The theme for IMBD 2015 is Restore Habitat, Restore Birds.Birds migrate twice each year, once in spring and again in fall. In the Caribbean region, the miracle of bird migrations is celebrated through International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD). IMBD is coordinated throughout the Western Hemisphere by Environment for the Americas (EFTA). In the Caribbean, EFTA works with BirdsCaribbean and other organizations to promote awareness of migratory birds in this region.
The official IMBD date is the second Saturday in May for the U.S. and Canada and the second Saturday in October for Latin America and the Caribbean. Because birds don’t migrate on a single day, Bird Day activities take place year-round, and events are best offered when migratory birds are present.
We are delighted to share information about the 2015 IMBD conservation theme: Restore Habitat, Restore Birds. Loss and degradation of habitat are primary threats to bird populations. The 2015 IMBD theme considers threats, such as urbanization and climate change, and suggests ways to get involved in habitat restoration projects at home, in communities, and further afield. Each habitat illustrated on the 2015 poster provides a colorful view of a few of the places migratory birds seek for nesting, wintering, or as stopover sites during migration using the beautiful work of artist Amelia Hansen.
IMBD is celebrated in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean at protected areas, refuges, parks, museums, schools, zoos, botanical gardens and more. More than 700 events and programs are hosted annually, introducing the public to migratory birds and ways to conserve them.
For coverage of IMBD 2015 in the Caribbean, follow along here on the BirdsCaribbean blog and on the Caribbean Bird Festivals Facebook page. If you are interested in hosting an event contact us and be sure to check out the amazing collection of IMBD resources available online.
BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Dr. Lisa Sorenson, Roshaun “Bay-C” Clarke, and Dr. Ann Sutton. (Photo by Leno Davis)Every two years, bird educators, scientists and conservationists from throughout the Caribbean and beyond gather for BirdsCaribbean’s International Meeting. At this year’s meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, over 220 international and local delegates gathered to share the latest in Caribbean bird science, conservation and education. Birds—Connecting Communities and Conservation was the theme for the meeting, the largest conservation conference held in the entire Caribbean in recent years.
The conference opened with “Jamaica Day — A Celebration of Jamaica’s Unique and Wonderful Birds” which included a dozen presentations about Jamaica’s birds, from the latest research in tracking Jamaican seabird populations to the role of birds in pest control on Blue Mountain coffee farms. The extended look at Jamaica’s birds also included reports on the arrival of the Caribbean Birding Trail program to Jamaica and Jamaica’s historical contribution to ornithology.
The meeting continued with a series of outstanding presentations from famous conservationists, who spoke on a wide range of topics including the importance of involving the community in bird conservation, why it is important to conserve birds, how photography can be used to influence hearts and minds and the importance of habitat restoration for birds and people. Workshop topics focused on capacity building and included fundraising, advocacy and the use of social media.
Other highlights of the meeting included the announcement of the rediscovery of the Black-capped Petrel on the island of Dominica and the launch of a new book: The Endemic Birds of Cuba by Nils Navarro. The week before the conference, 30 children enjoyed a summer camp all about birds at the Hope Zoo, and two dozen Jamaicans were trained as birding guides during the Caribbean Birding Trail’s Jamaica launch.
BirdsCaribbean President Leo Douglas welcomes international delegates from 33 nations. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)“This year was the perfect time to bring the BirdsCaribbean meeting back to Jamaica,” noted BirdsCaribbean President Leo Douglas. “The Blue and John Crow mountains were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site just weeks before the meeting, while the Goat Islands and Portland Bight Protected Area are currently facing the threat of development. At this moment Jamaica is in the spotlight, representing both the irreplaceable value of Caribbean natural heritage and its vulnerability.”
In addition to over 120 presentations, workshops and panel discussions, the delegates enjoyed a variety of field trips to explore Jamaica’s natural areas first-hand. Conference trips visited Hope Gardens, Goat Islands, Cockpit Country, western Portland Bight, Portland, and the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park, amongst other destinations. Many meeting participants were particularly eager to catch a glimpse of some of the 29 bird species endemic to Jamaica that can be seen nowhere else in the world and all expressed their amazement at the richness of Jamaica’s biodiversity and landscape and the warm welcome they received.
Local support was crucial to the success of the meeting, with sponsorships and media support coming from the National Environment and Planning Agency, Knutsford Court Hotel, Sandals Foundation, Carib Cement, Island Car Rental, Jamaica National Building Society, Hope Gardens, Hope Zoo, Jamaica Conservation Development Trust, The Gleaner, BirdLife Jamaica, AV Concepts and LIME. International sponsors included the US Fish and Wildlife Service, US Forest Service International Programs, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Dutch Conservation Nature Alliance, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, International Fund for Animal Welfare, and Anguilla Nature Explorers/Birds in Paradise Tour. The meeting concluded with a banquet and awards ceremony featuring renowned dancehall artist and environmentalist Roshaun “Bay-C” Clarke of the band T.O.K., ending the conference on a musical high note.
A team of scientists from EPIC and Dominica’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries have recorded 968 Diablotin, also known as the Black-capped Petrel, over the mountains of Dominica, a Lesser Antilles island for which the last confirmed date of nesting of that species is 1862. This rare seabird was once abundant on Dominica, but thought to be extirpated in the late 1800s due to overhunting and the introduction of mammalian species. Observations made with radar and supplemented by detection of vocalizations showed large numbers of petrels flying between the sea and potential nest areas in the island’s highest peaks. Details of the expedition are being released at the 20th International Meeting of BirdsCaribbean, taking place now in Kingston, Jamaica.
Adam Brown, Co-Founder and Lead Scientist at EPIC states, “Finding this colony of petrels on Dominica is a real game-changer for Black-capped Petrel conservation. For years we thought the only remaining colonies of petrels were on Hispaniola, where nesting habitat is diminishing at an alarming rate and pressures of human activity are significant. Dominica is an island-nation where nature conservation is a high priority and forests needed by petrels are well protected, so we now have a huge new opportunity to undertake conservation efforts to preserve this imperiled species.”
The 20th International Meeting of BirdsCaribbean begins on Saturday.Over 40 international delegates have already arrived in Kingston, Jamaica for the 20th International Meeting of BirdsCaribbean, which officially kicks off on Saturday. Coverage of the meeting has appeared in local and regional media including the Observer, Repeating Islands and Ornithomedia (Français). Many of the early arrivals will be spending tomorrow at an all-day workshop learning how to prepare bird study skins. Study skins can be used in educational activities, like teaching the different parts of a bird, and they also form the foundation of museum collections around the world used for scientific research.
The meeting includes five days of workshops, presentations and field trips. Approximately 200 delegates from the Caribbean and beyond are attending the meeting. For more information about the meeting, visit the meeting website. Keep an eye on this blog for updates throughout the meeting and watch #Caribbeanbirds, #BirdsCarib2015, and #Caribbeannature on your favorite social media platform.
Training participants practicing their bird identification on Burnt Hill Road in Cockpit Country. Photo by Lisa Sorenson.
Robin Redbreast. Big Tom-Fool. Mountain Witch. Until recently, those were the only names Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training participants would have used for some of Jamaica’s common birds. Now, after having successfully completed the five-day training course, participants know that these birds also have common English names that are recognized internationally by the birding community: Jamaican Tody (Robin Redbreast), Rufous-tailed Flycatcher (Big Tom-Fool) and Crested Quail Dove (Mountain Witch). With this knowledge, the guides can now share stories about Jamaica’s unique birdlife, including how these birds got their local names, for a growing global audience.
The Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Interpretive Guide Training Program was held from 15-19 June in Albert Town, in the parish of Trelawny and the heart of Cockpit Country. Hosted locally by the Southern Trelawny Environmental Agency (STEA), the course was attended by 24 participants—staff from local tour operators, non-profit organizations and independent guides. Jamaica is the second country to receive this training from the CBT, a newly launched project of the regional non-profit organization BirdsCaribbean.
Jamaica itself will play a starring role in the upcoming BirdsCaribbean meeting. Pictured here are the Blue Mountains, recently named a UNESCO world heritage site. (Photo by Ted Eubanks)An enthusiastic group of some 200 scientists, ornithologists, conservationists, students and educators from across the Caribbean and beyond will flock to the vibrant city of Kingston, Jamaica next month. They will attend the 20th International Meeting of BirdsCaribbean at the Knutsford Court Hotel from July 25 – 29, 2015. The theme of the meeting is “Birds—Connecting Communities and Conservation.” Members of the Local Organizing Committee include the Forestry Department, Hope Gardens, Jamaica Conservation Development Trust, Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, BirdLife Jamaica, Windsor Research Centre and others. For registration and other details, go to 2015Meeting.BirdsCaribbean.org
The conference has plenty to offer in an unusually urban setting. By contrast, participants will also venture out on exciting field trips to the Blue Mountains and Cockpit Country among other locations, and bird-watching sessions around Kingston – an opportunity to see some of Jamaica’s 29 remarkable endemic birds, or perhaps all of them!
BirdsCaribbean invites interested members of the public to a special “Jamaica Day” at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Saturday, July 25; and to a fund-raising workshop conducted by Mazarine Treyz (Wild Woman Fundraising) on Tuesday, July 28. Seminars, training workshops and roundtable discussions will enable conference delegates to network and share their research and latest conservation efforts in Jamaica and across the region. Activities will include a pre-conference taxidermy workshop with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; a symposium on Invasive Alien Species and sessions on Event Photography, Seabird Conservation, Forest Endemics, the Ecological Value of Migrants in the Caribbean, and much more. There is a brilliant lineup of keynote speakers and experts from the Caribbean, the U.S., Canada and Europe. A summer camp at Hope Zoo for children from selected schools is also on the calendar.
Do you love taking photographs? A highlight of the meeting will be a Photography Competition, open to all participants eighteen years and over, reflecting the theme of the conference. Full details can be found on the meeting website.
BirdsCaribbean (formerly the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds) is a non-profit organization committed to the conservation of wild birds and their habitats in the insular Caribbean. More than 80,000 local people participate in its programs each year, making it the most broad-based conservation organization in the region. Find “Birds Caribbean” on Facebook and on Twitter @BirdsCaribbean.
Flagship education program BirdSleuth Caribbean was featured in ZiNG magazine.
BirdSleuth Caribbean, one of BirdsCaribbean’s flagship education programs, was featured in the April-June 2015 issue of ZiNG Magazine, the in-flight magazine of the Caribbean airline LIAT. The program uses a bird curriculum—specifically adapted to the Caribbean—to engage kids in science and conservation.
According to BirdsCaribbean Executive Director Lisa Sorenson, “As adults it’s easy to over-complicate things. Kids love being outside, they love interacting with the natural world and we often lose sight of that. We need to harness that enthusiasm and develop it in an active, fun, engaging way. By doing that you make a connection that lasts. That’s what BirdSleuth is all about.”
You can find ZiNG Magazine in the seat pocket in front of you anytime you are on a LIAT flight. You can also download a PDF of the article to learn more. The BirdsCaribbean-LIAT partnership also includes a regular featured called Caribbean BirdWatch which showcases birds and bird conservation on a different Caribbean island in each issue.
Mazarine Treyz is the author of The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising.All of us work very hard to raise funds for our conservation programs—there are never enough funds for urgent projects, much less support to pay the staff that are essential to carry out the work. Many organizations are hanging on by a thread for their very survival. To help YOU to be a stronger and more effective organization, we are excited to announce that we have secured the help of Mazarine Treyz of Wild Woman Fundraising to do a training workshop on fundraising for us.
Mazarine Treyz is the author of The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising, and founder of WildWomanFundraising.com, a popular fundraising resource with 50,000 monthly readers. She also wrote The Wild Woman’s Guide to Social Media, given a 5 star rating by nonprofit About.com. Her latest book, Get the Job! Your Fundraising Career Empowerment Guide, was also given a 5 star review by Nonprofit.About.com. Ms. Treyz has co-founded a nonprofit and worked in fundraising roles for 10 years. She’s raised millions for small, national and international charities via grants, events, sponsorships, crowdfunding, appeals. She’s trained over 10,000 people from 2011-2015 and helped nonprofits raise millions more.
Engaging photography can make it easier to promote your events.
If you ever wished you had better photos to commemorate and promote your conservation and outreach work, you’ll want to attend the event photography workshop at this year’s BirdsCaribbean meeting in Jamaica. It will be a practical, hands-on workshop to help any organization look their best and increase their exposure in traditional and social media through better event photography.
It may be hard to define great event photography, but we know it when we see it: bright, colorful images of busy events with people of all ages and backgrounds engaged and having fun. These are the images that help get your press release featured prominently in the local newspaper and generate positive buzz on social media. They are the hook that grabs visitors when they see your website and the emotional connection that drives sponsorships and donations.
In this workshop, learn how to consistently get great photos at events—from planning to shooting to editing to sharing—whether you are working with a photographer or developing your photo chops in house. The workshop will take you step by step through the process, focused on practical advice that can be implemented by any organization and hands-on practice during the workshop. You can put your new skills immediately to good use by photographing events at the meeting and entering your photos in the BirdsCaribbean Photography Competition.
On December 14, KIDO Foundation incorporated BirdSleuth Caribbean program in Kids with Cameras environmental education activities, initially involving secondary school trainees, who were part of KIDO after school programs since 2012. Since December 2014 they ran 7 sessions of presentations, games and field trips, following BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum, involving more than 70 kids from two secondary and four primary schools in Carriacou. Read more
A yellow warbler on a small island in the Portland Bight Protected Area, Jamaica. (Photo: Robin Moore)Wonderful prizes await participants in the 2015 Digital Photo Contest at BirdsCaribbean’s 20th International Meeting, to take place at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica from July 25 – 29 (Haven’t you registered yet? Well, now is the time!) The contest is open to all photographers (aged 18 years and over), except board members of BirdsCaribbean, the judges of the contest and their immediate families. The contest is open to all participants of the conference regardless of residence or citizenship, so long as the laws of their jurisdiction allow participation.
Contestants will need to take the photographs (and date them!) between the dates of July 18 and August 5, 2015 and during the conference. A range of field trips and early morning bird-watching sessions will provide ample opportunity to see and photograph the diversity of Jamaican birds. Participants should sign up now for mid-conference field trips (on July 27) to the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park (where almost all Jamaica’s endemic bird species live); to the Ramsar Site and Protected Areas of the Port Royal Wetlands and Cays; or to the Portland Bight Protected Area, including Goat Islands and neighboring cays (designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International). There will also be pre- and post-conference trips on offer, showcasing Jamaica’s incredible variety of landscapes, flora and fauna as well as giving a taste of the island’s vibrant culture.
The workshop will provide hands-on training in the preparation, documentation and long-term storage of bird study skins. Participants will actively prepare their own specimen from start to finish. Present guidelines for maintaining and managing a skin collection, how to prepare specimen labels and how best to store study skins to ensure their long-term scientific and educational value (many museums house specimens over 200 years old that are nearly as pristine as when they were prepared).
First Institutional Member in the French Caribbean
Les Fruits de Mer recently became the first institution in the French Caribbean to join BirdsCaribbean.St. Martin’s connection to the regional conservation community just grew a little bit closer. Local non-profit association Les Fruits de Mer recently became the first institutional member of BirdsCaribbean in the French Caribbean. BirdsCaribbean is the largest regional organization devoted to wildlife conservation in the Caribbean. Although the two organizations have been working together for almost two years, joining helps integrate Les Fruits de Mer, St. Martin and the French Caribbean into the regional bird education and conservation community.
“Working with BirdsCaribbean has really helped us have a big impact quickly, even though we’re a young association,” explained Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes. “They’ve provided training and materials developed for the Caribbean that have really enhanced many of our events and educational workshops. Simply being part of something bigger also makes an event more meaningful and interesting to our members and the public.”
Visitors learn about birds with the help of bird study skins at the the Bahamas National Trust CEBF exhibit at the Mall at Marathon in Nassau, Bahamas.From the grand opening of an ornithological center in Puerto Rico to birding by boat at remote cays in the Grenadines, Caribbean birds were celebrated in more ways than ever during the past month. The 14th annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) included dozens of events on over 20 Caribbean islands. This unique festival focuses on the bird species that are endemic to—found only in—the Caribbean. Each year, events organized as a part of this festival reach more than 80,000 participants throughout the region.
This year, the theme of “Restore Habitat, Restore Birds” inspired new activities and direct action to restore habitat on many islands. In St. Martin, over 100 seedlings of the native, but endangered, lignum vitae tree were distributed as part of a heritage tree habitat restoration project. At many events, attendees learned about the special relationships between endemic birds and native plants and trees.
Jamaican Tody by Wendy LeeJoin us for BirdsCaribbean’s 20th International Meeting in Jamaica, home of reggae, amazing birds and biodiversity, from Saturday, July 25th to Wednesday, July 29th (inclusive). The purpose of the meeting is to bring together Caribbean and international wildlife professionals, ornithologists, educators, decision makers, tourism interests, community leaders, students and others to share information and learn about the latest avian research and initiatives to conserve Caribbean birds and their habitats. The meeting will feature exciting keynote speakers, symposia and paper sessions as well as training workshops, round-table discussions, and working group meetings that promote applied conservation and collaboration to solve our shared environmental challenges.
The meeting will be held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston, Jamaica. We have arranged for discounted rooms at the conference hotel; restaurants, shopping and more are located within walking distance. Members of the Local Organizing Committee include the Forestry Department, Hope Gardens, Jamaica Conservation Development Trust, Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation, University of the West Indies, Windsor Research Centre and others.
The theme of the meeting is “Birds—Connecting Communities and Conservation.” In addition to the 5 days of the main conference, there will be wonderful pre- and post conference workshops and field trips (a chance to see all 29 of Jamaica’s endemic birds!), so be sure to save dates on your calendar for several days before and after the conference to participate in some of these events.
Be sure to mark your calendars and plan to attend! Jamaica is an incredibly beautiful country with a wealth of birds, biodiversity and stunning landscapes. You will definitely want to spend time exploring the country and should plan some extra time for this. Plan a holiday with your family or friends before or after the meeting!
20th International Meeting of BirdsCaribbean
New Kingston, Jamaica
25-29 July 2015
Birds—Connecting Communities and Conservation
Read more about the meeting agenda, programs, field trips, and how to register at the meeting web site.
Find the meeting report and other information from BirdsCaribbean’s previous meeting on the Grenada 2013 web site.
How do you CEBF? In The Bahamas, they mounted a Caribbean Endemic Bird Exhibit in a local shopping mall to celebrate and share the five Bahamian endemic bird species, teach about bird conservation and showcase their current bird-related projects: Birdsleuth Caribbean Program, Audubon Bird Tourism Project, TNC Kirtland’s Warbler Project and Discovery Club. Spearheaded by the Bahamas National Trust, they had volunters from the Bird Club of New Providence, Royal Bank Canada, students from Queen College, College of BahamasNassau Christian Academy and CR Walker High Schools and the Proprietor and an employee from Ebiz, a local tech company.
The exhibit directly engaged 1200 people in just one day, and the Bahamas National Trust will be following up this week with those who wanted to learn more about these programs.
The Green-throated Carib hummingbird depends on a steady source of flower nectar to feed herself and her chicks. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)“Restore Habitats, Restore Birds” is the theme for this year’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). At dozens of events throughout the region, participants of all ages will learn how restoring local habitats can benefit the unique birds found only in the Caribbean. Events on many islands will include habitat restoration activities like clean ups and distribution of native tree seedlings for planting.
The festival, now in its 14th year, is led by BirdsCaribbean, the largest organization devoted to wildlife conservation in the Caribbean. The month-long festival includes Caribbean-wide activities beginning today – Earth Day (April 22), through to International Biodiversity Day (May 22), in more than twenty countries. The event celebrates the 150 bird species that are found only in the Caribbean, known as endemics. The highly successful program attracts over 80,000 participants and volunteers each year.
BirdsCaribbean President Leo Douglas.Welcome to the new BirdsCaribbean website!
Twenty years ago, when I became a member of BirdsCaribbean I did not imagine that one day I would be president. However, the things that attracted me to the organization then are very much a part of why I am even more committed to the organization now – BirdsCaribbean is a vibrant international network of members and partners deeply committed to conserving wild birds of the Caribbean and their habitats. My first BirdsCaribbean conference was nothing but life altering. Never had I been surrounded by such a diverse gathering of cultures, languages, academics and non-academics all vested in sound science, education, and capacity building towards creating a region where people appreciate, conserve and benefit from thriving bird populations and ecosystems.
Our programs, such as the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, Caribbean Waterbird Census, West Indian Whistling Duck and Wetlands Program, and International Migratory Bird Day reach more than 100,000 people each year; positively influencing attitudes to conservation, changing people’s lives and contributing to our knowledge of Caribbean birds. We have trained partners from over 30 countries in outreach and education, research and monitoring techniques, sustainable tourism, and habitat conservation. We have raised funds to conserve some of the region’s most threatened species, such as the Grenada Dove, and successfully advocated for greater protection of the region’s birds, such as the West Indian Whistling-Duck and migratory shorebirds.
Caribbean Birdwatch is featured in every issue of Zing magazine.
Our latest Caribbean BirdWatch page in ZiNG magazine – Spring 2014 issue. Read about the fascinating and elusive Masked Duck and birds and birding in beautiful Barbados! Download the PDF.
ZiNG is the complementary magazine from LIAT, the Caribbean Airline.
BirdsCaribbean’s new logo.On October 23, 2013 the Society for the Conservation and Study of Caribbean Birds (SCSCB), the largest single organization devoted to wildlife conservation in the Caribbean, announced the renaming of the organization to “BirdsCaribbean.” The name change reflects the proactive, multi-faceted, and inclusive nature of the organization, which continues in its role of assisting wildlife professionals, educators, and community members throughout the Caribbean in their efforts to understand and conserve birds and their habitats.
The organization also launched a new logo featuring the Bananaquit, a conspicuous and well-known bird common on most islands. “The shorter new name and lively logo reflect our interest in making our organization more accessible and well-known in wider Caribbean society,” commented Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “We need to reach more people and engage them in the wonderful world of birds and our mission to conserve the Caribbean’s rich but threatened natural heritage.” said Sorenson.
