Looking back on 2019, the year provided us with a range of experiences. There was excitement, success, tragedy, and hope. When we reflect on all that we have accomplished this year, in both the good times and the bad, there was one common theme: collaboration. Sometimes it took the form of official partnerships and other times grassroots community efforts. Even fundraising, which was critical for efforts like hurricane relief, is a collaborative process. Here, we review some of the most important moments of the past year and acknowledge and thank all those who collaborated with us to further our mission. We are also grateful to our many members, volunteers, and donors who generously support our work. We have an awesome community!
Celebrating Success & Partnerships
The Cuban contingent! A record 20 Cubans attended, thanks to our generous sponsors! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Keeping Birds Aloft! This was the inspirational theme of our 22nd BirdsCaribbean International Conference held in July. Over 250 delegates from 34 countries grabbed French phrasebooks and headed to the Karibea Beach Hotel in Le Gosier, Guadeloupe. The lively, productive and thought-provoking meeting was organized with our major partners, the Parc National de la Guadeloupe. Keynote speakers, workshops and brainstorming sessions helped participants plan how to engage their communities, combat wildlife trafficking, and address the varied environmental threats facing the Caribbean and its birds. A mentorship program for younger members was launched. (Check out what a few of our sponsored delegates had to say about how they benefited from attending the conference). Despite the profound topics being discussed, participants were upbeat and as would be expected of any Caribbean event, there was dancing on the final night!
At the conference, we were humbled and proud to receive the 2018 Partners in Flight Award. Our Board President Andrew Dobson accepted the award, presented by the U.S. Forest Service, in recognition of BirdsCaribbean relief and recovery work in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
Ceremony celebrating the the opening of the restored Ashton Lagoon.
BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to celebrate the official reopening of the restored Ashton Lagoon, which took place on May 31, 2019. After 13 years of truly challenging work, our partners in the island archipelago between St. Vincent and Grenada – called the Transboundary Grenadines – proudly welcomed supporters and generous donors to Union Island. After a misguided tourism project at the site lay in ruins for 25 years, the neglected wetlands finally have a chance to reawaken. Orisha Joseph and her team at Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. (SusGren) were the stars of the show. Next step: to have the Lagoon and its surroundings designated as a Marine Protected Area.
During the restoration work, BirdsCaribbean organized a highly successful Interpretive Bird Guide Training Workshop on Union Island, empowering citizens from the Grenadines and beyond. In August, the Caribbean Birding Trail’s spectacular new website – https://www.caribbeanbirdingtrail.org – covering more than 150 birding sites in 24 countries, was launched. If you have not already done so, we invite you to explore – both virtually and in person, with our enthusiastic trained guides!
Devastation from Hurricane Dorian
Six Grand Bahama Island Birders carried out the first bird survey of the Eastern End of Grand Bahama Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Left to right – Shelagh Paton-Ash, Delores Kellman, Gena Granger, Bridget David (recorder) and Erika Gates. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Just a few weeks after our conference, we watched with heavy hearts as tragedy of incredible proportions struck the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama. The Category Five Hurricane Dorian, which lingered from September 1 to 3 over these islands, brought death and destruction to many communities, and devastated the landscape.
Immediately, BirdsCaribbean formed a response team to raise funds and deliver supplies. The first tentative forays by our Bahamian partners were subdued and sad, with moments of joy and relief when bird species such as the Bahama Parrot, thought to be badly impacted from the island by the storm, were discovered to be doing okay. As always, severe storms bring strong emotions in their wake – and for conservationists, deep anxiety over whether habitats and birds will eventually recover.
Our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund has raised US$29,000 to date, with less than one month to go. Thanks to our generous supporters, we shipped thousands of pounds of bird seed and hundreds of feeders. We also used funds to help replace equipment the Bahamas National Trust lost during the storm in addition to funding field surveys. Now the questions loom: Did the Bahama Nuthatch population survive? How quickly will the parrots recover? Will the waterbirds return? While there are encouraging signs, the future is still uncertain. There is much work to be done.
Supporting Conservation & Community
Participants of the shorebird conservation workshop on a field trip within Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
This year we also focused on our most vulnerable migratory species, shorebirds. We know these birds are in trouble; this is a global phenomenon. In February, we hosted the International Training WorkshopConserving Caribbean Shorebirds and Their Habitats in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico with 33 enthusiastic participants on “Conserving Caribbean Shorebirds and their Habitats.” Our partners were Manomet and local NGO Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI).
Our Betty Petersen Conservation Fund provided support to finance direct conservation actions for three endangered Caribbean species: The Black-capped Petrel in Haiti, the Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic, and the White-breasted Thrasher in St. Lucia. In all these projects, community involvement (especially youth) has been a key factor. In Haiti, entire farming communities that cultivate lands adjacent to the Petrel’s nesting colonies are pledging to protect these critical breeding areas while in the Dominican Republic, teenagers are volunteering to guard the hawks’ nests. This work would not be possible without the many generous donations to the Betty Fund.
Children in the Dominican Republic learn to celebrate their endemic raptor with the new Ridgeway’s Hawk brochure. (photo by Marta Curti)
Meanwhile, our dedicated citizen scientists have been hard at work again. Global Big Day was – well, really big. 846 checklists were posted on May 4 – over twenty percent more than in 2018. The Bahamas ran away with the top number of species this time – 138. Runners up were Puerto Rico and third-place Cuba were not far behind. In all, eighty percent of the Caribbean’s endemics were spotted in just one day. BirdsCaribbean is proud of its partnership with eBird through our portal eBird Caribbean. Have you downloaded the free mobile app? Every bird counts!
In 2019 we all learned how to protect birds by becoming the solution to plastic pollution. This was a hugely popular theme for the Caribbean region, which witnesses daily the scourge of plastic pollution and its harmful impacts on birds. Dozens of coordinators organized many events related to this theme for our annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival in spring and World Migratory Bird Day celebrations in fall, including beach and wetland clean-ups, raising awareness about the issue and how plastic pollution harms us and wildlife, and how to personally reduce your use of plastic. Many Caribbean countries are leading the way with this global problem by banning plastic bags, plastic straws, and styrofoam. And, we continue to train and empower local educators so that they can develop the next generation of bird conservationists and environmental stewards – watch this inspiring short story from one of our star educators, Natalya Lawrence.
Creative use of plastic waste to make bird feeders! St. Croix Environmental Association WMBD event. (photo by Jen Valiulis)
Finally, there were lessons learned (or re-learned) in 2019. In the face of climate change, Caribbean islands must build greater resilience, especially along their vulnerable coastlines. The restoration of wildlife habitat is critical. So is the sustained and determined protection of our most endangered bird species, including migratory birds, in the face of encroaching human development. But we cannot do it alone. We need the support and the active participation of the communities where birds live – and we need you!
Then, and only then, will Caribbean residents – humans, birds, and wildlife in general – truly thrive, and continue to thrive in the future.
Our sincere gratitude to all of our donors and funding agencies for your generous support in 2019, which allowed us to carry out the work highlighted above, and much more! And a big thanks to all of our awesome partners, members, and volunteers for your dedication and hard work. You all inspire us every day!!!
Bananaquit by Aslam I. Castellan Maure. This unique shot of our logo bird won an Honorable Mention in our 2019 Photography Contest.
New twin suspension bridges over breached gaps in failed marina causeway in the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
The local non-profit conservation organization Sustainable Grenadines (SusGren) welcomed guests to the lagoon’s (re)birthday celebration at its welcoming eco-friendly building on Union Island in the Grenadines on May 31, 2019. The building adjoins Ashton Lagoon, the largest natural bay and mangrove ecosystem in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This area was legally designated a Conservation Area in 1987 and named as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International in 2008.
The story of Ashton Lagoon is worthy of honor and rejoicing, far and wide. The birthday party guests wore beaming smiles.
After 13 years of diligent work, SusGren, supported by its national and international partners, has succeeded in restoring the lagoon—not only for the well-being of the marine and bird life, but also for that of future generations of Union Islanders. Now it is transformed, blossoming into a beautiful place in which to learn, observe, and enjoy the bounties of nature.
Orisha Joseph, Sustainable Grenadines Executive Director, welcomes everyone to the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project Unveiling event on May 31st, 2019. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
As the King said in “Alice in Wonderland,” it’s best to begin at the beginning. The tale of Ashton Lagoon began some 25 years ago, in 1994. That year marked its decline—the moment when an overseas investor said: “Let’s build a golf course over the mangroves. Let’s build a marina for 300 boats!” as Joseph described it. A causeway was to join Frigate Rock to Union Island.
Map of Union Island ecosystems prior to the Ashton Marina Project and the airport runway extension (Map by Price & Price, 1998)
The following year, the investor went bankrupt. The project was abandoned, but the damage had already been done. Joseph described the development as a “catastrophe.” The causeway and marina berths, constructed from metal sheet piles and dredged coral, blocked the circulation of water, causing immense harm to the mangroves, reefs, and seagrass.
Thereafter, Ashton Lagoon languished. With its stagnant green waters and its degraded mangrove forest, locals—including fisherfolk who passed through to their fishing grounds—shunned it. It became a lonely place, Joseph recounted during her presentation in Guadeloupe (which you can watch below!).
But hope appeared on the horizon. In 2004, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean Lisa Sorenson visited Union Island to deliver a Wetlands Education Training Workshop. The group took a field trip to the damaged lagoon and learned about the heartbreak residents and fishers felt living with the eyesore of the abandoned and algae-filled lagoon. Sorenson began work to raise funds, and in 2007, thanks to support from the USFWS, SusGren and BirdsCaribbean held a 3-day Participatory Planning Workshop with local stakeholders. All agreed (including, thankfully, donors) that something must be done. But wasn’t this a Herculean task?
An aerial view of Ashton Lagoon in 2004 shows how the failed marina disrupted the natural water flow. Impacts included stagnant polluted water in the lagoon and marked declines in marine life and the health of the mangrove. (Photo by Michele Kading)
Yes, it was. The Restoration Project was a tough, complex undertaking, not for the faint-hearted. Initially, stakeholders developed a vision for the management and sustainable use of the area, and wrote funding proposals. Surveys and monitoring of the ecologically sensitive area were conducted. And then, there were the engineering issues to be resolved. Joseph reserved special appreciation for the man she called her “miracle worker,” Ian Roberts, Engineer/ Works Supervisor for the restoration.
Joseph emphasized that, apart from the onerous technical issues that besieged them (how to deal with those horrible metal piles?) another challenge was a less “concrete” one: How to keep the local community engaged and interested. They were impatient and SusGren’s credibility and reputation were at stake on this small island with a population of 3,500.
The group went through a funding crisis in 2014—one that Joseph looked back on with wry humor. In 2016, when the funds began to work out, the project’s three broad objectives were refined. These were to restore the ecosystem; to strengthen the community’s resilience to climate change, for its economic benefit; and to increase environmental awareness.
In 2018, the water began to flow again. The “miracle workers” had created some breaches in the marina’s piles for it to flow through …after 24 years. “The lagoon said, ‘I can breathe again!’” laughed Joseph.
There followed a frantic period of activity, as SusGren worked on several projects simultaneously. The mangroves were flooded with new water and circulation in the lagoon restored through strategic breaches and culverts in the causeway and marina berths. Two bird towers were built (one named after Lisa Sorenson’s favorite seabird, the Royal Tern). The Interpretive Centre was built and some moorings at Frigate Island were created. A nursery of 3,000 red mangroves was created; the seedlings, donated by the Grenada Department of Forestry. They were planted using bamboo, rather than PVC. A community-owned apiculture and honey production enterprise started up (“bees like black mangroves,” noted Joseph).
Approximately 3,000 red mangroves seedlings were replanted in the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
There are also two bridges. After the marina causeway and berths were breached in several places to allow the water to flow freely, the bridges were needed to provide access to the whole causeway—a part of which had been washed away by storms—as a place to walk and watch birds and wildlife. Now, the marina berths are turning into “little islets” with mangroves and other vegetation—growing well and providing a roosting place for birds and habitat for other wildlife.
Hon. Camilo Gonsalves (Minister of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology) and Hon. Saboto Ceasar (Minister of Agriculture, Industry, Forestry, Fisheries, and Rural Transformation) on the suspension bridge at Ashton Lagoon at the May 31st Restoration Unveiling event. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.).
Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, Lisa Sorenson felt a great emotional investment in the project. “I could not stop smiling at the launch!” she confessed. “We are so proud of SusGren, their local partners and the donors for persevering with the project. This is a shining example of what can be done, with vision and determination, to right an environmental wrong that occurred many years ago. SusGren did not give up on Ashton Lagoon. Now it is a wonderful place for people—and birds—to visit. An American Flamingo showed up there recently, for the first time!”
BirdsCaribbean continues to provide support for clean-up activities, tree planting and additional signs for the bird towers.
Importantly, members of the public are using the Lagoon Eco Trail, including schoolchildren and teachers, eager to learn. In July, Danny’s Summer School on Union Island went birding at the Lagoon, identifying birds and exploring the trail. “This is what brings me most joy,” admits Orisha Joseph. Those years walking round the lonely lagoon with a colleague are gone. Now, at last, it is appreciated by local people. Non-motorized recreational activities have begun to take off. Kite surfing is booming!
Sustainable Grenadines, Inc. Junior Rangers visit to the Ashton Lagoon Trail. Students poses with Hon. Camillo Gonsalves, Dr. Lisa Sorenson, and Mr. Herman Belmar (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
World Migratory Bird Day monitoring with the Stephanie Browne Primary School students and teachers. The students pose with bird ID cards outside of SusGren’s new headquarters at the lagoon. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.).
Of course, more work remains to be done. SusGren and its partners now face a number of new and different challenges. They had not quite been prepared for a sudden flood of publicity (for example, in the Caribbean Compass yachting magazine) and the thousands of “likes” on social media. “We were even featured in the phone book!” said Joseph, with a hearty laugh.
Ashton Lagoon on Caribbean Compass cover
The Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project is still lobbying the Governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada—not only for funds, but to have the lagoon properly gazetted as a Marine Protected Area. On the ground, SusGren is tackling such issues as an invasion of cattle in the mangroves during the “let-go season” and management of vehicles. While increasing bird habitat, the organization wants to encourage community involvement that is orderly, and above all sustainable.
Kristy Shortte, SusGren Program Officer, conducts Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) bird monitoring from the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Birding Tower (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Now, the tides are flowing again in the lagoon, and the jewel-like waters, turquoise and opal, are clear and free. The mangroves are busy with bird life. Marine life is thriving. Pedestrian and boat access has been opened up.
Residents of Union Island visiting Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
In some ways, the story of Ashton Lagoon is almost like a Hollywood plot: disasters, disappointments, struggle and ultimately a sense of triumph. The less glamorous sub-plot is the sheer hard work and determination to see the project through, tackling red tape and unexpected obstacles, worrying about funding. It is the story of many conservation non-profits across the region.
The story of Ashton Lagoon has a happy ending—but actually it has not ended. Ashton Lagoon is cared for, again. It has a bright future, for wildlife and for people.
Supporters of the Ashton Lagoon Project at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project Unveiling event on May 31st, 2019. (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Partners and supporters of the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project included:BirdsCaribbean; the Phillip Stephenson Foundation; The Nature Conservancy (TNC); the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Caribbean Marine Biodiversity Program (CMBP); the German Development Bank (KFW) through the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5C’s); the Global Environment Facility–Small Grants Program (GEF-SGP); US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund, the St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Trust; Global Coral Reef Alliance; AvianEyes; Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and Education; Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries and Industry; Construction Logistics, Inc.; Ministry of National Security, Lands and Survey Department; National Properties Limited; National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority; Grenadines Partnership Fund; University of New Hampshire; Union Island Environmental Attackers; Union Island Tourism Board; Union Island Association for Ecological Preservation (UIAEP); Union Island Ecotourism Movement, and others.
We invite you to enjoy the gallery of photos below. Hover over each photo to see the caption or click on the first photo to see a slide show.
Green Heron (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Cinders Creative Nest Preschool visit to the Ashton Lagoon area (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors from Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO) (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
1st Birding tower from the entrance, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Tower (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Drone Shot of the Entrance to the Ashton Lagoon Trail (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)
Brief remarks by Mr. Joaquin Monserrat, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy of Barbados, Eastern Caribbean and the OECS. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon. (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 the rejuvenating Ashton Marina (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of mangroves and suspension bridges in the distance from the Royal Tern Observation Tower. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Ruddy Turnstone (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Kristy Shortte, SusGren Program Coordinator, conducting Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) bird counts (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Directional Signs along the Trail (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.)
Yachts Anchored at Frigate Rock using SusGren mooring services (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.)
Mangrove Sign (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
One of the interpretive signs along the trail.
Humorous Signs Found in Ashton Lagoon (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).
Royal Terns on remains of Ashton Marina (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Ian Roberts, Engineer/ Works Supervisor, and Orisha Joseph on one of the suspension bridges that Mr. Roberts designed. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Everyone is excited about the new bridges! Hon. Saboto Ceasar, Orisha Joseph, and Dr. Lisa Sorenson (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Tropical Mockingbird (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Mr. Edwin Snagg – Director Grenadine Affairs delivering brief remarks (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.)
Like mother, like son, birding in the Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Shorebirds enjoying the peace of Ashton Lagoon (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.)
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.)
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).
Swales from the Entrance (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)
Migratory shorebirds now find great wintering habitat in the newly restored lagoon, mangroves and salt pond. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc)
Mermaid sign and mermaid on trail. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Many more shorebirds use the lagoon since it has been restored (photo by Sustainable Grenadines Inc.)
A Whimbrel, a migratory shorebird, visits Ashton Lagoon. (photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
View of suspension bridges and Union Island. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Alex Smith- SusGren Junior Ranger participating in the planting of mangrove seedlings project in 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.)
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.)
Students from Stephanie Browne Primary School on World Migratory Bird Day, October 2019 (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Wallets rest in the protected waters of the Ashton Lagoon mangroves. (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.)
Grenada Flycatchers are found only in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. (Photo by Ted Eubanks)
View of the marina berth islets and Union Island from the Twin Bridges (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Manchineel Tree warning sign – although poisonous to humans, the Manchineel tree is a valuable food tree for birds. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Visitors from Caribbean Tourism Authority (CTO) (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors on the Swing Bridges Following the Official Launch Ceremony for the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
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.
Signs at the Entrance of 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.)
Richmond Vale Academy, St Vincent- Visit to the Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
American Flamingo spotted at Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Students from Stephanie Browne Primary School enjoy bird watching on World Migratory Bird Day 2019 (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Panoramic view from the second floor of SusGren’s new headquarters at the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Unveiling Ceremony, May 31, 2019. (photo Lisa Sorenson)
Educational signs found in Ashton Lagoon (Photo by Sustainable Grenadines, Inc.)
Visitors to 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)
Jim Wiley crossing the Mameyes River, in flood, en route to a Puerto Rican Parrot nesting area in 1978. (photo by Noel Snyder)
In 1988, Dr. James (Jim) W. Wiley conceived and published the first issue of El Pitirre, a newsletter for the Society for the Study of Caribbean Ornithology (now BirdsCaribbean). He went on to serve as Editor-in-Chief for the first 17 volumes—an incredible feat—and in the process, grew the newsletter into a peer-reviewed research journal well-respected across the Caribbean.
Volume 16 (2003) marked the end of the El Pitirre name and the birth of Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. 2004 would mark Wiley’s final year, wrapping up his tenure with Volume 17. Dr. Jerome (Jerry) A. Jackson tagged in as a co-Editor-in-Chief with Dr. Floyd Hayes for Volume 18 (2005), with Floyd taking the reins from there. In 2006, Martín Acosta Cruz came aboard as co-Editor-in-Chief, overseeing manuscripts coming out of Cuba. Two years later, Floyd recruited Douglas Weidemann, a biology student out of Pacific Union College, to serve as an Editorial Assistant. Doug has been with the journal ever since and is the only member of our current staff who was there to watch JCO transition from paper to the digital world in 2014. In his 11+ year tenure, Doug has been instrumental in keeping JCO moving forward as the leading ornithological publication in the Caribbean.
A photo of Doug Weidemann getting ready to mail out a new issue of JCO in 2010. Licking shut all 300+ envelopes is a memory that still wakes Doug up at night. (photo by Floyd Hayes)
Floyd and Martín would continue serving as Editors-in-Chief for the next eight volumes of JCO. In 2014 (Volume 27), Dr. Jason Townsend stepped into the Editor-in-Chief position, and shepherded JCO into a productive chapter that included transitioning the journal to open-access and onto an online academic publishing site, as well as growing the JCO team with new staff and new positions. When Jason created and advertised a Managing Editor position in 2016, I jumped at the opportunity to become involved, and have spent the last four years helping expand the journal’s publication capacity and improving timeliness of publication. We have worked hard at creating a bigger and more unified team, and that has made all the difference.
GETTING THE JOB DONE (if only you could claim blood, sweat, and tears as tax deductions)
More staff has ultimately afforded JCO more bandwidth to tackle some big, lingering side projects. One of those has been the ongoing project (3+ years) of completing the JCO Archives—a digitized, free, and open-access collection of every publication from every volume and issue dating back to Wiley’s Volume 1, Issue 1 in 1988.
The completion of the JCO Archives is owed to the hard work of MANY individuals, including Tristan Leisten, Zoya Buckmire, and Alex Sansom, to name a few. Thank you also to all of the great photographers who have allowed us to use their photographs for volume and issue covers:
Tanya Martinez, Zoya Buckmire, Charles D Peters, Eric Hynes, Juliana Coffey, Richard Briones, Amonie Holas, Gloria Achilla, Susan Jacobson, Jessie Pitt, Dave Irving, Rafy Rodriguez, Adam Toussaint, David Hollie, Pedro G. Rodriguez, Kenneth Butler, Jose M. Panteleon, Dax Roman, Aslam Ibrahim Castellon, Anthony Levesque, Claude Fletcher, Aaron Budgor, Pericles Brea, Adam Stinton. Ray Robles, Raphael Kopan, George Armistead, Wilfred Marissen, Ernesto Burgos, Gary Graves, Engie, Jonathan Liddell, Leticia Soares, Eladio Fernandez, Justin Proctor, Bruce Hallett, Carel P. de Haseth, Miguel A. Landestoy, Andre/Keila Dhondt, Kim Novino, Rafy Rodriguez, Rafael Arvelo, M. R. Paice, David Jones, Jamie Adams, Hubert Askanas, Pascal Villard, Matthew Johnson, Wolde Kristos, Sean Rune, Greg Homel, D. Belasco, and Michael J. Good.
So with open arms and big smiles on our faces, all of us at JCO welcome you to come and take a look through the new Archives. I may be a bit biased, but I think they look pretty darn good!
DIGGING INTO THE ARCHIVES (sit back, relax, and stay awhile!)
Readers be advised—you’ll notice that there are some differences between our cataloging of newer versus older volumes. Although we tried to keep the presentation of articles and their metadata consistent across all 32 volumes, as we worked our way back in time, older publications introduced new challenges. Early volumes of El Pitirre were organized much differently and contained different types of content. Parsing out each bulletin or announcement was essentially impossible, and so in those cases we have “lumped” some entries together into one downloadable PDF. But we still wanted you to be able to clearly see every major entry within a volume, and so we have conveniently displayed all titles and authors at the top of the page. We’ve also included downloadable PDFs for each of the El Pitirre volumes and issues so that you can have them in their entirety should you wish.
We hope you’ll enjoy strolling down memory lane as much as we have. Please take your time and enjoy reading back through 31 years of priceless contributions to Caribbean ornithology. And don’t forget to swing by the Archives whenever you’re working on a new manuscript. They contain decades of great science that might help shape your own!
Sincerely,
Justin Proctor
JCO Managing Editor
P.S. We’ve done our best to ensure accuracy across everything you’ll find in the Archives, but there is always the possibility that we missed something. If you find an error that needs correcting, please reach out and let me know (justin.proctor@birdscaribbean.org). However, there’s one thing that we definitely didn’t miss, and that’s the “winking” Gray Kingbird in the logo of El Pitirre’s third issue. Interestingly enough, it only winked for that one issue…
P.P.S. The JCO is proud to continue fulfilling our mission of commitment to giving a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their hard work. Our journal has some great momentum underway right now, but we do need help to cover our operating costs as we grow our team, offer more development resources to our authors, keep the journal free and open-access, and continue to improve our submission to publication time. Please consider supporting Caribbean science and the dissemination of that knowledge through a donation to the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. From all of us at JCO, we thank you for your support.
The Avalon is setting sail again this May for important shorebird and seabird conservation and research – join us! The mission is a continuation of on-the-ground protective and restorative measures to limit human-caused disturbance and control invasive Australian pine at key shorebird and seabird sites in The Bahamas with support from Conservian, BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, and partners.
Volunteers Needed!
Our days will be filled with much adventure aboard the 75ft schooner “Avalon”. (Photo by Margo Zdravkovic)
We need your help to protect beach-nesting birds, nests and young. Conservian is seeking a weekly crew of 10 enthusiastic volunteers for our Bahamas shorebird habitat conservation project in May 2020 aboard our 75ft research schooner. Crews fly to the Bahamas each week to designated airports for shuttle transport to schooner. All trips include bunk, onboard meals, water, & ground transportation associated with project. Trip cost is is $1,750 per person/per week. Please see website for more information at Coastalbird.org A valid passport is required. Airfare & insurance are not included.
This is a wonderful opportunity to gain field experience and shorebird ID skills or simply a once in a lifetime experience! In 2018, BirdsCaribbean’s own Jennifer Wheeler joined the trip. Read all about her amazing adventures here. And check out an article by Margo about one of the past expeditions.
May 2020 Expedition Dates & Locations:
Please note our ports of call were not impacted by Hurricane Dorian. All islands on the 2020 itinerary were unaffected.
American Oystercatcher with young (Photo by J. Gray)
Choose one week or more! Each week includes 7 nights aboard the schooner
Week 1: May 3-10 – Ambergris Cay, Joulter Cays & S. Andros (Nassau Int Apt)
Week 2: May 10-17 – Exumas & Great Exuma (Nassau Int Apt/Exuma Int. Apt)
Week 3: May 17-24 – Cat Island, Little San Salvador, Eleuthera (Exuma Int. Apt/Nassau Int. Apt)
Project Crew Activities:
Protect, post & sign shorebird & seabird sites
Collect new data on nesting shorebirds, seabirds & habitat
Locate & protect shorebird & seabird nests & downy young
Control invasive Australian pine on beach habitats (select trips)
Work with local volunteers to accomplish the above goals
Snorkel reefs in gin clear waters
Learn sailing crew skills
Fish for dinner-catch of the day!
To join our conservation pirate crew please contact Margo Zdravkovic at MargoZ@Coastalbird.org Go to Coastalbird.org for more information on our 2020 expedition and Conservian’s coastal bird conservation work.
Aerial photo of prime shorebird habitat on Andros.
IMPORTANT: Applicants must be responsible, adventurous, in good physical condition, enjoy working in teams, and be capable of walking several miles during warm weather on Bahamas beaches. Applicants must be comfortable living communally onboard a schooner for a week and riding in small boats to access survey sites.
Bahama Parrots trying to find fruit to eat in a Gumbo Limbo tree stripped bare from Hurricane Dorian, Abaco Beach Club. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
It is almost two months since a Category Five Hurricane named Dorian completely devastated the islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco from September 1 to 3. Here is what has been happening since BirdsCaribbean sent out an online appeal for emergency funding to help birds and restore habitats on these islands. If you have not already done so, please consider donating even a small amount. There is much work still to be done, and Bahamian birds and nature will be grateful!
Still a Long Way to Go
Media reports have made it clear: life has by no means returned to normal on the islands. Many lives have been lost. Many residents have lost everything and are homeless. A large number have left the islands to seek a new life elsewhere.
Meanwhile, what needs to be taken into consideration, as rebuilding starts? This is up for debate. At BirdsCaribbean, when the time comes we hope that reconstruction will take place on an equitable basis, taking into account the need for coastal resiliency and habitat restoration. In other words, the environment takes priority.
What We Have Done So Far
Nectar feeders (400) and nectar concentrate have reached Grand Bahama and are being distributed to help birds during this post-hurricane food shortage period.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we are pleased to report that contributions are going directly to restoration and long-term planning efforts across both islands. As we reported in our first update, 2,000 pounds of bird seed, 300 tube seed feeders, 400 nectar feeders, and nectar concentrate (enough to make 1,900 gallons) are currently being distributed in Grand Bahama (items are also been sent to Abaco). We will be sharing an update on which communities received supplies and the results of the feeding effort shortly. See a photo essay report on the first bird survey conducted on the East End of Grand Bahama on October 3rd, one month after Hurricane Dorian lingered over the area for 3 full days.
We also reached out to our valued partners at Bahamas National Trust (BNT) with essential new equipment. These include cameras, binoculars, a drone, iPad, GPS equipment, rangefinders, compasses, backpacks and other equipment vital for field survey work.
Our Partners Have Been Out in the Field
Thanks to generous donors, we were able to supply Bahamas National Trust with field equipment needed to carry out post-Hurricane Dorian field surveys. (photo by Scott Johnson)
Armed with the equipment they received from BirdsCaribbean, our colleagues at BNT did not waste any time. They went straight out into the field to assess the impacts of the storm on wildlife. Your support is helping to cover the cost of Rapid Assessment Field studies. A team from BNT and Audubon Florida just completed an initial 5-day survey of Abaco focused on the Bahama Parrot (also known as the Abaco Parrot) and its habitat.
Our partners found that conditions on the island of Abaco varied widely. In southern Abaco, both humans and birds appeared to be recovering and spirits were positive. Life was going on, homes were in relatively good condition, stores and bars were open and a fuel station at Sandy Point was open for business. Common bird species such as House Sparrows and Cuban Pewees appeared unaffected by the storm’s impact.
The northern part of the island painted a very different picture – a very sad picture. Many trees and buildings were destroyed. Older trees had lost their leaves or were severely damaged, losing limbs and bark. They were just beginning to sprout small leaves and shoots.
Getting Down to Work
Abaco Field Survey Team (left to right): Caroline Stahala, Bradley Watson, Giselle Dean, and Ancilleno Davis
The team got organized. They divided up tasks, in order to get as much done as possible in a short space of time.
Abaco Parrot researcher Caroline Stahala Walker (Audubon) and Bradley Watson (BNT Science Officer) worked on vegetation surveys. Occasionally, they were joined by David Knowles (BNT, Chief Park Warden, Abaco National Park), who had lost his own home in the hurricane, but is still continuing to work; along with Marcus Davis, the BNT Deputy Park Warden, whose home further south remained intact.
Giselle Deane (BNT Assistant Science Officer) and Ancilleno Davis (Blue Lagoon Island and BirdsCaribbean Board member) collected the bird survey data using the binoculars and rangefinders BirdsCaribbean was able to provide, thanks to the emergency funds raised. Visual records are vitally important. Bradley Watson used his new camera provided by BirdsCaribbean to take plenty of photograph of birds, plants, and habitats throughout.
Will Abaco’s Parrots Recover?
Bahama Parrots foraging on the ground; normally they feed only in the trees but their fruit trees have been stripped bare of food. Feeding on the ground has made the parrots vulnerable to predation by cats (seen hunting nearby). The team set up feeding stations to help the parrots survive during this critical period of food shortages. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
It was disturbing to see the birds foraging in the dirt for fallen fruit at a resort development in central Abaco, while a cat prowled around nearby. The parrots’ usual habit is to only eat the freshest fruit directly from the trees, dropping small portions on the ground. Abaco’s population of the Bahama Parrot is also especially vulnerable since they nest in rock cavities on the ground.
But all is not lost. The team found small flocks of Bahama Parrots flying in Abaco. They are making themselves heard again across the island. The team put out supplemental food stations, to help the parrots survive during this critical period of food shortages.
It’s not clear, however, whether prospects for the parrots are encouraging in the long term. This is because the destruction of large parts of the birds’ habitat in central and northern Abaco means that food will remain in short supply. While the researchers remain cautiously optimistic, it is clear that a much wider effort to restore foraging habitat will be needed to help sustain the parrot population year-round and outside of the breeding season, which is May/June.
A Mixed Picture
The survey team will soon be releasing a full report on their findings on Abaco. There is much more work to be done, and the post-hurricane period is critical for the welfare of the birds and indeed all wildlife on these devastated islands.
Meanwhile, human residents are still picking up the pieces – in some cases literally – and many challenges remain.
PHOTO GALLERY – Hover over each photo to see the caption, to see a slide show click on the first photo.
Sincere thanks to all who have donated so generously to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund! We will continue provide updates on our work to help restore birds and habitats and help local partners like the Bahamas National Trust with recovery work on Abaco and Grand Bahama.
Field survey team on Abaco (left to right): Ancilleno Davis, Giselle Dean, Bradley Watson and Caroline Stahala (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
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)
Bradley Watson (BNT) made good use of his new camera on Abaco, documenting birds, plant specimens and habitats on the recent post-Dorian Abaco survey trip. (photo by Ancilleno Davis)
Scott Johnson with his new binoculars, GPS and backpack. (photo by Bradley Watson)
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.
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)
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’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)
Giselle Dean, BNT Science Officer, ready for field work with her new equipment. (photo by Bradley Watson)
Giselle Dean practices using her new compass. (photo by Bradley Watson)
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)
Join Martha Cartwright and her five birding companions on their intrepid journey to the East End of Grand Bahama (GB) Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Their mission was to check on the status of the birds and habitats devastated by this monstrous Category 5 Hurricane. Martha paints a vivid and sobering picture of the “new normal” on GB for people and nature in the early stages of recovery.
I love birding on Grand Bahama, and I have a sweet spot in my heart for birding on the east end of the island. One highway runs from Freeport eastwards, but to call it a “highway” is a misnomer. It is two simple lanes, often potted with holes, and lightly traveled. It can be tedious, this road: mile after mile of Caribbean Pine trees and “bush” (our word for the native Thatch Palms, bushes, Century Plants, vines and orchids that grow under the pine trees). After rains there are usually pockets of standing water along the road; but there is never enough elevation to glimpse the beauty of the ocean, paralleling the road just off in the distance, nor the wetlands that are a hidden haven for birds of all kinds.
To love birding the east end, one has to learn to wait, to walk along unpaved trails in the pines, along miles of pristine beaches, around mangrove swamps…And let the birds slowly reveal themselves.
Six Grand Bahama Island Birders carried out the first bird survey of the Eastern End of Grand Bahama Island one month after Hurricane Dorian. Left to right – Shelagh Paton-Ash, Delores Kellman (BirdsCaribbean’s Administrative Assistant), Gena Granger, Bridget Davis (recorder) and Erika Gates (our leader and driver). We’re smiling for the camera, but we were not a happy group. I’m behind the camera, just where I like to be. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Three Days of Fear and Waiting
It was this same East End of the island that took the brunt of Hurricane Dorian, that slow-moving storm whose feeder bands we started feeling Sunday and who, if we were lucky enough to keep our houses, kept us inside until Tuesday.
From September 1 to September 3, for those three days, the world had been watching in awe and anguish the videos coming out of Abaco and Grand Bahama Island. Friends and family all over the world held their breaths, waiting with troubled hearts to hear that their loved ones had survived, waiting to hear if their homes were intact. For many of us in or near the storm without power, internet or cell service for weeks, realization of the devastation came in dribs and drabs. For me, the terrible news came mostly through conversations and shared stories, over the fence, waiting in lines, driving around or walking over debris to check on friends.
We heard grim stories of hours spent in the attic of flooded homes waiting for rescue, inspiring stories of courage as people on jet-skis headed over the bridge on Tuesday to rescue stranded families, sorrowful stories of the loss of family members – drowned or “missing.” Daily we watch news of global catastrophes – floods, fires, tornadoes. But when it is your own back yard that lies tattered and torn, emotions sit heavy in the heart and mind. The body keeps moving forward day by day, but the trauma burrows deeps and lingers.
#Grand BahamaStrong
While we were in the midst of the storm, thousands of rescue and relief organizations had already started to mobilize to bring in the necessities of survival. We saw the scenes on TV and the Internet and they were real. The disaster drills that rescue and relief organizations mobilized to bring in water, food, medical support, shelter, cadaver dogs. These organizations made good use of the millions of dollars donated for our recovery by caring people all over the world.
The people who work in humanitarian relief and rescue are amazing angels of hope and strength for the people whose lives they touch. Help from the outside gives local people time after a hurricane to take the initial steps towards recovery. We had to clear debris, salvage belongings, tend to businesses that were also damaged, and watch out for our neighbors. On Grand Bahama, we are so grateful to all who have helped and are continuing to help.
How Did the East End Fare?
This is the view as we drove east along Grand Bahama Highway, seeing for the first time the damage from salt-water surge and hurricane force winds. We were a quiet group, stunned and saddened during the drive. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
We wondered how our birds fared out east, but for the most part we kept our eBird recording to the Freeport area, where most of the Grand Bahama Island Birders (GBIB) live. It took us a month to gather a group of six for our initial survey of the birds out east. Roads that had been dangerous and nigh impassable except for relief trucks were now open. I wanted to go. I wanted to know about the birds, but truthfully, for days I dreaded the trip. People were still missing. Habitats were like moonscapes. Relief organizations were setting up camps, helping families, distributing supplies. People first. But what was happening to the birds?
Our Tour Begins With Many Questions: Owl Hole
Grand Bahama and bird survey sites on the highway out to the East End of Grand Bahama. (Map by Aly Ollivierre)
We stopped first in the pine barrens around Owl Hole Road. On one birding excursion in 2016, we had spotted 25 species for a total of 93 birds in the forest. It was home to the Common Ground-Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Cuban Emerald, Hairy Woodpecker, Western Spindalis, Red-winged Blackbird, Black-faced Grassquit, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Cuban Peewee, mockingbird, thrushes, vireos, and warblers.
Now, we were wondering. The Bahama Warbler is known only on Grand Bahama Island and Abaco – has it survived? The Bahama Yellowthroat is seen in other islands beside our two Northern Islands, so it has a better change of survival. The Caribbean Pine or Yellow Pine, native to the four northern islands of the Bahamas (Andros, Abaco, Grand Bahama and New Providence) is also the only known home to the Critically Endangered Bahama Nuthatch. How long will it be before we know whether that little bird, that endemic species has survived Dorian?
Happier days birding along Owl Hole Road, before Hurricane Dorian. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
The endemic Bahama Warbler, photographed on Grand Bahama before Hurricane Dorian, occurs only on Grand Bahama and Abaco. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
This post-Dorian trip at Owl Hole we spotted four species for a total of 11 birds: one Common Ground Dove (in someone’s yard), three Turkey Vultures, five Palm Warblers and two Prairie Warblers. We were ecstatic to see our first bird, a Palm Warbler! (Owl Hole eBird checklist)
The Pine Forest habitat was inundated with salt-water and later burned with bush fires. (photo by Martha Cartwright)We were ecstatic to see our first bird, a Palm Warbler. There is not much food for birds, so each bird seen was a jubilation. (photo by Erika Gates)
Erika Gates pointing out the new growth in the scrub palm. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Some Encouragement in Lucayan National Park
Our next stop was the beautiful Lucayan National Park (LNP.) With the higher elevation around Ben’s Cave, no surge had flooded the Blackland Coppice. Recent rains had encouraged leaf growth. I saw my first Gray Catbird of the season. We marveled and took comfort in how quickly nature started to bring back her green mantle. One hundred and twenty-six species have been spotted in the Lucayan National Park. We walked the elevated Coppice area and saw just seven species, nine birds total. Not many, to say the least. (Lucayan National Park eBird checklist)
Gold Rock Beach before Hurricane Dorian. Downed casuarina trees along the shore are from previous hurricanes. Unless hauled away, the uprooted trees stay for… I don’t how long – decades? Casuarina eradication programs can’t keep up with this invasive species. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
The elevation near the Lucayan National Park Visitors’ Center afforded us a view of the ocean. This is unprecedented in our lifetimes; usually the elevation of the dune blocked the view. The dune with its sea oats, trailing Morning Glory and other dune stabilizers had been washed away by the storm. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Bridget stopped in her tracks at Lucayan National Park: we tried but were unable to get to Gold Rock Beach or even to the edge of the mangroves due to standing water and washed out boardwalks and trails. This area previously had wonderful paths, boardwalks and bridges through the mangroves to the beach and signs describing the birds and mangroves. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
On to the Wetlands
One of my favorite birding spots out east are the wetlands that run just inland from the beach. They are almost hidden from view and difficult to access. With good rains, the wetlands run from west of the oil bunkers down to Pelican Point. I always smile to think of Anthony Levesque birding out there, opening the car door and standing on the edge of the door so that he was high enough to see into the wetlands. He would have preferred the roof, but Frantz and I insisted on the door frame. On this trip, we didn’t need to stand on any part of the car. The vegetation had been stripped. Despite the better views, there were not many birds in the area. Again there was jubilation at seeing a Tri-colored Heron and a Little Blue Heron!
(Wetland near Statoil eBird Checklist).
The wetlands west of the oil storage tanks. We did not see visible signs of oil in the area, but we did not go into the water to take samples. (photo by Martha Cartwright)We were excited to spot a Tricolored Heron. (photo by Erika Gates)
Clean-up in progress at Equinor. (StatOil changed its name to Equinor.) The storm blew tops off some of the tanks and heavy oil covered the area. With all the work crews, equipment, and security, we did not even consider trying to access the beach south of the oil storage tanks. (photo by Martha Cartwright)Driving past the Equinor oil spill which is in the process of being cleaned up. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Wetlands east of the oil storage tanks were often filled with large wading birds, ducks, and shorebirds before Hurricane Dorian. One month post-Dorian, very few birds present. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
I love birding in the wetlands and on the beach at the “bend in the road” just before Pelican Point. The long, curving, isolated beach, with sandy shoals at low tide, is habitat for a variety of plovers, Sanderlings, American Oystercatchers, yellowlegs, warblers, egrets and herons. On this trip, no birds were spotted on the beach. Only a few Royal Terns and a Laughing Gull flew overhead. (Pelican Point wetlands eBird Checklist)
I think of this as Bend in the Road Beach. On the way east our birding groups always stop here to look for shorebirds. This picture was taken March 28, 2019. (photo by Martha Cartwright)Bend in the Road Beach one month after Hurricane Dorian, high tide. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Pelican Point: A Scene of Destruction
Our final eastern destination for the day was what used to be the beautiful, idyllic shoreline settlement of Pelican Point, host to the annual Coconut Festival. Dorian had transformed it from a dynamic, well-tended little village into a warzone of rubble and gutted houses. We left relief supplies with a woman, who said that only three homes were still habitable in the area.
Pelican Point before Hurricane Dorian, habitat for turtles and shorebirds. Not always in large numbers, but we have seen Piping Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers and larger birds along the coast. I love when the Brown Pelican idles by. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Pelican Point Beach this past April during the annual Coconut Festival. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Same Coconut Festival beach after Dorian. Bridget is dwarfed by the roots of the downed casuarina tree. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Pelican Point Beach after Dorian. Photo taken from the location of the now missing Nesting Turtles sign. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Shorebirds were often seen along the Pelican Point beaches, particularly during migration. Here, before Hurricane Dorian, a photo of Sanderlings resting on the rocks near the gentle surf. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Same beach post-Dorian, but no Sanderlings spotted on this trip. In fact, no shorebirds at all were seen on the Pelican Point Beach. Is there no food on the damaged beach? (photo by Martha Cartwright)
This past week, while waiting to fill my bottles at a water station at the Anglican Church, I met a Mr. Laing from Pelican Point. He had lost his home, but with a smile he told me that like all the families in the area he planned on rebuilding! Pelican Point was his home and would continue to be his home. Time and again I am humbled by the resilience and strength of island people.
A Visit to High Rock
Our last stop heading back home to Freeport was at Marilyn Laing’s home in High Rock. Being on the higher side of the main street, the house avoided the brunt of the storm surge. Marilyn is General Manager at the Garden of the Groves, and during the week, with assistance from Sanitation Services, she is working hard on restoring the gardens. On weekends she works to restore her home and community. We dropped the last of our relief supplies off with Marilyn, whose house has been a depot for relief goods in High Rock. She is a member of our Grand Bahama Island Birders group and well-known to BirdsCaribbean for her excellent education work with youth. And of course, while at Marilyn’s we lifted our binoculars to see the warblers flitting through the trees.
Despite an owner’s efforts to protect a home from the hurricane, this photo shows the power of the surge that swept over much of Grand Bahama. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Our empty bus sits with Marilyn’s house in the background. It is just across the street from the house in the previous picture. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
The long ride back to Freeport. (photo by Martha Cartwright)
Recovery for Humans and Birds – and Some Rare Visitors
For some families in Grand Bahama, recovery will take years. For others, life seems almost “normal,” if you don’t visit certain parts of the community. Businesses and families are working hard to rebuild. (We do miss and need our tourists!)
And for the birds? It was sobering, but not surprising to see so few birds out east. Their instinct is for survival, and food is fundamental. Thanks to donations from BirdsCaribbean, our Grand Bahama Island Birders group has been distributing seed feeders and bags of wild bird seed, as well as hummingbird feeders and red nectar concentrate to anyone wanting to help our birds. Many people want to help our birds by making food available. Sarah left yoga class this morning with a seed feeder and a bag of seeds, asking, “May I take some more nectar?”
Again, thank you, Birds Caribbean.
Post-Dorian birders have been recording rare birds to the islands, perhaps vagrants after the hurricane. I’ve been excited to see a Hudsonian Godwit and a Yellow-headed Blackbird. Late yesterday afternoon, a Barn Owl sat in Erika’s garden long enough for us to get a good look at this normally elusive resident.
Playing Our Part…While the Birding Continues
What about habitat recovery? The Bahamas National Trust, in a recent article in the Bahamas Tribune, indicated that it would begin to conduct “comprehensive assessments to determine the impact of Dorian on wildlife.” We are happy to hear this. I encourage environmentalists and scientists worldwide to travel to these storm-ravaged habitats to assess the damage to water, soil, plants and animals; to search for our fragile endemic species; and to recommend steps to enhance recovery and minimize damage from future hurricanes.
Bird feeders, seeds, and nectar are a welcome start, but more will need to be done. I encourage BirdsCaribbean to continue their work. I implore the National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, American Bird Conservancy, BirdLife International, Manomet, The World Wildlife Fund, and all other groups dedicated to the conservation of birds to assist BirdsCaribbean and Bahamas National Trust with our recovery.
As local birders, we will continue what we love to do…bird! We will report our findings to eBird Caribbean and the International Shorebird Survey (ISS). We will continue to distribute feeders and food for the birds. Mother Nature has already started to do her recovery work; no self-pity, no complaints, she will continue. Now it is time for each of us to insist that our governments and leaders take seriously the detrimental effect of climate change on our planet – and do their part. If you are reading this article, I am sure that you must care. You care deeply. I hope my story of the birds of East Grand Bahama after Dorian will encourage you to continue to act. You must know that your efforts will be appreciated, and are important.
Martha Cartwright receives her certificate from Lisa Sorenson at BirdsCaribbean’s “Conserving Caribbean Shorebirds and their Habitats” Workshop in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, March 2019.
It’s raining now as I finish this article. Since our normally potable tap water is still salty, I stop to put out large coolers to catch the rainwater for my plants and bird bath. From my desk I spot a Smooth-billed Ani up in the fig tree. Oh, and two Eurasian Collared Doves.
Goodbye for now, from Grand Bahama – an island in recovery.
Martha Cartwright has been an avid birder on GB since 2014. She is particularly fond of shorebirds and participated in BirdsCaribbean’s Conservation Caribbean Shorebirds Workshop in Puerto Rico last March. Together with bird guru-in-chief, Erika Gates, and their close group of Grand Bahama Island Birders, they regularly carry out birding excursions and counts in many habitats on GB and also do a lot of habitat restoration, outreach, and education about birds and nature on the island.
BirdsCaribbean is extremely grateful to all who have donated to our Hurricane Dorian Recovery Fund; donations are providing bird seed, nectars and feeders, replacing equipment and infrastructure lost in the storm and helping to fund bird and habitat surveys and restoration in Grand Bahama and Abaco. We are working with the Bahamas National Trust and other partners on this recovery work. Please click here or here if you would like to help with this work.
Pristine and beautiful Gold Rock Beach in Lucayan National Park in 2003. We could not reach the beach to check its status and look for birds on our October 3rd, 2019 birding trip. (photo by Erika Gates)Another pic of beautiful Gold Rock Beach in Lucayan National Park. We could not reach this beach to check its status and look for birds on our October 3rd, 2019 birding trip. (photo by Erika Gates)
Partners in Flight 2018 Leadership Award to BirdsCaribbean — a beautiful carving of a Bananaquit, our logo bird.
We are patting ourselves on the back! But the feeling is bittersweet…
It was a special moment at our 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe on July 29, when BirdsCaribbean received a 2018 Partners in Flight Group Leadership Award. This was in recognition of our response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria across several islands in September 2017. President Andrew Dobson accepted the award alongside many members who had participated in the hurricane recovery effort.
Our efforts were twofold: Immediate relief for Caribbean birds, providing for their critical needs after the storms passed. Despite expected post-hurricane logistical challenges “Operation Feeder Rescue” succeeded in delivering crucial food resources across the affected islands for over 60 species of birds. 4,000 nectar feeders, almost 2,000 bottles of nectar and five tons of bird seed arrived in the islands’ ports. Secondly, through fund-raising efforts we were able to fund fifteen small grants for post-hurricane assessments, restoration, and recovery of birds and their habitats. At the same time, BirdsCaribbean helped to raise awareness and knowledge among the public on these islands about the needs of birds stressed by hurricanes. Many realized that it was not only humans who had suffered, and eagerly volunteered to help in the effort.
Greg Butcher (USFS) presents BirdsCaribbean with a 2018 PIF Group Leadership Award for Hurricane Relief and Recovery for Caribbean Birds and Habitats, with Andrew Dobson (President, BirdsCaribbean) accepting. Pictured from left to right are persons who participated in the hurricane recovery effort: Jennifer Yerkes (St. Martin), Mark Yokoyama (St. Martin), Scott Johnson (Bahamas), Natalya Lawrence (Antigua and Barbuda), Stephen Durand (Dominica), Frantz Delcroix (hidden, Guadeloupe), Anthony Levesque (Guadeloupe), Jose Colon (Puerto Rico), Julissa Irizarry (Puerto Rico), Laura Fidalgo (Puerto Rico), Judd Patterson (USA), Eduardo Llegus (Puerto Rico), Alcides Morales (Puerto Rico), Fernando Simal (Bonaire), Kathleen Wood (Turks and Caicos Islands), Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico), and Jennifer Valiulis (US Virgin Islands). Note that not all persons that helped with hurricane relief and recovery were present at the conference for this award. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
So, why bittersweet? Because, just a few weeks after receiving the award, our members in the Bahamas were hit with the worst natural disaster in the country’s history. The violent Category Five Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands and then Grand Bahama on September 1 and 2, stalling for nearly two days close to Grand Bahama. People and wildlife are again suffering.
Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director, explained: “BirdsCaribbean was thrilled to get this award, but saddened that our members and islands are again facing devastation. We learned so much from this effort in 2017 and in fact had a whole symposium on it in Guadeloupe. Many lessons were learned and we are applying them to our current efforts to help the northern Bahamas with recovery, including supplying bird feeders and seed, replacing items that were lost, and funding bird surveys and restoration actions.”
Partners in Flight (PIF) Awards recognize exceptional contributions to the field of landbird conservation, in the categories of Leadership, Investigations, Public Awareness, Stewardship, and Lifetime Achievement. The PIF Leadership Award honors an individual or group that demonstrates outstanding guidance and direction that contributes, or has contributed, to advancing Partners in Flight conservation efforts. BirdsCaribbean received a 2018 PIF Group Leadership Award for Hurricane Relief and Recovery for Caribbean Birds and Habitats.
Thank you to Partners in Flight for this honor. Congratulations and thanks again to all who participated so enthusiastically in our recovery efforts for birds and habitats over the past two years. And sincere thanks to the many caring and generous individuals, organizations and companies that donated to help make this and our current efforts possible!
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.
World Migratory Bird Day Poster showing different groups of birds that are affected by plastic pollution. (Artwork by Arnaldo Toledo)
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?
BirdsCaribbean workshop participants clean up plastic trash in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
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
A dead seabird tangled in a balloon string.
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.”
World Migratory Bird Day Poster showing different groups of birds that are affected by plastic pollution. (Artwork by Arnaldo Toledo)
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/
“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 (BNT Science Officer) and Dr. Herb Raffaele (retired Chief of USFWS International Affairs Program) get to know each other at the Mentorship Workshop in Guadeloupe, July 2019.
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.
Mentors and mentees chat over dinner about careers in conservation – (left to right): Jeanette Victor (St. Lucia), Adrianne Tossas (Puerto Rico), Francoise Benjamin (Haiti), Jen Valiulis (US Virgin Islands), Lisa Sorenson (USA).
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.””
Leno Davis and Adrianne Tossas get the Mentorship Workshop started at BirdsCaribbean’s International Conference in Guadeloupe, 25-29 July 2019. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
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).
Mentor-Mentee pairs meet up at the workshop and immediately begin talking and sharing. Pictured from left to right: Ezra Campbell (Grenada), Hana Weaver (USA), Louis Mandela Wens Skendly H. (Haiti), Jose Salguero (Puerto Rico), Adam Kent (USA, Anne Campbell (Grenada). (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
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.
“Mango Delight” by Daniel Gabriel Angelo Jean-Baptiste.
Silk painting artist Daniel Gabriel Angelo Jean-Baptiste of Saint Lucia uses tropical nature as his inspiration and silk as his canvas. His creations reflect on a life of growing up in the beautiful tropical paradise of the Caribbean.
“Mango Delight” is a commissioned one-of-a-kind. It is hand painted using Sumi sheep hair brushes to apply a water-based liquid pigment silk paint onto 10mm, 100% Habotai silk. This magnificent image measures 40″high x 30″wide. The piece is unframed and is shipped as a rolled textile. The painting is valued at $6,000.
Daniel’s works are in the private art collections of golf champion Arnold Palmer, heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, singer/songwriter Paul Simon, U.S. President Bill Clinton, U.S. President George W. Bush, South African President Nelson Mandela, and CEO of Sandals Resorts Gordon “Butch” Stewart.
Daniel states, “My life is one which is so close to nature that I feel a part of all her splendor and mystery. When I paint, I become my subject, from the tree frog in the mist of Fond St. Jacques rainforest to the sea turtle gliding in the deep blue waters of Anse Chastanet Bay… I do not just want to paint, but I want you to create so that you too can feel the intense joy that I experience in being here.”
Other Amazing Prizes
Vortex VIPER HD 8X42 ROOF PRISM BINOCULAR. This premium-quality, award winning binocular is packed with everything you need and nothing you don’t. It is rugged, waterproof, compact and lightweight (one of the lightest full-size binoculars on the market)! In addition, the binoculars come with Vortex’s incredible unlimited, unconditional life-time VIP Warranty!
GICLEE PRINTS BY ACCLAIMED CUBAN WILDLIFE ARTIST NILS NAVARRO. Celebrate the endemic birds of Cuba with prints of the gorgeous original artwork: the Bee Hummingbird (the world’s smallest bird) and the Cuban Trogon (national bird of Cuba). The giclee prints are signed and numbered, measuring ~8.5″ by 11″.
The drawing for the Raffle is on Saturday, October 5th, 2019. Now is the time to purchase tickets!Proceeds from the raffle support our conservation programs and provide travel support for BirdsCaribbean delegates to attend our workshops and conferences.
Tickets are $5 each or five for $20. You can purchase tickets online, or send a check made out to “BirdsCaribbean” and mail to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760. Any questions, contact Lisa Sorenson. Remember to get your tickets before October 5th, and good luck!
It only takes one to win, but you can’t win without one!
Sincere thanks to our generous donors for providing awesome prizes for the Raffle: Daniel Gabriel Angelo Jean-Baptiste, Vortex Optics, and Nils Navarro.
September has come around again, and that means it’s time to head for your favorite birding spot (or spots) to count Caribbean shorebirds. World Shorebirds Day 2019 is Friday, September 6th.
This year’s Global Shorebird Count will take place from September 3 to 9, 2019. All across the Caribbean, birders will be compiling checklists from island to island and recording them on eBird Caribbean. BirdsCaribbean urges you to participate! Our migratory shorebirds are more vulnerable than ever, threatened by human activities that have changed their habitat. Most species of shorebirds are in decline around the world.
Where are these fascinating birds to be found? While you will find them on shores and beaches, some shorebirds use habitats further inland, including freshwater and brackish marshes and ponds. Shorebirds are also fond of salt ponds, mud flats, mangrove areas, and tidal flats. Last year, the Whimbrel, a regular migrant through the region, was selected as “Shorebird of the Year.”
eBird Caribbean is a critical tool for tracking and understanding bird migration and population changes – never more so than for our shorebirds. If you do not have an account, it is easy to register – here’s a quick start guide. A useful free mobile app is also available for recording your data in the field.
To make your submitted data visible to World Shorebirds Day, please be sure to share your checklist with worldshorebirdsday eBird username of World Shorebirds Day, or add shorebirdsday@gmail.com email address, to your contact list, and share all your related checklists with us. Only checklists made during the World Shorebirds Day count period between 3–9 September 2019 (inclusive) are eligible. Guidelines for sharing checklists are here.
We hope you will visit as many sites as possible during the 6 days of the count! For more tips on how to do the Global Shorebird Count, go to the World Shorebirds Day website.
For helpful resources on Shorebird ID, including our Shorebird poster, visit this page and this page.
Which species will be Shorebird of the Year 2019? Whichever one is selected – all our shorebirds are precious. The Global Shorebird Count is an important way to help us to learn more about them.
Participate in the International Shorebird Survey (ISS)!
Some of our birds are already on the move. BirdsCaribbean invites all shorebird lovers to schedule some extra counts during the migration season (August to October and March to May) by volunteering for the International Shorebird Survey, a year-round initiative organized by Manomet since 1974. On eBird Caribbean simply do a Caribbean Waterbird Census entry, choosing one of the CWC Count Protocols (Point Count, Traveling Count or Area Search) on Step 2 of “Submit observations” in eBird Caribbean. Fill out a Site Form if you are new to ISS.
Depending on the timing of migration, you may see a lot of birds or just a few at your site(s). Don’t be disappointed if you only see just one. Remember that very effort counts and adds to our knowledge of shorebirds and waterbirds and their habitat needs in the Caribbean!
Good luck and we look forward to hearing about your findings and seeing your photos! Please share on our BirdsCaribbean Facebook page.
Banded Birds
Be sure to be on the lookout for banded birds! Especially Piping Plovers, Red Knots, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, and Sanderlings. You may report your sightings to BandedBirds.org and the USGS Bird Banding Lab which oversee all banding in the United States.
Handout from the US Fish and Wildlife Service that provides information about Piping Plover banding locations and how to read and record the flags for reporting.
Plunging Brown Pelicans put on a show each day next to our dining terrace at Karibea Beach Hotel, Le Gosier, Guadeloupe. (photo by Holly Garrod)
Plunging pelicans, soaring terns and majestic frigatebirds put on a dazzling show outside the dining terrace, as we ate delicious French cuisine. Impromptu discussions sprang up over coffee and drinks. Bright T-shirts, bird paintings and merchandise were on sale; members’ posters sparked intense learning sessions; and brilliant keynote speakers kept us on the edge of our seats.
It happens every two years, and it just keeps getting better. This year, BirdsCaribbean held its 22nd International conference in Le Gosier, on the French West Indies island of Guadeloupe. 250 delegates from 34 countries gathered for discussions, lectures, workshops – and perhaps most importantly, to connect with each other – under the theme, Keeping Caribbean Birds Aloft.
The conference took place at the lovely seaside Karibea Hotel from July 25 – 29, 2019. BirdsCaribbean partnered with the Parc National de la Guadeloupe for an exciting week of learning, sharing, and discovery.
While #BirdsCarib2019 is now behind us, the memories and friendships made will keep us aloft as we collectively continue to move our science and conservation work forwards. For those who were not able to attend this year and for delegates feeling wistful for woodpeckers and croissant, here is a recap of some of the highlights and activities that made this event so special.
All About Birds – and People
250 delegates from 34 countries gathered for out 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
The first day of the conference started with some rock n’ roll, literally, as our delegates were shaken awake by a 4.7 earthquake! On arrival, registration buzzed with the laughter and excitement of a family reunion – was it really 2 years ago that we saw each other last?
Our delegates quickly got to work birding across the island. Who was the first to see the endemic Guadeloupe Woodpecker? An incredible 422 checklists were entered into eBird Caribbean by our delegates and more than 95 bird species were detected. We couldn’t have done this without the help of our local guides. BirdsCaribbean conferences are great opportunities for local guides to showcase their islands, their natural beauty, and best spots for seeing wildlife.
And once again, the Guadeloupe conference highlighted the Caribbean’s amazing diversity—its birdlife, peoples, and cultures. A critical discussion during the conference was the need to expand and develop bird tourism in the region through BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT). Everyone was excited that the CBT Project recently launched a new and much improved website.
Featured speaker, Anthony Levesque, shared his excitement and many accomplishments about his work with birds on Guadeloupe. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Always a highlight of our conferences, delegates packed the main room each morning to hear our passionate keynote speakers celebrate the diversity of thought, culture, knowledge and work within our community. On the first day, dedicated BirdsCaribbean member, Anthony Levesque, opened our traditional session to celebrate our host country – Guadeloupe Day – and shared his personal journey of how Guadeloupe, its nature, and its birds have shaped his life. His excitement was infectious as we applauded his own phenomenal efforts and felt his hope about the future for his island’s capacity for science and conservation.
We also welcomed Ambassador Dessima Williams to the island, an Elected Partner of the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute and former Ambassador to the United Nations, who inspired us to engage with the UN’s sustainable development goals to enable bird conservation. Other keynote presentations on each morning of the conference inspired delegates on topics as diverse as the evolution of beauty, relationships between birds and plants, landscape management, avian olfaction, and restoration of a damaged wetland.
Challenges, Solutions, Optimism
The Guadeloupe conference saw the launch of an exciting new Mentorship program* where younger BirdsCaribbean members paired with mentors that have more experience in their specific areas of interest, including scientific writing, data analysis, research techniques, conservation strategies, education, bird guiding, career development, and more. The launch culminated in an energizing mentee-mentor dinner, with pairs spilling out across the venue long into the evening, to share knowledge, inspire, support and learn from each other.
Conference workshops offered practical opportunities to learn new skills and share important knowledge, including grappling with data analysis in R, being the solution to plastic pollution, addressing shorebird harvesting, and becoming a media maestro.
Ancilleno Davis had the audience dancing to his dubstep remix of inspired by eBirders! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Other topics addressed included the challenges to the survival of the region’s birds and habitats, including illegal wildlife trafficking, invasive species, and the threat of development. Several speakers and sessions emphasized the need for stronger advocacy, involving communities, and education to fight the greed that is the root cause of many of our environmental problems.
We heard inspiring stories about engaging young people through education and diverse audiences via social media, and explored visual art and dubstep music as conservation tools. We heard about valuable contributions to our scientific understanding of avian ecology, and learned how to address the challenges of hurricane recovery, caged birds and illegal wildlife trade. And we took the time to acknowledge and celebrate our successes, including invasive species eradication, endangered species recovery, and successful restorations of habitats believed too-far gone to ever be brought back.
The passion continues to flow
The heart of BirdsCaribbean and our conferences is the passion of our members to support conservation of regional endemic and endangered birds as well as migratory species that visit our islands. Most importantly, our conferences give us an opportunity to share and celebrate the new and continued work of our members. Much of what made this conference special is symbolic of all biennial BirdsCaribbean conferences and we encourage you all to look out for details about our next conference in 2021!
Delegates from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines gather for a group pic. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
The momentum continues amidst the growing comradery and passion that the conference helped fuel. We will be sharing a series of posts over the next few weeks that highlight the work our partners have done, and provide more details on some of the presentations and conference content. If you have a suggestion for an article, please email us at info@birdscaribbean.org. Thank you for reading, and please subscribe and consider donating to help us “Keep Caribbean Birds Aloft”.
Special thanks 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, and Hideaways of Ti Heights.
*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).
Two of our fearless leaders, Justin Proctor (Birdscaribbean Vice President) and Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean Executive Director) on the first morning of the conference. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Kate Wallace (Dominican Republic) won a Life-time Achievement Award for her 20 years of tireless bird education and outreach work. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Ancilleno Davis had the audience dancing to his dubstep remix inspired by eBirders, say what?! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Dancing with the local performers on the last evening of the conference. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Featured speaker, Anthony Levesque, shared his excitement and many accomplishments about his work with birds on Guadeloupe Day. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Andrea Thomen (Dominican Republic) shares her work with Leo Douglas (Jamaica / USA). (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
“Keeping Caribbean Birds Aloft” was the theme of BirdsCaribbean’s 22nd International Conference in July in Guadeloupe.
250 delegates from 34 countries gathered for our 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Dominicans and Lisa Sorenson. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Keynote speaker, Dr. Howard Nelson, called for more collaboration across the Caribbean to save birds and their habitats. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
We thank Director of the Parc National de la Guadeloupe (PNG), Maurice Anselme, and his fabulous crew for outstanding help with organizing the conference! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Leno Davis talks about engaging diverse audiences through creative avenues, like music and art (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Keynote speaker, Richard Prum, dazzled the audience with his fascinating talk on The Evolution of Beauty and bird mating tactics. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Prepping conference bags with the Cubans (Photo by Justin Proctor)
Herb Raffaele supporting new Grenadines bird guide with authors Aly Ollivierre and Juliana Coffey. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Busy and not-so-silent Silent Auction (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Conference t-shirts for sale on Day 1 of the conference (photo by Mark Yokayama)
Keynote Speaker, Orisha Joseph (Sustainable Grenadines Inc) told us about the incredible restoration of Ashton Lagoon in Union Island. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Old friends reunited: Leo Douglas and Maurice Anselme. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Bird Hide at Grand Etang on Waterfalls Field Trip.(Photo by Anais Abatan)
St. Martin delegates, Jenn Yerkes, William Allanic,and Mark Yokoyama, in Les Fruit de Mer uniforms.(Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Arnaldo Toledo and Maikel Canizares show the beautiful t-shirt artwork created to fight the Caged Bird problem in Cuba, Caged Bird Working Group meeting (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Guadeloupe conference souvenir bird bands. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Important conference notice about dancing with Herb at the party on the last night.
The Cuban contingent! A record 20 Cubans attended, thanks to our generous sponsors! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
The Founders Award for Best Student Paper went to Christopher Cambrone.(Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Maurice Anselme, General Director of the Parc National de la Guadeloupe (PNG) and Mylene Musquet, Executive Director of PNG, on the last evening of the conference. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Much learning took place at the evening poster sessions. (photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Main conference room at Karibea beach Hotel. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Delegates from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines gather for a group pic. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Smiling volunteers help with conference check-in, left to right, Jen Mortenson, Alieny Gonzalez, Natasha Atkins, Arnaldo Toledo. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Featured speaker, Beny Wilson, did a mini-training on bird guiding and the bird tourism market during the Caribbean Birding Trail session. (photo by Fred Sapotille).
Jennifer Wheeler sounding the conch to signal the start of a session. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Keynote Speaker, Gabrielle Nevitt, shared her exciting research an avian olfaction and the ability of seabirds to smell plastic! (photo by Fred Sapotille)
The right person, Stephen Durand, got this one-of-a-kind binocular harness with Imperial Parrot artwork by Jessica Canizares (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Anthony Levesque (Guadeloupe) won a President’s Award for his bird research, education and conservation work in Guadeloupe. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Keynote speaker, Tomas Carlo, gave an exciting talk on bird-plant interactions and their consequences for habitat restoration. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Dessima Williams, wowed us with her inspiring and poetic keynote talk. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
New friends (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Plunging Brown Pelicans put on a show each day next to our dining terrace at Karibea Beach Hotel, Le Gosier, Guadeloupe. (photo by Holly Garrod)
Conference organizer-in-chief, Justin Proctor with Guadeloupe organizers, Maitena Jean, Catherine Chicate-Moibert and Anais Abatan. (photo by Fred Sapotille)
Group selfie attempts. (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Our fearless translators provided English-French-Spanish translation throughout the entire 5-day conference! (Photo by Fred Sapotille)
Visit the newly-redesigned website for information on the best sites, guides and tours in the region!
More visually appealing. Easier to navigate. A LOT more information about birding hotspots in the Caribbean, how to get there, and which guides and operators can offer the best birdwatching experience on the ground.
Those were our objectives when we embarked on redesigning the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) website. Now, we are finally ready to launch the CBT’s new online home and to share it with you, and the world! Click here to access the new website.
The CBT was launched in 2011 by BirdsCaribbean in order to promote authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats. The website has always been a key part of making this happen.
Overhauling the website and building a customized directory (and beautiful maps!) of the birding gems of the Caribbean was no small task. To do the project justice, we knew we would need to learn as much as possible about every birding nook and cranny there is on each island. And we are here to tell you…there are many!
What’s Special about the New CBT Website
Map of the West Indies from the CBT website showing locations of Birding Sites, History/Culture Sites, and bird-friendly Accommodations. You can also toggle on and off eBird Hotspots on this map. Note that this is a work in progress: we need YOUR help to add many more sites!
As you scroll through the pages, you will find information about 138 birding sites in 24 countries. We are also proud to be promoting more than 50 guides and tour operators. These are people and enterprises who are from the Caribbean, or who now call the region home. We also aim to include a listing of every field guide and book that our partners have published for their islands. We also provide links to as many additional resources as we possibly can, giving you as full a picture as possible of the wealth of birds, habitats, and local customs and folklore.
Through the website, we also strive to tell the story of the Caribbean and its incredible natural heritage through pictures. There are nearly 700 species of birds known from the Caribbean, including 171 species that are endemic to the region and found nowhere else in the world. Furthermore, there are thousands of endemic plants, snails, lizards, frogs, mammals, and insects; and the beautiful landscapes and geological treasures that the birder will discover along the way. We have collected almost 1,000 photos thus far, and hope for many, many more.
Narrow-billed Tody by Dax Roman
It’s a Work in Progress, and We Love Our Partners!
If you are one of the dozens of individuals who supplied us with photos and/or information about people and places, we thank you! And we ask that you keep the information coming. We are not planning to stop adding to the website. In fact, our goal is for the CBT’s new site to become the number one resource in the world for planning a trip to the Caribbean to see birds, or simply to enjoy the nature and culture of the islands. We are going to build it into the “go-to” site for Caribbean birding.
We consider this website a work in progress. We will always accept suggestions for additional sites, guides, and accommodations to add; or edits and corrections to existing pages. We also greatly appreciate high quality photos, especially of birds.
Our online presence has already helped spur fruitful discussions with tour operators, and as a result BirdsCaribbean has partnered with three different companies (Wildside Nature Tours, Birding the Islands, and Carefree Birding). These companies are committed to giving back to the islands, and they donate a portion of their profits from Caribbean tours to BirdsCaribbean to invest in conservation.
The CBT…More than Site Promotion
CBT Guide Training in Cuba.
The CBT project is not just about places to go. Through the CBT we are also helping create authentic experiences, and building capacity where needed in the Caribbean to do so. Essential to this is the Caribbean Birding Trail Interpretive Guide Training program, a five-day intensive course where participants not only learn to identify the local bird species and their connection to the environment, but also discover how to use interpretation techniques that will bring this knowledge to life for their birding guests.
The training helps guides to uncover unusual pieces of local science and cultural context that will spark the imagination of the birders and have them fully engaged during their tours. Professional bird and nature guides, certified through the National Association of Interpretation in the U.S., conduct this exciting, hands-on training program.
The reason we thought this important is for the same reason we think the Caribbean Birding Trail itself is important. It is because birds are windows to nature. And in the Caribbean, they are also portals for getting away from the tourism hubs and into the beating heart of the islands. They facilitate discovery, having an authentic experience, and bird by bird, getting to know the real Caribbean.
Our new video is now available on the CBT website and on our YouTube channel. The four-minute long video gives the viewer an enticing glimpse into the birds they will see, and a taste of the culture they can get immersed in when they go looking for those birds.
With Deep Gratitude
Thank you again to everybody who contributed to the original CBT website and this much-improved 2.0 version.
Special thanks to our CBT cartographer, Aly DeGraff Ollivierre for creating the awesome maps and helping solicit, organize, and upload content to the website. Also to Holly Robertson, the CBT Project Manager, for her role as webmaster and digging deep into the world of WordPress.
We would be nowhere without the patience and fortitude of our web designer, Kathleen McGee of BTN Designs, and the vision of Ted Eubanks and Fermata, Inc in originally charting the course of the Caribbean Birding Trail and establishing the first iteration of the website.
With deep gratitude we also thank the donors who financially supported the development of this website over the years: the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund, the Marshall-Reynolds Foundation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Program.
Links to articles about our Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training workshops:
“Keeping Caribbean Birds Aloft” is the theme of BirdsCaribbean’s 22nd International Conference in July in Guadeloupe. Parc national de la Guadeloupe is our local host. (artwork by Guillaume Zbinden)
Every two years, BirdsCaribbean holds its international conference. The meeting is the largest of its kind, attracting hundreds of guests from the region and beyond. This year, it will be held on the island of Guadeloupe from July 25-29, partnering with local host, Parc national de la Guadeloupe.
BirdsCaribbean is the largest conservation group in the region. Its members come from nonprofits, forestry departments and universities all over the region. They do research, save wild spaces and share the magic of birds and nature all over the Caribbean. At the conference, over 200 members will gather in one place to share the latest in research and more.
The conference is important because it is the one time when people working all over the Caribbean come together to learn and share. Training workshops teach skills like how to do a bird survey. New research and techniques for helping birds are shared. This know-how is brought back to dozens of islands where it can be used to save rare birds or protect valuable habitats.
This year’s conference is “Keeping Caribbean Birds Aloft” (or “An nou poté mannèv pou zozio karayib volé” in Créole). In keeping with the theme, the conference will feature many ways to help birds in the Caribbean.
“Our birds face many challenges, and we want to address them,” noted Lisa Sorensen, the Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “We will work on how to protect birds from threats like plastic pollution or habitat destruction. We are also working to promote birds for their value as a tourism attraction and the benefits they provide to people.”
The Guadeloupe Woodpecker is found only on the island of Guadeloupe; conference delegates will have a chance to see this bird on conference field trips. (photo by Frantz Delcroix)
You can learn more about the conference here, including keynote speakers, workshop themes and field field trips. Registration is open – it is not too late to join us! BirdsCaribbean is also still seeking sponsors to help delegates attend that would not be able to otherwise. Click here to help sponsor a delegate – any donations are gratefully received! Sponsorship donations are tax-deductible for US donors.
BirdsCaribbean is very grateful for the help and financial support of many companies and organizations to make this conference a success, including Parc national de la Guadeloupe, Karibea Beach Hotel, Environment Canada, US Forest Service International Programs, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, para la Naturaleza, Benjamin Olewine IV, American Bird Conservancy, Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Caribbean Initiative, Wildside Nature Tours, Carefree Birding, Optics for the Tropics, NuStar, Vermont Center for Ecostudies, Bermuda Audubon Society, Holbrook Travel, Levesque Birding Enterprise, AMAZONA, and The Friendship Association.
Field technicians check the the hawk chicks for Philornis pici fly larvae. These parasites will feed off the chick’s blood which can result in death. (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)
These are two names sometimes given to the elegant Ridgway’s Hawk, a Critically Endangered bird of prey which lives only on the island of Hispaniola. This hawk has an estimated population of just 450 individuals in the Dominican Republic, and is believed to be extirpated in Haiti. Since 2000, The Peregrine Fund – a non-profit organization working for the conservation of threatened and endangered birds of prey worldwide – has been in the Dominican Republic, fighting to save this species. The program consists of four major components: scientific research and monitoring, assisted dispersal, environmental education and community development.
I came on board this project in 2011 and have been amazed at the incredible strides our great team has made for the conservation of this species. As I write this, we are right in the middle of the busiest time of year – Ridgway’s Hawk nesting season! As many of our local field crew are busy nest monitoring, banding chicks and treating young for botfly infestations, I have had the privilege to spend some time at our new release site in Aniana Vargas National Park.
The Community is Key
A newly released Ridgway’s Hawk spending some time on the release tower. (Photo by Marta Curti)
Part of our long-term goals for the conservation of this species include creating 3 additional populations outside of Los Haitises National Park – the location of the last known population of this species. Last year, our team leader, Thomas Hayes, spent a lot of time searching for potential new release sites that would provide the hawks with sufficient prey and nesting habitat as well as relative protection from human threats. In fact, one of the main reasons we chose this park was because of the communities that surround it. Most of them make their living selling organic cacao and are already committed to environmental protection!
But before we could begin releases in this area, we had to do much more than pick a spot and set up a release site. We had to make sure we had the support from the local community members. After all, the success of the project and the survival of the hawks very much depends on the residents’ reactions to these efforts.
So, over the past several months our team has made many visits to Los Brazos, the nearest community to the release site. We held town meetings to discuss the possibility of releasing hawks in the area. We also brought a few individuals from the town of Los Limones (outside of Los Haitises National Park) where we have been working for close to two decades. The residents learned from them first-hand what benefits the project could bring to their own community. After receiving the go-ahead and full support of the people of Los Brazos, in March we constructed two towers to house the young hawks prior to release. We hired several community members to help with transporting materials through the forest to the site (about a 30-minute walk) and construction.
How Are the New Releases Doing?
Members of all ages from the surrounding community were able to enjoy the hawks. (Photo by Marta Curti)
As of the writing of this report, 14 Ridgway’s Hawks have been released into the park. They continue to do well. Nine more are currently in the hack boxes* and will be released within the next two weeks. We hope to bring at least two more hawks to the site, to be able to release a total of 25 individuals this year. All the hawks have been fitted with transmitters which help us locate them during this critical stage of their development.
In order to benefit the community as well as the hawks, we built and provided one free chicken coop to each household in Los Brazos. This will help prevent any conflicts between Ridgway’s Hawks, other raptors and domestic fowl. We also hired and are in the process of training three full-time, seasonal employees and three seasonal, paid volunteers. These young community members are responsible for monitoring and caring for the released hawks, under the supervision of Julio and Sete Gañan. Some have even taken the initiative to give presentations in nearby communities and schools. Our presence in Los Brazos also provides other sources of income for individuals as we pay for additional services such as cooking, laundry, house rental and transportation, among others. We have been overjoyed by the enthusiasm shown by the people of Los Brazos and surrounding communities in support of this project and the Ridgway’s Hawk.
Over the next few months, the released hawks will naturally develop their hunting and survival skills and in no time – they will become completely independent. When that happens, the young hawks will disperse to other areas within and outside the park.
Learning More About the Guaraguaíto
Los Brazos community members giving presentations on the Ridgway’s Hawk in local schools. (Photo by Marta Curti)
In order to keep the hawks as protected as possible once this happens, we have to make sure our education program reaches other surrounding communities before the hawks do. To that end, we expanded our education program to the region. To date we have visited 10 other communities that surround the park, going door-to-door, and giving presentations in local schools. We have also engaged local teachers to help us spread this important conservation message.
To date, we have conducted two workshops for a total of 38teachers working in schools around Aniana Vargas National Park. These two-day workshops are designed to provide teachers with the tools necessary to be able to talk about conservation issues one-on-one within their communities and in the classroom. The training also showed how to utilize whatever materials are on hand to create fun and dynamic learning experiences for their students. Our goal is for the educators to duplicate what they learned and help spread the word about the hawk and conservation far and wide.
Workshop activities include creating artistic sculptures of Ridgway’s Hawks out of recyclable materials; putting on a play – complete with actors, costumes and scenery; a bird watching excursion; playing a food-chain game; and participating in “Raptor Olympics.” During these exercises, the teachers are learning about the Ridgway’s Hawk’s biology, food chains, birds of prey, and conservation issues and actions. We have since received word from some participants, who are already putting what they learned into action. Some teachers have begun giving presentations at their schools about the hawks, and one hosted a mini-workshop with the other teachers at her school. We have also conducted art activities in several schools around the area, focused on birds of prey and the Ridgway’s Hawk.
The Future Looks Brighter, Thanks to Support!
Kids with our new Ridgeway’s Hawk brochure. (photo by Marta Curti)
Additionally, we have printed our first children’s brochure (in Spanish and Haitian Creole) and poster, and we are making progress on several other educational materials! We still have a lot of work to do in order to conserve this species and to reduce the human threat to its survival. However, we have made great strides and will continue to work hard for a better future for this beautiful raptor and for all wildlife and wild places, besides the human communities in Dominican Republic that live alongside them. I can’t wait!
We are grateful to our in-country partners Fundación Grupo Puntacana, Fundación Propagas, ZooDom, Cooperativa Vega Real, and Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales: and to our generous donors: BirdsCaribbean and the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, and Premios Brugal Cree en Su Gente. And very importantly, we thank all of our local employees and volunteers, and all the community members for ensuring the success of this project. We could not do it without your support!
Hover over each photo to see the caption or click on the photo to see a slide show.
Hack box for the Ridgeway’s Hawk (photo by Marta Curti)
Teacher Training Workshop: Playing a food chain race game to learn about the importance of food chains. (photo by Marta Curti)
Banding the chicks is important for identification and research. (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)
Bos Brazos community members giving a presentation on the Ridgeway’s Hawk in a local school. (photo by Marta Curti)
Art activity – learning to draw Ridgeway’s Hawk. (photo by Marta Curti)
Learning to identify birds seen on our walk at a Teacher Training Workshop (photo by Marta Curti)
Local volunteers and community members tracking the hawks using radio telemetry. (photo by Marta Curti)
Morning meeting in the field. (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)
Youth showing her Ridgeway’s Hawk artwork. (photo by Marta Curti)
Locals monitoring the released hawks. (photo by Marta Curti)
Newly released Ridgeway’s Hawks spending time near the release tower. (photo by Marta Curti)
Community members come to see the released hawks. (photo by Marta Curti)
Art activity using new children’s brochure on the Ridgeway’s Hawk. (photo by Marta Curti)
By Marta Curti, The Peregrine Fund. Marta Curti 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.
* A hack box is a specially designed aviary that serves as a temporary nest for young hawks awaiting release into a new area. The hawks are places in the hack box at a young age (before they are naturally able to fly). They remain in the hack box for about 7-10 days, until they are at the age of fledging. During their time in the hack box they are fed daily and become accustomed to their new home so that when the doors are open, they will naturally want to return to the site for food. Over time they will develop their hunting skills and once independent they will disperse naturally from the release area and no longer show up for the food we provision.
Barbuda Warbler, endemic to the tiny island of Barbuda. The world’s population of this bird is restricted to 62 square miles. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
March 28th, 2019: A year and a half after Category 5 Hurricane Irma smashed into the beautiful island of Barbuda. A survey team is on the local ferry, returning to conduct follow-up population assessments of the endemic Barbuda Warbler and the Magnificent Frigatebird colony. The Barbuda Warbler was last evaluated by the IUCN in October, 2016 and was classified as Near Threatened; the Magnificent Frigatebird colony is the largest breeding colony in the western hemisphere. As an endemic, the Barbuda Warbler is completely restricted to the 62 square mile island and with its relatively small population, is at a higher risk from extreme weather events and habitat loss. The frigatebird colony as the largest breeding colony in the region is critical to the continued success of this species in the Atlantic. When Hurricane Irma swept over the island, we feared for the safety of both the Barbuda Warbler and the frigatebird breeding colony. An assessment team was quickly gathered and sent to assess both species in October 2017. We found that the Barbuda Warbler seemed to have survived the hurricane well and the Magnificent Frigatebirds were already started to return in numbers. But, we were returning to investigate: how were these populations both doing 18 months later?
Of Tents, Tarps, and Old Friends
Shanna and Junior observing while Fernando records the observations. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Immediately upon landing at the ferry docks, we were greeted by the faces of friends we had made on the previous visit. Kelly Burton, Codrington Lagoon National Park Manager (Dept of Environment), was there making sure that the arrangements for transportation, food and lodging were taken care of and that our sometimes ‘unusual’ needs were met. Once we settled into our lodgings, we had a quick look around the town of Codrington, which had been nearly destroyed by the hurricane. Many homes now have electricity and roofs, but many were still without the basic needs of a simple roof. Tents and tarps are still being used by many Barbudans. Before we even left Codrington for an initial training session on methods, we encountered several Barbuda Warblers and the local subspecies of Yellow Warbler. A good sign for the first day.
We then headed north towards Two Foot Bay, where Jeff Gerbracht and Fernando Simal from BirdsCaribbean oriented the rest of the team with the survey methodology and what to expect for the following week: early mornings, late evenings and lots of walking, counting birds and good company!! Natalya Lawrence (Environmental Awareness Group – EAG), Sophia Steele (Flora & Fauna International) and Joseph (Junior) Prosper (EAG) enthusiastically dove right into the methods, asking great questions about the survey forms and practicing the count protocol. Sophia was part of the field team just after Irma and her prior experience with the methods was an added bonus. Of the eight point counts made that first afternoon, only one didn’t include a Barbuda Warbler, again a great start to a great week.
Revisiting Old Haunts, Meeting the Barbudans, and Lobster Wraps for Lunch
Discussing the Barbuda Warbler with John Mussington, secondary school principal and science teacher. (Photo by Natalya Lawrence)
The next day started with sunrise, with two teams visiting the points we had sampled a year and a half earlier. Generally, each team was able to cover 8-15 points before the sun drove both us and the warblers into hiding. We looked forward to the lunch breaks with fantastic lobster wraps provided by Claudette and the occasional visits by her lovely granddaughter. After a relaxing lunch and brief rest, we were back in the field by 3pm, covering as many points as possible before sunset. Evenings were a group dinner, followed by a few Wadadlis (local beer!) and strategizing for the following day.
One of the biggest differences from my prior visit was the number of people that were back on the island. During our first visit, Codrington was almost deserted, and this time it was a vibrant community. This also meant we could meet with the community members, discuss what we were doing and why, and also begin to understand their lives and challenges post-Irma. We met with the principals of both schools, gave presentations on the Barbuda Warbler and the monitoring efforts to several of the classes, and had many enlightening discussions with Barbudans we would meet in and around town. Several times during the week we met children returning home from school, which often resulted in some impromptu birding classes.
The Frigatebird Revival
Most of the smaller groups of mangroves appeared to be dead though the frigatebirds are still using them for nesting. The larger sections of mangrove appear to be slowly recovering with much dead vegetation still in evidence. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Partway through the week, Natalya and Sophia had to return to Antigua and Shanna Challenger (Flora and Fauna International), also an alum from the first season, joined the field crew and quickly showed her talent for spotting hard to find birds. With the help of Shanna and Joseph (who walked more miles than any of us), we were able to complete the necessary point counts, which gave us some extra time to conduct a rapid count of the Magnificent Frigatebird colony in the Codrington Lagoon NP. An afternoon boat trip to the colony was spectacular. We were joined by additional EAG staff (Nathan Wilson) and we counted as much of the colony as possible. One person counted adults, a second counted downy chicks and a third counted the ‘white-headed’ birds (mostly birds hatched either last year or very early this year). We counted a whopping 7,451 frigatebirds. The mangroves appear to be recovering slowly but that didn’t seem to bother the frigatebirds too much.
Connecting with Barbudans of All Ages
One of the very important aspects of our trip, besides counting the birds of course, was interacting with the Barbudans. During the second half of the trip, a team from EAG traveled from Antigua to do just that. In addition to the visits that we had already made to both schools, Arica Hill, EAG’s Executive Director, led the charge to host Barbuda Warbler presentations at the elementary school, complete with Shanna dressed as a Barbuda Warbler! Arica and EAG Director, Tahambay Smith, also organized a town hall meeting that was held with Barbudans, to gauge their interest in establishing an arm of the EAG over there. And let’s not forget filming! Lawson Lewis captured moments in the field, in the schools and in the meeting. These will be made into a short documentary that should become available very soon.
A New Airport Raises Concerns
Survey point now in the middle of the new airport runway. (Photo by Joseph Prosper)
Back to the field work! During the first few days, we kicked up clouds of red dust as we walked from point to point to count the Barbuda Warbler. Then, there were a few unexpected challenges, some caused by the much-needed heavy rains we encountered (Antigua and Barbuda have been in a drought for several years). But folks were happy to pull us out of the resulting mud when we got stuck and we were able to complete our surveys despite several rain delays. The construction of the new airport meant that several points we had previously counted were now either on the runway or in the middle of the rock quarry supporting the new construction. Habitat loss and concerns about the impact the airport will have on the surrounding warblers are something that should be closely monitored into the future.
There was also good news. We observed warblers throughout the island in numbers roughly similar to the previous counts shortly after the hurricane. 71 of the 105 random points counted during the week included at least one Barbuda Warbler. Certainly, one of the reasons the Barbuda Warbler population is doing this well, following a direct hit by Irma, is simply the amount of habitat available on Barbuda. The small human population and communal land ownership laws on Barbuda have resulted in most of the island remaining in a wild state, providing the warbler and other life with ample habitat. This likely provides significant buffers to the impacts of natural disasters such as droughts and hurricanes. As that habitat decreases, however, with the developments that are sure to follow the opening of a new airport, the risks to the warbler and its long term survival will also increase.
While the warbler appears to be doing fairly well, the data are still being analyzed and any conjecture about the true population status at this time is based on our observations and not statistics. We will follow up this blog post with the population estimates once the numbers have been crunched (and we will also present our work at BirdsCaribbean’s 22nd International Conference in Guadeloupe). The data are now off to Dr. Frank Rivera-Milan (who led the team during the first visit) – he will be running the various models to produce a current population estimate.
All in all, it was a very busy week but we had a wonderful time. Counting birds, meeting new friends, and spending time on such a beautiful, mostly wild island is a special experience—I’m ready to go back !!!
Thank you to our Partners!
We thank our donors and supporters who made this trip a successful one. Firstly, many thanks are expressed to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund), Global Wildlife Conservation, and Mr. Lamont Brown for providing funding for these important surveys and also for the educational outreach in Barbuda. Sincere thanks to the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) for assisting with the logistics, especially Ms. Arica Hill and Mr. Kelly Burton (Dept of Environment). Thanks to Fernando Simal (WILDCONSCIENCE), Joseph (Junior) Prosper, Natalya Lawrence, Shanna Challenger, and Sophie Punnett-Steele for tireless help with the field work. Thank you to Mr. John Mussington and Ms. Charlene Harris, principals at both the secondary and elementary schools in Barbuda, for affording us the opportunity to visit and speak with the students. Finally, we wish to thank the Barbuda Council and the Barbudan people who provided us with their assistance and support.
By Jeff Gerbracht, Lead Application Developer, eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. For many years, Jeff has served as a volunteer facilitator at our BirdsCaribbean training workshops and assisted with a number of field survey and monitoring efforts.
Hover over each photo to see the caption or click on the first photo to see a slide show.
Roofs yet to be repaired and some businesses still aren’t open. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Natalya and Jeff in the field. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Impromptu bird monitoring class. Fernando showing some school children how to use binoculars. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Natalya Lawrence recording birds and vegetation cover. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Magnificent Frigatebird chicks. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
The quarry, which is the source for the new airport foundation. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Lesser Antillean Bullfinch, seen and heard on many of our points. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Clearing surrounding new runaway and road to quarry. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Sunset at the Codrington wharf. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Jeff showing Barbudan child how to use binoculars and catch a glimpse of local birds. (Photo by Joseph Prosper)
Counting Magnificent Frigatebirds, white-headed immatures and downy chicks in abundance. (Photo by Jeff Gerbracht)
Jefff and Fernando planning logistics with Kelly Burton. (Photo by Natalya Lawrence)
We are impressed. We are excited. We are hopeful. Yes, CWC 2019 has sparked some emotions among us all!
First and foremost, we at BirdsCaribbean wish to thank you – our partners, who joined in the 2019 Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC). The Census is now in its tenth year of data collection by energetic birders across the region. Over the three-week count period ending on February 3rd, we received a total of 321 checklists from 19 countries, with 212 different species observed. We are deeply impressed by the work you have all put in!
This year’s CWC was unusual in some ways. We were not sure what to expect. In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria cut a swathe of chaos and destruction across parts of the region. Our birds suffered and struggled to survive, and conservationists struggled to recover along with them. Results from the CWC in 2018 a few months later were worrying. Our counters reported dramatic declines in the diversity and numbers, even of some of our most common bird species. We might have expected this as the hurricanes damaged fragile wetland habitats – which had already been threatened in recent years by human activities. Even though the storms occurred in 2017, those ecosystems still have a long road to recovery.
The results from this year were heartening, compared to the post-hurricane CWC results in 2018. There were quite a few surprises and records during the counts.
Locations of the sites surveyed during the 2019 Caribbean Waterbird Census (Map by Aly Ollivierre)
Encouraging Numbers
It’s early days yet. We won’t have a complete picture of how birds are recovering until we analyze all of the data. However, there have been promising reports from the field. In the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Canadian Wildlife Service led Piping Plover surveys with a team of partners and volunteers. The team counted 134Piping Plovers this year at six sites – compared to 62 plovers at three sites in 2018. Among these birds, the surveyors spotted 15 marked with unique leg codes (including ten from their own study!).
A group of Piping Plovers foraging in Cayo Paredon Grande, Cuba. (Photo by Martin Acosta)
The teams visited a variety of good shorebird sites including foraging sand and mud flats, salinas, and ponds. Black Rock, an area of islets and sandbar on the south side of Middle Caicos, came out top in terms of the range of species and numbers counted. Almost 1,500 shorebirds were spotted, including 180Red Knot (five of which were banded with unique codes). In the past, this location has yielded many bird sightings, but in the post-hurricane count last year numbers were lower (around 500 birds). This may have been due to the redistribution of sand from Hurricane Irma which limited good foraging habitat. The abundance of birds has since tripled – which is exciting news.
In Cuba, Professor Lourdes Mugica and her team from the University of Havana counted 41Piping Plovers in Cayo Paredon Grande on the north coast of the island. Lourdes reports that they observed more Piping Plovers in other areas. However, interestingly this is the largest flock her team has ever encountered in four years of CWC monitoring. Five of the birds were banded – these were read and reported in their eBird entry.
Is it too early to suggest that this lovable, endlessly fascinating bird is making a comeback?
Exciting Discoveries
Does this plover look suspicious to you? It’s a Common Ringed Plover, which should be overwintering in Africa. Seen in Guadeloupe, this is the third record for the Caribbean. (Photo by Anthony Levesque)
On to Antigua, where Andrea Otto and her team from the Environmental Awareness Group (EAG) spotted a Wattled Jacana! Not only is this a new island record, but it is a first sighting for the West Indies. This range map from eBird Caribbean clearly shows that this is a South American species. In addition to the jacana, the group also saw an American White Pelican – a new record for the island. Both are incredible sightings – check out the eBird report here!
Andrea and Natalya Lawrence shared the news of the Wattled Jacana sighting, explaining the importance of the CWC and Antigua’s waterbirds in a lively television interview on the “Antigua Barbuda Today” morning show. To see the interview, complete with photos, advance to 2:05:15 here). Our partners at EAG really helped to put their island’s waterbirds on the map!
Nature Explorers Anguilla also had an unexpected American White Pelican during their CWC count at Meads Bay Pond in Anguilla. According to the literature available and eBird records, it would appear to be a first record for the island. Way to go team! Their eBird list is available here.
Anthony Levesque in Guadeloupe spotted a Common Ringed Plover. This is only the 2nd Guadeloupe and 3rd Caribbean record of this species! Common Ringed Plovers usually overwinter in Africa (see the eBird range map). They are quite a challenge to identify in the field, especially when they are supposed to be on the other side of the world! Read Anthony’s descriptive notes on his eBird list here.
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Lystra Culzac spotted a single male American Wigeon. This is also a rare, and possibly first, sighting for the island.
Future CWC Surveyors in the Making
Students practice their waterbird identification in Jamaica during the CWC. (Photo by Ava Tomlinson)
In Jamaica, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) hosted 65 students to participate in the CWC in the Palisadoes, Port Royal Protected Area. Students learned about the importance of the area, which is a RAMSAR site close to the capital city of Kingston, and the species they might encounter. In addition, they learned about the impact of pollution on this fragile environment.
The students used materials from BirdsCaribbean, including “Wetland Birds of the Caribbean” and “Seabirds of the Caribbean,” identification cards, binoculars, and data sheets, and set out to record their observations. They worked in groups of four, validating the type of birds seen under the guidance of NEPA staff. The students were excited to see the Belted Kingfisher, Magnificent Frigatebird, Royal Tern, Ruddy Turnstone, and Sandwich Tern.
On World Wetlands Day, a group from BirdLife Jamaica counted in the same area, which is slated for tourism development – including a retractable pier for cruise ships that is already on the island. How will this affect the wetland habitat and the birds that shelter there? Time will tell. Among the species counted there was a “party boat” full of Laughing Gulls.
Disturbing Events
Grupo Acción Ecológica (Dominican Republic) discovered and removed over 300 traps for waterbirds during their CWC counts. Here, an American Flamingo is freed. (Photo by Maria Paulino)
Wetlands were the focus for Maria Paulino and her team from Grupo Acción Ecológica in the Dominican Republic. However, there were some unhappy discoveries. At one of the country’s important wetland sites, Monte Cristi on the north coast, the team found large traps designed to catch American Flamingos. Tragically, other species were casualties – including a dead Snowy Egret, a dead Reddish Egret – and two days later, a similar trap was found with three dead Tricolored Herons. The team freed one trapped flamingo from a trap.
Altogether, the team removed over 300 traps! This terrible situation was reported to the Environmental Department in Santo Domingo and (hopefully) this will pressure the government into taking some action. It is not clear what the fate of the flamingos would be when caught, but Maria Paulino has heard that they are sold to resorts and hotels.
What is the CWC?
The Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) is a multi-partner, region-wide waterbird and wetland monitoring program led by BirdsCaribbean. The goal of this program is to learn more about the distribution, status, and abundance of waterbirds in the Caribbean in order to better conserve and manage these beautiful birds and their habitats.
Environmental Awareness Group in Antigua discussed the CWC and their record findings in a television interview.
The program also aims to increase awareness, build capacity (for example through training workshops), and engage communities and volunteers in wetland monitoring and conservation. Ultimately, we want to identify and ensure that as many important wetland sites as possible are protected, thus nurturing the many fascinating bird species that live in them.
Since the program began in 2010, dedicated bird enthusiasts have ventured into wetlands across the Caribbean to systematically survey all types of waterbirds (shorebirds, seabirds, wading birds, marshbirds, and waterfowl). The three-week regional counting period begins on January 14th and ends on February 3rd each year – just including World Wetlands Day (February 2nd).
However, this is not a “once per year” event – you certainly don’t have to wait until January of 2020 to join the CWC. We collect data all year-round! To learn more about migration routes and important stopover sites, everyone is asked to count waterbirds as often as possible throughout the year, especially during migration periods in fall (August-November) and spring (March-May).
The CWC forms part of the International Waterbird Census (IWC) – the largest volunteer waterbird count in the world, organized by Wetlands International and now in its 53rd year. We are still relatively “new kids on the block,” but after ten years we are making valuable contributions to the knowledge base for these critical but often overlooked species.
The collected data is recorded on the newly designed eBird Caribbean online platform.
Any time you are counting birds in Caribbean wetlands, you can enter your data on eBird as a CWC Point Count or Traveling Count. Make sure to choose one of these protocols on “Observation Type” if using the eBird Mobile app (be sure to choose eBird Caribbean portal in your Settings), or on Step 2 of data entry on your laptop.
A rare American Wigeon (male) spotted by Lystra Culzac and Glenroy Games in St. Vincent. (photo by Lystra Culzac)2019 CWC Survey team in the Dominican Republic – Kate Wallace, Maria Paulino and Daniel Mejia.
Over five days, 33 enthusiastic participants learned about shorebird identification, monitoring techniques and conservation strategies. They shared ideas, compared experiences, and trekked around watery habitats practicing new field skills. “We were thrilled to work with this enthusiastic group of conservationists this week,” said Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “They have all have pledged to use what they learned to help study and protect threatened shorebirds in their home countries.”
Why Shorebirds?
Shorebirds, like sandpipers and plovers, are among the most threatened groups of birds in the world. Most of them migrate incredible distances every year from high in the Arctic where they breed down to southern South America and back again. Some species, like the Red Knot, will fly over 9,300 miles (15,000 km) — and that’s just one way. Many migratory shorebird species, like Black-bellied Plovers, Greater Yellowlegs, and Semipalmated Sandpipers, rely on Caribbean wetlands to stop and refuel during their long journeys. Some even spend the entire winter! However, shorebird species have been in steady decline since the 1970s. This is due to several factors, all connected with human activities such as loss of habitat from development, disturbance on beaches, and hunting.
Black-bellied Plover (in winter plumage) at Combate Beach, Puerto Rico. This shorebird, and many other species rely on Caribbean beaches and wetlands for a safe haven during migration and overwintering. (Photo by Brad Winn)
The group of eager Caribbean conservationists at the workshop learned more about these threats, not only direct threats to shorebirds and waterbirds, but also to their habitats: beaches, mudflats, mangroves, and some agricultural areas. They also discussed best practices in monitoring the birds and conducting conservation activities. Importantly, they learned how to take part in two critical monitoring programs, the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) and the International Shorebird Survey (ISS). All of this led to a deeper understanding of the birds’ ecology and conservation.
Another major threat to Caribbean shorebirds is plastic pollution, and the theme of World Migratory Bird Day 2019 reflects this: “Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution.” With a growing awareness of the harmful impact of plastic across the region on public health and the environment, the group was soon busy with a cleanup at one of the field trip sites, collecting 50 pounds of trash. The exercise was led by Sheylda Diaz Mendez of Environment for the Americas (EFTA) and representatives from the Scuba Dogs Society. This was an excellent hands-on exercise for participants on the management and organization of a cleanup (which is not as easy as it sounds). Plus, the participants had fun, and were delighted to receive cleanup equipment to take back home, thanks to EFTA.
Sharing Experiences Reveals Common Themes
Group photo on the last day wearing our 2019 World Migratory Bird Day shirts—33 participants from 14 island nations. (photo by Ana Roman)
While the first three days focused on basic shorebird and waterbird identification, life history, threats to birds and habitats, and collecting and exploring data, the final two days turned to conservation solutions. After sharing the challenges they face in their countries, it was evident that many islands were experiencing similar issues. Facilitators and trainees then shared ideas and strategies for reducing threats.
In the coming days, participants will have the opportunity to apply for funding from BirdsCaribbean to carry out conservation activities on their islands. The group discussions and brainstorming sessions during the workshop were fantastic opportunities for participants to begin to develop project ideas for this funding. Depending on the threats and priorities at a given site, these projects might include activities such as shorebird and waterbird monitoring, public outreach and education, or a wetland cleanup.
Having people with the same interests and passions from across the region also had other benefits — reminding each other that we are all conserving birds together! “It’s really cool to see how many of us are actually doing this kind of work. Because when you’re on these islands, it’s just you, and you’re like, “The world is on my shoulders! These birds, I’m all they have!” said Shanna Challenger of the Environmental Awareness Group on Antigua. “And it’s really cool to see how many people we have working on the same thing.”
The group of students, wildlife managers and educators from both the government and the non-profit sectors represented 14 island nations: Antigua, the Bahamas, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands.
BirdsCaribbean also benefited from sharing experiences during the week with our partners and co-facilitators for the workshop, Manomet, Inc. Experts in shorebird identification, life history and habitat management, the Manomet team provided enthusiasm and invaluable insights in the classroom and in the field. Their Habitats for Shorebirds Project aligned with the goals of the workshop and BirdsCaribbean is very grateful for all of their help and expertise.
Practice Makes Perfect In the Field
Field trip within Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
In addition to 30 hours of classroom learning, the group went on six field trips to local wetlands throughout the week. The field trips around Cabo Rojo offered students the opportunity to identify birds in the field and to practice count methods. “The workshop was amazing!” said Zoya Buckmire of the Grenada Fund for Conservation. “We went to a variety of wetland habitats from salt ponds to lakes to beaches. We got to see many different birds and learned some fantastic techniques for identifying and counting them.”
Shorebirds in their non-breeding, or wintering, plumage are notoriously difficult to identify. Sometimes only subtle details harbor the clues. Are the legs black? Are the wingtips longer than the tail? Does the bill droop slightly at the tip?? By the end of the week, the group was becoming more confident in the field marks for tricky birds. The Least Sandpipers at Cabo Rojo Salt Flats were a welcome new species for the group, though many were not convinced of the “yellow” in their yellow-green legs! However, with a week of field trips, it became clear to all that the more you practice, the better you are at field identification.
The workshop ended on a high, with two final field trips to Laguna Cartagena and Salina Fortuna. These were excellent places to practice flock estimation and point counts. While several species of herons and egrets and hundreds of Black-necked Stilts and Glossy Ibis were observed, taking a good look at more secretive species like the Clapper Rail and Sora were a perfect way to end the week. All participants received new Vortex binoculars and ten organizations received a new Vortex spotting scope and tripod – “must-have” equipment for monitoring programs and ensuring proper identification. The group also received field guides and other resources for bird identification and data collection.
Participant Perspectives
A group enthusiastic to clean up shorebird habitat! (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
The participants came away with plans to share their newfound knowledge with colleagues. “Thank you so much for always providing opportunities for conservationists in the Caribbean like myself,” wrote Laura Baboolal from Trinidad. She aims to start a shorebird monitoring program for Trinidadian wetlands, and adds: “We hope this can evolve into something greater…Hoping to have some exciting news soon!”
Most Caribbean people live on or near the coast, but have not appreciated or learned much about the birds that inhabit their seashores and wetlands. One of these was participant Reneive Rhoden, from Jamaica’s National Environment and Planning Agency. “I’ve learned so much about shorebirds!” said Reneive. “I grew up on the seaside and I didn’t know anything about shorebirds – and now I know a lot! I can now teach my kids, children in school, and Jamaicans that I work with in my job.”
We are very grateful to the following generous sponsors and partners for contributing to this workshop: Manomet, Inc.; Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network; Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña; US Fish and Wildlife Service (Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Fund); US Forest Service International Programs; Environment Canada; The Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Para La Naturaleza; Optics for the Tropics, Inc.; Environment for the Americas; Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and Vortex Optics.
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.
Perfect waterbird habitat at Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa Sorenson discusses threats to birds and their habitats with a group. (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
Taking a closer look at shorebird food resources. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Early morning birding at Combate Beach. (Photo by Jessica Cañizares)
Looking at a Spotted Sandpiper on the beach. (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
Getting a closer look always helps with ID. (Photo by Jessica Cañizares)
Birding at Combate Beach (L to R): Jeanette Victor, St. Lucia; Lisa Sorenson, BirdsCaribbean; Kristy Shortte, St. Vincent and the Grenadines; Reneive Rhoden, Jamaica. (Photo by Jessica Cañizares)
Birding in Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Anderson Jean and Francoise Benjamin practicing plover ID with Brad Winn. (Photo by Jessica Cañizares)
Group photo after the beach cleanup. (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
Setting the scope high. (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
Reneive Rhoden helps clean up the refuge. (Photo by Jessica Cañizares)
In the classroom at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Brad Winn reveals shorebird food using a sieve. (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
Participants presenting their group discussions about shorebird conservation. (Photo by Monica Iglecia)
Cataloging trash collection. (Photo by Jessica Cañizares)
Workshop participants and facilitators group photo at Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico. Everyone is wearing their World Migratory Bird Day t-shirts: Be the solution to plastic pollution. (photo by Ana Roman)
Fela and Pepe, inseparable, on the search for Puerto Rican Todies.
Join Justin Proctor on his adventure to Puerto Rico where he was invited to help launch an exciting new book on one of the Caribbean’s most unique birds.
Everybody in Puerto Rico knows José (Pepe) González Díaz and Felisa (Fela) Collazo Torres in the same way: as a husband-wife team just as inseparable from each other as they are from their island’s natural landscapes. They wake up every day just as in love as when they met decades ago, and just as ready as they were the day before (and the day before that) to go out amidst their mountains, valleys, and rivers to discover something new…together. I’ve never met another couple like them. They are, like Puerto Rico, something beautifully special.
It is no hyperbole when I make the claim that Pepe and Fela have collectively spent tens of thousands of hours researching, photographing, filming, and producing educational materials about their island’s flora and fauna. It isn’t difficult to find their Aves Puerto Rico FelPe (Fela + Pepe) insignia on dozens of full length documentaries covering everything from endemic butterflies to birds. Their extensive YouTube channel is a good place to start your way down the rabbit hole. Keep in mind as you look through their material how much “behind the scenes” time and effort it takes to capture some of the high-quality, rare footage of many of the species that are featured. A 20-second shot of never before seen behaviors was likely the product of days, if not weeks, of time spent waiting and watching from within a cramped little blind.
Pepe and Fela’s trademark logo, involving a blend of both their names
A sampling of the multimedia filmed, edited, and produced by Pepe and Fela.
But beyond these invaluable pieces of work, Pepe and Fela are probably even better known for something else.
Todies.
For more than 15 years, they have consumed themselves with unravelling the story of the Todidae family. And the more they dug, the more they found. The Todidae family is unique for so many reasons, but perhaps the most obvious is that it is a small family of only five species, all of which are collectively endemic to the Greater Antilles. You’ll find one species in Cuba, one in Jamaica, two in Hispaniola, and one in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican Tody, locally named San Pedrito, is one of the five tody species endemic to the Caribbean.
That’s it. They belong to the Caribbean and nowhere else.
Todies are also unlike any other birds that you’ll ever see, guaranteed, which makes them a major attraction for birders and photographers from all over the world. But don’t just take my word on it. Pick up a copy of Pepe and Fela’s coauthored book, La Raíz de las Antillas: La Historia de la Familia Todidae, which has certainly proven itself to be the most comprehensive historical account of these birds ever published. The book is now available on Amazon, and should find its way into the hands of any birder that has ever had the pleasure of spending (or longed to spend) a few moments with a tody.
The book does an excellent job of navigating readers through the last three-hundred years of documentation of the todies, and how so many people struggled to describe these birds for what they really were. Consistently confused with hummingbirds and oftentimes inaccurately illustrated, the todies weaved their way in and out of ornithological accounts as different birds almost every time. And so readers will quickly come to appreciate the detective work that Pepe and Fela have undertaken so as to guide us efficiently and accurately through the convoluted timeline of the todies. The late James W. Wiley summarized it well:
“The book is an important contribution to our knowledge of the family Todidae as well as a major contribution to Antillean ornithology in general. The authors’ exhaustive investigation and compelling presentation are an exceptional model for others to follow.”
Readers will also be quick to notice that the authors have interlaced an important message throughout their book: that their island’s tody species—the Puerto Rican Tody, or locally the San Pedrito—rightfully deserves a change of its scientific name, Todus mexicanus. Through their historical account of the species, Pepe and Fela make a clear case for changing T. mexicanus to T. portoricensis or T. borinquensis (the latter derived from “Borinquén”, the original Taíno name for Puerto Rico). Geographically speaking, this makes sense, because the Puerto Rican Tody has never touched foot in Mexico. And the reason for the misleading mexicanus species name has likely stemmed from just a quick moment of confusion that occurred in the late 1830s, when two tody specimens collected at two different localities were later misidentified and subsequently documented incorrectly.
However, the process of procuring a formal scientific name change through the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) can be a challenging one. Unfortunately, current taxonomy is rife with species that have geographically-misleading scientific names, and the ICZN does not usually address these cases. However, Pepe and Fela’s case has additional ground to stand on (read the book to find out!), and so they are continuing to push forward. For them, the name is important; the San Pedrito is as unique and beautiful as the island of Puerto Rico itself, and because of that, has limitless potential to grow into an icon of pride and stewardship for Puerto Ricans over their island’s rich biological diversity. But the tody and what it can signify loses power and influence when its name does not match the people that should care about it the most.
Pepe and Fela are on a mission to establish the San Pedrito’s taxanomic name as Todus portoricensis
Over the last couple of years, La Raíz de las Antillas (for short) has been enhanced and amplified through a series of revisions and new editions. It was in early 2018 that Pepe and Fela reached out to BirdsCaribbean, and ultimately our Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) editorial team, to see if we’d be willing to help proofread and copy-edit the first full-length English edition, appropriately titled, The Root of the Antilles: A History of the Todidae Family. One of the JCO’s best editors, Alice McBride, decided to take it on. She did such an outstanding job of cleaning the grammar that Pepe was compelled to go back to the original Spanish edition and make some changes. As the Managing Editor of the JCO, I was excited to see us involved with the future of the book, while equally interested in seeing how the collaboration could grow over time. A few months later, the opportunity came in the form of an invite from Pepe and Fela for us to attend the much-awaited, public release of their book scheduled for the 8th of December in Adjuntas, Puerto Rico.
One of the perks of being employed by a non-profit are the (sometimes) flexible hours. With the rest of the BirdsCaribbean and JCO crew tied up with “work,” I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to fly down and represent us. It was a chance to see Puerto Rico for the first time, be hosted personally by Pepe and Fela, and see my fifth and final tody species. Done deal, sign me up! The hospitality I received and the fun I had over just a short five days on the island is worthy of its own full-length account. But in short, it was spectacular, and one of those trips where the puzzle pieces all just come together perfectly, over and over again. From spending afternoons with the Puerto Rican Parrots in El Yunque and the shorebirds in Cabo Rojo, to sipping a fresh cup of mountain coffee while seeing my first San Pedrito at La Mocha, to squeezing in a grand-finale sunset from the Arecibo Observatory (eat your hearts out James Bond fans), I had no choice but to fall in love with Puerto Rico (it would have been easy despite).
Casa Pueblo in Adjuntas, PR made for the perfect venue to celebrate Pepe and Fela’s coauthored book, The Root of the Antilles_A History of the Todidae Family
Through all of that, it was the day of Pepe and Fela’s book release that took me most by surprise. Looking back, I’m not sure what I originally expected to unfold, but it was definitely second-rate to the magnitude of what greeted me. The event was hosted by Casa Pueblo. My best attempt at describing this organization is by saying that they’re engaged with absolutely every initiative that a community needs and wants, and they’re doing it right. An hour before the ceremony was going to take place, the venue’s auditorium that could comfortably seat 75 people was overflowing into every open space available. Among the crowd were members of the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI), passionate birders, wildlife photographers, professors, school groups, and a myriad of community members. Everyone was excited about Pepe, Fela, the todies, and the great success story surrounding all three. Bands played, beautiful presentations and speeches were made, handmade gifts were given, and food and drink were shared—it was a true celebration, filled with friendship and pride.
The invitation we all received was for a book release, but anyone attending would agree that what actually transpired was an opportunity for Puerto Rico to show its gratitude to Pepe and Fela for all they had done, and continue to do, for the people and wildlife of the island they love. I consider myself lucky and fortunate to have been a part of that truly special day.
The story of the Puerto Rican Tody can no longer be told without the addition of Pepe and Fela, nor can their personal story be told without the tody. I hope that everyone reading this gets a chance to meet all three of them. In the meantime, while the winter days are short and cold, brush up on your tody history by picking up a copy of The Root of the Antilles: A History of the Todidae Family. And by doing so, you’ll be supporting all of the great work and forward progress that it stands for.
Pepe and Justin sit beneath a painting of the San Pedrito done by Pepe himself.
The Imperial Parrot, locally known as the Sisserou, is the National Bird of Dominica. (Photo by Paul Reillo)
In April 2018, we published an article about the controversial export of threatened parrots from Dominica to Germany. After the 2017 hurricane season, the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) exported two Sisserou (Imperial Parrots; Amazona imperialis) and ten Jaco (Red-necked Parrots; Amazona arausiaca) in March 2018. ACTP claimed that establishing a captive breeding population at their facility in Germany was an “emergency measure.”
A new report by Lisa Cox in The Guardian has uncovered just how dishonest ACTP has been in its dealings with captive birds. It also reveals the criminal history of its director, Martin Guth. This new information amplifies our initial outrage and serious concern for the exported birds from Dominica. Before we highlight the report’s findings, here is a brief history of events:
Timeline
17 Mar 2018:
2 Imperial Parrots and 10 Red-necked Parrots are secretly removed from Dominica’s Parrot Conservation and Research Centre. They are exported via private charter plane to ACTP’s facility in Germany.
3 Apr 2018:
BirdsCaribbean publishes their first blog post about the incident, describing the legal, scientific and ethical problems with this export.
5 April 2018:
Thirteen organizations, including BirdsCaribbean, prepared and signed a letter to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) expressing outrage over the transfer. The letter was also sent to representatives within CITES, the government of Dominica, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the European Union, .
April 2018:
ATCP publishes a statement in responses to the letter arguing that an external facility is the best option to protect these birds from natural disasters.
1 May 2018:
Forty international researchers, veterinarians and conservation leaders, including BirdsCaribbean, continued to express concern. They recommended the repatriation of the parrots and a full investigation into ACTP’s activities. This letter was sent to Dominica’s Director of the Environmental Coordinating Unit and Director of Forestry, Wildlife and Parks in addition to Germany’s Federal Agency for Conservation of Nature.
10 Dec 2018:
The Guardian publishes two articles by Lisa Cox about ACTP. The first is an exposé into how ACTP has acquired one of the world’s largest collections of endangered parrots. The second details Australia’s own dealings with ACTP, despite concerns.
What did the investigative report reveal?
Red-necked Parrots, also known as Jacos, are endemic to Dominica. (Photo by Paul Reillo)
Dominica has not been the only country to have questionable dealings with the ACTP. Since 2015, ACTP has removed 232 parrots from Australia (80% of all live native bird exports) including endangered birds like the Carnaby’s Black-Cockatoo. In Brazil, the Spix’s Macaw is extinct in the wild; ACTP has 90 per cent of the existing global population (142 of the 159 birds left). The organization has also acquired endemic parrots from St. Lucia and St. Vincent.
The article reports that the ACTP has a license to operate as a zoo in Germany. Exports to zoos are typically granted under the assumption that the birds will be on exhibit. But the site is not easily accessible by public transport, there is no car park, and no clear indication that the facility is open to the public. There are no signs that offer information about opening hours or admission prices. Also, ACTP is not registered with any major international zoological association.
So what happens to the birds? That remains unclear as ACTP does not publish inventories, animal transactions, or financial reports. The article does note, however, that the German federal conservation agency is aware of private social media messages that show Australian birds apparently imported by ACTP offered for sale for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Guardian reporters describe Martin Guth as a convicted criminal, former nightclub manager, and “unofficial debt collector.” He served a five-year jail sentence for kidnapping and extortion in 1996 and a 20-month term for extortion in 2009. The reports also allege that “at least one individual who works with ACTP has a conviction for involvement with illegal bird trading.” German authorities reportedly deny any knowledge of Guth’s criminal background.
Yet, when ACTP applied to the Environment Department in Australia to be recognized as a zoo, it was asked: “If the zoo is privately owned, has the owner ever been convicted of a criminal offence or declared bankrupt?” ACTP responded that it was not privately owned. Its response in relation to criminal offences was marked “n/a”.
The Guardian reports have sparked strong reactions among conservationists on social media. Stephen Durand from Dominica’s Forestry Department said they confirm his worst fears: “When Martin Guth visited Dominica in January 2018…his first declaration was that he had absolutely no interest whatsoever to conduct any breeding programme for Dominica’s Parrots. And so here it is. History to confirm that Dominica’s Parrots were traded to a fraudulent zoo in the name of conservation, owned by a convicted criminal businessman.”
The Sisserou is endangered and endemic to Dominica. (Photo by Paul Reillo)
BirdsCaribbean and our fellow conservation organizations will continue to put pressure on authorities and individuals responsible for the controversial export of Dominica’s wildlife to ACTP. We stand by our recommendation to repatriate the 12 parrots. First, transfer the birds to a credentialed, experienced zoological facility to check for diseases. If deemed healthy and disease-free, return the birds to the Parrot Conservation and Research Centre in Roseau, Dominica. We also recommend a full investigation of all parrot imports by ACTP into Germany as well as ACTP’s activities with CITES I species (including inventory history). Finally, we support a ban on all future transfers of Caribbean parrots to the ACTP.
Dr. Paul R. Reillo, President of the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation and co-Director of the Tropical Conservation Institute at Florida International University, points out: “Dominica’s parrots have survived hurricanes for millennia, and wild populations have rebounded thanks to broad-based, on-island conservation measures.” Dr. Reillo, who has worked in Dominica for over 20 years, also believes the parrots should be returned as soon as possible.
The lush habitat for which Dominica is famous, and the birds that live in it, were dealt a bitter blow by Hurricane Maria. However, like its people, the island is resilient – and so are its birds. The island’s biodiversity should be allowed to recover at its own pace – and within its own borders, as Dr. Reillo notes.
Parrot habitat in Morne Diablotin National Park in Dominica – The forest is recovering after the passage of Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Photo taken in late 2018 by Stephen Durand.
BirdsCaribbean is excited to announce the first recipients of grants from the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund. Three excellent projects focusing on endangered birds endemic to the Caribbean were selected among many deserving proposals. Projects in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and St. Lucia were granted over $132,000 through the fund, with commitments of an additional $114,000 for the second year of these projects.
The organizations to receive 2019 Betty Petersen Conservation Fund grants from BirdsCaribbean are:
Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) for “Black-capped Petrel Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation in a Haitian Community”
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust for “Engaging Local Communities in Reversing the Decline of the Endangered White-breasted Thrasher by Restoring Key Nesting Sites and Reducing the Impacts of Invasive Species”
The Peregrine Fund for “A Holistic Approach to the Conservation of Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in Dominican Republic”
The “Betty Fund” was created to support conservation projects in the Caribbean that engage and empower communities and stakeholders to both protect and sustainably benefit from their birds. This approach was used successfully by the woman in whose memory the Betty Fund is named.
Difficult decisions after a tremendous response to call for proposals
Ridgway’s Hawks are critically endangered and found only in Los Haitises National Park in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by the Peregrine Fund)
“We received 24 pre-proposals representing extremely important conservation work in 16 island nations. We invited full proposals from six organizations, and while virtually all of these were deserving, we had to narrow these down to three projects,” said Andrew Dobson, Chair of BirdsCaribbean’s board and a member of the Betty Fund’s review committee. “It was a very difficult choice.”
BirdsCaribbean commends all the other applicants on their proposals and encourages re-application to the Betty Fund in the future as well as continued engagement in the BirdsCaribbean network as an aid to finding other sources of funding.
The 2019 Betty Fund projects all exemplify the principle that conservation is a social undertaking, and in each human empowerment and benefits are explicitly addressed. Project approaches include establishing tree nurseries with local schools in St. Lucia to help the White-breasted Thrasher, training in sustainable agricultural practices and sponsoring a soccer team in Haiti with the local name, Diablotin, of the Black-capped Petrel in Haiti, and providing hawk-proof chicken coops to farmers in the Dominican Republic to reduce shooting of the Ridgway’s Hawk.
Additionally, all three of the selected projects focus on an Endangered or Critically Endangered species endemic to the Caribbean. “Species endemism is not a requirement for support from the Betty Fund” explained Dr. Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, “but it’s gratifying to be able to direct these inaugural funds towards birds that are uniquely Caribbean.”
2019 Betty Fund Grant Recipients
Black-capped Petrel Conservation Through Poverty Alleviation in a Haitian Community Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC)
The stories of the petrel and the people of Haiti run parallel – stories of hanging on in the face of hardship and a tenuous future in the face of great challenge; but stories also of resilience and hope based on local and international commitment to improving the environment and lives of people. The short film, “Haiti, Our Love, Our Home” portrays these stories. With dedicated funding for two years, EPIC will be able to continue and enhance activities to alleviate poverty and increase the ecological sustainability of agricultural practices, increase awareness, and foster stewardship of the Black-capped Petrel through education and outreach events. To assess the connections between their conservation efforts and local petrel populations they will map and monitor local petrel breeding habitat as well as track petrel breeding success in petrel nesting colonies adjacent to the project site.
Engaging Local Communities in Reversing the Decline of the Endangered White-breasted Thrasher by Restoring Key Nesting Sites and Reducing the Impacts of Invasive Species Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
The White-breasted Thrasher is endemic to St. Lucia and Critically Endangered. New funding from the Betty Fund will help restore the species’ habitat and engage the local community in conservation. (photo by Steffen Oppel)
The goal of this project is to reverse the decline of the endangered White-breasted Thrasher found in Saint Lucia. Degradation of the thrasher’s dry-forest habitat, caused by unsustainable land use by local communities, and predation from invasive species are having negative impacts on the reproductive success of this small population. The team aims to increase the area of suitable habitat by working with local communities and land owners to develop a cooperative land management system promoting the protection of key nesting sites and sustainable land use practices as well as restoring the habitat through a program of planting. To reduce the impacts of invasive species, a control program will be designed and implemented across key nesting sites and the effects on nesting success will be monitored using a network of camera traps. They will also engage local school children to aid with the analysis of the camera trap footage through a local outreach campaign.
A Holistic Approach to the Conservation of Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in Dominican Republic The Peregrine Fund
Ridgway’s Hawk is a critically endangered island endemic limited to one small, isolated population in the Dominican Republic, making it particularly vulnerable to extinction if human and natural pressures continue. The main threats are human persecution, infestation of botflies (Philornis pici) in nestlings, and habitat loss. Though the situation is dire, it is also hopeful. The Peregrine Fund has proven that most anthropogenic threats can be mitigated through environmental education and community engagement. They have developed an effective treatment protocol for Philornis infestations which has increased nestling survival by over 170%. Additionally, they have had great success with reintroductions in Punta Cana, where they released young hawks to create an additional population, which now numbers 18 pairs. The current goal is to create 1-2 more populations in Dominican Republic. Future successes will be measured by the number of hawks in each population, reduction of human-caused hawk mortality, and the advancement of local biologists to take on higher responsibilities.
About Betty Petersen and The Betty Fund
Betty Petersen helped many aspiring conservationists; we honor her legacy with this conservation fund. (photo by Jeffrey Gordon)
Betty Petersen (1943-2013), a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, was for many years director of a program called Birders Exchange (run by the American Birding Association), enabling birders in the US and Canada to provide resources to Latin American and Caribbean groups and individuals. In doing so, she created a network of friends and partners across all of the Americas, who loved and admired her deeply, as is evidenced by their generosity in supporting this project in her memory. The Betty Petersen Conservation Fund has been established, under BirdsCaribbean’s administration, by friends and family to keep her vision and dreams alive.
The Betty Fund was officially launched in 2018 from the generous donations of individuals who knew Betty Petersen personally or were inspired by her work. “I knew Betty for almost 30 years,” said BirdsCaribbean Board member, Charles Duncan. “She was, in her own way, a wizard. With nothing more than donated birding equipment, books, and a bit of cash, She turned local communities and school kids into committed conservationists, struggling NGOs into recognized players on the inter-American scene, and “paper parks” into real protected areas. And in the process she reminded us how rewarding it is to lend a hand when none is expected.”
Betty’s husband, Wayne Petersen, spoke on behalf of the family stating, ““Betty was neither a trained scientist nor an ornithologist. However she was a deeply caring, kind, and gentle soul who understood people, their needs, and their feelings. It was these attributes that made her sustained efforts on behalf of bird conservation in Latin America and the Caribbean so successful and what eventually made her a beloved, admired, and respected figure. I know that Betty would have been modestly overwhelmed by the way BirdsCaribbean is carrying forward her legacy – a legacy of which I am deeply proud.”
The Black-capped Petrel is a mysterious seabird locally known as Diablotin. It spends it life at sea returning to the mountains of the Caribbean to breed. Only recently was nesting by this species discovered in Haiti. (Photo by David Hollie)
BirdsCaribbean will continue to fundraise for the Betty Fund, especially given the commitment for year two funding for the three inaugural projects. Dr. Sorenson said, “The recipients have committed to raise almost $275,000 in matching funds for their projects so, in just the first two years of its existence, the Betty Petersen Fund will have enabled more than a half-million dollars for conservation of endemic birds in the Caribbean. We are off to a great start, and we can’t wait to see what other projects we can fund in the ensuing years.”
“What wonderful news!” commented Adam Brown of EPIC, a recipient of funding for his work on the endangered Black-capped Petrel in Haiti. “Thank you to you and the Committee for allowing us this opportunity. We look forward to promoting petrel conservation the way Betty would have been happy to support.”
For information on how to contribute to the Betty Fund and/or how to apply for funding please visit our page here. Thank you to all the generous donors for making this work possible!
The Avalon is setting sail again this May for important shorebird and seabird conservation and research. The mission is a continuation of on-the-ground protective and restorative measures to limit human-caused disturbance and control invasive Australian pine at key shorebird and seabird sites in The Bahamas with support from Conservian, BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, and partners.
Volunteers Needed!
Our days will be filled with much adventure aboard the 75ft schooner “Avalon”. (Photo by Margo Zdravkovic)
We need your help to protect beach-nesting birds, nests & young. Conservian is seeking a weekly crew of 10 enthusiastic volunteers for our Bahamas shorebird habitat conservation project in May 2019 aboard our 75ft research schooner. Crews fly to the Bahamas each week to designated airports for shuttle transport to schooner. All trips include bunk, onboard meals, water, & ground transportation associated with project. Cost for week 1 or 2 trips is $1,750 per week. Week 3 patron trip cost includes “student sponsorship” and additional itinerary of cultural and historic site visits on Great Exuma. Please see website for more information at Coastalbird.org A valid passport is required. Airfare & insurance are not included.
This is a wonderful opportunity to gain field experience and shorebird ID skills or simply a once in a lifetime experience! Last year, BirdsCaribbean’s own Jennifer Wheeler joined the trip. Read all about her amazing adventures here.
May 2019 Expedition Dates & Locations:
American Oystercatcher with chick. (Photo by J. Gray)
Choose one week or more! Each week includes 7 nights aboard the schooner
Week 1: Joulter Cays & S. Andros- May 5-12 (Nassau Int Apt)
Week 2: Northern Exumas – May 12-19 (Nassau Int Apt/Exuma Int. Apt)
Week 3: All Exumas (including Great Exuma) – May 19-26 (Exuma Int. Apt/Nassau Int. Apt)
Project Crew Activities:
Protect, post & sign shorebird & seabird sites
Collect new data on nesting shorebirds, seabirds & habitat
Locate & protect shorebird & seabird nests & downy young
Control invasive Australian pine on beach habitats (select trips)
Work with local volunteers to accomplish the above goals
Snorkel reefs in gin clear waters
Learn sailing crew skills
Fish for dinner-catch of the day!
To join our conservation pirate crew please contact Margo Zdravkovic at MargoZ@Coastalbird.org Go to Coastalbird.org for more information on our 2019 expedition and Conservian’s coastal bird conservation work.
Aerial photo of prime shorebird habitat on Andros.
IMPORTANT: Applicants must be responsible, adventurous, in good physical condition, enjoy working in teams & be capable of walking several miles during warm weather on Bahamas beaches. Applicants must be comfortable living communally onboard a schooner for a week & riding in small boats to access survey sites.
The last time we met them, Yvan Satgé and his colleagues from Grupo Jaragua and USGS – South Carolina Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit were hiking up and down the high slopes of Loma del Toro, in the Dominican Republic. They were in search of active Black-capped Petrel burrows in which to set traps for adults returning to feed their chick. Read Part I of the story here.
“Hay uno!” – There is one!
The endangered Black-capped Petrel or “Diablotin” only breeds in the mountains of a few Caribbean nations. (Photo by David Hollie)
Excited by the prospect of capturing Black-capped Petrels for the first time, I am awake well before sunrise. Even the local rooster is surprised by the beam of my headlamp emerging from the tent. I knock on the door of the caseta where the rest of the team sleeps and, within a few minutes, our group heads into the forest, a flock of LED lights floating in the night mist. When we reach the ridge that marks the edge of the petrel colony, there is just enough light to sense the tall presence of Hispaniolan pines, their bark beaded with water droplets caught in lichen and moss. We catch our breath while listening to the muted sounds of dawn: a few birds warming up in the distance, insects starting to chirp in the bushes, and Pirrín…who never stops talking.
To avoid unnecessary disturbance, we decide that only Ivan, the youngest and fittest of the group, will check on the traps. If he finds a trapped petrel, he will call us by radio to join him. Ivan scrambles down the slope of loose soil and rocks and disappears into the dense understory vegetation. Up on the ridge, as we solemnly listen to the radio, even Pirrín is quiet. In the momentary silence, I review the steps in the tagging process myself: record the time; remove the bird from the trap; check it over for condition or injury; place it in the cloth bag; weigh it; attach a metal band to its right leg. If the petrel is heavy enough, glue the GPS tracker to the base of the tail feathers with epoxy, and secure it with strips of waterproof cloth tape and a small zip-tie. Take measurements: tarsus, wing cord, bill (culmen) length and depth; take a picture of the bird’s profile; place it back in the nest; record the time. Collect any poop samples. Breathe.
The radio screeches: “Hay uno!” – There is one. My heart races as we enter the ravine, single-file. Despite our excitement, we need to move slowly through the branches and vines that block our path at knee and chest height. In front of the burrow, we review the procedure once again and assign roles. Ivan removes the trap from the tunnel’s entrance, revealing a small but handsome black and white bird with a black mask over its eyes and a shiny thick black beak: Diablotín, the Black-capped Petrel. Patrick places the petrel into the cloth bag and weighs it as José Luis takes notes. Meanwhile I begin to prepare the GPS tracking equipment, but Patrick stops me halfway through: “370g: it’s a light bird…” I won’t need the tracking equipment this morning after all.
The Seabird Biologist Receives Two Gifts from the Diablotin
José Luis Castillo holds a Black-capped Petrel ready to be equipped with a GPS tracker, while Pirrín Matos watches the procedure. (Photo by Yvan Satgé)
An implicit standard in the tracking of birds’ movements is to keep the mass of the tracking equipment below 3% of the mass of the bird to avoid undue burden. Counting the waterproofing, epoxy, tape and zip-tie, the mass of our GPS loggers adds up to a bit less than 9g, meaning we could equip petrels weighing as little as 300g. The night before, however, we had decided to raise the weight limit in case the stress of tagging a smaller petrel might cause it to abandon its chick. As important as our research can be for the conservation of Black-capped Petrels, we do not want to jeopardize the health or reproductive success of the already-endangered birds we study. It is tempting to bend our own rule in our excitement – but it’s always best, in any expedition, to follow decisions made with a clear head.
The petrel rewards us with a gift of sorts: a fresh fecal sample for my diet study lands on my legs. Will this poop contain DNA from squid, or from some unknown prey? We hope to find out soon. Now, we band the petrel and, after quick measurements and a photo, it’s time to place it back in its burrow. Too happy to release my first Black-capped petrel, I am not careful enough of its beak and receive the mark of the seabird biologist: a bleeding gash into the flesh of my finger.
Over the next ten days, we capture eleven more Black-capped petrels, nine of which we equip with a GPS tracker. We also set up three “base-stations” near their burrows: powered by solar panels, the base-stations will download the data stored in a tracker whenever a petrel comes back to feed its chick. Ernst and his team will retrieve the base-stations and data when they come back in June for their monthly check of the colony.
A Patient Ball of Fluff
Gerson Feliz inspects the chamber of a newly found Black-capped Petrel nest, revealed by a fallen tree: Gerson will protect the 2-week old chick with an improvised roof of branches, rocks and soil. (Photo by Yvan Satgé)
During our discussions, while, bathing in the sun after afternoon rains, huddled around the cooking fire, or preparing GPS trackers in the caseta at night, I have realized that spending so much time at Loma del Toro is challenging for the team. My companions have families and other responsibilities in town (Ivan will leave early to take tests for his high school certificate – we all thought he was finished with school for the year!). Although cellphones and WhatsApp make it easier for José Luis to chat with his wife and young kids or for Ernst to keep working on a multitude of other projects, their monthly monitoring visits to the colony usually last only a few days. Hence, we use these two weeks on the mountain as fully as possible.
One afternoon, Patrick, an expert rock-climber, refreshes the team’s climbing skills with two duffel bags full of safety equipment donated by Ted Simons, the leader of a 2001 expedition to locate Black-capped Petrel nests in this area. We use the ropes, harnesses and helmets to practice rappelling down petrel escarpments and climbing up trees where Hispaniola Amazons, a vulnerable endemic parrot also monitored by Grupo Jaragua, build their nests.
On other days, we search for petrel burrows. After many hours of bushwhacking in dense underbrush, we find two new burrows near the monitoring area. One of them houses a grey ball of down feathers: a 2-week old Black-capped Petrel chick patiently waiting for its parents to bring it food. The other nest contains only a cold egg. This is the fifth abandoned egg that we have found in the area; in the 8 years that Grupo Jaragua has been monitoring the species, Ernst has only found a few such cases. The reason for these abandonments is difficult to pinpoint, but may include the presence of feral cats (which can kill or disturb incubating adult petrels) or the lack of available prey in the petrels’ foraging areas (which means the parents must spend more time searching for food and less time incubating their egg). We hope that our research will help us better understand how these threats affect the petrel population. I collect the egg for the Dominican Museum of Natural History while Gerson builds a new roof of branches, rocks and soil to protect the petrel chick.
The First Annual Diablotin Festival Takes Off In the Rain
With the help of Noah Jodice, Patrick’s son and a talented illustrator, I designed a poster of the Black-capped petrel’s travels that I had planned on giving to the village school. Unfortunately, the poster got lost during the trip from the US. (The poster is now also available online, in Spanish, French and Creole translations: just contact us).
When doing fieldwork, it is easy to lose track of the “normal” world and to forget which day it is. During this expedition, though, there is an important date on our calendar: April 19th, the day of the first annual Diablotin Festival organized by our colleagues Anderson Jean (Société Ecologique d’Haïti) and Adam Brown (Environmental Protection in the Caribbean). That day, we put on our best field clothes, clean our muddy shoes, pack some supplies for the hike and for our friends, and head down the mountain into Haiti.
We enter the village of Boucan Chat, where students from two local schools line both sides of the road, wearing bird masks or tree costumes over their school uniforms. The students have spent weeks learning about Black-capped Petrels and the importance of protecting their habitat in the surrounding mountains. Protecting habitats benefits not only the birds but also the whole forest. Preserved from illegal logging, forests can store more water during the rainy season, preventing farmed fields from flooding and keeping natural springs flowing during the dry season.
The buzz of a drone raises a few heads amongst the children but most of them seem accustomed to its presence. After three years of on-and-off filming in the area, the “Save the Devil” filming crew has almost finished its documentary on Black-capped Petrel conservation in Boucan Chat. The next day, they will screen a short version of the film in front of the Boucan Chat villagers, who will ask to see the film three times in a row!
A band arrives on a convoy of motorcycles, and the parade begins. Villagers hurry to the roadside to watch and the puzzled looks quickly give way to smiles. The parade doubles in size before reaching the football pitch in the center of the village, surrounded by vegetable fields and a few majestic Hispaniola pine trees, a reminder of the forests that once covered these foothills. The local Diablotins team, sponsored by Black-capped Petrel conservation work as a way to raise awareness and pride for the species, wear new uniforms emblazoned with an image of the petrel. A female team is now also supported to provide gender balance.
René Jeune, Haitian Black-capped petrel field biologist and at times human-size Diablotin, leads the parade of school children during the first annual Diablotin Festival in Boucan Chat, Haiti. (Photo by Ernst Rupp)
The dark clouds that have enveloped the mountains in mist since morning soon burst into torrential downpour. The audience runs for shelter under crowded house awnings while the dedicated players run and slide in the mud, keeping their eyes on the ball despite the violent rain. The game ends amid shouts of joy, with a victory for the Diablotins: the spirit of the tough little seabird may have given them an advantage. After soaked, shivering goodbyes and an hour-long hike in the rain, we are delighted to find that the heater of our pickup truck is working. While we drive back to the top of the mountain, however, we can’t help thinking of the football players who, after a passionate game in torrential rain, returned to cold, damp houses with only the pride in their communities to keep them warm.
Back at the caseta, we huddle around the cooking fire to enjoy the pot of soup that Ivan has prepared. The clouds have lifted and we can see the first stars between the crowns of the Hispaniolan pines. Soon, a Black-capped Petrel wearing a small GPS will swoop down into the forest and hurry into its burrow. When it comes out again and flies away for another fishing trip, invisible radio waves will have transported the secrets of its travels to our base-stations, patiently waiting for Ernst and his team to return to the mountain.
Next time, in Yvan’s last blog post, we will learn about the travels of the GPS-tagged Black-capped Petrels and of the fish they catch, from Colombia to the United States.
Yvan Satgé is a Research Associate in the Lab of Dr. Pat Jodice, at the South Carolina Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson University (Email: ysatge@clemson.edu). He has been studying various aspects of seabird ecology for the last few years.
Dave Lee holding a White-tailed Tropicbird in the Bahamas. (photo by Mary Kay Clark)
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.
A striking male Magnolia Warbler perches momentarily on a branch while foraging for food during its spring migration. (photo by Gerald A. DeBoer, Shutterstock)
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!
Reddish Egrets (dark morph). (photo by Tania Thomson, Shutterstock)
This fund will be for the conservation of any bird in the Caribbean as a reflection of Dave’s diverse interests. He was an important part of many projects, ranging from those of the Black-capped Petrel and Seabird Working 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.
Cuban Parrot surveying his domain. (photo by Elliotte Rusty-Harold, Shutterstock)
At the 2015 BirdsCaribbean meeting in Kingston, Jamaica, a round of beers was purchased in Dave’s honor, since he always seemed to have a cooler full when people wanted one (and even when they didn’t). Think of this fund like a cooler full of refreshing beverages that Dave would have around if he were here. We owe it to Dave to stock that cooler—to vitalize naturalists and empower them in their work to help wildlife.
Please give a tax deductible donation to the David S. Lee Fund. Give generously. The more we put into the fund, the more we can give out each year. Thanks to all those that have contributed to the fund!
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 Treasurer (jennifer.wheeler@birdscaribbean.org)
Checks can be mailed to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760-2076
With so many recent tragic and conflicted events occurring in the world, BirdsCaribbean wants to share something uplifting. As part of our continuing 30th Anniversary celebration, we present you with a two-minute glimpse of what our Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican colleagues are doing to conserve birds and their expressions of appreciation to BirdsCaribbean. Please take a moment to enjoy their inspiring words and images.
First we hear from Alieny González-Alfonso, graduate student at the University of Havana. Together with her fellow students and professors, Alieny has been a a powerhouse of positive actions for understanding and conserving Cuba’s resident and migratory birds. She is studying Reddish Egrets for her PhD and participates in Caribbean Waterbird Census monitoring every year. Alieny also organizes events to celebrate our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and World Migratory Bird Day each year and coordinates activities across the island. Alieny also conducts teacher training workshops and leads activities for our BirdSleuth Caribbean education program. Congrats and thanks to Alieny and her team for her amazing work!
Next we travel to Puerto Rico and hear from José Colón-López. José is a legend in his native Puerto Rico. As a volunteer with SOPI, he has been active in studying and conserving the endemic and migratory birds of Puerto Rico and their habitats for over 30 years. He generously donates his time to train and mentor others, sharing his passion and vast knowledge with a new generation of conservationists. José is also a founding member of BirdsCaribbean and has been to every single conference of ours since the first one in St. Croix 30 years ago!!! Cheers to Jose and thanks for inspiring us with your dedication and energy!
Adriana Vallarino, Ph.D., is a professor a the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. She studies Masked Boobies and Least Terns in the Campeche Bank in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, vitally important nesting islands for many Caribbean seabirds. Adriana attended our International Seabird Training Workshop in San Salvador, Bahamas in 2012 and since then, has been carrying out innovative research and conservation work, including studying the impacts of micro plastics on seabirds. She also does a marvelous job organizing bird education events in Campeche, featuring birding walks, bird art and photography, mini workshops and more. We’re proud that Adriana is part of our network!
The videos highlight how our programs are engaging young and old in direct conservation, opening doors for scientific and educational exchange, and promoting sustainable livelihoods in ecotourism. Grab a cup of shade grown coffee, sit back and enjoy an inspirational moment.
Thank you to Esther Figueroa (Vagabond Media) for putting together this video and Ingrid Flores, JC Fernández-Ordóñez, and José Colón-López for Spanish translation. Photographs in the video are by Aslam Ibrahim Castellan Maure (Bee Hummingbird), Lisa Sorenson (American Flamingos), Wilfred Marissen (Reddish Egret), Aslam Ibrahim Castellan Maure (Blue-headed Quail-Dove), Jose Pantaleon (Cuban Trogon), Susan Jacobson (Western Spindalis), Lisa Sorenson (Viñales Valley, Cuba), Gary Donaldson (Trinidad, Cuba), Gary Donaldson (Zapata Swamp), AnnHaynes-Sutton (Masked Booby) and Arnaldo Toledo (Cuban Tody). Special thanks to our members, partners and supporters who make this work possible!!!
Cover of Caribbean Seabirds Monitoring Manual by BirdsCaribbean Seabird Working Group members (Sutton et al) – revised and updated, October 2018
BirdsCaribbean’s Seabird Monitoring Manual, released in English in 2015, has undergone final copy-editing and has been translated to Spanish and French. All three versions, now dated 2018, are downloadable in PDF format [EnglishSpanishFrench].
Yvan Satgé of the South Carolina Cooperative Unit of the USGS and Clemson translated the manual to French with help from Régis Gomès (Association pour la Sauvegarde et la réhabilitation de la Faune des Antilles), coordinated the translation to Spanish by J.C. Fernandez-Ordonez (Fundación Científica ARA MACAO), and laid out the final productions. The manual covers the underpinnings of a seabird monitoring program, provides protocols of varying levels of sophistication to survey seabirds at breeding sites, and provides life history information for the region’s seabirds. The manual serves as a training and planning tool for staff and volunteers and is meant to encourage an increase in knowledge of seabirds and their conservation needs across the region. The creation of the manuals was spearheaded by Ann Sutton, the co-chair of the Seabird Working Group of BirdsCaribbean.
Brown Noddy nesting in Bay Marigold, San Salvador, Bahamas (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
A reminder that BirdsCaribbean now holds the inventory of Bradley and Norton’s (2009) An Inventory of Breeding Seabirds in the Caribbean, currently out-of-print. This book provides a comprehensive look at the Caribbean region’s seabird populations, and is a resource that every seabird enthusiast should have in their library. The book is available for purchaseat a bargain price, with proceeds of the sale going to BirdsCaribbean. An excellent companion book is the Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles (2012), available through its publisher, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC).
With the manual now widely available, and the years passing since the seabird inventories noted above, the Seabird Working Group is faced with the challenge of undertaking surveys to update our state of knowledge. Let’s keep that conversation going, especially at the upcoming International Conference in Guadeloupe, July 2019.
BirdsCaribbean (BC) is celebrating our 30th Anniversary and we are getting messages from across the Caribbean thanking us for our work. Please enjoy this two-minute glimpse of our exciting work with founding members and some of our youngest and most enthusiastic bird conservationist from the islands of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
First up are Joe Wunderle, PhD, an icon of Caribbean ornithology and conservation, and Kate Wallace, educator extraordinaire, from the Dominican Republic (DR). Joe is a founding member of BirdsCaribbean and wildlife biologist at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, US Forest Service, in Puerto Rico. Joe has studied the ecology of many birds in Puerto Rico and the region, including the Bananaquit, Kirtland’s Warbler and Puerto Rican Parrot. He has contributed to their conservation through his research findings and mentoring of countless students and BC members.
Kate joined the flock right after Joe. She has lived in the DR for 24 years, working first with the Peace Corps and then as a volunteer with BirdsCaribbean, Sociedad Ornitologica de la Hispaniola, Grupo Jaragua, and Grupo Acción Ecologica. Kate has been involved in our programs since the beginning, giving countless West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Workshops, coordinating Caribbean Waterbird Census counts, and organizing events for our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival and World Migratory Bird Day each year. Oh, and did I mention Kate also promotes sustainable bird tourism and leads tours? She helped with Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training Workshop in the DR and co-authored (with Steve Latta), Ruta Barrancoli: A Bird-finding Guide to the Dominican Republic.
Next take a virtual flight with us to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) to meet Lystra Culzac and her students. Lystra is founder and director of SCIENCE (Science Initiative for Environmental Conservation and the Heritage Museum and Science Centre of SVG. Through BirdSleuth Caribbean and other bird education programs delivered by Lystra and her dedicated team, the children of St. Vincent are fast becoming expert bird watchers, knowledgable about science, and budding conservationists.
Then, hear from US Geological Survey biologist, Elise Elliot-Smith, how BirdsCaribbean has helped her connect with researchers and conservationist across the islands as, together, they work to protect endangered Piping Plovers and other shorebirds of conservation concern throughout their wintering range. We are grateful to Elise and all involved in these efforts!
Through BirdsCaribbean, and its in-country partners, our programs are engaging young and old in direct conservation, opening doors for scientific and educational exchange, and promoting sustainable livelihoods in ecotourism. By the end of the two minutes I am sure you will agree with life-long BirdsCaribbean supporter, Nick Sorenson that BirdsCaribbean is “the greatest organization on the planet.” 😊 So what are you waiting for, grab a cup of shade-grown coffee, sit back and enjoy an inspirational moment. You deserve it – we would not be here without your support!
Lystra Culzac (Director of SCIENCE) and children in St. Vincent and the Grenadines say thanks to BirdsCaribbean.
Thank you to Esther Figueroa (Vagabond Media) for putting together this video for us, Ingrid Flores for Spanish translation, and Jerry Bauer for videography. Photographs in the video are by Dax Román E. (Hispaniolan Trogon), Walker Golder (Piping Plover), Aslam Ibrahim Castellón Maure (American Flamingo), Steve Estvanik (Whimbrel), Wilfred Marissen (Ruddy Turnstone), Kevin Le (Painted Bunting), Dax Román E. (Black-crowned Palm Tanager), Jose Miguel Pantaleon (Hispaniolan Woodpecker), Frantz Delcroix (Barbuda Warbler), and St. Vincent Tourism Authority (St. Vincent Parrot).
The newly planted mangrove seedlings flourishing during post restoration assessments in June 2018.
Kippy Gilders shares her experience working for Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) restoring the native biodiversity of three disturbed sites on St. Maarten after the devastating impacts of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 – read on to find out more about the challenges faced and the results of their work.
Sweating in the hot summer sun, I wondered what I was doing clambering through thick brush instead of relaxing on a beautiful beach. In front of me is Dr. Ethan Freid, the head Botanist of the Leon Levy Preserve on Eleuthera in The Bahamas. He is skillfully ducking under and climbing over tree branches while I can hardly keep my balance and feel a bit like a giraffe attempting an intricate gymnastics routine. Dr. Freid is happily rattling off plant names while I attempt to make smart remarks and mentally store the new information. Where am I and how did I get here?
So Far, So Good
Having recently graduated and returned home to St. Maarten, I was thrilled and anxious to have been offered the position of Project Coordinator for a biodiversity restoration project with Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) Foundation in March 2017. The goal of the project, funded by the BEST 2.0 programme, was to encourage native biodiversity to flourish by removing invasive botanical species and planting 500 native trees between two terrestrial sites and 300 mangroves at one coastal site. In addition, the projected also aimed to increase the awareness and appreciation for local biodiversity conservation though a combination of community and school volunteer opportunities and presentations. With the project set to start in July 2017, I diligently started preparing for the initial biodiversity assessments. All the necessary steps and planning were put into place to ensure a smooth running of the project. What could go wrong!?
The coastal restoration site before and after Hurricane Irma
The elaborate giraffe gymnastics occurred in July 2017 when Dr. Freid joined us to conduct the initial botanical assessments of the two terrestrial sites. The project aimed to use the novel PVC encased method to plant the young mangrove propagules- a method that was new to me. To get a feeling for the technique (and to avoid any embarrassing mistakes with the planting volunteers!), it was decided to make 12 test encasements and place these at the site. Meanwhile the 500 terrestrial plants had been ordered with a local nursery and the mangrove stands were beaming with healthy propagules ready for planting. Things were right on track!
The Intensity of Irma Approaches
Then, whispers of an impending hurricane started to circulate. At first the usual optimism that perhaps the storm will dissipate keeps residents from starting the necessary preparations. However, it quickly become clear that there was nothing “normal” about Hurricane Irma. Her intensity doubled overnight and meteorologists were predicting a direct hit. We did what little preparations we could to protect our project and then battened down. We all remained positive and hoped for a shift north or south. But then it was confirmed. Direct hit. Category 5. Biggest storm seen in the Atlantic.
Volunteers planting mangrove seedlings using the encased method (December 2017).
With a tired sigh of relief, Irma passed and the winds decreased. With roads blocked by power poles, boats, and other debris, I jumped on my bike with adrenaline coursing through every possible vein of my body. I saw the complete devastation of my country while en-route to the EPIC office to assess damages. Roof, walls, windows of our office and staff housing… gone. Miraculously, our generous funders would secure funds if we felt that objectives could still be met. As the streets were cleared, we visited the sites. All the hillsides appeared burnt, as if not a single leaf had survived the storm. This was no exception at our two terrestrial sites. Previously large native trees that would be the shade-bearing centerpieces of restoration efforts were torn out by the roots or were diminished to merely a meter or two in height. The same terrestrial sites that once required giraffe gymnastics to traverse could now be easily navigated by the most unskilled of giraffes.
Survival in a Battered Landscape
Hopes waning, I jumped into a kayak and paddled to the coastal site. From the distance I could see that all the mature mangrove stands were nothing more than bare sticks. For sure not a single PVC encasement had survived. When that first glimpse of a thin white pipe became apparent, there it was again, the adrenaline. Had the encasements survived? Despite the total devastation of the mature mangrove stands, 10 of the 12 pipes were still in place and 5 contained propagules. With their first leaves! If any method could ensure high survival rates at this site, it would be the PVC encasement method! As if powered by jet fuel, I kayaked back to land and shared the happy news with the rest of the team and posted to our social media accounts using spotty data connections. Perhaps it was due to the mind set of “the worst has already happened, it can only get better from here” or perhaps all that adrenaline, and we said: Let’s do it, let’s go forth with the project!
School students participating in a beach clean up event.
This adrenaline-fueled positivity started to shake as we became aware that all mangrove propagules had blown off the mature stands, the on-island nurseries had been severely impacted, shipping ports were closed and volunteers could have evacuated or their priorities would shift away from volunteering. Almost simultaneously, organizations and generous individual saw our social media posts and offered funding to continue with and expand on planned restoration work, the site owners responded positively about resuming restoration work, ports began to re-open, shipping started to trickle in, nurseries and landscaping companies resumed operation, and increasing amounts of volunteers started to attend our restoration events. This allowed us to increase the amount of volunteer events to further the project goals.
Logistical Challenges Abound . . .
With two rounds of funding from the BirdsCaribbean Hurricane Relief Fund we were able to repair damages to a bird blind overlooking Little Bay Fresh Pond (a recognized Important Bird Area or IBA), pay technicians for extra hours of labor, buy and ship 300 mangrove seedlings, and continue to provide food and drinks during the increased amount of volunteer opportunities.
Along the way we experienced some hurdles, mainly the procurement of the 500 plants which now became more complicated and expensive, and ensuring adequate water irrigation to the sites. Since the aim of the project was to increase native biodiversity, we sourced the plants from multiple nurseries to ensure a higher final diversity of plant species added to the sites. However, this meant that not all 500 plants arrived at once and it became our responsibility to care for the plants we had already received before hiring the landscaping company to do the final planting. In some cases, site owners were also preoccupied with their own recovery efforts or experienced damages to machinery. Thus, irrigation installment was delayed or altogether no longer possible. Meanwhile EPIC staff and dedicated volunteers watered the plants by hand.
. . . But a Win for Increased Biodiversity
Restoration efforts at Sentry Hill included the creation of St. Maartens first informative nature trail.
Despite the multiple challenges faced along the way, final assessments showed that plant species diversity increased from pre-restoration to post-restoration by 25 to 35 different species at the site located in Cay Bay and 41 to 52 different species at the site located on Sentry Hill. The post-restoration survival rates were found to be up to 96.1% at Sentry Hill, 89.6% at Cay Bay and 84.5% at the coastal site on Little Key island. These results point to an increased biodiversity at the restoration sites and, once the trees mature, an increased carbon sequestration capacity.
Sometimes the greatest challenges bring the sweetest rewards and this was definitely the case for this project. The replanting of trees brought hope to EPIC staff and residents after Hurricane Irma and as a result a warm community of dedicated volunteers was created. During this project a nature trail was created within the restoration site at Sentry Hill. Along the trail, informative signs highlight the newly planted trees and the restoration efforts. This trail is the first of its kind on St. Maarten and serves as a beacon of hope for future conservation of the island’s natural habitats. We are grateful for the assistance we received from BirdsCaribbean, BEST 2.0, generous individuals and all the organizations that helped us along the way.
Dr. Freid performing the initial Botanical-Biodiversity Assessments in July 2017. Students of all ages were Introduced to biodiversity and the importance of preserving native habitat.Volunteer events were organized to further restoration efforts and increase community appreciation for habitat restoration.
Betty Petersen (1943-2013) was much-beloved by the conservation community for her kindness and generosity. (photo by Jeffrey Gordon)
BirdsCaribbean is very excited to announce the launch of the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund to advance the conservation of birds and habitats in the Caribbean region. We are thrilled by the response of the founding donors who have helped us already raise $127,000 towards our first-year goal of $150,000.
The Fund will provide competitive grants to groups or individuals who are engaging and empowering their communities to protect and sustainably benefit from their birds. We will begin accepting applications via our website on September 1st of this year.
Betty Petersen (1943-2013), a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, was, in her own way, a wizard. With nothing more than donated birding equipment, books, and a bit of cash, she turned local communities and school kids into committed conservationists, struggling NGOs into recognized players on the inter-American scene, and “paper parks” into real protected areas. And in the process she reminded us how rewarding it is to lend a hand when none is expected.
Betty’s connection to the Caribbean was strong. Birders’ Exchange, an initiative she began, provided equipment to ornithologists and conservation projects across the islands. It even had a special Cuba fund initiated by National Book Award-winning author, Phillip Hoose. Chilean-American author, Alvaro Jaramillo, stated that, “Betty was a force of nature… dedicated not only to the conservation of birds, but also in elevating local communities through education as well as helping them have the tools to be able to achieve their goals.”
At a recent gathering of Betty’s friends and family, Lisa Sorenson, our Executive Director, told the audience that she was so grateful for the outpouring of support we have already raised. “Just this month, we received another pledge of $25,000 from anonymous donors who want to inspire others to contribute to the Fund,” she commented. “Now our goal is to raise the remaining $33,000 by November so we can fund innovative projects in the Caribbean that will engage communities while reducing threats to birds and nature.”
Betty’s husband, ornithologist Wayne Petersen, recently said, “I am humbled and appreciative of everyone’s support and know this is exactly what Betty would want us to do to remember her.”
