Category: In the News

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This female Common Eider was spotted at Cooper’s Island, Bermuda during the 2016 annual Christmas Bird Count, and was the first record for the island. (Photo by Andrew Dobson)

For over 100 years, North American Birds and its predecessors have delivered regionalized summaries of bird populations — including the West Indies. These regional reports are now being housed online which means they can be available much more quickly than the traditional printed copies. If you are already an eBirder*, you should be able to find your unusual records very easily.

For about three years, publication of reports unfortunately ceased altogether due to staffing and management issues at the journal. But with a new team on board, things are happening fast!

BirdsCaribbean members Robert Norton, Anthony Levesque, and Andrew Dobson have been compiling seasonal reports for the West Indies and Bermuda region for many years. We are keen to maintain these reports but can only do this with your help.

What records are required? — rare sightings, unusually high numbers, the effect of hurricanes on local bird populations, etc. We are especially keen to receive news of the ‘first record’ of a species or the ‘first breeding record’. There is the opportunity of show-casing more photos online than in the printed copy, and so if you have a great photo of a rarely seen bird please submit that, too.

We need your unusual records from 2018 onwards. Simply email us a list indicating:

A Spotted Crake was reported from Desirade Island, Guadeloupe in 2014. This species was only the second record for the Caribbean. (Photo by Anthony Levesque)

Name of observer
Name of species
Number of birds
Location
Date first seen
Date last seen (if known)
A hyperlink to your eBird Caribbean checklist
Any other comments (e.g. first record since 1995, first known wintering record, earliest spring arrival)

All contributors will be listed and credited with sightings.

Many thanks if you are able to help. To speed up the process, please feel free to copy all three regional co-editors listed below when you send the email.

Thank you,

Andrew Dobson (Past-President, BirdsCaribbean)

Andrew Dobson (Bermuda)

andrewdobs@gmail.com

Robert L. Norton (Greater Antilles, Bahamas)

corvus0486@aol.com

Anthony Levesque (Lesser Antilles)

anthony.levesque@wanadoo.fr

*For those of you that are new to eBird, it’s a fun and easy (and very powerful!) platform to record your bird sightings, find the best places to bird, and more. And your data helps scientists better understand and conserve birds. If you’re in the Caribbean, be sure to use our portal, eBird Caribbean, to enter your data which offers birding protocols (e.g., the Caribbean Waterbird Census) and news stories unique to the region. We encourage you to get started and create an account; follow the quick instructions here. The eBird mobile app, available for both IOS and Android, is also great for entering your data straight from the field. Be sure to choose “Caribbean” as your region in the eBird app settings (“Settings” –> “Portal”).

February 24, 2021

Hope for the Future: Bringing Shorebirds to the People in Montserrat

Schoolchildren looking at shorebirds in Montserrat — Ajhermae White helps students of the Grade 5 class of Look Out Primary School with shorebird ID during their field trip at Marguerita Bay. (Photo by Stephen Mendes)

Enthusiasm is a key ingredient when observing, teaching, and talking about birds. For Ajhermae White, organizing a shorebird education initiative funded by BirdsCaribbean on her native Montserrat was a learning experience for her as well as her audiences, and a deeply satisfying one all around. Here is Ahjermae’s account of her journey as a shorebird educator – with young children, frigatebirds, and Government officials thrown into the mix.

The ‘Education on Shorebirds in Montserrat’ project is an initiative carried out by the island’s Department of Environment and sponsored by BirdsCaribbean. The aim is to spread awareness of shorebirds and their habitats. Once island residents learn more about these birds and understand their significance, the likelihood of threats to shorebirds, such as habitat destruction and human disturbance, will be reduced. As the project leader, I was really excited about the possible outcomes of this initiative.

The journey of being a shorebird educator has been a fulfilling experience. It has been a real privilege for me as the project leader to be given the opportunity to educate the local populace, in schools and among the general population about this fascinating topic. This has afforded me personal growth in addition to the enormous pleasure of sharing my passion for birds and their habitats.

Cleaning Up the Beaches Where Shorebirds Hang Out

Young girls participating in the clean-up. Credit: Stephen Mendes — Young girls participating in the clean-up. (Photo by Stephen Mendes)

The first major activity of this project was hosting a beach clean-up, in August 2020. Together with my colleagues from the Department of Environment, we brought the local community together to clean a shorebird habitat ahead of the migratory season.

We chose Marguerita Bay, which is located on the eastern side of the island, for this clean-up. Debris is constantly deposited on this beach as a consequence with the tides of the Atlantic Ocean. Nonetheless, this beach has been a popular site for shorebirds on Montserrat during the migratory season.

It was a good turnout of volunteers of all ages, from various community groups. I found it quite surprising to see the various types of items that were collected from the beach. These included items such as fishnets, clothing items, shoes, and even a 20 pound propane bottle! This clean-up was a success. An amazing 1,300 pounds of trash was removed from the beach. As such, the beach was much cleaner for the 2020 fall migrants.

Click on photos to enlarge

Some of the participants of the beach clean-up with the trash they collected

Some of the participants of the beach clean-up. (Photo by Stephen Mendes)

Participants collecting trash at the beach clean-up. (Photo by Stephen Mendes)

Working in Schools and Communities

Ajhermae White talking to primary school students about shorebirds — Ajhermae White giving a shorebird presentation to the Grade 6 students of the Brades Primary School. (Photo by Rianna Thomas)

During the month of October 2020, we were out in the schools and communities, conducting outreach sessions. We gave presentations and organized field trips. We conducted outreach sessions with The Rotaract Club; grade classes in three primary schools; two groups with members of the public; and last but not least, an After School Club of four to six-year-olds.

For most of the school engagements, we made presentations in the afternoons. The following morning, we took the students out on the field trip, as soon as the school day started.

The students listened intently and participated actively in all the presentations, which was impressive. We talked to them about “What is a shorebird?” and went on to discuss their habitats, feeding habits, and threats to their survival. We then described some common shorebirds on Montserrat.

Semipalmated Sandpiper at Marguerita Bay, Montserrat — Semipalmated Sandpiper at Marguerita Bay during the field trip with the Grade 6 students of the Brades Primary School.

We made sure that these presentations included many pictures and videos of shorebirds and their habitats. Some classes had interesting questions. I specifically recall that during one presentation a student asked whether the Killdeer was the adult version of the Semipalmated Plover. When the student asked this, I felt a sense of gratification. This not only demonstrated that they were paying attention but that they were engrossed sufficiently to spot the similarities and differences and between the different species.

After every presentation, we gave the students a short quiz with spot prizes. After the quiz, every student was given a token (badge, sticker, pamphlet, or bird band). Needless to say, they were very excited to be “little ambassadors” for migratory shorebirds with their stickers and other tokens.

Meanwhile, Out in the Field…Frigatebirds Were a “Hit”

Our first stop for every field trip was the recently-cleaned Marguerita Bay, where students were thrilled to see shorebirds like the Sanderling, Pectoral Sandpiper, and the Semipalmated Sandpiper. However, as the month of October progressed, there were fewer sightings, as the shorebirds were moving on.

During every field trip at Marguerita Bay, we could count on the Magnificent Frigatebirds to put on a show by flying very low and putting on acrobatic performances when swooping down to drink water from the pond. It was as if they enjoyed the attention from the young bird-watchers, who could observe the sexual dimorphism in this species.

Even if there weren’t many shorebirds to see at the beach at the time of the visit, the Frigatebirds captivated the students. The After School Club birders (4-6 year olds) were mesmerized by the Magnificent Frigatebirds. I recall that I wasn’t certain whether these little ones would understand terms like “female”, “male” and “juvenile,” so to simplify for these kindergartners, I told them which frigatebirds were “girls”, “boys” and “babies”. They kept shouting out “That one’s a baby bird!” They were so funny.

Some of the information about the shorebirds was in Spanish, so I made sure that any student who spoke Spanish as a first language was able to see the Spanish names as well for the various species. Those students also received a Spanish Shorebird poster.

All Went Well With the Student Birders!

school kids birding in Montserrat at Marguerita Bay — Students from the After-School Club are excited to identify shorebirds with Scriber at Marguerita Bay, Montserrat (photo by Ajhermae White)

The second stop during the field trips was to Carr’s Bay. This area is near a busy road so we always took extra precautions when visiting this area. Students spotted species like the Sanderling, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, and others wading in the water. There were also a few other wetland bird species that the students were able to identify, such as the Common Gallinule and the Snowy Egret.

When we returned to the classroom we distributed refreshments and provided additional tokens. I gave students a shorebird word search that I created online, to help them remember the names of the shorebirds of Montserrat.

Students of the Brades Primary School identifying shorebirds at Carr’s Bay Montserrat — Students of the Brades Primary School identifying shorebirds at Carr’s Bay. (Photo by Ajhermae White)

Although I always felt a little anxious before leading a field trip, I felt relieved afterwards, because they were successful and went ahead without mishaps. This was quite a responsibility for me, especially with the smallest bird enthusiasts. The students were able to see shorebirds and many other birds. Fortunately, there were no accidents during the field trips and even if it was a rainy day, the rain stopped long enough for the field trips to take place.

Engaging with the students was really gratifying. After the first few educational events, I started feeling more confident about putting myself out there to educate more students and the public. The enthusiasm that the students displayed showed me how much potential there is to impart knowledge to the younger generation, so that they can become more intensely aware of the avian biodiversity on Montserrat.

Students of Grade 6 class showing their shorebird identification cards after their field trip Credit: Thiffanie Williams — Students of the Grade 6 class of the St Augustine Primary School showing their shorebird identification cards after their field trip. (Photo by Thiffanie Williams)

Radio, a Powerful Medium for Reaching People

We used radio a great deal during this project. We recorded a few radio spots to inform the public about shorebirds, their habitats and migration, playing shorebird calls to grab the listeners’ attention. The spots also informed listeners about some of the threats that these birds face, such as habitat loss and pollution. A few of our outreach activities were scheduled around World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) so this celebration got coverage on the local news and the public was informed about the activities planned.

The Department of Environment was featured on the Ministry of Agriculture’s radio program called “MALHE VIBES” in October. On this live program, James ‘Scriber’ Daley (Forest Ranger) and I spoke about shorebirds and their habitats, informed listeners about our activities throughout the month, and used the opportunity to invite people to a public shorebird educational event. (See the end of this post for links to all Ajhermae’s radio appearances during this project!).

Great Support for Public Events – and a Government Minister, Too

We hosted public events to educate people in the community about shorebirds and give them opportunities to see shorebirds in their habitat. We advertised these events on the radio and on Facebook. I was really grateful to my co-worker, Thiffanie Williams, who created digital flyers to advertise the public events of this project.

Flyer advertising school shorebird education event — Digital flyer for the first public shorebird educational event. Created by Thiffanie Williams, Montserrat Dept of Environment.

For the public events Scriber and I conducted presentations, starting at 6:30 am. This presentation covered the same topics as the school presentations – but this time, people of all ages attended these sessions. We also gave a mini-quiz to participants, with the opportunity to win a BirdsCaribbean tote bag. After stocking up on refreshments and equipping them with binoculars, the participants boarded a bus at 7:00 am. Just like the school field trips, we took the participants to Marguerita Bay and then to Carr’s Bay. At Marguerita Bay we didn’t see as many shorebirds as we had hoped to see but some seabirds were present.

Minister of Agriculture looking at shorebirds in the spotting scope. — The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Crenston Buffonge, looking at shorebirds in the spotting scope. (Photo by Ajhermae White)

The radio sessions had clearly paid off, as residents of all ages attended the public birding events. I was particularly grateful that the Minister of Agriculture, Lands Housing and the Environment (MALHE), Hon. Crenston Buffonge and the Parliamentary Secretary, the Hon. Veronica Dorsette-Hector, each attended one of our public outreach sessions. It made me really pleased that these members of Parliament took part in these educational events and publicly showed their support for the project. This gave me hope for the future of wetlands on Montserrat.

Shorebirds at Carr’s Bay during the first public field trip on October 17th 2020. (Photo by Ajhermae White)

Carr’s Bay never disappointed us! On the first public birding trip, we saw fifteen different bird species at this site, including various species of shorebirds, like the Spotted Sandpiper and the Least Sandpiper! The first public birding trip was quite fulfilling for me because I saw two bird species that I had never seen before: the Merlin, and one that had eluded me many times – the Belted Kingfisher. The Minister jokingly commented that perhaps he and the other participants brought the good luck that allowed me to see these species.

It was quite satisfying to see when someone got an ‘aha moment’ after learning something new or finding out the name of a bird that they’ve often seen. A young girl, Kearah Ryan, who joined the second public birding trip, wrote a lovely blog about her experience. During that trip, Scriber and I were interviewed live on the radio by phone, informing the listeners about shorebirds, their habitats, migration, and the importance of protecting these birds. To my further delight, this clip was featured on ZJB Radio on the local news the following Monday. This served to boost my confidence as a shorebird educator.

Small girl-Kearah Ryan looking through the spotting scope at Carr’s Bay. — Kearah Ryan looking through the spotting scope at Carr’s Bay. Be sure to check out Kearah’s lovely blog and photos on her first shorebirding experience! (link above) (Photo by Ajhermae White)

An Impactful Project, a Great Personal Experience

Participants of the second bird watching trip. (Photo by Ajhermae White)

Overall, this project has been a resounding success! The Covid-19 pandemic had minimal impact on this educational project, as we have been fortunate in that Montserrat recorded no active cases between July 2020 and February 2021. With the use of the radio spots, the radio program, and the news, we effectively reached and educated many people locally about shorebirds and raised awareness about the threats that this group of birds face. So far we have directly engaged 145 persons, including two elected politicians. The feedback has been positive!

It is fair to say that I experienced personal growth while undertaking this project. It allowed me to sharpen my organizational skills, as quite a lot of planning and coordination was required to organize the clean-up and field trips. Additionally, with the wide coverage through the media and in-person presentations, my communication skills were also enhanced. As a direct consequence of this and the feedback I received, I am more confident to take on other projects in the future. I am therefore thankful to BirdsCaribbean for firstly, igniting my interest in birds, which allowed me to gain knowledge about avian species. Secondly, through their generous funding of this project I had the opportunity to educate Montserrat about this fascinating group of birds.

Ajhermae White and James ‘Scriber’ Daley with the participants of the first public shorebird outreach session. (Photo by Stephon Hixon)

Ajhermae White is an Environment Officer from the Department of Environment in Montserrat. She received a small grant from BirdsCaribbean to support her in this project to help educate people on Montserrat about shorebirds, their habitats and conservation. Thank you to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and Manomet for supporting our Caribbean Waterbird Census and Shorebird Monitoring and Conservation Projects!

Check out the awesome live interviews of Ajhermae White and James “Scriber” Daley (Montserrat Dept of Environment) for their shorebird education events:

On Thursday 22^nd October 2020, the Department of Environment were the guests on the Ministry of Agriculture’s radio program “MALHE Vibes” where they spoke about out shorebirds and the activities that they had been conducting for the Shorebird Education project (start at 2:34):

https://montserratradioecho.wordpress.com/2020/10/22/thursday-october-22-2020-mahle-vibes/

While on the Public bird watching trip at Carr’s Bay, Ajhermae got a chance to go live on ZJB Radio to let everyone know about our birding trip. Here is a link to that snippet of the radio program:

https://montserratradioecho.wordpress.com/2020/10/24/saturday-october-24-2020-james-scriber-daley-leads-annual-migratory-bird-count/

The birding trip was also featured on the morning news today! Here’s a link (Shorebird news starts at 8:03):

https://montserratradioecho.wordpress.com/2020/10/26/monday-october-26-2020-complete-morning-news-sports-and-weather-package-with-james-white-jr/

Check out this excellent video of the beach clean-up!

https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2413869538918800&ref=watch_permalink

One of the mini-birders on the public birding trip, Kearah Ryan, wrote a lovely blog post and shared photos about her shorebirding experience on Saturday. Here is a link to her blog:

http://kearahryan.com/shorebird-watching/

BirdsCaribbean note: We are so proud of Ajhermae White, a young conservation leader in Montserrat! Ajhermae attended our Conservation Caribbean Shorebirds International Training Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico in February 2019. Thank you to the Dept of Environment and James Scriber Daley for their incredible support! Many thanks also to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund, Vortex Optics, Optics for the Tropics, and to our generous members and donors for supporting this project.

February 23, 2021

A Feathery Finale to the Caribbean Waterbird Census!

February 22, 2021

Taking a Look at Shorebirds in Trinidad: A Population Update and Testing a New Survey Method

Trinidad and Tobago has a rich abundance and diversity of shorebirds and provides vital habitats for them during migration and over winter. Martin Gebauer, the recipient of a small grant for work on shorebirds from BirdsCaribbean, gives us a historical perspective and an update on shorebird populations and their habitats on the island of Trinidad. Find out from Martin if using drones can help us to count and monitor shorebirds.

Mixed waterbird flock on Trinidad's west coast mudflats — Trinidad has a rich diversity of Shorebirds. This mixed group, using Trinidad’s west coast during spring migration has six different shorebird species. Can you find and name them all? Scroll down to see the answers. (Photo by Jerome Foster)

TAKING A DEEPER LOOK AT MIGRATING SHOREBIRDS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Arctic-nesting shorebird populations have shown serious declines on breeding grounds, and at staging and wintering areas across their range. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), BirdsCaribbean (BC), and others have been looking into threats – including hunting – to shorebirds in the Caribbean through the Atlantic Flyway Shorebird Initiative (AFSI). It is clear, however, that more research is needed on the abundance, diversity, distribution, and habitat use of shorebirds migrating through or wintering in Trinidad and Tobago (TT), as well as the location of staging and wintering areas in the country. To support the AFSI, shorebird surveys (including the use of a drone) were conducted from 2018 to 2020. To determine the scale of shorebird declines, survey data were compared to data from aerial surveys on fixed wing aircraft conducted by Morrison and Ross (CWS) in 1982. The current work was supported by the USFWS and BirdsCaribbean.

Part of a group of Western and Semipalmated Sandpipers resting on Trinidad’s west coast during spring migration. (Photo by Jerome Foster)

THE RICH DIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO’S SHOREBIRDS

Shorebird diversity in Trinidad and Tobago is particularly rich. Of the 48 shorebird species recorded to date, some of which are European vagrants, 23 species were observed during the 2018 to 2020 surveys. Our surveys, and those by Morrison and Ross and others, found that the Semipalmated Sandpiper is by far the most common species, representing around 90% of shorebirds tallied in the country. Other common species are Western Sandpiper (see photo), Semipalmated Plover, Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper, Whimbrel, and Willet. Historical accounts suggest a similar mixture of species

SADLY, SHOREBIRDS IN DECLINING NUMBERS

The February 1982 aerial survey of Trinidad by Morrison and Ross documented more than 13,600 Nearctic shorebirds. But there is worrying news. The maximum number of birds seen on the 2018 to 2020 surveys was 4,174 (September 2018). This disturbing decline, which is described in more detail below, matches up with the USFWS and CWS findings. Although an accurate estimate of the percent decline is difficult, current shorebird populations are likely only between 20 to 30% of 1982 levels.

WHERE WERE WE LOOKING FOR SHOREBIRDS?

Some of the most important habitats for shorebirds are on the west coast of Trinidad. In fact, the west coast mudflats are designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. The area between the southern end of Caroni Swamp and south past the Couva River mouth to around Pointe-à-Pierre seems to be particularly good for shorebirds. Where the mudflats look greenish in color, there is a thick slurry of biofilm (i.e., diatoms, bacteria, organic detritus, and benthic invertebrates), a very important food source for Semipalmated and Western sandpipers. Morrison and Ross found that about 99% of all shorebirds observed on their aerial surveys were on the west coast mudflats, which aligns with the approximately 95% of shorebirds documented from 2018 to 2020. Very few shorebirds have been observed on the northern, eastern, or southern coasts.

Aerial image of Orange Valley mudflats looking south — Aerial image, taken from a drone, of the mudflats at Orange Valley, looking south towards Point Lisas. (Photo by Nicolaas Kersting)

Another important area for shorebirds is the Caroni Rice Fields. Regrettably, since 2003, rice farming has been abandoned in large portions of these fields and the overall habitat for shorebirds has declined. However, in some years – for example, in 2020 – large numbers of shorebirds can still be found here.

Flooded Rice fields — Active rice farming in Caroni Rice Fields provides habitat for shorebirds. (Photo by Martin Gebauer)

WHAT DID THE DRONE SURVEYS SHOW?

The drone surveys provided an excellent overview of habitats at each of the sites surveyed. Unfortunately, because the images were not sufficiently high resolution, a detailed analysis of shorebird use, whether manual or software-driven, was not possible. Another challenge was that birds were disturbed and often flew away, even when the drone was at a height of 100 m. We did find that drones may be suitable for surveying larger species such as gulls, skimmers and terns, as shown in the adjacent picture (Brickfield, 40m, 05 April 2020).

Drone image with Black Skimmers and Laughing Gull marked for counting — Still image from drone footage. The birds have been marked for counting. This image contains 878 Black Skimmers, 1001 Laughing Gulls and 19 Large-billed Terns. (Image by Nicolaas Kersting)

ARE SHOREBIRDS LOSING THEIR OLD HANGOUTS?

The area with the highest shorebird numbers during the 1982 Morrison and Ross surveys was the Point Lisas industrial development (see photo). However, currently this area is not accessible by foot or drone. Nevertheless, a review of recent aerial imagery suggests that habitats in this area have been dramatically altered through dredging and land reclamation activities.

Drone footage of Point Lisas on the west coast of Trinidad (Photo by Nicolaas Kersting)

Apparently, this loss of the mudflats that provide so much food and foraging for small shorebirds (Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers) appears to be a cause of the considerable declines of these charming, once abundant little birds between the 1982 and the 2018-2020 surveys.

Following the construction of the Orange Valley fishing pier, there has been a dramatic decline in the surrounding mudflats, with a rapid expansion of mangroves in the area.

There are local factors that are contributing to the declining numbers of shorebirds in Trinidad. Previously rich areas where they foraged for food are disappearing. In some areas, an increase in mangrove growth has affected the mudflats that shorebirds love. We must also take into account the global picture; across the flyway shorebirds are declining. What lessons can we learn from other countries? One thing is clear: To ensure that these losses of habitats for the wintering shorebirds do not continue in Trinidad, protecting and restoring remaining mudflat areas on the west coast of Trinidad has to be a critical goal in shorebird management.

This downward spiral has to be slowed or better still, turned around.

Martin Gebauer is an ornithologist and president of Gebauer & Associates Ltd., an environmental consulting firm. He is currently working on his PhD at the University of Oxford. He carried out research on shorebird hunting in the Caribbean for his MSc from Oxford.

Mix shorebird flock on Trinidad's west coast - species named in the photo. — Here are the six species of shorebirds with labels to identify them. Good for you if you were able to name some or all of them correctly! (Photo by Jerome Foster)

To learn more about shorebird ID, check out this training webinar:

January 26, 2021

The Finer Points of Waterbird and Shorebird ID: A Bit of a Brain Twister

With this year’s Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) in full swing BirdsCaribbean recently held some webinars to help out those who want to get involved. One attendee, Emma Lewis, shares her thoughts with us on why counting birds matters so much, and the trials and tribulations (sometimes humorous) of learning to identify shorebirds and waterbirds.

The devil is in the details, they say, and as birders across the region gird themselves up and go out to muddy, sandy, wet places to spot birds, figuring out what is what is no joke. The birds are – what’s the word, indefinable? – at times.

As I may have mentioned before, it’s always important to find birds, but it’s also very important to count them. This helps scientists figure out populations – what, when, where, and how many – and to map them to see how these populations are moving around the planet. What has become apparent in recent years is that waterbirds, especially shorebirds, have been declining in numbers around the world for decades now. In the UK, for example, waterbird numbers have declined by 25 per cent in just the past ten years, according to one survey. There are many reasons for the global decline (some 40 per cent since the 1970s in our hemisphere), with climate change and coastal development high on the list in the Caribbean.

Shorebird decline graph — Population trends of different species groups since 1970. Shorebirds have declined by 40%. (Screen shot from BirdsCaribbean Shorebird ID webinar).

Bearing in mind that we need to understand more about our waterbirds, by observing and recording them, in order to conserve them, BirdsCaribbean has organized the Caribbean Waterbirds Census (CWC), now in its twelfth year (January 14 to February 3; including World Wetlands Day on February 2). This year, three webinars were organized to help confused birders identify those delightful birds, of all shapes and sizes, that potter around on our beaches, salt flats, marshes, mangroves, mudflats,and riversides at this time of year.

Shorebird ID guide from BirdsCaribbean — In descending order… Big, little and…smaller still, like the Least Sandpiper. Last, but not least. Full guide and other resources available here (Screenshot from BirdsCaribbean shorebird ID webinar)

Blue-winged Teal pair — Ducks a-dabbling. These are Blue-winged Teals, which are the most common migratory duck to visit us in the Caribbean. The male has a distinctive white crescent on his face & both sexes have a large blue-wing patch. (Photo by Sharon Cardin)

The thing is, you see, there are ~185 species of waterbirds around the Caribbean. These include dabbling ducks and diving ducks, tall stately herons and small crouching herons, egrets with various colored legs and bills, and a baffling (and disconcertingly large) group of sandpipers and plovers – breeding, non-breeding, and in between (sometimes they are molting in or out of their breeding plumage). Males, females, and immature ones. Most of them actually are super-migrants, breeding way up in the Arctic and making their way all the way down to the Caribbean in winter to just hang out, rest, feed, and prepare to migrate back again.

Picture of a Spotted sandpiper — I took this photo in Portland Bight, Clarendon, in 2019. Could it be…? Is it…a Lesser Yellowlegs? **see end of post

I had some little chuckles to myself during the webinars. It was harder than the most difficult New York Times crossword at times – the Sunday one. We had regular quizzes throughout to “test our knowledge,” during which I felt increasingly desperate and took wild guesses. Is A or B a Semipalmated Sandpiper? Or could it be a Spotted Sandpiper? Is it “front heavy” (it could be a Western Sandpiper)? Is its back the color of wet sand, or dry sand? What is the difference between a Greater Yellowlegs and a Lesser Yellowlegs (if you saw just one of them)?

Look for clues, our presenters urged. Sometimes the differences can be “very subtle.” Indeed.

So, next weekend, all being well, I will be taking the “Waterbird Challenge.” Why don’t you try it too? If you need some inspiration, go to BirdsCaribbean’s YouTube page (see links below). The webinars were all streamed live on Facebook, so you can find them there, too. I would also recommend downloading the free Merlin bird ID app from the Cornell Lab on your phone! And of course, don’t forget to enter your birding checklists on eBird Caribbean (be sure to choose one of the Caribbean Waterbird Census protocols – see instructions here) – your data are invaluable to science and conservation.

Ultimately, as for so many things in life, the best advice is “practice makes perfect.” In other words, the more you get out there and tackle those waterbirds, the better. Spend hours with them!

And, as Jeff Gerbracht from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, who gave us those finer points, reminded us: “Waterbirds need the Caribbean.”

Stilt Sandpiper — We learned the finer points of waterbird and shorebird ID – many valuable tips were provided. Now I just need to study! (image from Waterbirds ID Webinar Part II: Shorebirds; photo by Ray Robles)

If you would like to become a member of BirdsCaribbean, you do not have to be an expert at all! What unites us is our love of birds. For students and Caribbean nationals, the membership is only US$25 annually. If you are a Caribbean institution, the membership is US$60. Your membership helps BirdsCaribbean’s efforts to raise awareness, train and mentor conservation professionals, support research and monitoring, advocate for birds and their habitats, and engage people in citizen science and conservation actions. One big plus is that as a member you get free access to Birds of the World, a fabulous online resource which costs more than your membership fee to subscribe to!

**This shorebird does have yellow legs but it is in fact a Spotted Sandpiper. It has shorter legs than a Lesser Yellowlegs and a heavier bill. Note the white “smudge” or wedge at the shoulder, another good field mark. It also shows the typical ’tilted forward’ posture of a Spotted Sandpiper and lacks the speckled plumage on the back, you would expect on a Lesser Yellowlegs.

Many thanks to Emma Lewis for this inspiring and fun article. Emma is a blogger, social and environmental activist, and avid birder based in Jamaica. She also recently joined the board of BirdsCaribbean. Thank you to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, and our members and donors for supporting our Caribbean Waterbird Census and Waterbird-Shorebird Education, Monitoring and Conservation Projects!

Waterbird ID Webinars on our YouTube channel

January 25, 2021

Funding Opportunity—The David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds

2021 Awards Now Open!

Size of Award: Several grants up to $1,000 each Application Deadline: February 19th, 2021 at 5 p.m. EST. Address Questions and Send Application to: Will Mackin, BirdsCaribbean, willmackin@gmail.com with copy to info@birdscaribbean.org Announcement of Awards: March 15th, 2021 Donations to the Fund: Tax-deductible (U.S.) at this link. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dave Lee holding a White-tailed Tropicbird in the Bahamas. (photo by Mary Kay Clark)

David S. Lee (1943-2014) was a pioneering naturalist and conservation biologist who helped get BirdsCaribbean started nearly 30 years ago. He inspired many naturalists with his work and his writing. He was a man of many interests, and with respect to the Caribbean, published numerous papers and articles in the popular press on seabirds, Bahamian fish, turtles, snakes, bats, and orchids.

Donations from Dave’s wife, Mary Kay Clark and his mother, June Bash, allowed the establishment of the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds that will award money to conservation projects in his honor. The money is being held in a trust and will be used to award annual grants for innovative projects that protect Caribbean birds and their habitats.

Goal of the Fund: The David S. Lee Fund for Conservation seeks to continue David’s passion for protecting wildlife. The fund will support direct, innovative conservation work in the Caribbean Region for birds and their habitats. The fund will be managed by BirdsCaribbean and used for annual small grants. Applicants should demonstrate how their project will work with conservation groups and local communities in the Caribbean.

Eligibility: Scientists/naturalists working in the Caribbean, in conservation organizations or academic programs, may apply. Applicants should be students or early career ornithologists, conservationists, or wildlife professionals (i.e., not established faculty or senior staff of a conservation organization, less than 10 years post-graduation). A student must be enrolled in accredited Masters or PhD program in ecology, biology, conservation, or related field to be eligible. Applicants must be paid or sponsored members of BirdsCaribbean at the time of application.

Use of Funds: The funds can cover travel to field sites, living expenses in the field, or costs for equipment and supplies to conduct conservation projects. Examples of equipment and supplies include traps, cameras, automated recording units, nest boxes, etc. Ineligible costs include salary or other wages, overhead fees, etc. Projects that foster collaboration between scientists/naturalists in different island groups of the Caribbean, such as joint projects to test conservation techniques for similar species, will be favored. Application Guidelines:

Proposals may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish. All should have an English version of the abstract.
Applications should be emailed as a Microsoft Word document.
The application should include a cover page, proposal (download guidelines below), and a curriculum vitae for the applicant.
Separately, by email, three individuals who can attest to your effectiveness in previous work should submit letters of recommendation. For students, this would include your academic advisor.

Evaluation:

A committee appointed by BirdsCaribbean will review the proposals and award the grants.
The awardee will be required to submit a report one year from the day of the award explaining how the award money was spent and the results of the project to that point. The awardee is also asked to write an article for BirdsCaribbean’s blog about their work (informal article for a lay audience).
Awardees are encouraged to present the results of their work at the biennial International Conference of BirdsCaribbean and publish in The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology.

Eligible applicants can download the application here. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Help support the Dave Lee Fund by being a sponsor!

Reddish Egrets (dark morph). (photo by Tania Thomson, Shutterstock)

This fund will be for the conservation of any bird in the Caribbean as a reflection of Dave’s diverse interests. He was an important part of many projects, ranging from those of the Black-capped Petrel and Seabird Working Group to the scholarly debate leading to the elevation of the Bahama Yellow-throated Warbler to a full species. At the moment the fund contains $12,000. Our initial goal is to raise $25,000 so that we can award $1,000 every year to a worthy student or early career ornithologist, conservationist or wildlife professional. Not only will this fund encourage creative field work for projects that make a difference, but it will also help build the knowledge and skills of young conservationists that are urgently needed to make sure that the Caribbean birds and habitats that Dave treasured are still around for future generations to enjoy.

Cuban Parrot surveying his domain. (photo by Elliotte Rusty-Harold, Shutterstock)

At the 2015 BirdsCaribbean meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, a round of beers was purchased in Dave’s honor, since he always seemed to have a cooler full when people wanted one (and even when they didn’t). Think of this fund like a cooler full of refreshing beverages that Dave would have around if he were here. We owe it to Dave to stock that cooler—to vitalize naturalists and empower them in their work to help wildlife. Please give a tax deductible donation to the David S. Lee Fund. Give generously. The more we put into the fund, the more we can give out each year. Thanks to all those that have contributed to the fund!

Click here to make an online contribution.

If you prefer to donate with a check, please make the check out to “BirdsCaribbean” and in the memo section, note that it is for the David S. Lee Fund. If you have questions or to make other arrangements for donating, please feel free to contact Jennifer Wheeler, BirdsCaribbean Financial Officer (jennifer.wheeler@birdscaribbean.org) Checks can be mailed to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760-2076

Thank you for your participation and support!

Reports from Projects Supported with Dave Lee Fund Scholarships:

https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2020/03/protecting-the-snowy-plovers-of-coche-island-through-science-and-community/ https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2020/01/birdy-hear-birdy-do-does-playback-attract-seed-dispersers-to-restoration-sites/ https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2018/01/the-mystery-of-the-missing-todies-understanding-the-impacts-of-invasive-mammals/ https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2017/06/the-vampire-diaries-searching-for-seabird-blood-in-the-sunny-caribbean/ https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2017/05/bahama-swallows-in-the-pine-islands-report-from-the-field/ https://www.birdscaribbean.org/2017/12/forest-restoration-in-the-dominican-republic-how-i-got-the-birds-to-work-for-me/

January 24, 2021

Inauguration of “Joe” and “Kamala” could help save West Indian Whistling-Ducks!

West Indian Whistling-Ducks in Jamaica — West Indian Whistling-Ducks swimming through duckweed at Negril Royal Palm Reserve in Jamaica. WIWDs are endemic to the West Indies. Their long-term survival is threatened by destruction and degradation of their wetland habitats from development, climate change, and pollution, as well as poaching and predation by invasive species. (photo by Ann Sutton)

We are pleased and proud to announce that Inauguration Day, 20^th January 2021 was the start of a new and wonderful initiative. This big event happened far from Washington D.C., in a remote wetland near Negril, Jamaica. On this day, two West Indian Whistling-Ducks, nicknamed “Joe” and “Kamala”, became the first of their kind to bear GPS trackers. From now on, like their namesakes, these birds will be the focus of constant scrutiny and international attention. Their solar–powered backpack trackers will report their locations every hour. Read on as Dr. Ann Haynes-Sutton shares more with us about this exciting new initiative.

West Indian Whistling-Ducks (WIWD) are one of the rarest ducks in the Americas. We know very little about the behavior and movements of these secretive ducks, which are found only in the northern Caribbean (including the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, Antigua and Barbuda; extirpated, very rare, or vagrant elsewhere). WIWDs are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as “Near Threatened.” Threats to these ducks include destruction of their wetland habitats, climate change (severe droughts, storms, and flooding), predation by invasive species (e.g., mongoose), poaching, and pollution from agriculture and other sources. BirdsCaribbean members have long reported declines in the population of Whistling-Ducks and their habitats throughout their range, which led to the creation of the WIWD and Wetlands Conservation Project. Jamaican populations are among the worst affected in recent years.

Three GPS trackers ready for application. (photo by Ann Sutton)

About 10 years ago, I regularly saw more than 150 in the Negril wetlands but over the years I heard reports that their numbers had declined catastrophically. The reports reached the Jamaican Government, who made the recovery of the WIWD the focus of part of their Global Environment Facility Project “Integrating Water, Land and Ecosystems Management in Caribbean Small Island States – Jamaica sub-project Biodiversity Mainstreaming in Coastal Landscapes within the Negril Environmental Protection Area of Jamaica.” The Government hired me as the lead expert for the West Indian Whistling-Duck component.

In order to plan for the ducks’ recovery, I needed detailed information, for example, how many there are, where they feed, nest, and roost, and the threats they face. I couldn’t find any such data, for Negril or any other part of Jamaica. I set out to survey the ducks from the ground, from roads, and by boat, using tapes, drones and cameras. All these approaches failed. Apart from one location, I could not find any ducks, although with the help of the Negril Environmental Protection Trust I received some reports from local community members.

Thus, I was more than delighted when BirdsCaribbean and Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation supported the purchase and importation of some GPS trackers from Cellular Tracking Technologies. These state-of-the-art trackers, used successfully on species like Peregrine Falcons and Greater Sage Grouse, will plot the positions of the ducks every hour to within a few metres.

BirdsCaribbean Executive Director, Lisa Sorenson commented, “We are thrilled with the launch of this exciting project. I expect it will lead to major improvements in our knowledge of the ducks’ movements and habitat use. If so, BirdsCaribbean will seek to do tracking in other parts of the Caribbean. WIWDs populations are small on every island where they occur (with the exception perhaps of Cuba) and they have been extirpated from several countries. We hope to ramp up our knowledge and conservation of this important regional endemic.”

Brandon Hay and Ricardo Miller taking measurements on one of the two WIWDs that were captured. (photo by Ann Sutton)

On 20^th January 2021, our small team – composed of Ricardo Miller of the National Environment and Planning Agency, D. Brandon Hay of the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, and myself – captured two West Indian Whistling-Ducks in Negril and fitted them with transmitters. It was an amazing thrill to hold these beautiful birds in our hands and very carefully attach the devices. Gina Kent from the Avian Research and Conservation Institute in Florida and Lisa Sorenson of BirdsCaribbean were on hand remotely to provide us with technical advice and support.

With excitement and trepidation we set the ducks free. Now we are looking forward to see what we can learn from them. The information I gather will support my work with the local and international communities to develop and implement measures to preserve West Indian Whistling-Ducks in Negril. No doubt our findings will promote initiatives to assess and conserve the ducks in the rest of Jamaica, and throughout their range.

We decided to call the ducks “Joe” and “Kamala” in honour of the very auspicious date and our hope that they can help to save the species. Go for it Kamala and Joe – we wish you well!

Dr. Ann Haynes-Sutton is a Conservation Ecologist and Co-Chair of BirdsCaribbean’s Bird Monitoring Working Group and Seabird Working Group. She has been a long-time member of BirdsCaribbean’s WIWD Working Group and is also the senior author of Wondrous West Indian Wetlands: Teachers’ Resource Book, published by BirdsCaribbean and used in over 145 Wetlands Education Training Workshops since 2002.

Acknowledgements: We are thankful to BirdsCaribbean members and donors whose financial support made this project possible. We are also thankful to National Environment and Planning Agency, Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, Avian Research and Conservation Institute, Hope Zoo Preservation Foundation, and Cellular Tracking Technologies for support and assistance with this exciting project.

If you would like to donate to support this project, please click here. Thank you in advance!

WIWD with GPS tracker attached using a backpack style harness. The tracker weighs about 20 g, which is about 2% of the species’ body weight. The batteries are solar powered. (photo by Ann Sutton)

WIWDs are a secretive duck, difficult to survey and study, as they typically roost in mangroves or other dense vegetation during the day. They become active at dusk, flying around to different wetlands to feed. (photo by Ann Sutton)

The team at work, taking measurements on one of the two ducks that were fitted with GPS transmitters.

First data coming in from “Kamala” showing her movements around the Negril Royal Palm Reserve in Jamaica.

Brandon Hay with Joe, one of the two WIWD. (photo by Ann Sutton)

January 21, 2021

BirdsCaribbean Partner Shanna Challenger Wins Environmental Leadership Award

Shanna holding an Antiguan Racer — Shanna with critically endangered Antiguan Racer (Photo by Chaso Media)

BirdsCaribbean is delighted by the news that the Environmental Awareness Group’s (EAG) Shanna Challenger, based on the island of Antigua, has received the Euan P. McFarlane Environmental Leadership Award. The award, which honors young Caribbean environmental leaders under the age of 30, was announced recently by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI). Puerto Rican water specialist Amira Odeh was also a recipient.

Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, noted that EAG has been a long-standing partner of the organization on several important projects.

“Shanna is truly a star!” said Sorenson. “We have worked closely with her for the past four years and have been impressed by her energy, her enthusiasm, and her leadership skills. Shanna participated in our surveys of the Barbuda Warbler, following the devastation of Hurricane Maria on Antigua’s sister isle in 2017. We congratulate Shanna on her outstanding work on the Redonda Restoration Program, which was tremendously successful.”

An Honors graduate in Ecology from the University of the West Indies in 2016, Shanna went on to study for her Master of Science in Conservation Biology, which she achieved with Distinction at the University of Kent in the UK under a Chevening Scholarship. She joined EAG in 2016, managing the Redonda Restoration Program, and working on plans for a proposed protection area on the small island with government, regional bodies, and international non-governmental organizations.

Redonda Tree Lizard (Anolis nubilus). (Photo by Ed Marshall).

She now coordinates the Offshore Islands Conservation Program, which was responsible for saving the world’s rarest snake, the Antigua Racer, from extinction. Shanna is developing a ridge-to-reef program, working with communities to conserve species and habitats. As if that is not enough, she continues to volunteer with a local youth non-profit organization.

Lisa Sorenson noted Shanna’s dynamic personality, which enlivens meetings of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group meetings, as well as our training workshops and conferences. Shanna helps to promote the value of Antigua and Barbuda’s ecosystems and wildlife on local media, planning and implementing BirdsCaribbean activities such as the Caribbean Waterbird Census, Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, and World Migratory Bird Day, particularly in Antigua’s extensive mangrove areas.

Shanna dressed as Barbuda Warbler for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (Photo by Rudolph Zachariah)

“Shanna has been known to enthusiastically impersonate a Barbuda Warbler in full costume for children during the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival. This past May, Shanna and her talented EAG colleagues Natalya Lawrence and Andrea Otto, presented a six-session Zoom course for beginning birders on bird identification and monitoring. As a result, the study group formed a birding club, the Wadadli Warblers, which keeps in touch on the WhatsApp platform and meets regularly for birding trips. Club members are also undertaking Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) surveys in Antigua for this year’s census. This is quite an achievement when COVID-19 restrictions are still in place,” added Sorenson.

“There is no doubt that the Caribbean needs more “home grown” youth activists in the conservation field. We commend the CFVI on offering this award, which we feel sure will inspire other young people across the region to take up the reins in the field of biodiversity conservation. We are equally convinced that Shanna will keep on growing as a leader. We look forward to continuing our vibrant partnership with her and with EAG.”

Shanna diving on Redonda’s reefs (Photo by Ruleo Camacho)

Redonda transformed from bare rock to a carpet of vegetation in 2020, after removal of invasive species (Photo by Cole White)

Male Brown Booby with nest in vegetation (Photo by Shanna Challenger)

Shanna about to board the helicopter to Redonda (Photo by Sophia Steele)

Barren landscape on Redonda in 2012 before invasive rats and goats were removed (Photo by Jenny Daltry)

Find out more about the Euan P. McFarlane Environmental Leadership Award winners & The TransforMAtion of Rodonda Island:

Two Young Caribbean Environmental Activists Win Regional Award

Redonda Rebounded—Magical transformation spells brighter future for Redonda’s wildlife

January 11, 2021

Trinidad Conference Postponed, but Unique Opportunity with AOS Arises for 2022

Trinidad Conference Postponed

Scarlet Ibis in Trinidad will be worth the wait! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)

After A LOT of lengthy discussions over the previous month with our Board, staff, and partners, BirdsCaribbean has made the difficult decision to officially postpone our conference in Trinidad slated for late July, 2021.

2020 has been a devastating year for our Caribbean community, emotionally, physically, and financially. Many of our partners and community members have suffered extensive setbacks in their research, work, and personal lives. Recuperating from these losses will take considerable time. We feel it would be unwise to plan an in-person conference for 2021, during what promises to be a period of slow and difficult recovery. We owe it to our community to acknowledge their most pressing needs, and to dedicate our time and resources to helping them during this period of recovery.

Additionally, although vaccines are on the horizon, we do not know at this time how quickly they will be distributed. It seems unlikely that everyone will be able to receive a vaccine in time to safely attend the conference. The uncertainty makes planning nearly impossible.

We extend our immense gratitude to all of the Local Organizing Committee in Trinidad, a group that has already invested a significant amount of time, energy, and enthusiasm into early preparations for the conference. Thank you! But your efforts have not been in vain. We look forward to picking up where we left off in the coming years when an in-person conference in Trinidad is feasible.

Conference in Puerto Rico 2022

Get excited about seeing Puerto Rican Bullfinches in Puerto Rico in the summer, 2022! (Photo by Hemant Keshan)

While discussing the possibility of moving the Trinidad conference back one full calendar year (to the summer of 2022), we became aware that the American Ornithological Society (AOS) had already scheduled their next annual meeting for June 27 to July 1 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. AOS kindly invited us to co-host this meeting, along with the local host in Puerto Rico and our non-profit partner Para La Naturaleza (PLN). Since it does not make sense to hold two major ornithological conferences back-to-back in the Caribbean, we have decided to join AOS and PLN and hold a joint conference in 2022. We are very grateful to their organizing committee for welcoming us and being as excited about these plans as we are!

Joining forces with AOS for their Puerto Rican conference will be a unique experience for our BirdsCaribbean community. Although it will be a larger conference and not focused exclusively on Caribbean birds, it will give all of us an opportunity to engage with a much larger network of scientists and conservationists. This will encourage knowledge sharing, collaborations, and much more! We are confident that it will be a fun, productive, and rewarding experience for all of us. And we will be sure to create many opportunities for our BirdsCaribbean community to connect with each other throughout the event.

Possible Virtual Mini-Conference this Summer

We are also entertaining the idea of conducting a small virtual “mini-conference” this coming summer that would consist of a series of talks and possibly some workshops and/or Working Group meetings, all online. We’ll be exploring this possibility over the coming months and will inform our community in the Spring.

January 8, 2021

Journal of Caribbean Ornithology Volume 33 Roundup

Despite the challenges of the year 2020, JCO’s Volume 33 includes 16 publications, 3 book reviews, and a review of the recent ornithological literature from the Caribbean. The volume includes articles on a diversity of topics and taxa from 11 island territories and one Caribbean basin continental site. The content is a credit to all of the authors, reviewers, and JCO staff who overcame the pandemic challenges to contribute to the publication effort in a timely fashion. We thank all involved in this effort for their contributions, which have advanced our knowledge of Caribbean birds in 2020.

Please take some time to enjoy all of Volume 33. We should all take pride in this work and make the time to congratulate each other on all of these accomplishments, especially during this challenging year. If you enjoyed reading a publication, please send the authors a quick email letting them know. That is what makes Caribbean ornithology special—a sense of community and comradery unlike anywhere else.

— Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., JCO Editor-in-Chief, and Justin Proctor, JCO Managing Editor

P.S. More good news: we have a lot of great manuscripts at various stages in the pipeline right now, which means that V34 is already off to a strong start!

Map depicting research locations of the studies published in Volume 33.

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Composition of bird community in Portachuelo Pass (Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela)

Cristina Sainz-Borgo, Jhonathan Miranda, and Miguel Lentino

In Henri Pittier National Park, Venezuela, the low-lying Portachuelo Pass provides essential habitat for both resident and migratory bird species. Despite this, information about the composition of the bird community is scarce. In this study, Sainz-Borgo et al. survey and describe the species inhabiting Portachuelo Pass, highlighting key characteristics of the avifauna in this important ecosystem.

Mass fallout and stopover duration of Migratory Blackpoll Warblers (Setophaga striata) in Bermuda after Hurricane Nicole

Miguel A. Mejías and Albert J. Mejías

On 13 October, 2016, Hurricane Nicole made landfall over Bermuda. Mejias and Meijas acted quickly, utilizing the hurricane as an opportunity to document a species fallout event. Here, they present the results of their post-hurricane songbird surveys, documenting a significant fallout of Blackpoll Warblers and underscoring the importance of remote oceanic island refuges for fallout migrants.

Woodland size and vegetation effects on resident and non-resident woodland birds in Bermuda

Miguel A. Mejías and Erica Nol

While historically, Bermuda was home to lush, native, evergreen forests, human colonization in 1612 led to progressive habitat fragmentation and introduction of exotic trees. In this study, Mejías and Nol explore the impact of woodland size and vegetation features on species richness and bird abundance, specifically emphasizing the effects on White-eyed Vireos. Critically, they show that larger, less-fragmented woodlands are essential for supporting abundant and diverse bird communities.

Historical review of information on terns nesting in Bermuda, with prospects for re-establishing some of the lost species

David B. Wingate and Ian C.T. Nisbet

Early accounts from the Bermuda Islands suggest the presence of myriad nesting tern species on the islands; however, only the Common Tern survived into the 20th century. Here, Wingate and Nisbet review both the historic and recent records of terns on Bermuda, shedding light on the prospect of restoration and species recolonization using modern conservation techniques.

Abundance and distribution of Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) in the Virgin Islands

Louise M. Soanes, Judy Pierce, Daniel Nellis, Susan Zaluski, and Lewis G. Halsey

Due to a severe decline in the North Atlantic Roseate Tern populations in the 1900s, countries worldwide initiated conservation plans. However, few studies have focused on the Caribbean population of Roseate Terns. Using three decades of survey data, Soanes et al. detail the abundance and distribution of Roseate Terns in the Virgin Islands, identifying key breeding sites, reporting a gradual population decline, and calling for further conservation and research efforts.

Light-level geolocation reveals the migration route and non-breeding location of an Antillean Nighthawk (Chordeiles gundlachii)

Noah Perlut and Anthony Levesque

Though the Antillean Nighthawk is a relatively common species in the Caribbean, its migration routes and non-breeding location remain a mystery. In an effort to identify these locations, Perlut and Levesque attach a geolocator to a female Antillean Nighthawk, tracking and documenting her movements throughout a one-year period.

Novedades sobre la reproducción de dos especies de aves marinas poco comunes en Cuba*

Antonio García-Quintas, Laritza González Leiva, and Ariandy González González

The second breeding record of Audubon’s Shearwater (Puffinus lherminieri) and the fourth breeding record of Common Tern (Sterna hirundo), were detected in the Felipe de Sotavento and Barlovento cays of northern Ciego de Ávila, Cuba. These seabirds are uncommon in the country; so, new records of nests with eggs and chicks indicate the need for increased sampling in northern cays of the country. The studied cays are among the most important nesting sites for seabird colonies in Cuba in terms of number of species and breeding pairs.

*Erratum: Novedades sobre la reproducción de dos especies de aves marinas poco comunes en Cuba

An error was found in the García-Quintas et al. manuscript published earlier in this volume, in which the photographs of an egg and chick in Figure 2 represent Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii), not Common Tern (S. hirundo).

Checklist of the birds of Finca Nolla, a recently protected area in northern Puerto Rico

Adrianne G. Tossas, Osvaldo Rullán, Robert J. Mayer, and Jean P. González

Throughout the 20th century, Finca Nolla, a wetland on the northwestern coast of Puerto Rico, was severely disturbed by agricultural and industrial practices. However, in 2011, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources purchased the land, designated it as a protected area, and began restoration activities. By thoroughly documenting the avifauna within Finca Nolla, Tossas et al. establish a baseline for future avian assessments and propose an upgrade of the conservation status to nature reserve.

A survey of Grenadians on seabird harvest in the Grenada Grenadines

Wayne A. Smart, Natalia Collier, and Virginie Rolland

Historically, overexploitation has contributed significantly to seabird population declines. Though protective laws have since been enacted, the extent of continued, illegal seabird harvest is unclear. Through their survey of the fishers and recreationists at the Fisheries Division office in Sauters, Grenada, Smart et al. shine a light on the persistence of seabird harvest in Grenada, highlight the sociodemographic factors that are associated with seabird harvest, and propose a possible community-based monitoring program. Photo

Brown Boobies (Sula leucogaster) roosting at Washington-Slagbaai National Park, Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands

Fernando Simal, Adriana Vallarino, Elsmarie Beukenboom, Rutsel Paula, Henry Beaumont, George Zaragoza, Esther Wolfs, Patrick Holian, and Elisabeth Albers

After anecdotal reports suggested that the seabirds roosting on the northwestern coast of Bonaire had been reduced to less than 60 individuals, Simal et al. began to investigate. From 2008–2010, they conducted roost counts at seven sites in Washington-Slagbaai National Park. Here, they document substantially higher seabird counts than previously suggested, with a maximum of 240 Brown Boobies in July 2009.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada

Juliana Coffey, Natalia Collier, Vaughn Thomas, and Romould Compton

Though historically considered very rare in the West Indies, Lesser Black-backed Gulls have become fairly common non-breeding visitors to many Carribean islands, including most of the larger Lesser Antilles. Continuing this trend, here, Coffey et al. document the first records of Lesser Black-backed Gulls on both Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada.

The Pleistocene Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) from The Bahamas

Ajay M. Patel and David W. Steadman

Despite the rarity of Burrowing Owls on Abaco, The Bahamas, today, many Pleistocene Burrowing Owl fossils have been recovered from the island. Using skeletal measurements, Patel and Steadman compare these fossils to modern specimens from western North America, South America, and Florida. Their results shed light on possible morphological adaptations of the Abaco owls to the island’s biogeography.

Nest site characteristics of the Critically Endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi)

Briana M. Yancy, Janine M. Antalffy, Michael G. Rowley, Cierra N. McKoy, Daniel C. Stonko, Lebron E. Rolle, Jennifer L. Christhilf, Scott B. Johnson, Shelley Cant-Woodside, and Kevin E. Omland

Building on the first documentation of Bahama Orioles nesting in pine forests on Abaco, The Bahamas, in this study, Yancy et al. further characterize these nest sites. By identifying specific habitat characteristics that are important for pine forest nests, this work not only enhances our understanding of Bahama Oriole nesting ecology, but also helps inform critical conservation efforts.

Using citizen-science data to identify declining or recently extinct populations of Bahamian birds

Ruby Bagwyn, Kylen Bao, Zuzana Burivalova, and David S. Wilcove

The widespread use of the citizen-science database eBird offers a unique opportunity to analyze trends in bird populations. Here, Bagwyn et al. use eight years of eBird sightings to identify Bahamian bird populations that have recently gone unrecorded. Through this, they find 43 populations, representing 25 species, that are potentially declining or extinct, suggesting areas that should be of key conservation concern.

Picky Palmchats (Dulus dominicus): do they really prefer to nest in royal palms?

Qwahn D. Kent, Maia Edwards, Tim Wu, and André A. Dhondt

While other communal-nesting species show clear nest tree preferences, little is known about whether Palmchats prefer to nest in certain palm species over others. To investigate this gap, Kent et al. characterized Palmchat nest trees in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Overall, Palmchats nested more frequently in royal palms and Hispaniolan silver thatch palms compared with cana and coconut palms and in taller, thicker trees, regardless of tree species.

Distinguishing between Roseate and Common Terns at breeding colonies in the West Indies

Ian C.T. Nisbet

The author sets out to bring attention to an ongoing misidentification problem between Roseate Terns (Sterna dougallii) and Common Terns (S. hirundo) on their breeding grounds in the West Indies and Bahamas. Observers should pay special attention to: adult bill color and breeding plumage, clutch size, and characteristics of nestling down feathers as well as leg color.

BOOK REVIEWS

The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue, & Ian Fleming

Book author: Jim Wright

Review by: Steven Latta

Birds of the UK Overseas Territories

Book editor: Roger Riddington

Review by: Steven Latta

Birds of the West Indies: Second Edition

Book authors: Herbert A. Raffaele, James Wiley, Orlando H. Garrido, Allan Keith, and Janis I. Raffaele

Review by: Andrew Dobson

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

ROL 2020

Steven C. Latta

Article by (1) Simon Campo – Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and a Graduate Student at the University of California, Berkeley; Connect with Simon via LinkedIn or email; (2) Justin Proctor – Managing Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology; and (3) Joe Wunderle – Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology.

Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. If you’re interested in supporting our mission and the broader goal of giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work, please consider becoming a supporter of JCO. Thank you in advance!

January 5, 2021

The 2021 Caribbean Waterbird Census: Join us from Jan 14th – Feb 3rd

The 12^th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) starts on Thursday January 14th and we need your help surveying all types of waterbirds on your island! Anyone can participate in the CWC. Grab your binoculars and your mask, head out to your nearest wetland or beach, and record the birds you see. Detailed information about how to conduct surveys can be found here.

Starting in 2010, dedicated bird enthusiasts have ventured into wetlands across the Caribbean to systematically survey all types of waterbirds (shorebirds, seabirds, wading birds, marshbirds, and waterfowl) each January 14^th to February 3^rd. The Caribbean is home to over 185 species of waterbirds, including a number of endemic and globally threatened species and many migrants. A structured, ongoing survey is essential for understanding how to best conserve this exceptional group of birds and manage their habitats.

Good luck, stay safe, and we look forward to hearing about your findings. If you have any exciting observations to report or photos to share, or need help with bird ID, please post to our Waterbird Group Listserve (everyone is welcome to join) and/or on our BirdsCaribbean Facebook page. For sharing on social media, use hashtags: #CaribbeanWaterbirdCensus and #WaterbirdsCount AND please tag us: @BirdsCaribbean

Count Birds & Stay Healthy

In these extraordinary times, many of our friends and partners are still trying to navigate their new normal and safely participate in outdoor activities. However, in many countries, we understand it is still not possible to do so. Participants of the Caribbean Waterbird Census should check their national guidelines to make sure their activities are in compliance with local health recommendations. Please take all the necessary precautions and stay safe, wherever you are!

The CWC Provides Critical Information about Wetlands & the Birds that Rely on Them

Wetlands are unique ecosystems that provide critical habitat to many specialist species. They are also one of the most threatened habitats in the world. Since 1900, 64% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared, and the Caribbean region is no exception to this crisis. In order to properly manage habitat for waterbirds in the Caribbean, we need to understand waterbird population trends. In addition, monitoring the health of waterbird populations and their habitats is beneficial to both birds and people, since we rely on the same habitats for our health and well-being.

Survey Team for North and Middle Caicos, Sarah Neima, Caleb Spiegel, Junel Blaise, B Naqqi Manco, Elise Elliott-Smith, Dodley Prosper, Craig Watson (Photo by Jen Rock)

Recent survey work in Turks and Caicos has revealed important sites for many shorebird species, including birds of conservation concern such as the Piping Plover and rufa Red Knot. In fact, teams surveying there recently documented record-breaking numbers of wintering Piping Plover in some areas and recording new Piping Plover sites altogether. This information is so important for conservation as just a few decades ago it was not well-understood where these endangered birds spent the winter. Now, we know the Caribbean plays a major role for the species and we are learning more with every survey effort.

Survey data can also be used as a tool to designate habitats that are essential for birds. For example, The Cargill Salt Ponds in Bonaire were designated a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of Regional Importance as a direct result of survey efforts. With the survey data we collected, our team was able to provide evidence that the site met the criteria for listing. Now, Cargill is dedicated to managing habitat for shorebirds on their property. It’s amazing what birding can achieve!

The CWC is also important for monitoring how hurricanes effect bird abundance and distribution. In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria wreaked havoc in the Caribbean, damaging fragile wetland ecosystems. Results from the CWC in 2018 several months later were concerning, with our counters reporting dramatic declines in common bird species. The CWC in 2019 revealed encouraging numbers, especially for shorebird populations. It is important to continue monitoring the response of birds to hurricanes in the years that follow and we look forward to what the 2021 CWC will reveal.

Banded Birds

Be sure to be on the lookout for banded birds! Especially Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. You may report your sightings to BandedBirds.org and the USGS Bird Banding Lab which oversee all banding in the United States.

Need Help?

Find a tricky shorebird in winter plumage that you can’t identify? Need help setting up an eBird account? Want to participate in the CWC but you’re not sure how to get started? Please contact BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director Lisa Sorenson at lisa.sorenson@birdscaribbean.org.

Shorebird ID Resources

You can find all our free, downloadable shorebird resources by clicking “Resources” –> “Shorebird Resources” at the top of the page. You can download the pdf of our Quick ID Guide to Common Shorebirds of the Caribbean here. For use in the field, print on cardstock and laminate.

Also, check out our Common Shorebirds of the Caribbean poster, which is available in English, Spanish, and French. Download them from this page.

We also have available a two-page Common Shorebirds of the Caribbean ID Guide – you can download it here. All these ID resources work well in the entire Atlantic Flyway, not just the Caribbean islands.

Entering CWC Data in eBird

CWC data is stored on eBird Caribbean. If you participate in the CWC, it’s very important that you enter your data through this website using the correct CWC protocol, because this is where we collate all the data used for analyses. We don’t want to miss a single bird or site! Simply making an eBird list during these dates is not enough- the protocol is required for it to be CWC data.

If you are using the mobile eBird app to enter your data:

First, make sure the portal is set to eBird Caribbean (“Settings” –> “Portal”)
After you are done birding and press stop “Stop Track”
On the next page under the Date/Location and above Observers, click on “Incidental”
Select the appropriate CWC protocol under Observation Type

If you are using a desktop computer to enter your data:

Sign into your account on ebird.org/Caribbean
Enter location information
Select the appropriate CWC protocol under Observation Type

If you recorded your CWC data using the mobile eBird app and didn’t use the eBird Caribbean portal/input the correct CWC protocol :

After you have submitted your checklist on your smartphone:

Log into eBird on a desktop computer
Click on “My eBird” at the top of the screen
Click on “Manage My Checklists” on the right menu
For your CWC checklist, click on “View or Edit”
Click on “Edit Date and Effort”
For Observation Type, select “Other” and then choose the appropriate CWC protocol

December 20, 2020

Hit by Storms and a Pandemic, World Migratory Bird Day Went Mostly Virtual for 2020

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) had a different “feel” to it this year, like so many other activities. And like other organizations, BirdsCaribbean “pivoted” and decided to take the event online, as many of our partners and supporters were in various stages of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some highlights.

Migrating Online—To a Wider Audience

“Birds Connect Our World” was the theme for our online series, celebrating a different migratory bird each day. The series turned into a marathon, with 41 species highlighted! For each bird there are coloring pages from the Migratory Birds of the West Indies coloring book, besides puzzles, quizzes and various activities that will keep the children (and you!) quiet for a while. These fun learning pages were shared widely on social media (join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and are still available online.

“It was a challenging period for us all, but we were very pleased at the response from members, supporters and members of the public to our online offerings,” said Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean Lisa Sorenson. “While our partner organizations and citizen scientists faced hurdles and many were unable to get outdoors, this was an opportunity to get creative and to hone new skills and ways of communicating.”

A Wealth of Webinars

Several partners, such as Sociedad Ornitologica Puertorriquena (SOPI) and BirdLife Jamaica, turned to online education, highlighting migratory bird species that visit their islands. BirdsCaribbean and Environment for the Americas offered free webinars throughout the fall and especially around October 10, addressing a variety of topics and drawing good attendance. BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Lisa Sorenson talked about the extraordinary “love life” of the Northern Pintail, while viewers learned how to draw the bird from naturalist and artist Christine Elder. Adrianne Tossas gave a talk on the migratory birds of Puerto Rico. Conservation ecologist Dr. Peter Marra shared some of his findings from 30 years of research on Jamaica’s migratory birds, highlighting the importance of high-quality winter habitat for survival and reproduction. Jen Yerkes of Les Fruits de Mer in St. Martin presented “Killer Fashion,” an epic story of a fashion trend that drove birds to the brink of extinction—and how women jumpstarted the conservation movement to save them. Finally, Josmar Esteban Marquez, prepared several fun videos about migratory birds and how to draw them, for example, the Wilson’s Snipe, Snowy Plover, and Yellow-throated Warbler.

Stormy Weather Brings Surprise Visitors

October was an unusually stormy month in parts of the Caribbean, which also curtailed birding activities. After Hurricane Delta passed by Jamaica, there was a huge surprise for birders on October 11. Large numbers of Yellow-billed Cuckoos (over 100 in one flock) showed up in an area of dry scrub on the island’s south coast, where they gorged themselves on caterpillars, and then moved on further south. The bird is normally a rare passage migrant. The exciting phenomenon was reported in the Jamaica Observer newspaper.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo, making a migration stopover in large numbers, in Jamaica (photo by Wayne Sutherland)

Speaking of storms (and a record-breaking 2020 hurricane season), BirdsCaribbean partner, the St. Croix Environmental Association (SEA) created an engaging video series on supporting birds before, during and after hurricanes. Narrator Jen Valiulus provided detailed tips on how to help birds recover during the critical post-hurricane period. BirdsCaribbean sent seed and bird feeders to SEA in 2017, when the Virgin Islands were hit by two major hurricanes in a two-day time period and bird habitats took a major hit. Check out their excellent videos here!

October Big Day Was the Biggest Ever

Despite the twofold challenge of climate change and the pandemic, October Big Day 2020 (October 17) was a remarkable success. eBird called it “a global birding phenomenon,” with the highest number of species ever recorded in a single day around the world – 7,115. Lockdowns there were, but this did not stop 33,000 intrepid birders from observing in their backyards and beyond. Close to 80,000 checklists were submitted and according to eBird, 4,434 participants were “first-timers.” BirdsCaribbean also acquired new members through its October Big Day Membership Drive. In the Caribbean, Puerto Rico came out on top with 163 species, while Dominican Republic and the Bahamas followed with 145 and 139 respectively. October Big Day was part of the Global Bird Weekend (October 17 and 18).

A Young Shorebirds Advocate in Montserrat

Our island partners faced up to the challenges of social distancing with creative outreach projects. One outstanding example was the work of Ajhermae White in Montserrat. An Environment Officer for the Department of Environment, she has the full support of her boss, Ernestine Corbett, and colleagues. James “Scriber” Daley—well-known as the island’s “bird man”—has been mentoring Ajhermae. The recipient of a BirdsCaribbean small grant, she organized a beach clean-up attended by the Minister of Environment and public birding trips and made appearances on local television and radio, talking about the Shorebird Education Project. Primary school students enjoyed classroom sessions, field trips and activities guided by Ajhermae on October 9. While wetlands on Montserrat are scarce (their largest was destroyed by the 1995 volcanic eruption), plans are in place to restore and enhance remaining shorebird habitats with support from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Ajhermae White giving presentation to Grade 6 class of BPS

Students of the Grade 5 class of LOPS birding at Marguerita Bay

Clean Ups and Kids’ Sessions

Antigua’s Environmental Action Group (EAG) organized a major beach clean-up – at ten locations across the island – recording their results on the CleanSwell phone app. #TrashChallengeAntigua (for this second year subtitled #CoastalCOVIDCleanup) encouraged small groups to sign up. 205 volunteers collected close to 11 tonnes of trash from beaches and mangroves—important resting and stopover places for migratory birds. Way to go team EAG!

#TrashChallengeAntigua Team (Photo by Environmental Action Group)

#TrashChallengeAntigua (Social Media Post by Environmental Action Group)

In the Bahamas, EARTHCARE Eco Kids and volunteers on Grand Bahama Island were able to join Bridget Davis from Bahamas National Trust for a talk on bird migration, birding, and how to encourage birds to your garden. There were prizes and surprises with BirdsCaribbean merchandise for the youngsters to win.

Bridget Davis receives World Migratory Bird Day shirt from EARTHCARE Eco Kids Team Leader, Shakada Hutson (Photo by Gail Woon)

“While we at BirdsCaribbean played our part, our partner organizations and citizens once again demonstrated resilience and did not forget our migratory birds,” concluded Lisa Sorenson. “This made our celebrations of World Migratory Bird Day as impactful as ever. We learned a great deal and we all enjoyed the creativity.”

Huge thanks to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment for the Americas, and our members and donors for supporting our World Migratory Bird Day celebration!

December 19, 2020

New Album Blending Birdsong and Music Raises Money to Help Birds

Bird graphic for money raised for bird conservation — Sales of music and merchandise by Shika Shika have raised just over U$30,000 so far

Since the launch of their “A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America, & the Caribbean” album Shika Shika have raised an amazing $30, 000 USD for bird conservation! The digital album and single tracks are available online as well as limited numbers of the vinyl album, posters, prints and t-shirts. Profits go to BirdsCaribbean and three other conservation organizations in Mexica, Central and South America.

It’s musical activism! Listen to the call of the endemic (and elusive) Jamaican Blackbird with a hypnotic beat. The Zapata Wren of Cuba sings sweetly, accompanied by delicate electronic notes. The Keel-billed Motmot of Central America emerges from behind gentle rhythms. The cries of Mexico’s Thick-billed Parrot blend with a finger snapping background.

These are some of the exciting tracks on the album, A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Released online in June by Shika Shika, sales of the music and merchandise have raised just over U$30,000 to date, the non-profit label announced. Profits will go to BirdsCaribbean as well as three other bird conservation organizations in Mexica, Central and South America.

Vinyl record — A limited number of these vinyl records are available from Shika Shika

A unique fusion of music and birdsong with a purpose, the ten-track electronic music album, incorporating the songs and calls of endangered birds, is still available, along with vibrant and attractive merchandise. Single tracks, the full digital album, limited numbers of the vinyl edition as well as limited edition posters, prints and T-shirts with the album’s colourful artwork, can be purchased on the Shika Shika website and Shika-Shika’s Bandcamp website.

In celebration of this fund-raising milestone, Shika Shika has produced a podcast in English and Spanish, The podcast includes interviews with the directors of the four non-profit organizations it has partnered with to produce this musical gem. BirdsCaribbean Executive Directer, Lisa Sorenson, and the others explain how the funds will help in their conservation efforts.

“We are delighted to learn that the album is such a success, and we are extremely grateful for the partnership with Shika Shika and the funds raised so far. We encourage music lovers and bird lovers to continue to purchase this wonderful music for gifts or for themselves, in support of our birds,” said BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director Lisa Sorenson. “All these bird species, many of them forest dwellers, are threatened by development and the destruction of their habitats. BirdsCaribbean is committed to working with local partners for the conservation of habitats for birds such as the highly endangered Bay-breasted Cuckoo of Hispaniola, one of the birds featured on this album.”

Zapata Wren and Jamaican Blackbird designs

The project is the brainchild of Robin Perkins, also known as El Búho (“The Owl”) , a UK-born musician music producer, and environmental campaigner. It is a follow-up to A Guide to the Birdsong of South America, released in 2015. Perkins first researched the most endangered birds in various countries and then invited locally based electronic DJs and composers to produce one track each featuring the song of a particular bird. The contributors include some who are passionate birders themselves, like the Belizean guitarist and manager of the well-known indigenous group Garifuna Collective, whose song features the Black Catbird.

Listen to the album, learn more about the project and artists, and shop here and Here. You can also listen and buy using the links below.

<a href="https://shikashika.bandcamp.com/album/a-guide-to-the-birdsong-of-mexico-central-america-the-caribbean">A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean by Shika Shika</a>

T-shirts with the album artwork are available for sale.

Radio spots about the album on various BBC World Service programmes. Here are the links to listen:

Newsday (1st outing); Michael Rossi and BBC News Service: [fast forward to 37 minutes in]

Newshour: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w172x2ysnr73jx0 [fast forward to 45 minutes in]

What if some of the most beautiful bird songs in the world disappeared forever?

December 7, 2020

BirdsCaribbean Expresses Grave Concern Over Proposed Changes to Migratory Bird Treaty Act

BirdsCaribbean is deeply concerned about the proposed changes to the United States Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The rule changes will significantly increase the hazard levels for our migratory birds. We are asking you to please take action by signing and sharing the petitions below as soon as possible & by December the 27th at the latest!

Prairie Warbler perched in a tree in the Bahamas — Prairie Warbler numbers have declined in recent years due to loss of their preferred habitats. Along with many other migratory birds, they also face threats such as collisions with glass and predation from free-roaming cats. (Photo by Beth Hamel)

BirdsCaribbean, the largest non-governmental conservation organization in the Caribbean, is registering its strong opposition to proposed changes to rules governing the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). In its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Regulations Governing the Take of Migratory Birds dated November 2020, the U.S. Department of the Interior claims that the new regulation “would provide legal certainty for the public regarding what actions are prohibited under the MBTA.” In effect, however, it would reduce liability for the accidental “take” of migratory birds by corporate entities such as oil and gas companies, construction firms and the like.

“We are deeply concerned by the persistent efforts to undermine the MBTA, which has protected our birds for well for over a century,” said Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, Lisa Sorenson. “Many of the 350 migratory bird species that breed in North America and winter further south are already endangered. This proposed action is another setback for the many international conservation organizations such as ours that are working diligently together to protect these species. Scientists, researchers, and governments across the region have been collaborating to create networks such as the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network that are critical to the birds’ survival.”

Group of Red Knot moulting from breeding to winter plumage — Red Knots breed in the far north, in the Arctic & can spend the winter as far south as the southern most tip of South America. This means they make some amazing migratory journeys of tens of thousands of miles overall. Red Knots gather in large groups in some places during autumn and winter; this makes them vulnerable to threats like sea-level rise and hunting, their population is currently declining. (Photo by Matt Grube)

BirdsCaribbean believes that these rule changes will significantly increase the hazard levels for the birds themselves. Migratory birds already have to contend with numerous obstacles, including the growing impacts of climate change and a spectrum of human activities that damage their habitats and cause their deaths, such as oil spills and collisions with infrastructure. They must be protected throughout their annual cycles, including where they breed, overwinter, and stop to refuel during their remarkable journeys.

“Migratory birds are the life and soul of the Americas,” noted Sorenson. “Not only do migratory birds bring diversity and an irreplaceable balance to our ecosystems, they bring happiness to individuals and communities across the region, who look forward to their arrival each year. Whether tiny warblers, birds of prey, or shorebirds, migratory birds are embedded in the cultures—and oftentimes livelihoods—of all the countries they visit. Every year on World Migratory Bird Day we celebrate their unique qualities and recognize the amazing natural phenomenon which is migration, about which there is still so much to learn.”

This is not the first attempt that the U.S. Department of the Interior has attempted to weaken the MBTA rule. The proposed efforts have already been rejected by a federal district court back in December of 2017. However, if successful this time, this change will add to more than 125 environmental policies that have been undermined by the Trump administration, causing untold harm to the environment and bird habitats.

How You Can Help

Bicknell's Thrush on branch singing — The Bicknell’s Thrush population is small and numbers are declining. Classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, it is considered one of North America’s most at-risk breeding songbirds. They migrate through North America and spend the winter on only four Greater Antillean islands – Hispaniola, Cuba, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. (Photo by Dax Roman)

Please sign and share the action alerts/ petitions below, which will let your state representatives know that you do not agree with weakening the MBTA. (note – you need to be a US resident to participate in the action alerts).

https://abcbirds.org/action/petition-mbta

https://act.audubon.org/a/dont-let-interior-department-gut-migratory-bird-treaty-act

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/176/084/033/with-a-simple-change-to-policy-trump-doomed-millions-of-birds-to-die/

https://www.change.org/p/u-s-fish-and-wildlife-service-help-save-migratory-birds?redirect=false

https://www.defenders.org/protecting-migratory-birds

Ospry holding fish in its talons — Osprey catching a fish. This species was endangered by the effects of pesticides in the mid-20th century. It relies on wetlands for it food during migration, as well as its breeding habitat. (Photo by Bernie Duhamel)

November 29, 2020

Black-capped Petrel Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation in a Haitian Community

Join Adam Brown as he takes us on a trip to Haiti, to the remote mountain village of Boukan Chat. This village and the people who live there are the focus of conservation efforts to save the elusive and endangered Black-capped Petrel. Find out more about village life and how sustainable agriculture has been helping both the people and the petrels.

The village of Boukan Chat, Haiti is a one-dirt road, dusty small village on the frontier of the Haitian border with the Dominican Republic. To get there from the capital city of Port au Prince is a 6-hour driving adventure that takes you from paved roads, to dirt roads, to riverbeds, and finally up a steep climb to the remote mountain outpost.

EPIC research team driving from Port au Prince to Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by SoulCraft)

Life in the Village of Boukan Chat

With an average income of around $5/day, the residents of Boukan Chat all live in small and simple houses, constructed of concrete blocks with sheet metal roofing that is weighted down on the structure with assorted rocks. There is no power in the village, however, there is a single solar powered streetlight, which is a popular hangout for people after dark.

Everybody in the village is a farmer, from the moms and dads, to the grandparents, to the kids, to the babies on their parents’ (or siblings!) back. The food the people of Boukan Chat eat, is the food they grow. Farm plots range from backyard gardens at residents’ houses in the village to expansive multi-acre farms up in the hills behind town. The local farmers market is on Tuesdays, and as you can imagine, the whole village turns out for the weekly event.

Farmers market day in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)

There is no running water in or around the village. During the rainy season, residents capture and store water in cisterns, but in the dry season, they must travel up to 10 miles by foot, horse, or motorbike to collect their water from a community pump.

Petrel team member Jose Luis, painting a Black-capped Petrel mural on a cistern in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)

There are schools in the village, all of which are private. Often, what this means is that a single teacher in a one-classroom building teaches a mixed-age class of youth, ranging from kindergarten to high school. The classes meet for a couple hours each day, except in the summer – unless the weather is too severe, or a large farm harvest is taking place.

The village is represented in the regional men’s soccer league by an incredibly competitive group of local young men. Games on the weekend are highlights for the whole village and hundreds of people show up to the soccer field, one of the only flat spots in the whole village, to cheer the local squad on.

Two members of the Boukan Chat soccer team (Photo by SoulCraft)

The Search for the Black-capped Petrel Begins

The Black-capped Petrel is an endangered seabird that nests in the Caribbean region. Its local name is Diablotín, which means ‘little devil’, a name likely arising from supernatural beliefs associated with the species’ habit of calling in the dark of night. Currently, the only known nesting colonies are on the island of Hispaniola, although recent evidence suggests that there might also be a small colony on the island of Dominica. With an estimated global population of between 1,000-2,000 nesting pairs, the species is endangered due to habitat loss, threats by introduced predators, and collision hazards along its flight pathways.

Adult Black-capped Petrel sitting on its nest near Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by SoulCraft)

In 2011, the team from EPIC’s partner foundation, Grupo Jaragua, led by Ernst Rupp and consisting of an intrepid group of young field assistants, crossed the border from the Dominican Republic into Haiti and began searching for nesting endangered Black-capped Petrels on the slopes just above Boukan Chat. The team knew little of the village of Boukan Chat but were driven to search these hills, known as Morne Vincent, as they contained some of the last forested areas in Haiti and therefore were likely home to nesting petrels. That year, on that first mission to this area, the team discovered the first known active Black-capped Petrel nests ever recorded.

Petrel team member Perrin using a camera to investigate a Black-capped Petrel nest near Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by SoulCraft)

The Forests and the Farmers

The nesting colony on the forested slopes of Morne Vincent are immediately adjacent to the farming areas of Boukan Chat. These forests and slopes serve as a natural water catchment for the agricultural areas. While surveying on Morne Vincent, the petrel team made introductions with the farmers in the village. Realizing that preserving the forests of this area was crucial to conserving petrel habitat, the team from Grupo Jaragua, along with its partners from EPIC, JACSEH, SoulCraft, and Plant with Purpose endeavored to work alongside these farmers to conserve petrel habitat through sustainable agriculture, increased youth environmental education programming, and improved community savings programs that increase economic resiliency in the face of natural disasters (or a global pandemic!)

The evolution of our Black-capped Petrel conservation initiatives in Boukan Chat and the immediate impact they made on preserving local populations of the petrel, have made it the flagship program of the overall effort to preserve the petrel. With the idea of conserving the petrel through poverty alleviation, our initiatives penetrated most aspects of the Boukan Chat community.

Sustainable Agriculture in Action in Boukan Chat

As part of our sustainable agriculture program in Boukan Chat, we supported the creation of 22 Village Savings Farm Groups, made up of 2,600 people from 409 family farms. Within this program, we do classroom lessons that explain the theory behind sustainable agriculture. Specifically, farmers learned how improved human land use and crop management leads to higher yields, less soil erosion, and increased family incomes. In the field with the farmers, we have together created 520 compost piles, controlled 1,200 linear meters of gullies, installed 6,750 linear meters of anti-erosive barriers, and replaced 96 gallons of chemical pesticides with natural pesticides. Annually, the farm groups together save about $56,280. What do all these numbers mean for the Black-capped Petrel? Less stress on the human communities and reduced encroachment into the last remaining forested nesting habitat of the petrel.

Haitian farmers working to build a soil erosion barrier. — Farmers in Boukan Chat, Haiti working together to build a soil erosion barrier (Photo by Plant with Purpose)

As part of our youth environmental education program, we annually reach 3,600 students in Boukan Chat. Our programs focus on basic environmental themes such as soil and water conservation, the role of plants in the environment, and environmental stewardship in the community. With an eye towards the future, realizing that the youth of the community today will be the farmers of the community tomorrow, we are setting the foundation towards continued sustainable agricultural practices moving forward.

Haitian children learning about the Black-capped Petrel — Petrel team members Jose Luis, Rene Jene, and Anderson Jean teaching a class on petrel biology to a school in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)

The Black-capped Petrel: A Village Icon

Along with the community, we celebrate the collaboration and commitment that we have made together to improve lives of both humans and petrels. We do this through sponsoring the local soccer team, who in turn wear a patch of the petrel on their soccer jerseys. We hire local artists to paint iconic images of the petrel on cisterns in the village. Annually, as part of the Black-capped Petrel Festival, we march together through the village, led by the Black-capped Petrel mascot and the local carnival band, and celebrate our successes together.

Black-capped Petrel mascot leading the parade for the Diablotin Festival in Boukan Chat, Haiti (Photo by EPIC)

The conservation of the imperiled Black-capped Petrel is about the long game. While we measure our success in short term impacts, true lasting success and firm conservation of the Black-capped Petrel will take decades to implement. Its about buy in with human communities that live among nesting petrels and supporting the improvement of those human lives so that those humans, in turn, are able to make the choice to both support their families at the same time as preserving the petrel. While we have had great success since the first nest was found in 2011, we look forward to the challenges that lay ahead.

This project is funded in part by the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund (BirdsCaribbean), the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the American Bird Conservancy, and numerous individual donors.

ADAM BROWN is a Senior Biologist with Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC). Adam oversees EPIC’s Black-capped Petrel Conservation Program and has been an active member of the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group since 2011. Adam has pioneered the use of radar to track Black-capped Petrels to their nesting colonies on Hispaniola, has led expeditions to locate petrels on islands throughout the Caribbean, and is a strong advocate of collaboration among petrel conservation organizations within the Caribbean region.

find out more about this project and the Black-capped petrel working group here & Here and in the wonderful Videos and articles below!

Missteps and Miracles while Pursuing the Petrel

Rediscovery of Black-capped Petrels on Dominica

Flying with the Devil – Part II: Finger bites and football matches

Flying with the Devil – Part I: On the Ridge

November 28, 2020

Speaking Up for Seabirds: Talking to EPIC’s Juliana Coffey in the Grenadines

November 24, 2020

Introducing BirdsCaribbean’s new Board of Directors

BirdsCaribbean Community,

It is with great excitement that we welcome our new BirdsCaribbean Board of Directors to the organization, and to our community. As a reminder to our member base, an election was waived this year because all candidates ran unopposed. That being said, we are welcoming many new Directors to our Board, who bring unique talents and backgrounds, as well as representation from Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, and Grenada. We also welcome back several members of the previous Board, who are eager to help guide the transition and continue their hard work on behalf of BirdsCaribbean. Below you will meet this great team of new and returning faces, who are ready to help lead BirdsCaribbean into even more productive and successful years ahead.

President — Adrianne Tossas, Ph.D.

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Three terms on the BC Board of Directors (2003–2004, 2005–2006, and 2019–2020), co-founder and first coordinator of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (2002–2005), current co-chair of the Mentorship Program.

Nationality: USA

Residence: Puerto Rico

Experience: Adrianne has taught biology at the university level since 2004, leading undergraduate students in avian ecology research and conservation work. Prior to teaching she worked with the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society (SOPI), implementing the Important Bird Areas program from BirdLife International in Puerto Rico. Adrianne is the author of the book Birds of Puerto Rico for Children, and regularly gives talks and contributes newspaper articles about conservation for the general public.

“As President of BirdsCaribbean I want to help the organization grow by promoting broader participation in current flagship programs and working groups, by recruiting a diverse and inclusive membership, and by strengthening partnerships with other organizations. I will also be working to make sure that the organization has the resources it needs to carry out its work. My goal is to continue moving BC forward as the leading ornithological and conservation organization in the region.”

Vice-President — Justin Proctor, M.Sc.

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Vice-President (one term), Managing Editor of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (4 years), and conference organizer.

Nationality: USA

Residence: Front Royal, Virginia

Experience: Justin has a long and geographically scattered background of working in the fields of science, conservation, and education, from interpretation with the National Park Service in Maine, to underwater research with lobsters and shellfish in the Bay of Fundy, to youth adventure tourism in St. Martin and Costa Rica. After several years as program coordinator for Cornell’s Swallows of the Americas Project, Justin has carved out a niche for himself working extensively with aerial insectivore species, specifically swallows and swifts, from northern Canada down through Argentina. He conducted his master’s work on the threatened and endemic Hispaniolan Golden Swallow, and he also conducted an extensive search for the (likely) extinct Jamaican Golden Swallow. His work both domestically and internationally has included roles with non-profits, the National Park Service, the public education system, and university research projects. He is passionate about connecting communities with their environments, and in doing so instilling a greater sense of local environmental stewardship.

“Continuing on as Vice-President of BirdsCaribbean, I want to focus on attracting new members to the organization (early career professionals and new researchers in the region), helping them network, and getting them involved and engaged with the myriad programs that are underway throughout the Caribbean. I also plan to continue developing the BC Mentorship Program, help secure long-term funding for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, and continue improving our biennial conference experience for the BirdsCaribbean community.”

Secretary — Emma Lewis

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Member since 2013 when she joined the Media Working Group (currently the Chair). Was a member of the Organizing Committee for the BirdsCaribbean International Conference in Jamaica, 2015. Writes and edits media releases, articles, and blog posts for the BC website.

Nationality: British

Residence: Permanent Resident of Jamaica

Experience: Emma worked in International Banking in London for eight years before moving to Jamaica in 1988. She has since worked as a Public Affairs Specialist in the U.S. Embassy of Jamaica (1995–2011), worked in publishing/retail bookselling in Jamaica (1988–1995), and is now a freelance online writer and blogger. She has hosted her own personal blog (“Petchary”) since 2010 that regularly reports on environmental and conservation issues in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean. Emma also conducts media/social media training, in recent years for a European Union NGO project and for the Press Association of Jamaica.

“As Secretary, I would like to see BirdsCaribbean continue to steadily expand its advocacy for birds and their habitats in the Caribbean, design programs with greater outreach to ‘unattached youth’ (ages 16 to 30 years) in rural areas, establish relationships with the Caribbean private (corporate) sector and young entrepreneurs to help develop local green economies, support and publicize BC’s projects through sponsorships, and establish/strengthen and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with international organizations such as UNEP and IUCN.”

Treasurer — Nicholas Sorenson*

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Monthly donor since November 2016 and now officially joined as a BC member; is the son of two ornithologists*, has traveled to numerous Caribbean islands, and has spent a lifetime exploring nature.

Nationality: USA

Residence: Miami, Florida

Experience: Nicholas (Nick) has extensive experience in financial consulting, with project work including financial statement analysis, business valuation, capital budgeting, trend analysis & forecasting, and strategic planning. He has served on the Alumni Advisory Committee for the Boston University Student Managed Investment Fund, was a Business Associate for Wellington Management Company, and an Analyst for the Michel-Shaked Group. Nick is currently a founder and managing partner of Ventus Advisors, and the Business Operations Manager at Lovepop. Nick greatly values environmental conservation efforts, scientific research, and global sustainability.

“As Treasurer, my focus will be to help BirdsCaribbean align its operations with its strategic and business development plans, which together will chart out a clear path for the organization to grow and manage its primary sources of funds (e.g., CBT/tourism, monthly donors, HNW/corporate sponsors, grants, etc.). I’ve worked with a number of startups as an advisor to help them develop customized financial/data-driven solutions, create external presentations, raise funding from investors, and optimize all aspects of the business. I’m excited about the possibilities for BirdsCaribbean because of my familiarity with its valuable work.”

*I hereby formally acknowledge that I am the son of Lisa Sorenson, the current Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, and that this immediate family connection could be perceived by others as a conflict (either internally or externally). Based on my review of BirdsCaribbean’s 306 Conflict of Interest Policy, it is my understanding that there are procedures and comprehensive safeguards in place to ensure that all decisions will be made objectively and in the best interest of the organization, its board, employees, members, partners, and beneficiaries. I pledge to ensure that all matters, in particular those involving financial considerations, will be handled with the highest level of honesty and integrity. Finally, I do not currently have (nor anticipate having) any employment engagements, consulting projects, or business interests that would create or lead to a conflict with BirdsCaribbean’s key objectives and long-term mission as a non-profit organization.

Director-At-Large — Maikel Cañizares Morera, M.Sc.

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Member of BirdsCaribbean since 2011, Chair of the Local Organizing Committee for the 21st BirdsCaribbean International Conference and the Caribbean Birding Trail Workshop held in Topes de Collantes, Cuba. 2017. Has also attended and been active at the 2001, 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2019 conferences.

Nationality: Cuban

Residence: Havana, Cuba

Experience: Maikel works at the Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática in Havana. He is a conservationist, researcher, and educator. He holds a master’s degree in both Systematic and Applied Zoology (Universidad de la Habana, 2003), and Managing and Leading Conservation Projects (Cambridge University, 2016). Maikel has considerable experience in Psittacids management, Caribbean bird ecology and conservation, and working with people from rural communities. He was President of the Cuban Zoology Society since 2014 until 2019 and was President of the Cuban Chapter of the Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation since 2010 until 2017.

“As a Director-At-Large, I want to support cultural integration and scientific exchange among bird lovers from our Caribbean nations.”

Director-At-Large — Jacqueline Andre

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Member of BirdsCaribbean since 2013. Participated in three BC International Conferences, including Grenada, Jamaica, and Guadeloupe.

Nationality: Dominican

Residence: Dominica

Experience: Jacqueline (Jacquie) is a Forest Officer with the Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division in Dominica and is currently the head of the National Parks Unit. She has an undergraduate degree in Natural Resource Recreation Management from Virginia Tech. Jacquie has been involved with bird education for several years as the Environmental Education Officer of the Forestry, Wildlife & Parks Division, and attended her first BirdsCaribbean conference in Grenada in 2013.

“As a Director-At-Large, I want to help foster more education programs that would in turn create much-needed awareness and bring a deeper appreciation for nature in the Caribbean.”

Director-At-Large — Terry L. Root, Ph.D.

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Past participant in two of BirdsCaribbean’s Cuba tours, and a monthly donor to BC.

Nationality: USA

Residence: Sarasota, Florida

Experience: Terry was a Professor at the University of Michigan for 14 years and then Stanford University for 15 years. She was a lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change 4th Assessment Report that in 2007 was co-awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with Vice President Al Gore. Terry was also a lead author for the 3rd Assessment Report (2001) and a review editor for the 5th Assessment Report (2014). She has served on the Board of Directors of three different conservation NGOs (Point Blue 2002–2012, National Audubon 2010–2019, and Defenders of Wildlife 2010–2014 & 2020–Present) and has been the Science Advisor to the Board of Directors of the American Wind and Wildlife Institute (AWWI, 2012–2015 & 2019–Present). Additionally, Terry is currently a Science Adviser to National Audubon, Defenders of Wildlife, AWWI, and Climate Communication.

“I have worked my entire career on how climate disruption has influenced the biology of wild plants and animals, and how that influence has grave potential of facilitating the extinction of a quarter to half of the species on the planet. I believe my skills and expertise can help BirdsCaribbean attain their mission of raising awareness, promoting sound science and empowering local partners to build a region in the Caribbean where people appreciate, conserve and benefit from thriving bird populations and ecosystems.”

Journal of Caribbean Ornithology Editor-in-Chief — Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., Ph.D.

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Founding member of BirdsCaribbean in 1988, former Vice-President and President on the Board, and has contributed to the society’s first constitution & bylaws. Was co-organizer for the society’s conferences in Puerto Rico, Aruba, and Guadeloupe, and the Chair and organizer of the Founders Awards for best student presentations at four conferences. Has assisted with fund-raising and grant proposal writing to support workshops and regional conferences, participated as a presenter or a chair/organizer for workshops/special sessions at all conferences, and has served as a reviewer on the editorial board of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology since its beginning in 1988.

Nationality: USA

Residence: Puerto Rico and Georgia, USA

Experience: Joseph (Joe) did his dissertation research on the genetics, behavior, and ecology of the Bananaquit on the island of Grenada, W.I., where he lived for six years and taught in the Canadian Junior College for Marine Biology in the nearby Grenadines. Prior to moving to Puerto Rico, he taught and conducted research with the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica as well as at North Carolina State University. He was a professor in the Dept. of Biology, Univ. of Puerto Rico in Cayey for eight years before joining the U.S. Forest Service’s International Institute of Tropical Forestry in 1988, from which he recently retired after 30 years as a Wildlife Team Leader & Research Wildlife Biologist. He still maintains his ties with the University of Puerto Rico as an adjunct professor where he advises and teaches graduate students in ecology and ornithology. An underlying theme of his research is disturbance ecology, an understanding of which has facilitated his efforts to identify conservation prescriptions for bird populations threatened by disturbance from hurricanes, droughts, agriculture, and selective logging. He has authored or co-authored over 100 publications mostly based on his research on avian ecology and conservation biology, which he conducted throughout the Caribbean and Bahamas as well as in Central America and Brazil. In an effort to build local research and conservation capacity in the Caribbean and elsewhere, he has involved students and recent graduates from the region in his field research.

“I plan to continue to help strengthen BirdsCaribbean’s programs in education, outreach, advocacy, and transfer of scientific information related to avian conservation and ornithology in an effort to build local capacity to conduct research and foster conservation for Caribbean birds. Specifically, as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, I wish to build on the efforts of Jim Wiley and subsequent editors and their staff to increase the visibility and utility of the journal; to encourage and foster publication by Caribbean nationals; and to ensure the sustainability of JCO as an open access journal. JCO has an important role to play by facilitating communication among ornithologists, naturalists, and conservationists working in the region and by serving as a repository for studies of Caribbean endemic bird species and other species of conservation concern.”

Past-President — Andrew Dobson

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Member since 2001, President of the Board 2005–2008 and 2017–2020, and led BirdsCaribbean tours to Cuba in 2019 and 2020.

Nationality: British

Residence: Cambridge, UK

Experience: Andrew was educated in the UK and has a B.A. in Economics (University of East Anglia), Post-Graduate Certificate in Education (Bristol University) and M.B.A. (Educational Management) University of Leicester. Andrew taught in Bermuda for over 28 years. He served on the executive of the Bermuda Audubon Society 1990–2018 including many terms as President. He produced the Society’s newsletter during that period and developed their website. He organized birdwatching courses, field trips, an annual bird camp, and coordinated the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and International Migratory Bird Day events in Bermuda. Since 1995 he has been a regional editor for the journal North American Birds. He attended his first BirdsCaribbean conference in Cuba in 2001 and has since served twice as the Society’s President. In 2002, his ‘Birdwatching Guide to Bermuda’ was published. He has co-authored articles on Bermuda’s IBAs and Bermuda’s birds. A keen photographer, his bird photos have appeared in many publications. He is a Life Fellow of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and a BirdLife International Rare Bird Club member. In 2018 he received an honour from Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the protection of Bermuda’s natural environment and his work with the Audubon Society. Andrew recently retired from teaching and moved back to the UK with his family where he remains active in birding and conservation action.

“I am honored to be part of an amazingly dedicated team committed to supporting such important bird conservation work in the Caribbean region. The Society reaches thousands of people in the region with its educational programs. I am proud of the response that BirdsCaribbean has given to island communities in the aftermath of recent disastrous hurricanes, especially the resources supplied quickly to feed starving bird populations. In an unprecedented period of climate change, I look forward to being part of a team working with local communities to create a better environment for both people and birds.”

Executive Director — Lisa Sorenson, Ph.D.

Previous or current links with BirdsCaribbean: Member since 1996, Project Coordinator, WIWD and Wetlands Conservation Project 1997 to 2016, former Vice President and President of the Board, Executive Director 2013 to present.

Nationality: USA

Residence: Natick, MA, USA

Experience: Lisa has a B.Sc. is in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology from the University of California, Davis, and a Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota. She has been working in the Caribbean for over 30 years and has expertise in waterbird and wetland ecology and conservation, climate change, conservation education, and surveying and monitoring techniques. Lisa raises funds for and oversees BirdsCaribbean’s various capacity building programs, such as the West Indian Whistling-Ducks and Wetlands Conservation Project, Caribbean Waterbird Census, BirdSleuth Caribbean, Caribbean Birding Trail Program, and bird festivals. She also works closely with our partners throughout the region, mentors students and young wildlife professionals, develops materials, and facilitates training workshops. Lisa became interested in Caribbean bird conservation through her PhD research on the breeding ecology and behavior of White-cheeked Pintails in the Bahamas and climate change impacts on wetlands and birds. She is passionate about her work and inspired by all the great work that our partners are doing to raise awareness and make a difference to help conserve the Caribbean’s amazing birds and biodiversity.

“Continuing as Executive Director, I want to grow and expand on all of our great programs in the region to conserve birds and nature. I believe that raising awareness and encouraging local citizens to know and appreciate birds, as well as get involved in science, monitoring, and conservation is vital to ensuring the long-term survival of the region’s incredible bird life. My priority is to continue building the capacity of our amazing local partners to carry out the fantastic work they do with their communities. We will build on our successes and strengths and grow the network of people that love birds and understand the value of local habitats for wildlife, sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem services, and ultimately, human health. I am honored to be part of an outstanding team that cares deeply about our mission and gives generously of their time and expertise. And I am thankful beyond words for our many partners, members, and supporters who believe in us and support our work in myriad ways.”

November 23, 2020

Community Resilience Boosts Conservation of the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Age of COVID-19

Local field team member preparing to climb into a Ridgway's Hawk nest — Local field team member preparing to climb into a Ridgway’s Hawk nest (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)

For almost everyone 2020 has been a year of challenges and unexpected changes. The onset of COVID-19 has required all of us to adapt in unforeseen ways. For those working on the Ridgway’s Hawk Conservation Project in Dominican Republic, it has been a year full of surprises, compromises and hope. Find out from Marta Curti what has happened with Ridgway’s Hawk and efforts to promote its conservation in the DR since COVID hit.

Over the past ten years, The Peregrine Fund has invested heavily in recruiting, hiring and training a local team of dedicated, hard-working and passionate parabiologists – local community members who assist conservationists working in the field. We believe our conservation projects can only be successful when they have the support, cooperation and involvement of local people. We believe in this so strongly that a major goal is to build sustainability by eventually having it managed entirely by locals. In a normal year we rely a great deal on our in-country staff, but 2020 put them to the test. They took up the challenge. Even though neither our project manager, Thomas Hayes, nor I were able to travel to Dominican Republic during 2020, our teams on the ground kept working despite the pandemic. Remarkably, they have achieved most of the project objectives to date.

The Most Successful Breeding Year

In 2009, we began a Ridgway’s Hawk reintroduction program in Punta Cana. Prior to that, hawks had not been documented in the area for decades. Thanks to this program, we observed the first successful breeding attempt in 2013, when a young male hatched and fledged from a wild nest. Each year thereafter, the population has been growing steadily. We are very happy to report that 2020 has been the most successful nesting season in Punta Cana to date! During this breeding season, our team monitored 18 pairs of Ridgway’s Hawks, 17 of which made nesting attempts. A whopping 21 nestlings successfully fledged, and our crew was able to band 18 of them. Placing bands on young birds is a way for us to monitor the survival of the fledglings and their dispersal patterns.

Some Hitches and Delays

While our field work continued quite smoothly, we had to postpone a few important activities due to COVID-19. First, we postponed releasing any additional young hawks at our second reintroduction site (Aniana Vargas National Park) until 2021. Despite this setback, our team continued to monitor the hawks we had released there in 2019. While it did not observe any successful breeding attempts this season, a few bonded pairs and some nest building activity were reported!

Adapting to the Pandemic with Online Education

Ridgway's Hawk — Ridgway’s Hawk adult (photo by John Hannan)

Our education and community outreach programs were negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We were unable to conduct face-to-face education outreach for most of 2020, and we had to postpone our pilot education campaign which had been scheduled for June.

This is disappointing after such great success in 2019 where, in October alone, we had reached 1,600 adults and children through our environmental outreach program. We were also unable to build on 2019’s outreach momentum. We had distributed 10 chicken coops, held 3 workshops (reaching 34 people, 19 of which were teachers) and visited 18 communities and 4 schools. However, islanders and conservationists are always willing and able to adapt to adverse situations. Although we could not engage in any live Ridgway’s Hawk Day activities this year, we hosted an online presentation followed by a question and answer session with members of our field teams in Los Limones and Punta Cana. We had 17 participants for this event.

An Exciting New Education Guide Goes Bilingual

Child coloring in a Ridgeway's Hawk — Children from Santo Domingo spent a morning learning about birds of prey and engaging in art activities related to the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo by ZOODOM)

We designed and printed new bilingual education materials (in Spanish and Haitian Creole). We provided some of these materials to our counterparts in Haiti for their community education activities. We continue to work on the text and design of our raptor-based environmental education guide, which we originally planned to distribute only in the Dominican Republic. The scope of the guide has now grown, and it will be made available to educators throughout the Caribbean, available in English, Haitian, and Creole Spanish.

Happily, last month, we were able to begin face-to-face educational programs on a limited basis. Partnering with the local platform ZOODOM, we worked with 12 children and 8 adults. They saw a live Red-tailed Hawk and Ashy-faced Owl and then received a short presentation on the Ridgway’s Hawk. Afterwards, the children colored a picture of the Ridgway’s Hawk.

The COVID Experience Has Taught Resilience

As we look to 2021, a great deal of uncertainty remains regarding travel and our ability to carry out face-to-face programs. Our main concern is the safety of our teams and the people in the communities where we work. However, what 2020 has taught us is that we are resilient and so is the Ridgway’s Hawk. Despite the pandemic, this year’s results and the efforts of our team truly give us hope that our project’s sustainability goals are achievable. The long-term protection of this Critically Endangered raptor is also making progress, before our very eyes. We want to thank the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund and all its supporters for making this work possible. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, please rest assured that we will carry on the work and the dream of community-based conservation.

Biologist working with child — Gabriela Diaz, a biologist and environmental education with the The Peregrine Fund, works with children from Santo Domingo to teach them about birds of prey and the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk (Photo ZOODOM).

Find out more about the work of The Peregrine Fund to save this critically endangered raptor and read past updates from the project here:

It Takes a Village: The Importance of Community Engagement in Conservation

Coming Together for Conservation: How the Support of a Community is Helping Protect the Ridgway’s Hawk from Extinction

Saving a Species in Peril—A Holistic Approach to Conserving the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic

And find out more about Ridgway’s Hawk here:

From the Nest – Day 5

November 19, 2020

First Encounters with the Elusive White-breasted Thrasher in Saint Lucia

The White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus) is an Endangered songbird with an extremely small and increasingly fragmented range. Over 80% of the global population is found in Saint Lucia, most of it within the Mandelé range, which is considered the stronghold for the species at about 1,000 adults. (the remaining 20% is in Martinique). Bela Barata, Field Programme Officer with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, takes us into the field to find and study this elusive bird.

A pair of White-breasted Thrashers in the wild (Photo by Robert Curry, 2007)

On a sunny February morning, beneath the canopy of dry scrub forest along the central East Coast of Saint Lucia, staff of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Saint Lucia National Trust and the Division of Forestry prepared to complete the day’s task: checking camera traps in White-breasted Thrasher territory. One factor that limits reproductive success of this bird is nest predation by native predators such as the Saint Lucia boa constrictor and non-native predators such as rats, cats, and mongoose. The team had recently installed a network of camera traps, which take photos when trigged by motion, across the Mandelé range to get an indication of potential predator abundance in the area. These cameras were being monitored on a regular basis by Durrell and our partners.

Saphira Prepares to Meet the Thrasher

This assignment would turn out to be a great occasion for Saphira Hunt, Conservation Assistant at the Saint Lucia National Trust and Durrell’s Project Officer. Saphira has been working to raise people’s awareness to conserve this endangered bird for a number of years. Surprisingly, she has never seen a thrasher in the bush. On that day, however, while checking the cameras, she would come across the Endangered White-breasted Thrasher for the very first time in her life.

Saphira was thrilled with the opportunity and she vividly recalls her excitement: ‘We were trekking into Fer de Lance (Saint Lucia pit viper) territory with two tasks at hand. One was to check on the camera traps placed in the thrashers’ nesting sites and the second task was to see a White-breasted Thrasher live in its habitat—a first for me. Adorned with knee high snake gators, rubber boots, machetes, and snake hooks, we set off on the first trail ever, vigilant for any Fer de Lance along the way. The first camera trap was 5 meters ahead. Guided by a GPS unit, we walked single file; I strategically placed myself between two Forestry Officers each wielding a machete. I figured this positioning would decrease my chances of encountering the venomous Fer de Lance. As much as I was excited to see the White-breasted Thrasher in the wild, it would also be my first time seeing the Fer de Lance in the wild.’

Saphira Hunt, Conservation Assistant at Saint Lucia National Trust and Durrell’s Project Officer, ready for work and moments before spotting a White-breasted Thrasher in the wild. (photo by Durrell Wildlife)

The Sound of Silence (and the Thrasher’s Call)

As we trotted on, we kept our ears and eyes peeled, looking to the ground in hope of seeing the bird thrashing in the leaf litter or calling out to a mate. The lead Forest Officer spotted the first camera trap, while our team got ready to check the SD card for photos of potential predators. The area was scanned for any presence of Fer de Lance. We checked the first camera, and then another one. While we were on the move, a member of our team spotted the thrasher. Everyone stopped to admire, and then silence ruled: we heard nothing but the thrasher’s call.

Saphira describes her first sighting: ‘Onward, forward we went, checking two more camera traps along the trail. Suddenly, we heard the distinctive call of the White-breasted Thrasher. Pius Haynes (Senior Wildlife Conservation Officer of the Forestry Division) moved slowly forward, trying to spot the pair. There they were, perched on a low hanging branch. Everyone moved aside to allow me to quietly walk up to meet Pius where he pointed out the White-breasted Thrasher to me. Oh, what a sight! With their dark topcoats and blinding white under bellies, they were a stunning pair. I stood there in total silence letting the sounds of the forest fill my senses as I watched in awe.’

Pius Haynes sets up a camera trap at the correct height to take photos of our target mammal species. The camera is triggered by motion and will take a photo when an animal passes by (Photo by Jennifer Mortensen)

The team getting prepared to check camera traps in White-breasted Thrasher territory. (photo by Durrell Wildlife)

An Action Plan Took Shape in 2014

Saphira experienced a unique moment; the view of a rare and magnificent bird is something hard to forget. The White-breasted Thrasher was once more widespread in Saint Lucia, but the population is thought to be declining due to fragmentation of dry forest, the thrasher’s habitat, and increased depredation by non-native invasive species, such as rats, domestic cats, and mongoose. Our collaborator, Jennifer Mortensen from the University of Arkansas has been studying the ecology of the White-breasted Thrasher since 2006 and co-wrote the Species Action Plan (produced in 2014). Jennifer describes with great satisfaction how it feels to see a conservation plan being put forward for this species:

“I remember the day. It was 2014. A beautiful February afternoon. This was my 8th trip to Saint Lucia, but the ﬁrst time visiting during the “winter.” Clear skies, slight breeze, low humidity, few mosquitos. Why had I always come during the “summer” rainy season? Well, for one, the mangoes. But more importantly, I suppose, the rainy season is the breeding season for the White-breasted Thrasher. And I love that bird. They are kings of the dry forest. They are spunky. Some say they have an understated elegance that is unrivalled across the Caribbean. And they are Endangered, which is why we met that afternoon in Dennery in February of 2014 to hash out the species’ ﬁrst conservation plan. This plan, called the Gòj Blan Plan after the thrasher’s local Kwéyòl name, leads directly to the work we are doing now, six years later. To see those discussions and all that planning turning into conservation action is really exciting.”

Jennifer Mortensen, from the University of Arkansas, retrieving camera trap data with a team of conservationists from the Saint Lucia Forestry Department, including Stephen Lesmond, Therence Eugene, Jeannette Victor, and Jonathan Cornibert (from right to left). (photo by Durrell Wildlife)

Jennifer recently returned to Saint Lucia to support implementation of our White-breasted Thrasher project. She was a little nervous to return to Saint Lucia after six years away. She recalled, “While I’d kept in touch with friends and colleagues, and often thought about thrashers (still analysing ﬁeld data), I didn’t know what to expect. However, seeing the Pitons as we approached the island, the colourful roofs of Vieux Fort, the faces of friends at airport arrivals, and then ﬁnally, being back in the bush with the thrashers—it felt, at once, like no time and all the time had passed. Birds we banded in 2012, now 8 years older, were still thrashing about in the leaf litter only 60m from where we last encountered them.”

Betty Petersen Grant Supports Predator Study

We are working with a wide range of collaborators, partners, and funders to save and protect this endangered bird. With the support of BirdsCaribbean’s Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, our current work is looking into nest predation and investigating the abundance and activities of invasive predators like the mongoose. Predation is considered the primary cause of White-breasted Thrasher nest failure. It is also suspected to be the most important cause of juvenile mortality. Data we collect on non-native predator abundance and locations via our camera trap network will serve as a baseline and will assist us in the design of a non-native predator control programme, which is the next step of the project.

Non-native mammal predators caught on our network of camera traps. Starting bottom left and moving clockwise: mongoose, opossum, rats, cat. (photo by Durrell Wildlife)

These activities are based on the Gòj Blan Species Action Plan and will help determine if directed non-native predator control is a viable management strategy to improve nesting success of the White-breasted Thrasher or whether efforts should be focused on other management strategies. We have a dedicated team comprised of wildlife oﬃcers, naturalists, and conservationists from the Saint Lucia Forestry Department, Saint Lucia National Trust, and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. Together, and with BirdsCaribbean support, we are ready to promote the conservation of the White-breasted Thrasher in Saint Lucia. We look forward to reporting back after our next field season!

COVID-19 UPDATE

First case of Covid-19 in Saint Lucia was recorded in March 2020, followed by the government announcement of restricted rules to contain the spread of the virus: international flights were prohibited, a curfew was imposed, only essential shops remained opened, and schools were closed.

Our 2020 project goals of beginning the non-native predator control program and schools-based outreach activities could clearly not go on as planned. With schools closed, awareness activities will be postponed until the next academic year. Given the major disruption in international shipping, the equipment needed to implement the invasive species control program could not be delivered, causing us to shift this activity to next year as well. However, all was not put off… Ahead of us was the challenging task of completing another season of White-breasted Thrasher nest monitoring, initially proposed to start shortly after the predator control program in May 2020.

A Safe and Successful Nest Monitoring Season

Field activities were on-hold until July 2020, which is when the government granted permission to start reopening businesses and offices, following specific guidance and safety measures. Since outdoor activities such as fieldwork were considered safe, our team could proceed with nest monitoring. Bela Barata, Programme Officer for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, said ‘of primary concern was the health and safety of our local staff, who are essential in delivering fieldwork and collecting all the data that underlie our efforts to save and protect the White-breasted Thrasher’.

In Saint Lucia, White-breasted Thrashers may breed between April and September, so we had to act quickly if we wanted to get a good sample of nests to monitor this year: ‘we had to adapt to the current scenario, make appropriate changes to deploy a reasonable survey effort and also ensure this could be done in the safest way possible’, said Bela. To safely deliver this activity, we reduced the field team to two people to ensure social distancing and used trail cameras to ‘watch’ nests. The cameras allowed us to reduce site visits to only once per week where we simply retrieved camera data, limiting contact between team members.

Camera traps were successfully installed in July 2020 and deployed for 1½ months. We recorded a total of 19 White-breasted Thrasher nests during this period, with nests occurring across each of our four field sites. Most importantly, by the end of the monitoring season, our team was well and healthy. We are now working to share the dataset, which contains thousands of photos. With this data our team will be able to calculate nest success, stages of nest failure, nest visitation by potential predators, and depredation events.

The success of this season survey under a global pandemic scenario was only made possible due to a well-coordinated response and the support of multiple partners. Saint Lucia National Trust and Durrell Project Officer, Saphira Hunt, was able to put together all equipment needed for field work in a noticeably short time. Saint Lucia Forestry Department staff was on stand-by, ready to install the cameras at any moment. Our White-Breasted Thrasher expert, Jennifer Mortensen from the University of Arkansas, worked quickly to provide a revised and updated monitoring protocol, setting a step-by-step guide that supported our field team without in-person supervision. From all lessons learnt, the delivery of the nest monitoring this year proved that we have a terrific in-country capacity, which is the bedrock of a relationship of trust and crucial for the long-term sustainability of this project. Together, we are working to achieve one shared goal: saving the White-breasted Thrasher from extinction.

By Bela Barata. Bela is Project Officer with Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. She coordinates this project, providing logistic support to the team in the field to deliver project activities, and she provides regular updates on the activity plan.

Close-up of the White-breasted Thrasher (Photo by Hank Tseng and Adams Toussaint)

October 29, 2020

Relax, Unwind, and Contemplate the ‘Birds of Yoga’ – an Online Series of Classes for Birders

Yes, you read the headline right. We already know that birds enhance our well-being in so many remarkable ways. Now we are partnering with Spinning Arrow Yoga on a creative new series of classes that has a special new “twist” – a bird twist.

COVID-19 continues to have a major impact across the globe, and like everyone else we at BirdsCaribbean recognise the pandemic’s negative effects on our physical and mental health. Many of us still have restrictions on our movements, and on the number of people who can gather together. With all of these limitations in place for at least the foreseeable future, it is more important than ever to find a dynamic and welcoming online fitness class that will give us a little ‘me’ time.

Alex – finding some balance in Eagle pose (Garudasana)

We recently introduced you to our new well-being partner Spinning Arrow Yoga. We are collaborating with Founder Alex on our innovative range of rejuvenating Yoga & Birding Tours through the Caribbean. We are very excited about our first tour – scheduled for 10-19 March, 2022 – where we will practise yoga and go birding daily; visit places of cultural, historical and spiritual significance; cruise with whales; swim with turtles; and so much more on the stunning islands of St. Lucia, Dominica & Barbados. The tour has taken its first bookings! Click here to find out more about this incredible journey ‘Back to Nature…Back to Yourself’.

Birds of Yoga Online Classes – 15 Nov 2020, 10 AM EST

Now Alex – Founder of Spinning Arrow Yoga – is delighted to offer a series of online Yoga classes catering specifically to the birding community and to all those who love and appreciate birds. Each class in the ‘Birds of Yoga’ series will feature a gentle flow towards a different bird-themed ‘peak’ pose and a short talk from Birding the Islands’ Director, Ryan, about some of the fascinating species of birds that the poses are named after, and the Caribbean islands where you can find them.

If you’ve never participated in a live online Yoga class before, there’s no time like the present to try something new! The classes will be live-streamed on Zoom (which is free for individual users) and on Spinning Arrow Yoga’s Facebook page (also free).

The first class in the series, themed around the majestic Heron (Krounchasana) will be going live at 10am EST on Sunday 15 November. Practicing yoga in a live class from the comfort of your own home has never been so fly 😉

Register here: http://bit.ly/BirdsofYogaClass1

The classes are being offered on a donation basis with 100% of the proceeds going directly towards supporting BirdsCaribbean’s conservation efforts throughout the Caribbean region. Thanks in advance if you are able to help out!

Looking forward to seeing you on the virtual mat!

A Green Heron finding some balance of its own at Graeme Hall mangrove swamp, Barbados (photo by Alex Chenery)

To find out more about the Birding and Yoga Tour, and book your place, click here or contact Alex at spinningarrowyoga@gmail.com.

October 28, 2020

Getting to Know You: The Shy Migratory Warblers of the Virgin Islands

Some warblers are resident in the Caribbean year-round, some spend the whole winter with us and others are brief visitors in Fall and Spring. These beautiful, active little birds can sometimes be a challenge to identify! Gail Karlsson tells us about her warbler encounters in the Virgin Islands and provides some helpful hints for warbler watching.

Migrating warblers generally arrive in the Virgin Islands without great fanfare. They are small and don’t travel in big groups. Then after they land, they hide in the treetops or underbrush. And although they are songbirds, they usually sing to attract mates during their breeding season up north and are pretty quiet when they are here.

I only recently began looking for migrating warblers. It takes a lot of patience, but if you look carefully, you can probably spot some of these tiny travelers.

Adelaide’s Warblers On The Move

The Yellow Warblers I do see near the mangroves are mostly permanent residents. At first, I thought those were the only ones living in the Virgin Islands year-round, but then I heard that some Adelaide’s Warblers had begun to move over to the Virgin Islands from Puerto Rico. I learned about them from Richard Veit, a professor from the College of Staten Island and the City University of New York Graduate Center, who for many years brought students to St. John for a Tropical Ecology course.

A resident male Yellow Warbler, with distinctive chestnut streaking on his chest. Females and young Yellow Warblers are less brightly colored and do not have this streaking. Listen out for its sweet song when breeding or its metallic ‘chipping’ calls (Photo Gail Karlsson).

The Adelaide’s Warblers were first reported on St. Thomas in 2012. Then in January 2015, Professor Veit and his colleagues counted five near Lameshur Bay, far out on the south shore of St. John. They identified at least three different males that were singing and appeared to have established breeding territories. When they counted again in January 2016, there were eight birds. Soon after that, I trekked out along the south shore trail with a visiting birder friend and we were thrilled to actually see, and hear, a pair of them – although only after we spent quite a long time searching and waiting.

Adelaide’s Warblers recently started living in the Virgin Islands. This bird has gray upperparts and is yellow below. It can be found in woodlands and scrub, actively gleaning insects from leaves and twigs. It sings with sweet rapidly accelerating notes (Photo Richard Veit).

After the Storms

Then in January 2019, I had an unexpected opportunity to go out warbler hunting in connection with a field study to assess the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, which hit the islands hard in September 2017. Many resident birds were lost during the storms and others went hungry because the trees and plants they relied on as food sources were destroyed. The warbler field study was done by Robert Askins, a researcher from Connecticut College, and his colleague David Ewert from Michigan, who had done previous studies of birds in the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John.

When I went along on one of the early morning bird hunts, I was surprised that the experts were not actually looking for the warblers – just listening.

The Elusive Warblers: Keeping Ears and Eyes Open

Although warblers don’t usually sing unless they are breeding, they do make small ‘chip’ sounds to communicate with each other. I learned that there are slight differences in the ‘chips’ produced by different birds, which experts can recognize. I couldn’t do that, so I was mostly looking around for movement in the trees, but I did get interested in spotting warblers.

I started paying more attention when I heard little ‘chip’ sounds in the trees and spent more time quietly waiting for the birds to show themselves. After a while I began to be able to identify some of them by how they moved around.

It also helps to learn more about which types of migrating warblers visit the Virgin Islands, and what they look like.

Black and White Warblers generally crawl along a tree’s trunk or branches, looking for bugs.

Black and White Warblers are distinctively black-and-white striped birds, with males and females looking similar. They have an extra-long hind claw to help them hold onto bark as they crawl along trunks and branches, picking insects from within moss and bark. (Photo Gail Karlsson)

American Redstarts flit around in the tops of trees, using their bright tails to scare up insects.

Female American Redstart. She is grey and olive colored, you can see the yellow patches on her sides and tail, she also has yellow on the wings. Males are black with orangey-red patches in the same places. These are very active little birds, constantly hopping about in canopy of trees. (Photo Gail Karlsson)

Northern Parulas often quietly chase moths and other bugs in upland trees.

Northern Parula, these are tiny colorful warblers with bluish upper-parts, yellow throat and breast, white belly, two white wing bars and white eye-arcs. Note that males have black and reddish chest bands when breeding. There might be some faint remains of this still visible during fall migration (Photo Gail Karlsson)

Occasionally I will see a bright, yellow Prairie Warbler near the mangroves, bobbing its tail as it hunts for insects.

Prairie Warbler, with its bright yellow face and belly. Despite its name, the Prairie Warbler does not in fact breed in the open prairies. It breeds in forests and scrubby areas in the southeastern US. The entire population of this species spends the winter either in the Caribbean or Florida (Photo Gail Karlsson)

Northern Waterthrushes creep around low down in the wetlands hunting for insects and small crustaceans. They are usually well-concealed but announce their presence by making really loud ‘chips’.

Northern Waterthrush, although its name and coloration suggest that this bird is a thrush, it is actually a warbler. These birds migrate from Canada and the Norther US to spend the winter in the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America. When you hear them call look out for them along the water’s edge bobbing their tails (Photo Gail Karlsson)

The Blackpoll Warblers’ Exhausting Journey

Recently, I was also excited to spot a few Blackpoll Warblers. Warblers generally move north in the spring to take advantage of the seasonal burst of plants and insects to feed their young. The Blackpolls go really long distances – some flying up from South America and then across the northern United States and Canada, as far west as Alaska. In breeding season, the male Blackpolls have distinctive black caps, and black and white streaks on their bodies.

Male Blackpoll Warbler summer, he has a distinctive black cap and white face. He also has orange legs. These birds weigh less than 14g, but they make some epic journeys on migration. They can fly nonstop for up to 3 days! (Photo Gail Karlsson)

In the fall, the Blackpolls look totally different. The males have no caps, and they all have a dull olive-greenish color.

Blackpoll Warbler winter. Both the male and female become more uniformly olive. But the orange legs and wing bars help to identify them. They can be found in many places, such as mangroves, scrubby areas, and woodlands (Photo Gail Karlsson)

On their way back to South America in the fall, the Blackpolls gather along the northern part of the east coast (a 3000-mile trip for the ones in Alaska). They wait for a night when there is a favorable tailwind blowing out of the northwest, and then take off. They head away from the coast far out into the Atlantic Ocean, flapping their tiny wings about 20 times per second. After a few tiring days, they get far enough south to be pushed back eastward towards South America by the trade winds.

A few Blackpolls sometimes stop in the Virgin Islands during their fall migration, though they don’t usually stay long. What a thrill to see them on their journey.

The Importance of Native Trees

For people living in the Caribbean, one of the best ways to be able to see wintering warblers is to preserve native trees that support a variety of insects. Non-native plants are often unattractive to local insects, and so are not useful for bug-eating birds. Also, cutting down trees, and using pesticides can eliminate important food supplies for birds.

It can be frustrating to try to see the visiting warblers. But I like the way that looking for birds gets me out exploring – walking in the woods or along the shoreline, feeling connected to the great rhythms of nature, and forgetting about the day’s troubles and turmoil for a while.

________________________________________

Gail Karlsson is an environmental lawyer, writer and photographer – author of The Wild Life in an Island House, plus the guide book Learning About Trees and Plants – A Project of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of St. John. She writes frequently about connecting with nature, including for the St. John Source. See gvkarlsson.blogspot.com and uufstjohn.com/treeproject. Follow her on Instagram @gailkarlsson.

This story is adapted in part from a recent St. John Source article.

October 27, 2020

Emotions Renewed: Birding on Grand Bahama, One Year After Hurricane Dorian

Martha Cartwright and her five birding companions visited the East End of Grand Bahama (GB) Island one month after Hurricane Dorian in 2019. They have returned one year later to look for signs of recovery and check on the bird populations after the devastating Category 5 Hurricane. Find out what they saw and how felt about the new, recovering landscapes in GB.

It was one year and one week after our first birding trip following Hurricane Dorian, on October 3, 2019. We were the very same group of six birders, revisiting the eastern area of Grand Bahama to see what changes had taken place in one year. The difference, however, was that this year we wore masks and traveled in three cars, rather than in one bus.

Same group of birders behind the masks, in the same location as last year. Left to right – Delores Kellman, recorder, (BirdsCaribbbean’s Administrative Assistant), Shelagh Paton-Ash, Bridget Davis, Gena Granger, and Erika Gates. As usual I’m behind the camera. Erika was busy looking and listening for a Pine Warbler; we spotted three.

The Numbers, Compared

We retraced our footsteps of a year ago, stopping for the same amount of time at each location; this helped us to make comparisons. In 2019 we saw 17 species with a total of 42 birds. In 2020 we saw 30 species with a total of 136 birds. For those of you interested in the details, here is a spreadsheet showing the species and the numbers spotted each year The “bush” was thriving and home to small birds.

The drive East along Grand Bahama Highway – Photo from 2019 on the left & 2020 on the right. Gena Granger commented: “I was encouraged by the greenery, remembering all the brown and black of last year…a tribute to life really, the new, the young, foraging through the existing devastation, making ready for the new generation!”

Owl Hole Road is typical of what we saw all day: The stark, dead pine trees keeping silent vigil over the vibrant undergrowth of bushes, thatch palms, grasses and vines.

The wetlands around Stat Oil were practically empty of wading birds and ducks; we saw a couple of Great Egrets and a few Blue-winged Teals in the wetlands to the east. Below are pictures from this year’s trip—you can see photos from the same locations one year ago here. The pictures speak for themselves.

The eBird locations call this area “Wetlands west of Stat Oil.” The company is now called Equinor (Statoil) South Riding Point. Small warblers were spotted along the track road into the area. I lamented the days of counting yellowlegs, ducks, herons, egrets, swallows, and hearing Red-winged Blackbirds calling over the habitat. What was once a lively, hidden Grand Bahama secret now sits forlorn and abandoned by the birds—at least it was abandoned on this day. When will the birds return? Has anyone tested the water? We need scientists to come and investigate.

A Changed Landscape, Sad Memories

That evening after a full day “out east” we shared our thoughts, and like the contrasts in the habitat, our feelings ran the gamut from positive and upbeat to depressed and sad. For me personally, despite new growth low to the ground, more species and more birds, the day was heartbreaking. I kept remembering years and years spent out east with my late husband, with birding friends. Sad to say, those days are gone. The places we visited then have been bowled over by Dorian’s tidal surge, and our remote beaches are no longer pristine.

Equinor area – Dead pines in the background are a fitting border to this wasteland.

Erika Gates, our Guru, wrote an email to the group that evening, and I think it summarizes the day perfectly.

Erika Gates’ Thoughts: The Loss of the Pine Forest

I am glad that most of you saw many positive things in the recovery of the environment! But I was deeply saddened by the appearance and total loss of our magnificent pine forest ecosystem along with our Bahamian endemic bird species, the Bahama Warbler and the Bahama Yellowthroat, the latter depending on the edge habitat of the pine forest. The Olive-capped Warbler which totally depends on the pine forest is probably also lost to Grand Bahama! We will most likely see another endemic bird, the Bahama Swallow, a secondary cavity nester, move to Andros or South Abaco, looking for non-fragmented pine nesting habitat where a resident Hairy Woodpecker will have provided the cavities!.”

Yes, it was like a miracle to see young pine trees sprouting out of the ashes and devastation we looked at a year ago; however, to attain the height and maturity of the former pine forest to offer new habitat for the above bird species will take 30 to 40 years! And where will they come from? Abaco? The pine forest and National Park in South Abaco fortunately survived Dorian and good numbers of the above bird species have been observed there during the recent BNT survey.

Erika points out the change from last year’s one inch of new growth at Owl Hole.

When I wrote my little book ‘Natives of the Bahamas—A Guide to Vegetation & Birds of Grand Bahama- in 1998, I wrote in my preface of a then recent conservation assessment of the terrestrial eco-regions of the Caribbean by the World Bank in association with the World Wildlife Fund. It stated that the unique Bahamian pine forest is one of the highly endangered ecosystems in the region facing threats from development! Who would have thought that after a two-day storm 22 years later, one of the largest Bahamian Pine forests (the largest being Andros, followed by Abaco and New Providence), where non-fragmented bird habitat covered approx. 250 square miles, would be no more!

Bend in the Road Beach – also known as Pelican Point Wetlands. A lone Semipalmated Plover was seen on our arrival. He did not stay long after we arrived.

Yes, we observed a variety of beautiful fall migratory Warblers on our “One Year After” trip that we began full of hope that morning! We were delighted to record several resident species like Western Spindalis, Thick-billed Vireo, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at Lucayan National Park’s Blackland Coppice and also found a few shorebirds along the Pelican Point shoreline!

Bridget spotted ten Sanderlings on Bend in the Road Beach. They didn’t seem bothered by our enthusiastic intrusion. Birds! In the wetlands across the road we saw 10 Blue-winged Teals – the only ducks for the day.

We had travelled 6 miles from Casuarina Bridge to Owl Hole Road along a lifeless pine forest and my expectations to find any live pines further east were disappearing. The pine forest habitat we surveyed close-up was a portion of Owl Hole road and the only resident birds we encountered were 3 Pine Warblers, with one male belting out his familiar song! It was music to my ears and also the highlight of my day!

Leaving Owl Hole we were surprised to see a “new” small wetland habitat. Had it always been there, but we couldn’t see it from the road? One Great Egret didn’t have a problem finding it.

In the same “new” wetlands we saw tiny mangrove plants taking root. I count seven in this picture.

The Birders’ Mixed Feelings—Some Hope, Recovery Will Take Time

Bridget Davis: I was encouraged by what I saw. We had a major hurricane and forest fires that hit East End hard. The humans have not all gotten their homes repaired and livable yet. I was happy to see the reconstruction and repair of homes. I think with the salt water and oil intrusion it will be some time for the shore birds to come back. I feel hopeful about the warblers we saw and the green palm trees and new pine trees along the way. Good day for me—until next time.

Lucayan NP- Although Bridget might have gotten to the beach this year, we didn’t try since we hadn’t visited the area in 2019 and our time was limited. That’s for another day.

The always enchanting Ovenbird responded to our scold tape.

Delores Kellman: It was somewhat depressing; especially seeing the death of the Caribbean pine forest. Don’t think I will be around when it comes back to life.

Along Owl Hole Road- Delores jumped out of the car, excited to point out more young pine trees—look closely and you’ll see them. She wrote, “It was somewhat depressing; especially seeing the death of the Caribbean pine forest. Don’t think I’ll be around when it comes back to life.”

Gena Granger: I was encouraged by the greenery, remembering all the brown and black of last year, also with the numbers and quantities of birds. Though discouraged by the devastation of the pine forest, it was encouraging to see pine seedlings. A tribute to life really, the new, the young, foraging through the existing devastation making ready for the new generation!

A pine seedling springs up out of the ashes. But how long will it take to grow to maturity? (Owl Hole Road)

Shelagh Paton-Ash: I’m with Bridget—I guess we were in the optimistic car! When you think about it, Dorian was a cataclysmic event, but one year later, most of the plants are back, some birds are thriving, and many houses are rebuilt or in the process. It takes time to recover from something as catastrophic as Dorian.

Erika’s final comment: I look forward to birding with this group again, appreciating every bird in all the beautiful habitats that we are still so blessed to enjoy on our beloved island.

Just like last year, the ocean can still be seen from the Visitor’s Centre in the Lucayan National Park.

eBird Links for the Sites

Owl Hole Road: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74679183
Lucayan National Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74679428
Wetlands West of Stat Oil / Equinor: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74679640
Wetlands East of Stat Oil / Mt. Pleasant: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74685527
Pelican Point Wetlands / Bend in the Road Beach: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74680264
Pelican Point: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74679844
On the ride home: https://ebird.org/checklist/S74732702 one Mangrove Cuckoo flew in front of Shelagh and Bridget’s vehicle.

Martha Cartwright birding: this is my happy birding picture, the day I saw an American Avocet on Grand Bahama, Lewis Yard Wetlands (Photo by Shelagh Paton-Ash)

Martha Cartwright has been an avid birder on GB since 2014. She is particularly fond of shorebirds and participated in BirdsCaribbean’s Conservation Caribbean Shorebirds Workshop in Puerto Rico March, 2019. Together with bird guru-in-chief, Erika Gates, and their close group of Grand Bahama Island Birders, they regularly carry out birding excursions and counts in many habitats on GB and also do a lot of habitat restoration, outreach, and education about birds and nature on the island.

BirdsCaribbean is extremely grateful to all who have donated to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund; donations are providing bird seed, nectars and feeders, replacing equipment and infrastructure lost in the storm and helping to fund bird and habitat surveys and restoration in Grand Bahama and Abaco. We are working with the Bahamas National Trust and other partners on this recovery work. Please click here or here if you would like to help with this work.

Map of Grand Bahama showing sites visited (Map by Aly Ollivierre)

More photos from the 2020 revisit of the eastern area of Grand Bahama to see what changes had taken place in one year. (all photos in this article are by Martha Cartwright with the exception of the photo by Martha above)

Lucayan National Park—looking down into Burial Mound Cave. Divers discovered the human bones of an adult and child from the Lucayan Indian era in about six feet of water. Dives are no longer allowed in the cave. Erika once spotted two young Barn Owls along the ledge. I went back several times hoping to see them, but I never did.

Cuban Tree Frog—the largest native frog in the Bahamas. I read once that as it is in the middle of the food chain, a frog is a sign of a healthy habitat. (Lucayan National Park)

Equinor committed to cleaning up the oil spill after Dorian’s winds blew off the tops of some of their storage tanks. Pictures show the oil has been scraped off the topsoil. But I see no signs of growth in the damaged area. Can you spot any?

An article in The Freeport News in May said Equinor laid off 15 Bahamian workers due to COVID-19. At least the offices got a good clean-up.

Delores trying to see over and through the roadside bushes into the wetlands east of Statoil.

The wetlands seemed healthier on the east side of Stat Oil. We spotted four Great Egrets in the area.

Bend in The Road Beach one year later. The mounds of seaweed from last year are gone, but little remains of what I once considered my favorite beach on Grand Bahama. Lined with casuarina trees, this beach was a favorite camping spot for aging Boy Scouts playing dominoes and cooking boiled fish over small stoves, while I spent my days combing the pristine beach looking for shells. Would that I had been a bird watcher back then.

Bend in The Road Beach- Some heavy equipment had been working in the area; I am not sure for what purpose. Last year we spotted one Laughing Gull and Three Royal Terns. They were not around this year.

At Pelican Point- Bridget has no fallen casuarina tree to lean against this year. It must have been a Herculean job to clear that tree away.

One year later Pelican Point is coming back to life. I don’t know what work the community has done to restore the beach, but what a difference in a year! The rocks are gone, Railroad Vines grow along the sand, dead palm trees have been cleared away and new palm trees sway in the breeze. We enthusiastically waved and cheered at a Brown Pelican cruising down the shoreline.

Pelican Point Rebuilds- In the foreground on the left you can see the church being rebuilt. It was in ruin after Dorian. Bridget commented, “I was encouraged by what I saw. We had a major hurricane and forest fires that hit East End hard. The humans have not all gotten their homes repaired and live able yet. But I was happy to see the reconstruction and repair of homes.”

Pelican Point rebuilds- Loyal to the community, construction workers are busy at work on Saturday. They greeted us with smiles, and one kind man shared two bottles of cold water with this thirsty birder (me) who had run out. He offered a cold beer, but I was tired and had a long drive home. Bahamians are the nicest people in the world. I know we all look forward to getting our tourists back to the island.

Pelican Point beach west of town. This beach west of town hasn’t changed much since last year. A single Black-bellied Plover, four Semipalmated Plovers, and a lone Sanderling were spotted in the area.

High Rock. We didn’t stop in High Rock this year. This settlement has worked hard to clean out debris and rebuild their homes. Even from the “highway” you can see the difference.

This year the long ride home wasn’t through fires and smoke but rather through rains. These very rains that have nurtured the land, that have leached out the salt water, and that have watered the plants and pine seedlings as they take nature’s journey – with roots going down to the soil and leaves upwards to the sunlight. May we all be so grounded, so uplifted, and so resolute on our journeys.

Memorial at the Bridge. We took one last stop at the memorial erected by the Grand Bahama Port Authority to commemorate the loss of life from Dorian. It is located just before the new bridge leading to East End. No one knows the number of lives lost on Grand Bahama. Officially the count is 84, but many persons were never found or included in the count. Missing is all we know, swept away by one of the most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. May they rest in peace.

October 26, 2020

Landbird Monitoring and Conservation in the Caribbean – We Need your Help!

Their entire population of Prairie Warblers spends the winter either in the Caribbean or Florida, making this a very important region for the species. During the winter Prairie Warblers like to live in coastal dry forests, mangroves, woodlands, orchards, and coffee farms; they may even show up in your garden!

BirdsCaribbean’s Bird Monitoring Group Working Group is developing an exciting new regional project to build capacity for more landbird monitoring in the Caribbean. It is essential to increase our knowledge about the status, trends, and habitat use of landbird populations as many species continue to decline. This includes our resident and endemic birds, as well as over 100 migratory species, many of them of conservation concern.

We plan to focus on developing a regional landbird monitoring program (modeled after our successful Caribbean Waterbird Census program). This will include training and resources to carry out:

Standardized Surveys – with different levels of monitoring available, depending on the questions and capacity of local partners,
Bird Banding – assisting partners ready for this step to establish banding stations to answer more detailed questions about movement patterns, habitat use and quality, abundance, survival, etc., and
Motus Tracking – expanding the network of Motus towers in the Caribbean to monitor migrant and resident birds. (the Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an exciting collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry arrays to study movements of small animals – learn more here)

Each of the three areas of monitoring have their strengths and weaknesses and are suited to answering different types of questions about our bird populations. To ensure that we are meeting the needs of local researchers, managers, and communities, we would like to gather information from those who are currently monitoring and/or banding landbirds in the Caribbean, that have done so in the past, or are interested in doing so in the future.

You can help us plan our work by letting us know who you are, what you do, where your activities take place, and how the Bird Monitoring Working group can help you. Just fill out our survey here:

English version: http://bit.ly/LandbirdSurveyEnglish
Spanish version: http://bit.ly/LandbirdSurveySpanish
French version: coming soon!

Your input will help us to design our project with everyone’s background, expertise, and research needs incorporated into the project.The success of this project will depend on the involvement of our many partners across the region, including wildlife professionals, scientists, educators, students, and volunteers/ citizen scientists.

Thank you in advance for your time and help!!!

Note: We recognize that most landbird work will likely be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we understand that your activities this year will be very different from any other year: when filling out the survey, just let us know what you would have done in a ‘normal’ year. Most importantly, we hope that everyone is safe.

Why Landbirds?

The beautiful White-crown Pigeon is an important bird in the Caribbean. It eats fruits of many hardwood trees and helps to regenerate forests by spreading seeds. (photo by Erika Gates)

Landbirds face many threats, including destruction and degradation of their habitats from human causes, such as inappropriate development, deforestation for agriculture, pollution, and invasive species. Severe hurricanes, droughts, and forest fires are also increasing, likely due to climate change. It is vital that we work together to monitor our landbird species so that we can identify the highest priority sites for conservation, restore habitats, and assess the impacts from threats and effectiveness of our conservation actions.

About the Bird Monitoring Working Group

The BirdsCaribbean Bird Monitoring Working Group is a committee that works to promote and support monitoring efforts throughout the Caribbean. The long-term vision of the group is to enable Caribbean stakeholders to build high-quality bird monitoring and training programs that have regional relevance and significance because of shared species and habitats. Within this context, the goals of the Working Group are to:

Foster inter-island cooperation and collaboration in the regional monitoring of shared species of birds (including neotropical migrants) and their associated habitats;
Work to significantly increase the number of skilled field biologists living in the region;
Build regional capacity to carry out standardized monitoring and training programs, including bird banding.

You can find more information on the objectives, history, and activities of the Bird Monitoring Working Group here.

Any questions about the survey, please contact Maya Wilson or Lisa Sorenson.

For more information on Caribbean birds visit:

Complete Checklist of the Birds of the West Indies

Endemic Bird of the Day – natural history information, photos, videos, puzzles, activities, and more on 50 of our 171 Caribbean endemics

Migratory Bird of the Day – natural history information, photos, videos, puzzles, activities, and more on than 35 migratory species in the Caribbean.

October 8, 2020

BirdsCaribbean Welcomes Renewed Support for Dominica’s Native Parrots

BirdsCaribbean approves of Dominica’s plans to launch new efforts to protect the Sisserou and Jaco parrots. Both species are rare and live nowhere else in the world. A recent letter from the Ministry of Environment, Rural Modernization and Kalinago Upliftment, attached here, reaffirms Government’s pledge to help these birds locally, with the help of long-term international and local partners. This includes the return of parrots secretly taken to Germany in March 2018. Other measures include parrot surveys, further repair of the Parrot Centre, and more.

Sisserou or Imperial Parrot of Dominica. — The Sisserou, or Imperial Parrot, is a national symbol found only on Dominica and is classified as Endangered by the IUCN. This bird was photographed in the wild feeding after Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Stephen Durand)

On March 18th, 2018, a few months after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island, the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) took rare parrots from Dominica. This included two Sisserou (Imperial Parrots, Amazona imperialis) and ten Jaco (Red-necked Parrots, Amazona arausiaca), all hatched in the wild. Claiming this was an “emergency measure,” ACTP took the parrots to a private facility in Germany. All the parrots had survived Maria and had been rehabilitated.

The export was not approved by Dominica’s management or scientific authorities for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Dominica’s Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division was not consulted or warned. BirdsCaribbean expressed its deep concern and was among thirteen groups that wrote a letter to the United Nations.

On May 1, 2018, over forty well-known scientists from around the world wrote to Dominican and German authorities. They urged the return of the birds and an investigation into ACTP. ACTP was the subject of two investigative reports in the Australian Guardian later that year. They were also featured in an in-depth article in Audubon Magazine’s Summer 2020 issue, among others. These revealed that the group also had removed hundreds of rare parrots from Australia and Brazil, and rare parrots from St. Lucia and St. Vincent. The articles also revealed that ACTP’s director was convicted of kidnapping, extortion and other crimes, and has no scientific credentials.

Jaco (Red-necked Parrots) at the aviary in Dominica. — Rescued and rehabilitated Jaco (Red-necked Parrots) at the aviary in Dominica in 2018. (photo by Stephen Durand)

BirdsCaribbean stands ready to support its members and partners across the region, who work hard to protect and support threatened species such as the iconic Sisserou – nurturing them within their own native ecosystems. We continue to urge the immediate return of Dominica’s parrots (as well as any offspring) to the Parrot Conservation and Research Centre in Roseau, Dominica after first transferring them to a reputable zoological facility to ensure the birds are disease-free. We welcome plans to renovate the Centre in Roseau to enable it to continue its work in wildlife rehabilitation and research under a parrot monitoring program and for increased capacity-building and training for Forestry staff and other scientists on the island.

Building on partnerships, this kind of empowerment of local expertise will provide for a hopeful future for these birds. BirdsCaribbean supports the government’s Wildlife Conservation Partnership plan. We look forward to hearing more about these positive developments, a welcome ray of light in these hard times.

Minister’s Letter

October 7, 2020

Bird with us on October Big Day and Receive a Discount on your BC Membership!

Join us for OCTOBER BIG DAY on Saturday, October 17th!

OCTOBER BIG DAY is a 24-hr period for all of us to commit to going out and safely birding. No matter where you are in the world, we invite you to carve out some time on October 17th to go birding, record all of the birds you see, and then submit that information to eBird.

For those of you that are new to eBird, it’s a fun and easy (and very powerful!) platform to record your bird sightings, find the best places to bird, and more. And your data helps scientists better understand and conserve birds. To get started and create an account, follow the quick instructions here.

We know that you don’t need even more incentive to get outdoors and birdwatch (it’s already so much fun and a welcome distraction from everything else!), but we’re going to give you one anyway! Send us the link to your eBird checklist(s) from October 17th, and we’ll send you back a special coupon for 25% off a BirdsCaribbean annual membership, or membership renewal if you are already a member with us. BirdsCaribbean is a big supporter of eBird as well as creating opportunities for all of us to get excited about connecting with nature and birds, so the membership discount is our thanks to all of you for getting involved!

For more information on the event, click here.

So, here’s what you need to do:

Friday, October 16th: Take a few minutes to sketch out a plan for where you are going to go birding the next day. Even just 10 minutes observing and recording birds in your backyard would be a great contribution to citizen science, once you enter your sightings into eBird. Make sure that you choose a safe place to do so. And don’t forget to start piling up the snacks that you’ll take along with you (a critical detail for successful birding).

Saturday, October 17th: Go birding! Have a great time! Take pictures and good notes of what you see. Don’t forget to look for owls and other nocturnal birds that night — the big day goes until 11:59pm in whatever time zone you are in!

Sunday, October 18th: Upload your checklist(s) to eBird (feel free to do this on Saturday if you have the time) via the website or mobile app. Then, send the link to your completed checklist(s) by email to: Justin Proctor at justin.proctor@birdscaribbean.org. We’ll send you back a coupon for membership, and easy directions on how to use it! Please send us any great pictures from the day as well!

Keep in mind that a membership* with BirdsCaribbean is a great value — there’s a lot included!

• FREE subscription to Birds of the World — the most comprehensive online resource about birds — a $49 value!
• Immediate access to our quarterly newsletters, packed to the brim with great information on birds and all of the projects we have going on around the Caribbean
• Meet and network with scientists, birders, educators, and conservationists across the region
• Receive discounts on our products, conferences, and workshops
• Be a hero to Caribbean birds! — Through your BirdsCaribbean membership, you are directly helping in our urgent fight to save critically important habitats from destruction and birds from extinction.

*Because our annual memberships run from January 1st thru December 31st each year, participants of October Big Day will receive a complimentary membership for the remainder of this calendar year, AND a full membership for the entirety of 2021!

To our monthly donors, Life, Benefactor, Corporate, Sponsored, and Comped members — we can’t thank you enough for your continued support of BirdsCaribbean and our mission. We will be reaching out to you over the coming weeks with more information about your membership status and benefits. In the meantime, we hope that you join us for OCTOBER BIG DAY!

We are looking forward to birding “with” all of you on Saturday, October 17th.

Mark your calendars now, and get excited!

If you wish, you can RENEW your membership now at this link or JOIN for the first time here.

PS. OCTOBER BIG DAY is part of the first Global Bird Weekend. If you’d like to be a part of this bigger event, you can join for free as an individual or join a group. Once you are registered, you will be eligible to win some great prizes. Don’t forget to also send BirdsCaribbean your eBird checklist(s) to receive your membership coupon. There are a lot of great opportunities this weekend, so make sure you get out birding and record your observations.

We look forward to birding “with” you on Saturday!

Please share this invite with your friends and family, and encourage them to allocate some time for birdwatching, too!

September 29, 2020

Free, Fun Activities for the Caribbean Show How Birds Connect Our World

The Caribbean is celebrating World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) this fall! Hundreds of different birds migrate to spend part of their year in the Caribbean. To honor them, BirdsCaribbean is sharing fun stuff for the whole family. Enjoy Migratory Bird of the Day activities every day for free, from the safety of your home.

BirdsCaribbean has fun activities for kids and adults that will teach you about migratory birds. You can learn to draw and colour birds. Caribbean scientists will read stories about nature. You can learn how to do bird origami on our YouTube channel. In addition to daily coloring pages and activities like puzzles, we will host online talks on the incredible journeys these birds make. Check our BirdsCaribbean Live page and Bird Day Live for a schedule of upcoming events, including 3 days of fun virtual events from October 8 to 10. This is hosted by Environment for the Americas, who organizes World Migratory Bird Day in the Americas. There will be a special focus on the Caribbean on October 8th!

This year’s WMBD theme is “Birds Connect Our World.” Migratory birds cross countries, seas and national borders. They depend upon on sites all along the way for food, rest and shelter. They can be found along our shores, in wetlands, in forests, cities, and even in our yards.

One migratory bird is the Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis). It breeds in Canada and part of the United States, then heads south to spend the winter in warmer areas. These ducks wait until there is ice on the lakes in North America before they travel. During November some will arrive in the Caribbean. They are most common in the Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico. They can be found in other islands too. They are usually seen on ponds or in the sea near the coast. These ducks connect Caribbean ponds and Canadian lakes, teaching us that we are all connected.

Migratory birds face threats like climate change, habitat loss and hunting. Global action is needed to protect their habitats. For migrants, these can include wild spaces in several different countries. Also, the current pandemic proves that the destruction of wild areas can help the spread of diseases. Urgent action is needed to better protect and sustain wildlife and their habitats.

Visit our Birds Connect Our World page for access to our Migratory Bird of the Day series, including natural history information, coloring pages, online puzzles, games, videos, activities for kids, and more. And be sure to follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and YouTube for the latest posts!

Lesser Scaup-male-female — One migratory bird that comes to the Caribbean is the Lesser Scaup. The male in breeding plumage is shown on top, the female is below. (Photos by Rick Evets and Matt Grube)

September 27, 2020

Connecting with Birds, Nature and Our Inner Selves—Birding and Yoga Tour 2022

BirdsCaribbean has been collaborating with Birding the Islands Ltd for the last two years, offering outstanding birding tours to the Lesser Antilles. Now, we are thrilled to announce that from 2022 a new partner will be joining us as we expand our offerings to include a fresh, innovative selection of trips. We have teamed up with Spinning Arrow Yoga & Holistic Healing to offer you the chance to escape the everyday—through one-of-a-kind birding and yoga trips to some of the most beautiful and rejuvenating islands in the Caribbean. Read on to learn more about both aspects of the trip!

Introducing…Spinning Arrow Yoga & Holistic Healing

We specialize in providing a range of well-being offerings including in-person and online yoga classes, energetic healing practices and heart-centered yoga holidays. BirdsCaribbean’s mission is to: “raise awareness, promote sound science, and empower local partners to build a region where people appreciate, conserve and benefit from thriving bird populations and ecosystems.” Spinning Arrow Yoga & Holistic Healing aims to help you to “find your true direction” in life by raising your awareness and appreciation of your own divine nature; promoting the ancient sciences of Yoga and energetic healing practices such as Reiki, Nada Yoga and Shamanic Healing; and empowering you to bring the benefits of these profound practices into your daily life in order to conserve your physical, emotional and spiritual well-being within the ecosystem of your own body.

Our founder, Alex Chenery, who will be co-leading our trips through the islands, is an RYT®200 yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance; Usui Reiki Master; Nada Yoga & Yoga Nidra Facilitator; Restorative & Yin Yoga Teacher; Adaptive, Trauma-Informed & Chair Yoga Facilitator; Pregnancy, Post-Natal & Mother and Baby Yoga Teacher; and Shamanic Practitioner.

“I’m extremely excited about embarking on this new adventure with two partners who share my love of the natural world. Our collective intention for you during these trips, is that you truly and deeply experience that beautiful connection with nature, and take a step down the life-changing path towards finding a way back to your true authentic self.” – Alex Chenery

Experience the therapeutic benefits of practicing yoga in nature…

Our inaugural heart-centered yoga and nature tour ‘Back to Nature…Back to Yourself’ departs in March 2022. We will be inviting you to discover the natural, cultural, and historical treasures of St. Lucia, Dominica and Barbados, while taking time to re-center and absorb these experiences with a variety of daily yoga and well-being practices.

During this epic 10-day adventure, we will take inspiration from the islands to rebalance our vital energies through practices designed to free you from your inhibitions—and give you that ‘aaahhhh oooohhhh mmmm’ (OM) feeling!

We will take our yoga practice into the heart of Dominica’s lush tropical forests to connect with the primal energy of our Sacral chakra; to the lofty windswept cliff tops of St. Lucia where with Red-billed Tropicbirds whistling by, we will root down into the earth, finding that pure connection to nature through our Root chakra; and on to the tranquil azure waters of the Caribbean Sea, where aboard our privately chartered catamaran we will raise our voices by way of our Throat chakra to experience the uplifting effect of Kirtan. While our daytime yoga sessions will have the calls of nature as our backdrop, our evening sessions will be accompanied by the harmonic sounds of fellow BirdsCaribbean partner Shika Shika’s “Guide to the Birdsong” series. These tracks will create the perfect atmosphere to relax and recharge.

Red-billed Tropicbird (Photo by Birding the Islands client, Keith Clarkson)

The Birding Experience

Your guide to all things nature—founder of Birding the Islands Ltd. Ryan Chenery (the Bajan Birder)—will introduce you to the eclectic mix of flora and fauna found in this tropical paradise (and in some cases nowhere else on Earth).

Dominica and St. Lucia are renowned for their spectacular wildlife. These two islands are home to three majestic Amazon parrots, every hummingbird in the Lesser Antillean region, an array of endemic and near endemic warblers, tremblers, thrashers, nightjars and pewees, and a wondrous variety of regional specialties from tropicbirds and frigate birds to solitaires and quail doves.

Purple-throated Carib (Photo by Birding the Islands client, Mark Greenfield)

You will wind down the tour in Barbados, exploring peaceful coastal enclaves to seek out Caribbean Martin and Black Swift. Go birding along the glistening white beaches and mangroves for close encounters with terns, herons, waterfowl and migratory shorebirds. End the tour by stepping away from terra firma and submerging yourself in the most breathtakingly beautiful turquoise waters in the region—where you snorkel with turtles and find yourself surrounded by the many colorful inhabitants of the island’s coral reefs.

Green Turtle coming up for air in Barbados (Photo by Ryan Chenery)

And yes, there’s more…

In St. Lucia, you will also have the chance to learn about traditional Rastafarian herbal remedies and discover the island’s influential connection to the sea. On Barbados, we explore the history of the sugar industry in the Caribbean, at one of the island’s oldest working rum distilleries. In Dominica, we spend time with the Kalinago people, the island’s original inhabitants. We will gain insight into their rich culture and visit the sacred site where these indigenous people first landed on the island from their original settlement in South America. Here, we also take a breathtaking cruise off the Atlantic coast in search of whales!

Take some time to reconnect…

There is no purer connection to the natural world than remembering that we are all part of the cosmic consciousness. By practicing yoga in some of the most ecologically rich and pristine habitats in the Caribbean, you have the opportunity to experience a deep connection to the powerful healing energies of the natural world. Along the way, you will experience different yoga styles, develop (or begin) your pranayama and meditation practice, immerse yourself in a Sound Healing Journey, perhaps indulge in an optional private Reiki treatment and even try your hand at SUP (Stand-up Paddle) Yoga!

But I’m a birder, not a yogi (or vice versa)!

Yoga is for everyone—and so is birding! Each part of this retreat into nature has been specifically created to meet you where you are at. Learning is an important part of the mission of our organizations, and you are invited to join us with as much or as little experience in either yoga or birding as you currently have.

Ryan Chenery "Practicing Flying" with an Immature Great Blue Heron — Ryan Chenery “Practicing Flying” with an Immature Great Blue Heron

We are hopeful that these tours will serve to introduce birders to the profound therapeutic benefits of yoga, and yoga practitioners to the wonderful world of birding. They will be voyages of discovery—connecting with birds and with our inner selves.

Alex Practicing Yoga on the Beach at Sunset

How do I find out more?

Our 2022 tour will run from 10th–19th March and above is just a snapshot of the incredibly exciting journey that lies in store for you. To find out more, and for a full itinerary please click here.

We look forward to welcoming you to the islands in 2022!

To express your interest, contact Lisa at lisa.sorenson@birdscaribbean.org, Alex at spinningarrowyoga@gmail.com, or Ryan at thebajanbirder@gmail.com.

Note: Birding the Islands and Spinning Arrow Yoga are generously donating a portion of your tour fee to support our bird conservation programs in the Caribbean. In addition, our tours support local livelihoods, including guides (our partners, some have received training through out Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training Program) and small businesses, in the islands.

To see other tours offered by Birding the Islands, visit our Caribbean Birding Trail website and Birding the Islands website.

September 26, 2020

Looking For (and Finding?) The Jamaican Petrel

The bird world holds quite a few unsolved mysteries—in the Caribbean, too. One of these is the intriguing story of the Jamaican Petrel, which unfolded at a webinar on September 17th. Dr. Leo Douglas, Past President of both BirdsCaribbean and BirdLife Jamaica, and now Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University (NYU), led the conversation with Adam Brown, Senior Biologist at Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC). Participants were treated to some fascinating stories from the field about petrels, that led towards a glimmer of hope for the bird.

Jamaican Petrel Study Skin — Study skin of the Jamaican Petrel from the American Museum of Natural History. The species was last seen and collected in 1879, however, nocturnal petrels are notoriously difficult to find, so it could still survive in remote areas of the Blue and John Crow Mountains of Jamaica. (Photo by Leo Douglas)

The question is this: Is the Jamaican Petrel, long considered extinct, still alive? As Dr. Douglas pointed out, so many Caribbean endemic birds are “languishing in the drawers of museums around the world,” including at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Dr. Douglas admits that, like Adam Brown, he has “a bit of an obsession” with petrels.

The Jamaican Petrel (Pterodroma caribbaea) was said to have nested in the Blue Mountains, where specimens were collected up to 1879.

Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site preservation zone shown in red)

Finding the bird on land has proved to be a tremendous challenge, since like other petrels it nests in burrows at five to six thousand feet up. The burrows go three feet or so into the ground. Adam explained that petrels fly out to sea at dusk, foraging for food, returning home before dawn. They appear to use gullies and river valleys to fly from the sea to the mountains. It is thought that the Jamaican Petrel would feed far out at sea on crustaceans, shrimps and the like, which come to the surface at night.

Park Ranger Jermy Schroeter at Cinchona in the Blue Mountains with radar equipment used to detect petrels flying at night. (Photo by Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust)

Adam Brown explained that predators were—and remain—a threat. In Dominica as well as in Jamaica, the last sightings of petrels coincided with the introduction of mongoose onto the islands, which happened in Jamaica in 1872. However, Adam Brown revealed that the Black-capped Petrel (Pterodroma hasitata) was rediscovered in Dominica, through thermal imaging and radar, in 2015. Again, in January 2020 hundreds of birds were tracked, flying overhead. No nests have been found, but adult birds have been found on the ground, usually disoriented or injured.

Adam Brown takes a GPS measurement on a ridge overlooking a valley where radar detected petrel movements in and out of the nearby peaks — Adam Brown takes a GPS measurement on a ridge in Dominica overlooking a valley where radar detected petrel movements in and out of the nearby peaks (Photo by Jennifer Wheeler)

On Hispaniola, where Adam Brown, EPIC and local partners at Grupo Jaragua have conducted a great deal of field work, Black-capped Petrels’ nests were found during an expedition in the hilly region of the Haiti-Dominican Republic border, in 2007. Mongoose, rats, and feral cats are always around, but the birds exist. So predators may not be the whole story. Over-hunting during the nineteenth century may also have been a factor in the birds’ decline.

Cat investigating Black-capped Petrel nesting burrow in Haiti. (Photo by Adam Brown)

So, where was the Jamaican Petrel last seen? Back in the nineteenth century, it was spotted in the slopes above Nanny Town and near Cinchona (the last known nest was found when the ground was being dug for the Cinchona Gardens, established in 1868) in the Blue and John Crow Mountains. These areas appear to be a good starting point for a search; it is possible that the birds would use the Rio Grande Valley in Portland as a flight path.

Adam Brown took his radar equipment up to the Cinchona area, and on March 22, 2016, he detected six petrel-like “targets” flying at approximately 65 km per hour, with two circling for a while before retreating out to sea (perhaps looking for future nesting sites). Could they have been Black-capped Petrels, or Jamaican Petrels? Petrels are known to be fast flyers, clocked at over 50 kilometers per hour on radar in Hispaniola.

Prior to Adam’s work, Dr. Douglas and a colleague, Herlitz Davis, had spotted a Black-capped Petrel off Jamaica’s south-east coast. Now Adam is interested in investigating the waters south east of Jamaica for this elusive bird.

The mystery of the Jamaican Petrel has not been solved—not by any means. However, there is hope. Nocturnal creatures can, of course, more easily escape notice. There may well be small colonies of the mystery bird, way up there in the Blue Mountains.

Dr. Susan Otuokon, Executive Director of the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust (JCDT), is firmly convinced that the Jamaican Petrel exists. She pointed out that the Jamaican Hutia (Coney), which is found in the Blue Mountains, and the Jamaican Iguana were once considered extinct; however, they were “rediscovered.” Dr. Otuokon added that the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that the non-profit organization manages, is home to an extraordinary number of rare and endemic species of flora and fauna. Although JCDT is not a research institute, trained park rangers, tour and field guides are available to assist visiting scientists.

The webinar ended on a hopeful note. If you are up in the Blue and John Crow Mountains at night, and you hear an eerie cry in the valleys…

You never know. The lost Jamaican Petrel may be found again.

Category: In the News

New Edition—Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba, No. 4, 2021

Caribbean Waterbird Census 2021 – Keeping an Eye on Our Wetland Birds!

Caribbean Bird Records – Unusual Sightings – Needed for North American Birds

Hope for the Future: Bringing Shorebirds to the People in Montserrat

A Feathery Finale to the Caribbean Waterbird Census!

Taking a Look at Shorebirds in Trinidad: A Population Update and Testing a New Survey Method

The Finer Points of Waterbird and Shorebird ID: A Bit of a Brain Twister

Funding Opportunity—The David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds

Inauguration of “Joe” and “Kamala” could help save West Indian Whistling-Ducks!

BirdsCaribbean Partner Shanna Challenger Wins Environmental Leadership Award

Trinidad Conference Postponed, but Unique Opportunity with AOS Arises for 2022

Journal of Caribbean Ornithology Volume 33 Roundup

The 2021 Caribbean Waterbird Census: Join us from Jan 14th – Feb 3rd

Hit by Storms and a Pandemic, World Migratory Bird Day Went Mostly Virtual for 2020

New Album Blending Birdsong and Music Raises Money to Help Birds

BirdsCaribbean Expresses Grave Concern Over Proposed Changes to Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Black-capped Petrel Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation in a Haitian Community

Speaking Up for Seabirds: Talking to EPIC’s Juliana Coffey in the Grenadines

Introducing BirdsCaribbean’s new Board of Directors

Community Resilience Boosts Conservation of the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Age of COVID-19

First Encounters with the Elusive White-breasted Thrasher in Saint Lucia

Relax, Unwind, and Contemplate the ‘Birds of Yoga’ – an Online Series of Classes for Birders

Getting to Know You: The Shy Migratory Warblers of the Virgin Islands

Emotions Renewed: Birding on Grand Bahama, One Year After Hurricane Dorian

Landbird Monitoring and Conservation in the Caribbean – We Need your Help!

BirdsCaribbean Welcomes Renewed Support for Dominica’s Native Parrots

Bird with us on October Big Day and Receive a Discount on your BC Membership!

Free, Fun Activities for the Caribbean Show How Birds Connect Our World

Connecting with Birds, Nature and Our Inner Selves—Birding and Yoga Tour 2022

Looking For (and Finding?) The Jamaican Petrel

Birders across our region took part in CWC 2021 (click to enlarge photos)

EAG’s Mask-erade Competition for the 2021 CWC – click to enlarge photos

More photos from our partners during CWC 2021 – ENJOY!

Enjoy this video of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks seen on Antoine Lake, Grenada

Some birders posted about their CWC surveys on instagram

We need your unusual records from 2018 onwards. Simply email us a list indicating:

Cleaning Up the Beaches Where Shorebirds Hang Out

Working in Schools and Communities

Meanwhile, Out in the Field…Frigatebirds Were a “Hit”

All Went Well With the Student Birders!

Radio, a Powerful Medium for Reaching People

Great Support for Public Events – and a Government Minister, Too

An Impactful Project, a Great Personal Experience

Check out the awesome live interviews of Ajhermae White and James “Scriber” Daley (Montserrat Dept of Environment) for their shorebird education events:

More fund photos from EAG’s ‘bird Mask-Erade’ (click on the photos below to see the them larger in a gallery).

TAKING A DEEPER LOOK AT MIGRATING SHOREBIRDS IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

THE RICH DIVERSITY OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO’S SHOREBIRDS

SADLY, SHOREBIRDS IN DECLINING NUMBERS

WHERE WERE WE LOOKING FOR SHOREBIRDS?

WHAT DID THE DRONE SURVEYS SHOW?

ARE SHOREBIRDS LOSING THEIR OLD HANGOUTS?

Waterbird ID Webinars on our YouTube channel

2021 Awards Now Open!

Help support the Dave Lee Fund by being a sponsor!

Thank you for your participation and support!

Reports from Projects Supported with Dave Lee Fund Scholarships:

Find out more about the Euan P. McFarlane Environmental Leadership Award winners & The TransforMAtion of Rodonda Island:

Trinidad Conference Postponed

Conference in Puerto Rico 2022

Possible Virtual Mini-Conference this Summer

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND NOTES

Novedades sobre la reproducción de dos especies de aves marinas poco comunes en Cuba*

BOOK REVIEWS

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL LITERATURE (ROL) FROM THE CARIBBEAN

Count Birds & Stay Healthy

The CWC Provides Critical Information about Wetlands & the Birds that Rely on Them

Banded Birds

Need Help?

Shorebird ID Resources

Entering CWC Data in eBird

Migrating Online—To a Wider Audience

A Wealth of Webinars

Stormy Weather Brings Surprise Visitors

October Big Day Was the Biggest Ever

A Young Shorebirds Advocate in Montserrat

Clean Ups and Kids’ Sessions

Listen to the album, learn more about the project and artists, and shop here and Here. You can also listen and buy using the links below.

How You Can Help

Life in the Village of Boukan Chat

The Search for the Black-capped Petrel Begins

The Forests and the Farmers

Sustainable Agriculture in Action in Boukan Chat

The Black-capped Petrel: A Village Icon

find out more about this project and the Black-capped petrel working group here & Here and in the wonderful Videos and articles below!

President — Adrianne Tossas, Ph.D.

Vice-President — Justin Proctor, M.Sc.

Secretary — Emma Lewis

Treasurer — Nicholas Sorenson*

Director-At-Large — Maikel Cañizares Morera, M.Sc.

Director-At-Large — Jacqueline Andre

Director-At-Large — Terry L. Root, Ph.D.

Journal of Caribbean Ornithology Editor-in-Chief — Joseph M. Wunderle, Jr., Ph.D.

Past-President — Andrew Dobson

Executive Director — Lisa Sorenson, Ph.D.

The Most Successful Breeding Year

Some Hitches and Delays

Adapting to the Pandemic with Online Education

An Exciting New Education Guide Goes Bilingual

The COVID Experience Has Taught Resilience

Find out more about the work of The Peregrine Fund to save this critically endangered raptor and read past updates from the project here:

And find out more about Ridgway’s Hawk here:

Saphira Prepares to Meet the Thrasher

The Sound of Silence (and the Thrasher’s Call)

An Action Plan Took Shape in 2014

Betty Petersen Grant Supports Predator Study

COVID-19 UPDATE

A Safe and Successful Nest Monitoring Season

Birds of Yoga Online Classes – 15 Nov 2020, 10 AM EST

Register here: http://bit.ly/BirdsofYogaClass1

Adelaide’s Warblers On The Move