Look and listen out for Clapper Rails during CWC2023. (Artwork by Josmar Esteban Márquez)
This year we have featured seven waterbirds in our Caribbean Water Census graphic! Find out more about each of these beautiful birds in our blog posts and on social media.
It’s January, which can only mean… the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) is back! Get ready with us for the CWC2023 and meet this year’s featured waterbirds. First up is a bird you’re most likely to hear before you see it— the Clapper Rail.
The Clapper Rail is one of our larger rails. Their coloration varies across the geographical range, but in the Caribbean they are a dull buffy-cinnamon overall with gray on the face. They have pale-orange down-curved bills. Clapper rails rarely fly, spending most of its time on the ground concealed by dense vegetation, typically mangroves. This makes them hard to spot! You will need to listen for its call which can be a short series of clacking “cac-cac-cac” or grunting notes.
If you’re lucky, you may be able to see it boldly stalking prey like small crabs, aquatic insects, and small fishes, twitching its short tail as it walks, or swimming across a tributary. Although large bodied and abundant across its range, along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, and also in the Yucatan and Caribbean, its secretive habits mean its biology remains somewhat a mystery.
Marshes and mangroves are important areas for the Clapper Rail and although not a species of conservation concern, habitat modification can hamper successful nesting. Draining for example causes low marsh plants to be replaced by high marsh or terrestrial plants reducing availability of suitable nesting sites for this rail.
Searching for food in shallow water in Cuba. (Photo by Christoph Moning- Macaulay Library- ML89873881)
Hiding in the mangrove, Bahamas. (Photo by Martha Cartwright)
Clapper Rail in a mangrove, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Dubi Shapiro- Macaulay Library- MLS105126447)
Out on the mud in full view! (Photo by Dubi Shapiro- Macaulay Library- ML495063441))
Clapper Rail amongst mangrove trees. (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
Clapper Rail spotted in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Objio Sarraff)
If you see any Clapper Rails on your #CWC2023 counts this year, don’t forget to tag us @birdscaribbean and share your amazing photos!
CWC 2023 starts on Saturday January 14th and runs to Saturday February 4th. See below for detailed instructions and free downloadable resources to help you make the most of your waterbird counts and don’t forget to keep an eye out for Piping Plovers!
This small, round shorebird is listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN with an estimated global breeding population of just 8,400 birds. They breed in restricted areas of North America but migrate south in fall with some birds spending their winter in the Caribbean. It’s vital that we continue to learn more about the numbers and distribution of this rare shorebird in our region. Read on to find out how you can help us.
The 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count will be taking place at the start of 2023, from January 14 to February 3. This year we are asking you to make a special effort to find and count Piping Plovers. You can do this by planning your CWC surveys in places where Piping Plovers have been seen before (explore their sightings on eBird). Or by doing surveys in places where there might be suitable habitat for wintering Piping Plovers. We have plenty of information and resources to help you plan your surveys and pick out Piping Plovers from the pack!
Track Piping Plover Sightings Live!
We are tracking where Piping Plovers have been seen during CWC 2023. Send us your sightings as you make them and we will update the map. This mean you can track our progress in finding Piping Plover live during the survey. Click on each point for more information about each sighting.
Zoom in or out to view your region or the whole Caribbean. Click the icon in the top right corner to see a larger map. You can share your sightings, including a grid reference and your count of Piping Plovers at that location (if more than one was seen) with waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org or on the BirdsCaribbean listserv.
NOTE: If you are not within the Caribbean but have seen a Piping Plover during the CWC survey period you can still share your sightings and we will add them to the map! And we will continue to add all sightings of Piping Plovers in 2023 to this map, so please continue your CWC counts and send us your eBird Caribbean checklists. Remember that although we have one annual 3-week regional count period (14 Jan-3 Feb), we encourage everyone to carry out CWC counts year-round, especially during fall and spring migration. We need much more information on all the habitats that shorebirds and waterbirds use throughout the year. Thanks!!!
What to look for
Piping Plovers are small, round shorebirds with ‘stubby’ black bills and orange legs. Their upper parts are pale brown, the colour of dry sand, and they are white below. We have made a handy ID guide to help you pick out Piping Plovers from some of the other small plovers that winter in the Caribbean.
They also have a unique two-note high to low pee-too call that you can listen out for.
Piping Plovers can be quite vocal, even during the winter. They often give a mellow two-part whistle, that drops in pitch, pee-too. Sometimes they only give the first part of this call as single, repeated with several seconds between each call: pee … pee … pee.
These little birds can sometimes be very tricky to spot and blend in to their surrounding so you’ll need to look carefully to find them! If you do find any Piping Plovers don’t forget to scan their legs for colour bands. Finding and reporting these bands can help us learn more about where different breeding populations spend the winter. You can find out how to report bands in our helpful guide (above). More information and different versions of this guide to reporting banded Piping Plovers are available to download on our Shorebird Resources webpage.
Where to look
Thanks to dedicated survey efforts over the past few years, we already know about some of the main islands and areas where Piping Plovers spend the winter in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos Islands. We also know they have been spotted in smaller numbers in other countries, including Puerto Rico and its offshore islands and cays, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the US and British Virgin Islands, St Kitts, Guadeloupe, Anguilla, and Bonaire (there are just one or two records for some of these countries). But in the ‘right’ habitat there are likely more Piping Plovers to be found, both in ‘new’ locations on islands where they have been seen before and perhaps some islands where they haven’t been seen yet. We need more people out there looking for them!
Piping Plovers in the Caribbean are often seen in small flocks resting and feeding on sand flats. Even here, out in the open, they can be tricky to spot with their ‘dry sand’ coloured plumage blending with their surroundings. Be sure to also check any seaweed (wrack) on the beach as this is another favourite haunt of theirs. Other places Piping Plovers might be found include mudflats, mangroves, and along rocky areas of shoreline, where again they blend in beautifully, especially if they are resting. Check out and share our handy graphics, with artwork by Josmar Esteban Márquez, to remind you where to look.
Just how do you spot those easily camouflaged, tiny plovers? Graphics from Josmar Esteban Marquez shared all the tips!
Click on each image to enlarge then right click to “save as….” a jpeg. Use these links to download each image in higher resolution as a pdf: Sand Flats, Mangroves, Beach Wrack, Rocky Shore
We want as many people as possible to join in our effort to look for Piping Plovers during the 2023 CWC regional count period. Be sure to watch Sidney Maddock’s webinar before you plan your surveys. You can also use and share these survey tips to get the most out of your Piping Plover surveys.
When you do your surveys please treat them like all your other CWC surveys. This means you should count all the bird species that you see (in addition to any Piping Plovers). Make sure you enter your data in eBird Caribbean using one of the CWC protocols on Step 2 of data entry (online). If using the eBird app, set your portal to eBird Caribbean to access the CWC options for your checklists.
Thanks to Environment and Climate change Canada for helping to funding these resources and our efforts to survey Piping Plovers during our 2023 CWC!
Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino)
Every year thousands of birds make epic journeys south, visiting our region on the way. Throughout the fall we celebrated these amazing migratory birds in the Caribbean during World Migratory Bird Day. Check out the fun and creative ways that Caribbean organizations got involved from Laura Baboolal, the Caribbean Coordinator, of World Migratory Bird Day for Environment for the Americas.
October 8th, 2022 marked the official date for World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) in the Caribbean. However, it is celebrated throughout the fall migration season. This year’s theme for WMBD was “Dim the Lights for Birds at Night.”
Light pollution is known to adversely affect wildlife. For migratory birds in particular, it causes disorientation when they fly at night, leading to collisions with buildings. It also interferes with their internal clocks, which they use to time their migrations.
The good news is that more and more cities are taking measures to dim their lights at night, especially during spring and fall migration phases. Find out how the Caribbean is doing its part to ensure the safety of birds during migration.
Since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions on most islands in the Caribbean, educators were all excited to get back out there hosting in-person WMBD. Activities were held in Anguilla, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Bonaire, Montserrat, Grenada, and Trinidad and Tobago, just to name a few.
Here we highlight some of this year’s WMBD activities!
On a learning curve in Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico several organizations joined together to celebrate WMBD 2022. Víctor Cuevas from US Forest Service, Hilda Morales from Asociación Puertorriqueña de Interpretación and Educación (APIE), Emilio Font from Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI), and Yaritza Bobonis from Fundación Amigos de El Yunque hosted birding walks, talks about the importance of birds, migration, how to observe birds, and other educational activities.
Click on images to enlarge
Víctor Cuevas from US Forest Service, Hilda Morales from Asociación Puertorriqueña de Interpretación and Educación (APIE), Emilio Font from Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI), and Yaritza Bobonis from Fundación Amigos de El Yunque. (Photo by Nancy Merlo)
A WMBD birding walk in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Brenda Peña )
Learning about migratory birds and light pollution. (Photo by Yaritza Bobonis)
A swampy experience in Trinidad and Tobago
Across in Trinidad and Tobago, a local school teacher Sabira Ali, who hosts private birding activities for children, celebrated WMBD for the first time with her group of 14 students. The activity included a presentation at the Caroni Swamp Visitor’s Centre about migratory birds followed by an art activity – decorating bird masks. Afterwards, the children enjoyed a casual bird walk at the swamp. The evening was spent checking birds off their checklists. We are also happy to share that the group sent letters to local businesses, requesting that they turn off building lights at night (and explaining how this helps the birds).
Click on images to enlarge
Decorating bird masks in Trinidad! (Photo by Sabira Ali)
Learning about migratory birds at Caroni Swamp. (Photo by Sabira Ali)
Taking a walk at Caroni Swamp Trinidad. (Photo by Laura Baboolal)
Birding delight in the Dominican Republic
In the Dominican Republic the search was on for migratory birds. At El Jardín Botánico Nacional (The National Botanical Garden) students from el Politécnico Movearte (Movearte Polytechnical School), el Liceo Panamericano (the Pan-American High School) and el Liceo Benito Juárez (the Benito Juárez High School), went birdwatching and were delighted to see the following species: Cape May Warbler, Prairie Warbler, American Redstart, and Merlin.
Maria Paulino, of local environmental NGO Grupo Acción Ecológica, hosted a 3-day workshop entitled “Introducción al Maravilloso Mundo de las Aves” (Introduction to the Wonderful World of Birds) for fifth grade students of Grado del Colegio Doulos (Doulos College) in Jarabacoa. One day was designated Observation Day, where participants could see birds in their natural habitats; these included several migratory species such as the Black-throated Blue Warbler, Ovenbird and Black-and-White Warbler.
Click on images to enlarge
Making bird masks in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino)
A School group enjoying WMBD activities in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino)
Birding in the Botanic Gardens. (Photo by Maria Paulino)
Light can be a bad thing for birds…
On Antigua and Barbuda, the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) encouraged students and teachers to think about light pollution and its effects on migratory birds. Presentations were given at Antigua State College and St. Anthony’s Secondary School, by Joshel Wilson.
Click on images to enlarge.
Learning about light pollution and migratory Birds with Joshel Wilson from EAG. (Photo by EAG)
Joshel talks to School group about World Migratory Bird Day. (Photo by EAG)
Members of the Wadadli Warblers, a local birding club on the island, also joined in the WMBD festivities. They carried out several point counts at various locations around Antigua and Barbuda, which were then uploaded to eBird Caribbean.
We extend a massive thank you to all the amazing people and organizations celebrating WMBD – this year and every year! We look forward to learning more about your fantastic activities planned for 2023.
World Migratory Bird Day 2023—Announcement of the theme!
World Migratory Bird Day 2023 is just around the corner! We have already started planning the campaign, which will focus on the topic of water and its importance for the survival of migratory birds. Water is fundamental to life on our planet. The vast majority of migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life cycles. Inland and coastal wetlands, rivers, lakes, streams, marshes, and ponds are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and also as places to rest and refuel during their long journeys.
Unfortunately, these watery ecosystems are becoming increasingly threatened around the world – and so are the migratory birds that depend on them. The increasing human demand for water, as well as pollution and climate change, are having a direct impact on the availability of clean water and the conservation status of many migratory birds. The campaign will seek to highlight and identify key actions for protecting water resources and aquatic ecosystems.
Water is so precious!
If you are interested in celebrating WMBD in your country, we encourage you to visit the WMBD website for more information or contact the Caribbean Regional Coordinator, Laura Baboolal, at lbaboolal@environmentamericas.org. If you have an event planned, you can register it and put the Caribbean on the global events map.
With bird migration in full swing September was the perfect time for BirdsCaribbean to head to Barbados for a Wetlands Education Training Workshop! From September 27-28, 2022 30 participants took part in this ‘train the trainers’ event at Walkers Reserve, where they learned all about the wondrous wetlands and wetland birds on Barbados.During the two daysof fun-filled and hands-on learning, participants were armed with tools, resources, andinspirationto help them share what they learned with others. Read all about what the workshop was like from the perspective of workshop participant Meike Joseph.
In September I completed a two-day Wetlands and Bird Education Training Workshop held by BirdsCaribbean at Walkers Reserve, Barbados. Initially, when I found out about this workshop, I got excited. I see birds on a regular basis but have not been able to identify them. So now you know why I joined this workshop – I wanted to learn how to identify birds. As it turned out I learnt so much more than that! Considering that this workshop was just two days, the information was extremely useful for my field of work. I did not feel overwhelmed at any point. The facilitators made learning easy, explaining all aspects of each topic in its simplest form so we could easily understand and absorb the information.
Talking about wetlands
On the first day of the workshop we were given a substantial amount of learning materials including bird identification charts, colouring books, and a book, Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers’ Resource Book, which is packed with information on Caribbean wetlands and birds, including many educational activities that can be done with kids and communities. We were also given a pop quiz as soon as registration was completed. Needless to say, I panicked as I didn’t know much about birds or wetlands! However, this quiz was helpful. As we did the same quiz at the end of the two-day period, it allowed the facilitators and myself to see how much we had learned, and it was a lot!
The group at Walkers Reserve learn about different types of wetlands from Michele Kading.
Marvelous mangroves
We gained a significant amount of knowledge on wetlands, including definitions of wetlands and what we would find within these amazing ecosystems, with a focus on mangroves. This intrigued me as I am very passionate about them. We received a booklet on Mangroves of the Caribbean which assisted in mangrove identification, and also learnt about how important they are as homes and protection for all kinds of birds, fish, crustaceans and other organisms.
Learning about the different types of mangroves on Barbados.
Pouring a pond!
We then participated in a demonstration titled Pour-a-Pond (Activity 2-C in Wondrous West Indian Wetlands). This was the highlight of the first day for me. We made a small pond-like structure from a sheet of plastic which was filled with water from the ponds at Walkers Reserve. We were then asked to catch and identify the various organisms that we spotted in the water, using an identification chart that was given to us by Dr. Sorenson and Ms. Kading. This activity resulted in lots of interaction between the students who were all fascinated by the many organisms they found. After this demonstration, we learned a lot about the importance and value of our wetlands, the ongoing destruction of these unique ecosystems, and why we should make efforts to save them.
Next, John Webster, an experienced birder and bird guide in Barbados gave an excellent presentation on Wetlands in Barbados and the many resident and migratory birds that use these sites. I found this riveting! I am a local person, but I had never seen or heard about some of these locations. John pointed out that many of these wetland areas were once used for bird shooting but some are now becoming conservation areas.
John Webster talking to the group about wetlands in Barbados
Time to get active
At noon, we separated into six groups to partake in different activities from the workbook. We then demonstrated them to the other participants. The title of my group’s activity was ‘Salty Currents’ where we gathered materials and used them to show what occurs when fresh and saltwater meet, as they do in swamps. We also discussed how water temperature and salinity influence plant and animal habitats in wetlands. All activities were wetland-and bird-focused and resulted in extensive discussions, and even heated debates!
One such activity, called ‘Difficult Decisions,’ was a role-play where participants in the group discussed real-life environmental issues in a Town Hall setting. Each person took on the role of a different stakeholder, all with different interests in the outcome, for example, debating the fate of a mangrove slated for destruction to make way for a new hotel. The development company, environmental minister, tourism minister, fisherman, eco-tourism guide, local restaurant owner, environmentalist, etc. all have different opinions about whether or not the development should move forward. Each passionately argued their case and voiced their opinion, sometimes sounding like well-known local public figures in similar situations! This brought on laughs but the exercise is valuable in that it places students in the position of decision-makers and challenges them to make up their own minds about what to do.
Another important activity, ‘A Hunter’s Tale,‘ addressed the issue of hunting. This was another role play intended to stimulate students to think about the issue of hunting and make up their own minds about it. Barbados provides important stopover habitats for many migratory shorebirds, however, many of these wetlands are private “shooting swamps” managed for hunting. Hunting has a long history in Barbados and in the past, tens of thousands of shorebirds were killed each fall. Thankfully, some of the “shooting swamps” have been converted into shorebird refuges in recent years, now providing vital habitat for birds like the Lesser Yellowlegs that need a place to rest and feed on their long migrations. These refuges are now wonderful places to see hundreds of shorebirds and waterbirds up close – we were grateful to the hunting clubs that allowed us to visit and enjoy the birds on the field trip the next day!
“There were many highlights to my learning experience at the workshop. It was exciting gaining knowledge on birds but also thrilling to learn about wetlands, particularly the mangroves within them.” – Meike Joseph
Birding 101
Following the peer-teaching activities was a presentation on bird identification. Prior to this presentation, many of us had limited knowledge on identifying birds. We learnt about how to identify birds, including observing size and shape, beak size and curvature, color patterns, behavior, habitat, and more. I found it very interesting that birds change their feather colors or plumage, based on the season – the breeding or non-breeding season. This would sometimes make it tricky to identify some birds! This lesson added to my eagerness to observe birds on Day Two.
Lisa Sorenson gave the group some helpful tips on how to identify birds. (photo by Alex Sansom)
After this presentation, the day ended and we were on our way home, armed with a range of learning materials and a significant amount of knowledge on wetlands and birds.
Day two: On the road we go
Day Two was one of adventure and learning. We headed off to two wetlands to observe and identify the various birds that we saw with our binoculars which had been given, compliments of BirdCaribbean, to be used for continued outreach and education at Walkers Reserve.
Meike (in the foreground) and the group using binoculars to watch birds at Congo Road Swamp and Private Bird Sanctuary, Barbados. (photo by Kierra Clarke)
That relaxing feeling when bird watching
Our first site was Congo Road Private Bird Sanctuary, a former shorebird shooting swamp. We focused on observing and identifying all the birds that we saw. Ms. Kading first led an activity called Sound Mapping (Activity 6-J), which I thought was quite calming. It was a highlight for me at this location. We were asked to sit quietly, to listen to all the sounds around us and also to note the direction of these sounds. This made me realize how long it had been since I quieted down and really tuned in to nature’s beautiful sounds. As I was sitting and listening, I also noticed a bird hunting for food in the water, diving to catch its prey – a fascinating sight.
The second place we went to was one that was unfamiliar to me – a beautiful wetland on the north of the island called Foster’s Swamp, another former shooting swamp, turned bird sanctuary, filled with a great variety of birds. It’s here that I was able to observe a unique bird for me, a juvenile American Golden Plover resting on the grass. This was a beautiful and informative day. We used the knowledge gained from Day One to assist in identifying different wetland birds.
A beautiful American Golden Plover in Barbados, this bird is less common in the Caribbean than the similar looking Black-bellied Plover. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Getting up and active, the group take part in a migration game, Migration Headache, Activity 4-G) on day two of workshop
Later at Foster’s Swamp the group also took part in several of the fun games and activities from the Wetlands Workbook about migration and food webs. Games played included “Migration Headache” which involved ‘migrating’ (running) from breeding areas to increasingly limited wetland habitat (paper plates), learning about the threats faced by migrant birds from habitat loss, pollution, hunting and hurricanes. In “Deadly Links” the participants playing the role of ‘Ospreys’ caused havoc amongst their hapless ‘prey’ – only to discover that they had consumed so many pesticides (accumulated in the food-chain) that their next clutch of eggs wouldn’t hatch. Another intriguing activity was Mangrove Metaphors—learning about the functions and values of mangroves from everyday household objects (e.g., sponge, sieve, cereal box, etc.). Other games involved making a ‘human food web’ and then untangling it, as well as learning about how limited food and habitat resources affect migrating birds in a game called “Habitat Havoc.” Thankfully the weather had cooled during the afternoon and these games got everyone up and active!
Got that Certificate!
The second day of the birding workshop ended with us receiving our certificates stating that we successfully completed the Wondrous West Indian Wetlands Education Training Workshop. Gaining this knowledge on birds was personally satisfying and also assisted me in creating birding tours.
Meike gets her certificate from Michele Kading and Lisa Sorenson. (photo by Kierra Clarke)
Meieke Joseph is a Project Officer and Tour Manager for Walkers Institute for Regeneration Research Education and Design (WIRRED) and environmental non-profit based at Walkers. Whilst studying at UWI Cave Hill she completed a research project on Remnant Wetlands on the West Coast of Barbados. This has fueled her passion to work on mangrove restoration on the island and has also motivated her to work towards more regenerative practices for Barbados.
This workshop was made possible with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, and additional support from Walkers Reserve, WIRRED, CPRI Barbados, Vortex Optics, US Forest Service International Programs, and Southeastern Printing. Thanks also to Congo Road and Fosters Swamp Private Bird Sanctuaries for kindly hosting us on the field trip. You can learn more about the Wonderful West Indian Wetlands project here.
If you want to learn more about shorebirds in the Caribbean check out our shorebird resources page here, which has downloadable ID resources, outreach materials, videos and information pages.
The 14th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count is just around the corner! This year we are asking people to make a special effort to look out for Piping Plovers- read on to find out everything you need to know about CWC in 2023.
Starting in 2010 our annual CWC region-wide count has seen enthusiastic birders venture into wetlands across the Caribbean to systematically survey all types of waterbirds. This fascinating and varied group includes shorebirds, seabirds, wading birds, marsh birds, and waterfowl! In its 14th year CWC 2023 begins on Saturday, January 14 and runs until Saturday, February 3. As always we need you to help by surveying all types of waterbirds in the wetlands on your island! Anyone can participate in the CWC – just 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. A wonderful world of waterbirds awaits!
Note: Our beautiful CWC promotional graphics (created by Josmar Esteban Márquez) are available for free download in English, Spanish and French, and also as a template in Canva so that you can add your logo and modify it for your events – see links below. This year’s featured birds include (clockwise from upper left) the Brown Pelican, White-tailed Tropicbird, Little Blue Heron, Green-winged Teal, Clapper Rail, Pied-billed Grebe, and Piping Plover.
Why the CWC?
Why do we want to take part? It’s more than just an opportunity for another great birding excursion. The Caribbean is home to 185 species of waterbirds! Many of these are migratory but the group also includes many endemic species and a number that are endangered globally. Waterbirds and their wetland habitats in the Caribbean face a range of threats, including development, pollution, human activities, and climate change impacts. A structured, long-term survey program, like the CWC, is essential for understanding how to best conserve this exceptional group of birds and manage their habitats.
Help is at hand! Become a Waterbird expert!
Handy tips for your CWC surveys- also available in Spanish and French (see end of post)
How do you get started? We are here to assist you! If you have never participated in the CWC before or you just want some tips for how to plan and carry out your CWC surveys in 2023, then you can use our handy ‘CWC Survey Tips’ infographic to help you get started. This is also available in Spanish and French. You can also share these tips with others to encourage them to take part! Another great way to learn more about CWC and how to carry out surveys is to watch our webinar “How to Participate in the Caribbean Waterbird Census” which is available on our YouTube channel. And there are CWC survey guidelines here.
We know that waterbirds and shorebirds can sometimes be difficult to identify. One sandpiper can look very much like another. Long bill? Short bill? Yellow legs? But don’t despair! BirdsCaribbean is here to help you build your ID skills! We have free online resources that will help you pick out those plovers in their winter plumage and get to grips with your sandpiper ID – which is a fine art in itself.
You can get ready for your CWC surveys by downloading our ID Guide to Common Caribbean Shorebirds, which you may like to print and take with you. It’s really helpful to have a pictorial guide with you when you are standing in that muddy wetland or at the beach. You can also watch our two other CWC webinars on waterbird and shorebird ID. These and many other ID and outreach resources are available for you to use and download on this page.
Our Caribbean shorebird poster is available for free download in English, Spanish and French.
2023 Piping Plover Alert
For CWC 2023 we are asking that people make an extra effort to look for Piping Plovers. Piping Plovers are small rotund shorebirds that are a delight to see. But they are also listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN, with a small population size. They breed in restricted areas of North America but migrate south in fall with some birds spending their winter in the Caribbean!
Piping Plovers in the Turks and Caicos Islands. (photo by Eric Salamanca)
We already know about some of the main places where they spend the winter, like the Bahamas, Cuba, and Turks and Caicos. We also know they have been spotted in other places including Jamaica, Bonaire, and the Dominican Republic. It’s very likely that in the ‘right’ habitat there are more Piping Plovers to be found! Including in ‘new’ places on islands where we already know they winter. They may even spend their winters on some islands where they have not been recorded before. We would like to know more about their whereabouts and to record them on eBird.
It’s vital that we continue to learn more about the numbers and distribution of this rare shorebird in our region. Knowing where their habitat is will help us protect and conserve the beaches and wetlands that Piping Plovers and other shorebirds need to survive. Keeping an eye open for these birds is extra important, for this reason. We already have some resources to help you. You can find out all about surveying for Piping Plover, including ID tips, the habitats they use, and survey considerations in our recent Piping Plover webinar from expert Sidney Maddock. Check out also the ID cards and habitat types to look for Piping Plovers in this article. We also have information on what to do if you spot a color-banded Piping plover (or other bird) on our shorebird resources page.
Finally, check out the awesome Piping Plover merchandise, including t-shirts, hats, sticker and more – just what you need for your 2023 CWC surveys! Note: These items are shipped from the US so ordering via a US based mail service or doing a group order to a Caribbean island should help reduce shipping costs. Check our social media and web pages too, for more Piping Plover resources to come!
Don’t forget to eBird!
An important aspect of the CWC is that it is all captured and stored on eBird Caribbean. As you enter your sightings, you must be sure to use the CWC protocol on Step 2, under “Observation Type.” eBird is playing an increasingly crucial role in the CWC process. If you’re new to eBird, check out our helpful video here on how to use eBird and Merlin. If you need help with eBird submissions (it’s really not complicated!) or with setting up an eBird account, do contact Alex Sansom: waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org
Have fun! Stay safe, count responsibly, and enjoy your day (or days) of counting during this three-week period!
Promotional Graphics for CWC 2023 are available in English, Spanish and French. We also have ‘CWC Survey Tips’ graphics in all three languages formatted for Facebook or Instagram . You can add your own logos or event information. Click on each image in the gallery below to enlarge then right click on an enlarged image and ‘save image as’ to download. You can also download our graphics from Dropbox here (higher resolution versions) or use these links to Canva to use our promotional graphics as a template (each link contains graphics in all three languages):
Chris holding a male Western Tanager. (Photo by Zach Hutchinson)
Chris Johnson is a 21-year-old birder, photographer, and conservationist from The Bahamas, and a student at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. In March 2022, he attended BirdsCaribbean’s first Caribbean Bird Banding Training Workshop in Nassau, The Bahamas, where he had his first experiences learning about bird banding as a tool for research and monitoring. After the workshop BirdsCaribbean selected Chris for a Bird Banding Internship, so that he could continue to train and hone his banding skills. Here, Chris shares his experiences banding birds this summer with Audubon Rockies in Casper, Wyoming.
The well-known phrase “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” is true even in the literal sense. The movements of birds during migration, their age, body condition, reproductive status, population trends, and more can all be discovered with birds in the hand. Banding is an important tool for understanding how wild bird populations are faring. I was thrilled at the opportunity to further my knowledge of bird banding in Casper, Wyoming, and especially excited to travel to one of my bucket list locations, the magnificent Rocky Mountains!
My first impression: My mind was blown!
Upon arriving in Casper, I was blown away by the incredible landscapes that I’d never seen before. The sweeping grasslands with picturesque hills and mountains were something I had always dreamt of seeing. I experienced new habitats such as riparian wetlands, grasslands, and subalpine forests, along with the birds that inhabit them, such as Black-billed Magpies, Western Tanagers, and Black-Headed Grosbeaks. This was just the start of an unforgettable experience to come.
The picturesque plains and mountains that greeted Chris on his way to Casper, Wyoming. (Photo by Thomas hawk).A male Black-headed Grosbeak. (Photo by Alan D Wilson).
A busy banding day
As I woke up on the first day of bird banding, I was excited to begin banding and handling some amazing new birds in a new location. Upon arrival at Edness K. Wilkins State Park, the temperature was 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius); a wee bit chilly for this Bahamian. While we ended up having to wait an hour or two for the temperature to warm up a bit, our total number of extracted and processed birds at the end of the day was close to 60 individuals! In previous banding experiences back at home, more than 20 birds made for an extraordinary day. While it was the busiest banding day I’ve ever had, it was a great way to kick off the start of the banding season in Casper and set the tone for what was shaping up to be a great summer.
View of verdant hills and plains in Wyoming, from Casper Mountain. (Photo by Rich Hermann)
As I had very little experience in extracting, processing, and banding birds, the first few banding sessions helped to refresh my memory on handling birds safely and bird banding ethics. I had the pleasure, during my internship, of working closely with Zach Hutchinson (Community Science Coordinator of Audubon Rockies). I learned how to run an effective banding station and the “ins and outs” of processing the data collected from migratory and resident songbirds.
More local banders needed in the Bahamas
I am currently studying wildlife conservation at Holland College in Prince Edward Island, Canada. I hope to return home to The Bahamas to start a banding station and begin collecting data on our resident and migratory bird species. The Bahamas does not currently have any active bird banding stations run by a local person. . While some birds have been studied in The Bahamas by US and Canadian scientists, it is crucial to have more Bahamians with intimate knowledge of the local birds and their behavior to lead this research and advance Bahamian bird conservation.
Zach has had many years of experience operating the bird banding stations in Casper. He has a thorough, comprehensive knowledge of how to run an effective bird banding station, extract and process various bird species, and train volunteers.. As the Casper stations are quite small, it was easy for Zach to share his knowledge with me. I learned more about bird banding in the past three months from Zach and the folks at Audubon Rockies than I would have learned in a year back at home!
A giant leap in banding experience
I had the opportunity to band at Keyhole State Park and at a site on Casper Mountain, besides Edness K. Wilkins State Park. The primary training I received was in banding songbirds but I also got great practice with hummingbirds and Mourning Doves. Before this internship, I had only extracted a total of two birds from mist nets and banded one. After this internship, I can say that I have extracted approximately 105 birds and banded approximately 99! While I’m just starting my bird banding training journey, this internship has given me knowledge in extracting birds from mist nets, identifying molt stages of different birds, sexing and understanding the health of birds in hand, and using the new Wolfe, Ryder, Pyle (WRP) codes to accurately determine the age of a bird.
Hummingbirds were banded too, like this tiny Rufous Hummingbird. (Photo by Chris Johnson).
A Mountain Chickadee. (Photo by Alan D Wilson)
While we extracted and banded many common Wyoming birds like Yellow Warblers, Common Grackles, and American Robins, some of my favorites for practicing extractions and processing were House Wrens, Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, Bullock’s Orioles, and Black-headed Grosbeaks.
Not all banding stations are the same
While the BirdsCaribbean Banding Workshop back home served as an incredible introduction to the world of bird banding, every station operates a bit differently. Each will use slightly differing methods for station setup, net setup and extraction, and for processing birds, to operate at the highest efficiency. Banding equipment in The Bahamas differs quite a lot from the banding equipment that we used in Casper. The methodology for setting up an effective bird banding station was also quite different. Nevertheless,I cannot wait to utilize some of these new methods and tricks to enhance bird banding when I return to The Bahamas.
Although the training was the main purpose of my internship, I also grabbed the opportunity to see much of Wyoming on days off! A personal favorite would have to be the jaw-dropping Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. I also truly enjoyed attending my first ever BioBlitz in Guernsey State Park, documenting the incredible fauna that Wyoming has to offer. A BioBlitz is a fun but intense event where students, teachers, volunteers, and scientists collaborate to survey as many species of flora and fauna in a particular area over the span of 24 hours.
Chris stops for a photo in front of the Grand Teton National Park sign, during the bioblitz. (Photo by Chris Johnson)
After attending this internship, my appreciation of bird banding has grown exponentially. I hope to continue practicing my bird banding skills before returning home to The Bahamas. My goal is to eventually start my own MoSI (Monitoreo de Sobrevivencia Invernal/Monitoring Neotropical Migrants on their Wintering Grounds) stations, while studying migratory, endemic, and range-restricted Bahamian bird species.
I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to bird banding. But now I am inspired, and eager to see what the future holds for bird research in The Bahamas. I want to contribute to it back home, in some way.
I’d like to thank Zach Hutchinson and all the folks at Audubon Rockies for all of their support and training over the summer, and Nate and Jenny Edwards for their incredible hospitality and welcoming me into their home for 3 months. I’d also like to thank Ellis Hein and Stacey Scott for their efforts during the banding season and showing me around Casper, and getting some new lifers along the way. Lastly, I’d like to thank Holly Garrod, Maya Wilson, and everyone at BirdsCaribbean for making this summer possible. Without their support I wouldn’t have had this incredible opportunity and experience to band birds in this remarkable location.
BirdsCaribbean would also like to thank Zack Hutchinson and others with Audubon Rockies for supporting this training. Chris’ internship was funded in part by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Fund.
Cesar (second from the right) in Barbados with the Motus team- Lisa Sorenson and Maya Wilson, from BirdsCaribbean and Todd Alleger from the Northeast Motus Collaboration. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Cesar Montero is a nature tour guide based in Vieques, Puerto Rico. After a fortuitous meeting at the 2022 AOS-BC conference in Puerto Rico, where Cesar attended a Motus workshop, he is now in training as an installation expert for the Caribbean Motus Collaboration! This effort by BirdsCaribbean and our partners will expand the Motus Wildlife Tracking system in the Caribbean. Here he recounts his experience installing a Motus station on the island of Barbados… and his complicated journey to get there!
Finally, the day had come. As I started my journey to Barbados, Fiona, then a Category 1 hurricane, had made landfall in Puerto Rico the day before. The storm had triggered floods that destroyed roads, homes and disrupted the island’s power supply. I had an inkling that this trip was going to be an adventure.
Trying to get there: the frustrations of inter-island travel
Part One of my journey began with taking a 7:45 A.M flight from the island of Vieques to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is a 30-minute flight in a small plane, which scares me because you can feel every bit of turbulence. But the view of the beautiful waters of Puerto Rico to your right and being at eye level with the peak of the El Yunque to your left, truly makes the flight one of a kind. From the smaller airport in Isla Grande, I took a taxi to the international airport in Carolina, where I would take the next flight to Miami.
It was a long journey full of delays, but the team woke up to a beautiful view on the north coast of Barbados (Bathsheba). (Photo Lisa Sorenson)
But not so fast! The flight was delayed. To kill some time, I bought some fast food at the airport. In Vieques we don’t have any fast food restaurants, so eating it is almost like a delicacy for me. I regret it every time afterwards!
After landing in Miami, I made my way to the terminal and waited for my flight to Barbados. What did I do in the meantime? You guessed it – I got more fast food!
At Miami Airport I met Todd Alleger, the Motus expert who would be guiding the team through the installation process. First Maya and then Lisa saw us and we all caught up with each other. The last time we met was at the AOS-BC conference in Puerto Rico in June. As the airline started to call the groups to board the plane, I was in the last group; everyone was already on the plane. I walked up to the counter and presented my passport. This was my first time traveling outside of the U.S. or its territories, so I was excited. But… there was another delay.
My heart sank. The team was on the flight already but I was now put on standby. It was a full flight but some people had not shown up yet. Then a family came running up and were able to board. Then another family. I began to get a little worried. When another person on standby boarded the plane, I was sure I was doomed. Then at last I heard my name being called, whew! I boarded and the fourth and final leg was under way.
Getting down to the basics at Walkers Reserve
I was in Barbados at last!
The next day, we headed to Walkers Reserve in northeastern Barbados, a former sand quarry now transformed into a nature reserve, where we would be erecting the first Motus station on the island. Shae Warren, the Director of Projects at Walkers Institute for Regeneration Research Education and Design Inc. (WIRRED) greeted us and gave us a tour of the reserve. We walked through the potential sites for the station and at each location we visited, the landscape was stunning. It was amazing to see all of the progress they had made in creating a thriving ecosystem, where there had once been a large sand mine. I suggest learning more about its history and the organization’s mission here.
A view across the newly created wetlands and coastline at Walkers reserve. (Photo by Shae Warren)
Motus stations need to be installed in places where the antennas will have a good ‘view’ of the target area that birds are expected to use or pass through. In this case, a good view of the coast and coastal wetlands that migratory shorebirds use was needed. After finalizing the location for the station, the digging began – fortunately, for us, they had an excavator! The next step was to fill the hole with concrete. The WIRRED staff were amazing, helping every step of the way. They made a base box to pour the concrete and also mixed the concrete using their machinery. We all worked together on getting the concrete poured little by little. We made sure to keep it flat and level, as this would form the base of the Motus tower.
The excavator, ready to dig the hole for the station base. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Todd and Shae watch as the excavator gets to work. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Rain didn’t stop us…
On day two the forecast was: rain! We were worried that the concrete would not dry, but the Caribbean sun is no joke and quickly dried it. As it rained Maya, Todd, Shae and I worked on getting all of the rest of the components of the tower together. We assembled the antennas and prepared the wiring and receiving station, as well as the solar power system. Later in the afternoon, the rain had let up. Off we went to fix the tower to the base. It was a matter of adding screws and bolts where they needed to be to make it secure.
Cesar sets to work helping pour the concrete. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Todd shows Cesar how to connect up the solar panel. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
The antennas were added next. As a trained climber, it was Todd who added the antennas to the tower. The sun was starting to set and the colors in the sky were spectacular. There were even bats flying overhead taking care of the mosquitoes for us. But this also meant we had to work quickly as we were running out of precious sunlight.
Up on the tower…
Todd had attached all of the antennas but he just needed an extra hand to secure the mast full of antennas to the base of the tower. So up the tower I went. The higher up the tower I climbed, the more windy and scary it became. Todd was walking me through the climb every step of the way and made sure I was clipping on to the tower, using his climbing gear he loaned. This calmed my nerves. The sun was setting and there was no time to hesitate, but the sunset and the view of the ocean from the top of the tower, made me feel like I was at the top of a majestic castle. While at the top I helped Todd push and pull the mast into place and also handed him tools to secure it. We were able to finish installing the tower before it was completely dark. The tower was up and the antennas attached!
Todd heads up the tower first….
Cesar Montero and Todd Alleger install the antennas on a Motus station in Barbados (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Todd and Cesar get ready to attach the solar panel. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
And up again…
On the final day of installation we connected the wires from the antennas to the receiving station and set up the solar system. It was decided that I would benefit from more climbing experience, so up the tower I went again, with Todd guiding me every step of the way. This time I was a lot more relaxed and not as scared. There wasn’t much wind and best of all, it wasn’t getting dark! I didn’t have to spend much time up at the top because I was just binding the wiring to the tower. After everything was connected we tested it to make sure the tower was working and receiving data. Everything was in working order. Mission complete!
Aerial view of the completed Motus station. (Photo by Shae Warren)
Cesar, Shae, Maya, and Todd (R-L) at the completed Motus Station. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
But the adventure was not over just yet. The day before flying back to Miami, Ian, a large and destructive Category 4 hurricane made landfall in Florida and devastated the town in which I grew up, Fort Myers.
My mom and brothers all still live there, so I was very worried. Thankfully I was able to keep in contact with my mom and my flight was not delayed. Fortunately, my family withstood the storm with minimal damage. So back to Vieques via Miami, I went, to continue to advance my knowledge of bird conservation and to eagerly await the next installment of the Caribbean Motus Collaboration project.
It was an exciting start!
I would like to personally thank BirdsCaribbean for choosing me to be a part of the CMC project. This would not have been possible without the support of the Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust (VCHT ) Bird Committee every step of the way, leading up to being on this team. Since starting out, there has been an abundance of support for my development that is continuing to grow. Hopefully in the future I will get to meet and personally thank everyone that has made it possible for me to travel to and from this amazing country of Barbados. I am grateful to be able to contribute to advancing our knowledge of migratory birds in the Caribbean through MOTUS and am looking forward to becoming a MOTUS expert!
About Motus and The Caribbean Motus Collaboration
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is a powerful collaborative research network developed by Birds Canada. Motus uses automated radio telemetry using a network of Motus stations to study the movements and behavior of flying animals (birds, bats, and insects) that are tagged and tracked by Motus receivers.
In an exciting update, the new Motus station at Walkers Reserve detected its very first tagged bird on the 27th of October! It was a Semipalmated Plover that had been tagged in Canada at the end of September, over 3000 km away from Walkers Reserve!
The new Motus station on Barbados was made possible with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada and advice and support from the Northeast Motus Collaboration (NMC). Big thanks also to Todd Alleger (NMC) for his help in installing this new station. We are also very grateful to Shae Warren and WIRRED staff for their help and support. Barbados provides an important stopover site for migratory shorebirds as they pass through the Caribbean. This is now one of two stations operating on Barbados that are part of the Caribbean Motus Network. You can find out more about Motus in the Caribbean and our Caribbean Motus Collaboration here:
Following the publication of BirdsCaribbean’s new graphic novel, “Sami the Snowy Plover: Stories of Survival,” its author and illustrator Josmar Esteban Márquez learned how Sami’s story has inspired one Puerto Rican boy! Keep reading to find out more.
The creative arts reach people in different ways, lighting a spark among adults and children of all ages. They can also take children on a voyage of discovery – including birds. Recently, Josmar Márquez received this delightful message from Antoni Arce Quiñones in Puerto Rico:
“Hi Josmar! My child was inspired by Sami’s story. He made a plover for his school presentation and named it Sami. Thanks for your drawings.”
Supported and published by BirdsCaribbean, Marquez’ graphic novel “Sami the Snowy Plover,” (available in English and Spanish), had inspired Quiñones’ young son, Alonso. So much so that he, with help from his Dad, had created a beautiful sculpture of another member of the plover family, the Wilson’s Plover! This shorebird is more common than the Snowy Plover in Puerto Rico where Alonso lives, but faces many of the same conservation challenges as ‘Sami’. He presented this beautiful and detailed model to his classmates at the Montessori School EENUAM (Ecological School for Children Uniting the World), sharing the message of plovers as an example of shorebird migration.
A Snowy Plover. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
A close up of Alonso’s beautiful model of a Wilson’s Plover at a nest. The detail is amazing and so life-like!
A real Wilson’s Plover. (Photo by Hemant Keshan)
Sharing a love for shorebirds
Quiñones recounted that his son has always been an animal lover, but his particular love for birds grew from around the age of six. More recently, he has become fascinated by plovers and other shorebirds. His father has encouraged his interest, buying books for him and taking him on regular birdwatching and shorebird counting trips. Alonso printed out and read Sami’s story, and decided to name his Wilson’s Plover creation after him.
Alonso looking at birds with others in the group, including shorebird expert Jose Colon. Yes, learning can be fun!
Alonso’s interest in animals and birds was fostered at his school, in his fauna and flora class. José Salguero-Faría, a biologist and ornithologist at the University of Puerto Rico and and member of the local birdwatching organization SOPI (Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña), encouraged Alonso and his classmates’ interest in birds in general during a shore-birding field trip.
Further fun, facts, and activities to be had
According to his Papa, Alonso has been enjoying the drawing tutorials video series, also from Josmar Esteban Márquez , on the BirdsCaribbean YouTube channel and the coloring books and other online activities. from BirdsCaribbean. This includes our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival’s “From the Nest” series, which features fun facts about our endemic birds, as well as coloring pages, puzzles, and activities for kids! These products are all available free of cost; we encourage our members and followers to share them with younger family members and the young at heart!
Recently, plovers have become Alonso’s passion. We hope that the love of a child will help raise awareness and bring hope for Sami and other endangered shorebirds!
Simón Guerrero plays bird calls for participants of a birding event for blind and visually impaired people.
Simón Guerrero, is a lecturer at Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (Autonomous University of Santo Domingo) and long-standing member of BirdsCaribbean. Below he shares his remarkable experiences birding with the National Board of the Blind in Santiago and how they celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival this past June.
The idea of introducing blind people to birds through song occurred to me in the early nineties when I attended a bird monitoring course sponsored by the US Forest Service in La Amistad International Park, a cross-border park created by the governments of Costa Rica and Panama. Among the attendees of the workshop were prominent American ornithologists such as C. J. Ralph and Greg Butcher. One of the course instructors was incredibly good at identifying birds by song. His ability to recognize a bird just by listening to a couple of notes was impressive.
Upon witnessing such skill, I commented to him, with some irony, “But the work you do could be done by a blind person!”
“It could be,” was his short reply.
From that moment, I began to consider the possibility of organizing a bird workshop for the blind using bird song as a basis for identification. As soon as I returned to Santo Domingo, I met with the National Board for the Blind to make arrangements to give a talk on several Dominican birds that live in urban areas, since these species were most accessible to our intended participants.
Putting ideas into action
I have been teaching since I was 18 years old and thought I had already experienced the vast range of rewarding experiences offered by this profession. But I never would have imagined anything like this. I had never seen the level of enthusiasm or interest in learning as that shown by the blind children. What impressed me most was that every time they heard the song of the bird whose song they were familiar with they would exclaim, “Oh, the Mockingbird!” as though they were experienced ornithologists and those birds were part of their daily routine.
As a child I learned to produce a cooing sound by cupping my hands together, and blowing through this hollow space, allowing me to imitate with relative fidelity the songs of the three most common doves in the city of Santo Domingo: Common Ground Dove, Mourning Dove, and White-winged Dove. When the blind children learned how I was able to reproduce these calls they were dazzled. They asked me to teach them to use their hands to imitate bird calls too. I was a little unprepared, because it was my first time teaching blind students and the truth is that I was not trained in their learning techniques. They forgave my clumsiness and tried to help me. They lined up and took turns touching my hands while I imitated the song of the doves. It was an indescribable experience! It certainly made me feel needed and useful as a teacher.
Simón Guerrero was a founding member of the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds. An engaging teacher and speaker with a great sense of humor, he influenced many to become fans and defenders of nature for many decades.
A Mourning Dove, one of the birds Simón taught children to imitate. (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
Celebrating Caribbean endemic birds and their songs
For this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, my team and I scheduled several activities with the goal of highlighting the fascinating lives of birds, including those that can only be found in the Dominican Republic. We created several small wildlife refuges where birds and other wildlife could find food and shelter in the city. We also installed artificial nests specifically for endemic species, like the Hispaniolan Parakeet, that nest in cavities. But the most rewarding activity was with participants from the National Board of the Blind.
Artificial nest boxes built by Simón and his team. (Photo by Simón Guerrero)
Hispaniolan Parakeet pair at a nest cavity, UASD. (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
During the first event, when we met with the Board of Trustees, we played audio recordings of the songs of several of our native and endemic birds so that those taking part could identify the birds by their calls. It was unclear who was more impressed, the participants or me. The possibility of identifying birds by song and learning about their behavior was more exciting than they expected. In addition to their enthusiasm and interest in the subject, I was surprised by how much they knew about wildlife and a wide variety of ecological and conservation issues. One of the participants shared with me that she was a fan of nature documentaries and that she listened to them frequently. Vianny, one of the most enthusiastic participants, suggested creating a WhatsApp group named “Cuidemos las Aves” (Let’s take care of birds) and asked my permission to record the meeting to share on her YouTube channel.
Mingling bird songs with music
People enjoying one of the birding events for blind people held during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
For the second event, we went to the University Campus to bird by ear. We used the audio recordings again to encourage the natural song of the wild birds that live in the city and attract those that may be too shy to come into the open. We were also treated to a violin concert performed by Luis Alfredo Morales, one of the members of the Board of Trustees. Luis spent a year studying music at the University of Missouri in America. It was a fantastic event for both students and teachers. Following this, we planted a native bush (Hamelia patens) in the university garden. This plant attracts hummingbirds and many other birds. Gabino Ortiz, one of the participants, asked me for a bush so that he, too, could attract birds to his home garden.
The third and last activity- another bird by ear, was held at the Botanical Garden of Santiago in collaboration with the Board of Trustees for Santiago (the second largest city in the Dominican Republic) and members of the Education Department of the Botanical Garden. We worked with about twenty participants in a much more favorable habitat with a great variety of birds. Members of the Education Department played an active role from conception to execution. They took the opportunity to explain to the participants the objectives of the institution and the services it provides to the community.
I am excited to share that another event, which will take place in Bonao, has already been planned. Also, the Board of Trustees has let us know that they will repeat this birding activity at its headquarters across the country!
Loving birds is human nature
A Hispaniolan Woodpecker, a noisy endemic that everyone can enjoy! (Photo by Carlos Gomez)
The reaction of the participants made me realize, in retrospect, that the theme of this year’s Festival, “Loving Birds is Human Nature,” is not simply a beautiful phrase.
It asserts the notion that human beings certainly have the innate ability to cherish and respect these fascinating creatures!
Bird activities are an inexpensive and enriching pastime that can be done at any age and help to increase the self-esteem of those who practice it. It is a fun way to learn and make friends while contributing to conserving valuable species that only exist on our island. It is encouraging to know that the National Board for The Blind plans to include this activity with the birds in its regular program of activities. The conservation of endemic birds is a citizen’s duty, but it is, at the same time, a right that assists all people, with no one excluded. Initiating the blind into birdwatching and conservation activities is a meaningful and relevant inclusion.
It is the first time that blind people have participated in this Festival in the DR, and I hope it will not be the last. I hope that this initiative will be adopted by the 20+ countries in which the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival is celebrated every year.
Learning bird songs and calls can be fun and rewarding as well as helping with your bird identification. Here are the calls of some of the birds participants in Simón’s events might have heard for you to enjoy!
Hispaniolan Parakeet:
Northern Mockingbird:
Mourning Dove:
White-winged Dove:
You can find out more about BirdsCaribbean’s Endemic Bird Festival here:
And find out more about Caribbean Endemic Birds in our From the Nest series of blog posts, celebrating our Endemic Birds with fascinating facts, puzzles and fun activities.
It’s here at last! We are thrilled to announce the recent publication of the highly anticipated, one-of-a-kind Birds of the Lesser Antilles field guide.
The author, Ryan Chenery, is the Barbados-born director of Birding the Islands – a locally owned and operated birding tour company specializing in organizing and delivering both single and multi-island bird tours throughout the Lesser Antilles.
Popular holiday destinations such as St. Lucia, Dominica, Barbados, Guadeloupe, and the other islands dotted along this south-easterly region of the Caribbean now have a comprehensive bird field guide dedicated exclusively to them. Previously these islands have tended to be incorporated into all encompassing Birds of the West Indies field guides. Drawing on over twenty years of experience, the author focuses solely on species that can be seen in the Lesser Antilles. By excluding species unique to other islands in the wider Caribbean region – this field guide allows readers to easily identify all the birds they could possibly find, from Anguilla in the north of the chain to Grenada in the south.
Some important features of this exciting new book are:
The full list of islands covered is as follows: Anguilla; Saint Martin; Sint Maarten; Antigua and Barbuda; St. Kitts and Nevis; Montserrat; Guadeloupe; Dominica; Martinique; St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; and Grenada.
Each of the field guide’s more than 400 stunning photos has been carefully selected to highlight the key identifying features of each species. Photos include perched birds and those in flight, and importantly also depict notable differences in gender, age and breeding status.
Special attention has been paid to endemics, near-endemics, and the host of regional specialties unique to the islands of the Lesser Antilles – with notable attention even being paid to detailing differences between subspecies on various islands.
With the region such a rich area for migratory birds, the publication includes every migrant species likely to be seen, along with the most commonly recorded vagrants and introduced species.
In clear and helpful language, the key physical characteristics of each species are described to assist with accurate identification. Vocalizations are also included in each species account, along with the island where the bird can be seen.
The best birding locations, key habitats to focus on and the likely species to be encountered in each location are also detailed. From marine and coastal habitats to wetlands and montane forest – this book covers them all.
click each image to enlarge
A sneak preview of the guide showing two endemic parrots from the region.
The book contains maps, a guide to types of habitats for birds and much more!
The guide includes multiple photos of the same species to best show their ID traits.
The islands of the Lesser Antilles are rapidly becoming more popular in the birding community, as well as with holiday visitors. If you are planning a trip to any of these remarkable small islands, whether for a holiday or any other reason, you just have to pack this highly portable guide in your bag!
If you find yourself on an island in the Lesser Antilles, staring at a bird….odds are you’ll find it in the pages of this book!
About the author: Born in Barbados, Ryan (aka the Bajan Birder) has been leading birding tours in the Caribbean for nearly two decades and is Birding the Islands’ head birding guide. Before starting the company in 2017, Ryan combined leading his birding excursions with a full-time career in conservation. During this time, he was employed as Chief Naturalist and Eco-guide Manager at Graeme Hall Nature Reserve in Barbados; Environmental Consultant for PAA Management Ltd, Barbados; Field Researcher with Global Vision International in the Ecuadorian Amazon; Development Officer with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) at one of its flagship reserves in the UK; and finally Parks Officer with North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, UK. Ryan leads Birding the Islands’ Every Endemic trips through the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad, as well as Endemics of the Solomon Islands tours, but still enjoys branching off to do other projects – including authoring this guide book, and writing episode scripts for a US Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service Nature Documentary on shorebird migration through the Lesser Antilles.
We encourage you to visit Birding the Islands website and consider signing up for one of their amazing tours (or build your own tour). Ryan and Birding the Islands are an official partner of our Caribbean Birding Trail program and he donates a portion of the proceeds to BirdsCaribbean from every tour to help conserve Caribbean birds and habitats.
How to get your copy of Birds of the Lesser Antilles:
Note that the same proposal cannot be submitted for more than one award in a given year.
BirdsCaribbean’s general Grant Application Guidelines are available here.
Learn more about the eligibility criteria of each program by visiting their respective websites.
Seeking Donors
BirdsCaribbean encourages others to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our grants programs continue indefinitely. Or make a donation to support our work. BirdsCaribbean is a tax-deductible organization in the United States.
Susan, a certified bird guide from Bonaire, was out birding when she spotted a newly arrived Osprey perched on a post. Only when she looked back at her photos did she spot something different about this bird. Read on to find out more about this bird and its amazing migration from Susan.
Fall migration is an exciting time of year in the Caribbean! This is when those of us birding on Bonaire begin to see the arrival of many migratory species, and one of those is the majestic Osprey. Although we do observe Ospreys year-round, the population greatly increases during fall migration and over the winter months.
Many of the Ospreys that spend winter on Bonaire have a highly refined site fidelity. They actually return to the same tree limb, or other favorite perch, each and every winter. For other arriving Ospreys, Bonaire is quite likely to be the first land they encounter on their southern journey. They will rest and recover from a long flight across the Caribbean Sea, before continuing southward to overwintering grounds in South America.
Two bands are better than one…
The ‘mystery’ banded Osprey photographed on Bonaire. (Photo by Bonaire Bird Tours)
On September 12, 2022, I was birding down in the southern salt flats of Bonaire. Along the way to the southern point, I noticed that one Osprey had just arrived and was perched on its favorite hunting tree. As I continued birding, I spotted a second Osprey perched on a post. Here was a great photo opportunity, I thought, as I snapped off several images. However, it wasn’t until I looked at the images the following day, that I noticed this Osprey wore two bands.
One was a color band and was mostly readable. The number 54 was clearly discernible, but a toe partially obscured the initial letter on the band; it appeared to be an F. Unfortunately, the second band was not readable in my images. Finding a banded bird makes it an individual – it is no longer an anonymous bird among many other anonymous birds. I was curious about this special bird, and so I began my Internet search for registries of banded Osprey to try to find out more, with what little information I had.
But my efforts fell flat- I came away empty handed!
The BirdsCaribbean network: a fountain of knowledge
Every birder needs to be part of a bird network. Since there is just so much to learn about our feathered friends, it’s impossible to know everything. A birder needs a support network–somewhere he or she may go with questions, and, for me, there is no better bird network than BirdsCaribbean. It’s an incredible resource that delivers again and again!
When my initial Internet searches didn’t help, I turned instead to my trusty bird network. And, hey presto! Within just two hours, I learned that Dr. Scott Rush, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Mississippi State University, was mentoring a Ph.D. research assistant, Natasha Murphy, who was banding Ospreys as part of her doctorate program. Now in touch with the person in the know, I learned the backstory of Osprey F54.
Osprey F54: a long-distance traveler who makes it look easy
F54 gets his band as a chick. (Photo by the Rush Lab)
Natasha was able to provide me with the who-what-where-when details I sought! Natasha and her technician, Sage Dale, with help from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and USDA personnel, banded Osprey F54 and his sister, F55, on June 20, 2022. Their nest was at Guntersville Lake (lat/long: 34.659337, – 85.944116) in Alabama, on a structure that acts as a navigational marker in Jones Bar, on Guntersville Reservoir. When banding took place blood was also drawn for research purposes, which also provided DNA-sexing: Osprey F54 was a male. On that same day, Natasha and Sage banded 30 Osprey chicks in the area!
Based upon measurements taken when banded, it was estimated that Osprey F54 was 36 days old at that time. Along with his color band, he was also outfitted with a U.S.G.S. band with the number 1218-10018.
Less than three months later, this Osprey was sighted here on Bonaire. This means that F54 had covered a distance of over 3,000 kilometers, or about 1,900 miles! It would take nearly seven hours in a plane to make that trip. We humans might consider it a long flight, yet this young Osprey made an equivalent trip and arrived in Bonaire looking healthy and fit after his long flight. Zero jet lag!
Only time will tell if Osprey F54 will join the ranks of the many human “snowbirds” who fly to Bonaire to spend the winter (I am talking about the tourists escaping the chilly weather up north, of course). Or, will Osprey F54 be a short-stay “stopover visitor” as tourism officials say, who visits for a week or two for some rest and relaxation, before moving onward? It’s his first migration, and perhaps he will decide he likes Bonaire. Like many other overwintering Ospreys, we are likely to see him back year after year. And he will find his favorite branch or perch, too.
Now all F54 needs is a name!
Bird banding tells a story
The group observes a bird banding demonstration at a BirdsCaribbean workshop.
With the information I received from Dr. Rush and Natasha Murphy, I was able to report banded Osprey F54 to the Bird Banding Laboratory at the U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center. Each reported sighting adds a data point to this individual’s history and will provide further insight as to his movements and migrations.
The world’s birds need us now more than ever. Recent studies have shown that an alarming number of birds have declining populations. Research projects, such as Natasha Murphy’s, provide insight and knowledge, allowing for better-managed conservation and preservation efforts.
Making the most of banded birds
How can we maximize the value of banded birds, and learn more from them?
A BirdsCaribbean group enjoying birds and photography in Viñales Valley, Cuba (photo by Lora Leschner).
Get photos if you possibly can. It really doesn’t matter if you are using a point-and-shoot camera, as I do, or if you have the fanciest camera that today’s technology can provide. The point is to document your observations with images. Sometimes we only get a brief glimpse of a bird, and we don’t have time to take in all the details, such as bands. Even if we identify the bands, we might not have the luxury of time with the bird to be able to read them. By taking images, you have a record and can review them for additional details you might not have discerned in the field.
I would also suggest that you become part of a birding network! Knowledge and information can only add to the enjoyment of your birding experiences. In the case of Osprey F54, I would never have been able to find out the bird’s history without my birding network. It added so much to the pleasure of seeing this splendid bird; it is now a unique individual to me. If you can find birders in your area with similar interests, you can discuss your observations. Learning from each other is so rewarding!
Susan has lived on Bonaire for 30 years, she is a graduate of the Caribbean Birding Trail Interpretive Guide Course run by BirdsCaribbean. Susan is a bird guide and a wildlife photographer. You can read more of her Bird Blog posts on her webpages here and get some useful photography tips here.
If you spot a banded bird, do your best to record the band colors and any numbers or letters, paying special attention to the location of the band or bands on the bird’s legs. Binoculars or zoom photography may allow you to clearly see the band colors and the numbers engraved onto the band. Scientists use this information to track bird populations and migrations. Report your sightings of to the USGS Bird Banding Labwhich oversee all banding in the United States, and you can report sightings of color banded shorebirds to BandedBirds.org.
You can find out more about Ospreys as a migratory bird in the Caribbean on our ‘Migratory Bird of the Day’ page all about Osprey! This contains interesting facts, puzzles, videos and photos and more!
Disclaimer: The content of this article is provided for general information only. Please, always obtain professional or specialist advice when seeking to address your personal mental health issues and concerns.
“The bird will see you now…”
World Mental Health Day, recognized by the World Health Organization since 1992, takes place on October 10 every year. On this day, social media posts, events, and activism on and offline help raise awareness of mental health problems and solutions. This year’s World Mental Health Day theme is
‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’
So, how do birds help to improve our wellbeing? Well, birds can be our very best therapists, if we give them the chance. They can help us through the tough times.
The BirdsCaribbean community knows this! Watching, photographing (Birdlife Jamaica member Stuart Reeves shares his photography experience, and tips, during the COVID-19 lockdown) and attracting birds to one’s yard are truly enjoyable experiences that support a healthy and happy lifestyle. Walking through nature – your backyard, neighborhood park, a national park or botanical garden – in search of your favorite bird offers many benefits. We have listed five below.
1. Community and Togetherness
Birdwatching does not have to be a lonely pursuit. It can be a way to bond with family and friends. You might even meet new people along the way! Being a member of the birding community satisfies our very human need to belong. Members of a birding group share knowledge and experiences with each other. In some cases, birdwatching with others helps us to define our sense of self and social identity, and to achieve goals that might be harder to reach if we worked alone. A bird that a companion points out to you might be one that you would never have seen otherwise – even a “lifer,” perhaps!
Find your flock! Birding in a group can be rewarding and fun. (Photo by Edward Hernandez Lara)
Regardless of gender, age, socioeconomic status, ability and experience, birding can be enjoyed by all. It’s an inclusive experience, when you have company. You can discuss the birds that you have seen, the places you have visited, and especially those birds you so badly want to see in the wild. If you’re planning a solo birdwatching trip soon, remember: you don’t have to do it alone. You can contact your local birding group or ask a relative or neighbor to see if they would like to join you. Birding can help strengthen relationships!
2. Time away from screens
We are bombarded with media on all sides; isn’t that true? It’s not always very good for our mental health and can actually increase our anxiety.
On the other hand, birdwatching can be a very reflective activity, almost like meditation. It is an opportunity to spend time in a quiet place, removed from distractions like social media and movie streaming service providers (you know exactly what we’re talking about! We all experience it these days). The different colors, scents, and sounds found in nature can occupy the mind and push out, if just temporarily, worrying and stressful thoughts. Find out how people found comfort in birds during the pandemic in our recently published booklet Loving Birds is Human Nature: An anthology of short stories and poems in English and Spanish. Immersing oneself in nature for a few hours can also help us “reconnect.” Hearing a familiar birdsong or spotting a particular plant, for example, can help people recall fond memories from their youth. We sometimes tend to forget how much our natural environment was, and remains, part of our human experience. It’s always good to remember.
A Common Gallinule reflected in the water. (Photo by Dorian Rose)
3. See new places
It is so easy to fall into a comfortable daily routine. Get up, go to work, return home, and repeat. Seeking out birds in their natural habitats is a great way to snap us out of the monotony of our normal routines. Birdwatching can also be enjoyed from inside the house, it is true; but getting out and about is a better choice. A short trip to a nearby park will provide a change of scenery, and it is even better if you can visit a nature reserve. Make a point of exploring new places, where new and different bird species may be waiting for you!
Belair lookout point Carriacou, Grenada
Watching the sunrise over a mountain, going out into the forests or swamps to look for potoos, even going to a reservoir to see a rare waterbird—all of these are bound to take us on a welcome detour from our everyday experiences. Once they have become familiar with the birds in their immediate area, for many birders there is an insatiable curiosity about species elsewhere in the world. Birding can be the motivation to move out of your comfort zone and be rewarded with new travel experiences.
4. Exercise for the brain and body
The brain is like a muscle. It needs exercise!
Keeping our minds active and alert is important for our overall well being. If you are new to birdwatching, identifying the birds you see can be a challenging mental puzzle. Take shorebirds, for example, which are notoriously hard to identify! Give your brain a good challenge. Experienced birders can still learn new things every day about bird behavior. There is no end to the bird knowledge we can acquire. Researchers have reported that new neural paths are formed from these kinds of brain activities and can help fight back against diseases like Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, as well as Parkinson’s.
An Antillean Nighthawk on it’s nest in the Bahamas. These birds are well camouflaged and can be tricky to spot! (Photo by Scott Hecker)
Some birds are harder to find than others. Without even realizing it, you can walk for several miles while actively looking and listening, before you find the bird you’re looking for. Some species remain higher up in hills and mountains, forcing birders to really do some uphill work for the prize! You can go at your own speed, though. Birders always pace themselves. There is always enough time to catch your breath and notice the beautiful biodiversity that surrounds you: butterflies, fungi, lizards, ferns and wildflowers. This can improve your cardiovascular health. You will be soaking up the sun’s vitamin D, which helps the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus. Just remember to stay hydrated!
Keep your eyes open and who knows what you might spot! A Green Iguana amongst the leaves. (Photo by Karla Kelly)
5. The amazing variety of birds
As we mentioned already, life can get dull. Sometimes it’s good to add some variety. Monotony encourages boredom and fatigue, which have a negative impact on our mood and our mental health. Birds offer a ridiculous amount of variety, don’t they? An array of colors, shapes, sizes, calls and behaviors awaits you on the birding trail. You can research and make a list before heading out to a birding spot – but always be prepared for some totally unexpected birds to pop up. Birds literally keep you on your toes, open to new possibilities. Birds’ remarkable variety – no two birding trips are ever the same, even if you visit the same birding site – can encourage a more energized and positive mindset.
The Cuban Parrot. (Photo by Gerlinde Taurer)
A Northern Potoo in Jamaica. (Photo by John Webster)
Antillean Crested Hummingbird. (Photo by Xianoni Xu)
Male Indigo Bunting. (Photo by Stephen Buckingham)
So give yourself a mental “booster” this month
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was estimated that one person in eight was living with a mental disorder. The pandemic worsened the global crisis for mental health, fueling short- and long-term stress and anxiety. Growing social and economic inequalities, conflicts, violence and public health emergencies decreased skills and funding available for mental health, especially in low and middle income countries. However, we are hopeful that the ability to reconnect in-person this year will provide everyone the opportunity to revitalize their efforts to protect and improve their mental health.
Everyone can join in, birding in a group can help you learn new things. (Photo by John Webster)
And now, as we emerge from the COVID-19 period, it’s definitely time to give yourself a healthy dose of birding. It’s October, which means migratory birds are making their way to the Caribbean. We encourage you to reach out to a trusted friend, relative, or local birding group and plan a birdwatching trip. A walk along the seashore will reveal that many migratory shorebirds are already enjoying the warm weather and pottering along at the water’s edge in search of food. Check out our shorebird resources for help with identifying these marvelous migratory shorebirds birds. If you’re hoping to spot some warblers, here is a blog to help with warbler identification. But if you’re completely new to birding and don’t know where to begin, we’ve got 10 tips to get you started and a Birding 101 webinar.
So, relax and enjoy some good bird therapy!
American Flamingo and Scarlet Ibis in Caroni Swamp. (Photo by Richard Lakhan)
A Baltimore Oriole, a migrant to the Caribbean, is featured on our October Big Day 2022 promo graphic.
Get ready, get set, let’s go birding! The biggest day of birding in the fall season, October Big Day, is right around the corner! On Saturday October 8th, October Big day and World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) are celebrated in the Caribbean and around the world. This 24-hour birding opportunity lands right during some of the peak activity for bird migration. It’s also a great day to participate in educational activities about migratory birds for WMBD – the theme is Dim the Lights for Birds at Night! Check with your local organizations to see if any events are planned.
The goal for October Big Day is to get outside to watch, celebrate, and record your resident and migratory birds! You can bird in your backyard, neighborhood park, seashore or woodland. Watch birds for as little as 10 minutes in your local birding patch or plan out a route to find as many bird species as possible in 24 hours. No matter what, we hope you will get outside and go birding!
Like Global Big Day celebrated in May, it is hoped that this concerted effort will bring in a record number of bird sightings from citizen scientists around the world, contributing to our bird knowledge and a deeper understanding of conservation.
Where are the birds, and what are they doing?
The data collected will be used by birders and scientists to better understand and protect birds. This is also an opportunity for the individual birdwatcher to contemplate birds, their behavior, and the places where they may be found. For example, are there birds you are only likely to see in the late morning or early afternoon? And if so, are they at specific locations? Tanagers and bullfinches are often very active during the morning hours. As the day heats up, you may see raptors soaring above. Seagulls and shorebirds can be observed at almost any time of day. Migratory warblers generally show up in early morning or evening hours, feeding and bathing in suburban gardens and parks.
Make your birding count—submit & share your data!
Participating is easy with the essential tool, eBird, where you should record all the birds you see (and even hear) on Saturday 8th October via the eBird website or mobile app. If you’re in the Caribbean, be sure to use eBird Caribbean (and choose the eBird Caribbean portal in your eBird app settings on mobile). If you do not already have one, it’s easy to sign up for a free eBird account and here’s a quick guide on how to use eBird. Eager birders should spot as many birds as they can from midnight to midnight in their local time zone on October 8th. Or bird anytime during the weekend of Oct. 7-9 for the Global Bird Weekend. The handy mobile app allows you to keep and submit lists while you’re still out birding, perhaps exploring nearby Hotspots. It will even track how far you have walked while watching birds. Remember to submit eBird checklists before October 12, 2022 to be included in the initial results announcement!
Share your sightings with us, and join BirdsCaribbean!
We look forward to seeing your stories and photos on social media. You can find us on Facebook and on Twitter and Instagram @birdscaribbean. Be sure to tag us! If you’re not on social media, consider joining our discussion group where you’ll be able to share your October Big Day experience with over 850 members.
May we remind you that BirdsCaribbean membership has so many benefits; for a reasonable membership fee you are entitled to a FREE subscription to Birds of the World ($49 value) – the most comprehensive online resource on birds. Additionally, you may receive discounts on our products, workshops and conferences; meet and network with fellow birders, scientists, educators and conservationists across the region; and keep in touch with birding trends and news through our monthly newsletters (free sign-up here). Join us today and help us save our Caribbean birds and their important habitats!
See you on October Big Day 2022 – and let’s see some birds!
Most importantly, have fun and don’t forget to tag BirdsCaribbean (@BirdsCaribbean) in your birding adventures! We can’t wait to see which of our migratory friends have arrived to the Caribbean!
BirdsCaribbean is delighted to announce its very first endowed fund, the James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.
The Fund will provide support on an annual basis for biological, ecological and conservation research on waterbirds in the Caribbean region.
“This is a first for us, a tremendous donation for BirdsCaribbean, and a great opportunity to promote waterbird research in the region,” said Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean Lisa Sorenson, expressing her appreciation for the donation.
“We are very much looking forward to receiving proposals from the Caribbean and to awarding our first grant this fall. We will be announcing a call for proposals in the next couple of weeks.”
Through this generous donation by Dr. Kushlan, BirdsCaribbean will award a competitive grant every year to a deserving waterbird project, based on written proposals. Calls for proposals will advertise the size of the grant (~$4,000 to $4,500), which will provide funds up-front for a project and not require matching funds. Grants will be awarded to anyone (individuals or organizations) without restriction as to academic credentials or affiliation. Applicants from the Caribbean will be given consideration over other nationalities. Studies on rare, endemic, resident, and at risk species and studies leading to their conservation in the Caribbean will be prioritized.
Dr. James A. Kushlan is a distinguished ornithologist, writer, educator, and conservationist, with long ties to BirdsCaribbean and the region through his research on waterbirds and as a co-member of The Waterbird Council. Professionally, he has served as research associate at the Smithsonian Institution, director of Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, professor of biology at the University of Misssissippi and Texas A&M, and wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service. He is the author of ten books and over 250 technical papers and articles.
Dr. Kushlan has served as president of the American Ornithologists’ Union (now American Ornithological Society) and Waterbird Society. He is the founder and past chair of Heron Conservation (the IUCN Heron Specialist Group), the North American Waterbird Conservation Initiative and Waterbird Conservation for the Americas, the Bahamas Environment Fund, and the Bird Conservation Alliance, and was a founding member of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative and Wetlands International. Visitors to the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, Florida, may explore the Kushlan Bird Walk, supported by the James A. Kushlan .
Waterbirds like this Tricolored Heron, photographed in Cuba, will benefit from research funding through our new Kushlan Fund. (Photograph by Aslam Ibrahim)
“The focus of my studies and conservation work in the Caribbean has been on waterbirds, including wading birds such as herons, storks, and ibises,” said Dr. Kushlan. “Many waterbird species are under threat due to habitat loss, climate change, and other factors. I hope that these funds will encourage Caribbean conservationists to conduct some ground-breaking research into these fascinating birds, which deserve greater attention.”
Further details on when and how to apply will be supplied in an announcement in early October.
BirdLife Jamaica’s Wolde Kristos has a bird in his sights at Parrottee Pond. (Photo by Nickeisha Robinson)
Birders showed up for the Global Shorebird Count – and so did the shorebirds!
Our Caribbean partners were thrilled to see some exciting and unusual birds (including a “first” for Bonaire!) during one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the birding calendar. The Global Shorebird Count took place from September 1 – 7, 2022, around World Shorebirds Day (September 6). These annual counts, carried out by thousands of volunteers and professionals worldwide, contribute valuable information on the populations, distribution, and migration of these fascinating and varied species. Across the Caribbean islands, it is an opportunity for birding groups, individuals and non-governmental organizations to focus on many of our most vulnerable migratory species. For many of our partners, it also helps birders to “reconnect” with our beautiful yet fragile coastlines that serve as resting and feeding stopovers for shorebirds.
“Lifer” shorebirds spotted in Cuba
The Bird Ecology Group of the University of Havana, Cuba, represented by Daniela Ventura, went out, with “two passionate photographers” in tow, to count shorebirds on Playa del Chivo, a small coastal habitat outside the Bay of Havana. The area is well known as an important stopover for many shorebirds. It was a late afternoon trip, and while many Short-billed Dowitchers, Western and Least Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Killdeers, Semipalmated Plovers, Sanderlings, and more were observed, it was also an enjoyable and relaxing experience. “We enjoyed the sunset and the spectacle of the birds gathering to spend the night,” reports Daniela. (click on the photos below to view larger)
Sunset shorebirds in Cuba. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)
Photographing birds during the Global Shorebird Count. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)
The Whimbrels showed up just as the sun was setting for our Cuban birders. (Photo by Jean Carlos Vega)
The Cubans spotted two lifers: Piping Plover and Whimbrel. “The latter is an uncommon transient and winter resident in Cuba, so a real treat!” noted Daniela. As so often happens, the Whimbrel was spotted just as the group was about to leave, and the last rays of the sun were barely sufficient for taking a photograph.
An unexpected flying visit in Guadeloupe
The Association Ornithologique de la Guadeloupe (AMAZONA) also had a truly exciting experience, according to Anthony Levesque. During a count at Pointe des Châteaux on September 3, the group spotted a flock of no less than eighteen Hudsonian Godwits. “They land only for a few seconds before leaving to continue South, en route to South America!” Anthony reported. It was a memorable moment in time.
An unexpected flock of Hudsonian Godwits on Guadeloupe. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix)
Jamaican birders brave the mud
The BirdLife Jamaica family visited two locations on the island’s south coast on September 4. In the wetlands of Portland Cottage, the team recorded 26 species of birds, braving the twin challenges of incredibly sticky mud and the possible appearance of crocodiles. Another challenge was counting the Least Sandpipers! They spotted a bird that was a “lifer” for most of the group: the Gull-billed Tern.
One of the Black-necked Stilts seen in Jamaica. (Photo by Ian Gage)
Birders take to the mud to spot shorebirds!
A Lesser Yellowlegs seen during shorebird counts in Jamaica. (Photo by Wayne Sutherland)
In the beautiful Crane Road and Parrotee wetlands of St. Elizabeth, a small team led by tour guide and BirdLife Jamaica Vice President Wolde Kristos spotted the Black-bellied Plover and Spotted Sandpiper, among a number of species. In terms of numbers, Sanderlings, Snowy Egrets, and Laughing Gulls topped their list.
A first for Bonaire!
Susan Davis of Bonaire Bird Tours reported some early birds (literally!) “I was surprised to see a Buff-Breasted Sandpiper enjoying a cooling bath in a small rain puddle. These migrating shorebirds generally arrive on Bonaire in October and November, so being able to see one in early September was definitely a treat!” She had previously given a group of ten birders instructions on how to use eBird Caribbean, where species are recorded. Susan was also thrilled to see that one migrating Hudsonian Godwit, first observed in August with another, was still present to be counted during the Global Shorebird Count!
The lone Hudsonian Godwit spotted on Bonaire. (Photo by Susan Davis)
The stunning White-tailed Kite, a first for Bonaire! (Photo by Susan Davis)
Buff-breasted Sandpiper- an early arrival for Bonaire. (Photo by Susan Davis)
During the Global Shorebird Count, nearby non-shorebird species are also recorded on eBird. It was a particular thrill for Susan when she spotted a mysterious, small raptor in her rear-view mirror, while driving home along the shore. She stopped, and identified this elegant bird as a White-tailed Kite – a new bird for Bonaire!
It was a trip to the wetlands of Trinidad on September 4 for Alex Sansom, Mark Hulme, and Laura Baboolal. Again, this was a beautiful evening sunset trip, to Orange Valley and Temple by the Sea on the island’s west coast. Hundreds of Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers were seen, joined by Lesser Yellowlegs. All were hungrily feasting on microorganisms (biofilm). Willets, Whimbrels, and Black-bellied Plovers were also seen.
A mixture of different shorebirds feeding in the Caroni rice fields, Trinidad. (Photo by Mark Hulme)
Wrapping up a shorebird count at sunset on Trinidad’s west coast. (Photo by Mark Hulme)
Lesser Yellowlegs at Caroni Rice fields. (Photo by Mark Hulme)
On World Shorebirds Day itself, the same group visited Trinidad’s Caroni Rice Fields. Despite the extreme heat, the shorebirds showed up. It was a good test of shorebird ID skills for the birders as a variety of shorebirds were spotted: Short-billed Dowitchers, several species of Sandpipers, besides American Golden Plovers and Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs.
As always, the Global Shorebird Count brought pleasant surprises – and a deeper appreciation of the region’s charming shorebirds. Participants came away all the more determined to help protect these vulnerable beauties and the habitats that are so important to them.
A huge thank to you all who participated in the 2022 Global Shorebird Count! If you have not yet submitted your checklist(s) to eBird Caribbean, it is not too late. Be sure to choose the CWC Point Count or CWC Traveling Count as your protocol and share your checklists with username “WorldShorebirdsDay” to ensure that your counts are included in any analyses of shorebirds from this community science effort. For additional information on the CWC (Caribbean Waterbird Census) and for free downloadable shorebird ID resources, click here and here. If you have any questions, please contact our Waterbird Program Manager, Alex Sansom.
Laura Baboolal, the World Migratory Bird Day Caribbean Coordinator for Environment for the Americas (EFTA) encourages us to celebrate the amazing journeys of birds during World Migratory Bird Day 2022! Keep reading to find out how you can help migratory birds this year and where to find resources to help you celebrate.
It’s that time of year again—birds are on the move! Bird migration is a global phenomenon where individuals of many different species of birds will fly hundreds or thousands of kilometers south to spend the winter in warmer climates with abundant food. World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is officially celebrated on the second Saturday in October in the Caribbean. This year it’s on October 8th, but you can celebrate anytime in the fall that is convenient for you.
We encourage everyone to celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) 2022, as you have celebrated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with great success!
Light Pollution is Bad News for Birds
This year, the theme focuses on light pollution with the slogan, “DIM THE LIGHTS FOR BIRDS AT NIGHT!”
Light pollution is a growing threat to wildlife, especially migrating birds. It causes birds to become disorientated when they fly at night. Every year, light pollution contributes to the death of millions of birds. Artificial light can alter the migration patterns and foraging behaviours of birds. Attracted by artificial light at night migrating birds become confused and may end up circling in illuminated areas. This depletes their energy reserves and puts them at risk of exhaustion and predation. Lights at night also cause fatal collisions with buildings. With growing global human populations, artificial light is increasing by at least 2% annually. While in the Caribbean light pollution is not a significant issue compared to our continental neighbours we can still take action.
Take Action!
Every action you take counts and contributes to reducing the impact of light pollution on migratory birds. Take action at home, school, work, community or city! Turn off unnecessary outdoor lights at night or use a motion sensor light and shut curtains at night. Lobby for downward facing street lights in your community. Work with businesses and building owners to switch off unnecessary lights at night especially during migratory season. Consider advocating for no artificial lighting to be used close to important habitats for birds and at places that are on migratory pathways.
Raise awareness about the threat of light pollution to migratory birds and be an advocate for dark skies!
How to celebrate
World Migratory Bird Day can be celebrated any time of the year and there are many ways that you can do this. Why not visit an event? Hundreds of World Migratory Bird Day events and activities take place throughout the year. Check EFTA’s global event map to see what’s happening near you. Follow, like, and share! Follow EFTA’s pages for tips and facts about light pollution and migratory birds. Share these messages through social media and other outlets to increase awareness of this important issue. Use EFTA’s resources from coloring pages and stickers to posters and other educational materials and social media resources—to help you celebrate World Migratory Bird Day. You can download these here.
Information on migratory birds in the Caribbean, including coloring pages, activity sheets , photos, videos, and puzzles are available from BirdsCaribbean at this link. You, together with your local birding group, are also encouraged to go out and enjoy the birds. Most of all, have fun!
For now, you can enjoy and share this animation following a small migratory songbird as it is lured into the dangers of the city by intense lights. The threats it faces are common for migrating birds trying to navigate urban environments.
This 2-minute animation has been produced and made available by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It can be used in any promotional activities related to World Migratory Bird Day 2022. All language versions of the animation can be downloaded via this download folder: https://bit.ly/3w68a0g
Check out ETFAs Social Media Packet for lots of digital resources. Click here.
Learn more about the featured species for 2022, art created by Omar Custodio Azabache from Peru. Click here.
Last, but not least, don’t forget to share your WMBD events and experiences on social media with EFTA and BirdsCaribbean. You can find us on all major platforms. Thanks for helping to raise awareness about migratory birds and the threats they face, and we hope you get outside to see some migrants this fall!
BirdsCaribbean warmly congratulates Haitian environmental hero Anderson Jean on receiving Stanford University’s top environmental prize, the 2022 Bright Award, on its tenth anniversary!
Anderson Jean (center) with Haitian schoolchildren planting trees for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
“Anderson’s determination and commitment to Haiti’s birds, despite a number of challenges, is truly inspiring to us all. His work is an expression of hope, seeking to instill a love of birds in future generations,” said Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean.
“Anderson’s optimistic spirit is a marvelous example to other conservationists working hard in the field. BirdsCaribbean has been proud to support his work on the critically endangered Black-capped Petrel – funded in part by the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund – creating awareness at the grassroots level. He has also been instrumental in the rediscovery of the endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in Haiti,” added Sorenson.
Trained in Agroforestry and Environmental Sciences, Jean is based in Les Cayes, Haiti. He began volunteering with U.S. researchers surveying the country’s biodiversity. After 13 years in search of the Ridgway’s Hawk, he and a colleague found the endangered raptor in August 2019 on Petite Cayemite Island – a tremendously exciting achievement for him personally, fueling hope for the future.
Adult Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo by Pedro Genaro)
Jean also founded the annual festival celebrating the Black-capped Petrel (Diablotin), getting farmers, schoolchildren and entire communities involved in learning about and protecting this remarkable seabird. After training with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Vermont Centre for Ecostudies, Jean served for three years as field biological survey coordinator for Société Audubon Haïti.
Black-capped Petrel mascot leading the parade for the Diablotin Festival in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)
In 2017, he founded Action pour la Sauvegarde de l’Écologie en Haïti, which has quickly established itself as a leading advocate for the country’s environment. He currently works with our partner Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC).
Anderson is a long-time member of BirdsCaribbean and has attended a number of our training workshops and conferences. He received a David S. Lee Conservation Fund Award from BirdsCaribbean in 2019 to survey waterbirds at 5 wetlands in Haiti after attending our Shorebird Conservation Training Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.
On his Facebook page, Jean expressed his appreciation: “Thank you to every single one of you who contributed to strengthen my capacity in conservation biology and make me win today the Stanford Bright Award 2022.”
Like BirdsCaribbean, Anderson Jean believes in engaging local residents, inspiring them with a love of birds as an integral part of their own culture. This ensures the sustainability of conservation projects. He is committed to his country, its birdlife – and its people.
Anderson Jean with colleagues from around the Caribbean at BirdsCaribbean’s Shorebird Monitoring and Conservation Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, 2019. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Congratulations on your achievement, Anderson! We look forward to continued work with you and wish you all the best in your future research and collaborations. May you stay strong and become ever more successful in support of Haiti’s birds!
To understand more about Anderson Jean’s ground-breaking work, watch his beautiful video, “Haiti, My Love, My Home” – a moving tribute to his country and to the fragile Black-capped Petrel and a discussion on how people and birds can live together, on YouTube (see video below).
The 2022 joint AOS-BC Conference in Puerto Rico was the setting for BirdsCaribbean’s fourth biennial photography competition. Over 800 wildlife professionals from 34 countries attended the conference with many of them using their cameras while they explored Puerto Rico’s rich biodiversity. With over 280+ gorgeous photographs submitted for review, the five judges certainly had their work cut out for them!
The judges found beautiful composition, impressive technique, and humor while reviewing the collection. Photos were taken between June 23 and July 5, 2022 and uploaded to Flickr (photo sharing site). Click here to see all the photos submitted in the contest (labeled with tag: BCPhotoContest2022). The Grand Prize was donated by Vortex Optics.
Photographers had the opportunity to submit up to six photographs in each of three categories:
Endemics – including endemic birds of Puerto Rico and regional endemics;
Fun With Birds and People – showing humans, birds and nature interacting (including conference activities); and
Birds and Nature – featuring Puerto Rico’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
Red-legged Thrush by Edward Hernández-Lara. “Beautiful, expressive shot with great background and context.” The judges noted that the “colours are terrific,” and the photographer created a “fabulous bokeh effect with the thrush in sharp focus off-centre.” The Red-legged Thrush is a regional endemic found in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico.
Red-legged Thrush by Edward Hernández-Lara.
ENDEMICS
FIRST PRIZE: Puerto Rican Owl by Ricardo Sanchez. “A wonderful shot that captures a brief moment between the subject and the photographer.” “Beautifully captured through the foliage.”
Puerto Rican Owl by Ricardo Sanchez.
SECOND PRIZE:Pearly-eyed Thrasher by Jadyn Scott. “The texture of the leaves is astounding, a flawless composition.” “This photo is so visually interesting but keeps the thrasher as the center of focus.”
Pearly-eyed Thrasher by Jadyn Scott.
THIRD PRIZE: Scaly-naped Pigeon by Jen O. “Great composition of an unusual pose.”
Scaly-naped Pigeon by Jen O.
Honorable Mentions in Endemics:King of the Jungle by Russell Campbell and Puerto Rican Tody by August Davidson-Onsgard. See photos in gallery below.
FUN WITH BIRDS AND PEOPLE
FIRST PRIZE: Local Feeding Pigeons in Old San Juan by Christina Kolbmann. “A well-lit, great shot that really sums up people’s engagement with the bird world.”
Local Feeding Pigeons in Old San Juan by Christina Kolbmann.
SECOND PRIZE: PROALAS Practice by Holly Garrod. “The framing and light capture a beautiful morning birdwatching.”
Practice Point Count in the BirdsCaribbean one-day post-conference Workshop on use of the PROALAS monitoring methods, Cambache Forest. Photo by Holly Garrod.
THIRD PRIZE:Chicken Crossing by Stella Uiterwaal. “Chickens take centre stage with soft focus of unaware people behind.”
FIRST PRIZE: Bananaquit Call by David Lariviere. “A lovely composition.” “You can almost hear the Coereva singing when you see this image.”
Bananaquit Call by David Lariviere.
SECOND PRIZE:Green Heron by A. Dorian Rose. “The lighting is fantastic with the shadowy breast and sun on the face and back.” “A well-lit, atmospheric shot.”
Green Heron by A. Dorian Rose.
THIRD PRIZE:Bridled Tern by Ricardo Sanchez. “A crisp image of a stunning bird; the cool palette reminds me of birdwatching on windy cliffs.”
Many thanks to our five fabulous judges: Andrew Dobson, Stephen Cutting, Daniel Serva, Ernesto Reyes, and Jessica Cañizares for their time and thoughtful consideration of each entry. Huge thanks also to Vortex Optics for donating the Grand Prize. We also really appreciate the effort everyone took to respectfully capture Puerto Rico’s wildlife and conference events. A big thank you to all those who entered the contest with your captivating and beautiful photos!
PLEASE ENJOY THIS PHOTO GALLERY OF ALL THE HONORABLE MENTIONS!
Northern Red Bishop by Jessica Guenther. Honorable mention in the Birds and Nature category.
Eggs for breakfast? Greater Antillean Grackles by Maggie MacPherson. Honorable mention in the Fun with Birds and People category.
Puerto Rican Tody by August Davidson-Onsgard. Honorable mention in the Endemics category.
Roseate Tern by Bruce Lyon. Honorable mention in the Birds and Nature category.
Ubiquitous but beautiful Bananaquit by Amber Roth. Honorable mention in the Birds and Nature category.
King of the Jungle, Puerto Rican Lizard Cuckoo by Russell Campbell. Honorable mention in the Endemics category.
Scanning for White-tailed Tropicbirds at Quebradillas by David LaPuma. Honorable mention in the Fun with Birds and People category.
Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of the Black-capped Petrel Working Group, shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.
The Critically Endangered “Diablotin” or Black-capped Petrel in flight. (Photo by Kate Sutherland)
The Black-capped Petrel is locally called the Diablotín (“little devil”) because of the creepy call it makes upon return to its mountaintop burrow in the evening. But nothing is more sinister than the threats this seabird is facing—habitat loss and invasive species. Fortunately, our Black-capped Petrel Working Group has been hard at work minimizing these threats to create a brighter future for these birds. In our latest blog Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of this Working Group shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.
The full annual update is available on our blog (link above) but here are a few noteworthy highlights:
A number of new confirmed nests have been located in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In fact, the team located nests on Pic La Selle, Haiti’s tallest mountain. This area is where some of the first Black-capped Petrels were rediscovered in Haiti by David Wingate in 1961 and 1963!
Over in Guadeloupe, researchers stepped up detection efforts with military-grade thermal binocular-camera equipment designed to detect, observe, and recognize objects that emit heat. Curious to find out what the camera picked up? Check out the report.
More evidence for persistence of petrels on Guadeloupe, Dominica and Cuba has come to light. A week-long expedition confirms the presence of the Diablotín on Dominica and has led to recommendations for future work, already in the planning stage. Specifically, the Group hopes to employ a four-legged companion to detect the petrels.
Lab analyses have revealed that petrels carry a tremendous load of mercury in their bodies and that their diet might be quite different from closely-related species.
Meanwhile, the people living and working in areas of key petrel habitat also carry on in spite of natural, social and economic calamities, showing resilience and fortitude. Environmental education programs for youth continue in Boukan Chat, Haiti and educational outreach opportunity presents itself in Pedernales, DR.
BirdsCaribbean is delighted to announce the publication of a new graphic novel, just in time for World Shorebirds Day (September 6, 2022). “Sami the Snowy Plover: Stories of Survival” focuses on the vulnerability of these charming little shorebirds, which overwinter and nest on sandy beaches and salt flats on some islands throughout the Caribbean. You can leaf through this beautifully illustrated book here below or online in English or Spanish.
Josmar E. Márquez, the author and illustrator of the book, is passionate about these fragile shorebirds, whose IUCN status is Near Threatened. As he leads monitoring projects on Coche Island in his native Venezuela, his observations have made him come to love these round-bodied, pale brown plovers as they hurry across the sand. He also recognized the Snowy Plover’s susceptibility to human impacts and disturbances. He decided that he wanted to use his skills as an artist to tell stories that the reading public could empathize with, as he does. Hence little Sami’s story was born.
A naturalist and shorebird researcher and member of BirdsCaribbean and local NGO AveZona, Josmar is Coordinator of the Snowy Plover Monitoring Project in the offshore islands and cays of Venezuela. He explained that the idea of the novel grew in 2020 from a colouring book he created on the Snowy Plover. He worked with BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director Lisa Sorenson and her team to make it a reality.
The Snowy Plover is a small, plump ground-nesting shorebird. In the Caribbean, they are primarily found in open, sandy areas near water like beaches, salt ponds, sand and mud flats, and barrier islands. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
“Getting people to understand the risks faced by many shorebirds, especially Snowy Plover, is a personal goal. I have seen how Snowy Plovers are affected by human activity in their habitat,” says Márquez. To him, the book is “beautiful, tragic and hopeful.”
One of the pages from the book, highlighting the disturbance posed by driving vehicles on the beach causing stress and harm to the Snowy Plover and other ground-nesting shorebirds.
Please take a read through the poignant stories of little Sami, which also have a message for all of us to take to heart. We would also welcome your feedback!
Josmar Esteban Marquez in the field.
You can read the graphic novel online in both English and Spanish on our Flipsnack account where it is also available for free download. Please share with your networks!
Thanks to Josmar for creating this heart-warming but impactful resource!
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.
Naturalist, illustrator, and shorebird researcher Josmar Márquez, who has just produced an online graphic novel “Sami The Snowy Plover: Stories of Survival” shares some encouraging news from the offshore islands and cays of his native Venezuela. His research and field work on Coche Island and Margarita Island for AveZona was supported by BirdsCaribbean through the David S. Lee Fund for Conservation.
Snowy Plover chick on salt crystals at Saline San Pedro de Coche, Coche Island. (photo by Sabino Silva)
The Snowy Plover is a special bird, in so many ways. Known in Venezuela as Frailecito it runs across the sand, pauses, and quickly catches its food (flies are its favorite) from the surface. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, its population is decreasing. It needs our protection! Let’s take care and share the beach, which is home to these and other shorebirds. Many have migrated long distances, and others use the beach as a breeding area. The Snowy Plovers breed from January to March on these islands. They build their nests by making a small depression in the sand, where they lay three to four eggs. The pair take turns incubating the eggs.
AveZona’s work in monitoring the Snowy Plover population began on Coche Island in 2018. During this year and into 2019, we were able to establish a positive relationship with people in the community. This has helped us to continue periodic counts of this wonderful species in the Saltpans of San Pedro de Coche, despite the restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic. All the results of these years of research will be published shortly in The Journal Caribbean Ornithology.
Sabino Rafael Silva, resident of Coche Island, has faithfully monitored the Snowy Plovers and other birds on the salt pans and salinas of Coche Island.
Buff-breasted Sandpiper locally called Playerito dorado (Calidris subruficollis). (Photo by Sabino Silva)
Working under tough conditions…
Coche Island resident, Sabino Rafael Silva, was a major supporter of this project. Due to the travel limitations during the pandemic, when others were not able to visit the island, he was the one who spent many hours walking under the burning sun and extreme conditions on the salt flats. He managed to observe and count the population of Snowy Plovers, and also observe other species of shorebirds in this study area. In other areas of the Isla de Coche, he also observed species not previously reported for the island and for this region of Venezuela.
Anahy and Sabino walking in the Restinga Lagoon National Park, Margarita Island. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Josmar, Sabino and other members of his team in the Restinga National Park, Margarita Island. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Additional important members of the team were Anahy Marcano, Guilberto Figueroa, Carlos Amundarain and Zenaida Martinez. They are “Margariteños” who were able to record the Snowy Plover on several occasions in the Marites Lagoon Natural Monument, a protected area on Margarita island, near Coche Island. These observations were made in conjunction with the Caribbean Flamingo Monitoring Project.
…and involving local residents through volunteerism
Just like Sabino, Anahy, Guilberto, Carlos and Zenaida are volunteers and friends of AveZona who have carried out valuable work on Coche and Margarita Islands. This is a growing group of community members who are now paying greater attention to their birds and the conservation of the islands’ biodiversity. This is an example of “participatory science,” engaging local communities in a conservation project.
Group of young birders in the Marites Lagoon National Monument, Margarita Island. (Photo by AveZona)
AveZona’s programs offer a great learning and bonding opportunity for children, youth and adults in the island region of Venezuela, establishing a sincere and respectful relationship with local communities. These groups will be able to observe, share information, and protect the birds and biodiversity of the islands of Venezuela.
The Snowy Plover, traveling between islands
One of these seven “Frailecito,” tagged with the black band, which can be read from a distance, is individual 6A, banded on Coche Island in February 2020 by Josmar Márquez and Antonio Ros.
6A has since been observed and photographed three times on Margarita island, flying 14 km one way and 14 km back, over the Caribbean Sea. This tagged Snowy Plover has shown us that the plovers that breed in the salt flats of Coche Island may travel between nearby islands and possibly to the coast of mainland Venezuela.
It is possible that all the populations on the Island of Coche are closely related to those observed in the Marites Lagoon Natural Monument and other areas of Margarita Island. We estimated there were 96 (95% CI: 46-201) and 116 (95% CI = 61-220) Snowy Plovers in the Coche Island salt flats in February and December, respectively.
As shown in the table, several of the individuals were seen frequently in the Coche Island salt pan, while others have not been seen since the day of banding. This raises several questions about the survival rates, migration, or dispersal of many of the individuals. As explained above, a population of 96-116 individuals is estimated in the Coche Island salt flats, thus, it may not be possible to observe all the banded individuals.
We hope to hear soon from some individual birds, such as the 4A, 5A, 6A, and 7A that have not been resighted often or at all. We wish 6A the best of luck in his travels to Margarita Island. Perhaps 6A may decide to settle on this Island. In the future, we hope to be able to use other monitoring methods such as Motus nanotags in this population and in the entire population of Snowy Plovers on different islands of Venezuela.
Snowy Plover banded with tag ‘6A’ on Coche Island in February 2020 seen again walking on the mud flat at Margarita Island on September 9, 2021. (photo by Josmar Marquez)
Another photo of ‘6A’ on September 9, 2021 at Las Marites Lagoon, Margarita Island. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Snowy Plover ‘3A’ tagged on Coche Island and photographed on July 17th, 2021. (Photo by Sabino Silva)
Exciting news! Two new protected areas on Coche Island may shelter shorebirds
A great victory for the shorebirds of the island of Coche is the recent creation of the first two areas protecting the biodiversity of this island. Under Official Decree No. 4,550, a Reserve of Wild Fauna was declared for Bahía El Saco, with an area of Four hundred and Eighty-Nine hectares (489 ha).
Map showing the new Bahía el Saco Wildlife Reserve (green polygon), 489 hectares, and in orange the towns. Map by the Ministry of Ecosocialism of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Under Official Decree No. 4,551, a Reserve of Wild Fauna in Punta El Palo was declared, with an area of Two thousand Nine Hundred Sixteen hectares (2,916 ha). These two areas are of utmost importance for the population of shorebirds and seabirds on the island of Coche.
The new Punta de Palo Wildlife Reserve, in green the polygon of the Protected Area (2,916 hectares, in orange the towns and in yellow the tourist hotels. Map by the Ministry of Ecosocialism of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
If you spot any of these Snowy Plovers or other shorebirds banded with black flags and white code, please report it to www.paave.net (website of the Bird Banding Program in Venezuela) or at https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/
Acknowledgments: I greatly appreciate support from IDEA WILD for providing equipment for the execution of this project, and to the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds for funding for the field work.
Josmar Esteban 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, creating artwork to educate about birds, and promoting nature-friendly behavior changes in the local community of the island.
Cover of the new Raptors of the Caribbean Education & Conservation Resource Guide.
Marta Curti of the Peregrine Fund shares her thoughts on (and love for) our magnificent Caribbean raptors, including several threatened endemic species and subspecies; and introduces a brand new Resource Guide, which will help conservationists, educators, and community members understand raptors better.
I am just going to say it. Raptors are cool! Their laser-like eyesight, powerful hunting skills, acrobatic and graceful flight, coupled with their penetrating stare, have been a source of fascination for humans probably since the first time someone locked eyes with one of these spectacular birds. But they are so much more than attractive and awe-inspiring birds.
More and more research has shown the important roles raptors play in the ecosystems in which they live. They act as top predators, bio-indicators, and umbrella species. They provide important ecosystem services for humans, and many are keystone species. In short, their role in an ecosystem is large in comparison to their numbers and their removal from that system would cause a cascade of negative effects on numerous other organisms – including humans.
Despite this, raptors are one of the most threatened bird groups in the world. And raptors in the Caribbean are no different. Populations across the region are in decline and there are even several endemic species and subspecies that need our help. These include the Ridgway’s Hawk, Cuban Kite, Grenada Hook-billed Kite, and Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk. With this in mind, you would imagine that the study of raptors and conservation programs to protect them would be widespread. But sadly, despite the critical roles they play in our ecosystems, and the many threats they face, there are few research and environmental education programs focused on raptors across the Caribbean.
We set out to change all of that.
Together with support from BirdsCaribbean, we at The Peregrine Fund have written a 200-page training manual entitled “Raptors of the Caribbean: Education and Conservation Resource Guide.” The guide is divided into four chapters:
What are Birds of Prey,
Identification of Birds of Prey of the Caribbean,
Why Raptors Matter, and
How One Can Help Conserve Raptors.
Each chapter is followed by two learning activities and one evaluation activity, as well as additional learning materials. Though written in English, we are now in the process of translating it into Spanish and Haitian Creole (Kreyòl), so it will have greater impact throughout the Caribbean.
But the creation of the guide is just the first step. The next stage is to train conservationists, community leaders, and educators in its use. During the AOS-BirdsCaribbean Conference in Puerto Rico in June 2022, we held a condensed workshop for 12 participants. After a short presentation on birds of prey, the action started. We began by breaking into teams and building life-sized raptors out of recyclable materials. Participants created a Stygian Owl, a Ridgway’s Hawk, and even a massive Secretarybird out of nothing but cardboard, plastic bottles, newspaper, and some tape to hold them all together. Creativity took flight!
Close-up view of Secretarybird constructed of recycleable materials. (photo by Gabriela Diaz)
One group plans the activity they will teach to the rest of the workshop participants. (Photo by Gabriela Diaz)
Group works together to construct their Stygian Owl. (photo by Gabriela Diaz)
One group is busy constructing a Secretarybird (photo by Gabriela Diaz)
Group shares their Stygian Owl masterpiece (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Team proudly shows off their completed life sized Secretarybird built out of recyclable materials plumes prey and all! (photo by Lisa-Sorenson)
For the next activity, groups reviewed the guide and chose an activity they were going to teach to the rest of us. We played games, wrote poems, and engaged in a “memory” challenge. One participant kept repeating “I am having so much fun!” A positive sign indeed!
We had carried out a pre- and post-evaluation and saw that in the four short hours of the mini-workshop, participants learned a lot about raptors that they hadn’t known before – such as what they eat, where they live, and the important functions they perform in their environment. It was an intense, hands-on learning experience.
Thanks to support from BirdsCaribbean and the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, the manual is now completed. Our dream is to carry out extended workshops of two or more days in countries around the Caribbean. Participants will gain experience – including conservation-based lessons that use raptors to teach math, language, art, and even physical education in their programs.
One team proudly shows of their Ridgway’s Hawk, made of recyclable materials. (photo by Tahira Carter)
In these longer workshops, we aim to offer participants training in environmental education techniques and methods. These would include developing a guided nature walk; giving an impactful presentation; how to speak about sensitive issues one-on-one with community members; and utilizing whatever materials are available on-hand to create fun and dynamic learning experiences for participants’ target audiences. They would also learn about raptors in their countries, food chains, threats to wildlife, and possible conservation solutions.
Several participants from each country would then be trained to lead these workshops, so we can form a chain of raptor-based environmental education workshops throughout the Caribbean and help to promote interest in raptor research and conservation. From our understanding, this is the only raptor-based conservation-themed workshop in the region. We are excited to embark on these workshops and look forward to sharing our results!
We are currently raising funds to make these education workshops a reality. Ongoing training is so vital to ensure the long-term survival of these magnificent birds. If you would like to support this work, please click here.
The “Raptors of the Caribbean” Training Manual and Guide is currently undergoing a final review, and will be available for FREE download in late September, 2022. Stay tuned!
Shorebirds to look out for in the Caribbean, from left to right: Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, American Oystercatcher. Photos from Macaulay Library: Sanderling by Adam Jackson-ML374383651, Semipalmated Plover by Matthew Addicks-ML267273921, Willet by Brad Imhoff-ML172089971, American Oystercatcher by Isaias Morataya-ML187534121)
As September draws closer and migratory shorebirds are making their way south, we are getting ready to celebrate World Shorebirds Day 2022! This year, why not show up and take part in the Global Shorebird Count? From help with bird ID to counting tips, BirdsCaribbean has everything you need to make your survey a success.
Mark your calendars for Tuesday September 6, 2022 – World Shorebirds Day. A reminder, though, that Global Shorebird Count can take place anytime from September 1 to 7. You will be part of an army of recorders worldwide! Across the Caribbean, groups of birders will be out looking for and counting shorebirds and recording what they find on eBird Caribbean. Some birders will go out in ones and twos. Whoever you are with, or even if you are on your own – why not join the counters and make your contribution to citizen science?
Well, you may ask: why should I? Why is this important? The answer is that our migratory shorebirds are more vulnerable than ever, threatened by human activities such as destruction of their habitats, pollution, disturbance, and climate change. Recording how many birds are around during migration – as well as where you find them – can help us conserve where they live and where they stop over.
Sanderling are often spotted running along the shorelines of sandy beaches. (Photo by Gary McHale)
Counting shorebirds on Turks and Caicos. (Photo by Simon Busuttil)
Spotted Sandpiper in its winter plumage. (Photo by Darlene Friedman-Macaulay Library ML78856001)
Where to find shorebirds
Willets and Short-billed Dowitcher, using a mangrove in the Bahamas. (Photo by Walker Golder)
Where should you be searching for shorebirds? That’s a big question. The simple answer is: anywhere there is water. This means that, as their name suggests, you can find them at the beach and on other types of shorelines. However, some shorebirds will be further inland, including in salt ponds and salinas, freshwater pools, and at brackish marshes and ponds. Shorebirds will also gather on mud flats, in mangrove areas, and on tidal flats.
You may not be quite sure of the best places to look in your area. If so, why not take a look for ‘hotspots’ at your local wetlands on eBird. Just click on ‘Explore’ on the eBird Caribbean website, and find ‘Explore Hotspots.’ You can open hotspots in a map and then click on a hotspot to see what types of birds have been seen there recently.
Everything you need to count shorebirds
We know that Shorebirds can be tricky to identify, and some are especially difficult to tell apart. BirdsCaribbean is here to help you with some useful tools! We have a Shorebird Poster and “Quick ID Guide” to get you started as well as handy Shorebird ID cards that you can download and print featuring common shorebirds of the Caribbean.
You can also brush up on your CWC survey skills, waterbird ID, and shorebird ID before you go out on your surveys by watching our fantastic CWC and Shorebird ID webinars on YouTube. Go to our shorebird resources page to find everything you need. Of course, don’t forget to take your favorite bird ID guide with you when you do your shorebird counts.
Now, sometimes there’s a trick to these things. We also have a list of some best practice tips to help make your count go as smoothly as possible. You can download and share this infographic with your fellow birders. When you go out on your survey, a spotting scope or a camera with a good zoom lens, as well as binoculars, will make for very helpful tools. They will help you get a closer look to pick out the identifying features of the birds, without disturbing them. Photos can be looked at and shared later if you have any birds that were difficult for you to identify in the field. Birding colleagues and experts can explain further if they have visual evidence of the bird! (Did we say some are quite tricky to tell apart?)
Make your Counts Count
A survey team looking for shorebirds in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino)
We encourage you to register to participate in the count and be sure to share your eBird Caribbean checklist(s) with worldshorebirdsday – the eBird username of World Shorebirds Day. You can find guidelines for sharing checklists here. eBird Caribbean is a critical tool for tracking and understanding bird migration and population changes – never more so than for our shorebirds. If you do not have an account, it is easy to register – here’s a quick guide to enter eBird data online. There is even a free eBird Essentials course to get you fully oriented. Download the free mobile app for recording your data in the field. Recording your findings on eBird is not only satisfying and enjoyable, but you are directly contributing to the global knowledge base of birds – what, when and wherever they are to be found. EBird is a good habit to get into!
Note that shorebirds are a type of waterbird. So, any counts you do at wetlands, mangroves, mud flats, coastal areas or beaches at any time of year count as Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) counts. When you do your counts please choose one of the CWC protocols in the eBird app or when you submit or edit your data online. When you are using the app make sure that you are using the eBird Caribbean Portal. To check or change the portal you are using, go into your settings on the app and look for “Portal”. To increase the value of your count to science, be sure to count ALL birds at your site, including seabirds, herons and egrets, land birds, etc.
Spotted a Banded Bird?
Banded Turnstone and Sanderling spotted in Jamaica in 2021.
Banded birds are special! If you spot a bird with a band on its leg, do your best to record the band colors and any numbers or letters. Binoculars or zoom photography may allow you to clearly see the band colors and the numbers engraved onto the band. Look out for bands especially on Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. Scientists use this information to track bird populations and migrations and have made some exciting findings from records of banded birds.
You can report your sightings and send any photos you have to BandedBirds.org and the USGS Bird Banding Lab, which oversee all banding in the United States.
Share your Shorebird Stories
The Wadadli Warblers birding group out on a waterbird survey in Antigua. (Photo by EAG/ Wadadli Warblers)
Why not take photos of the birds you see, your local wetland, or of you and your survey crew and share them on social media? Don’t forget to use the hashtags #worldshorebirdsday and #ShowUpForShorebirds
We’d love to hear all about your surveys and find out about some of the birds that you see, so remember to tag us @birdscaribbean when you post on social media! Thanks in advance for your participation in this important citizen science initiative to understand and conserve our beautiful shorebirds!
Get out there, Show up for Shorebirds, take part and have fun!
If you would like you use our graphic to promote World Shorebirds Day & the Global Shorebird Count, you can follow the links below to work with a template in Canva. You can add your own logos and extra information if needed. The templates include the graphic in English, Spanish and French for you to use. Please don’t forget to credit the photographers !
Shorebirds to look out for in the Caribbean, from left to right: Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, American Oystercatcher. Photos from Macaulay Library: Sanderling by Adam Jackson-ML374383651, Semipalmated Plover by Matthew Addicks-ML267273921, American Oystercatcher by Isaias Morataya-ML187534121)
Shorebirds to look our for in the Caribbean, from left to right: Sanderling, Semipalmated Plover, Willet, American Oystercatcher. Photos from Macaulay Library: Sanderling by Adam Jackson-ML374383651, Semipalmated Plover by Matthew Addicks-ML267273921, Willet by Brad Imhoff-ML172089971, Oystercatcher by Isaias Morataya-ML187534121)
Every two years, BirdsCaribbean (BC) holds an election for its Board of Directors.
This year — 2022 — is an election year, and we need the involvement of our community members!
Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is a fantastic opportunity to help shape the future of an organization dedicated to conserving the region’s incredible birds and nature. We are a vibrant network and work with many partners throughout the region, including governments, NGOs, educators, tourism interests, communities, students, and more. The BirdsCaribbean Board is an extremely personable, inclusive, and enthusiastic group, and we are eager to bring new ideas and backgrounds to our leadership. Without a doubt, serving on our Board of Directors is an enriching and rewarding experience, and interested individuals should not hesitate to pursue a position.
The nomination period will remain open for two full months, from 15 August until midnight 30 September. During this time, our community’s goal is to develop the best possible slate of nominees to provide leadership and growth for BirdsCaribbean.
WHAT POSITIONS ARE UP FOR NOMINATION?
BirdsCaribbean President Adrianne Tossas and members at the AOS-BC Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico (27 June-1 July 2022). Joining our board is a great opportunity to contribute to regional bird conservation and work with an amazing network of dedicated conservationists!
The following positions are up for nominations:
Executive Officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer
One Director-at-Large are elected to these positions
(other Board Directors are appointed directly by the Board)
Nominees = individuals that have been nominated to stand for election
Nominator = the person making the nomination
Seconder = an additional person that supports the nominator’s choice
WHO CAN NOMINATE AND WHO CAN BE NOMINATED:
Dinner of BC Board and staff plus supporter Greg Butcher and his wife Linda Fuller.
Any individual, sponsored, honorary, or life member in good standing* may be nominated and may also nominate or act as a “seconder” (i.e., give a second endorsement) for a nominee. All nominators must make sure that their nominee is willing to stand for election. And all nominations need a seconder.
Exceptions:
Directors that have served two consecutive terms in a position cannot run again for that same position. These individuals can run for a different position.
Note that individuals who have been disqualified because they have served 2 consecutive terms may run for election for their previous posts after a break of 1 term (2 years) or more.
Note — If you would like to receive a list of BirdsCaribbean members in good standing, or if you are not sure of your membership status, please contact BirdsCaribbean’s Administrative Assistant, Delores Kellman (Delores Kellman@BirdsCaribbean.org). You can easily renew your membership or join BirdsCaribbean. Contact us if you would like to apply for a sponsored membership.
*The Nominations Committee will perform a thorough vetting of each nominee to make sure that they are suitable for candidacy.
Enthusiasm and commitment to contributing to the leadership and mission of BirdsCaribbean, a non-profit organization
Any BirdsCaribbean member in good standing can nominate any other BirdsCaribbean member in good standing. All members should be active in seeking out nominations for elected or appointed posts. We encourage you to open up dialogue with individuals that you think would be a great addition to the BirdsCaribbean Board, and encourage those individuals to run for election.
Note — the Nominations Committee will be considering the Board’s need for diversity and representation when developing the list of candidates for election.
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO NOMINATE AN INDIVIDUAL, PLEASE COMPLETE THE ONLINE NOMINATION FORM:
Group photo of Caribbean delegates at AOS-BC Conference 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Be ready to provide the following:
Nominee’s name, address, country (ies) of citizenship and residence
Position the nominee is standing for (open positions include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Director-at-Large)
Evidence of the nominee’s willingness to stand for election. This is a brief statement that the nominee must write, and then send to you to be added to the nomination form. This should be a brief statement of interest (describing in about 100 words why the nominee thinks they are eligible for the post and what they will contribute if elected).
Name and contact information of a “seconder” (i.e., another person that agrees with this nomination), who must also be a member in good standing.
The nominations will be reviewed by the Nominations Committee to ensure that the nominees are eligible and that the nomination forms are complete.
*You may nominate more than one individual. Please complete a new nomination form for each individual and each position they seek.
The deadline for receipt of nominations is 11:59 PM, 30 September 2022.
ELECTIONS TIMELINE
Reunion of Caribbean colleagues at the Opening Reception of our AOS-BC Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico (27 June-1 July 2022).
15 August: Call for Nominations opens
15 August – 31 September: Two months’ time during which nominations can be sent to the Nominations Committee.
1 October: Nominations are closed. The Nominations Committee reviews the nominations and agrees on a slate of candidates that they submit to the Board for approval.
1 November: The President will announce the slate of candidates and release the link to electronic ballots to BirdsCaribbean members.
1 November – 15 December: All BirdsCaribbean members should vote during this time.
20 December: The President will announce the results of the election.
31 December: Terms of Office for previous Board members end.
1 January 2023: Terms of Office for new/ returning Board members begin.
The Caribbean is home to so many incredible species of birds. Join our Board of Directors, and help us protect them!
We are very excited to welcome several new endemic birds to the Caribbean! Every year the American Ornithological Society publishes their supplement to the Check-list of North American Birds which includes taxonomic (classification) updates to North American bird species. This year, we had not one, not two…. but three different species splits!
Hispaniolan Mango and Puerto Rican Mango
Hispaniola and Puerto Rico each acquired a new endemic with the split of the Antillean Mango. Mangos are large hummingbirds with decurved bills in the genus Anthracothorax. The Hispaniolan Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus) can be differentiated by males having a shimmering green throat, and entirely velvet-black underparts, whereas the Puerto Rican Mango (Anthracothorax aurulentus)has green flanks, black restricted to just a patch on the belly, and overall lighter underparts that are a brownish-gray. The female Hispaniolan Mango has a purplish tail base, whereas the female Puerto Rican Mango has a brownish tail.
In the early 1900s, the two mangos were formerly considered two separate species, but were lumped together (Anthracothorax dominicus) in the 1980s. Recent work looking through museum specimens has found that there are enough plumage and morphometric (size and shape) differences to split these two species once more! We now have the Puerto Rican Mango and the Hispaniolan Mango!
Hispaniolan Mango (female) feeding on hibiscus in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Neil Hilton)
Hispaniolan Mango (male) perched in the Dominican Republic.(photo by Carlos-Gomez)
Puerto Rican Mango female feeding in Puerto Rico. (photo by Ken Pinnow)
Puerto Rican Mango (female) perched in Puerto Rico. (photo by Ryan Douglas)
Puerto Rican Mango (male) perched, Puerto Rico. (photo by Ryan Mandelbaum)
Black-billed Streamertail and Red-billed Streamertail
The Streamertail is a long-tailed hummingbird that is easily recognized as the iconic national bird of Jamaica. The country has gained another endemic with the split of the Streamertail into Black-billed Streamertail (Trochilus scitulus) and Red-billed Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus). The biggest difference between these now two distinct species is all in the name, the bill color. But the Black-billed Streamertail also has shorter wings and a more grass-like green plumage, lacking some of the coppery tones that Red-billed Streamertail has. Like the former Antillean Mango, these two hummingbirds were originally recognized as distinct species, but lumped together into the Streamertail (Trochilus polytmus) in 2010s; now they are split again.
Recent research has studied the hybrid zone (the area where two closely-related species interact and reproduce; their offspring are known as hybrids) between these two taxa, finding it has been relatively stable for the last 70 years. While genetically, the two species remain fairly similar, the hybrid zone is relatively narrow, meaning the two species only come into contact in a small area. It also looks like bill color is important to males that are displaying to females, making a good case for splitting these two charismatic hummingbirds once more. Additionally, the Red-billed Streamertail is widespread across the island while the Black-billed Streamertail is restricted to the eastern part of Jamaica.
A male Black-billed Streamertail in Jamaica. (photo by Dominic Sherony)
A female Red-billed Streamertail in Jamaica. (photo by Charles J Sharp)
A male Red-billed Streamertail, locally known as Doctor Bird, shows off his iridescence. (photo by Kaldari)
A male Red-billed Streamertail in Jamaica. (photo by Dick Daniels)
Cuban Kite split from Hook-billed Kite
The Cuban Kite, formerly considered a subspecies of the Hook-billed Kite, is now a full species. (painting by Nils Navarro, from Endemic Birds of Cuba Field Guide)
Cuba is also gaining another endemic with the split of the Cuban Kite (Chondrohierax wilsonii) from Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus). The Cuban Kite was originally recognized as its own species in 1847, when it was first described, but was later lumped into Hook-billed Kite as they can show quite a bit of variation throughout their extensive range in Latin America. However, looking through specimens, the Cuban Kite shows a barred collar, which other Hook-billed Kites lack, overall smaller size, and a larger bill that is typically yellow. While genetically, Cuban Kite remains very similar to Hook-billed Kite, it is a species that is not known to disperse from or travel outside of Cuba, making a good case that there is relatively little connectivity between populations.
Unfortunately, the Cuban Kite is Critically Endangered and there have been very few sightings in recent years. Likely, there is a small stronghold left in the mountains of Eastern Cuba. Their decline has been attributed to habitat loss, loss of its main prey, the beautiful land snails, and persecution from the belief that they hunt domestic chickens. We hope that recognizing the Cuban Kite as its own distinct species will help gain some momentum to conserve this beautiful raptor.
Other taxonomic proposals not accepted
Other proposals that were unfortunately not accepted included: splitting Hispaniolan Elaenia from Greater Antillean Elaenia, recognizing the different subspecies of Red-legged Thrush as 2 or 3 distinct species, and splitting the Caribbean populations of House Wren into 7 distinct species. There’s a lot more work to be done for understanding our endemic birds in the Caribbean!
We are very excited to add a total of 3 new endemic species to the Caribbean! We look forward to continuing to learn more about our specialty Caribbean birds and maybe seeing more distinct species in the future!
Learn more about the Streamertail here (we will update this page soon to reflect the latest taxonomic update): https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2020/04/from-the-nest-day-9/
Over 700 species of birds live in the Caribbean. This includes 176 species that can be found nowhere else in the world! There is no doubt that birds add music and a splash of color to our lives. Many people enjoy watching wild birds since it distracts them from the pressures of their daily lives. Additionally, birds provide invaluable ecosystem services—they control insect populations, pollinate flowers, disperse seeds, and clean the environment. They continue to be important indicators of ecosystem health and can tell us if we are succeeding as stewards of our planet. Unfortunately, these services are almost always overlooked.
Vervain Hummingbird, Jamaica. (Photo by Sadik Kassam)
Birds are still threatened by development, agriculture, pollution, natural disasters, and hunting for meat or pets. For geographically restricted Caribbean birds, both resident and migratory, the effects can be disastrous leading to severe population declines, extirpation, or even extinction.
It’s up to all of us to take care of our birds, and to make sure they are around for future generations to enjoy. You can help birds thrive by taking a few simple, everyday actions.
Here are 10 ideas to get you started:
1. Keep Birds Safe from Pets
Unleashed dogs and outdoor cats can disturb, chase, and kill birds. Around the world, billions of birds die each year when they are caught by birds. Cats are natural predators, even if well fed. Outdoor cats also live shorter, harsher lives—they may suffer from injury or die if attacked by a dog or poisoned, can contract diseases and cause unwanted litters of kittens, if unspayed or unneutered. Keeping your cat indoors (or on a leash outdoors) is good for your cat and birds. Check this website for helpful resources.
Keep pets on a leash when outdoors. Cats kill millions of birds every year. This cat in Montserrat has killed a migratory shorebird, a Western Sandpiper. (photo on right by Alistair Homer)
2. Avoid Using Chemicals on your Lawn
Birds may accidentally eat pesticide and herbicide pellets or prey (e.g., insects) that have been poisoned. This can kill a bird or have toxic effects on their health. You can reduce your use of harmful chemicals by weeding by hand, landscaping with native plants, grasses and flowers that attract birds and provide food for them, and using organic insecticides like neem, and/ or make your own (try a mixture of white vinegar, salt, and dish soap for ridding your garden of weeds.
Keep your lawn pesticide free.
3. Leave Fledglings Where You Find Them
Young birds may spend a few days on the ground before they are able to fly well. Typically parents are nearby continue to care for them and feed them. You can help by keeping people and pets away. If you think a bird is truly an orphan, call a local wildlife rehabilitator for instructions.
Students from the St. Martin Primary School plant a tree, Dominica.
5. Share What You See
Citizen scientists such as yourself help us monitor our bird populations and environment. The observations entered into eBird Caribbean, from interested people across the region, provide data at an amazing scale and level of sophistication. If you’re interested in birds and nature, chances are there’s a BirdsCaribbean citizen-science project that can benefit from your participation. Caribbean Waterbird Census, Global Big Day, Global Shorebird Count
Coral Aviles entering the birds she saw in her Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) count on eBird Caribbean, Blassina Canal Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves)
6. Prevent Window Collisions
During the day, windows reflect plants and trees or the sky, making them look like places to fly into. Sadly, the bird often dies, even when it is only temporarily stunned and can still fly away. Many times these birds die later from internal bleeding or bruising, especially on the brain.The good news is that you can greatly reduce the danger your home’s windows pose to birds. You can explore options like decals, netting, or mosquito screens to keep birds away from your windows during the day. Check out ideas and resources here.
Glass panes that reflect trees and greenery can be problematic for birds.
7. Drink Coffee that is Good for the Birds
You might be looking to satisfy a craving but did you know you can preserve critical habitat for birds, and other wildlife, and support farmers that are committed to sustainable farming, by brewing a cup of coffee? The Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification ensures farmers follow strict growing standards to prevent irreversible damage to bird habitats by protecting tree diversity and foliage cover. Find a store or coffee shop near you, or have it shipped right to your door.
Bird Friendly Coffee.
8. Don’t Buy Illegally Caged Birds
Although trade is illegal, many Caribbean parrots, parakeets and songbirds are still harvested for both the local and international trade. Report the capture and sale of wild birds to the authorities. Learn more here about the Cuban songbird trade.
Hispaniolan Parakeets, native to Hispaniola, are illegally captured and sold for pets or smuggled out of the country for the pet trade.
9. Create Communities
Share your passion for birds with family and friends. And expand your backyard bird oasis into a larger neighborhood oasis by working with neighbors and managers of nearby parks, schoolyards, golf courses, and farms. Together you will help restore habitat and provide safe spaces for birds to find food, hide from predators and raise their families. Restoring bird habitat can also provide cooler spaces for people, absorb stormwater runoff, and combat the spread of invasive plants.
Kids planting trees in Haiti. (Photo by Anderson Jean)
10. Support BirdsCaribbean
At BirdsCaribbean, we’re committed to conserving birds and their habitats. We have been successful in empowering local people to enjoy, study, and monitor local birds, as well as alleviate threats to their survival and their habitats. However, there is still much more to be done for Caribbean birds, people, economies, and ecosystems that are under constant threat of development, agricultural expansion, pollution, climate change, and more. We’re a member-supported nonprofit and we rely on donations for our annual funding. We are extremely grateful to our generous and dedicated members and donors, and we invite you to join us as we continue to build a future where birds and people thrive.
Building capacity to study, monitor and conserve Caribbean seabirds
BirdsCaribbean booth at NAOC, 2016.
Serving on the BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors is an enriching experience, where you can really make an impact.
Group photo with Orlando at his home in Havana. BirdsCaribbean Cuba Bird Tour, January 2019.
Learning all about bird banding on WMBD, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Maria Paulino/ GAE).
Carefree Birding group enjoys the waterbirds in Sint Maarten with Binkie Van Es, BirdsCaribbean member and Caribbean Birding Trail trained guide. (photo by Carefree Birding)
Thanks to educators at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), youth in Jamaica were treated to a field trip that included birding and a nature scavenger hunt using BirdSleuth Caribbean materials published by BirdsCaribbean. (photo courtesy of NEPA)
The results of our first Short Story and Poetry Contest are in! We would like to congratulate the winners of this year’s competition for their creativity and skill at conveying emotion. We received fantastic submissions from the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela and are extremely grateful to each writer and poet for sharing their personal encounters with some of the Caribbean’s best birds.
We decided to host this short story and poetry contest as a way to highlight this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival theme “Loving Bird is Human Nature” by documenting the powerfully innate connection we have with birds. The result was an overwhelmingly talented pool of writers and poets, and outstanding stories and poems to choose from.
Short Story Winners
We are pleased to announce that the short story winners are:
3rd Place: “The Root of the Murder” by Chloe Bramble (Antigua and Barbuda)
The following stories also captivated the judges and they received Honorable Mentions:: “Jairo y el Frailecito” by Yohana Rivero Pérez (Venezuela), “Hide and Seek” by Adriana Cintrón (Puerto Rico) and “Guerreras del aire” by Alicia Marlene Ríos Pérez (Cuba).
Poetry Winners
And the poetry winners are:
1st Place: “To Wonder At Birds” by Brianna Salmon (Jamaica)
2nd Place: “Paloma Querida” by Wanda I. Rodríguez López (Puerto Rico)
3rd Place: “Bird Love” by Yashid Charles (St Lucia)
The judges believed the following poets were also able to powerfully express their ideas and emotions, and they received “Honorable Mentions.”: “Up Close First Encounter” by Alliah Francis (Jamaica), “Las aves de paso” by Yamilaiki Osorio Sánchez (Cuba) and “Miradas al mar” by Génesis Parra Rivero (Venezuela).
The entire CEBF team offers a sincere thanks to everyone who submitted. We invite you to read all submissions, including the winning short stories and poems in both Spanish and English, at this link OR click on the book below. to view here!
We would love to see this collection of short stories and poems grow! Please contact Aliya.Hosein@birdscaribbean.org and info@birdscaribbean.org if you would like to contribute a short story, poem, or both!
On April 9th, 2021, La Soufrière Volcano, on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, began to erupt for the first time in 42 years. These explosive eruptions left the conservation community gravely concerned about impacts to the island’s wildlife and vegetation. Using funds raised through our volcano recovery campaign, BirdsCaribbean, the Saint Vincent Department of Forestry, and Antioch University were able to begin assessing the effects. Here, we report on field work from our successful two-week pilot season surveying for the endemic Whistling Warbler and other forest species in May of 2022. Field Assistant Kaitlyn Okrusch shares her experiences—read on!
There is something indescribable about witnessing a creature that so few have laid eyes on. Not because it makes you lucky over others. Rather, this creature, this other living thing, has somehow managed to stay hidden from our pervasive (and distinctly) human nature. This thought crossed my mind several times as I glimpsed a view of the Whistling Warbler—a really rare bird found only on one island and restricted to mountainous forest habitat. As I gazed up at this endemic gem, I imagined its secretive life. With its stocky body, bold white eye-ring, cocked tail, and tilted head, it looked back down at me, just as curious.
When Mike Akresh, a conservation biology professor at Antioch University New England, asked if I wanted to assist a pilot study for the Whistling Warbler on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, I paused. “The Whistling Warbler?” I thought, “Saint Vincent?” I had never heard of the bird nor the island. Now, I don’t know how I could ever forget either.
Saint Vincent is located in the southern Lesser Antilles, and has a kite tail of 32 smaller islands and cays (the Grenadines) dotting southward. Its indigenous name is ‘Hairouna,’ which translates to the Land of the Blessed. The people, the culture, and the biodiversity are truly remarkable—blessed indeed. In addition to the warbler, the islands are home to the national bird, the colorful and endemic Saint Vincent Parrot, and host to six other bird species that are found only in the Lesser Antilles.
The rumblings, then eruptions, that ignited our work
At the northernmost point of this island lives the active volcano, La Soufrière, which last erupted in 1979. In December of 2020, this powerful mountain showed signs of life with effusive eruptions and growth of the lava dome for several months. On April 9th 2021, explosive eruptions began that sent plumes of ash as high as 16 kilometers. In addition, pyroclastic flows and lahars (very fast-moving, dense mudflows or debris flows consisting of pyroclastic material, rocky debris, ash and water) caused considerable damage along river valleys and gullies.
Multiple eruptions in April damaged trees and blanketed the forests and towns in thick layers of gray ash, leaving many parts of the island barren for months. Upwards of 20,000 people were evacuated in the Red and Orange Zones (northern half of the island), and, thanks to this decision, there was no loss of life. Remarkably, the 2021 eruption of La Soufriere is the largest to occur in the entire Caribbean of at least the last 250 years.
Massive ash cloud from La Soufriére volcano explosion on St. Vincent and the Grenadines, April 13, 2021. There were multiple powerful eruptions in April, starting on April 9th. (Photo by Dr. Richard Robertson, UWI).
There was grave concern for the welfare of the Saint Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other wildlife. BirdsCaribbean launched a fundraising campaign and our community stepped up to provide funding and supplies for volcano recovery efforts, both short and longer-term. This natural disaster was destructive for both the people and the land; the impacts are still being seen and felt today. But, out of this catastrophe arose an opportunity to assess the status of Saint Vincent’s iconic birds and to plan for their conservation moving forward.
The eruption of La Soufrière called attention to the urgent need for collaboration and research efforts regarding biodiversity conservation on Saint Vincent. With such limited baseline knowledge pertaining to most of the forest birds on the island, locals worried that some species (like the Whistling Warbler and the Saint Vincent Parrot) might disappear. No one was sure how these eruptions had impacted their populations.
This opened the door for concerted efforts between the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Department of Forestry (SVGF), BirdsCaribbean, and Antioch University, to complete a pilot season surveying for the elusive and endangered Whistling Warbler and other endemic landbirds. SVGF and researchers from Florida International University (led by Dr. Cristina Gomes) were already in the process of specifically re-surveying the Saint Vincent Parrot population, so our surveys focused on other landbirds (stay tuned for a blog post on this work!).
La Soufriére Volcano Trail sign. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Volcanic remnants near the northeast town of Georgetown. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Headquarters of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Department of Forestry, located in Campden Park near Kingstown. We met several times with Forestry staff during our visit to plan and discuss the field work. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Ash deposits on the coast at Wallibou, just north of the Wallibou River in the northwest, Glenroy is looking towards La Soufriére volcano. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Trees on the La Soufriére trail—one year later you can still see the damage to the canopy from the April 2021 eruptions. (photo by Lisa-Sorenson)
Touching down for the “oreo” bird
Flying into Saint Vincent. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
My eyes grew wide as the plane touched down and I stepped out into the humid, salty air. Lisa Sorenson (the executive director of BirdsCaribbean) had been down here for the previous few days with her husband, Mike Sorenson, and colleagues Jeff Gerbracht (Cornell Lab of Ornithology and long time BirdsCaribbean member) and Mike Akresh. They had been scouting out potential locations for our surveys of the warbler using the PROALAS point count protocol with SVGF and specifically SVGF Wildlife Unit Head, Glenroy Gaymes.
Lisa and Mike A. picked me up from the Argyle International Airport in a silver Suzuki jeep—driver’s side on the right, drive on the left. I hopped in the car and we zipped off into the narrow (and steep!) hillside roads of Arnos Vale—a small community north of the capital of Kingstown. Lisa had been down here before. She drove us around like a local: confident and happy, despite the crazy traffic and winding roads! I rolled down the window and the sun brushed my face. Our first stop before our home base was a local fruit stand, well equipped with juicy mangoes, soursop, plantains, pineapple, and grapefruits. Island life and fresh fruits—nothing quite compares!
As Lisa and Mike picked out the various ripe fruits they wanted, Lisa didn’t miss an opportunity to ask the stand tenders if they had ever heard of or seen the Whistling Warbler. She took out her phone, pulled up the Merlin Bird ID app, and displayed some of the few captured sounds and photographs of this bird. She held it up for them to see. “Ahhhh, yes, we’ve heard that before!” the man said, after listening to the song. A smile crept onto his face. The unmistakable call of this bird, as I would come to observe, has been ingrained into the minds of many locals—without them even knowing who was making it. “We hear that many times when we are in the forest,” the woman said.
The song of the Whistling Warbler is a crescendo trill of loudly whistled notes.
Many locals (and non locals) are unaware that the Whistling Warbler is endemic to Saint Vincent. On the other hand, many are aware that the beautiful and iconic Saint Vincent Parrot is endemic. Endemic species are naturally more vulnerable to extinction due to their specific nature: their limited distribution leaves them particularly vulnerable to threats like habitat destruction, climate change, invasive predators, or overhunting. On top of those reasons—as noted above—their survival may be even more perilous after a devastating volcanic eruption. It is well known that often the large, flamboyantly colored birds captivate, motivate, and receive more funding when it comes to conservation. Sometimes the smaller, less colorful birds quite literally get lost in the shadows. Because of a lack of research and funding, there are large knowledge gaps pertaining to the Whistling Warbler’s ecology and population status.
Whistling Warbler perched on a branch. (Photo by the Saint Vincent Ministry of Tourism)
There are only two scientific papers out there (one unpublished) that contain what little we know about the Whistling Warbler. Consequently, you often see “no information” listed under the various tabs if you search for this species on the Birds of the World website. What is its breeding biology? Do we actually understand the plumage variations between sexes and ages? What about habitat preference and home range size? Diet? Perceived versus actual threats regarding its conservation?
Furthermore, this warbler is interesting because it is also monotypic. It’s in a genus all of its own, and there are no subspecies. This makes the warbler especially unique, and it may be susceptible to changes that we could be causing (and accelerating).
Unfortunately, as with many endemic birds throughout the Caribbean, the lack of capacity, funding, and previous interest has limited our ability to answer these research questions and better conserve these endemic species. Few have had the time (or the funding) to put into fielding these research questions. These are some of the motivations to try and research—to understand—this unique bird and its ecology. We hope to try and figure out the status of this endangered warbler and build local capacity to monitor the warbler and other birds.
Hiking, Birding, and Counting, Oh My!
Most birders acknowledge that in order to see a bird, you need to be a bird. This means getting up at unpleasantly early times, 4 am for example. But, more often than not, it is well-worth the short night of sleep, driving in the dark, and arduous hiking, to watch and hear the lush green forest wake up. On our first field morning, we headed to a trail called Montréal, a steep ascent up the mountain, that became Tiberoux trail, once you reached the saddle and hiked down the other side. This was an area that SVGF staff had both seen and heard our small, feathered friend before.
Montreal farm field with Glenroy Gaymes and Mike Akresh. Glenroy points the way to hike into the mountains on the Montréal trail to survey for the warbler. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Utilizing local and SVGF staff knowledge was a crucial aspect of our surveying strategy. Our team visited sites and hiking trails where the warbler was known to be seen or heard in the past. We then conducted point counts within these areas to collect data on the presence/absence of the warbler and other forest species. Glenroy (AKA “Pewee”) has a wealth of knowledge about Saint Vincent’s forests and wildlife. His deep connection with the land comes from inherent connection and diligent observation: being a part of and not apart from the land. He has been walking these trails for 30+ years, patiently learning. Now, he was going to try and teach us about one of his favorite birds.
At first glance, the Whistling Warbler seems nearly impossible to study, partly due to its elusive nature, and partly due to its apparent habitat preference. This bird is found in dense, mountainous forests on extreme slopes of ridges and slippery ravines. This, as you can imagine, makes it difficult to track the bird, let alone nest search. One wrong step, and you can be sent flying down the mountain.
Luckily, with Glenroy’s knowledge and our protocol incorporating a playback song of this species, we were given glimpses here and there as the warbler flitted through the dense, dark, mid-canopy. Digging our heels into the steep sides of the trail, we would all anxiously listen for and await our prized subject. You could feel the tension rising as each of us swiveled our heads back and forth, looking for any sign of movement. “I see it, I see it, right there!” one of us would whisper—the others getting our binoculars ready.
For this two week pilot season, we wanted to rely on local knowledge to understand where to place our PROALAS point counts. PROALAS is a protocol used throughout Central America, and is now beginning to be implemented with BirdsCaribbean’s new Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Project. The protocol includes a standardized set of survey methods for monitoring birds, specially designed for tropical habitats. For our study, we would stop and do a 10-minute point count, noting every single bird that we see and/or hear every 200 meters along a designated trail. This methodology is a quick and systematic way to get an understanding of the landbirds in an area.
Additionally, we collected vegetation and habitat data which can then be used to understand species-habitat relationships. In our case, since we were focusing on the Whistling Warbler, we also did an additional five-minute point count just for it. For the first two minutes, we would play a continuous variety of Whistling Warbler calls and songs and visually looked for the bird to come in. For the final three minutes, we would turn off the playback, and listen to see if the warbler called back. At several locations, we also set out Autonomous Recording Units (ARUs), which are small devices that record bird songs for days at a time without us being physically present at the site.
All of this data was entered into eBird, available to local stakeholders and forever stored in the global database (see our Trip report here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/58880). Needless to say, Lisa, Mike, Jeff, Mike Akresh, and myself all got a crash course in Saint Vincent bird ID in the field.
Jeff, Mike, and Kaitlyn hiking on Tiberoux trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mike Akresh setting up the AudioMoth acoustic monitoring device in the field. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Winston “Rambo” Williams and Mike doing a point count on the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Team on the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Warbler and Parrot teams on the Silver Spoon trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Glenroy Gaymes walking through Mahorn Ridge. The orange flowering bush is Palicourea croceoides; common names Yellow Cedar and Caribbean Red Cappel Plant. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Audiomoth Automatic Recording Unit (ARU) set up on a tree to record songs and calls of forest birds. (photo by Lisa Sorenson).
So, how are the warblers doing?
Figure 1. Map of St Vincent showing locations of our PROALAS Point Counts without Whistling Warbler (WHWA) sightings, with warbler sightings, and eBird Caribbean sightings prior to the April 2021 eruption of La Soufriére Volcano.
The good news is we found some warblers! After surveying 8 sites, 46 points, and conducting 100+ point counts, we detected the Whistling Warbler, by sight and/or sound, at around 35% of the point locations (see Figure 1). Warblers had higher abundance on the eastern (windward) side of the island compared to the western (leeward) side, and appeared to be present on steep, mountainous, wetter slopes with natural (non-planted) forest.
Interestingly, we detected a number of Whistling Warblers along the La Soufrière Trail, an area that was highly impacted by the volcano eruption, so the warbler seems to be doing ok despite the habitat destruction! However, the impacted northern areas were definitely quieter and a number of other forest birds seemed to be missing, like the Cocoa Thrush and Ruddy Quail-Dove. One hypothesis might be that the heavy ash deposits closer to the volcano affected insects living on the ground—the food resources needed by ground-foraging bird species.
We also noted that a few other bird species were especially rare on the island after the volcano eruption. For instance, we did not detect any Antillean Euphonias, and only briefly saw or heard the Rufous-throated Solitaire at two locations. The Green-throated Carib, Brown Trembler, and Scaly-breasted Thrasher also had fairly low numbers throughout the island. This may have been due to the habitat we focused on and/or the time of year of our surveys. Clearly, more surveys are needed to assess these other species.
Fenton Falls trail, where Whistling Warblers were detected. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mike Akresh, Jeff Gerbracht, and Mike Sorenson along the Fenton Falls trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Possible non-active Whistling Warbler nest. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Whistling Warbler looks out from a branch. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Whistling Warbler (possible juvenile or female). (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Nature is resilient!
After traversing much of this island in search of the warbler, it is hard to imagine that this devastating eruption happened only one year ago. We saw the remnants of the ash on the trails; trees drooping over from the sheer weight of the volcanic ash upon their branches, and huge swaths in the north part of the island mostly devoid of large canopy trees. Yet, there was also life flourishing around us, green and growing up towards the light.
Glenroy commented that after the April eruptions, the forests were so eerily quiet, he felt like he was in outer space. He told us that in some areas, there was not one creature to be seen or heard for months, not even the ever-present mosquitos. Despite this devastating natural disaster, here we were though, both hearing and seeing many of the forest birds coming back. This also often included hearing the unmistakable crescendo whistling song of the Whistling Warbler, much to our delight.
Spathoglottis plicata, Philippine Ground Orchid (invasive species) in bloom. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Glenroy Gaymes with a St Vincent Hairstreak butterfly (endemic to St Vincent). (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Jeff and Mike Sorenson at the Parrot Lookout on the Vermont Nature Trail. Yes, we saw parrots! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
“Life From Death” interpretive sign along the Vermont Nature Trail. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mike Sorenson looking for birds in dense forest habitat. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Optimistic for the future: Our next steps
Kaitlyn Okrusch on the Coffee Trail with a rainbow in the background. (Photo by Glenroy Gaymes)
BirdsCaribbean, in partnership with Antioch University, SVGF, and others, are hoping to better understand how (and if) the Whistling Warbler and other species are recovering. Based on our knowledge of bird population resilience following catastrophic hurricanes, some species may quickly rebound to their former population sizes, while it may take years for other species to recover, and some may even become extinct. For instance, the Bahama Nuthatch, with a previously extremely small population, has not been seen since the devastating Hurricane Dorian passed through Grand Bahama island in 2019.
Next steps are to further examine the audio recordings we collected, carry out more surveys, and conduct a training workshop next winter to help build SVGF’s capacity to continue to monitor the warbler and other forest birds next year and in future years. We also plan to work together with SVGF to write a comprehensive Conservation Action Plan (CAP) which will help guide monitoring and conservation of the warbler for many years to come.
Finally, we will work with SVGF to elevate the status of the warbler in the eyes of locals—educate about this special little bird through school visits, field trips, and a media campaign. This endemic bird will hopefully become a source of pride, alongside the Saint Vincent Parrot, so that local people will join the fight to save it from extinction. It takes a village to work for the conservation of anything—especially birds—and we are excited to be partners on a fantastic project.
I keep returning to a quote from Senegalese conservationist, Baba Dioum: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.” Through collaboration with Vincentians and SVGF, I do believe we can better understand how this bird lives, and what this bird needs. It is, and will be, hard work. With help from Glenroy and other Forestry staff who have a wealth of knowledge and appreciation for the land and its wildlife, hopefully all Vincentians will come to know and love the Whistling Warbler as we have, and help us to conserve it and Saint Vincent’s other forest birds.
Lisa at the Silver Spoon Parrot watch lookout. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
The team at work. L-R: Mike Akresh, Jeff Gerbracht, Lisa and Mike Sorenson. (Photo by Mike Sorenson)
Acknowledgments
We thank Glenroy Gaymes for working with us in the field nearly every day, generously sharing his vast knowledge of the birds, plants, and other wildlife of Saint Vincent’s forests. We are also grateful to Mr. Fitzgerald Providence, Director of Forestry, and other SVGF staff for supporting our work, including Winston “Rambo” Williams, Lenchford Nimblet, and Cornelius Lyttle. Thanks also to Lystra Culzac for sharing her knowledge about the Whistling Warbler and St Vincent’s forest birds and providing helpful advice and insights to our field work. Funding for this pilot study came from BirdsCaribbean’s Volcano Recovery Fund—thank you so much to everyone who donated to this fund and to the “emergency group” that came together to assist with funding support and recovery . We also thank Antioch University’s Institute for International Conservation for providing additional funding.
Blog by Kaitlyn Okrusch (with Lisa Sorenson, Mike Akresh, Jeff Gerbracht, & Glenroy Gaymes). Kaitlyn is a graduate student at Antioch University of New England. She is obtaining a M.S. in Environmental Studies as well as getting her 7-12 grade science teaching licensure. She has worked and volunteered for various bird organizations over the past six years – both conducting research (bird-banding, nest searching) as well as developing curriculum and educating. These most recently include University of Montana Bird Ecology Lab (UMBEL), Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory (HRBO), and Owl Research Institute (ORI). Her passion is fueled by connecting people with the wild spaces they call home – especially through birds.
Help us to continue this work!
Once again, we thank the many generous members of our community who donated to help with the recovery effort for birds in St Vincent impacted by the April 2021 explosive eruptions of La Soufrière Volcano. If you would like to donate to help with our continued work with the Forestry Department and local communities, please click here and designate “St Vincent Volcano Recovery” as the specific purpose for your donation. Thank you!
*The “emergency group” that came together to assist with funding support and recovery of the St Vincent Parrot, Whistling Warbler, and other wildlife consisted of the following organizations: BirdsCaribbean, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, Fauna and Flora International, Caribaea Initiative, Houston Zoo, Grenada Dove Conservation Programme, UNDP Reef to Ridge Project, Houston Zoo, IWECo Project St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Farallon Islands Foundation. We thank our amazing local partners SCIENCE Initiative, the St. Vincent & the Grenadines Environment Fund, and the Forestry Department for your support and hard work.
Gallery
Antillean Crested Hummingbird. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Lobster Claw Heliconia (Heliconia bihai). (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Fenton Falls Trailhead. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Cattle Egret coming in for a landing. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Jeff Gerbracht walking on Montreal Trail towards the mountains with a boom mic. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
La Soufriere in the clouds on the east side of the island. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Common Black Hawk in the Calabash mangroves. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Lisa and Mike at Fenton Falls. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Purple-Throated Carib on the Silver Spoon Trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Two-year old Maeson Gaymes (incredible little hiker!) on the La Soufriere Trail for Global Big Day 2022 in St Vincent. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mangroves down by the ocean in Kingstown. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
St Vincent Hairstreak (Pseudolycaena cybele), also called Marsyus Hairstreak, St Vincent endemic butterfly, rests on a flower. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Freshly picked Guava on the coffee trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Old Trinity Road on the west side of the island, near the volcano. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Purple-Throated Carib nest found by Jeff, Lisa and Mike S. on Montreal. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Scaly-breasted Thrasher sits on a branch. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
Saint Vincent Bush Anole Anolis trinitatis). (Photo by Mike Akresh)
St. Vincent Whistling Frog (Pristimantis shrevei, IUCN endangered) in Glenroy Gaymes’ hands. (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Plumrose or Water Apple flowers found on the Coffee Trail. (Photo by Kaitlyn Okrusch)
White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) (Photo by Mike Akresh)
Lystra Culzac and Lisa Sorenson – mango sisters reunited! Lystra generously shared her knowledge about St Vincent’s forest birds and provided excellent advice for our field work. (photo by Mike Sorenson)
Lovely pastoral scene, nursing calf in Montreal. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Warbler and Parrot Crews at Silver Spoon Trail. (Photo by Glenroy Gaymes)
Acomat Boucan (Sloanea-caribaea) – Large tree with buttress roots in the forest. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Gommier (Dacryodes excelsa) dominant large tree in St Vincent. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
In March 2022, we installed the first two Motus stations that are part of BirdsCaribbean’s effort to expand the Motus network in the Caribbean region. Three installation experts from the Northeast Motus Collaboration and 12 trainees came together in Puerto Rico to put up stations at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge and Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve.
The rumors are true – Motus stations in the Caribbean are growing! It took months of hard work and preparation but, during the week of March 22-29, 2022, a team of Motus experts and novices interested in the installation of Motus stations successfully added two more stations (and two more dots) to the Motus Wildlife Tracking System.
“It was so satisfying to watch those tiny yellow dots appear on the Motus station map,” commented Maya Wilson, Project Manager for the Caribbean Motus Collaboration, noting that the Caribbean region greatly needs more tracking stations.
Two yellow dots have been added to the Motus Receiver Locations map (motus.org/data/receiversMap), representing the Motus stations at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge and Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve.
But what is Motus, and why is it important?
Motus (Latin for movement) is a powerful research network that uses automated radio telemetry to track the movements of small flying animals. The power of Motus lies in its collaborative nature, combining hundreds of projects that have installed 1400+ receiver stations and deployed nearly 34k+ tags on 287 species, mostly birds. Adding receiving stations in the Caribbean is critical, since the region is an important migratory pathway and overwintering region for many bird species.
Motus is one of three monitoring networks that we are aiming to build in the Caribbean as part of our newLandbird Monitoring Project. But with growing interest in Motus in the region, we’ve expanded our efforts into theCaribbean Motus Collaboration (CMC).
Expanding Motus in the Caribbean
Our timely development and implementation of the CMC has been possible largely due to our ongoing partnership with the Northeast Motus Collaboration (NMC). The NMC has put up around 120 stations over the last several years (with plans to reach 150 by the end of the year!), and they have been generously sharing their knowledge with us. Recently, Lisa Kizuik and Todd Alleger presented in our webinar series to providean introduction to Motus and plans for the Caribbean, and some guidance onhow to plan your Motus station.
First stop – Puerto Rico!
To kick things off, we traveled to southwestern Puerto Rico to install a station at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. This station is the result of a partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System, adding to the larger network of stations on National Wildlife Refuges.
We gathered at the Centro Interpretativo Las Salinas, where visitors to the refuge can see and learn about the legendary salt flats. Most of us had never assembled yagi antennas or deployed a SensorStation before. But lucky for us, three experts from the NMC – Todd Alleger, Mallory Sarver, and Aaron Coolman – led the team through each step.
As a base for the station, a telescoping mast was bracketed to the corner of a building on the refuge. The six antennas (3 of each frequency) were assembled, coaxial cables were attached and labeled, and then each one was hoisted up the ladder to be attached to the mast. The coaxial cables were run through a slatted window to be connected to a SensorStation housed inside. The next day, we returned to add some extra concrete support to the base of the station, add a grounding rod, and deploy the SensorStation. With that, the first station was up – constantly listening for tagged birds on the salt flats, dry forest, mangroves, and other important bird habitats throughout the refuge.
Todd, Mallory, and Aaron guide the team through the process of assembling yagi antennas. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Six antennas (3 of each frequency) with coaxial cables are lined up to be attached to the mast on a building at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Aaron Coolman begins the process of attaching antennas to the mast, while Cesar Montero supports the ladder. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Todd Alleger supports the ladder as Aaron Coolman attaches the fourth out of six antennas. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Mallory Sarver and Aarron Collman install the grounding rod, connecting it to the mast over the concrete base that has been poured earlier that day. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Almost there! All antennas attached, base secured in concrete and grounded, and coaxial cables are run through the slatted window to be connected to the SensorStation. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Todd Alleger describes the process of testing and deploying the SensorStation receiver to Ivelisse Rodrigues, Sheylda Diaz, Cesar Montero, Kendrick Weeks, and Maya Wilson. (Photo by Aaron Coolman)
Labeled coaxial cables have been connected to the SensorStation receiver, which is then tested and deployed to begin collecting data. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Most of the installation team next to the complete Motus station at Cabo Rojo. From left to right: Todd Alleger, Kendrick Weeks, Mallory Sarver, Maya Wilson, Aaron Coolman, Jedai Diaz, Ivelisse Rodrigues, Sheylda Diaz, and Cesar Montero. (Photo by Aaron Coolman)
One down… One to go!
From Cabo Rojo, we headed to Puerto Rico’s northern coast to install another station at Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve. In partnership with Para La Naturaleza (PLN), this station is the first of several stations that will be installed as part of our Landbird Monitoring Project. Attached to the recently rebuilt sawmill building on the reserve, the station will detect any tagged birds moving through or within the karst and coastal forests, wetlands, fields, and other habitats.
Bird’s eye view: A yagi antenna (5-element, 166 Mhz) at Hacienda La Esperanza points over the restored sugarcane field toward the karst forests. (Photo by Aaron Coolman)
The main structure for this station is a 30-ft Rohn tower, which meant that we had to start by making sure that the base was solid. PLN had already built a wooden cast for the cubic yard of concrete that we had to mix and pour in around the Rohn base. Once the cast was leveled in its place and the 5-ft Rohn section was stabilized, the concrete mixing began. Rotating through team members, we made relatively quick work of the 48 60-lb bags in the bucket of a tractor. As a final natural touch, we pressed leaves and flowers into the concrete.
Todd Alleger, Mallory Sarver, and William Burgos secure the short Rohn section in the cast to pour the concrete for the base. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Aaron Coolman, Alcides Morales, and William Burgos empty concrete bags (48, 60-lb bags total!) into the bucket of the tractor. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson
Aaron Coolman, Alcides Morales, and Maya Wilson add one of many batches of concrete to the cast. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
William Burgos levels the concrete base. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa Sorenson, Aaron Coolman, and others press leaves and flowers into the concrete to add a natural touch to the base of the station. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Teamwork definitely made this dream work!
While the concrete started drying, we assembled the 8 antennas (4 of each frequency) and coaxial cables in preparation for the tower assembly the following day.
Aaron Coolman, Claudia Babiou, Emilio Font, Ivelisse Rodriguez, Kendrick Weeks, and Omar Manzon assemble one of eight yagi antennas. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Ivelisse Rodrigues practices stripping coaxial cables and attaching connectors with Mallory Sarver. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
At the end of the first day, all 8 yagi antennas and coaxial cables are ready to be attached to the station. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
The next morning, we started by putting the three 10-ft Rohn sections together, then carefully raised the tower and lifted it onto the base. Once the tower was bracketed to the building, Todd climbed to the top and we began passing him the antennas. After a couple more hours of hard work in the hot Puerto Rican sun, the antennas were attached, and the coaxial cables were securely run into the top level of the building where they were connected to the SensorStation.
Todd Alleger and Mallory Sarver show the team how to connect the 3, 10-ft Rohn tower sections. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Once the tower is in place, it is secured to the base with heavy-duty bolts. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Todd Alleger briefs the team on how the tower will be raised. Everyone helps get the job done safely! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Aaron Coolman and Kendrick Weeks prepare to lift the 434 Mhz antennas up to Todd on the tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Todd Alleger attached the 434 Mhz antennas to the top of the tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Using a few ropes, the team on the ground passes another antenna to Todd on the tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
After all antennas have been attached, Todd takes a break and Aaron climbs to the top to secure the coaxial cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The CMC is just getting started – we may be in your island soon!
Now that both stations are officially on the Motus station map, we are eagerly watching them to see which tagged birds visit or travel through these areas! But this is only the beginning – the excitement and momentum behind the Caribbean Motus Collaboration is still going strong. Just over the next year or so, you can expect to see many other stations pop up in Barbados, The Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Saba, and several other Caribbean islands.
To find out more about the CMC and or to let us know if you are interested in contributing, please contact Maya Wilson at Maya.Wilson@BirdsCaribbean.org.
Acknowledgments: We want to say thank you to the Northeast Motus Collaboration for their constant help and support. Special thanks to Todd Alleger, Mallory Sarver, and Aaron Coolman for leading us through our first CMC installations! We are grateful to our partners in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Para La Naturaleza, particularly Adam Smith, Ricardo Antonetti, and Alcides Morales, for helping us plan, install, and watch over these stations. Thanks to our funders, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant, and our generous supporters who have donated to the Caribbean Motus Collaboration. And of course, thank you to everyone who joined the team in Puerto Rico to learn about the installation process and helped to get these stations up, including staff and members of Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña, BirdsCaribbean, Reserva Estuarina Bahía de Jobos, Environment for the Americas, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, and the Vieques National Trust.
Enjoy this short video of the Hacienda La Esperanza Installation!
Gallery
Enjoy more photos of the team working on our Motus installation in Puerto Rico below. Click the images to enlarge and see their captions.
Lisa Sorenson, Adrianne Tossas, and Sheylda Diaz. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Visit to Jose Colon’s property. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Adrianne Tossas, Emilio Font, and Maya Wilson lay out lunch for the group. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The group enjoys lunch together at Hacienda La Esperanza. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa Sorenson, Alcides Morales, Adrianne Tossas, and Ivelisse Rodrigues. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mallory Sarver, Lisa Sorenson, and Maya Wilson at Hacienda La Esperanza. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Kendrick Weeks, Maya Wilson, Mallory Sarver, Todd Alleger, and Aaron Coolman with finished Motus station at Hacienda La Esperanza. (Photo by Aaron Coolman)
A curious Greater-Antillean Grackle checks out our work. (photo by Aaron Coolman)
