Recent, tragic events serve as a stark reminder that racism and racial injustices continue to tear apart and divide communities around the world. Direct and indirect violence, discrimination, and oppression against black people cannot be tolerated.
Our hearts go out to those that have been—and continue to be—hurt and affected by these inhumane and heinous actions. We stand in solidarity with black communities demanding accountability, reform, and respect.
The BirdsCaribbean community, spread out across the Caribbean islands and around the world, strongly supports efforts to advance justice, peace, and unity, and we stand beside those who work so tirelessly to see these goals achieved.
Our organization will prioritize actions to become a bigger part of the collective solution moving forward, using our reach, influence, and mission to create the safest environment possible and most equitable treatment of our friends, colleagues, and partners.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to announce a new collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that gives our members FREE access to Birds of the World – the best website for comprehensive information on all of the world’s species of birds.
Birds of the World is a powerful new online resource that brings together scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology into one rich and colorful hub where you can find comprehensive, authoritative information on birds. All of the information from Birds of North America and Neotropical Birds (originally published by the Cornell Lab) has been merged with information from Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive and Bird Families of the World (originally published by Lynx Edicions) into one online platform.
With the integration of millions of bird observations from eBird and images from the Macaulay Library, Birds of the World is the most powerful ornithological resource ever created. It’s a single platform where biologists, birders, and anyone with an interest in birds can explore comprehensive life history information on birds.
Every Bird has a Story
The platform includes 249 bird family accounts, and species accounts for all 10,721 known species. Content includes topics such as description, taxonomy, distribution, habitat, diet, behavior, breeding, movement, and more. All species accounts have range maps and a growing number have “intelligent maps”—science-based abundance maps and animated migration maps (created from eBird data). Magnificent colour plates from many of the world’s top illustrators are backed up by the massive Macaulay Library resource – a media asset of photographs, video and audio recording. Every species displays its IUCN conservation status and additional ornithological notes as appropriate. The common species names are even available in more than 50 languages!
And here’s a neat feature – because it is linked to eBird, when you are logged into Birds of the World each species account shows a blue badge indicating whether or not you’ve seen, photographed, or taken audio recordings of the bird. If you’re not yet an eBird user, now is a perfect time to sign up and start using this wonderful app to find birds, keep track of the birds, and contribute to science! And if you’re in the Caribbean be sure to use our special eBird Caribbean portal.
The Birds of the World home page has a few species accounts that are available for a free preview, allowing you to check out all the great info available on this site.
One overriding feature of the resource is that it will be constantly revised by ornithologists to include the latest taxonomic revisions and latest information about each species.
ALL OF THIS FOR FREE TO BIRDSCARIBBEAN MEMBERS
Thanks to our partnership with Cornell, full access to Birds of the World (BOW) is available for free to all current (2020) and Life members of BirdsCaribbean. So make sure you are a member to take advantage of this unique offer! Click here to become a NEW member.Click here to RENEW your membership. Once you become a member it may take several days to activate your access to Birds of the World – please be patient!
If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact our Administrative Assistant Delores Kellman, and she will be able to help you.
How to access Birds of the World: Current BirdsCaribbean members with an eBird account should simply use your ebird username login and password to sign in. If you have forgotten your username or password or have trouble logging in, please review this page to gain access. If you don’t have an ebird login but are a member of BirdsCaribbean, you’ll be getting an email from us with instructions on how to log in.
Contribute to Birds of the World
In exchange for free access to all BirdsCaribbean members, we have agreed to adopt and update a set of the Caribbean species each year. So would you like to contribute to Birds of the World? BOW is keen to use species experts to help author the species accounts. If you are interested in helping or would like to learn more, contact: Justin Proctor (justin.proctor@birdscaribbean.org), Managing Editor of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and Vice President of BirdsCaribbean.
Why Join BirdsCaribbean?
Not only will you have access to Birds of the World, but you will receive other benefits as well, such as discounts on our meetings, programs, and materials; the opportunity to meet and network with scientists, birders, educators, and conservationists across the region; and the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping in our urgent fight to save habitats from destruction and birds from extinction. Your membership also supports the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, an open access, peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region.
Note that annual membership in BirdsCaribbean costs less than an annual subscription to Birds of the World.
Your membership helps our efforts to raise awareness, train and mentor conservation professionals, support research and monitoring, and engage people in citizen science and conservation actions. We look forward to welcoming many new members as well as welcoming back lapsed members!
Emma Lewis, writer and member of our Media Working Group, shares with us the unexpected joy and camaraderie we all felt birding “together” on May 9th, Global Big Day. Here is her report on the day’s adventures with photos and quotes from around the world.
On a humid, overcast day in Panama City, Beny Wilson settled down on his balcony with a mug of coffee—“on lockdown.” At the same time, birding colleagues in the Bahamas, also on stay-at-home orders, ventured no further than sunny verandahs and verdant gardens. Meanwhile up in Massachusetts, BirdsCaribbean Executive Director, Lisa Sorenson, put on a brave face as chilly gale force winds blew around her in the Westborough Wildlife Management Area.
All of these birdwatchers were connected by one goal, one event—Global Big Day 2020—a worldwide event in which birders set out to observe the most species of birds they possibly can see in a 24-hr period. However, this year the day came during unusual times, presenting new challenges, but also offering new rewards. There may never be another like it!
Birding “On Lockdown”
“Who thought we’d see the day that we were restricted to birding from our backyard?” said Kelsey from Cayman Birding—adding: “Although current COVID restrictions in the Cayman Islands made counting birds and numbers of species a lot harder, the challenge itself was worth it and definitely an experience to remember.”
With the Caribbean and much of the world still in “lockdown”, Global Big Day did not seem very promising at first. But the non-profit, BirdsCaribbean, decided to create a campaign to promote safe birding and raise funds for conservation—connecting people through virtual teams so as to promote friendly competition and comradery among birders who would need to be birdwatching alone this year. The days leading up to the event proved that people were excited to be involved, and come May 9th, competing teams spread their nets far and wide.
As May 9 dawned, Anneke Mace in New Zealand (a member of the phenomenal Flying Pintails team) had already completed her morning session with her baby—a “birding buddy who offered a lot of smiles, but not a single bird sighting.” Well, it’s early days yet.
Team Rivalry Heated Up
The rivalry was intense, but after all of the bird checklists were tallied several days later, the Flying Pintails were declared the winners, with a total of 865 species, 78 of which were species endemic to the West Indies. The other BirdsCaribbean teams put up valiant efforts, contributing hundreds of checklists and many additional species seen from around the world. They are eager for a rematch next time around! These included the Florida-based Spoonbills Dream Team; the President’s Perch, headed by BirdsCaribbean President Andrew Dobson; Cayman Backyard Birders; the Dark-eyed Junkies of Arkansas; the Far-Flung Flock of Friends, with members from Britain to Brazil; and the Catbirds and Dogbirds.
The Flying Pintails Team—88 members strong (including myself)—had a lot of fun and a lot of great adventures. The team’s WhatsApp group was buzzing with activity from the get-go, with Claire Spottiswoode sending in early reports from the Cape Peninsula in South Africa (total of 44 species observed). Virtual hugs were exchanged from the tip of Africa to team members far and wide. A photograph of warm African highlands (“The Orange-breasted Sunbirds flitting among the Erica flowers and the wing-flicking familiar Chats”) contrasted strongly with team member Jeff Gerbracht’s photo of a snow-covered field in the Finger Lakes region of New York State.
From my personal vantage point—our hot, dusty yard in Kingston, Jamaica—it was astonishing to see birding colleagues to the north battling the ever-deteriorating weather. “We’re freezing!” they cried, as the sun burned down on our city (now entering drought mode, with bush fires threatening). From either end of the two extremes, these were not perhaps ideal conditions for bird-watching, but perseverance was the name of the game. At home, our two dogs, Freddie and Lulu, lent moral support and searched the yard for cats.
“Today will be my first totally urban GBD,” commented team mate Beny Wilson; he had a nesting Ruddy Ground-Dove for company, obeying stay-at-home rules as well. We all enjoyed some lively Latin music in a video sent from Beny, as his binoculars stood ready for more great sightings. By contrast, in Maine, sleet splashed the windshield as intrepid birders, already inspired by colleagues’ contributions, headed to Mousam River estuary in Kennebunkport. Red-breasted Mergansers, Willet, and Red-throated Loons showed up to warm their hearts, but not so much their bodies.
“Bahama Strong” Made a Strong Showing
Global Big Day in the Bahamas was curtailed by their 24-hour COVID-19 lockdown on several islands. But you can’t keep a good birder down, and Pericles Maillis (and family) did their best—reminiscing on a baby Osprey spotted on Goulding Cay the Day-Before-Global-Big-Day (no, sorry, that doesn’t count, Pericles!) and posting a nesting bird on his verandah, as well as an adorable photo of his granddaughter in ballet dress against a backdrop of Bahama Pintails. Meanwhile, Erika Gates did a series of outings in her garden in a beautifully branded outfit. “I’ll be out until the Antillean Nighthawks are ‘singing!’” she posted, reporting at the end of the day: “Four checklists between 6:23 am and 8 pm, total of 6 hours from our garden at home (600 x 250 sq feet) on beautiful “Grand” Bahama—total of 32 species! Birds conforming to Lockdown!”
Martha Cartwright reported: “Locked into our yards for the weekend, Bahamas strong. From East fence to West fence, three times today, 2.5 hours, maybe 208 steps. Heart rate stayed at sluggish. Only garden homies to report, but nice to be part of such a brilliant team. Don’t deserve a drink but will have one anyway.”
Despite their limitations, Bahamians came in second for most birds seen in the Caribbean after Cuba, and ahead of Puerto Rico—from where Adrianne Tossas received virtual “abrazos,” from a forested hillside, from Esteban Marquez in Venezuela.
Babies, Birds…and Baby Birds
Another couple with baby in tow, Joanne and Glenroy Gaymes, set out on a hot day in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and observed:“Considering the state of the world right now, it gave us an opportunity to appreciate the beauty in front of us and make the best of what we have.”
And how were the birds looking? Photographic contributions came from far and wide. A Catbirds and Dogbirds team member reporteda Black-chinned Hummingbird trying to convince a female he was worthy of her love. In Venezuela, a Bat Falcon was observed from a window eating a Grey-breasted Martin (see video below) and a Pearl Kite was also tucking into some breakfast. In Trinidad, a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl looked sleepy and inscrutable and an early morning Tropical Kingbird was accused of being noisy (so, what is new for a Kingbird?).
Bat Falcon eating a Grey-breasted Martin in Venezuela (Video by Josmar Marquez)
A distant Ostrich (“the Flying Pintails’ only ratite”) was spotted on the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. Then up popped a Bee Hummingbird in Cuba—the smallest bird in the world; what a contrast! In Barbuda, John Mussington reported “lots” of Barbuda Warblers “right outside my window”—welcome news, while in neighboring Antigua a very young Bananaquit surveyed his new world from a low branch. A splendid Spotted Rail was among several rails seen by the Cuban team, who recorded more than 70 species, both at home and a little further afield. A “Dark-eyed Junkie,” Kate Chapman, fell in love with “the fledglings in my yard: Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, and Downy Woodpeckers. Total of 13 bitty fledglings! Oh and my best mammalian bird was a playful muskrat!” Not to be outdone, a British birder from the Far-Flung Flock, Lee Ridley, spotted a Tawny Owl—at 4:00 a.m.!
Some Birds Were Special
As a golden sunrise brightened the sky in Sacramento, California, a slowly awakening Lois Goldfrank realized she had 103 messages on the WhatsApp group. By that time, over on the east coast, Lisa and Mike Sorenson looked distinctly colder than earlier in the day, with noses turning pink—but sharing a lovely photo of a sweetly singing Rose-breasted Grosbeak. “Absolutely frozen!” Lisa posted, “41 degrees and 45 mph winds!” While down in Trinidad, Mark Hulme celebrated his fiftieth species of the day with a glass of rum.
Some of us had our very special “Birds of the Day.” Mine was definitely the White-crowned Pigeon, a gorgeous bird that we see in our yard more and more often these days. This species (once very much a “country bird”) seems to be adapting very well to urban life, and can be seen flying over busy roads in the middle of the Kingston rush hour. For Wendy Lee, my colleague on Jamaica’s north coast, the lovely Caribbean Dove was her Bird of the Day. Both species are very valuable as seed dispersers. Erika Gates’ “Couple of the Day” were two courting Common Ground Doves—“a sign of hope as all had perished in our garden in Hurricane Dorian, except for one who finally found a mate.” Down south in Bonaire, Susan Davis’ prayer for a Crested Caracara was granted some 30 seconds later: “A Crested Caracara soared out of nowhere and crossed in front of my car. I put my eyes heavenward one more time, and silently said, ‘Thank you, God.’”
President’s Caribbean Team Members—Signs of Indiscipline!
So, the Flying Pintails flew away with top honours. A close rival and the team leader of President’s Perch, BirdsCaribbean President Andrew Dobson, commented dryly on seeing the results of the competition: “If I’d known it was that close, I would have tried harder.” His team underwent Zoom training events ahead of the Big Day and participants were advised to not party too late the night before the Big Day. Andrew commented, “Tania Pineiro in Cuba obviously misunderstood my English as she recorded two species of owl just after midnight.”
Other Caribbean team members broke one of the President’s many rules: “Folks in the Caribbean enjoyed the best of the weather but there were serious challenges of staying awake and refraining from alcohol (team rule #48). Martyn Kenefick didn’t read that far as he sat on the balcony of Asa Wright Nature Reserve [in Trinidad] with rum punch in hand—tough posting.” It is rumored that the President may defect to the Pintails, next time around; but somehow I feel his 21-country team may come back with extra determination. There are more “big birding days” on the horizon to contemplate!
Urban Life: Not Only About Humans
Beny Wilson reflected from his balcony: “This year quarantine forced us to look inward: towards the Urbe. The urban that has not respected the natural, assuming that natural is not human and human is not natural. Today, with this exercise, the world realizes the big mistake we have made. We understand by rediscovering that the urban is home to much life beyond human. Watching so much wildlife live well in the urban means we can live well too!”
eBird’s Jeff Gerbracht commented, “It’s so exciting to live vicariously through everyone’s bird adventures!” Perhaps this was what was so special about Global Big Day 2020. We were all communicating, sharing, laughing together, and most of all—seeing birds! For those who are going through anxious times at the moment, it was a day that lightened the heart and soul. The general consensus was that we should do it again. It brought us all together in surprising ways. As Andrew Dobson put it, “A great day’s birding—an impressive list of birds, new birding friends made, and funds raised for BirdsCaribbean.”
Thank you, take care and stay safe, all the birders out there.
Thanks to Emma Lewis, blogger, social and environmental activist, and avid birder based in Jamaica for this wonderful recap of Global Big Day! And thanks again to all who contributed to the fun and success of our first Global Big Day Fundraiser – both team members and generous donors!! If you have not yet had a chance to donate, it is not too late! We are still hoping to reach our goal of $20,000 raised for science and conservation of Caribbean birds. Click here to donate, and thanks!
Big thanks to Josmar Esteban Marquez for creating this wonderful recap of our Global Big Day – thanks to all who sent photos and videos!
Four Cubans racked up large species lists for GBD!
Best Bird Staying at Home Photo: Ruddy Ground Dove in Panama City, Panama, by Beny Wilson
Joanna Gaymes and baby Maeson birding in Saint Vincent (Photo by Glenroy Gaymes)
Birder on Far Flung Flock braves the elements and enters her sightings in eBird.
Black-crowned Night-Heron in Aruba (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Mark Hulme (Trinidad) takes home the prize for Most Delicious Looking Adult Beverage. Mark confirmed that it was darn good.
American Oystercatcher eating breakfast in Aruba. (photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Get excited about seeing West Indian Whistling-Ducks in Puerto Rico in the summer of 2022! (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
Snowy Egret in Aruba (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
A mixed brood of White-cheeked Pintails (the Flying Pintails team namesake) in Aruba showed up right on cue. (photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
“I had to escape from lockdown just to include some seabirds 😅” Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico)
Osprey with Parrotfish catch in Bonaire. (Photo by Susan Davis)
Bee Hummingbird in Cuba on Adrian’s list at Casa Ana in Caleton.
Andrew Dobson (Team Leader of President’s Perch) and family birding in the UK. (Photo by Andrew Dobson)
Justin and Marisol started their GBD with some of Colombia’s finest Bird-Friendly coffee, as well as a shout-out to NPR (note the mug).
This is an adorable selfie of Jessica and Maydiel Cañizares birding in Massachusetts.
Best From the Garden Bird photo – a Green Heron by Erika Gates from her backyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
Claire Spottiswoode and young birding buddy (Adam) in Cape Town, South Africa.
Jeff Gerbracht birding in the snow in upstate New York. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Brown Pelican in Aruba (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
All citizens were taking precautions against the pandemic in Santa Cruz, CA. (photo by Lois Goldfrank)
“I had to escape from lockdown just to include some seabirds 😅” Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico)
Adam Spottiswoode on his Dad’s back birding at sundown in Cape Town, South Africa
Third Best Bird Photo goes to Susan Davis, for this shot of a Yellow-shouldered Parrot in Bonaire
Searching for Killdeer in Fayetteville, Arkansas (Photo by Jennifer Mortensen)
Hairy Woodpecker spotted in Maine. (Photo by Laura Blutstein)
Carib Grackle in Aruba (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Ferruginous Pygmy Owl in Trinidad. (Photo by Mark Hulme)
White-cheeked Pintail ducklings in Aruba (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Jennifer Mortensen and birding partner celebrating at the end of the day. (Photo by Jennifer Mortensen)
John and Sonia Webster spent the day birding together in Barbuda, and their smiles are certainly prize-worthy!
Catriona (on President’s Perch team) had a snowy start in Ontario but is all smiles despite the cold!!!
Cape May Warbler male in Erika Gates’ garden, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Erika Gates)
Common Ground Doves in Aruba (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Great Blue Heron, spotted by Richard Garrigus in New Hampshire. (photo by Richard Garrigus)
Cuban Trogon in Ernesto Reyes’ Garden in Los Hondones, Cuba (Photo by Ernesto Reyes)
Spotted Rail spotted in Cuba by Ernesto Reyes and Tania Pineiro. (Photo by Ernesto Reyes)
GBDer (Charles Duncan) bundled up in the most layers while surviving the most miserable weather: photo by Laura Blutstein — Massachusetts, USACharles Duncan braves horrific GBD weather in Maine to find birds!
A mixed brood of White-cheeked Pintails shows up on cue in Aruba. This species is the namesake of The Flying Pintails team. (photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Blackburnian Warbler looking smart in breeding plumage. (Photo by Seth Inman)
Mark Hulme starting the afternoon shift birding in Trinidad.
Yellow-shouldered Parrot having lunch in Bonaire. (photo by Susan Davis)
Reddish Egret enjoying the quiet beach in Sanibel! (photo by Carefree Birding)
BirdsCaribbean is excited to finally announce all of our Global Big Day 2020 prize winners! It was an action-packed day with so many unique adventures unfolding around the world. To everyone that participated — thank you, and we hope you had a great time!
Without further ado, let’s give a big congratulations to the following individuals:
MOST SPECIES OBSERVED – ACROSS ALL TEAMS
1st Place: Miguel Garcia Cruz (114) — Flying Pintails
2nd Place: Daniel Hernandez (113) — President’s Perch
3rd Place: Hugo Santa Cruz (105) — Spoonbills Dream Team
MOST SPECIES OBSERVED – BY TEAM
Catbirds and Dogbirds
1st Place: Andy Forbes (60)
2nd Place: Jennifer Mercer (29)
3rd Place: Ann Tanona (18)
1st Place: David Winkler & David Bridge (75)
2nd Place: Natasha Atkins (61)
3rd Place: Erik Wing (50)
Flying Pintails
1st Place: Miguel Garcia Cruz (114)
2nd Place: Sharon Hull (92)
3rd Place: Steve Brezinski (91)
Dark-eyed Junkies
1st Place: Jen Mortensen & Brett DeGregorio (74)
2nd Place: Mitchell Pruitt (68)
3rd Place: Mike Slay and Christy Melhart Slay (59)
President’s Perch
1st Place: Daniel Hernandez (113)
2nd Place: Nigel Hacking (90)
3rd Place: Steve Cutting (88)
Spoonbills Dream Team
1st Place: Hugo Santa Cruz (105)
2nd Place: John Hannan (100)
3rd Place: L. Khil (96)
PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS
Best Bird Photo: Michiel Oversteegen — 3 Common Ground Doves, Aruba
Second Best Bird Photo: Adrianne Tossas — West-Indian Whistling-Ducks, Puerto Rico
Third Best Bird Photo: Susan Davis — Yellow-shouldered Parrot, Bonaire
Best Staying-at-home Bird Photo: Beny Wilson — Ruddy Ground Dove, Panama City, Panama
Best From-the-garden Bird Photo: (1) Erika Gates — Green Heron, The Bahamas, & (2) Emma Lewis — Loggerhead Kingbird, Jamaica
Best Selfie: (1) Jessica and Maydiel Cañizares — Massachusetts, USA, & (2) Jen Mortensen, Ozarks, USA
Most Beautiful Landscape: (1) Peter Hopkins — East Devon coast, UK, (2) Joanne Smith — Bermuda , & (3) Catriona Leven — Canada
Best Birding Location: Nigel Hacking — Burnt Balls(!), New Forest, England
Best “Camouflage”: Jeff Gerbracht — hair and beard blend in perfectly with the snowy backdrop, Finger Lakes, NY, USA
Best Smile: John and Sonia Webster — Barbados
Best Looking Coffee: Marisol Mata and Justin Proctor — Sanibel Island, FL, USA
Most Delicious Looking Adult Beverage: Mark Hulme —Trinidad
GBDer bundled up in the most layers while surviving the most miserable weather: Charles Duncan, photo by Laura Blutstein —Massachusetts, USA
Youngest GBDer: (1) Adam Spottiswood — South Africa, (2) Holly Mace — New Zealand, & (3) Maeson Gaymes— St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Most Enthusiastic First-time Birder (first eBird checklist ever submitted): (1) Linda Showalter — North Carolina, USA, (2) Beth Mortensen — Stevens Point, WI, USA, & (3) Nicole McHale — Sanibel Island, FL, USA
Most Determined Dawn-to-Dusk Birder: John Hannon — every corner of New York State, USA
The following prizes* have been graciously donated and will be delivered to a few of the top winners in the time it takes for a Wood Stork to fly from our warehouse to your home! (i.e., please be patient)
Free 1-year membership to BC which includes a 1-year subscription to Birds of the World: donated by BirdsCaribbean
All publication fees waived for one manuscript submitted to Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (offer never expires): donated by JCO
A personalized voicemail greeting for your phone recorded by President Andrew Dobson using his best English accent: donated by “friends” of Andrew Dobson
An adorable, handmade plush Black-capped Petrel chick: donated by Jennifer Wheeler
A one-of-a-kind crocheted Solenodon: donated by Kate Wallace
A coupon for 25% off the BirdsCaribbean conference registration fee for Trinidad 2021: donated by BirdsCaribbean
BirdsCaribbean Swag, including buff, chicobag, and hat: donated by BirdsCaribbean
New Endemic Birds of the Caribbean Coloring Book: donated by BirdsCaribbean
Custom-made BirdsCaribbean logo binocular harness: donated by Jessica and Maydiel Canizares
*Prize(s) awarded to eligible winners are likely to elicit extreme jealousy from friends, family, and neighbors. BirdsCaribbean is not responsible for prizes that suddenly go missing.
A big congratulations to all of our winners!
And thank you to everyone, everywhere, for participating in our Global Big Day campaign, and for making it such an awesome experience!
To view photos in the gallery, click on a photo and then advance through the images. Hover over a photo to see the captions.
Third Best Bird Photo goes to Susan Davis, for this shot of a Yellow-shouldered Parrot in Bonaire
John and Sonia Webster spent the day birding together in Barbuda, and their smiles are certainly prize-worthy!
Justin and Marisol started their GBD with some of Colombia’s finest Bird-Friendly coffee, as well as a shout-out to NPR (note the mug).
Mark Hulme (Trinidad) takes home the prize for Most Delicious Looking Adult Beverage. Mark confirmed that it was darn good.
Best Bird Staying at Home Photo: Ruddy Ground Dove in Panama City, Panama, by Beny Wilson
Get excited about seeing West Indian Whistling-Ducks in Puerto Rico in the summer of 2022! (Photo by Adrianne Tossas)
This is an adorable selfie of Jessica and Maydiel Cañizares birding in Massachusetts.
Nigel Hacking definitely wins for “Best Birding Location”.
Covert leader of the Dark-eyed Junkies, Jen Mortensen poses for a selfie – albeit a shady one…
Best From the Garden Bird photo – a Green Heron by Erika Gates from her backyard in Freeport, Grand Bahama.
GBDer (Charles Duncan) bundled up in the most layers while surviving the most miserable weather: photo by Laura Blutstein — Massachusetts, USACharles Duncan braves horrific GBD weather in Maine to find birds!
Young Maeson Gaymes and his Dad, Glenroy Gaymes, birding in St. Vincent and the Grenadines – photo by Joanne Gaymes
The biggest birding day of the year — Global Big Day —took place on Saturday May 9, 2020. More than 50,000 people from around the world joined in to record their sightings. Close to 300 participants from throughout the West Indies recorded 345 different species of birds! Cuba had the most species by country (135) followed closely by the Bahamas (126) and Puerto Rico (125). Regionally, 1,051 checklists were submitted, 205 more than last year. That’s an incredible achievement — way to go birders!
This year was quite a different experience as much of the world remains under stay at home orders or is following social distancing guidelines. Certainly many of the great open spaces that are go-to spots for birders were not open to the public for safety reasons. Nevertheless, eBird recorded a 32% participation increase from Global Big Day 2019 and more than 120,000eBird checklists were submitted. Many of us, birding from our backyards and balconies, contributed valuable knowledge about our urban and garden birds. Indeed, there has been a new and renewed interest in and appreciation of the wildlife in our yards, a silver lining to this pandemic.
For the first time, and what we hope to now have as a yearly tradition, BirdsCaribbean formed a Global Big Day fundraising campaign involving a friendly competition between teams of birders to support the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO). JCO is BirdsCaribbean’s in-house, peer-reviewed scientific publication has served our community for 32 years and counting and needs help to keep its publications free and open-access to the world.
Team Results
Over 160 people from across the globe joined one of seven teams and have so-far raised over $15,000, closing in on our original $20,000 goal! The seven teams varied greatly in size and geography but all had the common goal of seeing as many species as possible in a single day. Overall, the teams recorded a whopping 1,485 species in 43 countries – 106 species of which are endemic to the West Indies.
The Flying Pintails, led by Executive Director Lisa Sorenson, claimed the title for the most species (865) and the most West Indies endemics (78) recorded. This was the largest team by far, composed of 73 different individuals submitting eBird checklists from around the world. President’s Perch, a team of 32+ led by BirdsCaribbean President Andrew Dobson, came in a close second with 854 species and 62 West Indies endemics.
However, smaller and more local teams also had their advantages. When the total amount of species seen was divided by the number of people on the team, Far Flung Flock came in first, with an average of 33 species observed per person. The Dark-eyed Junkies observed a whopping 177 species, which is very impressive because their team of 16 were all based in the same country. Congratulations and thank you to all the teams for your enthusiastic participation; we will be sharing more about our experiences in a second GBD 2020 blog article.
The outstanding eBirder of our Global Big Day campaign was Miguel Garcia Cruz (Mexico) of the Flying Pintails, who over 11 hours recorded an incredible 114 species! He was followed by Daniel Hernandez(Mexico) of President’s Perch, who recorded 113 species. What a close finish! Both win a year’s membership in BirdsCaribbean and some awesome BC swag!
Special commendations go out to the following birders who had 15 or more endemics on their GBD checklist on May 9th:
Adrian Cobas (Casa Ana, Cuba) – 23
Ann Sutton (Jamaica) – 22
Ernesto Reyes (Cuba) – 21
Tania Piñeiro (Cuba) – 21
Maria Milagros Paulino (Dominican Republic) – 19
Ana M. Suárez – 19
Maikel Cañizares Morera (Cuba) – 18
Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico) – 16
Closing in on our Fundraising Goal and Thank You!
The Flying Pintails to date are in the overall lead for fundraising efforts, with over $6,600 and counting. Though when we account for team size, Far Flung Flock is far ahead, with Catbirds and Dogbirds not too far behind. A huge THANK YOU to all who have supported our campaign either through a donation and/or by joining one of the birding/ fundraising teams. It was an incredibly fun day and we look forward to doing it again next year. In the meantime, if you are able, please donate to our campaign to support science and conservation of Caribbean birds. We are very close to our $20,000 goal, your gift could put us over the top!
Team Profiles and Results on eBird
You can visit each birding team’s page profile on eBird to see maps of the team’s countries/ islands where birds were sighted and their checklists. You can also visit each team’s GoFundMe page and donate to specific teams to help them reach their fundraising goal, or donate to the general campaign.
Do you study seabirds as a student, scientist, or independent researcher? Do you manage nesting islands or work in a seabird colony? Do you teach environmental education about seabirds or lead birdwatching groups? Are you a project director, a volunteer, a retiree active in seabird conservation? If so, we want to hear from you!
You can help BirdsCaribbean’s Seabirds Working Group (SWG) by letting us know who you are, what you do, where your activities take place, and/or how the SWG can help you. Just fill out our survey here! (Spanish and French versions are available below.)
Note: We recognize that most seabird work will likely be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and we understand that your activities this year will be very different from any other year: when filling out the survey, just let us know what you would have done in a ‘normal’ year. Most importantly, we hope that everyone is safe.
Why seabirds?
Seabirds are among the most threatened groups of birds globally. The twenty-three species of seabirds that breed in the Caribbean and Bermuda are all under threat, with some having experienced dramatic declines in recent years. Many of these species have meta-populations, thus understanding their regional population trends and ecology is especially important. To conserve Caribbean seabirds efficiently, we must work together on multiple fronts to understand, promote, manage and protect this important group.
Why a Seabirds Working Group?
Since 1999, the BirdsCaribbean Seabirds Working Group (SWG) has been working to bring people who are studying and/or conserving seabirds together to promote seabird research and conservation. Its purpose is to:
Bring together those working on, and interested in, seabirds within the Caribbean
Provide a forum within which to share information amongst the community on (past, present and future) research, monitoring, and management activities in the Caribbean relevant to seabird conservation
Seek new avenues to extend seabird conservation activities within the Caribbean and support those already working towards achieving this goal!
During the last 20 years, we have seen a great increase in appreciation for the plight of Caribbean seabirds, and launched several research and conservation efforts. However, much remains to be done. Now more than ever, we need to keep working together for seabirds.
What’s happening with the Seabirds WG?
After many years as co-chair of the group, Will Mackin took a step back and, in 2020, Yvan Satgé and Rhiannon Austin joined Ann Sutton as co-chairs of the group. Their interest and enthusiasm promise to revitalize the group.
How can the Seabirds WG serve you better?
In order to strengthen our joint seabird efforts, we must first bring the group more closely together. Therefore, we are reaching out to seabird professionals who are working in the Caribbean, to find out who you are, where you work, and how the SWG can help. Please fill in our online questionnaire. This will help us to help you in your work. Also, please feel free to share the questionnaire with your colleagues and encourage them to fill it out.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to be hosting a fundraiser that focuses on the energy, excitement, and comradery that’s associated with Global Big Day!
Global Big Day is an annual event in which birders, often in teams, travel around an area trying to observe as many bird species as they can in a 24-hr period of time. Global Big Day is happening on May 9th this year!
Because of safety concerns with COVID-19, Global Big Day will have a different feel to it this year. Many of us will be birding individually, and from a safe place*.
In an effort to keep the event exciting, and give us all an opportunity to celebrate safe birding, BirdsCaribbean has created a fundraiser that brings us all “together” on virtual teams that can engage in friendly competition to (1) raise the most funds, and (2) collectively see the most species of birds on Global Big Day.
Once on a team, help personalize your team page with fun photos and your own lingo, and then invite family, friends, colleagues, or members of your birding community to join your team and/or donate to your team.
By inviting people to your team, you are (1) raising awareness for BirdsCaribbean and the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, (2) encouraging more fundraising to keep the Journal going, and (3) promoting Global Big Day and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.
and/or . . .
Simply making a donation to one of the birding and fundraising teams.
By doing so, you will have (1) helped support the Journal, and (2) encouraged that team to bird as hard as they can on Global Big Day.
and/or . . .
Committing to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 9), being sure to keep track of what you see and then entering that information into eBird. We hope everyone will do this, whether or not they join a team or fundraise.
This will be a fun event to fundraise for and get excited about! Be ready to set yourself up in a safe place* and go birdwatching for as much of the day as possible, knowing that all of your teammates, friends, and BirdsCaribbean community members are doing the same!
Everyone should plan to submit their observations to eBird (or eBird Caribbean). Then we’ll tally them up and see how we all did! We will send out more information about this as the event draws closer.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT
We are living in unprecedented times. The important role that science is playing in understanding COVID-19 and finding solutions is more clear than ever. What science does to inform and improve public health, it also does for conservation of wildlife and nature.
BirdsCaribbean’s mission is to conserve birds and habitats throughout the Caribbean islands. This depends in large part on science—investigating causes of species decline that can then inform management and conservation actions.
To share that science, our community of researchers depends on theJournal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO). This in-house, peer-reviewed publication has served our community for 32 years and counting. But the JCO needs help to keep its publications free and open-access to the world. Explore the JCO here.
HOW YOUR GIFT WILL BE USED
This fundraiser will benefit the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology.
We are proud of our Journal and want to keep it free and open access to everyone. To do this, we need help fundraising to cover the Journal’s modest operating costs.
JCO has recently experienced remarkable growth, including adding many new and talented staff members, creating a highly efficient workflow, building a new website, completing fully-accessible Archives dating back to Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1988, and so much more.
JCO is an invaluable resource to thousands of Caribbean students, researchers, and conservationists, providing an unparalleled body of ornithological knowledge for the Caribbean region through its free, fully searchable website. This is why we are asking for your help in fundraising for JCO.
No matter what, we hope everyone will participate. You can bird by yourself, create a team or join a team, and then fundraise! Or you can simply make a donation, investing in science to help Caribbean birds. No gift is too large or too small.
As with everything in the Caribbean we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do this together. We know we can count on you to help!
ABOUT GLOBAL BIG DAY
Global Big Day is organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Last year, people in more than 175 countries participated, setting a record for the most birds seen in one day all over the globe. Learn more here about this important citizen scientist initiative.
PRIZES WILL BE AWARDED TO:
(1) the team that raises the most funds
(2) the team with the most creative name and stylish fundraising page
(3) the team that sees the most bird species on Global Big Day
(4) the team that sees the most endemic species on Global Big Day
(5) the team with the best “find” of the day (unusual, rare, plumage aberration, etc.)
(6) the team with the best bird photo of the day (must be posted on eBird along with your list)
There will also be “Hidden Prizes”; the categories for these will be announced just prior to Global Big Day AND throughout the day on Global Big Day.
SAFETY
*Given the safety concerns the COVID-19 virus presents for doing Global Big Day counts, we recommend that you bird in your backyard. If it is safe to go out on May 9th be sure to choose birding locations that (1) comply with your municipality’s COVID-19 safety guidelines (i.e. social distancing and travel guidelines), and (2) comply with your personal safety preferences. And so whether you we will be birding at a local park, within your own backyards, or from your bedroom windows, we will all be enjoying the opportunity to distract ourselves with some safe, fun birdwatching. Additionally, we will all be birdwatching “together” for a great cause that unites us!
Thanks in advance for participating and supporting our fundraiser, however you can! We hope to see lots of teams forming throughout the Caribbean, US, Canada and beyond! We will keep you updated with more news and details about our Global Big Day, such as how to keep a count of your birds and enter your data on line – stay tuned!
Soaring above the tree tops of Los Haitises National Park is the mighty Ridgway’s Hawk. Conflicts with humans and changes in its forest habitat have made it hard for this species to survive. Marta Curti gives us an update on the exciting work of The Peregrine Fund to save this Critically Endangered raptor.
Since 2000, when we began our project to conserve the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic (DR), we began to hire and train local crew members to help carry out the field work. In 2011, we increased our recruitment and training efforts greatly. One of our main goals is to make the project sustainable in the long-term, which means giving locals the opportunity and the means to support their families while working directly for conservation.
We currently have over 20 Dominicans employed on our project. Most were born and raised in the very communities where we work, right in the heart of Ridgway’s Hawk territory. These residents range in age from late teens to over 60. They are trained in nest searching, monitoring, data collection, data entry, tree climbing, banding, treating nests to prevent nest fly infestations, and environmental education techniques. They spend long hours in the field, hiking over rough terrain, sometimes in oppressive heat and humidity or torrential downpours, to monitor and protect the hawks. While we are always so grateful for the work they do, this year, more than ever, their commitment to this project has proved invaluable.
Communities Take Up the Reins During COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Thomas Hayes (Ridgway’s Hawk Project Director) and Marta Curti (Ridgway’s Hawk Project Environmental Education Specialist), will not be able to travel to the DR for the next several months, if not longer. If this were a “normal” year, we would both be planning a trip now, as the next few months are critical to our project’s success. Ridgway’s Hawk breeding season is in full swing and it is important to continue monitoring, banding, and treating nests. Thanks to our local crew, this work is being accomplished without a hitch!
At our first reintroduction site, the Punta Cana Resort and Club, our team is monitoring 17 pairs. Six of these pairs have hatched 13 young so far this year, while 9 have eggs waiting to hatch! This is an incredible achievement, considering that Ridgway’s Hawks hadn’t been documented in this area since the 1970s and breeding pairs didn’t start to form there until 2013! Though our environmental education efforts have been postponed in order to maintain social distancing, we were still able to reach 1,594 individuals at the beginning of the year. Our crew in Los Limones had a beautiful mural painted at the entrance to the town.
Los Brazos: An Eco-Friendly Release Site for Ridgway’s Hawks
While our seasoned crews are doing an amazing job in Punta Cana and Los Haitises National Park, we are particularly grateful for the newest additions to our team – our crew from the town of Los Brazos, located within the Aniana Vargas National Park in Dominican Republic. The small town of approximately 100 people relies heavily on the production of shade-grown certified organic cacao. Young and old, men and women, work daily to harvest, dry, process, and sell the crop.
The town itself consists of one dirt road with houses scattered on either side. In and around the town are cacao plantations interspersed with tall trees, wildflowers and wildlife. To maintain the organic certification, they must heed certain rules: no use of pesticides, no killing of wildlife, no cutting of forests. This, and the fact that this area was designated as Aniana Vargas National Park in 2009, was the main reason we chose this area as the newest site for Ridgway’s Hawk releases. Though every area has its unique challenges when it comes to releasing birds of prey, we knew we would be ahead by leaps and bounds releasing birds here. Thanks to support from the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, we were able to release 25 young hawks in this area in 2019.
Exciting News to Report
Though we had planned to release another group of hawks this coming field season, we have decided to postpone this year’s releases due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, thanks to our local crew, we have some amazing news to report. Our team has documented a pair of hawks building a nest in the area. This is the first pair formed from the previous year’s cohort of released birds, and a huge step in developing an additional hawk population in this region.
While there is so much uncertainty in the world at this time, it is an opportunity to focus on the things we are grateful for. I, for one, deeply appreciate the work of our amazing team and their unending dedication to protect this hawk. And I am grateful to the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund and BirdsCaribbean for continuing to support our work.
By Marta Curti, The Peregrine Fund. Marta began working as a field biologist with The Peregrine Fund (TPF) in 2000 when she worked as a hack site attendant on the Aplomado Falcon project in southern Texas. She has since worked as a biologist and environmental educator on several TPF projects from California Condors in Arizona to Harpy Eagles and Orange-breasted Falcons in Belize and Panama. She has been working with the Ridgway’s Hawk Project since 2011. This project is funded in part by BirdsCaribbean’s Betty Petersen Conservation Fund. Please donate to help this save the Ridgeway’s Hawk!
We’ve got you covered! The CDC and local governments recommend wearing a face mask when you go out, and even cloth/ home-made masks are helpful. Our BirdsCaribbean and Caribbean Birding Trail multi-purpose “buffs” work well for this.
We have two patterns available for sale: BirdsCaribbean logo and Caribbean Birding Trail logo (see photo to the right and in the gallery below). Get one of each so that you can wear on alternate days and wash them.
Many of our members have long worn our “buffs”—stylish tubular bandannas which can be worn in multiple ways. They are great as neck warmers, head bands, hair bands, caps, for mosquito protection in the field, and now as face masks.
If you would like to purchase one or more of our buffs, please use the links below. Apologies, but we are only able to ship to U.S. addresses right now. Limit of 6 per order.
Wear your buff and tag us! @BirdsCaribbean #BirdsCaribbeanStrong #HumansofBirdsCaribbean
Your purchase helps support our bird conservation programs – thanks!
To Use as a Face Mask:
Turn the buff inside out, then fold back it back either once or twice so that you have a double or triple layer of fabric for your mask. You are now ready to face the world with a comfortable and stylish mask! Stay safe!!!
Our buffs are made by the company Hoo-rag. The fabric is soft and stretchy. They have a UPF30 sun protection rating and are made of 100% moisture-wicking polyester microfiber. They come in individual packages.
Approx. 19” x 8.5”.
One size fits most. Machine wash cold. Line dry.
We are thinking of all of our friends and hoping everyone is healthy and staying safe. We are sending love, strength and positivity. We will get through this – together.
Sharpen your pencils and prepare your paints, everyone!
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) is just around the corner. This year, much of it will be celebrated virtually, as we continue to experience unusual challenges at this time. Nevertheless, BirdsCaribbean has a special surprise for young (and not so young!) bird enthusiasts: a beautiful 64-page Endemic Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book.
“We will be shipping out boxes, free of charge, to our partners to use in their education programs on birds and nature — and of course for their Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) celebrations,” noted Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “Due to the current difficult situation, we realize that the usual exciting CEBF events will not be possible and distribution of the colouring books will be delayed. In the meantime, we will share some pages online with everyone as part of our celebration of CEBF at home.”
With delicate, detailed wildlife drawings by naturalist, educator, and illustrator Christine Elder, and informative text by writer Mark Yokoyama, the book offers children of all ages the opportunity to learn interesting facts while learning the techniques of colouring the birds’ vibrant plumage.
The Colouring Book includes 50 endemic birds, with a focus on the most vulnerable, widespread, and colorful species. The front cover has an extra page that folds in and provides a Colouring Key to all 50 birds. There are also colouring tips, and background information on endemic birds, the threats they face, and how kids can help. At the end of the book there are Activity pages and a Glossary.
BirdsCaribbean is working on preparing the Spanish version of the colouring book — it should be ready within a few weeks’ time. The French version will follow soon after that.
“Kids are often amazed to learn that there are birds and other animals that live only on their island,” commented our writer, Mark. “These birds, and this book, can help them discover how special their home is.”
Artist Christine Elder said, “It was an honor to work with BirdsCaribbean to illustrate these beautiful endemic birds. I’m confident that this book will serve as a valuable tool for conservation and I look forward to seeing the children’s drawings.”
“BirdsCaribbean wishes to thank the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and BirdsCaribbean members for their tremendous support for this project,” said Lisa Sorenson. “This Colouring Book has been a dream of ours for quite a long time. It was delayed by pressing issues, such as our urgent work on hurricane relief the past several years. We are so proud of the final product. We hope our partners and the public they serve will enjoy using it as a fun educational tool, and we look forward to receiving feedback.”
Help us get these books to children across the islands!
We are short on funds to ship this book to 25+ Caribbean countries as well as funding to print the Spanish and French versions. If you would like to help, please click here. No donation is too small!!
How to obtain copies of Birds of the West Indies Colouring Book
If you are an educator working for an NGO or government in the Caribbean and would like to receive one or more boxes of the coloring book, please fill out this form. To save on shipping costs, we are aiming to limit the number of shipments per country. We ask for help with distribution by a local institution to NGOs and governmental ministries for use at bird and nature education events.
You can download the colouring book for free on our Resources page.
If you would like to purchase a copy of the coloring book (US$7.99 + shipping), we anticipate that we will be able to ship you the book by the end of April. At this time, we can easily sell only to customers in the U.S. or Canada, and in small quantities (e.g., 6 or less). (Customers in other countries, or in need of large quantities, should contact Lisa Sorenson).
You can purchase up to 6 copies of the book via PayPal using the menus below (PayPal will add the shipping). If you prefer to purchase via check, please make the check out to BirdsCaribbean and mail to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760. On your check, indicate the total number of books you would like and calculate the total cost for the books plus shipping by referring to the chart below.
There is a $1 discount for paid-up (2020) BirdsCaribbean members; if you wish to join BirdsCaribbean, click here. If you need to renew your membership, click here. If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact our Membership Manager, Delores Kellman).
Are you staying home right now? Sit back, relax and enjoy this vivid account of a trip around four islands, an adventure in search of the Amazona parrots. Ryan Chenery, the Barbados-based CEO of Birding the Islands will take you there. Ryan’s company is a proud partner of BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) and shares our philosophy of directly involving and benefiting local communities. Birding the Islands tours often using CBT-trained local guides—not only contribute to conservation efforts across the islands but also to support locally owned businesses. These tours are multi-faceted, but…“We always come back to the birds!” says Ryan.
Birding the Islands and BirdsCaribbean February 2020 trip to: St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Vincent, and Trinidad
Day 1: St. Lucia, Airports and Aupicon
We exit the plane at the vibrant Hewanorra International Airport and get straight into some productive airport birding. We easily spot the endemic subspecies of Carib Grackle and seemingly ever-present (yet fascinatingly split) near endemic subspecies of Bananaquit, flitting from one heavily laden calabash tree to another. A juvenile Merlin perched high atop a swaying Australian Pine is a surprising and welcome addition to our fledgling Lesser Antillean list. What a great start!
As we make for our first birding hotspot of the trip, the spectacular scenery of St. Lucia leaps out at us. This is a breathtakingly beautiful island – the perfect blend of towering forest-covered mountains and pristine white sand beaches lined by sparkling turquoise seas. It is no wonder that, centuries before, the French and British fought fiercely and passionately for the right to fly their flag atop its highest peak.
We plan our arrival at the sprawling Aupicon Wetlands to coincide with the return to their roosts of several species of heron and egret. After our vehicle winds its way through a corridor of towering Coconut Palms (their produce once the primary export crop of this lush tropical island), we catch our first sighting of migratory Blue-winged Teal and resident Common Gallinule – the brilliant blue wing coverts of the former and radiant red frontal shields of the latter gleaming in the last of the sun’s rays. Adding to the spectacle, large flocks of Snowy as well as Cattle Egrets now begin a near continuous approach to favoured roosting sites in the middle of the wetlands. The darting bills and dancing legs of Tricolored and Little Blue Herons contrast nicely with the bobbing of Pied-billed Grebes and American Coots (white-shielded Caribbean subspecies). A lone Osprey returning from the sea with a freshly caught fish is the cue for us to head to our accommodation for dinner.
Day 2: Endemic Overload!
The morning begins at our peaceful Inn, tucked away in quiet Mon Repos, where we enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast (yes, more freshly picked pineapple is on its way Nick!) on the sweeping veranda overlooking the densely forested hillsides and glittering waters of Praslin Bay.
Mon Repos is ideally located in the vicinity of some of the last remaining Dry Atlantic Forest on the island, and we start the morning’s birding by entering this wilted, scrubby landscape… only to be treated to absolutely cracking views of an inquisitive Mangrove Cuckoo. This seemingly impoverished habitat also yields our first three endemic sightings of the trip. A charming pair of St.Lucia Black Finch forages amongst the leaf litter, their pink legs dancing amongst the crisp brown leaves. With every step closer the gleaming black of the male provides an ever more diagnostic contrast to the soft cinnamon brown of his mate. We also see a stunningly patterned St. Lucia Oriole; and a brilliant adult St. Lucia Warbler, its subtle patterns fully visible in the neutral morning light.
We continue northwest over the dominant mountainous spine of the island and down to the scenic west coast, gliding through the sleepy towns of Laborie and Choizeul. There is a striking difference between the rich fertile soils found here in the shadow of the cavernous Mt. Soufriere and the parched earth of our last birding site. While living beneath a volcano is not without its risks, the rewards can also be great – as evidenced by the wealth of produce in the form of yams, dasheen, sweet pototato, plantains and much more being sold here at small roadside stalls. The unparalleled fertility of this region also attracts large numbers of indigenous birds, drawn to the wondrous variety of fruiting citrus trees. We soon find ourselves surrounded by a host of other new and exciting regional specialties.
First to appear however is a curious and hitherto unknown species—“the rare St. Lucia Bum Bird”! Or at least that is what we call the odd rufous-feathered buttock sticking out of a large ripe grapefruit at the side of the trail. It is not until the head of the owner of said buttock emerges from the depths of the fruit cavity, that we are able to accurately identify it as a Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. No sooner had our group exchanged smiles and taken photos than a flurry of wings announced the arrival of a splendid Gray Trembler! As is so often the case with this fascinating near endemic (known only to the tiny islands of St. Lucia and Martinique), upon landing the bird immediately begins to convulse its entire body in a violent trembling motion – hence its name. The brief display over, the trembler proceeds to sink its impressive bill into the fleshy centre of the grapefruit, from which the bullfinch had been so unceremoniously usurped!
“Beak plunging” appears to be the order of the day. An obliging Lesser Antillean Saltator is the next to start tucking into a meal. This time, the weapon of choice is a gargantuan cone-shaped beak, and the victim—the soft flesh of the golden orbed breadfruit.
The birding, already going well, suddenly and unexpectedly gets even better as out of the valley below a pair of St. Lucia Parrots wing their way up towards us and perch not 30 feet away. Perfect light and unimpaired views allow for an absolutely enthralling encounter with this large and stunningly patterned parrot—the first in our Search for the Amazonas!
We round off a terrific morning’s birding with a delicious buffet lunch of creole chicken, steamed mahi mahi, fried plantain, and yam pie… all washed down with freshly squeezed lemonade and enjoyed on the balcony of The Beacon—the restaurant with an unrivaled view of the magnificent twin-peaks of Les Pitons.
Back at our locally owned accommodation some of the group enjoy a relaxing late afternoon swim in the pool before dining on yet more delights prepared by the Paris-trained chef. Tonight’s specialty: lobster bisque, flank steak (or Creole mahi mahi) and crème caramel.
Day 3: A Breezy Farewell
Today sees us make for the pride of St. Lucia – the splendid Des Cartiers Rainforest. Upon arrival, we enjoy our pre-packed breakfasts before starting our way along the well-maintained trail. Here we are immediately transported into another world – one dominated by towering emergents, prehistoric tree ferns and dangling lianas.
When in St.Lucia, Birding the Islands works alongside local guide and BirdsCaribbean partner, Vision, who is a superb “birtanist” (birder and botanist rolled into one) and as we walk, Vision pauses to point out the many fascinating native tree species all around us (and explain their myriad uses). These make for fascinating topics of conversation between birding hotspots.By far the most dominant tree here is the mighty Lansan. It is known only to four Lesser Antillean islands. Its aromatic resin is a key ingredient of the slow-burning incense still used widely in St. Lucia homes to ward off evil spirits.
Our first bird experience in Des Cartiers is certainly one of the most memorable: a St. Lucia Parrot poked its head out of a nest cavity some 50 feet above us. But this ancient forest is to have many more surprises in store before we leave. At an observation area with breathtaking views of the riverine valley below, we enjoy incredibly close views of the Antillean Euphonia daintily hopping amongst strands of mistletoe. A pair of Lesser Antillean Flycatchers interrupt proceedings with a low fly-by. Other arrivals during our time at this site include a fabulous Green-throated Carib effortlessly gleaning insects from the underside of a leaf, a positively delicate St.Lucia Pewee seemingly freeze-framed on a looping vine, and an overly inquisitive Pearly-eyed Thrasher.
After a lunch enjoyed on the white sand shores of Cocodan, our final birding stop of the day is the towering peak of Moule a Chique, where we brave the blustery winds to look down upon Red-billed Tropicbirds hurtling beneath us – their brilliant pure white plumage contrasting perfectly with the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Later that evening after a pre-dinner cocktail, we settle in to dine on Kingfish (delivered earlier from the traditional fishing village of Dennery, where the previous day we had the opportunity to witness an intense bartering culture in action). Experiencing the culture of the islands as well as supporting local communities, while illustrating the correlation between us visiting birders and the economic prosperity of many local businesses and citizens is extremely important for Birding the Islands Ltd and our partner BirdsCaribbean. We adopt this approach on every island we visit.
Day 4: Dominica, A Day of Close Encounters
The large boulders dotted throughout this islands’ lush landscape point to a violent volcanic past. However, as our vehicle makes its way around long winding corners and upwards along the coast, the sight of sparse tree canopies and fallen forest giants are glaring reminders of the after effects of a far more recent natural disaster (Hurricane Maria in 2017). This leaves us with a deep appreciation of the hardships endured by the inhabitants of this wild and stunningly beautiful land.
Arriving at our cliff-side hotel, we enjoy a hearty lunch of line-caught tuna, steamed plantain, and veggie rice, enjoyed throughout in the company of a Red-legged Thrush and an absolutely brilliant Purple-throated Carib—its dazzling throat glinting in the sun as it feeds.
Later in the afternoon, a sudden downpour restricts any extensive foray into the sprawling Syndicate Estate. But before the rain falls, we are treated to what surely must be one of the closest ever encounters with a Red-necked Parrot (Jaco) in the wild! Having entered the Estate in the presence of Dr. Birdy (Bertrand Baptiste) himself—the most experienced bird guide on the island and long-time BirdsCaribbean partner, we soon find ourselves surrounded by the gleeful calls of several Jaco in the fruiting trees around us. However, one particularly close cry draws us towards a heavily laden guava tree. In the heart of the sparsely leafed tree one of these brightly coloured Amazonas delicately plucks a swollen guava from the tree with its beak, and flies to a low cecropia perfectly positioned over our path. Following an excited period of hastily focusing scopes and training binoculars on the bird, we soon realize that the parrot is so distracted by its food that we can slowly approach—until we are standing a mere 15 feet beneath it! A full half an hour elapses with us caught up in this magical moment with this beautiful bird. Finally, its meal finished, it flies off towards a more secluded area.
What an experience!
Tonight we soak up the tropical ambiance at a candlelit dinner in the outdoor restaurant of our hotel—the sounds of the rolling waves beating against the black volcanic shores below.
Day 5: To the Seas!
After a mid-morning arrival at the bustling port of Roseau, we board our vessel and jet across the waters off the southwest of the island, in search of the giants that call Dominica’s deep oceanic trenches home. A whale-watching trip can be rewarding for pelagics, but in addition to the usual suspects of Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Booby and Laughing Gulls, this trip surprisingly only reveals a Sooty Tern and a Red-footed Booby as new species for the trip. The whales however are far more cooperative. We do not have to wait more than twenty minutes before the captain bellows “BREEEECH”! He knows these waters well, and skillfully guides us towards a pod of mighty Sperm Whales in such a manner that the next surfacing is far closer than the last. We are so close we can even listen via hydrophone to the popcorn popping sounds emanating from the giants as they hone in on prey below us!
From the bow of the boat we are afforded superb views as some of majestic behemoths rest near the surface, before resuming their feeding. Sadly the excitement of the encounter apparently proves too much for the engine of our craft, resulting in an earlier than planned end to our whale-watching adventure.
Maintaining our maritime theme of the day, we enjoy sumptuous fish tacos for lunch (what on Earth is in that sauce?) before settling in to a quiet final night at our beach-side hotel on Dominica. The spectacular Brown Pelicans in the height of breeding plumage settle in to roost in nearby trees.
Day 6: A Day of Wonder
On our final day in Dominica we wake at dawn to travel into the montane forest for which this island is so renowned. As the skies clear, the birds begin to steadily appear. The methodical notes of Black-whiskered Vireo, a startlingly pugnacious Antillean-crested Hummingbird, and an inquisitive andscratchy-throated Plumbeous Warbler all provide us with excellent views. An obliging male Blue-headed Hummingbird steals the show by feeding at a flowering ginger growing conveniently close to our trail.
The fluid musical notes of a House Wren (Antillean) later lead us to a copse of flowering coffee, and an audience with this endemic subspecies. Increasing research on these islands is leading to many new species splits and the identification of a plethora of endemic subspecies throughout these closely neighbouring islands. That this wren (and many other subspecies in the Lesser Antilles) may well attain full species status in years to come is very possible indeed.
The awesome power and force of the hurricane season of two years ago has transformed this forest. A large number of trees have been either felled or their canopies have been blown off. This has resulted in a huge increase in the amount of sunlight reaching the forest floor, which has in turn provided young saplings with the impetus needed in their never ending quest for the heavens. Out of devastation comes new life, and here in this magical setting, new life is all around us. Right on cue, Liz spots a young Red-rumped Agouti scurrying out of a path in front of the group.
Back at the hotel we enjoy our now customary three-course meal before setting off for the airport. An afternoon flight to St. Vincent awaits!
Day 7: St. Vincent, The Perfect Send-off
Serenaded by the calls of Yellow-bellied Elaenia and the gentle cooing of Scaly-naped Pigeons, we enjoy breakfast in the spacious open-air dining room of our beachfront hotel, located on the south west coast of spectacular St. Vincent. As we chat and await our meals, we briefly lower our cups of freshly brewed Vincentian to watch a school of flying fish—scales glistening in the early morning sunshine—leaping from the vast expanse of Caribbean Sea. Their gliding attracts the attention of a large number of Brown Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds, who immediately alter their flight course in pursuit. The boobies begin shallow exploratory dives, while the frigatebirds attempt to snatch the gliding fish from mid-air. A closer inspection with binoculars also reveals a boiling sea below the birds—perhaps an indication that this feeding frenzy was started by large predatory Dolphin or Crevalle targeting the flying fish from below.
What a start to the day.
Ahh—here come the omelettes!
After breakfast, the wonderful and knowledgeable Lystra Culzac (Caribbean Birding Trail certified guide) arrives to guide us to the birding hotspots on the island (the best of which requires her having negotiated with landowners for access to private land). We journey along the wave-ravaged Atlantic coastline, through the coastal settlement of Georgetown, with her black sand beaches and wind lashed rooftops and onward north to the volcanic slopes of towering Mt. Soufriere.
Its entrance guarded by brilliantly sapphire-headed St. Vincent Anoles, the well-maintained Soufriere Trail is lined with two species of endemic begonia. The raging Atlantic is clearly visible to the east, and expansive montane forest lines the volcanic slopes to the west. This is a forest in which the weird and wonderful come alive before your eyes. First, we spot the unique dark morph of Coereba flaveola attrata (endemic subspecies of Bananaquit) and St. Vincent Tanagers gorging themselves high in a fruiting fig. The eerily ethereal call of the Rufous-throated Solitaire, deep low notes of Ruddy Quail Dove and positively hyperactive vocalisations of Scaly-breasted Thrashers and Brown Tremblers (an entire genus restricted to the Lesser Antilles) all lead us deep within this ancient primary forest.
However the star of the show is so far remaining elusive…and quiet.
The song of the Whistling Warbler can travel for miles. We reach a now dry river bed, which for millennia slowly carved its way through the dark volcanic bedrock beneath our feet – and we hear THE CALL.
Cautious spisshing lures the tiny vocalist ever closer, until in a flash there he is—flitting ever so briefly out of the dense undergrowth, before once again retiring to a dark tangle of mistletoe and epiphyte-laden trunks. This is a Critically Endangered species and we are fortunate to have had even a glimpse.
Some treasures are meant to remain secret.
St. Vincent is a largely quiet and laid back island. We pass several rural communities tucked into the pocketed hillsides of a mountainous interior, on our way to the largest remaining roost of St. Vincent Parrotson the planet.
The tracks leading up to this secret location are narrow and heavily potholed, so we abandon our van and climb aboard a 4wd SUV—the only vehicle capable of making this ascent.
Crossing streams home where Green-throated Caribs bathe, lined with a multitude of tropical butterflies, we soon arrive at a quiet small holding perfectly framed by a scenic ridge.
As we arrive at the summit of the ridge, that quintessential call of parrots the world over begins to echo out of the east.
They are coming…
The birds first arrive in pairs (their constant calls seeming to reassure their respective life partners of their presence in the now steadily fading light), but slowly their numbers build, to the point where dozens of this once critically endangered parrot are winging their way over our heads.
The thrill of being directly beneath them is exhilarating. However, we are only able to get a clear view of the truly spectacular deep blues and vibrant greens and oranges of their flight feathers when the parrots begin to tack hard and low down towards their favoured roosting trees, against a backdrop of the lush, verdant, forested valley below. These are stunningly beautiful birds. As they settle in to land, there are audible gasps of delight from our group.
We spend a full hour in the presence of St. Vincent’s national bird, enjoying every rhythmic twist and turn of their approach. This is one of the undoubted highlights of the trip.
A celebratory Dinner that night is a selection of creole fish dishes, washed down by the local Hairoun beer!
Day 8: Trinidad, The Spectacle
Several of us wake early to enjoy another dip in the calm waters typical of this Caribbean coastline. Then we settle into a delicious breakfast of pancakes and french toast, or for those of us feeling adventurous—salt fish buljol with all the local fixins!
The short 15-minute drive to the airport is filled with fond reminiscing of the variety of unique Lesser Antillean species seen… but we also talk about the many South American wonders that await.
We touch down in Sweet Sweet T&T (as the popular soca song so fondly refers to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago) and are met by beaming Lester Nanan (our terrific local guide and grandson of the renowned conservationist Winston Nanan). We board a large comfortable bus and as we have arrived at midday, it is not long before a cooler is produced and we begin tucking into pre-ordered(and gigantic) chicken rotis (done the traditional Trinidad way—bone and all) as well as veggie rotis brimming with large chunks of mango, papaya, eggplant and more.
Trinidad is such a contrast to the small quiet islands of the Lesser Antilles that we have spent the last week travelling between. The area around the airport especially has the feel of a large metropolis. But (delicious rotis in hand) we are soon leaving all this behind and making for one of the treasures of the Caribbean—the Caroni Swamp.
En route we stop to bird productive grasslands, sheltering such vibrant secrets as Red-breasted Blackbird and Saffron Finch. We visit sheltered ponds and canals home to a plethora of water—loving species—from blazingly neon-crowned Yellow-hooded Blackbirds and nesting White-headed Marsh Tyrants to Southern Lapwing and Pied Water Tyrants.
The birding is thick and fast, but as 3pm arrives, we gather back at the bus in fervent anticipation of our next destination.
There are several wetlands in the Western Hemisphere that get birders’ hearts racing, and the Caroni Swamp is one of them. This sprawling 12,000-acre wetland is home to one of the greatest spectacles in the animal kingdom—the return to roost every evening of over 3,000 Scarlet Ibis!
Although this is the main event, the warm up acts are none too shabby, as evidenced by the pair of roosting Tropical Screech Owls, their intricately patterned breast feathers perfectly mirroring the marbled bark of the White Mangroves in which they roost. We have good views of the superb stock-still Boat-billed Herons from our flat-bottomed boat, as it negotiates its way through the mangroves.
As we edge deeper into the swamp, the long tendril-like roots of Red Mangroves seem to reach ever further into the water, providing prime perching positions for an unbelievable array of species. The roots are festooned with oysters, barnacles and home to a plethora of Mangrove Crabs…and occasionally Mangrove Boa. A magnificently coiffured Masked Cardinal and dainty Bicolored Conebill, along with both Green and Pygmy Kingfishers, all give us cause to pause and admire. We are even treated to a vociferous exchange between warring factions of Grey-necked Wood Rails!
After almost an hour of delightful travel we approach the famous roost site, a welcome low tide ensuring an added bonus encounter with 30 American Flamingos.
As we tether the boat, and start to share out the locally brewed rum punch and freshly baked pastries, wave upon wave of 50, 100, 200 ibis at a time begin continuously streaking by. Before long the dark green of the mangrove island upon which they roost is unrecognisable. It has been transformed into a rhythmic and convulsing mass of colour. The brilliant reds of the breeding adults contrast perfectly with the soft subtle pinks of non-breeders—all set against the wondrous backdrop of Trinidad’s stunning Northern Range.
An unforgettable experience.
Later that evening we arrive at the world-renowned Asa Wright lodge where a delicious buffet dinner awaits us. We duly indulge, before strolling to our cottages located in the heart of the densely forested Arima Valley.
Day 9: Dawning of the Light
At daybreak we make our way to the veranda of the main lodge where, coffee in hand (locally harvested from trees on the Asa Wright estate), we settle in and prepare for what is surely one of the most incredible birding experiences in the region.
Below us, the waking sun is proving the catalyst for the inhabitants of this vast rainforest to begin to stir. The sprightly melody of a Cocoa Thrush, the rapid-fire staccato of a White-flanked Antwren and cat-like call of the Spectacled Thrush, mixed in with the somewhat demonic laughter of the Barred Antshrike combine and build to a feverish crescendo.
As more light steadily filters down through the canopy, the last of the nocturnal brigade (in the form of Pallas’s Long Tongued Bats) begin to surrender their positions at the feeders to a veritable onslaught of colour.
A sudden white flit across the feeders—the breast of a White-chested Emerald; a sprinkle of neon pink – the stunning crown of a male Ruby Topaz; brilliant orange ear tufts and a gently bobbing tail diagnostic of the bedazzling Tufted Coquette.
And still they come.
There are the dazzling rich blues and emerald greens of Blue-chinned Sapphires and glistening Copper-rumped Hummingbirds—so close you can see the minuscule fluffy white garters on their legs.Purple as well as Green Honeycreepers, White-bearded Manakins, and Violaceous Euphonias all join the fray. In the distance, away from this hive of activity, a pair of Green-backed Trogons are taking turns to diligently and carefully excavate a cavity in a termite nest affixed to a gargantuan trunk. A dozen feet below them, a lone Golden Olive Woodpecker silently begins its measured investigation of the same tree.
With all of this birding brilliance, we almost miss breakfast…almost.
The entire day is ours to walk the myriad trails coursing through the private forests of Asa Wright, and after breakfast we begin by heading down Jacaranda Trail for an encounter with Oilbirds. Isolated from the rest of the bird world in a family of their own, living in caves and using echolocation to negotiate their nocturnal feeding forays, this is easily one of the strangest birds we connect with on the trip. The cave at Asa Wright is one of the most accessible sites to see them in the world and we are rewarded with sensational views! On our way back, and after passing under a spectacular Bee Orchid, we soon enter the realm of the Bearded Bellbird—its otherworldly metallic call boldly proclaiming this land to be his. Once we have tracked the call down to a favoured perch, the bird is brilliantly visible, its superb wattled neck flickering in the shafts of sunlight with every resounding CLANK of its call.
After this excitement we retire in the heat of the day to the veranda, where we continue to watch the birding entertainment on show. Some of us round off the afternoon with a dip in the cool fresh water pools found throughout the Centre grounds.
After dinner, our night walk provides a fascinating insight into the lives of some of the nocturnal residents of these forests. Huge Trinidad Chevron Tarantulas cling to bamboo stalks; minuscule but “swerve-worthy” scorpions, velvet worms and land crabs line the banks of the roadside; and bats flutter almost constantly overhead.
Day 10: Desserts and Delightful Birding
The Asa Wright Centre grounds are superb, but to get a true sense of the variety of inhabitants of the highest peaks in the Northern Range, one must take to the Blanchisseuse Road. We do so on our final full day in Trinidad.
Birding is slow and steady at first, with initial stops revealing sightings of Tropical Parula and a magnificent pair of Collared Trogons. Later the ground appears alive with army ants, allowing for a close (but not too close) examination of the intricate relationship that Cocoa and Plain Brown Woodcreepers as well as Great Antshrikes have with these tiny marauders of the forest floor.
We enjoy lunch at a local chocolatier’s farm, where the proprietor explains that his return to the land and harvesting of cacao has had a positive effect on many local communities in and around Arima, with an upturn in financial independence. The birding is good here too, for Rufous-breasted Hermit, Turquoise Tanagers, a Lineated Woodpecker, and hordes of Yellow-rumped Caciques all appear as we are wrapping up our chicken pelau and treating ourselves to a dessert of his delicious chocolates!
At our final stop, the scale of diversity and sheer beauty of the birds of the Northern Range is truly revealed. Rufous-tailed Jacamars swoop from favoured perches to pluck swallowtail butterflies effortlessly from the air. A pair of Scaled Pigeons select the highest possible perch and turn purposefully to catch the last of the afternoon light on their brilliantly chevroned breasts. A young Forest Elaenia pleads with her parent, which ever so delicately plucks and then proffers a berry to its offspring to take a bite. Later a flock of seven spectacular Blue-headed Parrots silently wing their way in to a nearby cecropia and are joined at the canopy by a stunning Channel-billed Toucan. We cap off our frenetic and highly rewarding birding of the highlands with a young Yellow-headed Caracara flying directly over our bus. A pair of Tropical Kingbirds is hot in pursuit.
Day 11: A Ferruginous Farewell
On our final day of the trip, and after our now customary morning visit to the veranda, we take a leisurely stroll along the driveway that winds its way into the Asa Wright Centre. The forest that has yielded so many of its treasures to us has one more surprise in store: a superb sighting of a Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, which staunchly resists the urge to flee from incessant harassment by a large mixed flock of tanagers and flycatchers.
Life in the rainforest is never dull…for any of us!
At the airport, before boarding our flight, we pay a visit to the best Doubles hut on the island and positively chow down on these uniquely Trinidadian delicacies. There’s no way we were going to come to Trinidad and not have Doubles. The fusion of chickpeas, sweet tamarind sauce, pickled cucumber and hot sauce lights up the taste buds, and is a perfect send off to our tour—a tour which has given us a true flavour for the spectacular birding that the Lesser Antilles and Trinidad has to offer.
Thanks to our Caribbean Birding Trail partner, Ryan Chenery and his company Birding the Islands, for this positively wonderful and enticing trip report! To learn how you can join Ryan and BirdsCaribbean on our next In Search of the Amazonas tour (Nov. 21st to Dec. 1st, 2021) please contact Ryan at thebajanbirder@gmail.com. To learn more about the Caribbean Birding Trail, birding sites, tours, and guides throughout the islands, click here.
Josmar Marquez, from AveZona, has lead bird monitoring projects on Coche Island in Venezuela since 2018. In addition to data collection, his work involves mentoring young conservationists and promoting nature-friendly behavior changes in the local community of the island. Here, Josmar describes his most recent Snowy Plover monitoring season and some exciting firsts for shorebird monitoring in Venezuela. (More photo and Español debajo)
In Venezuela, thanks to the support of the BirdsCaribbean David S. Lee Fund, AveZona and the ARA MACAO Scientific Foundation have carried out population surveys of Snowy Plovers (Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris) on Coche Island. A large number of the birds have been recorded in the “Salina de San Pedro de Coche.” This has lead to an appreciation and increased value of the island as this species is threatened in the Caribbean region.
Our project formally began in 2019, and since then we have conducted monitoring visits monthly to the San Pedro de Coche salt pans. Before we stepped foot in the field, the first step was to receive permission from the Ministry of Ecosocialism (MINEC) for the relevant permits to be able to move forward with the project. Thankfully, we were successful.
During our monitoring visits, we record the following information: number and location of Snowy Plovers, their age (adults or juvenile), sex, and any reproductive activity. In addition to monitoring, we also have indivudally marked some of the birds. Our team marked the first Snowy Plover in Venezuela in September 2019. It may seem like a small feat but it represents a lot of work! The birds are marked with black flags and white codes (right leg) and metal rings (left leg). Marking the plovers will help us better understand the behavior of each individual and to determine their site fidelity. In addition, we can learn if there is any migratory movement across the Caribbean for our local population of Snowy Plovers. To date, we have tagged seven individuals.
In February and March, 2019, we were fortunate to count Snowy Plover nests and chicks in the San Pedro salina. Joining us for this activity were students from the local community at Napoleón Narváez Bolivarian High School. It was rewarding to share information about these precious birds with young people and they were amazed to learn that the salina is so important to the Snowy Plover and other bird species (for example, Least Terns also nest there).
How many plovers are there?
Currently, we are partnering with with Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez from the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University, United States. Together, we are working on the detectability and abundance of the Snowy Plover in eastern Venezuela. The preliminary analyses are using samples from the non-reproductive season, from counts made at 12 points in the San Pedro de Coche salina.
We modeled the relationship between detection probability and air temperature, time of the day, and distance to salt. We included covariates for the number of feral dogs, horses and salt miners when modeling abundance. Detection probability was negatively affected by the distance to salt piles (0.49, 95% CI=0.49-0.5). Abundance was not associated with the presence or abundance of domestic animals nor salt mining activities. We estimated there were 96 (95% CI: 46-201) and 116 (95% CI=61-220) Snowy Plovers in February and December, respectively. We hope to present this information in more detail at the next NAOC and subsequently we plan to publish our results in a scientific journal.
Our group participated in the 22nd International BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe in July 2019 and in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Group Meeting in October 2019 in Panama. We were so excited to present the latest results from our research and the ways in which we involve the community in our projects.
A community effort
Our partnership with the community has continued beyond school field trips. Recently, we created a unique bird-inspired mural in the school of “La Uva” community which, of course, included depictions of the Snowy Plover and the Least Tern. It is truly a beautiful work!
One of the reasons for working in this region is to promote the integration of communities that have historically been marginalized from science and conservation. In search of improving this situation, we are carrying out activities within this project that integrate and dignify the local community, and also give recognition to the worldview of the inhabitants of the biological diversity of their island.
Since the beginning of this project, we understood that in order to protect the salina and other places on the island, it is necessary to work hand in hand with the locals. We are very grateful for the school district of Coche Island, which has allowed us to work with educational institutions. Also, we are especially fond of the Napoleon Narváez Lyceum High School 9th Grade class, and teachers from various educational institutions for their receptivity and commitment. There are many locals that have opened their doors and hearts to this project and our team: Antonio Ros, Daniel Serva, Oscar Riera, Jose Gonzalez, Jesus Escalona, JC Fernández Ordoñez.
Many obstacles can arise when executing a project of this magnitude in Venezuela, but thanks to the constant support of BirdsCaribbean (including the David S. Lee Fund for Conservation) we are achieving our objectives. It’s very important to carry out this project that will help us to better understand the population of the Snowy Plover in the islands of the Venezuelan Caribbean. For me, it is a beautiful, very peculiar bird with very interesting habits. Luckily, in Venezuela it still can be observed very frequently in some places. Being able to say that there is a reproductive colony on Coche Island, and that it remains to this day, is a light of hope in the face of the global ecological crisis.
Please enjoy these short videos showing our work with the community from our Ave Zona Facebook page!
Josmar marquez, de AveZona, ha liderado proyectos de monitoreo de aves en Isla Coche, Venezuela, desde el 2018. Además de la colecta de datos, Su trabajo consiste en asesorar a jóvenes conservacionistas y la promoción de cambios conductuales ambientalmente amigables en la comunidad local de la isla. Aquí, Josmar describe su más reciente temporada de monitoreo del Chorlito Nevado.
En Venezuela gracias al apoyo de la beca David Lee, de BirdsCaribean, AveZona y la Fundación Científica ARA MACAO realizan el proyecto de evaluación poblacional del Chorlito Nevado (Charadrius nivosus tenuirostris) en la isla de Coche. En “Salina de San Pedro de Coche” se ha registrado un alto número de aves, lo que ha llevado a un aumento en la apreciación del valor de la isla para la especie, que se encuentra amenazada en la región del Caribe.
El proyecto comenzó formalmente en 2019, y se están realizado salidas mensuales a la salina de San Pedro de Coche. Antes de dirigirnos al área, el primer paso fue recibir el permiso del Ministerio de Ecosocialismo (MINEC) para el estudio de campo. Afortunadamente, tuvimos éxito.
Durante las visitas de monitoreo, anotamos la siguiente información: cantidad de individuos y localidad, edad (adultos o juveniles), sexo, y actividad reproductiva del Chorlito Nevado. Además del monitoreo, también hemos marcado algunos individuos. Nuestro equipo marcó el primer Chorlito Nevado de Venezuela en septiembre de 2019. ¡Toda una hazaña! Se usaron banderas negras con códigos blancos (pata derecha) y anillos metálicos (pata izquierda). Marcar los individuos nos ayudará a entender mejor su comportamiento y determinar su fidelidad al sitio. Además, podríamos llegar a saber si existe algún movimiento migratorio entre esta población y el resto del Caribe. Hasta la fecha se han logrado marcar 7 ejemplares de Chorlito Nevado.
Durante los meses de Febrero y Marzo de 2019 logramos contar nidos y pichones de Failecito en la Salina de San Pedro. A esta actividad asistieron jóvenes del Liceo Bolivariano Napoleón Narváez. Fue muy gratificante compartir información sobre estas preciosas aves con los jóvenes y se sorprendieron al saber que la salina es tan importante para el Chorlito Nevado y otras especies de aves (por ejemplo, el Charrán Menor también anida allí).
¿Cuántos Chorlito Nevados Hay?
Actualmente, nos estamos asociando con Adrián Naveda-Rodríguez del Departamento de Vida Silvestre, Pesca y Acuicultura de la Universidad Estatal de Mississippi, Estados Unidos. Juntos, estamos trabajando en la detectabilidad y abundancia del chorlito nevado en el este de Venezuela. Los análisis preliminares están utilizando muestras de la temporada no reproductiva, de conteos realizados en 12 puntos en la salina de San Pedro de Coche.
Modelamos la relación entre la probabilidad de detección y la temperatura del aire, tiempo del día y la distancia a las pilas de sal. Incluimos covariables para la cantidad de perros salvajes, caballos y mineros de sal al modelar la abundancia. La probabilidad de detección se vio afectada negativamente por la distancia a las pilas de sal (0.49, IC 95% = 0.49-0.5). La abundancia no se asoció con la presencia o abundancia de animales domésticos ni actividades de extracción de sal. Estimamos que había 96 (95% IC: 46-201) y 116 (IC 95% = 61-220) Chorlito Nevados en febrero y diciembre, respectivamente. Esperamos poder presentar esta información en la próxima reunión del NAOC y publicarla posteriormente en alguna revista científica.
En agosto de 2019, nuestro grupo participó en la conferencia internacional de BirdsCaribbean en la isla de la Guadeloupe, y en noviembre de 2019 en la Reunión del Grupo de Aves Playeras del Hemisferio Occidental, en Panamá. Allí presentamos los avances de nuestra investigación, y las maneras en que involucramos a las comunidades en este proyecto.
Un Esfuerzo Comunitario
Nuestra asociación con la comunidad ha continuado más allá de las excursiones de la escuela. Recientemente, creamos un mural único inspirado en las aves en la escuela de la comunidad “La Uva” que, por supuesto, incluía representaciones del Chorlito Nevado y el Charrán Menor. ¡Es realmente un trabajo hermoso!
Una de las razones para trabajar en esta región es promover la integración de comunidades que históricamente han sido apartadas de la ciencia y la conservación. En busca de mejorar esta situación, estamos llevando a cabo actividades dentro de este proyecto que integran y dignifican a la comunidad local, y también reconocen la cosmovisión de los habitantes sobre la diversidad biológica de su isla.
Desde el comienzo de este proyecto, entendimos que para proteger la salina y otros lugares de la isla, es necesario trabajar de la mano con los lugareños. Estamos muy agradecidos con la dirección del municipio escolar Obteniendo todos los detalles perfectos en el mural.de Isla de Coche, que nos ha permitido trabajar con las instituciones educativas; así como con el Liceo Napoleón Narváez y los jóvenes de 9no grado, y docentes de varias instituciones educativas por su receptividad y compromiso. Hay muchos miembros de la comunidad que han abierto sus puertas y corazón a este proyecto y a nuestro equipo: Antonio Ros, Daniel Serva, Oscar Riera, Jose Gonzalez, Jesus Escalona, JC Fernández Ordoñez.
Pueden surgir muchos obstáculos al ejecutar un proyecto de esta magnitud en Venezuela, pero gracias al apoyo constante de BirdsCaribbean estamos logrando nuestros objetivos. Es muy importante llevar a cabo este proyecto que nos ayudará a comprender mejor la población del chorlito nevado en las islas del Caribe venezolano. Para mí, es un pájaro hermoso, muy peculiar con hábitos muy interesantes. Afortunadamente, en Venezuela todavía se puede observar con mucha frecuencia en algunos lugares. Poder decir que hay una colonia reproductiva en la Isla de Coche y que permanece hasta el día de hoy es una luz de esperanza frente a la crisis ecológica mundial.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to support Nils Navarro’s newest project: an updated, comprehensive Field Guide to the Birds of Cuba. This is an ambitious and exciting venture, and we need your help to make it a reality!
Nils Navarro is Co-Chair of the Caribbean Wildlife Art Working Group of BirdsCaribbean. He has dedicated his life to the study and conservation of the biodiversity of his native Cuba as well as other areas of the West Indies and Latin America. He holds a degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in painting. An extraordinarily versatile and internationally recognized wildlife artist and illustrator, Nils’ work is characterized by a refined technique combined with a profound understanding of the biodiversity of the Caribbean region. He is an avid conservationist and has pioneered the promotion and formation of young wildlife illustrators and artists in the Caribbean and Latin America. He co-authored the ground-breaking Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Cuba in 2017 and has published a new edition each year since.
Nils began work on the field guide over a year and a half ago. The new guide will contain the largest number of illustrations by species published by any guidebook on Caribbean birds. Nils will be accomplishing this over five years by drawing upon a thorough review of the literature, museum collections, and field work, as well as Nils’ personal experience, and his role as an eBird reviewer for the island. The field guide will cover the different species, subspecies and plumages, dimorphism, and much more, through a new and practical structure never before used for such a guide.
There has never been a better time to produce a guidebook like this. For the first time in the history of the country, there is a local community movement of birdwatchers who are making significant contributions to the knowledge of Cuban birds. This is accomplished through platforms based on citizen science (eBird Caribbean) and sharing knowledge (via Facebook), and the local community requires an updated comprehensive field guide for identification. Many of these people use a field guide as the main tool for their work. In addition, many people from all over the world visit Cuba to birdwatch. They will appreciate having a a new comprehensive guide that covers all of Cuba’s birds.
If you’re interested to purchase Endemic Birds of Cuba: A comprehensive Field Guide by Nils Navarro, click here. This book covers the endemic birds of Cuba as well as the regional endemics.
BirdsCaribbean is incredibly excited to announce that the island of Trinidad will be the location for our 23rd International Conference to be held in late July 2021! We are happy to be working with the world renowned Asa Wright Nature Center and Tourism Trinidad Limited, as well as other evolving partnerships, to create an unforgettable conference.
Trinidad is in the very southern reaches of the Caribbean, just 11 kilometers from mainland Venezuela. Because of this, it boasts a unique blend of South American and Caribbean avifauna. If you have never been birding in South America, Trinidad is both a spectacular and manageable introduction to continental families. With almost 500 species of birds, you are sure to be amazed by the incredible biodiversity found on this tropical island.
In 2003, the BirdsCaribbean conference was hosted on Tobago, the other island in this twin-island nation. 1995 – when we were called the Society of Caribbean Ornithology – was the last and only time we held a conference in Trinidad. We think it’s high time we return to this birding paradise!
BirdsCaribbean is planning a scouting trip this spring to work on all the conference logistics, so stay tuned for more information. Please keep the second half of July 2021 open on your calendars until we confirm the exact dates for the conference. We look forward to sharing more news with you as our plans develop!
From all of us at JCO, thank you to all of the authors and reviewers that contributed to a very successful Volume 32!
Inside you’ll find a sizable number of publications, including 16 research articles, our first designated “Conservation Report,” 4 book reviews, Recent Ornithological Literature from the Caribbean, and a special In Memoriam for the late Dr. James. W. Wiley.
I want to give some much-earned recognition to the 2019–2020 JCO team. While they were undertaking the aforementioned load of manuscripts, they were working double-time to make some incredible improvements behind-the-scenes. Let me just say that it’s no easy task to create and adopt a new workflow while you simultaneously have a dozen manuscripts—each at different stages— moving through the old workflow. And this new workflow means better communication, a higher-caliber final product, and a more efficient pathway for a manuscript to proceed from submission to publication. All great things!
Please take some time to enjoy all of Volume 32. Inside you’ll find a suite of excellent work stemming from more than 17 countries across the Caribbean. We should all take pride in this work and make the time to congratulate each other on all of these accomplishments. If you enjoyed reading a publication, please send the authors a quick email letting them know. That is what makes Caribbean ornithology special—a sense of community and comradery unlike anywhere else.
On December 3rd, 2014, ornithologists spotted an American Pipet during an annual Cuba Bird Survey led by the Caribbean Conservation Trust. Previously undocumented in Cuba, this observation marks the first report of this species on the island, and underscores the importance of the Guanahacabibes region as an important stopover for fall migrants.
James F. Dwyer, Thomas I. Hayes, Russell Thorstrom, and Richard E. Harness
After a translocation program for the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk was stymied by electrocutions in the Dominican Republic, Dwyer et al. began to investigate. In this article, the authors identify the errors made while retrofitting power poles and discuss the necessity of properly mitigating electrocution risks for this project, and others throughout the Caribbean.
Meghann B. Humphries, Maribel A. Gonzalez, and Robert E. Ricklefs
Currently, there are eight subspecies of Carib Grackle distributed across the Lesser Antilles and northern South America. By sequencing mitochondrial genes of Carib Grackles across their range, Meghann et al. shed light on the phylogenetic and geographic history of the species, bringing into question the bases for the subspecies classifications.
In response to the dearth of current literature on the White-crowned Pigeon, Acosta and Mugica compiled the latest data on this Vulnerable species in Cuba. Here, they present their findings, focusing on the current distribution of the species as well as conservation measures that have contributed to the perseverance of the species.
Anthony Levesque, Antoine Chabrolle, Frantz Delcroix, and Eric Delcroix
While the Sedge Wren commonly winters in Florida, it has yet to be recorded in the Caribbean, until now. In this article, Levesque et al. recount their sighting of this species on Grand Bahama Island, providing descriptions and photographs of the bird’s diagnostic features and the habitat where it was located.
Christopher C. Rimmer, John D. Lloyd, and Jose A. Salguero-Faria
After Puerto Rico was identified as potential overwintering habitat for the globally Vulnerable Bicknell’s Thrush, Rimmer et al. conducted surveys to clarify the species’ winter distribution on the island. Here, they report that Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare and local species in Puerto Rico and highlight the importance of conservation efforts in Hispaniola, where the species is more abundant.
In 1796, Nicolas-Thomas Baudin captained an expedition to the caribbean, bringing back close to 300 specimens; however, there is controversy surrounding their procurement. After investigating the origin and spread of these specimens, Jansen and Fuchs document their findings and address the arguments of theft made by David K. Wetherbee (1985, 1986).
Currently, the six subspecies of Turkey Vulture are delineated by external measurements and subtle plumage variations, with the Antillean Turkey Vultures falling under Cathartes aura aura. However, through photographic documentation and eBird records, Graves calls attention to the similarity of facial caruncles on Turkey Vultures throughout the caribbean to those present on the eastern United States and Middle America populations. As facial caruncles are largely absent from South American populations, Graves’ work brings into question the diagnostic nature of these markings.
While there are no species of geese native to Jamaica, vagrant or introduced species have been recorded intermittently on the island. Here, Levy amalgamates the scattered history of three geese species in Jamaica and presents a new record of a Snow Goose, illustrated in 1758: the second Snow Goose ever recorded in Jamaica.
Though the comb forkedfern is native to the New World tropics, it is invasive to protected areas in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. By comparing the bird diversity between invaded habitats and fern-free habitats in the Mason River Protected Area, Davis demonstrates that increased incidence of comb forkedfern decreases bird diversity, particularly native species. Through this, Davis urges the importance of controlling fern spread to protect native bird and plant species.
Richard R. Schaefer, Susan E. Koenig, Gary R. Graves, and D. Craig Rudolph
Though the Jamaican Crow and Jamaican Boa co-occur in certain habitats in Jamaica, there are no published reports of their interactions. By detailing four accounts of mobbing by crows on boas and one probable instance of depredation of a crow’s nest by a boa, Schaefer et al. are the first to document a presumably ongoing feud between these two native species.
With violently strong winds, hurricanes are known to displace birds and transport them to new and unusual habitats. That is why, when Hurricane Maria passed over Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017, Pérez-Rivera was ready. Here, he documents several unusual bird sightings made by him and others in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
The island of La Gonâve, Haiti, boasts a diversity of bird habitats and has historically sustained a variety of both diurnal and nocturnal raptor species. However, due to rampant environmental degradation and habitat destruction, it is rarely visited by ornithologists or wildlife researchers. After conducting raptor surveys on La Gonâve in 2012, White et al. compared their findings with historical records of raptors on the island, noting that only a few generalist species have been able to sustain populations.
While the Shiny Cowbird is native to South America, over the past century, this brood parasite has spread across the caribbean archipelago and into North America – but how and when did this dispersal occur? In an effort to document the introduction and spread of this species in Jamaica, Levy compiles historical observations of Shiny Cowbirds and postulates a potential hurricane-mediated arrival on the island.
André Dhondt, Jeremy L. Collison, Matthew H. Lam, Matthew J. D’Ambrosio, and Taylor L. Crisologo
Palmchats are among the few passerine species that build complex, multi-chambered nests; however, there are no published studies of their nest-related behavior. After studying Palmchat nests in the Dominican Republic, here, Dhondt et al. report on their observations, noting differences in group size, nest size, twig-related activities, twig length and shape, and nest construction.
William E. Davis, Lisa G. Sorenson, and Ernesto Reyes Mouriño
On January 28th, 2018, birders on the BirdsCaribbean Cuba Bird Tour in Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, Cuba, spotted an almost entirely white Willet amongst a group of Short-billed Dowitchers and other Willets. In this article, Davis et al. present photographic evidence and a detailed description of this leucistic Willet and use phenotypic characteristics to classify it as a western subspecies.
Since its introduction to Cuba in 2003, the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival has achieved paramount recognition for its talks, conferences, competitions, workshops, exhibitions, and other ornithological events. By uniting and strengthening the national network of environmentalists, this festival has expanded its scope of activities and built its capacity to prepare and distribute educational materials.
[this is our first publication under the header “Conservation Reports” – we invite more of these!]
Jason M. Townsend, Rafaela Aguilera Román, Felisa Collazo Torres, José González Díaz, Chandra Degia, Hiram González Alonso, Floyd E. Hayes, Lyndon John, Steven C. Latta, Lourdes Mugica Valdés, Nils Navarro Pacheco, Fernando Nuñez-García, Carlos Peña, Herbert Raffaele, Pedro Regalado, Ernesto Reyes Mouriño, Yaroddy Rodríguez, Bárbara Sánchez Oria, Helen Snyder, Joseph Wunderle
Summary: This In Memoriam of Dr. James W. Wiley not only celebrates his foundational research career, with four decades of published work, but also the profound personal connections he built through his mentorship and friendship. Twenty authors contributed to this piece, paying homage to Jim and painting a beautiful picture of the life he lived.
A special thank you to Dr. Steven C. Latta, Director of Conservation and Field Research at the National Aviary and longtime editor for JCO, for his continued efforts undertaking this important section of our journal that compiles recent publications from around the Caribbean. Steve has been contributing ROLs to JCO since Volume 22 in 2009.
“My idea then was to catch everything that was published after the publication of Jim Wiley’s “A Bibliography of Ornithology in the West Indies” which I always thought was a tremendous effort and a tremendous resource. I wanted to make it easier for people across the Caribbean to have ready access to the most recent literature by knowing what had been published and how to contact the researchers for copies of their papers. I also wanted to make the updating of the bibliography a whole lot easier.”
Steve has done an outstanding job and we encourage our readers to look back through his work over the past 10 JCO volumes, which can all be found in our free and open-access Archives.
Article by (1) Simon Campo – Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology and a Researcher at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, CT; Connect with Simon via LinkedIn or email; (2) Justin Proctor – Managing Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology; and (3) Aliya Hosein – Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago.
Journal of Caribbean Ornithology relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. If you would like to support our mission and the broader goal of giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work, please consider becoming a supporter of JCO.
Join Chris Johnson as he recounts his experience conducting the Christmas Bird Count on Abaco just two months after Hurricane Dorian devastated the region. While the survey was a somber reminder of the destructive forces of nature and how much recovery is still needed, Chris and his team found hope and encouragement in the birds they encountered. #AbacoStrong
Abaco – my beloved island
I have been bird-watching in Abaco, an island in the northern Bahamas, for a little over eleven years. Actually, Abaco is where I started birding at the age 7. Needless to say, Abaco is very near and dear to my heart. When Hurricane Dorian hit the island that I have so much love for, I was heartbroken. I could not begin to fathom how my favorite island would be changed forever.
The hurricane occurred in September 2019, and shortly after, I made a trip back to assist some family members. The destruction I saw was catastrophic and the numbers of bird species had declined dramatically. On December 7th, 2019 , I learned that there would be no annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC) for North and South Abaco. I asked fellow birder and mentor Dr. Elwood Bracey if there were any plans to conduct the CBCs on Abaco. I was distraught to learn that the two annual leaders – Dr. Bracey and Reg Patterson – would not be able to attend and assist in the conducting of these surveys. The Abaco CBCs are a yearly tradition for the past ten years; I was very disheartened. I thought it over and said to myself, “If there’s nobody else who can lead it… You have to do it!” I contacted my Abaco emailing list and began to “round up the troops” for the 2020 Abaco CBCs.
After I touched down in Marsh Harbour for the second time post-Dorian, I realized immense reconstruction had begun. Roofs were being replaced, trash was being hauled back and forth to the dumps, the roads had been cleared of debris, and the well-known Abaco food store, Maxwell’s, had reopened. Sadly, however, the resident bird life in Marsh Harbour was still immensely affected. During three hours in Marsh Harbour the only resident birds that were seen or heard were four Great Egrets; five Eurasian Collared-Doves (invasive species, now resident); and a Turkey Vulture.
The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian during one of the author’s visits showing the destruction of St. Francis De Sales Catholic School and defoliated trees. (Video by Chris Johnson)
At the end of the first day in Abaco, a gorgeous sunset peered through the pulverized pine barrens. It was a beautiful ending to the day; the South Abaco CBC would follow the very next day.
South Abaco Christmas Bird Count
I woke up on the morning of South Abaco CBC anxious for the day to come. I brewed my two cups of coffee and sat on the porch as I felt the 20 mile per hour winds roll through Cherokee Sound. My Uncle, Keith Kemp arrived at my grandfather’s house at around 6:30 a.m. so we could begin our journey south to “The Y” (a popular landmark in South Abaco) at the Abaco National Park. Along the way we collected fellow birder and leader for the South Count, Niles Primrose. Along the 28-mile drive from Cherokee Sound down to The Y, we discussed the team grouping and the leaders for each team. We all agreed that my uncle would lead the team going North of the Abaco National Park, Niles would lead the Sandy Point team and I would lead the Abaco National Park (Forest) team. We arrived at the meet-up spot for 7:30 promptly. At the Y we met our additional birding peers: Janene Roessler and Lavonda Smith. After catching up for a short time we were met by Bahamas National Trust (BNT) park warden Marcus Davis. As we discussed the plans for the day a resident Red-Tailed Hawk flew over the group. A great first bird for the Forest Team! With everyone assembled we split into our respective groups and went our separate ways.
The forest team, consisting of Marcus Davis and myself, travelled into the forest armed with our binoculars, field guides and one oversized camera to count all the bird species that we could possibly find. The first species that we saw was a male Cuban Emerald, fluttering around some morning glory flowers. He was eventually chased away from his routine pollination job by another Cuban Emerald, who also wanted a taste of the nectar. As we continued traversing the forest, we were listening closely for some Bahamian specialties such as the Bahama Warbler and Olive-capped Warbler. The next bird of interest was a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker hard at work on drilling into a Caribbean Pine Tree.
The sapsucker, who was reaping rewards from his task of drilling into the dense pine tree, became “antsy” very quickly. Before our eyes the bird was under attack from another species of the raptor family. A Merlin had seemingly dropped out of the sky to attempt to catch the apsucker for a meal. However, the plot had failed and the Merlin decided to sit on a long pine branch. After a great photo-op, the small falcon decided that enough was enough and he was back on the hunt. He began coasting along the track road that appeared unaffected by Dorian, awaiting another opportunity for prey to present itself.
A Resilient Abaco National Park
As we journeyed deeper into the National Park, Marcus began to explain how lucky South Abaco was. It was minimally affected by Hurricane Dorian. And the numbers, even within the pine forest, were proving this statement. As we continued our conversation, a vivacious song filled the forest. Not one, not two, but three Pine Warblers flew into the pine right in front of our vehicle. The bright yellow warblers flew onto the bark of the pines, flitting about and dropping into the understory. After these warblers, we saw an Abaco and Grand Bahama specialty bird. The tiny and long-tailed Olive-capped Warblers maneuvered through the large pine tree tops, singing and chirping. The show continued for another ten minutes as we watched the tiny warblers ramble about the pine forest.
Forty minutes in and we were already up to 17 species. However, we were still missing a few species. The Bahama Warbler, a relative of the North American Yellow-throated Warbler was finally seen for the first time of the day clinging onto the bark of the large pine trees and moving transversely. I decided to use a playback of a Bahama Warbler in an attempt to coax the fascinating warbler out. The explosive song from the pint-sized warbler began to ring out from within the forest. 1..2..3..4..5..6..7… seven Bahama Warblers flew into the pines directly in front of Marcus and me. What a sight to see! All of these warblers congregated together even after Hurricane Dorian.
After many more encounters with the Bahamian specialties, we began to spot and note many more migrant and winter resident species. Some of these species’ behavior and feeding habits had definitely changed thanks to Hurricane Dorian. For example, I noted a group of Indigo Buntings hopping about and feeding along the quarry road, something I had not seen in my ten-plus years of birding. Many birds were also grouped together, something quite abnormal for the time of year. One by one winter residents began to appear: Black-and-white Warblers, Northern Parulas, Yellow-throated Warblers, American Redstarts, Common Yellowthroats and an abundance of Palm Warblers.
We eventually arrived at Cross Harbour to begin counting some water birds and shorebirds. Upon arrival at Cross Harbour, we were greeted by two new species. Sticking to each other very closely were a Yellow-rumped Warbler of the Myrtle variety and a Cuban Pewee. Both concentrated on catching insects for a quick meal. With all of the wind on the shorefront, catching bugs would prove to be a difficult task.
As Marcus and I traversed the seemingly endless beach and shore we also spotted new species! Three new herons and egrets had positioned themselves on the beach to begin fishing for their food. The species included a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Reddish Egret and a Great Egret. The tiny “tail-bobbing” Spotted Sandpiper decided to make an appearance for the day as it foraged on the shorefront for any small crustaceans that it could fit its beak around.
Along the trail which would eventually lead back to “The Y”, I noticed that we had not seen any species of dove for the day. The Common Ground Doves and Zenaida Doves, which were usually plentiful on the track roads, were now few and far between.
We eventually arrived back at “The Y” and arranged with the other teams to count all the bird species – as well as make time for a group picture in front of the Bahamas National Trust’s Abaco National Park sign! By the time everything was said and done the South count had totaled 62 species on the day of CBC and 67 species after count week. *Count week is the period of time before and after the day of CBC*. The numbers for the South were great post-Dorian as in past years the total number of birds were sometimes over 70.
POST CBC TRIP TO Bahama Palm Shores
After the CBC information was gathered and shared amongst ourselves, we all parted ways and returned back to our homes. I had decided that I just did not get enough birding during the CBC and decided to head to Bahama Palm Shores (BPS). I started off the checklist by stopping near a large patch of coppice. There was a dead tree trunk with dead branches still attached. Upon “pishing” for a few minutes, four Magnolia Warblers appeared. They put on a show by approaching me and got within three feet! The other species that made themselves known were Greater Antillean Bullfinches, Red-legged Thrushes, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and an abundance of Northern Parulas.
As I was just about to wrap up, I heard a vociferous chatter and calling near the easternmost street within Bahama Palm. I knew the chatter well; it was the species that got me started on bird-watching. The Bahama / Cuban Amazon Parrot had established a small population within BPS. I counted a total of more than 45 parrots in that particular area. This was abnormal, as I had never seen a group of more than thirty parrots in Bahama Palm Shores. They all appeared healthy and were actively feeding on Gum Elemi berries. Within the hour and four minutes I had spent at Bahama Palm Shores I had a total of 26 species and 114 individuals sighted (see the full eBird checklist here).
North Abaco Christmas Bird Count
The morning of the North Abaco CBC started much like the previous morning. I started brewing my coffee and sat on the porch. This morning was much cooler than the morning of the South Abaco CBC. My Uncle Keith Kemp arrived at the house packed and ready for the day. We jumped in the truck and proceeded to the road that connects Cherokee to the Great Abaco Highway. There at the “turnoff” (the road where the Cherokee and Great Abaco Highway meet) we collected birding buddy Janene Roessler, who would be our scribe for the day.
As we began to inch closer towards Treasure Cay on the S.C. Bootle Highway, we witnessed a bizarre number of Great Egrets grouped in the ruinous wetland. There was a total of 14 Great Egrets in this one area and that was it. No Common Gallinule, Coots, Grebes, or any herons in sight. It was heartbreaking to see the damage to the North; it was undoubtedly worse than the catastrophe that struck Marsh Harbour in Central Abaco.
We arrived at the original meeting point for all the previous North counts. “Spanky’s Parking Lot” was located within Treasure Cay. It was almost unrecognizable, if not for the large liquor store, which was still standing but had lost all of its windows during the storm. The damage at “Spanky’s” would be minuscule compared to the damage within Treasure Cay.
The first location would be to stop at the waterfront gas station to assess the damage the storm had done to the pylons and small rocky shorefront. After some substantial searching with our binoculars assisted by my 200-500mm camera lens we were able to pick up the first birds for the North Abaco CBC. We found: one Ring-billed Gull, one Black-bellied Plover, one Short-billed Dowitcher, and two Royal Terns.
We meandered our way through the debris-covered roads and paths for the next half hour with our destination in mind. My uncle had always spoken about a sandbank at the eastern end of Treasure Cay that always had birds. On our way out to the beach we were shocked to see Indigo Buntings perched low to the ground in dead shrubs foraging for food. The sandbank tragically held nothing for the count and we continued within the easternmost point. The damage at this end of the settlement was extraordinary. We saw entire “seawalls” washed out by the storm, houses seemingly torn in half, and cars flipped upside down.
Months after the hurricane, forests (like this one near Treasure Cay) have only begun to recover, and it will be years before they are able to support the same biodiversity as before the storm. (Video by Chris Johnson)
The next location was the Treasure Cay Golf Course Ponds. Many species had been counted on these small ponds in previous years. This area was by far our most active for the day. Our most notable species in this area were: White-cheeked Pintails, Least Grebes, Cattle Egrets, Merlin, White-eyed Vireo and the prize bird of the day… a Hooded Merganser! We noted quite a few new species for the count – but the storm-ravaged ponds and golf course were quite distressing to see.
The last few locations that we would check proved extremely disappointing. Sunset Ridge was a famed birding spot within Treasure Cay. Species ranging from Roseate Spoonbills to American White Pelicans, to the extremely rare Bald Eagle sighted by Dr. Bracey for many years had been recorded there. However, hope began to dwindle for the Dorian-devastated wetland. With the assistance of my camera we came to add a few more species to the “slowly-but-surely” growing list. One Belted Kingfisher, two Reddish Egrets, three Little Blue Herons, – and peculiarly enough, another large group of Great Egrets: a total of 26 individuals!
We then decided it would be in our best interest to make our way to Cooper’s Town foreshore to count some gulls and cormorants. Our trip to the foreshore allowed us to add numerous species to the list. It included: 25 Double-crested Cormorants, 18 Laughing Gulls, 11 Ring-billed Gulls, 4 Herring Gulls, 7 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 1 Great Black-backed Gull!
At the end of the count, we had a total of 43 species for the North. This 2019 total was frightening as in previous years we would sometimes have totals of over 90 species. The number of species was effectively cut by fifty percent.
Final Thoughts
We all know that Dorian has done irreversible damage to Abaco. I would have never thought that such damage could be done to my second home. The catastrophic damage on this island is heartbreaking. The population counts are proving that we have not only lost many birds in the storm, but that birds in Abaco are still struggling to find food and shelter post-Dorian. There are many ways we can assist this Bahamian island in the rebuilding and replenishing of habitat for these avian species that make their home there. BirdsCaribbean and the Bahamas National Trust have done, and continue to do fantastic work in supporting research and replenishment of both Abaco and Grand Bahama. If you would like to assist these organizations in their efforts, please donate to the BirdsCaribbean Hurricane relief fund or The Bahamas National Trust.
Abaco and Grand Bahama will come back in time, and hopefully the birds with them. #AbacoStrong
Hover each photo to see the caption; click on a photo to see a slide show.
Reddish Egret spotted at Crossing Harbour. (photo by Chris Johson)
We were thrilled to have 8 Bahama Warblers (endemic to the Bahamas) fly right in front of us in the forest. (photo by Chris Johnson)
This Merlin was hunting along the track road in the forest. (photo by Chris Johnson)
This Bahama Parrot was attempting to blend into the treetop and allowed for great shots as he remained absolutely still. (photo by Chris Johnson)
Chris Johnson is an avid 18-year-old birder and photographer. He has been birding for over 10 years and has gotten opportunities to further his birding skills namely the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Young Birder Event. He enjoys spending his time on many Bahamian family islands and photographing the fauna around him. You can find him on Instagram @cmjphotography242 to see more photos from this young photographer and birder.
Trinidad is home to 18 species of hummingbirds – we are all envious of this diversity! Aliya Hosein shares a folk tale of the role these birds played in the creation of one of Trinidad’s natural wonders—The Pitch Lake—and also some amazing natural history facts about these tiny but mighty birds.
Most cultures around the world have superstitious beliefs, some of which involve birds. In Trinidad and Tobago—and possibly the entire Caribbean region—birds were thought to be messengers of the gods or representation of the gods themselves. Hummingbirds, in particular, were revered by Amerindian tribes. It is reported by historians that Amerindians first named Trinidad, Iere (or Kairi, Caeri) for the hummingbird yerette (or ierette).
These birds are also featured in the story of origin of one of Trinidad’s natural wonders: The Pitch Lake. The Pitch Lake is located in the village of La Brea in southwest Trinidad and covers 100 acres. At its centre it is about 250 feet deep. This Lake is the world’s largest commercial deposit of natural asphalt. It sluggishly replenishes itself causing a “stirring” action in the lake which causes trees and other objects to appear, disappear and re-emerge!
The Pitch Lake was believed to be covered by lush green forest inhabited by an Amerindian tribe. On one day a rival tribe made a sudden attack but the warriors fought with all their might to protect their land. The rival tribe surrendered and left the village as quickly as they could. Only a few huts were damaged.
The tribe was overcome with joy. They wanted to celebrate, but, since the unexpected attack prevented them from hunting that day, they feasted on hummingbirds. They plucked the shimmering feathers off the tiny birds and adorned their own bodies. They carried on with their celebrations paying no attention to their belief that these sacred hummingbirds held the spirits of their ancestors.
As retribution for their evil deed, the hummingbird gods opened up the ground beneath the village and summoned a lake of pitch that swallowed everything, including the people! The hummingbirds, however, were spared and can now be found throughout the island.
Trinidad and Tobago is home to 18 dazzling species of hummingbirds. Most recently the Glittering-throated Emerald (Amazilia fimbriata) was sighted in the country’s Northern Range bumping the total up to an unofficial 19.
Hummingbirds make up their own bird family. They are tiny, about as heavy as a pack of gum. They have long, narrow bills to sip nectar. Their wings are sabre-shaped for precise flight control. Males, and sometimes females, have small, reflective, colourful feathers on the throat and upper chest. The true intensity of these colours are seen when the hummingbird turns its head to catch the sunlight.
Despite being the smallest of birds, they have been built to live an extraordinary life. As expected, small birds mean small eggs. Hummingbirds lay eggs as tiny as peas in equally tiny cup-shaped nests made from spider webs and leaves. After mating, the female protects and cares for the eggs and chicks by herself.
Hummingbirds have powerful down- and up-beat wing flaps. They are tremendously agile fliers; they are the only vertebrates capable of staying in one place during flight and flying backward and upside-down as well. To the flying acrobatics add speed: their wings beat about 70 times per second in direct flight, and more than 200 times per second while diving.
In order to maintain their fast-paced lifestyle, hummingbirds must be able to locate reliable sources of nectar from flowering plants. This explains why their movements are often tied to the changing pattern of flower production over time and space.
Interestingly, hummingbirds do not forage or fend off predators together. They will instead compete with each other for nectar, which explains the hullabaloo around flowering gardens or bird feeders. However, they do have very good reasons for being obnoxious and feisty around flowering plants.
Flowers take time to produce nectar. Hummingbirds therefore wait to feed at flowers in order to lower the risk of losing a tasty meal to other hummingbirds. In areas where many species live together the largest tries to defend small territories where they know they can get the biggest sips of nectar. Since nectar is low in protein, they switch from flowers to insects during the breeding season. They catch small flying insects by hovering in mid-air which are then fed to their growing chicks. If hummingbirds cannot find enough food, they go into a sleep-like state in which their metabolism slows down and body temperature drops to conserve energy.
Unfortunately, as human settlements continue to expand, the flowers that hummingbirds prefer are disappearing. The good news is that by planting the right plants (for example: trumpet bush, vervain, powderpuff, and torch lily) in your yard and providing sugar water in hummingbird feeders, you help replace lost food sources.
And you can still help the hummingbirds, even if you are not the ‘gardening’ type, by drinking Bird Friendly certified coffee. When coffee is grown under a diverse canopy of shade trees, coffee plants, the trees that shade them, and the plants that grow on the trees provide a buffet of flowers for these birds and other wildlife that depend upon them.
Hummingbird species recorded in Trinidad and Tobago:
Amethyst Woodstar (Calliphlox amethystina)
Copper-rumped Hummingbird (Amazilia tobaci): its subspecies if found only on Tobago
White- chested Emerald (Amazilia brevirostris)
Blue-tailed Emerald (Chlorostilbon mellisugus)
Blue-chinned Sapphire (Chlorestes notata)
White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora)
Black-throated Mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis)
Green-throated Mango (Anthracothorax viridigula)
White-tailed Goldenthroat (Polytmus guainumbi)
Long-billed Starthroat (Heliomaster longirostris)
Ruby Topaz (Chrysolampis mosquitus): annual visitor to Trinidad
Tufted Coquette (Lophornis ornatus): the lightest hummingbird recorded for Trinidad
Green Hermit (Phaethornis guy)
Rufous-breasted Hermit (Glaucis hirsutus)
Little Hermit (Phaethornis longuemareus)
Brown Violetear (Colibri delphinae)- favours high altitudes
Rufous Shafted Woodstar (Chaetocercus jourdanii)
White-tailed Sabrewing (Campylopterus ensipennis): listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN, found only on Tobago and Venezuela
Article by Aliya Hosein, member of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group. Aliya works as the Leader of the Welfare and Wildlife Program at the Centre for the Rescue of Endangered Species of Trinidad and Tobago. She is a biologist and avid conservationist, especially fond of parrots and hummingbirds.
“Protect birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution.”
Islands across the Caribbean turned the focus on the devastating impact of plastic pollution on rivers, wetlands and seas with the theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2019 (WMBD 2019). Grassroots organizations, government ministries and agencies and non-governmental organizations collaborated on a range of activities focused on the fascinating species that appear on the islands later in the year, and stay until spring.
Since 2017, a number of Caribbean countries have started initiatives to fight single-use plastics. – including Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos Islands. Others are starting to look at measures to ban Styrofoam manufacture and imports. More plastic and Styrofoam bans are set to take effect in 2020. While much more work is needed on the ground and in partnership with governments, there is growing awareness on the islands that plastic pollution is harmful to both land and marine environments. Whether these are wetlands or coastal regions, many areas affected provide habitats for migratory birds.
Mangroves, Masks and Migratory Birds
In Jamaica, the Portland Bight Discovery Centre in Salt River, Clarendon hosted World Migratory Bird Day with teachers and students from nearby schools. Science Officer at the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) D. Brandon Hay gave an illustrated talk, outlining how ingesting plastic affects bird life, and which species suffer. After a lively Q and A session, the students took a guided walking tour of a nearby wetland area, using BirdSleuth Caribbean’s Scavenger Hunt materials. The students also created and displayed colorful birdfeeders, and performed original educational pieces, including dub poetry and song – all reflecting the theme! After a guided boat ride through the mangroves, their day ended tallying points earned from these activities. The first prize winner was the Mitchell Town Primary and Infant School!
Education Officer in Dominica Ameka Cognet reported highlights of the day’s activities. Primary school students enjoyed making colourful migratory bird masks. They then went on a birdwatching tour of the Botanical Gardens in the island’s capital, Roseau. The children learned a great deal about the migratory species that visit the island annually. They also gained a much deeper understanding of how plastic pollutes the environment, choking land and sea and harming birds and other wildlife.
A First for St. Croix and Record Numbers for St. Martin’s Seventh Celebration
The St. Croix Environmental Association in the U.S. Virgin Islands (the site of BirdsCaribbean’s very first international meeting in 1988) celebrated WMBD for the first time – and they did it in style. They organized two events in October at the Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge. Arts and crafts, bird walks, bird banding, and storytelling activities were on the agenda. A bird rescue expert gave a talk, and informational displays were presented. The activities included a coastal clean-up, where participants saw for themselves how much plastic is in the environment. “Every activity had a meaningful impact on each participant,” said Jennifer Valiulis, local coordinator. Clean-up materials provided by Environment from the Americas were also distributed to participants.
No less than 250 residents, young and old, enthusiastically joined WMBD celebrations spearheaded by the non-governmental organization Les Fruits de Mer in St. Martin. “We were able to reach more youth than ever, and it is all thanks to our sponsors,” said event organizer Jenn Yerkes. St. Martin’s seventh annual Migratory Bird Festival at Amuseum Naturalis was a great success, with students using BirdSleuth Caribbean materials for several activities. Crafts are always popular, and the children decorated canvas backpacks to take home with them. Technology was also an exciting feature this year; the mobile media and learning hub IdeasBox shared videos and e-books.
Education is Key! And Thanks to All the Sponsors
World Migratory Bird Day offers another opportunity for our partners across the region to educate residents on the importance of conserving habitats and ensuring that our visiting species continue to thrive when they visit our islands. This year, the message was about how plastic pollution affects not only our birds, but our own quality of life also. There are solutions, but we must take action for our own health as well as that of the vulnerable birds that we enjoy every day.
We would like to thank all the sponsors – local, national, and international – who provide funding for these important activities. Special thanks to Environment for the Americas for providing awesome materials. If your organization participated in an event and if you would like to share your experience, please send us a message to sdiaz-mendez@environementamericas.org. It’s about the birds, the habitat and the people.
A Few Lines of Poetry to End With
Caribbean people love poetry as a form of expression. We end with these few lines from Greta, a University of the Virgin Islands student and presenter of World Migratory Bird Day at Southgate Coastal Reserve, who offers this advice:
Be a solution To plastic pollution. Always walk with a garbage bag and pick up your trash. Do not throw it where the birds hatch.
Let’s spread the word and fight plastic pollution in the Caribbean!
Enjoy the gallery of photos from WMBD events in 2019; hover over each photo to see the caption or click on a photo to see a slide show.
Beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Creative use of plastic waste to make bird feeders! St. Croix Environmental Association WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
A young girl is happy with her migratory warbler tattoo at a WMBD Community Festival in Quinta de Los Molinas, Cuba.
Some little ones are taking their bird art seriously, but others have time for a toothy smile – at the Amuseum Naturalis in St. Martin. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Learning all about the impacts of plastic pollution on birds in Cuba.
A timeline of Jamaica’s bans on single-use plastic. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Painting hand-made bird feeders. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
This is my wingspan! A student at the WMBD event in St. Martin spreads her “wings.” (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Story time in St. Croix, all about the amazing long distance migration of the Whimbrel. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Educational materials on display at the WMBD Community Festival in Quinta de Los Molinas, Cuba.
A beach clean-up at Punta Cucharas Nature Reserve, Ponce, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eduardo Llegus)
Beach clean-up for WMBD in St. Martin/ Sint Maarten, organized by EPIC (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean).
Highlight of this year’s celebrations in Dominica were a migratory bird mask-making activity with primary schools, followed by a birdwatching tour at the Botanical Gardens in the Roseau Area.
World Migratory Bird Day Poster showing different groups of birds that are affected by plastic pollution. (Artwork by BirdsCaribbean member, Arnaldo Toledo, from Cuba)
Youth work hard at beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Least Sandpipers at the Portland Bight Discovery Centre, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Dominos are very popular in Cuba, especially this version made with birds!
Working out bird puzzles at the WMBD Community Festival in Quinta de Los Molinas, Cuba.
Brandon Hay, Science Officer at the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM) gives a talk to students and teachers on the impact of plastic pollution on our birds. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Learning all about raptors at St. Croix Environmental Association’s WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Students from Rose Hall Primary School in Jamaica do a little research. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Beach clean-up in Guanabo, Cuba.
Alieny Gonzalez, WMBD Coordinador in Cuba counts shorebirds for WMBD.
The sad impacts of plastic pollution on birds- this cormorant will not survive long with this plastic ring stuck on its bill and neck.
Young artists at work on bird-themed bags at Les Fruits de Mer’s Migratory Bird Festival in St. Martin. (photo by Mark Yokoyama).
On the scavenger hunt on the Portland Bight Discovery Centre’s boardwalk through the mangroves, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Dominos are very popular in Cuba, especially this version made with birds!
How big is your wing span? WMBD event in St. Croix, US Virgin islands.
The beach is much cleaner now!
Students in Dominica proudly show off their bird masks.
We did it! Students display the results of their BirdSleuth Caribbean Scavenger Hunt in Salt River, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
A young Brown Booby caught on a fishing lure. Many kinds of plastic are dangerous to Caribbean birds. (Photo by Michiel Oversteegen)
Working together to clean up a beach in Cuba overloaded with plastic trash. (photo by Alieny Gonzalez)
BirdsCaribbean’s third biennial photography competition took place at our 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe. The five judges found it difficult to decide on the winners in each of three categories, and in particular the Grand Prize Winner. Artistry, composition, technique, colour, humour – and a great love for the subject matter – were embodied in the striking photographs submitted. Photos were taken between July 21 and August 3, 2019 and uploaded via BirdsCaribbean’s Flickr site. The Grand Prize was donated by Vortex Optics. Click here to see all the photos submitted (hashtag #BCPhotoContest2019). The three categories were:
Endemics – including endemic and regional (West Indies) endemic birds of Guadeloupe;
Fun With Birds and People – showing humans, birds and nature interacting (including conference activities); and
Birds and Nature – featuring Guadeloupe’s non-endemic birds, close-up shots of other wildlife, natural habitats, and landscapes.
Below are the winners, with some comments from the judges:
Grand Prize Winner
Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Frantz Delcroix: The only endemic bird of Guadeloupe has just caught a moth and is sitting near his nest with his meal in his bill. “Nicely focused and composed,” with the light catching his rufous breast feathers.
Endemics
1st Prize:Antillean Crested Hummingbird by Aslam I. Castellón Maure. The eye and the crest are in sharp focus. “It draws you into the picture…Great portrait.”
2nd Prize:Purple-throated Carib by John C. Sterling. A “wood fairy bursting out of the shadows. Dazzling and puzzling at the same time.”
3rd Prize:Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Judd Patterson. “Really sharp, especially eye, good habitat setting, exposure is spot on.”
1st Prize:Seabird Viewing by John Webster. A panoramic view of a field trip group. “This speaks to what the conference does…connect people to others passionate about birds and the actual environment all seek to preserve, protect and nurture…Could be oil painting!”
2nd Prize: Beach Break! by John Webster. “Great focus and depth of field. Good use of a smartphone!”
3rd Prize: Recording Guadeloupe Woodpecker by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda. An atmospheric image… “Science and fashion in the shot. Note the foot lifted as he is working it.”
1st Prize: Guadeloupe Anole by Judd Patterson. “Beautifully framed by the vegetation.” “Great composition, framing – green within green.” “The blurred foreground frame adds to the surprise moment for both anole and photographer.”
2nd Prize: Three Pelicans Plunging by Holly Garrod. “I like the raw energy of this trio, as if they are doing an air show.” “The marvelous, crazy shapes of the birds – wings, beaks, feet.”
3rd Prize: Snowy Egret by Aslam I. Castellón Maure. “This is an amazing shot…the feathering reminds me of a fashion shoot with this gorgeous model.”
Honorable Mentions:Black-necked Stilt by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda. Stick Insect by Frantz Delcroix. Bananaquit by Aslam I. Castellón Maure. Congratulations to all our winners!
The Grand Prize winner will receive a Vortex Viper Angled Spotting Scope: 20 – 60 x 85. First Prize Winners will receive an Echo (2nd Generation) Smart Speaker with Alexa and Dolby processing. Those coming in second will receive an Echo Dot (3rd Generation) Smart Speaker with Alexa. Third place winners will receive a LETSCOM Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor, Slim Sports Activity Tracker Watch, Waterproof Pedometer Watch with Sleep Monitor.
Many thanks to our five fabulous judges: Ivan Mota, Skip Glenn, Andrew Dobson, Stephen Cutting and Emma Lewis, for their time, their keen eyes, and thoughtful consideration of each entry. Huge thanks also to Vortex Optics for donating the Grand Prize. Last but not least – our deepest appreciation to all those who entered the contest. We really enjoyed these beautiful shots, making it quite challenging for judges to choose.
Please enjoy this photo gallery of all the Honorable Mentions!
Black-necked Stilt by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda
Grassland Yellow Finch by Martin Gebauer
Scaly-breasted Thrasher by Judd Patterson
Bananaquit by Aslam I. Castellón Maure
Walking Deshaies Guadeloupe by Venicio Wilson Altamiranda
The local non-profit conservation organization Sustainable Grenadines (SusGren) welcomed guests to the lagoon’s (re)birthday celebration at its welcoming eco-friendly building on Union Island in the Grenadines on May 31, 2019. The building adjoins Ashton Lagoon, the largest natural bay and mangrove ecosystem in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This area was legally designated a Conservation Area in 1987 and named as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International in 2008.
The story of Ashton Lagoon is worthy of honor and rejoicing, far and wide. The birthday party guests wore beaming smiles.
After 13 years of diligent work, SusGren, supported by its national and international partners, has succeeded in restoring the lagoon—not only for the well-being of the marine and bird life, but also for that of future generations of Union Islanders. Now it is transformed, blossoming into a beautiful place in which to learn, observe, and enjoy the bounties of nature.
As the King said in “Alice in Wonderland,” it’s best to begin at the beginning. The tale of Ashton Lagoon began some 25 years ago, in 1994. That year marked its decline—the moment when an overseas investor said: “Let’s build a golf course over the mangroves. Let’s build a marina for 300 boats!” as Joseph described it. A causeway was to join Frigate Rock to Union Island.
The following year, the investor went bankrupt. The project was abandoned, but the damage had already been done. Joseph described the development as a “catastrophe.” The causeway and marina berths, constructed from metal sheet piles and dredged coral, blocked the circulation of water, causing immense harm to the mangroves, reefs, and seagrass.
Thereafter, Ashton Lagoon languished. With its stagnant green waters and its degraded mangrove forest, locals—including fisherfolk who passed through to their fishing grounds—shunned it. It became a lonely place, Joseph recounted during her presentation in Guadeloupe (which you can watch below!).
But hope appeared on the horizon. In 2004, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean Lisa Sorenson visited Union Island to deliver a Wetlands Education Training Workshop. The group took a field trip to the damaged lagoon and learned about the heartbreak residents and fishers felt living with the eyesore of the abandoned and algae-filled lagoon. Sorenson began work to raise funds, and in 2007, thanks to support from the USFWS, SusGren and BirdsCaribbean held a 3-day Participatory Planning Workshop with local stakeholders. All agreed (including, thankfully, donors) that something must be done. But wasn’t this a Herculean task?
Yes, it was. The Restoration Project was a tough, complex undertaking, not for the faint-hearted. Initially, stakeholders developed a vision for the management and sustainable use of the area, and wrote funding proposals. Surveys and monitoring of the ecologically sensitive area were conducted. And then, there were the engineering issues to be resolved. Joseph reserved special appreciation for the man she called her “miracle worker,” Ian Roberts, Engineer/ Works Supervisor for the restoration.
Joseph emphasized that, apart from the onerous technical issues that besieged them (how to deal with those horrible metal piles?) another challenge was a less “concrete” one: How to keep the local community engaged and interested. They were impatient and SusGren’s credibility and reputation were at stake on this small island with a population of 3,500.
The group went through a funding crisis in 2014—one that Joseph looked back on with wry humor. In 2016, when the funds began to work out, the project’s three broad objectives were refined. These were to restore the ecosystem; to strengthen the community’s resilience to climate change, for its economic benefit; and to increase environmental awareness.
In 2018, the water began to flow again. The “miracle workers” had created some breaches in the marina’s piles for it to flow through …after 24 years. “The lagoon said, ‘I can breathe again!’” laughed Joseph.
There followed a frantic period of activity, as SusGren worked on several projects simultaneously. The mangroves were flooded with new water and circulation in the lagoon restored through strategic breaches and culverts in the causeway and marina berths. Two bird towers were built (one named after Lisa Sorenson’s favorite seabird, the Royal Tern). The Interpretive Centre was built and some moorings at Frigate Island were created. A nursery of 3,000 red mangroves was created; the seedlings, donated by the Grenada Department of Forestry. They were planted using bamboo, rather than PVC. A community-owned apiculture and honey production enterprise started up (“bees like black mangroves,” noted Joseph).
There are also two bridges. After the marina causeway and berths were breached in several places to allow the water to flow freely, the bridges were needed to provide access to the whole causeway—a part of which had been washed away by storms—as a place to walk and watch birds and wildlife. Now, the marina berths are turning into “little islets” with mangroves and other vegetation—growing well and providing a roosting place for birds and habitat for other wildlife.
Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, Lisa Sorenson felt a great emotional investment in the project. “I could not stop smiling at the launch!” she confessed. “We are so proud of SusGren, their local partners and the donors for persevering with the project. This is a shining example of what can be done, with vision and determination, to right an environmental wrong that occurred many years ago. SusGren did not give up on Ashton Lagoon. Now it is a wonderful place for people—and birds—to visit. An American Flamingo showed up there recently, for the first time!”
BirdsCaribbean continues to provide support for clean-up activities, tree planting and additional signs for the bird towers.
Importantly, members of the public are using the Lagoon Eco Trail, including schoolchildren and teachers, eager to learn. In July, Danny’s Summer School on Union Island went birding at the Lagoon, identifying birds and exploring the trail. “This is what brings me most joy,” admits Orisha Joseph. Those years walking round the lonely lagoon with a colleague are gone. Now, at last, it is appreciated by local people. Non-motorized recreational activities have begun to take off. Kite surfing is booming!
Of course, more work remains to be done. SusGren and its partners now face a number of new and different challenges. They had not quite been prepared for a sudden flood of publicity (for example, in the Caribbean Compass yachting magazine) and the thousands of “likes” on social media. “We were even featured in the phone book!” said Joseph, with a hearty laugh.
The Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project is still lobbying the Governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada—not only for funds, but to have the lagoon properly gazetted as a Marine Protected Area. On the ground, SusGren is tackling such issues as an invasion of cattle in the mangroves during the “let-go season” and management of vehicles. While increasing bird habitat, the organization wants to encourage community involvement that is orderly, and above all sustainable.
Now, the tides are flowing again in the lagoon, and the jewel-like waters, turquoise and opal, are clear and free. The mangroves are busy with bird life. Marine life is thriving. Pedestrian and boat access has been opened up.
In some ways, the story of Ashton Lagoon is almost like a Hollywood plot: disasters, disappointments, struggle and ultimately a sense of triumph. The less glamorous sub-plot is the sheer hard work and determination to see the project through, tackling red tape and unexpected obstacles, worrying about funding. It is the story of many conservation non-profits across the region.
The story of Ashton Lagoon has a happy ending—but actually it has not ended. Ashton Lagoon is cared for, again. It has a bright future, for wildlife and for people.
Partners and supporters of the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project included:BirdsCaribbean; the Phillip Stephenson Foundation; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program (CMBP); the German Development Bank (KFW) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5C’s); the Global Environment Facility–Small Grants Program (GEF-SGP); US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Trust; Global Coral Reef Alliance; AvianEyes; Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education; Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries and Industry; Construction Logistics, Inc.; Ministry of National Security, Lands and Survey Department; National Properties Limited; National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority; Grenadines Partnership Fund; University of New Hampshire; Union Island Environmental Attackers; Union Island Tourism Board; Union Island Association for Ecological Preservation (UIAEP); Union Island Ecotourism Movement, and others.
We invite you to enjoy the gallery of photos below. Hover over each photo to see the caption or click on the first photo to see a slide show.
Manchineel Tree warning sign – although poisonous to humans, the Manchineel tree is a valuable food tree for birds. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Mangrove Sign (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Ribbon cutting ceremony for the new office and visitor centre of Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. adjacent to Ashton Lagoon. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors from Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO) (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Cinders Creative Nest Preschool visit to the Ashton Lagoon area (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Birding Tower, named after local birder Katrina Collins Coy’s favorite bird (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Directional Signs along the Trail (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of the causeway, marina berth islets, and Frigate Island from the Twin Bridges (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Green Heron (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Yachts Anchored at Frigate Rock using SusGren mooring services (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Hon. Camilo Gonsalves (Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology) provides brief remarks at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling event. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of the marina berth islets and Union Island from the Twin Bridges (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Everyone is excited about the new bridges! Hon. Saboto Ceasar, Orisha Joseph, and Dr. Lisa Sorenson (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Louise Mitchell (St. Vincent and the Grenadines Environment Fund ) and other attendees at the launch event marvel at the new gazebo and bridges. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc).
View of the rejuvenating Ashton Marina (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Grenada Flycatchers are found only in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo by Ted Eubanks)
A happy moment – Lisa Sorenson reunited with Martin Barriteau and Matthew Harvey at the restoration unveiling ceremony. Martin is the former Executive Director of SusGren and worked on the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project for many years. Matthew Harvey is a local fisher whose livelihood was harmed by the failed marina development. He never gave up hope that the lagoon would be restored.
Like mother, like son, birding in the Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Signs at the Entrance of the Trail (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
1st Birding tower from the entrance, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Tower (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors on the Swing Bridges Following the Official Launch Ceremony for the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
SusGren Staff (Sonia, Chandra, and Orisha) and Dr. Lisa Sorenson crossing the gap in 2013 in the days before the bridges! This was necessary to carry out Caribbean Waterbird Census bird counts. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Humorous Signs Found in Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Landbirds of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (side 1) – these waterproof bird ID cards help residents and visitors to know and enjoy the country’s beautiful birds. (cards produced by BirdsCaribbean)
Educational signs found in Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Hon. Saboto Ceasar, (Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Forestry, Fisheries, and Rural Transformation) giving the featured address at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling Ceremony (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Royal Terns on remains of Ashton Marina (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Wallets rest in the protected waters of the Ashton Lagoon mangroves. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc).
Students from Stephanie Browne Primary School enjoy bird watching on World Migratory Bird Day 2019 (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Students from Stephanie Browne Primary School on World Migratory Bird Day, October 2019 (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Shorebirds enjoying the peace of Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Beautiful performance by the Cultural Conquerors at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling event on May 31st, 2019. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc.)
One of the interpretive signs along the trail.
Ruddy Turnstone (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Wetlands are wonderful places for birds, recreation and learning. View of the Twin Bridges, Ashton Lagoon, Union Island, St Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
The Whimbrel is a fairly common winter visitor to Ashton Lagoon and other wetlands in Union Island. (photo by Peter Duce).
Ian Roberts, Engineer/ Works Supervisor, and Orisha Joseph on one of the suspension bridges that Mr. Roberts designed. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Visitors from Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO) (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Wilson’s Plovers are common residents of Ashton Lagoon; they nest on mudflats near the mangroves. (photo by Peter Duce)
Mr. Edwin Snagg – Director Grenadine Affairs delivering brief remarks (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Lisa and Orisha in front of the Royal Tern observation tower, named after Lisa’s favorite seabird. (photo by Ian Roberts)
Mayreau Government School visits the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Brief remarks by Mr. Joaquin Monserrat, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy of Barbados, Eastern Caribbean and the OECS. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Landbirds of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines (side 2) – these waterproof bird ID cards help residents and visitors to know and enjoy the country’s beautiful birds. (cards produced by BirdsCaribbean)
View of mangroves and suspension bridges in the distance from the Royal Tern Observation Tower. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Drone Shot of the Entrance to the Ashton Lagoon Trail (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
American Flamingo spotted at Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Tropical Mockingbird (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Kristy Shortte, SusGren Program Coordinator, conducting Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) bird counts (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Migratory shorebirds now find great wintering habitat in the newly restored lagoon, mangroves and salt pond. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc)
View of suspension bridges and Union Island. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Panoramic view from the second floor of SusGren’s new headquarters at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling Ceremony, May 31, 2019. (photo Lisa Sorenson)
A Whimbrel, a migratory shorebird, visits Ashton Lagoon. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors to Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Mermaid sign and mermaid on trail. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Swales from the Entrance (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Many more shorebirds use the lagoon since it has been restored (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc.)
Alex Smith- SusGren Junior Ranger participating in the planting of mangrove seedlings project in the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Read more about the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project (and also a project at Belmont Salt POnd) at the links below:
By Emma Lewis, Blogger, Writer, Online Activist, and member of BirdsCaribbean’s Media Working Group, based in Kingston, Jamaica. Follow Emma at Petchary’s Blog—Cries from Jamaica.
On behalf of the entire Journal of Caribbean Ornithology staff, I am incredibly excited to announce that the JCO Archives are complete! And we are honored to dedicate these Archives to our deeply-valued and greatly-missed friend and colleague, the man who started this whole adventure: Dr. James W. Wiley.
THE BACKSTORY (some historians claim that we started with Messenger Pigeons)
In 1988, Dr. James (Jim) W. Wiley conceived and published the first issue of El Pitirre, a newsletter for the Society for the Study of Caribbean Ornithology (now BirdsCaribbean). He went on to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the first 17 volumes—an incredible feat—and in the process, grew the newsletter into a peer-reviewed research journal well-respected across the Caribbean.
Volume 16 (2003) marked the end of the El Pitirre name and the birth of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 2004 would mark Wiley’s final year, wrapping up his tenure with Volume 17. Dr. Jerome (Jerry) A. Jackson tagged in as a co-Editor-in-Chief with Dr. Floyd Hayes for Volume 18 (2005), with Floyd taking the reins from there. In 2006, Martín Acosta Cruz came aboard as co-Editor-in-Chief, overseeing manuscripts coming out of Cuba. Two years later, Floyd recruited Douglas Weidemann, a biology student out of Pacific Union College, to serve as an Editorial Assistant. Doug has been with the journal ever since and is the only member of our current staff who was there to watch JCO transition from paper to the digital world in 2014. In his 11+ year tenure, Doug has been instrumental in keeping JCO moving forward as the leading ornithological publication in the Caribbean.
Floyd and Martín would continue serving as Editors-in-Chief for the next eight volumes of JCO. In 2014 (Volume 27), Dr. Jason Townsend stepped into the Editor-in-Chief position, and shepherded JCO into a productive chapter that included transitioning the journal to open-access and onto an online academic publishing site, as well as growing the JCO team with new staff and new positions. When Jason created and advertised a Managing Editor position in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to become involved, and have spent the last four years helping expand the journal’s publication capacity and improving timeliness of publication. We have worked hard at creating a bigger and more unified team, and that has made all the difference.
GETTING THE JOB DONE (if only you could claim blood, sweat, and tears as tax deductions)
More staff has ultimately afforded JCO more bandwidth to tackle some big, lingering side projects. One of those has been the ongoing project (3+ years) of completing the JCO Archives—a digitized, free, and open-access collection of every publication from every volume and issue dating back to Wiley’s Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1988.
The completion of the JCO Archives is owed to the hard work of MANY individuals, including Tristan Leisten, Zoya Buckmire, and Alex Sansom, to name a few. Thank you also to all of the great photographers who have allowed us to use their photographs for volume and issue covers:
Tanya Martinez, Zoya Buckmire, Charles D Peters, Eric Hynes, Juliana Coffey, Richard Briones, Amonie Holas, Gloria Achilla, Susan Jacobson, Jessie Pitt, Dave Irving, Rafy Rodriguez, Adam Toussaint, David Hollie, Pedro G. Rodriguez, Kenneth Butler, Jose M. Panteleon, Dax Roman, Aslam Ibrahim Castellon, Anthony Levesque, Claude Fletcher, Aaron Budgor, Pericles Brea, Adam Stinton. Ray Robles, Raphael Kopan, George Armistead, Wilfred Marissen, Ernesto Burgos, Gary Graves, Engie, Jonathan Liddell, Leticia Soares, Eladio Fernandez, Justin Proctor, Bruce Hallett, Carel P. de Haseth, Miguel A. Landestoy, Andre/Keila Dhondt, Kim Novino, Rafy Rodriguez, Rafael Arvelo, M. R. Paice, David Jones, Jamie Adams, Hubert Askanas, Pascal Villard, Matthew Johnson, Wolde Kristos, Sean Rune, Greg Homel, D. Belasco, and Michael J. Good.
So with open arms and big smiles on our faces, all of us at JCO welcome you to come and take a look through the new Archives. I may be a bit biased, but I think they look pretty darn good!
DIGGING INTO THE ARCHIVES (sit back, relax, and stay awhile!)
Readers be advised—you’ll notice that there are some differences between our cataloging of newer versus older volumes. Although we tried to keep the presentation of articles and their metadata consistent across all 32 volumes, as we worked our way back in time, older publications introduced new challenges. Early volumes of El Pitirre were organized much differently and contained different types of content. Parsing out each bulletin or announcement was essentially impossible, and so in those cases we have “lumped” some entries together into one downloadable PDF. But we still wanted you to be able to clearly see every major entry within a volume, and so we have conveniently displayed all titles and authors at the top of the page. We’ve also included downloadable PDFs for each of the El Pitirre volumes and issues so that you can have them in their entirety should you wish.
We hope you’ll enjoy strolling down memory lane as much as we have. Please take your time and enjoy reading back through 31 years of priceless contributions to Caribbean ornithology. And don’t forget to swing by the Archives whenever you’re working on a new manuscript. They contain decades of great science that might help shape your own!
Sincerely,
Justin Proctor
JCO Managing Editor
P.S. We’ve done our best to ensure accuracy across everything you’ll find in the Archives, but there is always the possibility that we missed something. If you find an error that needs correcting, please reach out and let me know (justin.proctor@birdscaribbean.org). However, there’s one thing that we definitely didn’t miss, and that’s the “winking” Gray Kingbird in the logo of El Pitirre’s third issue. Interestingly enough, it only winked for that one issue…
P.P.S. The JCO is proud to continue fulfilling our mission of commitment to giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their hard work. Our journal has some great momentum underway right now, but we do need help to cover our operating costs as we grow our team, offer more development resources to our authors, keep the journal free and open-access, and continue to improve our submission to publication time. Please consider supporting Caribbean science and the dissemination of that knowledge through a donation to the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. From all of us at JCO, we thank you for your support.
It is almost two months since a Category Five Hurricane named Dorian completely devastated the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco from September 1 to 3. Here is what has been happening since BirdsCaribbean sent out an online appeal for emergency funding to help birds and restore habitats on these islands. If you have not already done so, please consider donating even a small amount. There is much work still to be done, and Bahamian birds and nature will be grateful!
Still a Long Way to Go
Media reports have made it clear: life has by no means returned to normal on the islands. Many lives have been lost. Many residents have lost everything and are homeless. A large number have left the islands to seek a new life elsewhere.
Meanwhile, what needs to be taken into consideration, as rebuilding starts? This is up for debate. At BirdsCaribbean, when the time comes we hope that reconstruction will take place on an equitable basis, taking into account the need for coastal resiliency and habitat restoration. In other words, the environment takes priority.
What We Have Done So Far
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are pleased to report that contributions are going directly to restoration and long-term planning efforts across both islands. As we reported in our first update, 2,000 pounds of bird seed, 300 tube seed feeders, 400 nectar feeders, and nectar concentrate (enough to make 1,900 gallons) are currently being distributed in Grand Bahama (items are also been sent to Abaco). We will be sharing an update on which communities received supplies and the results of the feeding effort shortly. See a photo essay report on the first bird survey conducted on the East End of Grand Bahama on October 3rd, one month after Hurricane Dorian lingered over the area for 3 full days.
We also reached out to our valued partners at Bahamas National Trust (BNT) with essential new equipment. These include cameras, binoculars, a drone, iPad, GPS equipment, rangefinders, compasses, backpacks and other equipment vital for field survey work.
Our Partners Have Been Out in the Field
Armed with the equipment they received from BirdsCaribbean, our colleagues at BNT did not waste any time. They went straight out into the field to assess the impacts of the storm on wildlife. Your support is helping to cover the cost of Rapid Assessment Field studies. A team from BNT and Audubon Florida just completed an initial 5-day survey of Abaco focused on the Bahama Parrot (also known as the Abaco Parrot) and its habitat.
Our partners found that conditions on the island of Abaco varied widely. In southern Abaco, both humans and birds appeared to be recovering and spirits were positive. Life was going on, homes were in relatively good condition, stores and bars were open and a fuel station at Sandy Point was open for business. Common bird species such as House Sparrows and Cuban Pewees appeared unaffected by the storm’s impact.
The northern part of the island painted a very different picture – a very sad picture. Many trees and buildings were destroyed. Older trees had lost their leaves or were severely damaged, losing limbs and bark. They were just beginning to sprout small leaves and shoots.
Getting Down to Work
The team got organized. They divided up tasks, in order to get as much done as possible in a short space of time.
Abaco Parrot researcher Caroline Stahala Walker (Audubon) and Bradley Watson (BNT Science Officer) worked on vegetation surveys. Occasionally, they were joined by David Knowles (BNT, Chief Park Warden, Abaco National Park), who had lost his own home in the hurricane, but is still continuing to work; along with Marcus Davis, the BNT Deputy Park Warden, whose home further south remained intact.
Giselle Deane (BNT Assistant Science Officer) and Ancilleno Davis (Blue Lagoon Island and BirdsCaribbean Board member) collected the bird survey data using the binoculars and rangefinders BirdsCaribbean was able to provide, thanks to the emergency funds raised. Visual records are vitally important. Bradley Watson used his new camera provided by BirdsCaribbean to take plenty of photograph of birds, plants, and habitats throughout.
Will Abaco’s Parrots Recover?
It was disturbing to see the birds foraging in the dirt for fallen fruit at a resort development in central Abaco, while a cat prowled around nearby. The parrots’ usual habit is to only eat the freshest fruit directly from the trees, dropping small portions on the ground. Abaco’s population of the Bahama Parrot is also especially vulnerable since they nest in rock cavities on the ground.
But all is not lost. The team found small flocks of Bahama Parrots flying in Abaco. They are making themselves heard again across the island. The team put out supplemental food stations, to help the parrots survive during this critical period of food shortages.
It’s not clear, however, whether prospects for the parrots are encouraging in the long term. This is because the destruction of large parts of the birds’ habitat in central and northern Abaco means that food will remain in short supply. While the researchers remain cautiously optimistic, it is clear that a much wider effort to restore foraging habitat will be needed to help sustain the parrot population year-round and outside of the breeding season, which is May/June.
A Mixed Picture
The survey team will soon be releasing a full report on their findings on Abaco. There is much more work to be done, and the post-hurricane period is critical for the welfare of the birds and indeed all wildlife on these devastated islands.
Meanwhile, human residents are still picking up the pieces – in some cases literally – and many challenges remain.
PHOTO GALLERY – Hover over each photo to see the caption, to see a slide show click on the first photo.
Sincere thanks to all who have donated so generously to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund! We will continue provide updates on our work to help restore birds and habitats and help local partners like the Bahamas National Trust with recovery work on Abaco and Grand Bahama.
Giselle Dean practices using her new compass. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Thanks to generous donors, we were able to supply Bahamas National Trust with field equipment needed to carry out post-Hurricane Dorian field surveys. (photo by Scott Johnson)
Cat hunting near ground-foraging Bahama Parrots on Abaco after Hurricane Dorian, October 13 2019. Cats are known predators of Bahama Parrots. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
Giselle Dean, BNT Science Officer, ready for field work with her new equipment. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Bradley Watson (BNT) made good use of his new camera on Abaco, documenting birds, plant specimens and habitats on the recent post-Dorian Abaco survey trip. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
2,000 pounds of special Island Relief Wild Bird Seed Mix are being distributed in Grand Bahama to help birds survive a period of food shortage. Thanks to Lizzie Mae Bird Seed for this donation!
Scott Johnson with his new binoculars, GPS and backpack. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Bahama Parrot foraging on the ground in Abaco, unusual behavior for this species. Parrots were forced to search for food on the ground due to lack of fruit on trees stripped of vegetation by Hurricane Dorian. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Bird seed on pallet ready to be shipped to Grand Bahama. It is being distributed to residents, along with tube feeders, nectar feeders and nectar concentrate.
Field survey team on Abaco (left to right): Ancilleno Davis, Giselle Dean, Bradley Watson and Caroline Stahala (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
Scott Johnson’s Facebook post, expressing his gratitude for receipt of new field equipment from BirdsCaribbean – thanks to all the donors who made this possible! (photo by Scott Johnson)
Join Martha Cartwright and her five birding companions on their intrepid journey to the East End of Grand Bahama (GB) Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Their mission was to check on the status of the birds and habitats devastated by this monstrous Category 5 Hurricane. Martha paints a vivid and sobering picture of the “new normal” on GB for people and nature in the early stages of recovery.
I love birding on Grand Bahama, and I have a sweet spot in my heart for birding on the east end of the island. One highway runs from Freeport eastwards, but to call it a “highway” is a misnomer. It is two simple lanes, often potted with holes, and lightly traveled. It can be tedious, this road: mile after mile of Caribbean Pine trees and “bush” (our word for the native Thatch Palms, bushes, Century Plants, vines and orchids that grow under the pine trees). After rains there are usually pockets of standing water along the road; but there is never enough elevation to glimpse the beauty of the ocean, paralleling the road just off in the distance, nor the wetlands that are a hidden haven for birds of all kinds.
To love birding the east end, one has to learn to wait, to walk along unpaved trails in the pines, along miles of pristine beaches, around mangrove swamps…And let the birds slowly reveal themselves.
Three Days of Fear and Waiting
It was this same East End of the island that took the brunt of Hurricane Dorian, that slow-moving storm whose feeder bands we started feeling Sunday and who, if we were lucky enough to keep our houses, kept us inside until Tuesday.
From September 1 to September 3, for those three days, the world had been watching in awe and anguish the videos coming out of Abaco and Grand Bahama Island. Friends and family all over the world held their breaths, waiting with troubled hearts to hear that their loved ones had survived, waiting to hear if their homes were intact. For many of us in or near the storm without power, internet or cell service for weeks, realization of the devastation came in dribs and drabs. For me, the terrible news came mostly through conversations and shared stories, over the fence, waiting in lines, driving around or walking over debris to check on friends.
We heard grim stories of hours spent in the attic of flooded homes waiting for rescue, inspiring stories of courage as people on jet-skis headed over the bridge on Tuesday to rescue stranded families, sorrowful stories of the loss of family members – drowned or “missing.” Daily we watch news of global catastrophes – floods, fires, tornadoes. But when it is your own back yard that lies tattered and torn, emotions sit heavy in the heart and mind. The body keeps moving forward day by day, but the trauma burrows deeps and lingers.
#Grand BahamaStrong
While we were in the midst of the storm, thousands of rescue and relief organizations had already started to mobilize to bring in the necessities of survival. We saw the scenes on TV and the Internet and they were real. The disaster drills that rescue and relief organizations mobilized to bring in water, food, medical support, shelter, cadaver dogs. These organizations made good use of the millions of dollars donated for our recovery by caring people all over the world.
The people who work in humanitarian relief and rescue are amazing angels of hope and strength for the people whose lives they touch. Help from the outside gives local people time after a hurricane to take the initial steps towards recovery. We had to clear debris, salvage belongings, tend to businesses that were also damaged, and watch out for our neighbors. On Grand Bahama, we are so grateful to all who have helped and are continuing to help.
How Did the East End Fare?
We wondered how our birds fared out east, but for the most part we kept our eBird recording to the Freeport area, where most of the Grand Bahama Island Birders (GBIB) live. It took us a month to gather a group of six for our initial survey of the birds out east. Roads that had been dangerous and nigh impassable except for relief trucks were now open. I wanted to go. I wanted to know about the birds, but truthfully, for days I dreaded the trip. People were still missing. Habitats were like moonscapes. Relief organizations were setting up camps, helping families, distributing supplies. People first. But what was happening to the birds?
Our Tour Begins With Many Questions: Owl Hole
We stopped first in the pine barrens around Owl Hole Road. On one birding excursion in 2016, we had spotted 25 species for a total of 93 birds in the forest. It was home to the Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Cuban Emerald, Hairy Woodpecker, Western Spindalis, Red-winged Blackbird, Black-faced Grassquit, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Cuban Peewee, mockingbird, thrushes, vireos, and warblers.
Now, we were wondering. The Bahama Warbler is known only on Grand Bahama Island and Abaco – has it survived? The Bahama Yellowthroat is seen in other islands beside our two Northern Islands, so it has a better change of survival. The Caribbean Pine or Yellow Pine, native to the four northern islands of the Bahamas (Andros, Abaco, Grand Bahama and New Providence) is also the only known home to the Critically Endangered Bahama Nuthatch. How long will it be before we know whether that little bird, that endemic species has survived Dorian?
This post-Dorian trip at Owl Hole we spotted four species for a total of 11 birds: one Common Ground Dove (in someone’s yard), three Turkey Vultures, five Palm Warblers and two Prairie Warblers. We were ecstatic to see our first bird, a Palm Warbler! (Owl Hole eBird checklist)
Some Encouragement in Lucayan National Park
Our next stop was the beautiful Lucayan National Park (LNP.) With the higher elevation around Ben’s Cave, no surge had flooded the Blackland Coppice. Recent rains had encouraged leaf growth. I saw my first Gray Catbird of the season. We marveled and took comfort in how quickly nature started to bring back her green mantle. One hundred and twenty-six species have been spotted in the Lucayan National Park. We walked the elevated Coppice area and saw just seven species, nine birds total. Not many, to say the least. (Lucayan National Park eBird checklist)
On to the Wetlands
One of my favorite birding spots out east are the wetlands that run just inland from the beach. They are almost hidden from view and difficult to access. With good rains, the wetlands run from west of the oil bunkers down to Pelican Point. I always smile to think of Anthony Levesque birding out there, opening the car door and standing on the edge of the door so that he was high enough to see into the wetlands. He would have preferred the roof, but Frantz and I insisted on the door frame. On this trip, we didn’t need to stand on any part of the car. The vegetation had been stripped. Despite the better views, there were not many birds in the area. Again there was jubilation at seeing a Tri-colored Heron and a Little Blue Heron!
(Wetland near Statoil eBird Checklist).
I love birding in the wetlands and on the beach at the “bend in the road” just before Pelican Point. The long, curving, isolated beach, with sandy shoals at low tide, is habitat for a variety of plovers, Sanderlings, American Oystercatchers, yellowlegs, warblers, egrets and herons. On this trip, no birds were spotted on the beach. Only a few Royal Terns and a Laughing Gull flew overhead. (Pelican Point wetlands eBird Checklist)
Pelican Point: A Scene of Destruction
Our final eastern destination for the day was what used to be the beautiful, idyllic shoreline settlement of Pelican Point, host to the annual Coconut Festival. Dorian had transformed it from a dynamic, well-tended little village into a warzone of rubble and gutted houses. We left relief supplies with a woman, who said that only three homes were still habitable in the area.
This past week, while waiting to fill my bottles at a water station at the Anglican Church, I met a Mr. Laing from Pelican Point. He had lost his home, but with a smile he told me that like all the families in the area he planned on rebuilding! Pelican Point was his home and would continue to be his home. Time and again I am humbled by the resilience and strength of island people.
A Visit to High Rock
Our last stop heading back home to Freeport was at Marilyn Laing’s home in High Rock. Being on the higher side of the main street, the house avoided the brunt of the storm surge. Marilyn is General Manager at the Garden of the Groves, and during the week, with assistance from Sanitation Services, she is working hard on restoring the gardens. On weekends she works to restore her home and community. We dropped the last of our relief supplies off with Marilyn, whose house has been a depot for relief goods in High Rock. She is a member of our Grand Bahama Island Birders group and well-known to BirdsCaribbean for her excellent education work with youth. And of course, while at Marilyn’s we lifted our binoculars to see the warblers flitting through the trees.
Recovery for Humans and Birds – and Some Rare Visitors
For some families in Grand Bahama, recovery will take years. For others, life seems almost “normal,” if you don’t visit certain parts of the community. Businesses and families are working hard to rebuild. (We do miss and need our tourists!)
And for the birds? It was sobering, but not surprising to see so few birds out east. Their instinct is for survival, and food is fundamental. Thanks to donations from BirdsCaribbean, our Grand Bahama Island Birders group has been distributing seed feeders and bags of wild bird seed, as well as hummingbird feeders and red nectar concentrate to anyone wanting to help our birds. Many people want to help our birds by making food available. Sarah left yoga class this morning with a seed feeder and a bag of seeds, asking, “May I take some more nectar?”
Again, thank you, Birds Caribbean.
Post-Dorian birders have been recording rare birds to the islands, perhaps vagrants after the hurricane. I’ve been excited to see a Hudsonian Godwit and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Late yesterday afternoon, a Barn Owl sat in Erika’s garden long enough for us to get a good look at this normally elusive resident.
Playing Our Part…While the Birding Continues
What about habitat recovery? The Bahamas National Trust, in a recent article in the Bahamas Tribune, indicated that it would begin to conduct “comprehensive assessments to determine the impact of Dorian on wildlife.” We are happy to hear this. I encourage environmentalists and scientists worldwide to travel to these storm-ravaged habitats to assess the damage to water, soil, plants and animals; to search for our fragile endemic species; and to recommend steps to enhance recovery and minimize damage from future hurricanes.
Bird feeders, seeds, and nectar are a welcome start, but more will need to be done. I encourage BirdsCaribbean to continue their work. I implore the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy, BirdLife International, Manomet, The World Wildlife Fund, and all other groups dedicated to the conservation of birds to assist BirdsCaribbean and Bahamas National Trust with our recovery.
As local birders, we will continue what we love to do…bird! We will report our findings to eBird Caribbean and the International Shorebird Survey (ISS). We will continue to distribute feeders and food for the birds. Mother Nature has already started to do her recovery work; no self-pity, no complaints, she will continue. Now it is time for each of us to insist that our governments and leaders take seriously the detrimental effect of climate change on our planet – and do their part. If you are reading this article, I am sure that you must care. You care deeply. I hope my story of the birds of East Grand Bahama after Dorian will encourage you to continue to act. You must know that your efforts will be appreciated, and are important.
It’s raining now as I finish this article. Since our normally potable tap water is still salty, I stop to put out large coolers to catch the rainwater for my plants and bird bath. From my desk I spot a Smooth-billed Ani up in the fig tree. Oh, and two Eurasian Collared Doves.
Goodbye for now, from Grand Bahama – an island in recovery.
Martha Cartwright has been an avid birder on GB since 2014. She is particularly fond of shorebirds and participated in BirdsCaribbean’s Conservation Caribbean Shorebirds Workshop in Puerto Rico last March. Together with bird guru-in-chief, Erika Gates, and their close group of Grand Bahama Island Birders, they regularly carry out birding excursions and counts in many habitats on GB and also do a lot of habitat restoration, outreach, and education about birds and nature on the island.
BirdsCaribbean is extremely grateful to all who have donated to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund; donations are providing bird seed, nectars and feeders, replacing equipment and infrastructure lost in the storm and helping to fund bird and habitat surveys and restoration in Grand Bahama and Abaco. We are working with the Bahamas National Trust and other partners on this recovery work. Please click here or here if you would like to help with this work.
We are patting ourselves on the back! But the feeling is bittersweet…
It was a special moment at our 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe on July 29, when BirdsCaribbean received a 2018 Partners in Flight Group Leadership Award. This was in recognition of our response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria across several islands in September 2017. President Andrew Dobson accepted the award alongside many members who had participated in the hurricane recovery effort.
Our efforts were twofold: Immediate relief for Caribbean birds, providing for their critical needs after the storms passed. Despite expected post-hurricane logistical challenges “Operation Feeder Rescue” succeeded in delivering crucial food resources across the affected islands for over 60 species of birds. 4,000 nectar feeders, almost 2,000 bottles of nectar and five tons of bird seed arrived in the islands’ ports. Secondly, through fund-raising efforts we were able to fund fifteen small grants for post-hurricane assessments, restoration, and recovery of birds and their habitats. At the same time, BirdsCaribbean helped to raise awareness and knowledge among the public on these islands about the needs of birds stressed by hurricanes. Many realized that it was not only humans who had suffered, and eagerly volunteered to help in the effort.
So, why bittersweet? Because, just a few weeks after receiving the award, our members in the Bahamas were hit with the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. The violent Category Five Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands and then Grand Bahama on September 1 and 2, stalling for nearly two days close to Grand Bahama. People and wildlife are again suffering.
Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director, explained: “BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to get this award, but saddened that our members and islands are again facing devastation. We learned so much from this effort in 2017 and in fact had a whole symposium on it in Guadeloupe. Many lessons were learned and we are applying them to our current efforts to help the northern Bahamas with recovery, including supplying bird feeders and seed, replacing items that were lost, and funding bird surveys and restoration actions.”
Partners in Flight (PIF) Awards recognize exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation, in the categories of Leadership, Investigations, Public Awareness, Stewardship, and Lifetime Achievement. The PIF Leadership Award honors an individual or group that demonstrates outstanding guidance and direction that contributes, or has contributed, to advancing Partners in Flight conservation efforts. BirdsCaribbean received a 2018 PIF Group Leadership Award for Hurricane Relief and Recovery for Caribbean Birds and Habitats.
Thank you to Partners in Flight for this honor. Congratulations and thanks again to all who participated so enthusiastically in our recovery efforts for birds and habitats over the past two years. And sincere thanks to the many caring and generous individuals, organizations and companies that donated to help make this and our current efforts possible!
David S. Lee was a pioneering naturalist and conservation biologist who helped get BirdsCaribbean started nearly 30 years ago, and 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 an annual grant 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.
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 7 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).
But wait! What if you are not eligible to apply for funds, you ask? You can still support this worthy cause by being a sponsor!
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 Groups 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.
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!
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
BirdsCaribbean is excited to announce the release of The Complete Checklist of the Birds of the West Indies! Jeff Gerbracht and Anthony Levesque, in consultation with experts across the region, have compiled important details for all of the bird species observed in the West Indies, including abundance, seasonality, breeding status, endemism and establishment.
The goal of The Checklist is to provide consistent, accurate and up-to-date information for use by researchers, conservationists and policy makers. The taxonomy of species follows the current version of the Clements Checklist of birds of the world. The most recent version of the checklist can be downloaded here and consists of two different documents:
The first document includes the introduction and explanatory text, definitions used and a summarized version of the species list as a pdf.
The second is a more detailed checklist in an excel spreadsheet. Providing the checklist as a spreadsheet enables you to easily sort and summarize the checklist by the columns you are most interested in, such as ‘Endemic Region’ or ‘Abundance’.
The Caribbean is home to over 700 species of bird, including 171 species that are endemic to the region and found nowhere else in the world. You can use the checklist to explore the many birds that are endemic to the Greater Antilles (109 species), to learn about the migrants and visitors that rely on the Caribbean habitats (334 species), or to check just how rare it is to see a Common Ringed Plover (very rare).
The excel spreadsheet is an invaluable resource, allowing you to manipulate the checklist and extract important information for your research, grant proposals, or personal interest. For example, how many endangered bird species are there in the Dominican Republic? Using the sort functions in excel, we see that there are six, with five of them endemic to Hispaniola: Ridgway’s Hawk, White-fronted Quail-Dove, Bay-breasted Cuckoo, La Selle Thrush, Hispaniolan Crossbill, and Black-capped Petrel.
At the BirdsCaribbean 21st International Conference in Guadeloupe, Jeff and Anthony facilitated a West Indies Checklist Working Group meeting. During the meeting we announced the release of the first checklist and quickly reviewed the format and types of information contained in the checklist. There was great interest in this initial release and we had several lively discussions about the future direction and expansion of the checklist. Creating country and island versions of the checklist is our next step in expanding the checklist coverage and a number of representatives agreed to begin work on country lists. Additionally, there was strong interest in expanding the checklist to cover subspecies (the current version of the checklist covers birds at the species level only). Everyone agreed that this checklist fills a much-needed void in open access to information on birds in the region and the enthusiasm around moving it forward was exciting and bodes well for the future of this working group.
When you are birding, remember to record all your observations in eBird Caribbean as those records will be used to keep this checklist up to date.
The month of October heralds a change in the seasons — even in the Caribbean. The days grow shorter and the fierce heat of the sun lessens. Countless birds journey to their winter homes in the Caribbean. For World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD), Caribbean people celebrate the birds that come here every year.
In the Caribbean, about a third of the 500 often seen species of birds are summer or winter visitors. More than 50 events on 18Caribbean islands are already lined up to celebrate these amazing birds. More than 80,000 residents and visitors will join in the activities this fall, led by BirdsCaribbean and Environment for the America partners.
The 2019 theme for WMBD in the Caribbean is “Protect birds: Be the solution to plastic pollution.” Plastic pollution has become a worldwide epidemic and a great threat to birds around the world. It is estimated that since the 1950s, we have made 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. Over 90% of plastic is not recycled and ends up in our landfills and the natural spaces.
Plastic can hurt birds in many ways. Birds can mistake floating plastics like bags, drinking straws and bottles, covered in algae, for food. Parent birds feed plastic to their chicks. Swallowing sharp plastic can kill birds by piercing organs. Birds can starve with stomaches full of plastic, and birds can die after being trapped in plastic waste or fishing line.
To celebrate, local coordinators on each island will raise awareness about simple actions that people can take to keep birds safe from plastic pollution. For example, practice the three R’s: reduce, reuse and recycle plastic and other trash. Some events will include clean-up activities and, by supporting local and global action against plastics. Festival events will include birding walks, tree plantings, church services, media interviews, street parades, fairs, information booths, games, and drama and art competitions.
World Migratory Bird Day is officially the second Saturday of October in the Caribbean and Latin America (October 12th in 2019), but you may celebrate at any time of the year that is convenient to you. Fall migration in September, October, November tends to be the best period as this is when a lot of migrants arrive to the islands or are passing through.
Visit migratorybirdday.organd birdscaribbean.org for ideas on how to celebrate and many free resources. Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more information about the WMBD, to find events in your area, and see an event map on worldmigratorybirday.org and updates throughout the month.
What can we do about plastic?
We know that all the plastic ever manufactured since the 1950s is still with us, in some form or another. Globally, only around 9% of plastic is recycled. According to the Ocean Conservancy, which sponsors International Coastal Cleanups in the Caribbean and around the world, 8 million metric tons of plastic enter our seas annually – adding to the 150 million tons that is already floating around!
Like other parts of the world, the Caribbean has become increasingly aware of the scourge of plastic pollution. Several islands have already moved to ban various forms of plastic as well as Styrofoam, including Antigua & Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and the French-speaking islands—kudos to these countries! Others have plans in place to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the next year or two. Meanwhile, private and government-led plastic recycling programmes have started up. But much more needs to be done.
Plastic pollution ruins our beautiful beaches and coastlines, and blocks drains and gullies. It impacts our own health and lifestyle and hampers economic growth, especially in the tourism sector. What is more, it is harming all kinds of marine life, including endangered Caribbean turtles.
During recent beach cleanups around the Caribbean, non-biodegradable, indigestible plastic has been by far the most common type of trash to be collected from our shorelines, rivers and gullies by local volunteers. Plastic bottles, especially for soda and water, are the most common plastics that end up in our waters and on our beaches, as well as small items such as bottle caps, single-use plastic cutlery and straws and toothbrushes. Electronics (e-waste) of various types is increasingly washing up on our shoreline. Plastic shopping bags are also a great danger to our marine life, including birds.
Killer Trash
Have we thought about how plastic affects our birds? It is estimated that 80% of seabirds and waterbirds have ingested plastic.
“Plastic pollution is a global issue. Here in the Caribbean it is having a major impact, not only on our important tourism product, but also on our fragile environment,” explained festival coordinator Sheylda Diaz Mendez. “Our islands are home to over 170 endemic birds – found nowhere else in the world. Just like our human visitors, the birds that live year-round on our islands need to feel welcome and comfortable in a clean, healthy environment. Solid waste, mostly consisting of plastics, is upsetting the balance of our ecosystems, for birds and for ourselves.”
“The number of seabirds dying as a result of plastic may be as high as one million annually,” said BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Lisa Sorenson. “Many Caribbean birds are eating plastic daily. The pileup of plastic can also hamper nesting, breeding and feeding on land and prevents important habitats such as mangroves and wetlands from flourishing. This year, our volunteer CEBF coordinators will be organizing this spring, to raise awareness about plastics pollution, how you can reduce your use of single use plastic, doing clean-ups and other activities.”
Plastic breaks down into tiny fragments (microplastics), which can be ingested and lead to disease and suffering in birds – as well as in smaller members of the food chain that birds may eat. It can gradually kill a bird, filling its stomach and essentially starving it to death. Plastic bags can choke and smother birds and animals. In the Caribbean, birds often become entangled in plastic fishing nets, lines, and other equipment, causing serious injury or death.
Which birds are particularly impacted by plastic pollution? The twelve bird species selected for the beautiful WMBD poster produced by Environment for the Americas this year have each been negatively affected by plastic, even though their feeding habits and the places where they live are very different. They are the Magellanic Penguin; the Black Skimmer, which feeds by flying low over the waves; the Lesser Scaup, a diving duck; the Chilean Flamingo; the Common Tern; the Northern Fulmar; the Magnificent Frigatebird (which you may see soaring around our coastlines), the splendid Osprey, a fish hawk; the lively Belted Kingfisher; the stately Tricolored Heron; the Killdeer, a shorebird; and the lovely yellow Prothonotary Warbler.
By the way, the gorgeous artwork on this poster is by Arnaldo Toledo Sotolongo, from Santa Clara, Cuba, a BirdsCaribbean member, who works as a scientific illustrator, photographer and designer and volunteers in conservation projects in his free time.
Be the Solution
Plastic is a worldwide epidemic. We need to work together to be the solution, for the sake of our birds and ourselves!
What YOU Can Do to Beat Plastic Pollution:
Use reusable metal bottles for your drinking water.
Travel with your own metal cutlery and use glass or metal storage containers.
Take cloth shopping bags with you to the grocery store.
Try reusable bamboo or metal straws.
Refuse plastic straws or containers in restaurants and stores.
Avoid plastic packaging in food stores as much as possible, including clamshell containers.
Take your plastics to the nearest recycling centre.
Reuse plastic items as much as possible in and around the home.
Host a beach or community cleanup day. Get local companies on board as sponsors. Share your photos.
Get involved! Join a local environmental or community group. Get your neighbours involved, too!
Design art competitions highlighting the problem of plastic trash.
Contact your local environmental group to find out about events on your island, or contact WMBD Coordinator in the Caribbean, Sheylda Diaz-Mendez, to organize an event of your own.
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is a celebration of the thousands of birds that make their way to and fro across the Americas and the Caribbean each year. It was created in 1993 as International Migratory Bird Day, by visionaries at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. In 2007, WMBD found its “forever home” at Environment for the Americas (EFTA), a non-profit organization that connects people to bird conservation through education. Each year a single conservation theme is chosen to help highlight one topic that is important to migratory bird conservation. These educational campaigns have been integrated into numerous programs and events, focusing on topics including the habitats birds need to survive, birds and the ecosystem services they provide, the impacts of climate change on birds, and the laws, acts, and conventions that protect birds, such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Convention on Biodiversity. Click here to learn more.
To raise awareness about the need for bird conservation, volunteer coordinators organize events in the Caribbean in April and May for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) in the spring and WMBD the fall. For much more information about CEBF, WMBD and the 2019 plastics theme, visit www.BirdsCaribbean.org and www.migratorybirdday.org/
It goes without saying that every member of the BirdsCaribbean community deserves recognition for the amount of hard work and dedication they put into their professions—all of which are rooted in the effort to conserve Caribbean birds and their habitats. This is a family that knows long hours, hot days in the field, and perseverance in the face of work that is often unpredictable. It is a family of strong and passionate people.
But at every BirdsCaribbean conference we set aside a special block of time to acknowledge those of us that have managed to go even more above and beyond in a variety of distinguished ways. In the evening of the final day of the conference, all of our conference delegates gather in the largest presentation room. Although everyone is itching to hit the dance floor to celebrate the closing of another successful conference, they know that the Awards Ceremony is not only a ritual, but an important moment to show support for some of their amazing colleagues. We were pleased and proud to honor 12 special persons at our recent conference in Guadeloupe (July 2019) with an award.
Here’s a recap and another shoutout to all of our 2019 Award Winners:
Founders’ Award: This award is presented to the student who presents the best paper in conservation or management research at the biennial conference. All student presentations are judged by members of a Founders’ Award Committee, consisting of ~10 conference delegates and led by Joe Wunderle.
This year’s Founders’ Award went to Christopher Cambrone from Guadeloupe, for his outstanding presentation entitled, “Population genetic structures of two closely-related, Caribbean-endemic Columbid species, the Scaly-naped Pigeon, Patagioenas squamosa, and the White-crowned Pigeon, P. leucocephala.”
This is the fourth year that this award has been presented, but the first time an Honorable Mentions category was instituted (no doubt as a response to there being so many great student presentations, year after year). The two Honorable Mentions include (1) Spencer Schubert and his presentation, “Artificial perches as a technique for enhancing tropical forest restoration: a case study from the central Dominican Republic, and (2) Laura Fidalgo and her presentation, “Characteristics of Elfin-woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae) post-hurricane habitat structure.” More information on these presentations and past winners of the Founders’ Award can be found here.
President’s Awards: There were three particularly special community members that received the President’s Award, hand chosen by BC’s current President, Andrew Dobson. These individuals stand out for services and work they have done that are simply extraordinary, raising the bar to new heights. The winners of the 2019 President’s Awards went to (1) Jennifer Wheeler for all of the blood, sweat, and tears that she relentlessly gives to the BirdsCaribbean organization, (2) Doug Weidemann for 10+ years of devoted service to the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, and (3) Anthony Levesque for being a leader for birds and bird tourism on his home island of Guadeloupe.
Educators Awards: These awards are given jointly by BirdsCaribbean and their partner, Environment for the Americas, to those that have excelled as educators in their communities. With great enthusiasm and energy, these persons have consistently organized fun and creative communities activities for both the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and World Migratory Bird Day. Educators Awards were presented to (1) Andrea Thomen and (2) Hector Andujar, both affiliated with Grupo Jaragua in the Dominican Republic, (3) Ava Tomlinson who works with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in Jamaica, and (4) Kate Wallace (stay tuned for much more on her).
Three organizations were recognized for doing wonderful events and faithfully turning in reports with a gift of 3 pairs of binoculars to their organizations, thanks to the generosity of Joni Ellis and Optics for the Tropics. These were the Environmental Awareness Group of Antigua and Barbuda (Natalya Lawrence and her son Jordan accepting), Les Fruits de Mer of St. Martin (Mark Yokoyama and Jenn Yerkes), and Adrianne Tossas (who leads the Avian Ecology and Conservation Project at the University of Puerto Rico, Aguadillas).
Site Fidelity Award: Have you ever noticed one particular bird that stays year-round on your property, despite all of its flock leaving for periods of time? It’s always there, it’s always singing, and somehow it gets by and is content no matter the season and no matter the weather. Over the years, you come to depend on that bird to be there to brighten your day, and to be your friend. And that bird always does; it never disappoints. There is a special someone in our community that fills that same niche. The Site Fidelity Award is a special award designed to be given only once, in recognition of an individual that has been loyal to and supportive of the BirdsCaribbean family since the very beginning of the society’s existence…since 1988. That amazing person is Joe Wunderle, and we are extremely lucky to have him in this family.
Lifetime Achievement Awards: These are the most prestigious awards, presented to the people in the BirdsCaribbean family that everyone knows and respects for the lifetime amount of work and dedication they have shown to our cause. It goes without saying, that these are remarkable individuals that have helped change the future for Caribbean birds and their habitats for the better. The 2019 Lifetime Achievement Awards went to (1) Kate Wallace, a woman that has served the Caribbean in so many capacities, including Peace Corps volunteer, researcher, naturalist, author, bird guide, educator, and community leader, and (2) Maurice Anselme, Director and longtime leading force behind the many environmental successes of the Parc National de la Guadeloupe.
Although these awards to Kate and Maurice do not include the extensive retirement packages they both deserve, they should each know that across the islands there are hundreds of doors open to them, with loving friends and colleagues waiting inside to welcome them.
So, congratulations again Christopher, Spencer, Laura, Jennifer, Doug, Anthony, Joe, Andrea, Hector, Ava, Kate, and Maurice. . .
You have, without a doubt, earned the recognition!
Photo gallery: Hover over each photo in the gallery to see the caption or click on a photo to view as a slide show.
The Dominican Republic swept the awards this year! Andrea Thomen, Hector Andujar and Kate Wallace of Grupo Jaragua (photo by Yolanda Leon)
Ava Tomlinson, Senior Public Education Community Outreach Officer with the National Environment and Planning Agency (Jamaica) received an Educators Award for the many wonderful events she organizes in different communities in Jamaica (accepted by Ann Sutton). (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Andrea Thomen (center) receives the Educators Award for the strong impact she has made with youth and communities in the Dominican Republic. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Jennifer Wheeler (right) has been a powerhouse for BirdsCaribbean. She fully deserves this President’s Award (and a night off)! (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
The Environmental Awareness Group, represented by Natalya Lawrence, receives recognition and a token of gratitude for organizing wonderful WMBD events and reporting back. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Maurice Anselme (with plaque), the Director of the Parc National de la Guadeloupe, dedicates his Lifetime Achievement Award to all the staff of his national park. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Spencer Schubert (center)) is proud to have received an Honorable Mention Founders’ Award for his graduate work in the Dominican Republic. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Hector Andujar and Andrea Thomen, both with Grupo Jaragua in the Dominican Republic show off their awards after the ceremony. (photo by Yolanda Leon)
Doug Weidemann (second from right) accepts a President’s Award for more than a decade of work he has invested into the Journal of Caribbean of Ornithology. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
The Avian Ecology and Conservation Project, led by Adrianne Tossas, receives recognition and a token of gratitude for organizing wonderful WMBD events and reporting back. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Laura Fidalgo (center) accepts an Honorable Mention Founders’ Award for her work with the Elfin-woods Warbler in Puerto Rico. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines is an innovative new avian field guide by co-authors Juliana Coffey and Alison (Aly) Ollivierre for the Grenadine archipelago shared between the countries of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada in the Eastern Caribbean. This is the first guide to specifically cover these transboundary islands, which are geologically, ecologically, historically, and culturally more similar to one another than to their respective mainland islands (Saint Vincent and Grenada). The book contains:
140+ pages of high-quality photographs of the birds and natural areas of the Grenadines
117 bird profiles with details on identification, diet, habitat, local knowledge, and sightings
14 detailed maps illustrating conservation areas and local toponyms on more than 50 islands and cays
Full chapter of previously undocumented local ecological knowledge, folklore, and prehistoric-to-modern-day human values of birds
To purchase via credit card (more buying options are listed below):
On one fateful rainy day in July 2011, Juliana and Aly met at the airport on Union Island where they had both just moved for work in their respective fields. Not only did they become neighbors, but they quickly became great friends. Early on in their friendship, they saw an opportunity to collaborate on their professional interests and passion for ornithology, cartography and participatory strategies for conservation and management. Both authors have a strong background in community-focused research with Juliana working in co-management and documenting local ecological knowledge amongst indigenous and fisherfolk communities in Canada, Saint Lucia and throughout the Grenadines, and Aly facilitating participatory mapping programs in the transboundary Grenadines and conducting research on participatory mapping in the Caribbean as a whole. Together their shared perspectives on the value of combining scientific with local ecological knowledge made for a perfect partnership.
Juliana and Aly have been living and working throughout the islands intermittently ever since, although not always at the same time or on the same island. Their continued commitment to completing this project allowed the book to be written and designed in all corners of the world—including at sea and remote field camps—as they regularly pursued other opportunities in their careers. They have conducted extensive literature and field research to ensure that this guide is regionally representative of the natural, cultural, and historical contexts of the islands. Local bird names, knowledge, and lore are highlighted throughout the book: compiled through consultation with over 100 stakeholders throughout the Grenadines.
The seven years the authors spent researching and writing Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines is evident in the book—the attention to detail and user-friendly design make the guide a valuable companion for any type of outing in the transboundary Grenadines! Juliana and Aly created this book with the following goals in mind:
serve as a valuable resource for local bird monitors to learn species identification and carry out surveys,
enhance the overall conservation and management of Grenadine resources,
educate the general public, and
be useful to both locals and foreigners with an interest in the avifauna of the region.
They’ve already received great feedback from local environmentalists, casual tourists, bird biologists, government officials and most importantly—the local fisherfolk and resource users who now take pride in seeing their knowledge represented in this publication. If you’re planning a trip to the Grenadines, this book is a must-have.
BirdsCaribbean was honored to officially launch this new and exciting avian field guide in July 2019 at their 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe. Juliana gave a presentation on the local ecological knowledge research that went into the guide which provided additional information to the one Aly had given at the BirdsCaribbean 20th International Conference in Jamaica in 2017. After waiting four years since many of the BirdsCaribbean delegates had first learned about the upcoming book, everyone was excited to share in the celebration of this launch. The guide was especially praised for its skillful combination of scientific and local knowledge as well as its final chapter which focuses on interactions between people and birds in the Grenadines spanning from first occupation by Amerindians to the modern day.
The authors would like to thank everyone who assisted them throughout the duration of this project, including the more than 100 residents and visitors to the Grenadines who took the time to provide local knowledge and lore, and to all of the people that contributed to the crowdfunding and review of the book which made the publication possible. A complete list of acknowledgments is available in the book!
Buy the Book:
Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines can be purchased from BirdsCaribbean with a credit card below, or with a US check or postal money order made payable to BirdsCaribbean and mailed to 841 Worcester Street #130, Natick, MA 01760, USA.
Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines By Juliana Coffey and Alison Ollivierre 142 pages, section sewn softcover (7” x 5”), full color photographs and maps ISBN 978-1-9994585-0-8 Price: US$25 US shipping – $6.95 Canada shipping – $24.95
To purchase via credit card:
Please reach out to Alison Ollivierre if you’re interested in international shipping elsewhere and we can provide a shipping quote.
Books can be purchased within Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada at local businesses, for more information visit: www.grenadinesbirds.com/avian-field-guide
Please also consider helping Juliana and Aly fulfill their goal of getting copies of the books into the hands of all of the schools and relevant community organizations in the transboundary Grenadines! So far, more than one third of the books that have left their hands have been donated. Help them keep up this momentum with any donations that you can.
Interview with the Authors:
How did you first become interested in birds and birding?
Juliana: I first became interested in wildlife in general at a very young age, and at just five years old (even though I couldn’t spell the word “biologist”) I told my family that’s what I wanted to grow up to become. This was likely due to the plethora of stray animals that my parents let me take home and care for, always stating “no more pets!”, but always having room for just one more. When I was sixteen, I officially began my career with birds during a summer internship with a world renowned ornithologist, Dr. Bill Montevecchi, at Memorial University of Newfoundland, and was exposed to both the field research aspect and community outreach.
Aly: I first got excited about birds at an Audubon Youth Camp in rural Vermont in the 1990s when I had the opportunity to mist net and band birds with an ornithologist. I saved up for months for the first edition Sibley field guide, went birding with anyone who would go with me, earned the Girl Scout birding badge, and even competed on a youth team in the World Series of Birding in 2002.
Where did you go from there, did you decide to become ornithologists?
Juliana: I was very fortunate after my internship, that Dr. Montevecchi recognized my passion for wildlife, and decided to keep me involved in his work throughout my undergraduate degree. When I was 18 years old, he sent me to Labrador, Canada, to work in the field with indigenous seabird harvesters. Although I initially expressed that I did not want to work with hunters, his statement that “sometimes hunters are the best conservationists” changed my perspective entirely. After I saw first-hand how skilled and knowledgeable these hunters were, I very quickly became an advocate for traditional ecological knowledge and resource harvesting issues in marginalized communities, and that branched my career in a completely different direction. Since that time, I have always advocated for the consultation of local communities and the documentation of such knowledge that is threatened to be lost in future generations. I focus on seabirds, and as such, I have spent a considerable amount of time at sea and in remote seabird colonies ranging from the Arctic to the Southern Ocean, and working with fisherfolk.
Aly: By the time I got to university I had a hard time choosing between my interests in the hard sciences (environmental science, biology) and social sciences (history, sociology, international studies, political science). When I took my first geography class, I knew that was the perfect field to combine all my passions (think: environmental geography, historical geography, political geography). My career specialties are in participatory mapping and cartography, and while I didn’t become the ornithologist I thought I might be as a kid, I’ve found a really great balance doing conservation work with a geospatial focus.
How did you first end up in the Grenadines?
Juliana: I had been working as a fisheries biologist for a co-management board in an Inuit territory (Nunatsiavut) in northern Labrador and elsewhere in the Arctic. Prior to that I had completed my Masters degree research in Saint Lucia. After departing my job in the north, I wanted to continue in the same field, but gain additional international experience. I applied for a placement through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and was matched with the Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. (SusGren)—a transboundary NGO—in the Grenadines, and worked on implementing multiple grants ranging from research to community outreach.
Aly: After graduating from undergrad and completing an internship at National Geographic, I received a really amazing research fellowship through the Compton Foundation which funded my facilitation of a participatory mapping project I designed to map the important historical, cultural, and ecological heritage sites throughout the transboundary Grenadines to strengthen the countries’ joint application for designation as a mixed (natural and cultural) marine transboundary UNESCO World Heritage site. Through this, I also had the opportunity to work with The Nature Conservancy and SusGren on the marine multi-use zoning plan for the Grenadines. After I finished up my fellowship year, I knew I had to find a way to come back and work in the islands again!
What made you decide to create this field guide?
Juliana: During my career with birds, I always collected and relied on avian field identification guides, that enabled me to effectively do my work. During my bird surveys on Union Island, however, I quickly became aware that there was no field guide for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, nor Grenada, and not even a complete bird list. So, in essence, I needed a bird book for the Grenadines! Through my previous experience in collecting traditional knowledge I also noticed that there was an opportunity to document unwritten information to promote awareness and valuation of birds amongst residents of the Grenadines. I told myself it would be complete in a year. Seven years later, and through my partnership with Aly, it exceeds what I originally envisioned it could be. I could not have completed such an extensive project alone, without Aly’s complementary expertise and commitment. She has had a remarkable patience with me throughout this project since I regularly tell her, “I’m going to sea for a month with no phone or internet – I’ll work on that when I get back”. At times, I was living in a tent and using a generator to charge my computer, so I could have an update to send Aly when I returned from remote field camps.
Aly: This book was Juliana’s brainchild, but I loved the idea and went with her to that first bird meeting she organized back in 2011 when she first floated the idea of a bird book specific to just Union Island! In early 2013 Juliana was still talking about how much she wanted to write this book and I offered to come on board and partner with her to help make it a reality. Given my work with participatory mapping in the Grenadines, I had a lot of knowledge and contacts across all the islands and knew that if we combined our extensive expertise, we could only succeed in making an even better book together!
What was your favorite part about the 7 years you spent working on the book?
Juliana: There have been many wonderful times throughout this project. While sometimes it felt like we may never complete the book, I can say what an honest relief it was to finally send it to the printers, and to personally pick them up at a jetty in Saint Vincent. I am also so honored now to be back in the Grenadines to be able to officially donate copies to fisherfolk, local NGOs, schools and others who either helped us along the way or who have an interest in preserving the birds of the Grenadines. We met a lot of great people along the way, and despite rarely seeing each other, Aly and I have remained best friends and continue to work with each other on other projects.
Aly: My favorite part was definitely when Juliana and I were able to do our local ecological knowledge interviews in 2014. It was really important to us to ensure that we had accurately collected as much local knowledge as we could from each of the Grenadine islands and it was also just a lot of fun to travel around and talk to people about birds with my best friend and our local liaison (aka my now-husband, Vendol Ollivierre).
What work are you still involved with in the Grenadines?
Juliana: Currently I am working as a consultant for Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) on the “Conservation of Key Offshore Island Reserves” in the Grenadines. After 20 years of working with seabirds around the world, and 8 years of coming to the Grenadines, I can say that this is a dream project for me. The seabirds in the Grenadines are present in globally significant numbers, yet are located in remote and inaccessible areas and afforded little attention or protection. I work to bring awareness to the plight of seabirds in this region, train local seabird monitors, promote awareness at all levels of society and, of course, get out to see the birds!
Aly: While I am currently based in the USA and working full-time making maps for National Geographic, I am still actively involved with projects in the Grenadines. I serve on the Board of Directors for We Are Mayreau, Inc., which manages the Mayreau Community Centre; I am an Associate with Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) and assist with the Protecting Seabirds in the Transboundary Grenadines project; and I work for BirdsCaribbean as the Cartographer and the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Project Coordinator. I also freelance as Tombolo Maps & Design and am currently working on a series of wall maps for the transboundary Grenadines!
“There’s really no way to gauge how valuable this experience was for me…As I sat with my new mentor at lunch, the lessons that he was passing on to me had been gained over forty, maybe fifty years of a career. So now it’s my responsibility to take the baton and carry it forward.”
Bradley Watson, a new staff member at the Bahamas National Trust who is working on the Kirtland’s Warbler, was speaking enthusiastically from the recent BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe. At the conference in July, a new Mentorship Program was launched. Bradley’s mentor is Dr. Herbert Raffaele, former chief of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Division of International Conservation, and author of Birds of the West Indies, among other books.
BirdsCaribbean Directors-at-Large Dr. Adrianne Tossas and Dr. Ancilleno Davis had developed the concept of a mentorship program, which they were able to debut at a workshop in Guadeloupe. Its purpose is to further BirdsCaribbean’s goal of building competence in education, conservation, and research in the region. Mentorship is one way of deliberately engaging and supporting the career development of young conservationists and professionals who were born, live, and work in the region. The exchange of information and guidance provided by mentors also helps to spur regional leadership in conservation and avian science.
A few weeks before the conference, delegates were offered a survey to participate in the new program, with 75 responding favorably. Due to the differing backgrounds of respondents, it was challenging to organize them into mentor-mentee pairs, but four main areas were determined to be most useful, based on the responses: conservation management, research, outreach and education, and ecotourism.
A Mentorship Workshop was held on the second day of the Conference to introduce and explain the purpose of the program. Participants spoke up about the needs of mentees in general, and considered ways in which mentoring would be most effective and beneficial. Afterwards, newly-paired mentees and mentors had dinner together. It was a lively meal where they got to know each other and shared information that was of value for both sides of the relationship. What was most exciting to watch was how so many of the pairs remained talking after dinner, late into the night, excited about their new friendships and eager to take advantage of the time they had together in person.
Josmar Marquez, a younger conservationist who works with the group AveZona in Venezuela, was paired with Simon Guerrero, a well-known professor and researcher from the Dominican Republic. “This program has been very enriching for me because it allowed me to discuss my work, specifically my research methodology, with an ornithologist with a different background than mine.” Josmar goes on to highlight how this mentorship program is fitting for a BirdsCaribbean conference; “I was given great advice not only by my mentor, but by so many other Caribbean colleagues surrounding me throughout the week we shared together. Now, together, we will be trying to implement and achieve results by the time we all see each other again at the next BirdsCaribbean conference!”
“It is really exciting that BirdsCaribbean has started a mentorship program,” exclaimed Cartographer and Caribbean Birding Trail Project Coordinator, Aly DeGraff Ollivierre. “It’s such a great way to share our collective knowledge and experiences with each other, and an excellent opportunity to form deeper relationships with our colleagues.””
Jane Håkonsson, a young ornithologist from the Cayman Islands, commented: “BC’s mentorship programme has provided me with a type of personal and professional support I would have otherwise not had access to. The programme has helped me narrow my focus and identify and prioritize developmental steps.”
BirdsCaribbean is extremely grateful to the group of 41 mentors who generously came forward to serve as role models for the new, younger members—offering their time, their valuable insights, and experience. We also thank the 34 mentees that took the initiative to reach out and get involved. These individuals are eager to learn and grow in their role as the new generation of science and conservation professionals.
Bradley Watson says being a mentee has given him a sense of purpose and direction. “I feel a bit of a responsibility,” he emphasizes. “When I look at what everybody else has done [for conservation, as reported at this conference], I know what I need to do, and how important it is.”
In these new-found partnerships, mentors and mentees will be moving forward together with the important mission of Keeping Caribbean birds aloft!
*If you would like to be a mentor or want to be connected with one, don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Email Mentorship Program leaders Adrianne Tossas (agtossas@gmail.com) and Ancilleno Davis (ancillenodavis@gmail.com).
Video of Bradley Watson by Ancilleno Davis.
Special thanks for the conference are due to our major sponsor, Parc National de la Guadeloupe, as well as the Karibea Beach Hotel, Environment Canada, the U.S. Forest Service International Programs, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Para la Naturaleza, The David Webster Charitable Trust, Benjamin Olewine IV, American Bird Conservancy, Caribaea Initiative, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wildside Nature Tours, Optics for the Tropics, Inc., Holbrook Travel, Environment for the Americas, NuStar, the Bermuda Audubon Society, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Vortex Optics, Carefree Birding, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Levesque Birding Enterprise, Amazona, The Friendship Association, Hideaways of Ti Heights, and many private donors and supporters.