowers. He was eventually chased away from his routine pollination job by another Cuban Emerald, who also wanted a taste of the nectar. As we continued traversing the forest, we were listening closely for some Bahamian specialties such as the Bahama Warbler and Olive-capped Warbler. The next bird of interest was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker hard at work on drilling into a Caribbean Pine Tree.
The sapsucker, who was reaping rewards from his task of drilling into the dense pine tree, became “antsy” very quickly. Before our eyes the bird was under attack from another species of the raptor family. A Merlin had seemingly dropped out of the sky to attempt to catch the apsucker for a meal. However, the plot had failed and the Merlin decided to sit on a long pine branch. After a great photo-op, the small falcon decided that enough was enough and he was back on the hunt. He began coasting along the track road that appeared unaffected by Dorian, awaiting another opportunity for prey to present itself.
A Resilient Abaco National Park
As we journeyed deeper into the National Park, Marcus began to explain how lucky South Abaco was. It was minimally affected by Hurricane Dorian. And the numbers, even within the pine forest, were proving this statement. As we continued our conversation, a vivacious song filled the forest. Not one, not two, but three Pine Warblers flew into the pine right in front of our vehicle. The bright yellow warblers flew onto the bark of the pines, flitting about and dropping into the understory. After these warblers, we saw an Abaco and Grand Bahama specialty bird. The tiny and long-tailed Olive-capped Warblers maneuvered through the large pine tree tops, singing and chirping. The show continued for another ten minutes as we watched the tiny warblers ramble about the pine forest.
Northern Parula posing in Abaco National Park. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
Forty minutes in and we were already up to 17 species. However, we were still missing a few species. The Bahama Warbler, a relative of the North American Yellow-throated Warbler was finally seen for the first time of the day clinging onto the bark of the large pine trees and moving transversely. I decided to use a playback of a Bahama Warbler in an attempt to coax the fascinating warbler out. The explosive song from the pint-sized warbler began to ring out from within the forest. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7… seven Bahama Warblers flew into the pines directly in front of Marcus and me. What a sight to see! All of these warblers congregated together even after Hurricane Dorian.
After many more encounters with the Bahamian specialties, we began to spot and note many more migrant and winter resident species. Some of these species’ behavior and feeding habits had definitely changed thanks to Hurricane Dorian. For example, I noted a group of Indigo Buntings hopping about and feeding along the quarry road, something I had not seen in my ten-plus years of birding. Many birds were also grouped together, something quite abnormal for the time of year. One by one winter residents began to appear: Black-and-white Warblers, Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated Warblers, American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats and an abundance of Palm Warblers.
A Thick-billed Vireo spotted during the count. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
We eventually arrived at Cross Harbour to begin counting some water birds and shorebirds. Upon arrival at Cross Harbour, we were greeted by two new species. Sticking to each other very closely were a Yellow-rumped Warbler of the Myrtle variety and a Cuban Pewee. Both concentrated on catching insects for a quick meal. With all of the wind on the shorefront, catching bugs would prove to be a difficult task.
As Marcus and I traversed the seemingly endless beach and shore we also spotted new species! Three new herons and egrets had positioned themselves on the beach to begin fishing for their food. The species included a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Reddish Egret and a Great Egret. The tiny “tail-bobbing” Spotted Sandpiper decided to make an appearance for the day as it foraged on the shorefront for any small crustaceans that it could fit its beak around.
Along the trail which would eventually lead back to “The Y”, I noticed that we had not seen any species of dove for the day. The Common Ground Doves and Zenaida Doves, which were usually plentiful on the track roads, were now few and far between.
We eventually arrived back at “The Y” and arranged with the other teams to count all the bird species – as well as make time for a group picture in front of the Bahamas National Trust’s Abaco National Park sign! By the time everything was said and done the South count had totaled 62 species on the day of CBC and 67 species after count week. *Count week is the period of time before and after the day of CBC*. The numbers for the South were great post-Dorian as in past years the total number of birds were sometimes over 70.
POST CBC TRIP TO Bahama Palm Shores
After the CBC information was gathered and shared amongst ourselves, we all parted ways and returned back to our homes. I had decided that I just did not get enough birding during the CBC and decided to head to Bahama Palm Shores (BPS). I started off the checklist by stopping near a large patch of coppice. There was a dead tree trunk with dead branches still attached. Upon “pishing” for a few minutes, four Magnolia Warblers appeared. They put on a show by approaching me and got within three feet! The other species that made themselves known were Greater Antillean Bullfinches, Red-legged Thrushes, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and an abundance of Northern Parulas.
As I was just about to wrap up, I heard a vociferous chatter and calling near the easternmost street within Bahama Palm. I knew the chatter well; it was the species that got me started on bird-watching. The Bahama / Cuban Amazon Parrot had established a small population within BPS. I counted a total of more than 45 parrots in that particular area. This was abnormal, as I had never seen a group of more than thirty parrots in Bahama Palm Shores. They all appeared healthy and were actively feeding on Gum Elemi berries. Within the hour and four minutes I had spent at Bahama Palm Shores I had a total of 26 species and 114 individuals sighted (see the full eBird checklist here).
North Abaco Christmas Bird Count
The South Abaco Team. From left to right: Janene Roessler, Chris Johnson, Keith Kemp, Lavonda Smith, Marcus Davis & Niles Primrose. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
The morning of the North Abaco CBC started much like the previous morning. I started brewing my coffee and sat on the porch. This morning was much cooler than the morning of the South Abaco CBC. My Uncle Keith Kemp arrived at the house packed and ready for the day. We jumped in the truck and proceeded to the road that connects Cherokee to the Great Abaco Highway. There at the “turnoff” (the road where the Cherokee and Great Abaco Highway meet) we collected birding buddy Janene Roessler, who would be our scribe for the day.
As we began to inch closer towards Treasure Cay on the S.C. Bootle Highway, we witnessed a bizarre number of Great Egrets grouped in the ruinous wetland. There was a total of 14 Great Egrets in this one area and that was it. No Common Gallinule, Coots, Grebes, or any herons in sight. It was heartbreaking to see the damage to the North; it was undoubtedly worse than the catastrophe that struck Marsh Harbour in Central Abaco.
We arrived at the original meeting point for all the previous North counts. “Spanky’s Parking Lot” was located within Treasure Cay. It was almost unrecognizable, if not for the large liquor store, which was still standing but had lost all of its windows during the storm. The damage at “Spanky’s” would be minuscule compared to the damage within Treasure Cay.
A Cuban Pewee seemingly undaunted by a human with a large camera approaching. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
The first location would be to stop at the waterfront gas station to assess the damage the storm had done to the pylons and small rocky shorefront. After some substantial searching with our binoculars assisted by my 200-500mm camera lens we were able to pick up the first birds for the North Abaco CBC. We found: one Ring-billed Gull, one Black-bellied Plover, one Short-billed Dowitcher, and two Royal Terns.
We meandered our way through the debris-covered roads and paths for the next half hour with our destination in mind. My uncle had always spoken about a sandbank at the eastern end of Treasure Cay that always had birds. On our way out to the beach we were shocked to see Indigo Buntings perched low to the ground in dead shrubs foraging for food. The sandbank tragically held nothing for the count and we continued within the easternmost point. The damage at this end of the settlement was extraordinary. We saw entire “seawalls” washed out by the storm, houses seemingly torn in half, and cars flipped upside down.
Months after the hurricane, forests (like this one near Treasure Cay) have only begun to recover, and it will be years before they are able to support the same biodiversity as before the storm. (Video by Chris Johnson)
The next location was the Treasure Cay Golf Course Ponds. Many species had been counted on these small ponds in previous years. This area was by far our most active for the day. Our most notable species in this area were: White-cheeked Pintails, Least Grebes, Cattle Egrets, Merlin, White-eyed Vireo and the prize bird of the day… a Hooded Merganser! We noted quite a few new species for the count – but the storm-ravaged ponds and golf course were quite distressing to see.
The last few locations that we would check proved extremely disappointing. Sunset Ridge was a famed birding spot within Treasure Cay. Species ranging from Roseate Spoonbills to American White Pelicans, to the extremely rare Bald Eagle sighted by Dr. Bracey for many years had been recorded there. However, hope began to dwindle for the Dorian-devastated wetland. With the assistance of my camera we came to add a few more species to the “slowly-but-surely” growing list. One Belted Kingfisher, two Reddish Egrets, three Little Blue Herons, – and peculiarly enough, another large group of Great Egrets: a total of 26 individuals!
A resident Blue-gray Gnatcatcher was a welcome and familiar sight during the CBC. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
We then decided it would be in our best interest to make our way to Cooper’s Town foreshore to count some gulls and cormorants. Our trip to the foreshore allowed us to add numerous species to the list. It included: 25 Double-crested Cormorants, 18 Laughing Gulls, 11 Ring-billed Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 Great Black-backed Gull!
At the end of the count, we had a total of 43 species for the North. This 2019 total was frightening as in previous years we would sometimes have totals of over 90 species. The number of species was effectively cut by fifty percent.
Final Thoughts
We all know that Dorian has done irreversible damage to Abaco. I would have never thought that such damage could be done to my second home. The catastrophic damage on this island is heartbreaking. The population counts are proving that we have not only lost many birds in the storm, but that birds in Abaco are still struggling to find food and shelter post-Dorian. There are many ways we can assist this Bahamian island in the rebuilding and replenishing of habitat for these avian species that make their home there. BirdsCaribbean and the Bahamas National Trust have done, and continue to do fantastic work in supporting research and replenishment of both Abaco and Grand Bahama. If you would like to assist these organizations in their efforts, please donate to the BirdsCaribbean Hurricane relief fund or The Bahamas National Trust.
Abaco and Grand Bahama will come back in time, and hopefully the birds with them. #AbacoStrong
Hover each photo to see the caption; click on a photo to see a slide show.
Reddish Egret spotted at Crossing Harbour. (photo by Chris Johson)
This Merlin was hunting along the track road in the forest. (photo by Chris Johnson)
We were thrilled to have 8 Bahama Warblers (endemic to the Bahamas) fly right in front of us in the forest. (photo by Chris Johnson)
This Bahama Parrot was attempting to blend into the treetop and allowed for great shots as he remained absolutely still. (photo by Chris Johnson)
Chris Johnson is an avid 18-year-old birder and photographer. He has been birding for over 10 years and has gotten opportunities to further his birding skills namely the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Young Birder Event. He enjoys spending his time on many Bahamian family islands and photographing the fauna around him. You can find him on Instagram @cmjphotography242 to see more photos from this young photographer and birder.
The Red-legged Thrush is a key seed disperser in the forests of the Dominican Republic. (photo by Dax Roman)
Spencer Schubert’s adventures into the remote corners of the Dominican Republic Part continue, all in the name of science and conservation.
If you are reading this, I probably do not have to convince you that birds are great. The more interesting discussion to be had, of course, would be what makes them so great. We are all drawn to birds for different reasons. For some of us, the sights and sounds they provide to the ambience of our backyard or local natural area are enough to endear them to us. For many others it comes from their experience as pet owners. Even the tradition of hunting can inspire reverence for birds and a passion for their conservation. I have always liked birds, but I can hardly claim that they were any more interesting to me than lizards or turtles, for example. Indeed, on my grumpiest of days, I sometimes refer to myself as a failed herpetologist.
My gateway to birds has been a fascination with their role as seed dispersers. It may not be the first thing that you notice, but no matter where you go, as long as you’re standing on dry land and there is some green vegetation nearby, you would be hard pressed to find somewhere where there aren’t birds eating fruits and seeds. These feeding behaviors by birds are a key component to many terrestrial ecosystems. By swallowing fruits or otherwise carrying away seeds in their bill, potentially flying great distances, birds give plants a major boost in their potential to propagate in the environment.
Our restoration plots, constructed in 2017, are small pasture areas each about the size of a basketball court. By enclosing these areas with barbed wire fences, our objective was to eliminate the effects of cattle grazing, trampling, and landscaping efforts by farmers in order to observe the process of seed dispersal and plant growth. Perches with crossbars were installed to attract birds and collect droppings and seeds.
One of the major implications of seed dispersal in a world with ever diminishing forests is the prospects for degraded ecosystems to bounce back. About two years ago, I contributed an article to this blog on up-and-coming work in the small town Jarabacoa in the central mountains of the Dominican Republic. I was studying whether constructed perches could be used to attract birds to restoration sites on abandoned parcels of farmland, with the goal of promoting natural seed dispersal and forest recovery. It all began with a simple principle: If you build it, they will come.
To some extent this was true. We found that installing perches increased the number of birds visiting restoration plots. However, some key seed dispersers such as the Palmchat, Black-crowned Palm Tanager, and Red-legged Thrush – to name a few – showed little to no interest in our perches. So, I got to thinking, maybe we need a better sales pitch.
Have you ever walked down the streets of a popular street in town looking for a place to eat or hang out? Would you rather walk into an establishment that is silent with no sign of people inside or one that is bustling with music and laughter? Atmosphere is what you’re looking for. All else being equal, you’re much more likely to walk into a restaurant that sounds like there are a lot of people inside than one that is quiet and seemingly empty. We use these social cues to inform our judgments of the quality of different businesses all the time. As it turns out, birds are not so different.
Birders will already be familiar with the magic of playback. Many bird species are readily stimulated by hearing their own call and often rush in to investigate whether the sound is from a mate, new neighbor, or a potential intruder to the territory. This is often used to draw in shy birds for us to have a closer look at them or prompt them to reply for better identification (Note: Playback may cause unnecessary stress for some species, particularly during nesting season, and is prohibited in some parks and in many cases for threatened species). Similarly, birds may be drawn to the sounds of both their own kind and other species as a signal to flock up to find high quality habitat or food.
Black-crowned Palm Tanager (Phaenicophilus palmarum) feeding on Inga vera. (photo by Spencer Schubert)
Here is where my idea set in. One aspect of my studies over the past four years has been the community-level analysis at our sites in the central Dominican Republic in an attempt to fully document all feeding/dispersal relationships between all of the bird and plant species that occur here. Through thousands of hours of observation, we have uncovered enormous variation in the extent to which different bird species act as seed dispersers.
Some “generalist” species are responsible for dispersing the seeds of large numbers of plant species. For example, our research has revealed that the Palmchat eats fruits from 42 species. That’s nearly half of all trees and shrubs that are found, collectively, at the sites we have surveyed! Other “specialist” species, like the Antillean Euphonia, are only known to feed on fruits from just a few species. So, if you were any average Joe Bird in the mood for some tasty fruits, which of these species would you rather take a recommendation from?
Antillean Euphonia (Euphonia musica) feeding on a mistletoe (Phoradendron racemosa). (photo by Spencer Schubert)
This is, effectively, the question we asked with our latest experiment. By broadcasting sounds of fruit-eating generalists, specialists, and birds that do not eat fruits in separate trials, we sought to test how these sounds affect bird activity in our restoration plots. We expected, first of all, that the sounds of particular species would attract members of that same species. Additionally, we expected experimental trials with sounds from generalist birds to attract more birds in general than in trials with sounds from specialists, non-frugivores, and no sound. We used digital video cameras to record the activity of birds in the plots during these experiments. At this time, we are still reviewing the footage from this study. But we have already seen some fascinating results! Several species that we had never before recorded in the plots were confirmed as visitors responding to the sound of their own species during this experiment.
Here we see a family of Grey Kingbirds (Tyrannus dominicensis) frolicking among the perches in one of our restoration plots. Kingbirds are, nominally, insectivores. However, they supplement their diet heavily with a large variety of fruits. Their propensity to venture out into open spaces to hunt for insects makes them highly prolific seed dispersers in deforested landscapes. (Video by Spencer Schubert)
Our work demonstrates that sound and social cues are likely a key factor in birds exploring degraded landscapes. And this exploration and habitat use by birds has a direct relationship with seed dispersal. While our work is only a first glance into these relatively unexplored aspects of bird behavior, there is reason to believe that it could have key implications for environmental management and conservation. Beyond simply tricking birds into showing up to a particular site, taking various measures to promote the local abundance of birds through providing resources and habitat can extend well beyond improving the well-being of birds. Helping birds in this context has great potential for restoring the ecosystem services like seed dispersal that birds provide, which will be key in our future struggle to support biodiverse and resilient ecosystems.
As an extension of plant surveys and phenology monitoring, we used a make-shift space at our field station to germinate and rear seedlings of more than 30 species. At the end of the summer, Plan Yaque Inc. helped us transport these to a large scale nursery that supplies ongoing forest restoration projects for the Ministry of the Environment.
In the time since the inception of our project, we have taken steps to ensure that measures will be taken to improve management practices to make landscapes more supportive of bird populations. Our biggest push in this regard has been emphasizing the importance of planting native species both in restoration areas and in backyard landscaping projects to support native birds.
Over the past year, we have collected seed and grown seedlings of more than 30 species of native plants, all of which produce fruit resources for birds. In July of this year, we donated more than two hundred of these seedlings to Plan Yaque Inc. (a local NGO working to conserve natural resources in the Rio Yaqui del Norte watershed) and the Ministry of the Environment to incorporate into routine forest restoration projects, including the plots where we have done our experiments. We hope that this will be an important first step to reforming forest restoration practices so that they may become more sustainable and effective in promoting native biodiversity.
A Palmchat, endemic to the Dominican Republic and an important seed disperser, uses one of our artificial perches. (photo by Holly Garrod)
I owe gratitude to many individuals and organizations for their roles in supporting this project over the past several years. Chiefly among these were project technicians: Joaris Samuel Gonzalez and Juan Miguel Liberata. Field assistants: Alex Lascher-Posner, Paris Werner, Kim Shoback, Tyler Glaser, Alejandra Monsiváis, Juan Carlos Cárdenas, and Lara Grevstad. Dr. Eric Walters of Old Dominion University helped advise the project and has been instrumental in the progression of my ideas and my development as a scientist. Holly Garrod has closely partnered with this project as a collaborator during the course of MS thesis on todies of Hispaniola. Local organizations Plan Yaque and Rancho Baiguate have provided key logistic support, without which this work would not have been possible. Furthermore, numerous private land owners have generously received us on their farms to conduct our field studies. This research was funded jointly by the Rufford Foundation, the Sophie Danforth Conservation Award from Roger Williams Park Zoo, the Old Dominion University Kirk Wetland Research Award, and the David S. Lee Fund from BirdsCaribbean.
By Spencer Schubert. Spencer is Ph.D. student in the ecology program at Old Dominion whose thesis focuses on the contributions of avian seed dispersal to tropical forest recovery and plant-frugivore seed dispersal networks on farmland landscapes in the Dominican Republic. Spencer is a recipient of two BirdsCaribbean David S. Lee Fund Grants and is using his research as a platform to raise interest in the ecological importance of birds for restoration projects in the region around Jarabacoa.
Trinidad is home to 18 species of hummingbirds – we are all envious of this diversity! Aliya Hosein shares a folk tale of the role these birds played in the creation of one of Trinidad’s natural wonders—The Pitch Lake—and also some amazing natural history facts about these tiny but mighty birds.
Glittering-throated Emerald (photo by David Huggins)
Most cultures around the world have superstitious beliefs, some of which involve birds. In Trinidad and Tobago—and possibly the entire Caribbean region—birds were thought to be messengers of the gods or representation of the gods themselves. Hummingbirds, in particular, were revered by Amerindian tribes. It is reported by historians that Amerindians first named Trinidad, Iere (or Kairi, Caeri) for the hummingbird yerette (or ierette).
These birds are also featured in the story of origin of one of Trinidad’s natural wonders: The Pitch Lake. The Pitch Lake is located in the village of La Brea in southwest Trinidad and covers 100 acres. At its centre it is about 250 feet deep. This Lake is the world’s largest commercial deposit of natural asphalt. It sluggishly replenishes itself causing a “stirring” action in the lake which causes trees and other objects to appear, disappear and re-emerge!
The Pitch Lake was believed to be covered by lush green forest inhabited by an Amerindian tribe. On one day a rival tribe made a sudden attack but the warriors fought with all their might to protect their land. The rival tribe surrendered and left the village as quickly as they could. Only a few huts were damaged.
The tribe was overcome with joy. They wanted to celebrate, but, since the unexpected attack prevented them from hunting that day, they feasted on hummingbirds. They plucked the shimmering feathers off the tiny birds and adorned their own bodies. They carried on with their celebrations paying no attention to their belief that these sacred hummingbirds held the spirits of their ancestors.
White-tailed Sabrewing (Photo by Steve Laycock)
As retribution for their evil deed, the hummingbird gods opened up the ground beneath the village and summoned a lake of pitch that swallowed everything, including the people! The hummingbirds, however, were spared and can now be found throughout the island.
Trinidad and Tobago is home to 18 dazzling species of hummingbirds. Most recently the Glittering-throated Emerald (Amazilia fimbriata) was sighted in the country’s Northern Range bumping the total up to an unofficial 19.
Hummingbirds make up their own bird family. They are tiny, about as heavy as a pack of gum. They have long, narrow bills to sip nectar. Their wings are sabre-shaped for precise flight control. Males, and sometimes females, have small, reflective, colourful feathers on the throat and upper chest. The true intensity of these colours are seen when the hummingbird turns its head to catch the sunlight.
Glittering-throated Emerald (Photo by David Huggins)
Despite being the smallest of birds, they have been built to live an extraordinary life. As expected, small birds mean small eggs. Hummingbirds lay eggs as tiny as peas in equally tiny cup-shaped nests made from spider webs and leaves. After mating, the female protects and cares for the eggs and chicks by herself.
Hummingbirds have powerful down- and up-beat wing flaps. They are tremendously agile fliers; they are the only vertebrates capable of staying in one place during flight and flying backward and upside-down as well. To the flying acrobatics add speed: their wings beat about 70 times per second in direct flight, and more than 200 times per second while diving.
Tufted Coquette (Photo by Luke Seitz)
In order to maintain their fast-paced lifestyle, hummingbirds must be able to locate reliable sources of nectar from flowering plants. This explains why their movements are often tied to the changing pattern of flower production over time and space.
Interestingly, hummingbirds do not forage or fend off predators together. They will instead compete with each other for nectar, which explains the hullabaloo around flowering gardens or bird feeders. However, they do have very good reasons for being obnoxious and feisty around flowering plants.
Flowers take time to produce nectar. Hummingbirds therefore wait to feed at flowers in order to lower the risk of losing a tasty meal to other hummingbirds. In areas where many species live together the largest tries to defend small territories where they know they can get the biggest sips of nectar. Since nectar is low in protein, they switch from flowers to insects during the breeding season. They catch small flying insects by hovering in mid-air which are then fed to their growing chicks. If hummingbirds cannot find enough food, they go into a sleep-like state in which their metabolism slows down and body temperature drops to conserve energy.
White-chested Emerald (Photo by Mark Hulme)
Unfortunately, as human settlements continue to expand, the flowers that hummingbirds prefer are disappearing. The good news is that by planting the right plants (for example: trumpet bush, vervain, powderpuff, and torch lily) in your yard and providing sugar water in hummingbird feeders, you help replace lost food sources.
And you can still help the hummingbirds, even if you are not the ‘gardening’ type, by drinking Bird Friendly certified coffee. When coffee is grown under a diverse canopy of shade trees, coffee plants, the trees that shade them, and the plants that grow on the trees provide a buffet of flowers for these birds and other wildlife that depend upon them.
Hummingbird species recorded in Trinidad and Tobago:
Glittering-throated Emerald (Photo by David Huggins)
Amethyst Woodstar (Calliphlox amethystina)
Copper-rumped Hummingbird (Amazilia tobaci): its subspecies if found only on Tobago
White- chested Emerald (Amazilia brevirostris)
Blue-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus)
Blue-chinned Sapphire (Chlorestes notata)
White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora)
Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis)
Green-throated Mango (Anthracothorax viridigula)
White-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus guainumbi)
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris)
Ruby Topaz (Chrysolampis mosquitus): annual visitor to Trinidad
Tufted Coquette (Lophornis ornatus): the lightest hummingbird recorded for Trinidad
Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy)
Rufous-breasted Hermit (Glaucis hirsutus)
Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus)
Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae)- favours high altitudes
Rufous Shafted Woodstar (Chaetocercus jourdanii)
White-tailed Sabrewing (Campylopterus ensipennis): listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, found only on Tobago and Venezuela
Article by Aliya Hosein, member of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group. Aliya works as the Leader of the Welfare and Wildlife Program at the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a biologist and avid conservationist, especially fond of parrots and hummingbirds.
The 11th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) starts on Tuesday January 14th and we need your help surveying all types of waterbirds on your island! Anyone can participate in the CWC. Grab a friend, head out to your nearest wetland or beach, and record the birds you see. Detailed information about how to conduct surveys can be found here.
Starting in 2010, dedicated bird enthusiasts have ventured into wetlands across the Caribbean to systematically survey all types of waterbirds (shorebirds, seabirds, wading birds, marshbirds, and waterfowl) each January 14th to February 3rd. The Caribbean is home to over 185 species of waterbirds, including a number of endemic and globally threatened species and many migrants. A structured, ongoing survey is essential for understanding how to best conserve this exceptional group of birds and manage their habitats.
Increasing Caribbean eBird Presence
For all eBird records for the year 2019, there were 36 countries and regions across the world that doubled their eBird growth compared to 2018. We are so excited that 4 Caribbean countries were among them! Saint Martin (French part) (265.52% growth), Turks and Caicos Islands (204.3%), Sint Maarten (115%), and Antigua and Barbuda (101%). Joining the CWC in 2020 is a great way to keep the momentum going and to continue putting the Caribbean and its birds on the global stage! In 2019, the three-week CWC period yielded a total of 321 checklists from 19 countries.
The CWC Is an Important Tool for Conservation
Piping Plover are one of the shorebird species that rely on Caribbean habitats. (photo by Walker Golder)
Since 1900, 64% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared, and the Caribbean region is no exception to this crisis. Wetlands are in urgent need of conservation. They are unique ecosystems that provide critical habitats to specialist species. Yet, they face many threats ranging from complete conversion due to development, degradation due to pollution and introduced species, and loss due to sea-level rise.
The waterbirds that rely on wetlands not only face the threats of their habitat being altered or destroyed but also hunting and introduced predators. In order to properly manage habitat for waterbirds in the Caribbean, we need to understand waterbird population trends. In addition, monitoring the health of waterbird populations and their habitats is beneficial to both birds and people, since we rely on the same habitats for our health and well-being.
The CWC is an important tool for monitoring how hurricanes effect bird abundance and distribution. In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc in the Caribbean, damaging fragile wetland ecosystems. Results from the CWC in 2018 several months later were concerning, with our counters reporting dramatic declines in common bird species. The CWC in 2019 revealed encouraging numbers, especially for shorebird populations. We look forward to the 2020 CWC to know if bird diversity and abundance have continued to recover. In addition, we anxiously await results from areas hit by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019.
In addition, survey data can be used as a tool to designate habitats that are essential for birds. The Cargill Salt Ponds in Bonaire were designated a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of Regional Importance as a direct result of survey efforts. With the survey data we collected, our team was able to provide evidence that the site met the criteria for listing. Now, Cargill is dedicated to managing habitat for shorebirds on their property. It’s amazing what birding can achieve!
Good luck, have fun, and we look forward to hearing about your findings. If you have any photos to share, please share them on our BirdsCaribbean Facebook page. For sharing on social media, use hashtags: #CaribbeanWaterbirdCensus and #WaterbirdsCount AND please tag us: @BirdsCaribbean
Banded Birds
Be sure to be on the lookout for banded birds! Especially Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. You may report your sightings to BandedBirds.org and the USGS Bird Banding Lab which oversee all banding in the United States.
Need Help?
Find a tricky shorebird in winter plumage that you can’t identify? Need help setting up an eBird account? Want to participate in the CWC but you’re not sure how to get started? Please contact BirdsCaribbean’s Waterbird Program Manager, Jessica Rozek Cañizares at jessica.rozek@birdscaribbean.org.
Entering CWC Data in eBird
CWC data is stored on eBird Caribbean. If you participate in the CWC, it’s very important that you enter your data through this website using the correct protocol on Step 2, because this is where we collate all the data used for analyses. We don’t want to miss a single bird or site! Simply making an eBird list during these dates is not enough- the protocol is required for it to be CWC data.
If you are using a desktopcomputer to enter your data:
Sign into your account on ebird.org/Caribbean
Enter location information
Select the appropriate CWC protocol under Observation Type
If you recorded your CWC data using the mobile eBird app:
After you have submitted your checklist on your smartphone:
Log into eBird on a desktop computer
Click on “My eBird” at the top of the screen
Click on “Manage My Checklists” on the right menu
For your CWC checklist, click on “View or Edit”
Click on “Edit Date and Effort”
For Observation Type, select “Other” and then choose the appropriate CWC protocol
“Protect birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution.”
A beach clean-up at Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve, Ponce, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eduardo Llegus)
Islands across the Caribbean turned the focus on the devastating impact of plastic pollution on rivers, wetlands and seas with the theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2019 (WMBD 2019). Grassroots organizations, government ministries and agencies and non-governmental organizations collaborated on a range of activities focused on the fascinating species that appear on the islands later in the year, and stay until spring.
Since 2017, a number of Caribbean countries have started initiatives to fight single-use plastics. – including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos Islands. Others are starting to look at measures to ban Styrofoam manufacture and imports. More plastic and Styrofoam bans are set to take effect in 2020. While much more work is needed on the ground and in partnership with governments, there is growing awareness on the islands that plastic pollution is harmful to both land and marine environments. Whether these are wetlands or coastal regions, many areas affected provide habitats for migratory birds.
Mangroves, Masks and Migratory Birds
We did it! Students display the results of their BirdSleuth Caribbean Scavenger Hunt in Salt River, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
In Jamaica, the Portland Bight Discovery Centre in Salt River, Clarendon hosted World Migratory Bird Day with teachers and students from nearby schools. Science Officer at the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) D. Brandon Hay gave an illustrated talk, outlining how ingesting plastic affects bird life, and which species suffer. After a lively Q and A session, the students took a guided walking tour of a nearby wetland area, using BirdSleuth Caribbean’s Scavenger Hunt materials. The students also created and displayed colorful birdfeeders, and performed original educational pieces, including dub poetry and song – all reflecting the theme! After a guided boat ride through the mangroves, their day ended tallying points earned from these activities. The first prize winner was the Mitchell Town Primary and Infant School!
Education Officer in Dominica Ameka Cognet reported highlights of the day’s activities. Primary school students enjoyed making colourful migratory bird masks. They then went on a birdwatching tour of the Botanical Gardens in the island’s capital, Roseau. The children learned a great deal about the migratory species that visit the island annually. They also gained a much deeper understanding of how plastic pollutes the environment, choking land and sea and harming birds and other wildlife.
A First for St. Croix and Record Numbers for St. Martin’s Seventh Celebration
Creative use of plastic waste to make bird feeders! St. Croix Environmental Association WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valulius)
The St. Croix Environmental Association in the U.S. Virgin Islands (the site of BirdsCaribbean’s very first international meeting in 1988) celebrated WMBD for the first time – and they did it in style. They organized two events in October at the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge. Arts and crafts, bird walks, bird banding, and storytelling activities were on the agenda. A bird rescue expert gave a talk, and informational displays were presented. The activities included a coastal clean-up, where participants saw for themselves how much plastic is in the environment. “Every activity had a meaningful impact on each participant,” said Jennifer Valiulis, local coordinator. Clean-up materials provided by Environment from the Americas were also distributed to participants.
No less than 250 residents, young and old, enthusiastically joined WMBD celebrations spearheaded by the non-governmental organization Les Fruits de Mer in St. Martin. “We were able to reach more youth than ever, and it is all thanks to our sponsors,” said event organizer Jenn Yerkes. St. Martin’s seventh annual Migratory Bird Festival at Amuseum Naturalis was a great success, with students using BirdSleuth Caribbean materials for several activities. Crafts are always popular, and the children decorated canvas backpacks to take home with them. Technology was also an exciting feature this year; the mobile media and learning hub IdeasBox shared videos and e-books.
Education is Key! And Thanks to All the Sponsors
Young artists at work on bird-themed bags at Les Fruits de Mer’s Migratory Bird Festival in St. Martin. (photo by Mark Yokoyama).
World Migratory Bird Day offers another opportunity for our partners across the region to educate residents on the importance of conserving habitats and ensuring that our visiting species continue to thrive when they visit our islands. This year, the message was about how plastic pollution affects not only our birds, but our own quality of life also. There are solutions, but we must take action for our own health as well as that of the vulnerable birds that we enjoy every day.
We would like to thank all the sponsors – local, national, and international – who provide funding for these important activities. Special thanks to Environment for the Americas for providing awesome materials. If your organization participated in an event and if you would like to share your experience, please send us a message to sdiaz-mendez@environementamericas.org. It’s about the birds, the habitat and the people.
A Few Lines of Poetry to End With
Caribbean people love poetry as a form of expression. We end with these few lines from Greta, a University of the Virgin Islands student and presenter of World Migratory Bird Day at Southgate Coastal Reserve, who offers this advice:
Be a solution To plastic pollution. Always walk with a garbage bag and pick up your trash. Do not throw it where the birds hatch.
Let’s spread the word and fight plastic pollution in the Caribbean!
Enjoy the gallery of photos from WMBD events in 2019; hover over each photo to see the caption or click on a photo to see a slide show.
A beach clean-up at Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve, Ponce, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eduardo Llegus)
A young girl is happy with her migratory warbler tattoo at a WMBD Community Festival in Quinta de Los Molinas, Cuba.
Working out bird puzzles at the WMBD Community Festival in Quinta de Los Molinas, Cuba.
Dominos are very popular in Cuba, especially this version made with birds!
Students from Rose Hall Primary School in Jamaica do a little research. (photo by Emma Lewis)
The beach is much cleaner now!
Beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Story time in St. Croix, all about the amazing long distance migration of the Whimbrel. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Educational materials on display at the WMBD Community Festival in Quinta de Los Molinas, Cuba.
Working together to clean up a beach in Cuba overloaded with plastic trash. (photo by Alieny Gonzalez)
Some little ones are taking their bird art seriously, but others have time for a toothy smile – at the Amuseum Naturalis in St. Martin. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
We did it! Students display the results of their BirdSleuth Caribbean Scavenger Hunt in Salt River, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Alieny Gonzalez, WMBD Coordinador in Cuba counts shorebirds for WMBD.
The sad impacts of plastic pollution on birds- this cormorant will not survive long with this plastic ring stuck on its bill and neck.
How big is your wing span? WMBD event in St. Croix, US Virgin islands.
Brandon Hay, Science Officer at the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) gives a talk to students and teachers on the impact of plastic pollution on our birds. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Youth work hard at beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Young artists at work on bird-themed bags at Les Fruits de Mer’s Migratory Bird Festival in St. Martin. (photo by Mark Yokoyama).
On the scavenger hunt on the Portland Bight Discovery Centre’s boardwalk through the mangroves, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
A young Brown Booby caught on a fishing lure. Many kinds of plastic are dangerous to Caribbean birds. (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
This is my wingspan! A student at the WMBD event in St. Martin spreads her “wings.” (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Learning all about raptors at St. Croix Environmental Association’s WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Highlight of this year’s celebrations in Dominica were a migratory bird mask-making activity with primary schools, followed by a birdwatching tour at the Botanical Gardens in the Roseau Area.
Beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Least Sandpipers at the Portland Bight Discovery Centre, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Painting hand-made bird feeders. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Students in Dominica proudly show off their bird masks.
Creative use of plastic waste to make bird feeders! St. Croix Environmental Association WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
World Migratory Bird Day Poster showing different groups of birds that are affected by plastic pollution. (Artwork by BirdsCaribbean member, Arnaldo Toledo, from Cuba)
Learning all about the impacts of plastic pollution on birds in Cuba.
Beach clean-up for WMBD in St. Martin/ Sint Maarten, organized by EPIC (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean).
Dominos are very popular in Cuba, especially this version made with birds!
A timeline of Jamaica’s bans on single-use plastic. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Looking back on 2019, the year provided us with a range of experiences. There was excitement, success, tragedy, and hope. When we reflect on all that we have accomplished this year, in both the good times and the bad, there was one common theme: collaboration. Sometimes it took the form of official partnerships and other times grassroots community efforts. Even fundraising, which was critical for efforts like hurricane relief, is a collaborative process. Here, we review some of the most important moments of the past year and acknowledge and thank all those who collaborated with us to further our mission. We are also grateful to our many members, volunteers, and donors who generously support our work. We have an awesome community!
Celebrating Success & Partnerships
The Cuban contingent! A record 20 Cubans attended, thanks to our generous sponsors! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Keeping Birds Aloft! This was the inspirational theme of our 22nd BirdsCaribbean International Conference held in July. Over 250 delegates from 34 countries grabbed French phrasebooks and headed to the Karibea Beach Hotel in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe. The lively, productive and thought-provoking meeting was organized with our major partners, the Parc National de la Guadeloupe. Keynote speakers, workshops and brainstorming sessions helped participants plan how to engage their communities, combat wildlife trafficking, and address the varied environmental threats facing the Caribbean and its birds. A mentorship program for younger members was launched. (Check out what a few of our sponsored delegates had to say about how they benefited from attending the conference). Despite the profound topics being discussed, participants were upbeat and as would be expected of any Caribbean event, there was dancing on the final night!
At the conference, we were humbled and proud to receive the 2018 Partners in Flight Award. Our Board President Andrew Dobson accepted the award, presented by the U.S. Forest Service, in recognition of BirdsCaribbean relief and recovery work in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
Ceremony celebrating the the opening of the restored Ashton Lagoon.
BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to celebrate the official reopening of the restored Ashton Lagoon, which took place on May 31, 2019. After 13 years of truly challenging work, our partners in the island archipelago between St. Vincent and Grenada – called the Transboundary Grenadines – proudly welcomed supporters and generous donors to Union Island. After a misguided tourism project at the site lay in ruins for 25 years, the neglected wetlands finally have a chance to reawaken. Orisha Joseph and her team at Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. (SusGren) were the stars of the show. Next step: to have the Lagoon and its surroundings designated as a Marine Protected Area.
During the restoration work, BirdsCaribbean organized a highly successful Interpretive Bird Guide Training Workshop on Union Island, empowering citizens from the Grenadines and beyond. In August, the Caribbean Birding Trail’s spectacular new website – https://www.caribbeanbirdingtrail.org – covering more than 150 birding sites in 24 countries, was launched. If you have not already done so, we invite you to explore – both virtually and in person, with our enthusiastic trained guides!
Devastation from Hurricane Dorian
Six Grand Bahama Island Birders carried out the first bird survey of the Eastern End of Grand Bahama Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Left to right – Shelagh Paton-Ash, Delores Kellman, Gena Granger, Bridget David (recorder) and Erika Gates. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Just a few weeks after our conference, we watched with heavy hearts as tragedy of incredible proportions struck the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. The Category Five Hurricane Dorian, which lingered from September 1 to 3 over these islands, brought death and destruction to many communities, and devastated the landscape.
Immediately, BirdsCaribbean formed a response team to raise funds and deliver supplies. The first tentative forays by our Bahamian partners were subdued and sad, with moments of joy and relief when bird species such as the Bahama Parrot, thought to be badly impacted from the island by the storm, were discovered to be doing okay. As always, severe storms bring strong emotions in their wake – and for conservationists, deep anxiety over whether habitats and birds will eventually recover.
Our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund has raised US$29,000 to date, with less than one month to go. Thanks to our generous supporters, we shipped thousands of pounds of bird seed and hundreds of feeders. We also used funds to help replace equipment the Bahamas National Trust lost during the storm in addition to funding field surveys. Now the questions loom: Did the Bahama Nuthatch population survive? How quickly will the parrots recover? Will the waterbirds return? While there are encouraging signs, the future is still uncertain. There is much work to be done.
Supporting Conservation & Community
Participants of the shorebird conservation workshop on a field trip within Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
This year we also focused on our most vulnerable migratory species, shorebirds. We know these birds are in trouble; this is a global phenomenon. In February, we hosted the International Training WorkshopConserving Caribbean Shorebirds and Their Habitats in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico with 33 enthusiastic participants on “Conserving Caribbean Shorebirds and their Habitats.” Our partners were Manomet and local NGO Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI).
Our Betty Petersen Conservation Fund provided support to finance direct conservation actions for three endangered Caribbean species: The Black-capped Petrel in Haiti, the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic, and the White-breasted Thrasher in St. Lucia. In all these projects, community involvement (especially youth) has been a key factor. In Haiti, entire farming communities that cultivate lands adjacent to the Petrel’s nesting colonies are pledging to protect these critical breeding areas while in the Dominican Republic, teenagers are volunteering to guard the hawks’ nests. This work would not be possible without the many generous donations to the Betty Fund.
Children in the Dominican Republic learn to celebrate their endemic raptor with the new Ridgeway’s Hawk brochure. (photo by Marta Curti)
Meanwhile, our dedicated citizen scientists have been hard at work again. Global Big Day was – well, really big. 846 checklists were posted on May 4 – over twenty percent more than in 2018. The Bahamas ran away with the top number of species this time – 138. Runners up were Puerto Rico and third-place Cuba were not far behind. In all, eighty percent of the Caribbean’s endemics were spotted in just one day. BirdsCaribbean is proud of its partnership with eBird through our portal eBird Caribbean. Have you downloaded the free mobile app? Every bird counts!
In 2019 we all learned how to protect birds by becoming the solution to plastic pollution. This was a hugely popular theme for the Caribbean region, which witnesses daily the scourge of plastic pollution and its harmful impacts on birds. Dozens of coordinators organized many events related to this theme for our annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival in spring and World Migratory Bird Day celebrations in fall, including beach and wetland clean-ups, raising awareness about the issue and how plastic pollution harms us and wildlife, and how to personally reduce your use of plastic. Many Caribbean countries are leading the way with this global problem by banning plastic bags, plastic straws, and styrofoam. And, we continue to train and empower local educators so that they can develop the next generation of bird conservationists and environmental stewards – watch this inspiring short story from one of our star educators, Natalya Lawrence.
Creative use of plastic waste to make bird feeders! St. Croix Environmental Association WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Finally, there were lessons learned (or re-learned) in 2019. In the face of climate change, Caribbean islands must build greater resilience, especially along their vulnerable coastlines. The restoration of wildlife habitat is critical. So is the sustained and determined protection of our most endangered bird species, including migratory birds, in the face of encroaching human development. But we cannot do it alone. We need the support and the active participation of the communities where birds live – and we need you!
Then, and only then, will Caribbean residents – humans, birds, and wildlife in general – truly thrive, and continue to thrive in the future.
Our sincere gratitude to all of our donors and funding agencies for your generous support in 2019, which allowed us to carry out the work highlighted above, and much more! And a big thanks to all of our awesome partners, members, and volunteers for your dedication and hard work. You all inspire us every day!!!
Bananaquit by Aslam I. Castellan Maure. This unique shot of our logo bird won an Honorable Mention in our 2019 Photography Contest.
BirdsCaribbean’s third biennial photography competition took place at our 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe. The five judges found it difficult to decide on the winners in each of three categories, and in particular the Grand Prize Winner. Artistry, composition, technique, colour, humour – and a great love for the subject matter – were embodied in the striking photographs submitted. Photos were taken between July 21 and August 3, 2019 and uploaded via BirdsCaribbean’s Flickr site. The Grand Prize was donated by Vortex Optics. Click here to see all the photos submitted (hashtag #BCPhotoContest2019). The three categories were:
Endemics – including endemic and regional (West Indies) endemic birds of Guadeloupe;
Fun With Birds and People – showing humans, birds and nature interacting (including conference activities); and
Birds and Nature – featuring Guadeloupe’s non-endemic birds, close-up shots of other wildlife, natural habitats, and landscapes.
Below are the winners, with some comments from the judges:
Grand Prize Winner
Grand Prize Winner: Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Frantz Delcroix
Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Frantz Delcroix: The only endemic bird of Guadeloupe has just caught a moth and is sitting near his nest with his meal in his bill. “Nicely focused and composed,” with the light catching his rufous breast feathers.
Endemics
1st Prize:Antillean Crested Hummingbird by Aslam I. Castellón Maure. The eye and the crest are in sharp focus. “It draws you into the picture…Great portrait.”
Antillean Crested Hummingbird by Aslam I. Castellón Maure
2nd Prize:Purple-throated Carib by John C. Sterling. A “wood fairy bursting out of the shadows. Dazzling and puzzling at the same time.”
Purple-throated Carib by John Sterling
3rd Prize:Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Judd Patterson. “Really sharp, especially eye, good habitat setting, exposure is spot on.”
1st Prize:Seabird Viewing by John Webster. A panoramic view of a field trip group. “This speaks to what the conference does…connect people to others passionate about birds and the actual environment all seek to preserve, protect and nurture…Could be oil painting!”
Seabird Viewing by John Webster
2nd Prize: Beach Break! by John Webster. “Great focus and depth of field. Good use of a smartphone!”
Beach Break by John Webster
3rd Prize: Recording Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda. An atmospheric image… “Science and fashion in the shot. Note the foot lifted as he is working it.”
Recording Guadeloupe Woodpecker by VenicioWilson Altamiranda
1st Prize: Guadeloupe Anole by Judd Patterson. “Beautifully framed by the vegetation.” “Great composition, framing – green within green.” “The blurred foreground frame adds to the surprise moment for both anole and photographer.”
Guadeloupe Anole by Judd Patterson
2nd Prize: Three Pelicans Plunging by Holly Garrod. “I like the raw energy of this trio, as if they are doing an air show.” “The marvelous, crazy shapes of the birds – wings, beaks, feet.”
Three Pelicans Plunging by Holly Garrod
3rd Prize: Snowy Egret by Aslam I. Castellón Maure. “This is an amazing shot…the feathering reminds me of a fashion shoot with this gorgeous model.”
Snowy Egre by Aslam I. Castellón Maure
Honorable Mentions:Black-necked Stilt by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda. Stick Insect by Frantz Delcroix. Bananaquit by Aslam I. Castellón Maure. Congratulations to all our winners!
The Grand Prize winner will receive a Vortex Viper Angled Spotting Scope: 20 – 60 x 85. First Prize Winners will receive an Echo (2nd Generation) Smart Speaker with Alexa and Dolby processing. Those coming in second will receive an Echo Dot (3rd Generation) Smart Speaker with Alexa. Third place winners will receive a LETSCOM Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor, Slim Sports Activity Tracker Watch, Waterproof Pedometer Watch with Sleep Monitor.
Many thanks to our five fabulous judges: Ivan Mota, Skip Glenn, Andrew Dobson, Stephen Cutting and Emma Lewis, for their time, their keen eyes, and thoughtful consideration of each entry. Huge thanks also to Vortex Optics for donating the Grand Prize. Last but not least – our deepest appreciation to all those who entered the contest. We really enjoyed these beautiful shots, making it quite challenging for judges to choose.
Please enjoy this photo gallery of all the Honorable Mentions!
Grassland Yellow Finch by Martin Gebauer
Plumbeous Warbler. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix)
Bananaquit by Aslam I. Castellón Maure
Black-necked Stilt by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda
They Believe They Can Fly by Frantz Delcroix
Woodpecker Blues by John Webster
Walking Deshaies Guadeloupe by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda
New twin suspension bridges over breached gaps in failed marina causeway in the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
The local non-profit conservation organization Sustainable Grenadines (SusGren) welcomed guests to the lagoon’s (re)birthday celebration at its welcoming eco-friendly building on Union Island in the Grenadines on May 31, 2019. The building adjoins Ashton Lagoon, the largest natural bay and mangrove ecosystem in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This area was legally designated a Conservation Area in 1987 and named as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International in 2008.
The story of Ashton Lagoon is worthy of honor and rejoicing, far and wide. The birthday party guests wore beaming smiles.
After 13 years of diligent work, SusGren, supported by its national and international partners, has succeeded in restoring the lagoon—not only for the well-being of the marine and bird life, but also for that of future generations of Union Islanders. Now it is transformed, blossoming into a beautiful place in which to learn, observe, and enjoy the bounties of nature.
Orisha Joseph, Sustainable Grenadines Executive Director, welcomes everyone to the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project Unveiling event on May 31st, 2019. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
As the King said in “Alice in Wonderland,” it’s best to begin at the beginning. The tale of Ashton Lagoon began some 25 years ago, in 1994. That year marked its decline—the moment when an overseas investor said: “Let’s build a golf course over the mangroves. Let’s build a marina for 300 boats!” as Joseph described it. A causeway was to join Frigate Rock to Union Island.
Map of Union Island ecosystems prior to the Ashton Marina Project and the airport runway extension (Map by Price & Price, 1998)
The following year, the investor went bankrupt. The project was abandoned, but the damage had already been done. Joseph described the development as a “catastrophe.” The causeway and marina berths, constructed from metal sheet piles and dredged coral, blocked the circulation of water, causing immense harm to the mangroves, reefs, and seagrass.
Thereafter, Ashton Lagoon languished. With its stagnant green waters and its degraded mangrove forest, locals—including fisherfolk who passed through to their fishing grounds—shunned it. It became a lonely place, Joseph recounted during her presentation in Guadeloupe (which you can watch below!).
But hope appeared on the horizon. In 2004, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean Lisa Sorenson visited Union Island to deliver a Wetlands Education Training Workshop. The group took a field trip to the damaged lagoon and learned about the heartbreak residents and fishers felt living with the eyesore of the abandoned and algae-filled lagoon. Sorenson began work to raise funds, and in 2007, thanks to support from the USFWS, SusGren and BirdsCaribbean held a 3-day Participatory Planning Workshop with local stakeholders. All agreed (including, thankfully, donors) that something must be done. But wasn’t this a Herculean task?
An aerial view of Ashton Lagoon in 2004 shows how the failed marina disrupted the natural water flow. Impacts included stagnant polluted water in the lagoon and marked declines in marine life and the health of the mangrove. (Photo by Michele Kading)
Yes, it was. The Restoration Project was a tough, complex undertaking, not for the faint-hearted. Initially, stakeholders developed a vision for the management and sustainable use of the area, and wrote funding proposals. Surveys and monitoring of the ecologically sensitive area were conducted. And then, there were the engineering issues to be resolved. Joseph reserved special appreciation for the man she called her “miracle worker,” Ian Roberts, Engineer/ Works Supervisor for the restoration.
Joseph emphasized that, apart from the onerous technical issues that besieged them (how to deal with those horrible metal piles?) another challenge was a less “concrete” one: How to keep the local community engaged and interested. They were impatient and SusGren’s credibility and reputation were at stake on this small island with a population of 3,500.
The group went through a funding crisis in 2014—one that Joseph looked back on with wry humor. In 2016, when the funds began to work out, the project’s three broad objectives were refined. These were to restore the ecosystem; to strengthen the community’s resilience to climate change, for its economic benefit; and to increase environmental awareness.
In 2018, the water began to flow again. The “miracle workers” had created some breaches in the marina’s piles for it to flow through …after 24 years. “The lagoon said, ‘I can breathe again!’” laughed Joseph.
There followed a frantic period of activity, as SusGren worked on several projects simultaneously. The mangroves were flooded with new water and circulation in the lagoon restored through strategic breaches and culverts in the causeway and marina berths. Two bird towers were built (one named after Lisa Sorenson’s favorite seabird, the Royal Tern). The Interpretive Centre was built and some moorings at Frigate Island were created. A nursery of 3,000 red mangroves was created; the seedlings, donated by the Grenada Department of Forestry. They were planted using bamboo, rather than PVC. A community-owned apiculture and honey production enterprise started up (“bees like black mangroves,” noted Joseph).
Approximately 3,000 red mangroves seedlings were replanted in the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
There are also two bridges. After the marina causeway and berths were breached in several places to allow the water to flow freely, the bridges were needed to provide access to the whole causeway—a part of which had been washed away by storms—as a place to walk and watch birds and wildlife. Now, the marina berths are turning into “little islets” with mangroves and other vegetation—growing well and providing a roosting place for birds and habitat for other wildlife.
Hon. Camilo Gonsalves (Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology) and Hon. Saboto Ceasar (Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Forestry, Fisheries, and Rural Transformation) on the suspension bridge at Ashton Lagoon at the May 31st Restoration Unveiling event. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.).
Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, Lisa Sorenson felt a great emotional investment in the project. “I could not stop smiling at the launch!” she confessed. “We are so proud of SusGren, their local partners and the donors for persevering with the project. This is a shining example of what can be done, with vision and determination, to right an environmental wrong that occurred many years ago. SusGren did not give up on Ashton Lagoon. Now it is a wonderful place for people—and birds—to visit. An American Flamingo showed up there recently, for the first time!”
BirdsCaribbean continues to provide support for clean-up activities, tree planting and additional signs for the bird towers.
Importantly, members of the public are using the Lagoon Eco Trail, including schoolchildren and teachers, eager to learn. In July, Danny’s Summer School on Union Island went birding at the Lagoon, identifying birds and exploring the trail. “This is what brings me most joy,” admits Orisha Joseph. Those years walking round the lonely lagoon with a colleague are gone. Now, at last, it is appreciated by local people. Non-motorized recreational activities have begun to take off. Kite surfing is booming!
Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. Junior Rangers visit to the Ashton Lagoon Trail. Students poses with Hon. Camillo Gonsalves, Dr. Lisa Sorenson, and Mr. Herman Belmar (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
World Migratory Bird Day monitoring with the Stephanie Browne Primary School students and teachers. The students pose with bird ID cards outside of SusGren’s new headquarters at the lagoon. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.).
Of course, more work remains to be done. SusGren and its partners now face a number of new and different challenges. They had not quite been prepared for a sudden flood of publicity (for example, in the Caribbean Compass yachting magazine) and the thousands of “likes” on social media. “We were even featured in the phone book!” said Joseph, with a hearty laugh.
Ashton Lagoon on Caribbean Compass cover
The Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project is still lobbying the Governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada—not only for funds, but to have the lagoon properly gazetted as a Marine Protected Area. On the ground, SusGren is tackling such issues as an invasion of cattle in the mangroves during the “let-go season” and management of vehicles. While increasing bird habitat, the organization wants to encourage community involvement that is orderly, and above all sustainable.
Kristy Shortte, SusGren Program Officer, conducts Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) bird monitoring from the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Birding Tower (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Now, the tides are flowing again in the lagoon, and the jewel-like waters, turquoise and opal, are clear and free. The mangroves are busy with bird life. Marine life is thriving. Pedestrian and boat access has been opened up.
Residents of Union Island visiting Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
In some ways, the story of Ashton Lagoon is almost like a Hollywood plot: disasters, disappointments, struggle and ultimately a sense of triumph. The less glamorous sub-plot is the sheer hard work and determination to see the project through, tackling red tape and unexpected obstacles, worrying about funding. It is the story of many conservation non-profits across the region.
The story of Ashton Lagoon has a happy ending—but actually it has not ended. Ashton Lagoon is cared for, again. It has a bright future, for wildlife and for people.
Supporters of the Ashton Lagoon Project at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project Unveiling event on May 31st, 2019. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Partners and supporters of the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project included:BirdsCaribbean; the Phillip Stephenson Foundation; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program (CMBP); the German Development Bank (KFW) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5C’s); the Global Environment Facility–Small Grants Program (GEF-SGP); US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Trust; Global Coral Reef Alliance; AvianEyes; Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education; Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries and Industry; Construction Logistics, Inc.; Ministry of National Security, Lands and Survey Department; National Properties Limited; National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority; Grenadines Partnership Fund; University of New Hampshire; Union Island Environmental Attackers; Union Island Tourism Board; Union Island Association for Ecological Preservation (UIAEP); Union Island Ecotourism Movement, and others.
We invite you to enjoy the gallery of photos below. Hover over each photo to see the caption or click on the first photo to see a slide show.
Green Heron (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
American Flamingo spotted at Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Shorebirds enjoying the peace of Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Hon. Camilo Gonsalves (Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology) provides brief remarks at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling event. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Educational signs found in Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Migratory shorebirds now find great wintering habitat in the newly restored lagoon, mangroves and salt pond. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc)
Humorous Signs Found in Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Royal Terns on remains of Ashton Marina (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
SusGren Staff (Sonia, Chandra, and Orisha) and Dr. Lisa Sorenson crossing the gap in 2013 in the days before the bridges! This was necessary to carry out Caribbean Waterbird Census bird counts. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of the causeway, marina berth islets, and Frigate Island from the Twin Bridges (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Like mother, like son, birding in the Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of the marina berth islets and Union Island from the Twin Bridges (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Wilson’s Plovers are common residents of Ashton Lagoon; they nest on mudflats near the mangroves. (photo by Peter Duce)
Landbirds of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (side 1) – these waterproof bird ID cards help residents and visitors to know and enjoy the country’s beautiful birds. (cards produced by BirdsCaribbean)
View of suspension bridges and Union Island. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Signs at the Entrance of the Trail (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Many more shorebirds use the lagoon since it has been restored (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc.)
Cinders Creative Nest Preschool visit to the Ashton Lagoon area (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Directional Signs along the Trail (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
The Whimbrel is a fairly common winter visitor to Ashton Lagoon and other wetlands in Union Island. (photo by Peter Duce).
View of the rejuvenating Ashton Marina (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Mr. Edwin Snagg – Director Grenadine Affairs delivering brief remarks (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Brief remarks by Mr. Joaquin Monserrat, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy of Barbados, Eastern Caribbean and the OECS. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Kristy Shortte, SusGren Program Coordinator, conducting Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) bird counts (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Birding Tower, named after local birder Katrina Collins Coy’s favorite bird (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Mayreau Government School visits the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Yachts Anchored at Frigate Rock using SusGren mooring services (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Mermaid sign and mermaid on trail. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
One of the interpretive signs along the trail.
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Manchineel Tree warning sign – although poisonous to humans, the Manchineel tree is a valuable food tree for birds. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Beautiful performance by the Cultural Conquerors at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling event on May 31st, 2019. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc.)
Swales from the Entrance (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Grenada Flycatchers are found only in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo by Ted Eubanks)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Ruddy Turnstone (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Ian Roberts, Engineer/ Works Supervisor, and Orisha Joseph on one of the suspension bridges that Mr. Roberts designed. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Everyone is excited about the new bridges! Hon. Saboto Ceasar, Orisha Joseph, and Dr. Lisa Sorenson (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors on the Swing Bridges Following the Official Launch Ceremony for the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Panoramic view from the second floor of SusGren’s new headquarters at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling Ceremony, May 31, 2019. (photo Lisa Sorenson)
A happy moment – Lisa Sorenson reunited with Martin Barriteau and Matthew Harvey at the restoration unveiling ceremony. Martin is the former Executive Director of SusGren and worked on the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project for many years. Matthew Harvey is a local fisher whose livelihood was harmed by the failed marina development. He never gave up hope that the lagoon would be restored.
Wallets rest in the protected waters of the Ashton Lagoon mangroves. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc).
Tropical Mockingbird (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of mangroves and suspension bridges in the distance from the Royal Tern Observation Tower. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Wetlands are wonderful places for birds, recreation and learning. View of the Twin Bridges, Ashton Lagoon, Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Drone Shot of the Entrance to the Ashton Lagoon Trail (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Lisa and Orisha in front of the Royal Tern observation tower, named after Lisa’s favorite seabird. (photo by Ian Roberts)
Hon. Saboto Ceasar, (Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Forestry, Fisheries, and Rural Transformation) giving the featured address at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling Ceremony (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors from Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO) (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors to Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors from Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO) (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Landbirds of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (side 2) – these waterproof bird ID cards help residents and visitors to know and enjoy the country’s beautiful birds. (cards produced by BirdsCaribbean)
Louise Mitchell (St. Vincent and the Grenadines Environment Fund ) and other attendees at the launch event marvel at the new gazebo and bridges. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc).
1st Birding tower from the entrance, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Tower (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the new office and visitor centre of Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. adjacent to Ashton Lagoon. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Students from Stephanie Browne Primary School enjoy bird watching on World Migratory Bird Day 2019 (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Alex Smith- SusGren Junior Ranger participating in the planting of mangrove seedlings project in the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Mangrove Sign (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
A Whimbrel, a migratory shorebird, visits Ashton Lagoon. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Students from Stephanie Browne Primary School on World Migratory Bird Day, October 2019 (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Read more about the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project (and also a project at Belmont Salt POnd) at the links below:
By Emma Lewis, Blogger, Writer, Online Activist, and member of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group, based in Kingston, Jamaica. Follow Emma at Petchary’s Blog—Cries from Jamaica.
On behalf of the entire Journal of Caribbean Ornithology staff, I am incredibly excited to announce that the JCO Archives are complete! And we are honored to dedicate these Archives to our deeply-valued and greatly-missed friend and colleague, the man who started this whole adventure: Dr. James W. Wiley.
THE BACKSTORY (some historians claim that we started with Messenger Pigeons)
Jim Wiley crossing the Mameyes River, in flood, en route to a Puerto Rican Parrot nesting area in 1978. (photo by Noel Snyder)
In 1988, Dr. James (Jim) W. Wiley conceived and published the first issue of El Pitirre, a newsletter for the Society for the Study of Caribbean Ornithology (now BirdsCaribbean). He went on to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the first 17 volumes—an incredible feat—and in the process, grew the newsletter into a peer-reviewed research journal well-respected across the Caribbean.
Volume 16 (2003) marked the end of the El Pitirre name and the birth of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 2004 would mark Wiley’s final year, wrapping up his tenure with Volume 17. Dr. Jerome (Jerry) A. Jackson tagged in as a co-Editor-in-Chief with Dr. Floyd Hayes for Volume 18 (2005), with Floyd taking the reins from there. In 2006, Martín Acosta Cruz came aboard as co-Editor-in-Chief, overseeing manuscripts coming out of Cuba. Two years later, Floyd recruited Douglas Weidemann, a biology student out of Pacific Union College, to serve as an Editorial Assistant. Doug has been with the journal ever since and is the only member of our current staff who was there to watch JCO transition from paper to the digital world in 2014. In his 11+ year tenure, Doug has been instrumental in keeping JCO moving forward as the leading ornithological publication in the Caribbean.
A photo of Doug Weidemann getting ready to mail out a new issue of JCO in 2010. Licking shut all 300+ envelopes is a memory that still wakes Doug up at night. (photo by Floyd Hayes)
Floyd and Martín would continue serving as Editors-in-Chief for the next eight volumes of JCO. In 2014 (Volume 27), Dr. Jason Townsend stepped into the Editor-in-Chief position, and shepherded JCO into a productive chapter that included transitioning the journal to open-access and onto an online academic publishing site, as well as growing the JCO team with new staff and new positions. When Jason created and advertised a Managing Editor position in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to become involved, and have spent the last four years helping expand the journal’s publication capacity and improving timeliness of publication. We have worked hard at creating a bigger and more unified team, and that has made all the difference.
GETTING THE JOB DONE (if only you could claim blood, sweat, and tears as tax deductions)
More staff has ultimately afforded JCO more bandwidth to tackle some big, lingering side projects. One of those has been the ongoing project (3+ years) of completing the JCO Archives—a digitized, free, and open-access collection of every publication from every volume and issue dating back to Wiley’s Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1988.
The completion of the JCO Archives is owed to the hard work of MANY individuals, including Tristan Leisten, Zoya Buckmire, and Alex Sansom, to name a few. Thank you also to all of the great photographers who have allowed us to use their photographs for volume and issue covers:
Tanya Martinez, Zoya Buckmire, Charles D Peters, Eric Hynes, Juliana Coffey, Richard Briones, Amonie Holas, Gloria Achilla, Susan Jacobson, Jessie Pitt, Dave Irving, Rafy Rodriguez, Adam Toussaint, David Hollie, Pedro G. Rodriguez, Kenneth Butler, Jose M. Panteleon, Dax Roman, Aslam Ibrahim Castellon, Anthony Levesque, Claude Fletcher, Aaron Budgor, Pericles Brea, Adam Stinton. Ray Robles, Raphael Kopan, George Armistead, Wilfred Marissen, Ernesto Burgos, Gary Graves, Engie, Jonathan Liddell, Leticia Soares, Eladio Fernandez, Justin Proctor, Bruce Hallett, Carel P. de Haseth, Miguel A. Landestoy, Andre/Keila Dhondt, Kim Novino, Rafy Rodriguez, Rafael Arvelo, M. R. Paice, David Jones, Jamie Adams, Hubert Askanas, Pascal Villard, Matthew Johnson, Wolde Kristos, Sean Rune, Greg Homel, D. Belasco, and Michael J. Good.
So with open arms and big smiles on our faces, all of us at JCO welcome you to come and take a look through the new Archives. I may be a bit biased, but I think they look pretty darn good!
DIGGING INTO THE ARCHIVES (sit back, relax, and stay awhile!)
Readers be advised—you’ll notice that there are some differences between our cataloging of newer versus older volumes. Although we tried to keep the presentation of articles and their metadata consistent across all 32 volumes, as we worked our way back in time, older publications introduced new challenges. Early volumes of El Pitirre were organized much differently and contained different types of content. Parsing out each bulletin or announcement was essentially impossible, and so in those cases we have “lumped” some entries together into one downloadable PDF. But we still wanted you to be able to clearly see every major entry within a volume, and so we have conveniently displayed all titles and authors at the top of the page. We’ve also included downloadable PDFs for each of the El Pitirre volumes and issues so that you can have them in their entirety should you wish.
We hope you’ll enjoy strolling down memory lane as much as we have. Please take your time and enjoy reading back through 31 years of priceless contributions to Caribbean ornithology. And don’t forget to swing by the Archives whenever you’re working on a new manuscript. They contain decades of great science that might help shape your own!
Sincerely,
Justin Proctor
JCO Managing Editor
P.S. We’ve done our best to ensure accuracy across everything you’ll find in the Archives, but there is always the possibility that we missed something. If you find an error that needs correcting, please reach out and let me know (justin.proctor@birdscaribbean.org). However, there’s one thing that we definitely didn’t miss, and that’s the “winking” Gray Kingbird in the logo of El Pitirre’s third issue. Interestingly enough, it only winked for that one issue…
P.P.S. The JCO is proud to continue fulfilling our mission of commitment to giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their hard work. Our journal has some great momentum underway right now, but we do need help to cover our operating costs as we grow our team, offer more development resources to our authors, keep the journal free and open-access, and continue to improve our submission to publication time. Please consider supporting Caribbean science and the dissemination of that knowledge through a donation to the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. From all of us at JCO, we thank you for your support.
The Avalon is setting sail again this May for important shorebird and seabird conservation and research – join us! The mission is a continuation of on-the-ground protective and restorative measures to limit human-caused disturbance and control invasive Australian pine at key shorebird and seabird sites in The Bahamas with support from Conservian, BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, and partners.
Volunteers Needed!
Our days will be filled with much adventure aboard the 75ft schooner “Avalon”. (Photo by Margo Zdravkovic)
We need your help to protect beach-nesting birds, nests and young. Conservian is seeking a weekly crew of 10 enthusiastic volunteers for our Bahamas shorebird habitat conservation project in May 2020 aboard our 75ft research schooner. Crews fly to the Bahamas each week to designated airports for shuttle transport to schooner. All trips include bunk, onboard meals, water, & ground transportation associated with project. Trip cost is is $1,750 per person/per week. Please see website for more information at Coastalbird.org A valid passport is required. Airfare & insurance are not included.
This is a wonderful opportunity to gain field experience and shorebird ID skills or simply a once in a lifetime experience! In 2018, BirdsCaribbean’s own Jennifer Wheeler joined the trip. Read all about her amazing adventures here. And check out an article by Margo about one of the past expeditions.
May 2020 Expedition Dates & Locations:
Please note our ports of call were not impacted by Hurricane Dorian. All islands on the 2020 itinerary were unaffected.
American Oystercatcher with young (Photo by J. Gray)
Choose one week or more! Each week includes 7 nights aboard the schooner
Week 1: May 3-10 – Ambergris Cay, Joulter Cays & S. Andros (Nassau Int Apt)
Week 2: May 10-17 – Exumas & Great Exuma (Nassau Int Apt/Exuma Int. Apt)
Week 3: May 17-24 – Cat Island, Little San Salvador, Eleuthera (Exuma Int. Apt/Nassau Int. Apt)
Project Crew Activities:
Protect, post & sign shorebird & seabird sites
Collect new data on nesting shorebirds, seabirds & habitat
Locate & protect shorebird & seabird nests & downy young
Control invasive Australian pine on beach habitats (select trips)
Work with local volunteers to accomplish the above goals
Snorkel reefs in gin clear waters
Learn sailing crew skills
Fish for dinner-catch of the day!
To join our conservation pirate crew please contact Margo Zdravkovic at MargoZ@Coastalbird.org Go to Coastalbird.org for more information on our 2020 expedition and Conservian’s coastal bird conservation work.
Aerial photo of prime shorebird habitat on Andros.
IMPORTANT: Applicants must be responsible, adventurous, in good physical condition, enjoy working in teams, and be capable of walking several miles during warm weather on Bahamas beaches. Applicants must be comfortable living communally onboard a schooner for a week and riding in small boats to access survey sites.
Bahama Parrots trying to find fruit to eat in a Gumbo Limbo tree stripped bare from Hurricane Dorian, Abaco Beach Club. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
It is almost two months since a Category Five Hurricane named Dorian completely devastated the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco from September 1 to 3. Here is what has been happening since BirdsCaribbean sent out an online appeal for emergency funding to help birds and restore habitats on these islands. If you have not already done so, please consider donating even a small amount. There is much work still to be done, and Bahamian birds and nature will be grateful!
Still a Long Way to Go
Media reports have made it clear: life has by no means returned to normal on the islands. Many lives have been lost. Many residents have lost everything and are homeless. A large number have left the islands to seek a new life elsewhere.
Meanwhile, what needs to be taken into consideration, as rebuilding starts? This is up for debate. At BirdsCaribbean, when the time comes we hope that reconstruction will take place on an equitable basis, taking into account the need for coastal resiliency and habitat restoration. In other words, the environment takes priority.
What We Have Done So Far
Nectar feeders (400) and nectar concentrate have reached Grand Bahama and are being distributed to help birds during this post-hurricane food shortage period.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are pleased to report that contributions are going directly to restoration and long-term planning efforts across both islands. As we reported in our first update, 2,000 pounds of bird seed, 300 tube seed feeders, 400 nectar feeders, and nectar concentrate (enough to make 1,900 gallons) are currently being distributed in Grand Bahama (items are also been sent to Abaco). We will be sharing an update on which communities received supplies and the results of the feeding effort shortly. See a photo essay report on the first bird survey conducted on the East End of Grand Bahama on October 3rd, one month after Hurricane Dorian lingered over the area for 3 full days.
We also reached out to our valued partners at Bahamas National Trust (BNT) with essential new equipment. These include cameras, binoculars, a drone, iPad, GPS equipment, rangefinders, compasses, backpacks and other equipment vital for field survey work.
Our Partners Have Been Out in the Field
Thanks to generous donors, we were able to supply Bahamas National Trust with field equipment needed to carry out post-Hurricane Dorian field surveys. (photo by Scott Johnson)
Armed with the equipment they received from BirdsCaribbean, our colleagues at BNT did not waste any time. They went straight out into the field to assess the impacts of the storm on wildlife. Your support is helping to cover the cost of Rapid Assessment Field studies. A team from BNT and Audubon Florida just completed an initial 5-day survey of Abaco focused on the Bahama Parrot (also known as the Abaco Parrot) and its habitat.
Our partners found that conditions on the island of Abaco varied widely. In southern Abaco, both humans and birds appeared to be recovering and spirits were positive. Life was going on, homes were in relatively good condition, stores and bars were open and a fuel station at Sandy Point was open for business. Common bird species such as House Sparrows and Cuban Pewees appeared unaffected by the storm’s impact.
The northern part of the island painted a very different picture – a very sad picture. Many trees and buildings were destroyed. Older trees had lost their leaves or were severely damaged, losing limbs and bark. They were just beginning to sprout small leaves and shoots.
Getting Down to Work
Abaco Field Survey Team (left to right): Caroline Stahala, Bradley Watson, Giselle Dean, and Ancilleno Davis
The team got organized. They divided up tasks, in order to get as much done as possible in a short space of time.
Abaco Parrot researcher Caroline Stahala Walker (Audubon) and Bradley Watson (BNT Science Officer) worked on vegetation surveys. Occasionally, they were joined by David Knowles (BNT, Chief Park Warden, Abaco National Park), who had lost his own home in the hurricane, but is still continuing to work; along with Marcus Davis, the BNT Deputy Park Warden, whose home further south remained intact.
Giselle Deane (BNT Assistant Science Officer) and Ancilleno Davis (Blue Lagoon Island and BirdsCaribbean Board member) collected the bird survey data using the binoculars and rangefinders BirdsCaribbean was able to provide, thanks to the emergency funds raised. Visual records are vitally important. Bradley Watson used his new camera provided by BirdsCaribbean to take plenty of photograph of birds, plants, and habitats throughout.
Will Abaco’s Parrots Recover?
Bahama Parrots foraging on the ground; normally they feed only in the trees but their fruit trees have been stripped bare of food. Feeding on the ground has made the parrots vulnerable to predation by cats (seen hunting nearby). The team set up feeding stations to help the parrots survive during this critical period of food shortages. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
It was disturbing to see the birds foraging in the dirt for fallen fruit at a resort development in central Abaco, while a cat prowled around nearby. The parrots’ usual habit is to only eat the freshest fruit directly from the trees, dropping small portions on the ground. Abaco’s population of the Bahama Parrot is also especially vulnerable since they nest in rock cavities on the ground.
But all is not lost. The team found small flocks of Bahama Parrots flying in Abaco. They are making themselves heard again across the island. The team put out supplemental food stations, to help the parrots survive during this critical period of food shortages.
It’s not clear, however, whether prospects for the parrots are encouraging in the long term. This is because the destruction of large parts of the birds’ habitat in central and northern Abaco means that food will remain in short supply. While the researchers remain cautiously optimistic, it is clear that a much wider effort to restore foraging habitat will be needed to help sustain the parrot population year-round and outside of the breeding season, which is May/June.
A Mixed Picture
The survey team will soon be releasing a full report on their findings on Abaco. There is much more work to be done, and the post-hurricane period is critical for the welfare of the birds and indeed all wildlife on these devastated islands.
Meanwhile, human residents are still picking up the pieces – in some cases literally – and many challenges remain.
PHOTO GALLERY – Hover over each photo to see the caption, to see a slide show click on the first photo.
Sincere thanks to all who have donated so generously to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund! We will continue provide updates on our work to help restore birds and habitats and help local partners like the Bahamas National Trust with recovery work on Abaco and Grand Bahama.
Field survey team on Abaco (left to right): Ancilleno Davis, Giselle Dean, Bradley Watson and Caroline Stahala (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
Bradley Watson (BNT) made good use of his new camera on Abaco, documenting birds, plant specimens and habitats on the recent post-Dorian Abaco survey trip. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
Scott Johnson with his new binoculars, GPS and backpack. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Bahama Parrot foraging on the ground in Abaco, unusual behavior for this species. Parrots were forced to search for food on the ground due to lack of fruit on trees stripped of vegetation by Hurricane Dorian. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Giselle Dean, BNT Science Officer, ready for field work with her new equipment. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Scott Johnson’s Facebook post, expressing his gratitude for receipt of new field equipment from BirdsCaribbean – thanks to all the donors who made this possible! (photo by Scott Johnson)
Cat hunting near ground-foraging Bahama Parrots on Abaco after Hurricane Dorian, October 13 2019. Cats are known predators of Bahama Parrots. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
2,000 pounds of special Island Relief Wild Bird Seed Mix are being distributed in Grand Bahama to help birds survive a period of food shortage. Thanks to Lizzie Mae Bird Seed for this donation!
Giselle Dean practices using her new compass. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Bird seed on pallet ready to be shipped to Grand Bahama. It is being distributed to residents, along with tube feeders, nectar feeders and nectar concentrate.
Thanks to generous donors, we were able to supply Bahamas National Trust with field equipment needed to carry out post-Hurricane Dorian field surveys. (photo by Scott Johnson)
Join Martha Cartwright and her five birding companions on their intrepid journey to the East End of Grand Bahama (GB) Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Their mission was to check on the status of the birds and habitats devastated by this monstrous Category 5 Hurricane. Martha paints a vivid and sobering picture of the “new normal” on GB for people and nature in the early stages of recovery.
I love birding on Grand Bahama, and I have a sweet spot in my heart for birding on the east end of the island. One highway runs from Freeport eastwards, but to call it a “highway” is a misnomer. It is two simple lanes, often potted with holes, and lightly traveled. It can be tedious, this road: mile after mile of Caribbean Pine trees and “bush” (our word for the native Thatch Palms, bushes, Century Plants, vines and orchids that grow under the pine trees). After rains there are usually pockets of standing water along the road; but there is never enough elevation to glimpse the beauty of the ocean, paralleling the road just off in the distance, nor the wetlands that are a hidden haven for birds of all kinds.
To love birding the east end, one has to learn to wait, to walk along unpaved trails in the pines, along miles of pristine beaches, around mangrove swamps…And let the birds slowly reveal themselves.
Six Grand Bahama Island Birders carried out the first bird survey of the Eastern End of Grand Bahama Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Left to right – Shelagh Paton-Ash, Delores Kellman (BirdsCaribbean’s Administrative Assistant), Gena Granger, Bridget Davis (recorder) and Erika Gates (our leader and driver). We’re smiling for the camera, but we were not a happy group. I’m behind the camera, just where I like to be. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Three Days of Fear and Waiting
It was this same East End of the island that took the brunt of Hurricane Dorian, that slow-moving storm whose feeder bands we started feeling Sunday and who, if we were lucky enough to keep our houses, kept us inside until Tuesday.
From September 1 to September 3, for those three days, the world had been watching in awe and anguish the videos coming out of Abaco and Grand Bahama Island. Friends and family all over the world held their breaths, waiting with troubled hearts to hear that their loved ones had survived, waiting to hear if their homes were intact. For many of us in or near the storm without power, internet or cell service for weeks, realization of the devastation came in dribs and drabs. For me, the terrible news came mostly through conversations and shared stories, over the fence, waiting in lines, driving around or walking over debris to check on friends.
We heard grim stories of hours spent in the attic of flooded homes waiting for rescue, inspiring stories of courage as people on jet-skis headed over the bridge on Tuesday to rescue stranded families, sorrowful stories of the loss of family members – drowned or “missing.” Daily we watch news of global catastrophes – floods, fires, tornadoes. But when it is your own back yard that lies tattered and torn, emotions sit heavy in the heart and mind. The body keeps moving forward day by day, but the trauma burrows deeps and lingers.
#Grand BahamaStrong
While we were in the midst of the storm, thousands of rescue and relief organizations had already started to mobilize to bring in the necessities of survival. We saw the scenes on TV and the Internet and they were real. The disaster drills that rescue and relief organizations mobilized to bring in water, food, medical support, shelter, cadaver dogs. These organizations made good use of the millions of dollars donated for our recovery by caring people all over the world.
The people who work in humanitarian relief and rescue are amazing angels of hope and strength for the people whose lives they touch. Help from the outside gives local people time after a hurricane to take the initial steps towards recovery. We had to clear debris, salvage belongings, tend to businesses that were also damaged, and watch out for our neighbors. On Grand Bahama, we are so grateful to all who have helped and are continuing to help.
How Did the East End Fare?
This is the view as we drove east along Grand Bahama Highway, seeing for the first time the damage from salt-water surge and hurricane force winds. We were a quiet group, stunned and saddened during the drive. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
We wondered how our birds fared out east, but for the most part we kept our eBird recording to the Freeport area, where most of the Grand Bahama Island Birders (GBIB) live. It took us a month to gather a group of six for our initial survey of the birds out east. Roads that had been dangerous and nigh impassable except for relief trucks were now open. I wanted to go. I wanted to know about the birds, but truthfully, for days I dreaded the trip. People were still missing. Habitats were like moonscapes. Relief organizations were setting up camps, helping families, distributing supplies. People first. But what was happening to the birds?
Our Tour Begins With Many Questions: Owl Hole
Grand Bahama and bird survey sites on the highway out to the East End of Grand Bahama. (Map by Aly Ollivierre)
We stopped first in the pine barrens around Owl Hole Road. On one birding excursion in 2016, we had spotted 25 species for a total of 93 birds in the forest. It was home to the Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Cuban Emerald, Hairy Woodpecker, Western Spindalis, Red-winged Blackbird, Black-faced Grassquit, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Cuban Peewee, mockingbird, thrushes, vireos, and warblers.
Now, we were wondering. The Bahama Warbler is known only on Grand Bahama Island and Abaco – has it survived? The Bahama Yellowthroat is seen in other islands beside our two Northern Islands, so it has a better change of survival. The Caribbean Pine or Yellow Pine, native to the four northern islands of the Bahamas (Andros, Abaco, Grand Bahama and New Providence) is also the only known home to the Critically Endangered Bahama Nuthatch. How long will it be before we know whether that little bird, that endemic species has survived Dorian?
Happier days birding along Owl Hole Road, before Hurricane Dorian. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
The endemic Bahama Warbler, photographed on Grand Bahama before Hurricane Dorian, occurs only on Grand Bahama and Abaco. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
This post-Dorian trip at Owl Hole we spotted four species for a total of 11 birds: one Common Ground Dove (in someone’s yard), three Turkey Vultures, five Palm Warblers and two Prairie Warblers. We were ecstatic to see our first bird, a Palm Warbler! (Owl Hole eBird checklist)
The Pine Forest habitat was inundated with salt-water and later burned with bush fires. (photo by Martha Cartwright)We were ecstatic to see our first bird, a Palm Warbler. There is not much food for birds, so each bird seen was a jubilation. (photo by Erika Gates)
Erika Gates pointing out the new growth in the scrub palm. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Some Encouragement in Lucayan National Park
Our next stop was the beautiful Lucayan National Park (LNP.) With the higher elevation around Ben’s Cave, no surge had flooded the Blackland Coppice. Recent rains had encouraged leaf growth. I saw my first Gray Catbird of the season. We marveled and took comfort in how quickly nature started to bring back her green mantle. One hundred and twenty-six species have been spotted in the Lucayan National Park. We walked the elevated Coppice area and saw just seven species, nine birds total. Not many, to say the least. (Lucayan National Park eBird checklist)
Gold Rock Beach before Hurricane Dorian. Downed casuarina trees along the shore are from previous hurricanes. Unless hauled away, the uprooted trees stay for… I don’t how long – decades? Casuarina eradication programs can’t keep up with this invasive species. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
The elevation near the Lucayan National Park Visitors’ Center afforded us a view of the ocean. This is unprecedented in our lifetimes; usually the elevation of the dune blocked the view. The dune with its sea oats, trailing Morning Glory and other dune stabilizers had been washed away by the storm. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Bridget stopped in her tracks at Lucayan National Park: we tried but were unable to get to Gold Rock Beach or even to the edge of the mangroves due to standing water and washed out boardwalks and trails. This area previously had wonderful paths, boardwalks and bridges through the mangroves to the beach and signs describing the birds and mangroves. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
On to the Wetlands
One of my favorite birding spots out east are the wetlands that run just inland from the beach. They are almost hidden from view and difficult to access. With good rains, the wetlands run from west of the oil bunkers down to Pelican Point. I always smile to think of Anthony Levesque birding out there, opening the car door and standing on the edge of the door so that he was high enough to see into the wetlands. He would have preferred the roof, but Frantz and I insisted on the door frame. On this trip, we didn’t need to stand on any part of the car. The vegetation had been stripped. Despite the better views, there were not many birds in the area. Again there was jubilation at seeing a Tri-colored Heron and a Little Blue Heron!
(Wetland near Statoil eBird Checklist).
The wetlands west of the oil storage tanks. We did not see visible signs of oil in the area, but we did not go into the water to take samples. (photo by Martha Cartwright)We were excited to spot a Tricolored Heron. (photo by Erika Gates)
Clean-up in progress at Equinor. (StatOil changed its name to Equinor.) The storm blew tops off some of the tanks and heavy oil covered the area. With all the work crews, equipment, and security, we did not even consider trying to access the beach south of the oil storage tanks. (photo by Martha Cartwright)Driving past the Equinor oil spill which is in the process of being cleaned up. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Wetlands east of the oil storage tanks were often filled with large wading birds, ducks, and shorebirds before Hurricane Dorian. One month post-Dorian, very few birds present. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
I love birding in the wetlands and on the beach at the “bend in the road” just before Pelican Point. The long, curving, isolated beach, with sandy shoals at low tide, is habitat for a variety of plovers, Sanderlings, American Oystercatchers, yellowlegs, warblers, egrets and herons. On this trip, no birds were spotted on the beach. Only a few Royal Terns and a Laughing Gull flew overhead. (Pelican Point wetlands eBird Checklist)
I think of this as Bend in the Road Beach. On the way east our birding groups always stop here to look for shorebirds. This picture was taken March 28, 2019. (photo by Martha Cartwright)Bend in the Road Beach one month after Hurricane Dorian, high tide. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Pelican Point: A Scene of Destruction
Our final eastern destination for the day was what used to be the beautiful, idyllic shoreline settlement of Pelican Point, host to the annual Coconut Festival. Dorian had transformed it from a dynamic, well-tended little village into a warzone of rubble and gutted houses. We left relief supplies with a woman, who said that only three homes were still habitable in the area.
Pelican Point before Hurricane Dorian, habitat for turtles and shorebirds. Not always in large numbers, but we have seen Piping Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers and larger birds along the coast. I love when the Brown Pelican idles by. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Pelican Point Beach this past April during the annual Coconut Festival. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Same Coconut Festival beach after Dorian. Bridget is dwarfed by the roots of the downed casuarina tree. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Pelican Point Beach after Dorian. Photo taken from the location of the now missing Nesting Turtles sign. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Shorebirds were often seen along the Pelican Point beaches, particularly during migration. Here, before Hurricane Dorian, a photo of Sanderlings resting on the rocks near the gentle surf. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Same beach post-Dorian, but no Sanderlings spotted on this trip. In fact, no shorebirds at all were seen on the Pelican Point Beach. Is there no food on the damaged beach? (photo by Martha Cartwright)
This past week, while waiting to fill my bottles at a water station at the Anglican Church, I met a Mr. Laing from Pelican Point. He had lost his home, but with a smile he told me that like all the families in the area he planned on rebuilding! Pelican Point was his home and would continue to be his home. Time and again I am humbled by the resilience and strength of island people.
A Visit to High Rock
Our last stop heading back home to Freeport was at Marilyn Laing’s home in High Rock. Being on the higher side of the main street, the house avoided the brunt of the storm surge. Marilyn is General Manager at the Garden of the Groves, and during the week, with assistance from Sanitation Services, she is working hard on restoring the gardens. On weekends she works to restore her home and community. We dropped the last of our relief supplies off with Marilyn, whose house has been a depot for relief goods in High Rock. She is a member of our Grand Bahama Island Birders group and well-known to BirdsCaribbean for her excellent education work with youth. And of course, while at Marilyn’s we lifted our binoculars to see the warblers flitting through the trees.
Despite an owner’s efforts to protect a home from the hurricane, this photo shows the power of the surge that swept over much of Grand Bahama. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Our empty bus sits with Marilyn’s house in the background. It is just across the street from the house in the previous picture. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
The long ride back to Freeport. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Recovery for Humans and Birds – and Some Rare Visitors
For some families in Grand Bahama, recovery will take years. For others, life seems almost “normal,” if you don’t visit certain parts of the community. Businesses and families are working hard to rebuild. (We do miss and need our tourists!)
And for the birds? It was sobering, but not surprising to see so few birds out east. Their instinct is for survival, and food is fundamental. Thanks to donations from BirdsCaribbean, our Grand Bahama Island Birders group has been distributing seed feeders and bags of wild bird seed, as well as hummingbird feeders and red nectar concentrate to anyone wanting to help our birds. Many people want to help our birds by making food available. Sarah left yoga class this morning with a seed feeder and a bag of seeds, asking, “May I take some more nectar?”
Again, thank you, Birds Caribbean.
Post-Dorian birders have been recording rare birds to the islands, perhaps vagrants after the hurricane. I’ve been excited to see a Hudsonian Godwit and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Late yesterday afternoon, a Barn Owl sat in Erika’s garden long enough for us to get a good look at this normally elusive resident.
Playing Our Part…While the Birding Continues
What about habitat recovery? The Bahamas National Trust, in a recent article in the Bahamas Tribune, indicated that it would begin to conduct “comprehensive assessments to determine the impact of Dorian on wildlife.” We are happy to hear this. I encourage environmentalists and scientists worldwide to travel to these storm-ravaged habitats to assess the damage to water, soil, plants and animals; to search for our fragile endemic species; and to recommend steps to enhance recovery and minimize damage from future hurricanes.
Bird feeders, seeds, and nectar are a welcome start, but more will need to be done. I encourage BirdsCaribbean to continue their work. I implore the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy, BirdLife International, Manomet, The World Wildlife Fund, and all other groups dedicated to the conservation of birds to assist BirdsCaribbean and Bahamas National Trust with our recovery.
As local birders, we will continue what we love to do…bird! We will report our findings to eBird Caribbean and the International Shorebird Survey (ISS). We will continue to distribute feeders and food for the birds. Mother Nature has already started to do her recovery work; no self-pity, no complaints, she will continue. Now it is time for each of us to insist that our governments and leaders take seriously the detrimental effect of climate change on our planet – and do their part. If you are reading this article, I am sure that you must care. You care deeply. I hope my story of the birds of East Grand Bahama after Dorian will encourage you to continue to act. You must know that your efforts will be appreciated, and are important.
Martha Cartwright receives her certificate from Lisa Sorenson at BirdsCaribbean’s “Conserving Caribbean Shorebirds and their Habitats” Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, March 2019.
It’s raining now as I finish this article. Since our normally potable tap water is still salty, I stop to put out large coolers to catch the rainwater for my plants and bird bath. From my desk I spot a Smooth-billed Ani up in the fig tree. Oh, and two Eurasian Collared Doves.
Goodbye for now, from Grand Bahama – an island in recovery.
Martha Cartwright has been an avid birder on GB since 2014. She is particularly fond of shorebirds and participated in BirdsCaribbean’s Conservation Caribbean Shorebirds Workshop in Puerto Rico last March. Together with bird guru-in-chief, Erika Gates, and their close group of Grand Bahama Island Birders, they regularly carry out birding excursions and counts in many habitats on GB and also do a lot of habitat restoration, outreach, and education about birds and nature on the island.
BirdsCaribbean is extremely grateful to all who have donated to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund; donations are providing bird seed, nectars and feeders, replacing equipment and infrastructure lost in the storm and helping to fund bird and habitat surveys and restoration in Grand Bahama and Abaco. We are working with the Bahamas National Trust and other partners on this recovery work. Please click here or here if you would like to help with this work.
Pristine and beautiful Gold Rock Beach in Lucayan National Park in 2003. We could not reach the beach to check its status and look for birds on our October 3rd, 2019 birding trip. (photo by Erika Gates)Another pic of beautiful Gold Rock Beach in Lucayan National Park. We could not reach this beach to check its status and look for birds on our October 3rd, 2019 birding trip. (photo by Erika Gates)
Partners in Flight 2018 Leadership Award to BirdsCaribbean — a beautiful carving of a Bananaquit, our logo bird.
We are patting ourselves on the back! But the feeling is bittersweet…
It was a special moment at our 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe on July 29, when BirdsCaribbean received a 2018 Partners in Flight Group Leadership Award. This was in recognition of our response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria across several islands in September 2017. President Andrew Dobson accepted the award alongside many members who had participated in the hurricane recovery effort.
Our efforts were twofold: Immediate relief for Caribbean birds, providing for their critical needs after the storms passed. Despite expected post-hurricane logistical challenges “Operation Feeder Rescue” succeeded in delivering crucial food resources across the affected islands for over 60 species of birds. 4,000 nectar feeders, almost 2,000 bottles of nectar and five tons of bird seed arrived in the islands’ ports. Secondly, through fund-raising efforts we were able to fund fifteen small grants for post-hurricane assessments, restoration, and recovery of birds and their habitats. At the same time, BirdsCaribbean helped to raise awareness and knowledge among the public on these islands about the needs of birds stressed by hurricanes. Many realized that it was not only humans who had suffered, and eagerly volunteered to help in the effort.
Greg Butcher (USFS) presents BirdsCaribbean with a 2018 PIF Group Leadership Award for Hurricane Relief and Recovery for Caribbean Birds and Habitats, with Andrew Dobson (President, BirdsCaribbean) accepting. Pictured from left to right are persons who participated in the hurricane recovery effort: Jennifer Yerkes (St. Martin), Mark Yokoyama (St. Martin), Scott Johnson (Bahamas), Natalya Lawrence (Antigua and Barbuda), Stephen Durand (Dominica), Frantz Delcroix (hidden, Guadeloupe), Anthony Levesque (Guadeloupe), Jose Colon (Puerto Rico), Julissa Irizarry (Puerto Rico), Laura Fidalgo (Puerto Rico), Judd Patterson (USA), Eduardo Llegus (Puerto Rico), Alcides Morales (Puerto Rico), Fernando Simal (Bonaire), Kathleen Wood (Turks and Caicos Islands), Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico), and Jennifer Valiulis (US Virgin Islands). Note that not all persons that helped with hurricane relief and recovery were present at the conference for this award. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
So, why bittersweet? Because, just a few weeks after receiving the award, our members in the Bahamas were hit with the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. The violent Category Five Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands and then Grand Bahama on September 1 and 2, stalling for nearly two days close to Grand Bahama. People and wildlife are again suffering.
Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director, explained: “BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to get this award, but saddened that our members and islands are again facing devastation. We learned so much from this effort in 2017 and in fact had a whole symposium on it in Guadeloupe. Many lessons were learned and we are applying them to our current efforts to help the northern Bahamas with recovery, including supplying bird feeders and seed, replacing items that were lost, and funding bird surveys and restoration actions.”
Partners in Flight (PIF) Awards recognize exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation, in the categories of Leadership, Investigations, Public Awareness, Stewardship, and Lifetime Achievement. The PIF Leadership Award honors an individual or group that demonstrates outstanding guidance and direction that contributes, or has contributed, to advancing Partners in Flight conservation efforts. BirdsCaribbean received a 2018 PIF Group Leadership Award for Hurricane Relief and Recovery for Caribbean Birds and Habitats.
Thank you to Partners in Flight for this honor. Congratulations and thanks again to all who participated so enthusiastically in our recovery efforts for birds and habitats over the past two years. And sincere thanks to the many caring and generous individuals, organizations and companies that donated to help make this and our current efforts possible!
