If you’re working today, you shouldn’t be. Tomorrow is Global Big Day for crying out loud. Call in sick or just play hooky. It’s prep time!
And so… here’s your Friday Checklist:
1) Polish up your binos with one of those sweet microfiber cloths—not the old sock you’ve been using. Nobody knows what microfiber actually is; maybe spider silk, or the amazingly soft armpit hair of a baby sheep, or dandelion seed fluffs delicately sewn together. Scholars are mystified, so just be happy it works. Wipe away.
2) Cue up your eBird account, make sure it still works, and check in with your team leaders to make sure you are added to your team’s Global Big Day Trip Report. (Check your team’s trip report—links are here—and see if you are on the list of members!). Your role as a community scientist makes you awesome. And remember that LBBs (Little Brown Birds) are definitely an acceptable species entry in eBird. Sure, Jeff Gerbracht will have to go through and manually correct each one of those entries, but that’s the price he pays for pledging his allegiance to a stacked GBD team. eBird or bust.
3) It’s time to plan out the ground that you’re going to cover. Hour-by-hour planning is fun, but so is winging it. Keep some spontaneity on the docket. And remember that high vantage points are worth seeking out. The higher the better. Never been sky-diving? Now is your time. Bungee-jumping sounds cool, too, but during the recoil you might concuss yourself with your binoculars. Go high.
4) Why not set up camp tonight right where you want to start birding tomorrow?This is called tailgating, which is different from what taxi drivers do every time they get behind the wheel of their vehicles. Get a head start.
5) Refresh your knowledge of intricate molt patterns, especially with gulls. Rumor has it that some gull species have over 300 plumage variations, and that no mortal human can possibly comprehend them all. Muttering something about “3rd year nonbreeding alternate plumage” to a teammate might score you some cool points. But whatever you do, don’t forget your field guide at home. Good luck.
6) Begin carb-loading. Finding time to eat a proper meal tomorrow will be challenging, so aim for consuming somewhere around four to five thousand calories today and you should be good to go. Fried bakes, dumplings, and roti never looked so good. But avoid new and spicy foods. Diarrhea on game day will cost you time, and time=birds. Pig out.
7) Tell a family member about Global Big Day. Not your second cousins on your mother’s side, they won’t care. But maybe your sweet aunt or the brother you’ve neglected for far too long. Convince them that birding is fun and that they should join you, or better yet, donate to your team. Remember that family is obligated to love you and the things you do. And grandpa is definitely sleeping on some money. He could be contributing part of the stash under his mattress to the BC’s fundraiser. Milk that.
8) Take a nap from at least noon to 3pm today. You’ve earned it. Plus, tomorrow is going to be an early one. Sunrise waits for no one, neither does that dawn chorus. Sleep easy.
9) Play around on social media—you need to get the down-low on what other birders are up to right now. If they’re doing anything other than prepping for tomorrow, you can feel good about yourself. Also, we’re now living in an age where you can type pound signs in front of any nouns and verbs and then good things happen!? (Type #GlobalBigDayBirdsCarib and see what you find.) These are called hashtaggies. The more of these the better. In fact, if you add enough into one sentence, the entire sentence will become unintelligible, which is perfect, because confusing competing teams is part of your winning strategy. For your posts tomorrow, use #GlobalBigDayBirdsCaribPound signs#.
10) It’s gonna be a long HOT day (if you’re birding in the tropics), so be sure to hydrate like crazy. Vitamin waters are all the rage these days, and because they taste like hell by themselves you’ve got a great excuse to mix in a few cups of sugar. Or you can pack a few bottles of Vitamalt in which the few cups of sugar are already mixed in for you. Nectar for the birds, and nectar for you. Pace yourself.
11) Reflect on which sock type to wear: tube socks or low-cuts? Don’t kid yourself, you’re a birder. That choice was made long ago. Tube up!
12) Be wary of encountering other birders out there as they may be Global Big Day’ers. They may look friendly at first glance, but what they really want is information, like what cool birds you have seen and where. Act naive, maybe even slightly disappointed, and ask them if they wouldn’t mind giving you advice on how to find whatever the most common species is in your area. They’ll leave you alone after that. Fly casual.
13) With all this prep, your Global Big Day will surely be unforgettable. But your memory isn’t what it once was, so you might actually forget a lot of it. Best to document your exploits. While it’s highly likely that Uncle Sam or Big Brother is continuously taking beautiful photos of you from above, some good shots from ground-level of birds and people birdwatching will help preserve those memories as well as make you eligible for a possible photo contest prize—so be sure to pack a camera. Say cheese!
If you’re not having fun, then you’re not birding. And if you’re not birding, you’re definitely not having fun. Let’s make Global Big Day 2024 the best one yet!
p.s. It’s not too late to join one of our 27 awesome teams!!! Just click here to choose a team and/or donate!
Here’s a link to our Global Big Day blog article with more information about how this fundraiser will benefit conservation of the Caribbean’s AMAZING birds!
Any questions whatsoever about your birding mission tomorrow, don’t hesitate to email or text us! Lisa Sorenson – lisa.sorenson@birdscaribbean.org (508-333-8587); and Jeff Gerbracht – jeffgerbracht@gmail.com (607-793-6056).
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Puerto Rican Mango
The Caribbean is alluring to many people with its tropical climate, picturesque landscapes that look like they’ve been pulled straight from paradise, and of course—mangos! But we’re not talking about the delicious tropical fruit—we’re talking about the dazzling hummingbirds that belong to the Anthracothorax genus. We think you’ll agree that they do nourish the soul and spirit, just like our region’s beloved fruit. There are four endemic mangos in the Caribbean, one of which is the Puerto Rican Mango (Anthracothorax aurulentus). This medium-sized hummingbird has a long, decurved bill and that adds a bit of green glimmer to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
In poor light, male Puerto Rican Mangos can appear all-dark, but when well illuminated, those seemingly unassuming colours transform—allowing us to witness a spectacular special-effects polychromatic show! Getting a glimpse of this magic makes it apparent why the local names for the species are “colibrí dorado” (golden hummingbird) and “zumbador dorado” (golden buzzer). The upperparts and throat gleam bright greenish-yellow, and chest deep indigo with green sides. The lower breast and belly are paler than the chest, and the lower belly is usually white. The tail feathers are a moody maroon-purple with black edging. Females have the same iridescent green upperparts, but drab white underparts with gray flanks. When their tails are folded, the outer feathers usually appear coppery or greenish; when fanned, these feathers show large rusty patches near the base with broad white tips.
Not too long ago, the Puerto Rican Mango and Hispaniolan Mango were considered the same species—then called the Antillean Mango. In 2022, the split was made based on plumage and morphometric (size and shape) differences observed in museum specimens.The male Hispaniolan Mango (Anthracothorax dominicus) has a shimmering green throat and entirely velvet-black underparts, and the female has a purplish tail base.
The species is widespread throughout Puerto Rico where you can spot them in dry forests, forest clearings, scrub, shade coffee plantations, and suburban gardens. Historically it was abundant on Vieques island but is now considered rare there as the last reported sighting was in 1994. The decline of the mango on the islands coincided with both the arrival of the Green-throated Carib, another Caribbean endemic, and the conversion of forest to more human-disturbed habitats—which the carib thrives in but the mango does not. A similar decline occurred on the Virgin Islands where its range is now limited to Virgin Gorda, Anegada, the Beef Islands, Guana Island, and St. Thomas.
If you are from, or visiting, any of these islands, listen for its call—a high-pitched, sharp chip described as “tsick“; or for its song, a high, thin rapid trill or buzz preceded and followed by one or several high pitched “tsit” notes.
Like other hummingbirds, the Puerto Rican Mango is a sugar addict with an insatiable appetite for nectar! It doesn’t only consume nectar though. It is also skilled at capturing and eating insects, including small wasps, beetles, and flies—all while in the air! Males will however still aggressively defend nectar-rich territories from other nectar feeding birds.
Its breeding season extends throughout the year but peaks from March to July. Mama hummingbirds build a deep cup-shaped nest lining the inside with soft plant fibres whereas the outside is covered with flakes of bark and lichen bound together by spider webs. They incubate the two eggs for approximately 15 days. The nestlings are fed a nutritious mix of nectar and insects that is regurgitated straight into their hungry beaks. After about 25 days they are strong enough to leave the nest to start their own lives.
Fortunately the Puerto Rican Mango is not a threatened species! However, we need to ensure we can enjoy their dazzling displays for years to come by planting native flowers that hummingbirds feed on in our gardens, reducing our use of insecticides (most of which kill both the good and bad insects), and supporting local environmental organizations with their reforestation initiatives.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Aliya Hosein and Adrianne Tossas for the text!
Colour in the Puerto Rican Mango
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Puerto Rican Mango
The song of the Puerto Rican Mango is made up of high-pitched, thin rapid trills and buzzing notes, often with high pitched “tsit” calls at the start and end.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Male Puerto Rican Mango. The striking yellow-golden plumage on its upper parts has earned this bird the local names “colibrí dorado” (golden hummingbird) and “zumbador dorado” (golden buzzer). (Photo by Rafy Rodrguez)
Female Puerto Rican Mango at the nest. Females have the same iridescent green upperparts as males, but drab white underparts with gray flanks. (Photo by Alcides Morales Perez, Macaulay Library- ML588237551)
Puerto Rican Mango feeding, with his tail fanned showing off his deep purple tail feathers. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
Enjoy these beautiful photos of the Puerto Rican Mango!
Male Puerto Rican Mango in flight. This species is widespread throughout Puerto Rico and can be found in dry forests, forest clearings, scrub, shade coffee plantations and suburban gardens. (Photo by Peter Hawrylyshyn, Macaulay Library-ML540850091)Male Puerto Rican Mango perched. In addition to eating nectar they are also skilled at hunting insects, including small wasps, beetles, and flies, which they catch on the wing. (Photo by Benny Diaz, Macaulay Library-ML161402841)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : The Puerto Rican Mango is a striking bird with vivid shining colours of glittering green, inky black and vibrant violet!But who says you have to travel to Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands to see these beautiful colours?In this activity you’ll make a suncatcher—a decoration that catches rays of sunlight and casts them as rainbow hued patterns across the room! You might want to make this beautiful suncatcher as a gift for Mother’s Day!
Here is a list of materials you will need:
empty clear plastic milk jug, washed and dried
permanent markers
scissors
utility Knife
hole punch
twine, string or yarn
You can download full instructions here including a bird template for you to use. This activity involves using a knife and scissors.
Make sure you have an adult to help you with the cutting.
Let’s celebrate moms AND endemic birds!
Mother’s Day is this weekend on May 12th and we’ve got you covered. We have an endemic bird-themed Mother’s Day Cards to download and colour. This is a fun activity for people of all ages to celebrate the mother figure in their life!
Please download and print our card template (letter size will work best but A4 will be ok too). It’s best to use card stock, but regular printer paper will do just fine. Once printed, fold in half horizontally (so the short sides touch) and write your own special message on the inside! Don’t forget to colour in the pictures on the front and on the back. Or if you are feeling really creative be inspired by one our featured birds and draw your own greeting card!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Puerto Rican Mango at its nest in the wild!
Read all about how the Antillean Mango got split into two new species back in 2022! One of these was the Puerto Rican Mango, but do you know which other island also got a ‘new’ species of hummingbird from this split?
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Least Pauraque
You’re enjoying a nice relaxing night in the southwestern dry forests of the Dominican Republic when you hear an eerie “twooorii” from the forest. Is it a ghost?? Or even worse—the fabled Chupacabra!?
Although the avian family name Caprimulgidae does actually hail from myths purporting that these birds suckled (chupa) on goats’ (cabra) udders, the Least Pauraque couldn’t be more of an adorable toasted marshmallow of a bird with no interest whatsoever in drinking goat milk. They are actually far more interested in eating nocturnal flying insects—which is great news for all of us who don’t fancy nights filled with mosquitos!
These birds are locally known as ‘Torico’. Their local names come from their guttural repeated “torico, torico” call.
And while you might wander into the woods seeking to find the source of these spooky calls—you’ll be looking for a long time as these birds are masters of disguise! They are cryptically colored with streaked blackish-brown upper parts and a creamy white belly with feathers laced in blacks and browns. They wear a pearly white collar and search for insects with their huge, dark eyes—all the better for nocturnal foraging! You can tell them apart from Hispaniola’s other nightjar (the endemic Hispaniolan Nightjar) by the band across the end of their tail feathers which is white in males and buffy-cream in females. They also lack the white wing crescents of Antillean Nighthawk and much prefer perching and sallying to actively soaring like the nighthawks tend to do. While it might look like they can’t catch much in their tiny beaks, their mouths actually open very wide to catch unsuspecting insects.
Whilst they do share Hispaniola with several other nightjars, the Least Pauraque is unique in their genus! They used to share their genus with the Jamaican Pauraque, which although discovered first in 1758, has not been seen or detected since 1860. The Least Pauraque on the other hand is newer to science, having been described in 1917 and was later assigned to the same unique genus in 1928 by the notable James Bond.
You can find them in arid or semi-arid lowlands of Hispaniola. They are big fans of scrubby limestone woodlands filled with prickly cactus and thorn scrub, though they have also been recorded in deciduous, coniferous, and other mixed forests spanning from sea level up to 800m in elevation. The best spot to find the Least Pauraque is the Sierra de Bahoruco mountain range in the southwest of the Dominican Republic.
While not globally threatened, these adorable bug-eaters are considered near-threatened. Since they are hard to find and thus hard to count, we can only roughly estimate their population which is believed to be between 6,000-15,000 individuals. This population is suspected to be in a slow decline. Their current status in Haiti is not well known, wide-scale deforestation for agriculture and charcoal production mean they have lost much of their preferred habitat. In fact, there were no records of Least Pauraque in Haiti between 1928 and 1969! They are known at 16 widespread locales in the Dominican Republic—however, their cryptic plumage keeps them well hidden and it is believed that they likely occupy more areas than these. Continued threats include predation from introduced rats and mongoose, and continued forest loss for agriculture.
While decisions about protecting habitats from unsustainable development that can threaten the Least Pauraque are often in the hands of policy makers, you can still help your backyard birds thrive! Just like the Least Pauraque there are other birds, like the Gray Kingbird and Greater Antillean Bullfinch, that like to feed on crunchy and gooey insects. Avoid using insecticides so that these birds will have enough insects to munch on and keep coming back to your garden.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Holly Garrodfor the text!
Colour in the Least Pauraque
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the calls of the Least Pauraque
The calls of the Least Pauraque include a rising whistle “tooooooeeeeeee,” and a three syllable trilled “oo-weee-oo.”
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Least Pauraque perched. These birds specialize in catching and feeding on flying insects. While it might look like they can’t catch much in their tiny beak, their mouths actually open very wide! (Photo by Kristof Zyskowski, Macaulay Library-ML174412081)Least Pauraque camouflaged in leaf litter. These birds are masters of disguise. The best habitats to look for them in are the arid or semi-arid lowlands of Hispaniola. They are big fans of scrubby limestone woodlands filled with cactus and thorn scrub. (Photo by Dax Roman)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : What facts can you remember about today’s endemic bird – the Least Pauraque? Test your knowledge by filling in the missing words in our Least Pauraque facts! We have given you all the correct words to use but can you put them into the right fact?
You can re-read the information all about this bird above, or search on the BirdsCaribbean webpages or online for more information about the Least Pauraque! Then, when you have completed all the sentences, you can check your answers here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Least Pauraque in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Tawny-shouldered Blackbird
Blackbirds love to hang out with other blackbirds and this beloved endemic is no exception. The Tawny-shouldered Blackbird is considered nearly endemic to Cuba where locals call it ‘Mayito.’ There is a small relict population in Haiti. Like other blackbirds, it belongs to the Icteridae family, which includes other cool endemics like the Greater Antillean Grackle, Cuban Blackbird, and Red-shouldered Blackbird. It forms mixed flocks with these species. It even flocks with Shiny Cowbirds—which are known to parasitize their nests! Being in a mixed flock affords Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds better protection from predators and possibly improves foraging efficiency. At night, their raucous roosts can be immediately identified in parks and tree groves.
Male and female Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds look alike. Both have black plumage, and distinctive tawny (orange-ochre) patches on the shoulders with a yellowish-cream border. This shoulder patch is particularly striking in males during the breeding season. Females are duskier and lack the bluish gloss of the males. These relatively small birds measure approximately 7.5 inch to 8.7 inch.
Not all species of songbirds can sing duets with their mates but Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds rather delightfully can! Both males and females have melodious voices with males usually leading the serenade. Solo songs are a shrill “shuh-riii-iii” and calls are a short and strong metallic “chic-chic.”
Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds are monogamous, nesting in trees or bushes near water, and prefer colonial nesting, with many nests close to each other. They nest from April to August with chicks fledging the nests mostly between May and July. Females take the lead in constructing the nests using dried grass, moss, twigs, hair, and feathers. Clutches comprise 3–4 bluish to greenish eggs with brown spots.
In Cuba look for these black beauties in woodlands and woodland edges, farmlands, and rice fields. In Haiti, they occur along channels of dry open woodlands. They can also be found in Cuba’s cities and neighbourhoods, and are not restricted to wetlands like their counterpart, the Red-shouldered Blackbird. Their omnivorous diet of insects, seeds, fruits, and nectar allows them to adapt to a variety of habitats.
While primarily sedentary, vagrant Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds have been recorded in the southeastern United States and the Cayman Islands, possibly blown off route during storms and hurricanes.
Fortunately, the Tawny-shouldered blackbird is not globally threatened. Although common in larger islands in the Cuban archipelago, it is rare in Haiti, mainly in the western part, and the current status of its populations there is unknown.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Ailén Anido Escalona for the text!
Colour in the Tawny-shouldered Blackbird
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Tawny-shouldered Blackbird
The song of the Tawny-shouldered Blackbird is made up of long buzzing notes, sometimes interspersed with short higher-pitched ‘buzzes’. Both males and females will sing, sometimes together.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Both male and female Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds have melodious voices. Unlike many species of songbirds, where only the male sings to attract a mate, they will sing duets together! (Photo by John Drummond, Macaulay Library-ML27841521)In Cuba, look for Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds in woodland and woodland edges, farmland, and rice fields. They can also be found in Cuba’s cities and suburbs and are not restricted to wetlands like the similar looking Red-shouldered Blackbird. (Photo by Neil Hilton)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : The Tawny-shouldered Blackbird enjoys catching and eating bugs. It searches trees and in bushes, sometimes even on the ground to find tasty creepy crawlies to munch on. Perhaps catching a moth, a tasty worm, or a spider!
Imagine you are a Tawny-shouldered Blackbird in search of a meal. In today’s activity you will go exploring and find out what bugs there are in your backyard in our fun bug hunt!
Follow our instructions and see how many different types of bugs you can find! Perhaps you will spot a butterfly or a bee flitting past? Remember to just look at the bugs and not to touch or collect them.
You can check the ones you see off on our list, and perhaps take some photos of them?
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of Tawny-shouldered Blackbirds in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Jamaican Tody
When you hear the name Robin Redbreast, many birds across many continents come to mind. In Jamaica, it’s the Jamaican Tody (Todus todus). When it comes to names, it seems that nostalgic European settlers have long been prone to naming any bird with a flash of red on the chest “robins” after the beloved little birds they remember from home. However, the Tody doesn’t actually have a red breast—it has a red throat! Being such a compact bird, the anatomy has been conflated by the casual observer.
The Jamaican Tody carries other interesting local names—’Jesus Bird’ and ‘Rasta Bird’. Legend has it that during Christ’s crucifixion, a drop of blood fell on the bird while it was looking up at the cross. This event is said to have left a lasting imprint on the bird’s appearance. As for its ‘Rasta Bird’ moniker, the Jamaican Tody’s brilliant red, green, and yellow/gold colors embody the Rastafarian colours, making it truly iconic of Jamaica!
First described in Jamaica, Todies belong to a genus exclusive to the Greater Antilles and entirely endemic to the Caribbean. There are five species spread across four islands, with one on each island except Hispaniola, which has two.
This vibrant little bird is only about 9cm (3.5 inches) tall and boasts a large head, stout body, and short tail. Imagine a feathered puff with a prominent red, pointed bill. Its back and wings are a bright leaf green, while its throat is vibrantly red. The upper half of the bill is brown, and the lower is orange-red. It has a white mustache that ends in a touch of blue. The iris can be blue-gray, brownish-white, or even a rare half-and-half combination! The breast is white, with some green washing on the sides. There are varying amounts of pink on the flanks and bright yellow or green on the lower belly. The wings and tail are black with green and brown edges, and the legs are brown.
Found in all types of forests, from mangroves to mountains, the Tody is most common at mid-levels. Don’t let its small size fool you—it has a huge personality! You’ll likely see it flitting about in the undergrowth, constantly searching for its next meal. It perches on low branches with its long, broad bill tilted upwards as it patiently scans the vegetation for crawling larvae and flying insects. Once spotted, the Tody swoops down or up to catch its prey in a flash! Prey is hit against the branches or shaken in its bill to kill it before eating.
During the breeding season Jamaican Todies give a loud “beep.” For territorial displays, a rapid, guttural throat-rattling “frrrup” call is used. A loud hissing “cheep” signals danger. However, not all of their distinctive sounds come from inside their beaks! In flight, they also make a characteristic “buzzing” noise with their wings!
When it comes to raising their offspring, a typical nest of leaves and twigs just won’t do for Jamaican Todies. Both males and females tunnel through soil to build nesting burrows where 1 to 4 white eggs are laid!
The Jamaican Tody is not a threatened species but its population is undoubtedly negatively affected by habitat destruction, predation by the invasive Indian Mongoose. This remarkable little bird will benefit from reforestation programs and efforts to stop the spread of its invasive predators.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Damany Calderfor the text!
Colour in the Jamaican Tody
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Jamaican Tody
The song of the Jamaican Tody is a series of scratchy sounding “zheh” sounds often followed by a brief rattling call.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
The Jamaican Tody’s brilliant red, green, and yellow/gold colors also embody the Rastafarian colours, making it a true icon of Jamaica. (Photo by Matt Grube)The Jamaican Tody can be found in all types of forests, from mangroves to mountains. Look for this little bird perched or flitting through the undergrowth in search of insect prey. (Photo by Anthony VanSchoor)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Jamaican Todies feed on insects like beetles, flies, moths, crickets, and grasshoppers. When catching flying insects for a delicious meal Todies will “sally” (swoop) out form their perch on a nearby branch and grab this insect right out of the air! If they are successful they then head back to their perch and tuck into their catch.
Can you help this hungry Jamaican Tody find its way through our maze to to grab some tasty insect food? You can find the correct route here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Jamaican Tody in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Lesser Antillean Euphonia
This tiny flitting endemic icon can be found on not one, not two, not three, but nine islands in the Lesser Antilles (Barbuda to Grenada). The Lesser Antillean Euphonia is a brilliantly colored bird. The male has a sky-blue helmet, olive-yellow underparts, a bright yellow patch on the throat and forehead, a dark mask, and an olive-green back. Although males and females are similar in appearance, the female is more uniformly olive-green and has a smaller yellow forehead patch.
Lesser Antillean Euphonias are predominantly a species of dense forests, from dry lowlands to wet mountain tops. They can be found in most available habitats and adjacent disturbed areas, especially where mistletoe is present. Why mistletoe? Mistletoe berries are their favorite food! Like many other plants, mistletoe are dependent on birds to disperse their seeds but the way this happens is remarkable. Euphonias break open the outer shell of the fruit and swallow the inner portion. They digest the pulp which is rich in fat and protein and then defecate the seeds onto tree limbs where they germinate, thereby helping to “plant” them in another location. The seeds have a sticky film on them which acts as a glue to stick the seeds to the tree limb. Euphonias can be seen quickly “wiping” the seeds onto a branch after pooping them out to prevent them from sticking to their vent feathers! They also occasionally eat other fruits, seeds, and flower buds.
Though one of the most brilliantly coloured and active Caribbean endemics, birders lament that they are rarely lucky to catch even a glimpse of Lesser Antillean Euphonias. But their distinctive song—a jumbled trilling, tinkling “tuc-tuc-tuc…”, punctuated with sharp whistles, can be heard from above, usually pouring out from the labyrinth of mistletoe vines.
The breeding season lasts from January to July, possibly peaking from April to June. Dome-shaped nests, with a side entrance, are constructed using moss and rootlets, with an inner cup of dried grass, strips of bark, and shredded plant material. In St Vincent a nest was placed about 10m up and attached to vines growing against the trunk of a forest palm. The vines most likely provide camouflage and stability for the nest. Eggs (4) are white with mauve or reddish brown spots, especially at the larger end, with the markings sometimes forming a ring.
While not threatened, Lesser Antillean Euphonias are uncommon throughout their range. Populations have been recorded within protected areas in Guadeloupe, Dominica, and St Lucia. But strong winds and tree falls, caused by severe storms and hurricanes can decrease the amount of food available to them. It is important for us to support our local NGO initiatives, like removing invasive species and replacing them with native trees, to increase the resilience of our forests so that Lesser Antillean Euphonias and other forest-dependent birds can continue to thrive.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Aliya Hosein for the text!
Colour in the Lesser Antillean Euphonia
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song and the calls of the Lesser Antillean Euphonia
The song of the Lesser Antillean Euphonia is a jumble of is a rapid jumble squeaky, and whistled notes.
The calls of the Lesser Antillean Euphonia include a high-pitched “wheee”, a more grating “djip”, as well as a “beep” call, sometime in a series, and a rapid “whip-ip.”
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Female Lesser Antillean Euphonia, Guadeloupe. This little bird is found on nine islands in the Lesser Antilles! (Barbuda to Grenada). (Photo by Anthony Levesque, Macaulay Library- ML140599201)Juvenile Lesser Antillean Euphonia, Guadeloupe. Young birds are even more uniformly olive-green and are less colourful than both the adult males or females. (Photo by Anthony Levesque, Macaulay Library-ML465196671)Male Lesser Antillea on Dominica. These colourful endemic ‘jewels’ are hard to spot, listen out for their distinctive jumbled, trilling song and keep your eyes peeled! (Photo by David Hollie, Macaulay Library-ML595435561)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Honey bees feed on both nectar and pollen. The nectar is for energy and the pollen provides protein and other nutrients. They find their food through sight and smell.
In todays activity you will do an experiment to test how great bees are at remembering where they can find food!
With the help of an adult, you will need to gather the following items before you get started:
Pan or microwave-safe dish
Water
50g sugar
5 clear dishes
4 pieces of white paper
1 piece of red paper
Then download and follow you simple instructions and get started finding out more about bees!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Read all about the latest bird species changes in the Caribbean! This included ‘splitting’ the the former Antillean Euphonia (Chlorophonia musica) has now been differentiated as the Puerto Rican Euphonia (Chlorophonia sclateri), the Hispaniolan Euphonia (Chlorophonia musica), and the Lesser Antillean Euphonia (Chlorophonia flavifrons).
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Vitelline Warbler
Introducing the Vitelline Warbler! If you’re from the Cayman Islands you may know it as “Chip chip.” This little gem might be small, but it’s got some fascinating facts up its wing. Found only in the Cayman Islands and Swan Islands, there are not one, not two, but three wonderful sub-species of Vitelline Warbler! Each one has its own unique flair, adding even more color to these islands’ ecosystems. Spot the S. v. nelson subspecies on the Swan Islands, S. v. vitellina on Grand Cayman, and S. v. crawfordi on Little Cayman & Cayman Brac.
Spotting a Vitelline Warbler can be a treat—here’s what to look for! A small songbird measuring around 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters) in length, males sport an olive-green crown and upperparts, and median wing coverts edged yellow with greater wing coverts edged olive-yellow, forming two wing bars. The wings and tail are dusty olive, the head is bright yellow with an olive-green eye-line, and a moustachial stripe that curves below the eye (similar to that of a Prairie Warbler). Underparts are yellow, the sides and flanks are a washed olive color and faintly streaked (not visible during winter). Females are similarly colored but tend to be more dull with less distinctive face markings. The Vitelline Warbler has a pointed bill, perfect for hunting insects.
These birds are not really city birds, and instead prefer the peace and quiet of their leafy homes. If you’re looking for a Vitelline Warbler, head to the thick, dry shrublands, woodlands, and forest edges. Keep your eyes peeled though, these birds are like the ninjas of the forest! Their olive-green color helps them blend in perfectly with the foliage, making them tricky to spot.
What’s on the menu for these little guys? Bugs, bugs, and more bugs! They’re insectivores, gobbling up all sorts of creepy crawlies they find in the foliage. They occasionally consume nectar.
Despite their diminutive size, Vitelline Warblers have giant voices! The sweet melody of their songs echoes through the forest. Listen for a buzz with three brief introductory notes followed by a longer ascending note, and then a long descending note: dzz-dzz-dzz-zzzzii-zzzzuu.They use 3 varieties of these chirps and trills, perfect for serenading potential mates or just chatting with their pals.
When it’s time to settle down and start a family, these warblers get busy! The female builds a cozy little nest resembling a small deep woven cup made from grass, cotton, bromeliads, spider webs, and feathers. These nests are very well hidden by leaves and vines. Mama warbler lays her eggs, usually a small clutch of two eggs, and both parents take turns keeping them warm until they hatch.
The Vitelline Warbler is listed as a restricted range species and faces several threats that have contributed to its classification as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN. As human populations expand and develop, the natural habitats of the Vitelline Warbler on the Cayman Islands are shrinking, leaving them with less space to live, breed, and find food. You can help protect their habitats by supporting local environmental NGOs that are working to prevent urban sprawl and restore natural areas.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Kelsey-Rae Smith for the text!
Colour in the Vitelline Warbler
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Vitelline Warbler
The song of the Vitelline Warbler is made up of 4-5 harsh, slurred acsending and descending notes “szwee-szwee-szwee-zee” .
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Male Vitelline Warbler. Look out for this colourful endemic in thick, dry shrublands, woodlands, and forest edges on the Cayman Islands! (Photo by Nicole Martin, Macaulay Library-ML493131001)The female Vitelline Warbler is slightly duller than male, with more uniformly yellow ear-coverts. This bird has a very small range and some of its habitat is under threat of development in the Cayman Islands—it is currently listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN. (Photo by Simon Best, Macaulay Library-ML611247300)
Juvenile Vitelline Warblers are pale grayish or grayish-brown on their heads and upperparts. (Photo by Larry Therrien)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : There are two warblers who can both be found in the Cayman Islands and look very much alike, but they’re not the same type of bird! Once is today’s endemic bird, the Vitelline Warbler, and the other is a Prairie Warbler. Both are mainly olive-coloured and yellow! In our activity of the day you need to look carefully at two photos and try to identify the Vitelline Warbler. Check the text above for some handy tips.
If you get stuck and feel like you need a bit of extra help then take a look on the second page of this activity. You will find some helpful hints to set you on the right track.
Think that you found the Vitelline Warbler? You can check if you are right on our answer sheet here. This activity is perfect to play with school groups or outdoor education clubs etc.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Vitelline Warbler in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Bare-legged Owl
Cuba is the home of two tiny endemic owls. The Bare-legged Owl, locally called Sijú Cotunto, is perhaps the lesser known of the pair. That does not mean it is uncommon—in fact, it is easily observed all around the country in wooded areas, mixed palm forest, semi-deciduous forest, and thickets. It is most active at night, which is when you can sometimes hear its series of soft hoots hoo hoo hoo huhuhuhuhuhuhuu, with a bouncing ball rhythm that accelerates at the end. The best chance to see this cute little puffball of an owl during daylight is while it is roosting inside caves or in the crevices of palm trees.
The name of this owl tells us about its most distinguishing characteristic: the lack of feathers on its legs, which are yellow-green in color. If you come across the similar Burrowing Owl, which is very rare in Cuba, you can use this feature to tell them apart! The other tiny Cuban endemic owl, the Cuban Pygmy-owl, also has feathered legs and is more active during the day, unlike its nocturnal bare-legged cousin. Their big, dark brown eyes also distinguish them, as the other species have yellow eyes. Their plumage is mostly rufous to brown on the upperparts, with white spots on the wing feathers. The throat and belly are mostly white, with some brown streaks on the breast and flanks.
Bare-legged Owls feed mainly on large insects and occasionally on frogs and small reptiles. The breeding season occurs from December to June, with a peak around March-April. They use abandoned woodpecker holes or natural openings in trees where they lay two white eggs. They can also be found nesting on cliffs or caves. It is very common to find them in pairs—that observation, coupled with the record of a pair living for seven years in the same territory—has led to scientists suspecting that they are monogamous birds. However, Bare-legged Owls are very secretive, meaning we still have lots to learn about their behavior, especially during the breeding season! This ‘secretiveness’ and the fact they are nocturnal make any sighting a joyful event!
Luckily, Bare-legged Owls do not seem to be in decline. They have a large geographic distribution and have shown adaptive traits in the face of habitat conversion for housing and commercial development. However, as a secondary cavity nester, it is important to protect the holes and dead trees that are an important resource during the breeding season. Dead trees still provide cover and nesting spaces for birds and mammals too, so don’t get rid of the dead trees in your yard just yet!
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Daniela Ventura for the text!
Colour in the Bare-legged Owl
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Bare-legged Owl
The song of the Bare-legged Owl is a soft series of “hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo…” notes that accelerate. This bird also sometimes make a screeching sound.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Bare-legged Owls are ‘secondary cavity’ nesters, meaning they use holes made by other birds especially woodpeckers and natural openings in trees, particularly palms. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim Castellon Maure)Although Bare-legged Owls, like most owls, are most active at night, your best chance to spot one is during the day whilst this tiny owl is roosting. (Photo by Max Schwenne)The Bare-legged Owl is fairly common across Cuba and appears to be able to adapt to live in human modified landscapes. (Photo by John Mangold)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : How much do you know about the life-cycle of our featured bird the Bare-legged Owl? Why not test your knowledge and complete our “Life Cycle of an Owl” activity?
First spend some time learning about owls on the internet or at your school library. Then carefully cut the ‘missing’ images and paste in the correct order to complete this owl’s life cycle! Don’t forget to label each stage.
You can check your completed life cycle against the correct one, which can be found here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Bare-legged Owl in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Puerto Rican Oriole
If the early bird gets the worm, the Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis) really has an edge on the competition! These charismatic birds (called Calandrias in Spanish) mainly sing in the darkness of the early morning, before first light. Both male and females sing lilting, whistling songs until sunrise, after which they mainly produce sharp tchu and buzzy wink calls. Mated pairs often stay close together all day long, and use those calls to keep track of each other, like a game of Marco Polo.
The Puerto Rican Oriole is a member of the Icterus genus, and used to be called the Greater Antillean Oriole. In 2010, the Greater Antillean Oriole was split into four distinct species: the Cuban Oriole (Icterus melanopsis), the Hispaniola Oriole (Icterus dominicensis), the Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi), and the Puerto Rican Oriole.
Puerto Rican Orioles are endemic to the island of Puerto Rico where they can be found across the island in gardens, mangroves and other wooded areas. They forage in pairs or family groups for insects, spiders, fruits, nectar, small lizards, and frogs. Their pointed beaks are sharp and strong, perfect for prying into small cracks in trees or pulling off pieces of breadfruit.
They have beautiful, unmistakable plumage—adults of both sexes are mostly black, with patches of intensely yellow feathers on their shoulders, rump, lower belly, and thighs. Juveniles are olive-green or yellow, with patches of black feathers appearing as they age. It is impossible to tell males and females apart just by looking at them. But only females build the nest, so if you see a Puerto Rican Oriole building a nest you can be certain it’s a female!
Females weave the fibers of palms into a cup-shape nest, which hangs underneath palm fronds or banana leaves. Typically, they prefer to nest and forage on the edges of forests, especially in areas with palms. If you live in Puerto Rico and have palm trees, check under the fronds, from March to June, where you may find their basket-like nests! But remember to be a good host and give her space and privacy. Their oval-shaped eggs are pale white with brown speckles on them, and both parents raise the chicks after they hatch. Nestlings are fed more insects than fruits.
Though classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, preliminary research indicates that the population may be declining. Unfortunately, Puerto Rican Oriole nests are favorite targets for parasitism by Shiny Cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis), who lay their eggs in the nests of other birds for them to raise. As a result, Puerto Rican Orioles often raise cowbird chicks instead of their own, and their reproductive success is low. They may be more successful in more densely forested areas where there are fewer cowbirds.
Overall, the Puerto Rican Oriole is a beautiful, fascinating bird that any visitor to the island should be sure to seek out. If we protect their natural habitats and monitor their population, this endemic songbird can continue its early morning serenade for generations to come.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Michelle Moyer for the text!
Colour in the Puerto Rican Oriole
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Puerto Rican Oriole
The song of the Puerto Rican Oriole is a series of high-pitched whistles , mixed with buzzes and warbles.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
Female Puerto Rican Orioles weave the fibers of palms into a cup shape, which hangs underneath palm fronds or banana leaves. Typically, they prefer to nest and forage on the edges of forests. (Photo by Michael Ocasio, Macaulay Library-ML599415791)
Immature Puerto Rican Orioles look very different from the adults being mainly olive or yellow in colour. Patches of black feathers will start appearing as they age. (Photo by Ricardo Sanchez)Puerto Rican Orioles like to get started early in the day. Both male and females sing lilting, whistling songs in the hours of darkness in the early morning, before sunrise. (Photo by Ken Pinnow)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Can you find the words in our Puerto Rican Oriole word search? Remind yourself of some of the interesting facts about this endemic bird as you look for all 15 hidden words!
Remember the words may appear forwards and backwards, as well as horizontal, vertical and diagonal!
Need some help? Or want to check your answers? You can see where all the words were here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Puerto Rican Oriole in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: La Sagra’s Flycatcher
Weep. A pause. Weep. A pause. Weep. You hear the sound of wings fluttering briefly and the clickety-clack of a beak snapping shut. The weeping continues.
You peek outside and see a medium-sized, nondescript flycatcher perched, leaning forward, on a low branch. It has a brown-gray head, back, and wings (with two inconspicuous wingbars), a grayish-white underside (sometimes tinged with yellow), and reddish-brown tail and primaries. Perhaps its short crest, reminiscent of a Troll doll, is puffed up, but otherwise the bird is unremarkable…until it launches itself from its perch, snags an insect you didn’t even notice from a branch, U-turns with a backflip, and neatly returns to its perch, displaying acrobatics that would rival the Cirque du Soleil.
The La Sagra’s Flycatcher (Myiarchus sagrae) is a member of the tyrant flycatcher family, which is the largest family of birds in the world, comprising more than 400 species. The La Sagra’s range includes The Bahamas and Grand Cayman (local name Tom Fool) and Cuba (local name Bobito Grande). Across these islands, it inhabits nearly all ecosystems including pine forests, mangrove wetlands, and coppice (evergreen broadleaf forests). There are also records of it in southern Florida, where it is considered a rare vagrant. Typically identified first by its one-note weep call rather than by sight, listen out also for its weep–piri song.
This bird really lives up to the name ‘flycatcher’! First, its diet consists primarily of insects. Beetles, caterpillars, moths, katydids, and even dragonflies are favourites, but they are also known to eat fruits and seeds when necessary. Second, the La Sagra’s Flycatcher hunts via “hawking” or “sallying,” where a bird watches for insect prey from a perch, flies off to grab it on the wing, and returns to devour its catch.
During the breeding season, April to July, they build cup-shaped nests using hair, plant fibers and other soft materials in the cavities of tree trunks, broken branches, and even bamboo stalks! Clutch size varies from 2 and 4 eggs.
The La Sagra’s Flycatcher is not threatened but as noted by the IUCN, its population is decreasing. This is likely due to habitat destruction caused by catastrophic hurricanes and unsustainable development. A decrease in the supply of its favourite food—insects, caused by excessive use of insecticides for pest control, is also responsible for its decline.
You can take action to conserve both birds and insects. Whether you have a backyard, garden, or just a balcony planter, provide a haven for the right insects by planting with native plants. And if you do spot any pests in your garden, use nontoxic methods to get rid of them (e.g., neem oil). If we all do our part, birds like the insect-loving La Sagra’s Flycatcher will continue to thrive and provide enjoyment to all.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Giselle Dean for the text!
Colour in the La Sagra’s Flycatcher
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the call of the La Sagra’s Flycatcher
The calls of the La Sagra’s Flycatcher include a quick “sweet” and whistled “whit-it, did-id-oo.”
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
La Sagra’s Flycatcher in The Bahamas. The La Sagra’s range includes The Bahamas (home to the subspecies lucaysiensis), and Cuba and Grand Cayman (subspecies sagrae in both islands). (Photo by Beth Hamel)La Sagra’s Flycatcher mainly perches in and hunts insect from the understory. They use their acrobatic flight skills to snatch insects out of the air. (Photo by Greg Lavaty)La Sagra’s Flycatcher belongs to the ‘tyrant flycatcher’ family. This is the largest bird family in the world, with over 400 species! (Photo by Michael World)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Have you ever wondered what birds live in your backyard? Have you thought about how many birds might be there? Well, today’s “Backyard Bird Blitz” activity is going to help you answer those questions!
Telling the difference between different species of birds can be tricky but we have some tips to help you sort them in them into ‘types’ of bird, which is a really great starting point. We’ve also got some great advice on the best way to count the birds in your backyard. Just download our simple instructions, find a comfy spot with a great view of the birds in your yard or garden and get started!
If you need more help trying to identify birds down to which species they are you could try looking in a local bird field or ID guide or take a look on eBird Caribbean to see if you can find the birds you have been seeing. If you live in the Caribbean you may also spot one of your wonderful endemic birds enjoying your backyard!
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a La Sagra’s Flycatcher in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Blue Mountain Vireo
The Blue Mountain Vireo is not blue in colour, doesn’t sing the blues, and is not restricted to the Blue Mountains in Jamaica as its name suggests. However, it is known for its distinctive song, a long trilling whistle, and its alarm call, a harsh “brrrr” which drops in pitch at the end. They are very secretive and are often heard before being seen.
The Blue Mountain Vireo is described as a plain, chunky vireo with a blue-gray head, heavy dark bill, and yellow underparts. It has no facial markings or wing bars, unlike the Jamaican Vireo, which is smaller with conspicuous white wing bars.
This lovely vireo, endemic to Jamaica, is an uncommon resident in humid forest, especially in montane regions. Its habitat ranges from the low elevations of Windsor in Cockpit Country to the high elevations of the Blue Mountains (500-2000m). They are also found in degraded woodlands, farms, gardens, shade coffee plantations, and along roads in higher and wetter areas in Jamaica. They often forage in dense foliage, searching leaves, lichens, and under tree bark for juicy and crunchy insects (beetles, grubs, and spiders), or close to the ground where they glean insects off flowers. They also eat fruit. They usually forage alone or in small mixed flocks with other insectivorous birds.
Their nesting period runs from March to July, during which time Blue Mountain Vireos build a cup-shaped nest using mostly moss. Their nests can be seen dangling from trees or even medium height saplings. Eggs are spotted, but information about clutch size, incubation, and fledging are currently unknown.
The Blue Mountain Vireo is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss is the main threat to this species. Trees within its habitat are cut down for charcoal burning, small-scale farming, and development. Bush fires also limit the area of suitable habitat available for Blue Mountain Vireos and other wildlife. It is important that we protect their habitats by not clearing large areas in the forest, and that we work towards restoring degraded parts of their habitats by planting native trees.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Damion Whyte for the text!
Colour in the Blue Mountain Vireo
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of the Blue Mountain Vireo
The song of the Blue Mountain Vireo is a loud, musical trill.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
The Blue Mountain Vireo is a plain-looking bird. You can tell it apart from the Jamaican Vireo by its lack of facial markings and wing bars, and larger size. (Photo by Bobby Wilcox, Macaulay Library-ML515352281)Blue Mountain Vireos love forest with dense vegetation and prefer higher elevation and wetter forests. (Photo by Eric Hynes)Blue Mountain Vireos are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Habitat loss due to farming and development are the main threats to the species. (Photo by Michael Woodruff, Macaulay Library-ML138683421)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS : Do you know what the different parts of a bird are called? Knowing them can help you to learn how to describe and identify birds, as well as colour them in. Learn the names for the parts of a bird by checking out the diagram in this page.
Test your knowledge on today’s endemic bird by matching the correct names to the correct ‘parts of a Blue Mountain Vireo’ and completing this sheet.
Want to check your answers? You can see where all the words matched up to here.
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS : Enjoy this video of a Blue Mountain Vireo in the wild!
Find out more about Jamaica’s endemic with this fantastic poster made by BirdLife Jamaica featuring ALL the endemic birds on the island!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Hispaniolan Emerald
See them sparkle. See them shine. These birds are looking mighty fine. Both in name and in plumage, the Hispaniolan Emerald is a literal gem of a bird!
True to their name, both males and females boast glittering green feathers. Females have a bronzy glint to their green and can be distinguished from males by their pale white chest and throat. Males have a dark chest and a green gorget (throat patch) which shimmers brilliantly when awash with light. Look for the little white spot behind their eyes which gives them an extra cute face!
How does the emerald stand out from Hispaniola’s other hummers? Fortunately there are only three other resident hummers to tell it apart from. The first key is habitat. The Hispaniolan Emerald prefers higher elevation montane tropical forests. Usually they won’t be found below 200m, but can be found as high as 1,500m! The higher into Hispaniola’s mountains you venture, the more emeralds you’re likely to see. Listen for their sharp metallic chipping notes next time you go for a mountain hike in Hispaniola.
The second clue is to look at their bill and tail shape. The Hispaniolan Emerald has a straight bill, unlike the decurved bill of the Hispaniolan Mango. If you catch it in a bit of sun, you might even see that the lower bill is actually red. Next check the tail shape—emeralds have a dark forked tail, whereas the Hispaniolan Mango has a rounded tail with orange-purple feathers.
The Hispaniolan Emerald is also perfectly sized in between the teeny tiny Vervain Hummingbird and the larger Hispaniolan Mango. This has given it one of its local names—Zumbador Mediana. It is also referred to as Zumbador Esmerelda or Zumbador Verde in the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, they’re known as Wanga-nègès mòn.
Although emeralds themselves are not a Caribbean specialty, our Caribbean emeralds are unique! Most other emerald hummingbirds in the neotropics are in the genus Chlorostilbon. While Caribbean emeralds had formerly been classified as such, recent molecular studies have shown that they are distinct! As such, Caribbean emeralds were placed in the recently resurrected genus, Riccordia, named to honor French surgeon-naturalist Alexandre Riccord. This genus now contains all Caribbean endemic emeralds including the Puerto Rican Emerald, the Cuban Emerald, the Blue-headed Hummingbird, and of course our featured Hispaniolan Emerald. It also includes the extinct Brace’s Emerald, formerly of Grand Bahama.
These hummingbirds are trap-liners, which means that they usually have a preferred flower route. They love common Caribbean flowers like Inga, Heliconia, and Hibiscus. They are also quite adept at snatching insects in the air when they need a little of that extra protein boost!
Like other hummingbirds, the female does all of the work when it comes to nest-building, weaving together a cozy cup of moss and ferns, lining it with lichens, and tying it all together with a bit of spiderweb. She lays two white tic-tac size eggs which usually hatch after a little over two weeks of incubation and fledge about 20 days later.
While Hispaniolan Emeralds are still a common sight around much of the Hispaniolan highlands, they are losing much of their habitat to deforestation, especially in the Haitian mountains, though they persist in La Visite National Park and Pic Macaya Biosphere Reserve.
You can get the opportunity to see these sparkling gems for yourself this summer at our annual conference in Santo Domingo! Be sure to sign up for a trip to Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve or get yourself into the mountains for a good chance to see the Hispaniolan Emerald!
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Holly Garrod for the text!
Colour in the Hispaniolan Emerald
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the calls of Hispaniolan Emerald
The call of the Hispaniolan Emerald is a sharp “tic” often repeated in a series.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
A female Hispaniolan Emerald feeds her chicks at the nest she built. Like other hummingbirds, she doesn’t get any help from the male! Chicks will fledge about 20 days after the eggs hatch. (Photo by Alberto Rojas)A beautiful male Hispaniolan Emerald. Look for these hummers at higher elevations—the higher you venture, the more emeralds you’re likely to see! (Photo by Bradley Hacker)Male Hispaniolan Emerald in Flight at a flower. As well as feeding on nectar, they will also eat insects—snatching them out of the air! (Photo by Cameron Rutt)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Our 2024 Caribbean Endemic Bird Festive theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”. What better way to help protect insects than by giving them somewhere to live? In today’s activity you’ll be making a bug hotel. Bug hotels are a great addition to your garden, back yard, or community space. They attract and protect bugs that keep your plants healthy. And don’t forget what is good for bugs is good for birds!
For this activity you will need:
Toilet paper rolls
Milk Carton
Acrylic paint
Large straws or rolled up pieces of paper
Natural materials for bugs to hide in e.g. moss, dried grass, pinecones, twigs, leaves
Stones
Rolled paper
Craft knife (optional)
Black dot stickers or black paint
Just download our handy instructions and get started. Note that this for this activity you will need a parent or trusted adult to help you!
Enjoy this video of a Hispaniolan Emerald in the wild!
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature!
Endemic Bird of the Day: Cuban Gnatcatcher
Did you know that in Cuba we have a miniature endemic mockingbird? That’s right! It’s the Cuban Gnatcatcher, known locally as ‘Sinsontillo’—which means mockingbird! Just in case you wondered—no, it doesn’t belong to the same family as the well-known mockingbird—but its name fits perfectly! Its appearance, tail, habitat, and even its song are almost identical to those of the mockingbird.
The Cuban Gnatcatcher is one of the smallest birds in Cuba. Both sexes have a similar blue-gray and white plumage, but the male stands out for its beautiful song. They spend the day in small family groups or pairs, mainly looking for small insects and occasionally smaller reptiles. Along with the Cuban Vireo, it is one of the most confiding species we have in Cuba. It is not afraid of humans, providing us with the opportunity to appreciate its beauty up close and enjoy its presence in our natural environment.
This small bird is considered relatively common in particular isolated patches of coastal scrub habitat with medium-height trees. It can be found in the north of Holguín, Camagüey, the northern Keys of Ciego de Ávila and Santa Clara, and in the southern region in Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Trinidad, and Cienfuegos.
Whilst the Cuban Gnatcatcher is often confused with the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, a migratory species that visits Cuba in winter and is found throughout the country, they can actually be easily distinguished! Cuban Gnatcatchers usually stay in low and thorny terrain in small families—while the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher is found anywhere, from gardens to parks, often in small groups in August when it begins its migration south.
Additionally, the Cuban Gnatcatcher has a loud melodious song and a black crescent behind the eye to the ear, features that are not present in the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. So if you are away from the coast and see a small bird with these characteristics in the winter months, you have most likely spotted the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, rather than the Cuban Gnatcatcher.
The naturalist Juan (Johannes) Gundlach first named the Cuban Gnatcatcher in 1858. Its scientific name, lembeyei, was a gesture of humility and gratitude from Gundlach to his friend and colleague, Spanish naturalist Juan Lembeye, with whom he shared many field expeditions and valuable information about Cuban birds. This led Lembeye to include them in his book of 1850, long before Gundlach published his first work in 1876.
The nests of the Cuban Gnatcatcher are built at the end of March and resemble those of the Cuban Emerald hummingbird, but are slightly larger. It is one of the few endemic Cuban species whose natural history has recently been well studied by Cuban researchers. However, we still need to find out more about the limits of its distribution. This little bird is restricted to specific areas along the coast, habitat that is under increasing pressure for tourism development. It is therefore important for us to learn more about its habitats, and actively protect these to preserve its populations.
Thanks to Arnaldo Toledo for the illustration and Yaroddys Rodriguez for the text!
Colour in the Cuban Gnatcatcher
Download our West Indies Endemic Bird colouring page. Use the photos below as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean #CEBFfromthenest
Listen to the song of Cuban Gnatcatcher
The song of the Cuban Gnatcatcher is a loud and melodious series of whistles and trills.
Puzzle of the Day
Click on the image below to do the puzzle. You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!
At a size of between 10-11cm, Cuban Gnatcatcher is one of the smallest birds in Cuba! (Photo by Roberto Jovel)The Cuban Gnatcatcher’s black crescent behind the eye to the ear distinguishes it from the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim Castellon Maure)
Activity of the Day
FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: During our 2024 celebration of Caribbean endemic birds we will be sharing a beautiful colouring page for every single bird we feature! These lovely pages were created for us by Arnaldo Toledo, who also created a coloured in version of each bird as inspiration. Get your colour pencils ready, and read these super helpful colouring in tips below. Then go ahead, download and print each bird, and get colouring! Enjoy!
These tips are also available in Spanish:
Enjoy this video of a Cuban Gnatcatcher in the wild!
For Global Big Day 2024, we will be raising funds to help Caribbean delegates attend our conference in the Dominican Republic. (Hispaniolan Woodpecker pictured in graphic, photo by Jose M Pantaleon)
Every year, on Global Big Day (GBD), bird enthusiasts and nature lovers head to the great outdoors to observe and record the incredible diversity of birds in their corners of the world. The observations help scientists and researchers monitor bird populations, track migration patterns, and identify habitats that require conservation attention. This event, organized by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and eBird, encourages participation by individuals of all ages and skill levels.
We are thrilled to be hosting our exciting and popular teams competition this year on Saturday 11th May 2024. This year we are raising funds to provide support to Caribbean students and wildlife professionals to attend our 24th International Conference in the Dominican Republic. Having the opportunity to attend our conference can be a life-changing experience!
Rep your flag!
There will be national (individual islands) and multinational teams for birders of all backgrounds to join. We would love to have a national team for each Caribbean island so if you don’t see your island listed here, this is your opportunity to take up the mantle, create a team (we are here to help if needed), and showcase your island’s amazing birding community, ecosystems, and birdlife! You and your team have the power to make a significant impact on our understanding of Caribbean birds and their habitats!
Last year we had 17 teams compete with members spanning across 35 countries and raised over $20,000US for our Caribbean Bird Banding program. This year let’s go bigger—more islands, more vibes, more data—and show the world how passionate and serious we are about bird conservation!
24 joyous hours of watching birds, exploring new habitats, and making friends
During peak migration time in the spring, birders around the world head out to their favorite birding spots, or venture into new areas, to see, hear, and record as many bird species as they can in a 24-hr timeframe. Global Big Day runs from midnight to midnight in your local time zone. The data is entered into eBird (or eBird Caribbean specifically if you’re birding in the Caribbean).
No matter where you are—at home, a botanical garden, beach, river, or nature reserve—you can contribute important data, via eBird checklists, about the birds around you. You don’t need to be an expert birder or spend the entire day looking for birds. Just 10 minutes of birding in your backyard or from your balcony will count too.
A wetland in Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eric Torres Rivera)
For some of us, birding is more enjoyable when done with a friend or a group. Pairs or groups can carpool, help out with tricky bird IDs, share equipment like spotting scopes …and possibly snacks!
St Vincent crew at the end of Global Big Day, tired but happy! Mike and Lisa Sorenson, Glenroy, Joanne and Maeson Gaymes, and Jeff Gerbracht.
Youth spotting birds for Global Big Day, Puerto Rico.
Flock of flamingoes at Margarita Island, Venezuela. (Photo by Josmar Marquez)
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
We are calling on our community to bird together in virtual teams during Global Big Day and engage in friendly competition to see which team can:
1) collectively see the most species of birds, and
2) raise the most funds.
Funds raised by BirdsCaribbean GBD participating teams will be used to fund travel scholarships for Caribbean students and wildlife professionals to attend our conference this July!
Prizes/ bragging rights will be awarded to
Bee Hummingbird (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim)
the team with the most creative name!
the “country/island team” that sees the highest proportion of their birds on Global Big Day (to control for differences in the number of species on each island!)
the team with the best “find” of the day (unusual, rare, plumage aberration, etc.)
the team with the best bird photo of the day (must be posted on eBird along with your list)
Last year the Bee Hummers Dream Team from Cuba and the multinational Flying Pintails swept the competition. Will your team be the one to dethrone these champs?
Preparing for a memorable Global Big Day is easy!
Participating in our teams competition on Global Big Day involves a few simple steps we’re here to help you so you can make the most of this exciting day!
First things first, if you don’t already have one, download the eBird app and set up your account. You will need it to submit your checklist/s. It’s FREE and you can sign up here! Assemble your birdwatching gear: binoculars, field guide, pencil and notebook, camera, comfortable shoes, and a hat. Decide on the birding hotspots you want to visit during the day. Local parks, nature reserves, and wetlands are excellent locations to find a diverse range of bird species.
Click the ‘JOIN A TEAM’ button on the campaign page. You can choose to join an existing team OR create your own team.
If you choose to create a team, personalize it with a fun name, photo, and your own lingo. NOTE: if you need assistance creating your own team, email Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org and/or Christel.Mohammed@BirdsCaribbean.org and they’ll will get you set up pronto!
Once set up, you should then invite family, friends, colleagues, and members of your birding community to join your team and/or donate to your team. It helps to set your own personal fundraising goal to help your team reach its overall goal!
By inviting people to your team, you are:
(1) raising awareness for BirdsCaribbean and the critical bird research and conservation work we do in the region,
(2) helping to raise funds for travel scholarships, and
(3) promoting Global Big Day, citizen science, and the importance of conserving birds and their habitats.
and/or . . .
2. Make a donation to one of the birding and fundraising teams.
By doing so, you will have helped Caribbean students and conservationists access mentorship, knowledge building fora, and networking opportunities that nurture and advance the future of Caribbean conservation; and encouraged that team to give it their all on Global Big Day.
and/or . . .
3. Commit to spending some time (or the entire day!) birding on Global Big Day (May 11), being sure to keep track of what you see and enter that information into eBird. We hope everyone will do this, whether or not they join a team or fundraise.
This will be a fun event to fundraise for and get excited about birds! Be ready to visit lots of birding hotspots, or set yourself up in a familiar spot and bird for as much of the day as possible, knowing that all of your teammates, friends, and BirdsCaribbean community members are doing the same!
If birding from the Caribbean, you should plan to submit your observations to eBird Caribbean. Then we’ll tally them up and see how we all did! We will send out more information about this as the event draws closer.
Why we need your support
The insular Caribbean is a critical region for birds. There are 180 species that occur here and nowhere else in the world! In addition, the islands provide a winter home for numerous migrants—many stay 6 months or longer—while others rely on the islands as stopover sites to rest and refuel during their long journeys north and south.
The Jamaican Blackbird lives in the forests of Cockpit Country and the Blue and John Crow Mountains. Its feeding style is similar to woodpeckers. It is threatened by destruction of its habitat (bauxite mining, illegal cultivation, etc.). (Photo by Judd Patterson)
Lesser Yellowlegs are a common migratory shorebird in the Caribbean; they are also one of the most hunted shorebirds in the Atlantic Flyway. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
The elusive Endangered Whistling Warbler, an endemic bird to Saint Vincent. (Photo by Judd Patterson)
The development of a strong regional conservation community, through capacity-building training and career development opportunities at the island level for local people, is critical to ensure the preservation of island birds and their habitats.
How your gift will be Used
This Global Big Day fundraiser will fund travel scholarships for Caribbean students and wildlife professionals to attend our upcoming International Conference, 18th – 22nd July, 2024, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. These are dedicated persons who are on the ground, doing the working everyday to secure a future for birds and their habitats. Attending the conference is an invaluable opportunity for them to 1) build upon or gain new skills to address threats to bird conservation on their respective islands, and 2) network with the wider conservation community, share their work, and learn from others. For Caribbean students, this experience will help to kickstart their introduction into the ornithological and conservation community and they will benefit from mentorship opportunities.
Puerto Rican conservationist, Laura Fidalgo, presenting on her research on the post hurricane habitat structure of the Elfin Woods Warbler, at the BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe.
Workshop Facilitator, Elijah Sands, from the Bahamas National Trust, uses videos from his portfolio to explain key concepts to the group. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
Participants in the Landbird Monitoring Workshop engage in classroom sessions before going out into the field. (Photo by Holly Garrod)
Gabriel Diaz speaks about her work to protect the Critically Endangered Ridgway’s Hawk in the Dominican Republic.
Participants in the Raptors of the Caribbean Workshop show off their bird of prey, a Secretary Bird, made from recycled materials. (Photo by Tahira Carter)
One group plans the activity they will teach to the rest of the workshop participants. (Photo by Gabriela Diaz)
BirdSleuth Caribbean Workshop group photo.
Participants sketch birds at the BirdSleuth workshop. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Bahamian conservationist, Dr Ancilleno Davis, explains how he converted eBird data into a dubstep track using analytical computer programmes R and Python, at the BirdsCaribbean Conference in Guadeloupe.
Our plan is to raise funds to help cover travel costs that will allow deserving participants to attend—including covering registration, airfare and/or hotel costs as necessary.
As with everything in the Caribbean, we will be successful when our whole community pitches in, so let’s do it together! We need your help to do this!
Their project involved providing binoculars and training to community and group leaders so that they would engage in bird monitoring and share the data through eBird Caribbean. These teams would then grow local birding clubs and raise awareness throughout Cuba of the need to protect birds and their habitats through community education and social media. These newly fledged birders would 1) help to put pressure on the authorities to enforce laws protecting wild birds, and 2) provide valuable citizen science data to eBird Caribbean, thereby increasing our knowledge of the status and trends of Cuban birds, including further identification of hotspots for endemism and migration stopover sites.
Cuban artist, photographer, and ornithologist Nils Navarro.
Yaro and Nils hit the ground running! They mobilized communities in almost every province in Cuba, connecting with persons from diverse backgrounds and converting them into passionate bird watchers and protectors—from hunters to hotel managers, from students to government workers. In this blog, Yaro shares achievements with us from their phenomenal first year, and tells us about the exciting next steps as their project continues to grow in influence.
What an amazing year our birding project had in Cuba! We want to share some of the incredible things that the Cuban birding community accomplished together during the past year. Cuba is home to a wealth of unique and endangered bird species, many of which are endemic and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Our conservation efforts are comprehensive—we don’t just work to preserve species, we also focus on raising awareness of the value and importance of birds through social networks, like Facebook and Whatsapp. Birds play a crucial role in pollination, seed dispersal, and insect control, and we recognize that their conservation is vital for the health of our ecosystems.
Gundlach’s Hawk perched. (Photo by Michael J. Good)
The bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), endemic to Cuba, is the world’s smallest bird. Weighing less than 2g, it is not much bigger than a bee. It is classified as ‘Near Threatened’. (Photo by Ernesto Reyes)
The national bird of Cuba – the Cuban Trogon. (Photo by Rafy Rodriguez)
Cuban Oriole. (Photo by Neil Hilton)
Empowering local leaders and building birding communities
Over the past year, our team identified passionate potential birding leaders in almost every province of Cuba and worked with them to form and maintain active Facebook communities. These groups strengthen our community. They expose illegal bird hunting and trapping activities on social media by reporting them to the relevant authorities. It has been a challenge, and there is still a lot to do, but we have certainly made progress. These birds now have our voice to champion their protection and we will continue to defend them.
“The first bird of the season has fallen” – August 2021 Facebook post by a bird trapper in Cuba showing a migratory warbler, the Northern Parula.
A Facebook page with thousands of subscribers announces the sale of 39 recently caught Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. Community birding groups are vigilant and report illegal trapping activities on social media to the authorities.
Over the course of the year, we organized exciting activities to promote birding, such as the Gundlach Weekend and Garrido Birding Day, October Big Day, and Global Big Day. Through these activities, we participated in global celebrations and citizen science events and helped add data to the eBird platform.
Exchanging trapping cages for binoculars—igniting passions for conservation
We also created a WhatsApp group to guide new bird enthusiasts; through this group we have organized expeditions to previously unexplored places. We have even confronted hunters, face to face, and have encouraged them to join us in birdwatching. And boy was it worth it! We made amazing discoveries, and even turned some local hunters into passionate birders!
Mixed flock of Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and Glossy Ibisis flies over the rice fields, Chambas, Ciego de Ávila. (Photo by Eduardo Caraballo)
West Indian Whistling-Ducks having a snooze on a wetland in Cayo Coco, Cuba. (Photo by Max Schwenne)
Take for example, the story of Eduardo Caraballo: Eduardo used to be a fierce hunter but now he protects the waterbirds in the rice fields of Chambas, Ciego de Avila. He has actually become our local guide in that area! There is also Brayan Lazaro Calunga, a former Parakeet nest hunter who now protects them—he jealously guards the palms where they nest in the northern circuit of the wetlands of Bolivia, Ciego de Avila. Nicolas Peralta, a security chief at one of the hotels in Cayo Coco, has become a passionate bird watcher and destroys the bird cages he finds around the tourist facilities. Nicolas educates his workers, who are mainly gardeners, about why they should not engage in trapping. It’s amazing how we have changed lives!
Cuban Parakeet. (Photo by Jean Sébastion Guénette)
Saving the best for last—ending the year with a grand finale!
We closed the year with an incredible National Bird Identification Workshop where we connected with birders from almost every province! Under the theme, “United for Birds,” our community gathered for a week of intense work sessions, presentations, workshops, and field trips. The objectives of the National Bird Identification Workshop were to strengthen our bonds as a community; to share knowledge; and to act as eBird ambassadors by sharing everything we have learnt about using and contributing to the platform as citizen scientists. Workshop sessions included training in Bird Observation and Bird Photography for scientific documentation purposes, and learning how to use the Annotated List of The Birds of Cuba. We used this forum to not only reach the communities most vulnerable to illegal bird hunting, but also to strategize among our team about how we could encourage hunters to join us, especially as they often share our love for birds. This unique experience helped us to get to know each other better, share and learn from each other’s experiences in various areas, and continue adding more people to our community.
Attendees and facilitators of the inaugural National Bird Identification Workshop in Cuba. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
At the workshop, we launched the second edition of the Great Cuban Year! Our first Great Year in 2022 was a spectacular year-long birdwatching extravaganza with birders—old, new, and in-between—competing to observe and record the highest number of species! The Great Cuban Year encourages Cubans to don their Citizen Scientist caps and explore their island, while enjoying the birds in their natural habitats rather than in cages. (Cuba’s first Great Year was a fantastic success, with eBird checklists in April 2022 growing by a phenomenal 338%! The Great Cuban Year 2024 promises to soar to even greater heights!)
A Bahama Mockingbird on Cuba. (Photo by Arturo-Kirkconnell Jr- Macaulay Lirbrary-ML93392851)
Our National Bird Identification Workshop also gave us the opportunity to engage our community in the goal of “tying up loose ends of Cuban Ornithology.” These are gaps in our knowledge or things that remain to be clarified in Cuban ornithology—like determining whether particular species are breeding in Cuba, identifying important nesting sites for various species, and documenting records of new species for Cuba. We also shared protocols to follow when planning natural history studies, so that communities are empowered to contribute detailed information on the natural history of our birds.
Members of the Bird Observers Club presented the bird conservation work they are doing across the Cuban provinces. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
Attendees practicing their bird identification and photography skills in the field. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
Attendees at the National Bird Identification Workshop proudly display their name tags and bird ID sheets. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
Wency Rosales speaks about the club’s environmental education program in the province of Holguín. (Photo by Yaro Rodriguez)
It was all a great success! The active participation of our community, the exciting engagement in friendly competition, and the transformation of some hunters to wildlife advocates are signs of our positive impact. While we faced challenges, such as resistance from some hunters and a shortage of fuel to travel to hard-to-reach areas, we also learned a lot. Our comprehensive strategy, which includes education, knowledge sharing, and awareness raising, has been key to our progress. Adaptability and collaboration were also essential factors. While we have overcome many obstacles, we understand that there is always more to learn.
A student labels the parts of a bird with help from an Aves Silvestres de Guisa club member. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)
Aves Silvestres de Guisa members birding with third grade students of Fabricio Ojeda School. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)
Completed parts of a bird diagram activity. (Photo by Carlos Arevalo)
Our commitment to bird conservation with the birding community in Cuba goes beyond the simple thrill of spotting a rare species. It is a dedication to preserving our natural heritage while fostering a love for our birds, and to ensuring a harmonious coexistence between humans and birds. Together, we are not just birding; we are safeguarding the soul of our island. Thank you for being part of this amazing birding trip in Cuba! Together, we are making a difference and protecting our precious birds. Here’s to more in the coming year!
The Betty Petersen Conservation Fund seeks to advance the conservation status of birds and habitats in the Caribbean region through projects that engage and empower communities and stakeholders to protect and benefit sustainably from their birds. BirdsCaribbean encourages others to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our grants programs continue indefinitely. Empower Caribbean conservation by making a tax deductible gift here.
Mary Fulford brings dynamism and innovation to the sustainable tourism space! Through Island Mystique, she offers exciting, culturally immersive adventures. From delightful foodie deep dives featuring the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) must-try dishes, to handcrafting with local artisans, to listening as historians weave folklore tales by the crackle of a fire pit—Mary promises to take visitors off the beaten path by sharing the TCI that exists beyond the ‘sun, sea and sand’. Passionate about connecting guests to the wondrous diversity of her islands, Mary seized the opportunity to join the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Bird Guide Training Workshop and explore TCI’s incredible avifauna! Read on for Mary’s account of her CBT experience, and learn how she is already incorporating birding into her thrilling offerings.
When I saw that BirdsCaribbean was coming to the Turks and Caicos Islands to host a certificate guide training for the Caribbean Birding Trail, I knew I had to be there!
Participating in this training was important for me as the owner of Island Mystique—a culturally immersive tour experience company here in Turks and Caicos. During our creative tours, I want travelers to get off the beaten path and enjoy our culture through a different lens. My employee participated in the training as well and he could not stop enthusing about the wealth of information he gained, and how fun and engaging the training was! Thanks to the training, we are now better equipped to facilitate our tours, whilst teaching our customers about the bird ecosystem here in the TCI.
I have never participated in birdwatching before, so all of this was new to me—and exciting! There was so much information to take in and dissect—like learning how to identify birds based on their different characteristic traits and features. The mix between theory and getting out into the field was valuable, offering me an opportunity to go out and put what I learned into practice.
Mary stepped in to help Lisa with a Birding 101 demonstration!
The theory taught in the classroom came to life everyday with exciting field trips to TCI’s top birding hotspots!
Delicious lunches and digiscoping!
These were five action-packed days of training, laughter, bonding, birding, sights, and great lunches (there was lobster on the menu with crab and rice—I am an island girl and we love our island food!). One of the main highlights for me from this experience was going out into the field and birding. It was such a great experience learning about different birds and using our binoculars and scope to see them up close and personal. I even learned how to digiscope—thanks, Beny! These little moments taught us not only how to be great birding tour guides but great tour guides in general, ensuring that our guests leave with happy smiles—as we did every day.
I partnered with Charmaine Francis from the Bahamas, and we practiced identifying birds. It was a valuable exercise, which helped us spot the birds’ distinguishing features, and become familiar with how their names recalled their different characteristics. For example, the all-black Smooth-billed Aniis a beautiful bird that reminds me of the song ‘Smooth Operator’—it just looks so suave!
Mary and Charmaine partnered up to put the ‘How to Identify Birds’ session in practice.
“He’s a smooth operator.” Smooth-billed Anis cut a fine form with their elegant black plumage. (Photo by Roberto Jovel)
Thanks to our sponsors, all participants received their very own copy of “Birds of the West Indies” to familiarize themselves with the field marks, behaviors, and habitats of our region’s birds.
Bringing a deeper meaning to tour guiding
Rick’s presentation on Interpretive Communication taught me how to bring extra meaning to my guests through our experiences, by encouraging them (and myself) to look at the bigger picture—the “Why?” Interpretation* is a form of mission-based communication that helps humans understand the natural world through storytelling with a message that can help them form a positive, sustainable relationship with the environment.
Rick helped us to figure out and understand what our target audience wants, which helps us to tailor our offering to suit them best. It’s quite similar to the concept of an elevator pitch. A key takeaway for me was that you have to truly believe in what you’re selling, because that’s what makes an individual buy into your brand, service, and passion. Conveying your message plainly yet effectively really helps to build that connection.
Rick Morales takes participants through Tilden’s 6 Principles of Interpretation, and underscores how passion brings them all together.
What has the Caribbean Birding Trail done for me?
This training has offered me insights on how to be a better tour guide. I now have a better understanding of the market and target audience, which then allows me to personalize my experiences to meet our guest’s demands. Island Mystique offers a Sip and Paint Bird Watching Premium Experience, where we first trek the bird trail with our clients, seeing and enjoying different birds. We then come to a gazebo which offers an excellent vantage point for spotting even more birdlife, and we paint one of the birds found in the TCI, with light refreshments…
How cool, right?
As a sustainably operated company, having our Caribbean Birding Trail Interpretive Guide Training certificate not only gives us a competitive advantage in the market, but also gains the trust of customers looking to book with us. This market is beginning to take flight in the Turks and Caicos Islands, and we look forward to contributing to the promotion of this niche through our service offerings (with the cooperation of our birds of course!), and to conserving and protecting the birds that we have here.
As a company, we are excited to grow in the eco- and sustainable tourism market, showcasing another side to our country’s diversity beyond ‘Sun, Sea and Sand’.
Mary gets a spectacular view of the waterbirds that were in abundance at Provo Golf Club (we received special permission for this visit).
An American Kestrel delighted participants by practically posing while everyone got great photos and views!
TCI’s rich and abundant wetlands makes it a haven for shorebirds and waterbirds!
Juvenile Snowy Egret. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Bryan Naqqi Manco, of the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, enriched our experience by teaching us about the endemic flora of TCI.
Juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Simon Busittil, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, delivered a fascinating presentation on the East Caicos Wilderness Area!
Yellow-throated Warbler. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Participants learned about spotting scope set up and management – especially when dealing with the needs of a large group!
Reddish Egret. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Cuban Crows are know to often visit the beautiful Indian Cave.
Mary Fulford is a multi-hyphenate: Hotelier by profession, Founder and Managing Director of Island Mystique a Culturally Immersive Tour Experience Company and The Woman Code 4.0(NPO), Host and Creator of Let’s Get Candid, Speaker, Mentor, and a Community Activist. She is a lover of life, travel, adventure and music and encourages others to ‘create their own narrative’ by being assertive and giving their best effort. A humanitarian in essence, Mary is poised to lead the next generation of women to their true calling. Excited to learn more about Island Mystique culturally immersive packages? Visit their website, connect with them on Instagram and Facebook, or check out their latest reviews on Tripadvisor.
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
Aliya Hosein, Co-Regional Coordinator of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
One of the issues that the birding community has been working on for the last several years is how we can be more welcoming and inclusive of all birders—beginner birders and future potential birders—to join us and share the joy of birding. It’s an issue to which passionate birders, Hannah Buschert, and her husband Erik, have given a great deal of thought, and which led to the creation of Women Birders (Happy Hour) podcast.
Their ‘happy hour’ podcast is dedicated to broadcasting the lived experiences of women, from diverse backgrounds, who love birds. And of course, it’s not happy hour without cocktails! For each episode, Hannah delights us with a unique, bird-inspired alcoholic concoction based on a species mentioned in the interview.
BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival Co-Regional Coordinator, Aliya Hosein chats with Hannah about fond memories of watching backyard birds with her father, growing and nurturing a bird watching community, how bird watching provides moments of wonder and encourages mindfulness, and the achievements that can be made when local and international conservationists join forces to reintroduce an extirpated native macaw in Trinidad in this insightful episode!
Blue-and-yellow Macaw in flight. (Photo by Luc Viator)
Aliya graduated from the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus with a B.Sc. in Biology and M.Sc. in Sustainable Development and Conservation in the Caribbean (with Distinction). Her master’s thesis focused on the abundance of Red-bellied Macaws in relation to fruiting Moriche Palms in an edaphic savanna ecosystem. She is an alumna of the Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) Program. In 2017, Aliya attended our International Conference in Cuba and presented her research studying patterns of interaction between humans and Blue and Gold Macaws within farming and urban communities. Before joining BirdsCaribbean she worked on multiple projects applying social science tools to influence behavior towards more environmentally-friendly practices, including a behavior-change project to reduce the illegal buying and keeping of wild parrots in Trinidad and Tobago.
Red-bellied Macaws feeding on Moriche Palm fruits. (Photo by Neil Bowman)
Moriche Palms in the Aripo Savannas. (Photo by Nandani Bridglal)
Red-bellied Macaws in flight.
Aliya now works full-time for BirdsCaribbean on our Communications Team, writing, editing, and developing exciting content to educate and engage people year-round in learning about birds, and as Co-Regional Coordinator of the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). Here Aliya works with a team of bird educators and coordinators across the region to raise awareness about our endemic birds and the actions that can be taken to reduce threats to their survival and habitats.
Grab yourself a drink (might we suggest Hannah’s Blue and Gold Macaw cocktail below?), kick back, and settle into happy hour with Hannah and Aliya! It’s an inspiring podchat about the mentors and experiences that helped shape Aliya’s career in bird conservation and communicating science to motivate action to protect birds and their habitats.
Enjoy!
Listen
Choose your preferred podcast platform to listen to Aliya’s interview by clicking the image above or this Buzzsprout link.
Delight your taste buds with this tropical Blue and Gold Macaw cocktail
Hannah Buschert, host of the Women Birders (Happy Hour) Podcast.
In case you missed Hannah’s podcasts with our President, Dr Adrianne Tossas, and Caribbean Bird banding Program Coordinator, Holly Garrod, check them out here:
BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Just Published in JCO.” Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at various research on birds and their conservation in Grenada.
Ramon Williams and John Holas conducting bird surveys on Hog Island.
Our feathered friends do not have it easy in today’s world. They face a myriad of threats from hunting, to habitat loss and land-use change, to climate change and all its related impacts. These challenges are especially felt by bird communities on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like those in the Caribbean. These small islands are subject to unique economic, social, and ecological pressures, which translate to a unique set of challenges for resident fauna, and puzzling questions for those of us involved in their conservation. How are birds using and responding to natural and anthropogenic habitats on these islands? In what ways does this use differ from the well-studied continental regions? And critically, how should this inform conservation and management measures here in the Caribbean?
Using Grenada as a case study for his master’s thesis research, Ramon Williams, a local biologist, sought to explore some of these questions. In their recently published article “Avian use of anthropogenic and natural habitats in a Small Island Developing State,” Ramon and his advisors present some of their critical findings, including habitat preferences for some of the regionally endemic and range-restricted species we know and love. Ramon recently shared his findings in a webinar hosted by Gaea Conservation Network, which you can viewhere. We wanted to learn even more about his behind-the-scenes process, so Zoya Buckmire, Lead Copy Editor of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) and fellow Grenadian, reached out to the author with the following questions (responses have been edited for flow).
How did you first conceive of this study, and what motivated you to conduct this research?
We conceived this study because Grenada was lacking a comprehensive scientific survey to shed light on how anthropogenic disturbance affects the terrestrial bird community. As Grenada is a SIDS that has been undergoing rapid developmental changes, we found it important to understand the effects of these environmental changes on birds so that adequate conservation strategies could be implemented to help conserve both avian species and their habitats.
Comprehensive surveys for Grenada are few and far between, but Ramon’s work built upon the Ellie Devenish-Nelson and Howard Nelson’s “Abundance and density estimates of landbirds on Grenada,” published just two years prior in the JCO.
Tell us about a memorable moment during field research or data analysis.
My best memory during field research was when I had an incidental observation of the endemic Grenada Hook-billed Kite (Chondrohierax uncinatus mirus). Although we did not observe any Hook-billed Kites during our scheduled surveys, the incidental observation was spectacular! On 2 August 2017, we had to cancel our data collection due to rainy weather. At about noon, it was raining heavily, and as I stood on the balcony of my residence in La Fortune, Saint Patrick—I noticed a Hook-billed Kite up in the secondary forest canopy! I grabbed my binoculars and my phone and went out into the pouring rain to capture some low-quality photos and video of the kite.
Grenada’s endemic subspecies of the Hook-billed Kite is considered to be Endangered. (Photo by Andrea Easter-Pilcher)
A Grenada Hook-billed Kite chick. Female and male Hook-billed Kites work together to build their nests, which are shallow and cup-shaped and built from small twigs and sticks.
Male Hook-billed Kites tend to be a solid bluish-gray color on their heads and backs, while their breasts are grayish and adorned with pale streaking in horizontal bars. (Photo by Andrea Easter-Pilcher)
Tell us about a challenge you had to overcome during fieldwork or data analysis.
Our biggest challenge was navigating the unpredictable weather during fieldwork. On 1 August 2017, we went to Hog Island (one of Grenada’s many cays) to conduct one of our field surveys. While the survey was successful, the rain started pouring around 9 am and we had nowhere to shelter our field equipment on the uninhabited island. We resorted to using a trash bag to shelter our equipment from water damage.
Ramon and his team had to navigate unpredictable weather on Hog Island but they persevered and completed the bird surveys.
Run for cover! Ramon had to quickly use a trash bag to protect his equipment from the sudden rain.
Quincy Augustine, one of Ramon’s field assistants, attempting to navigate a flooded trail.
One of the key findings from Ramon’s research was that the birds in Grenada used a variety of habitats, including anthropogenic ones like agricultural and rural areas. While these human-altered landscapes supported higher densities of birds than natural cloud and secondary forests, the latter hosted more habitat specialists and species of conservation concern. Regional endemics like the Grenada Flycatcher (restricted to the Grenada Bank) rely on secondary forest and mature lowlands including mangroves. This demonstrates that while “natural” habitats are critical for birds, human-altered landscapes are also an important part of the available habitat mosaic—and they should all be maintained for our feathered friends.
What are your hopes for what your research will lead to?
We hope that our research can serve as a baseline for further research and help inform conservation decisions. As anthropogenic development continues in Grenada and other Caribbean islands with similar species and habitat requirements, further research is needed to monitor how the avian community is responding to the changing environment.
Will this work impact your own research agenda going forward?
Yes, we are continuing to conduct research on Grenada’s birds, and are currently working on research with Bananaquits—of which we have a melanistic subspecies in Grenada (Coereba flaveola aterrima).
Bananaquits are found throughout the Caribbean. They have a sharp, curved bill, black head and upperparts with a white eyestripe, gray throat, and yellow underparts. (Photo by Dominic Sherony)
The majority of Bananaquits in Grenada are of the black morph. (Photo by Paulson Des Brisay)
Is there anything else you would like to share?
We conducted a field outreach exercise on the island of Carriacou with both elementary and high school students. The primary goal of the exercise was to help the children with bird identification and hopefully inspire future ornithologists. The exercise had two phases: the first phase was a presentation on the defining identification characteristics of terrestrial birds; and the second phase involved a brief birdwatching exercise.
Ramon with primary school students in Carriacou after his bird identification presentation.
School students in Carriacou were led, by Ramon, through a short birdwatching activity around the school’s grounds.
Other recent work from Grenada
A heartening amount of important bird research has been published about Grenada’s birds in the last few years, most of which emerged from the former Koper Lab at the University of Manitoba (now at the University of Northern British Columbia). As a Koper Lab alum myself, I actually got my first exposure to the lab and their work through assisting with Nicholas Bergen’scitizen science experiment in 2016. From the lab’s bird banding activities, Alexandra Heathcote et al. publishedmorphological comparisons of a few resident landbird species, and Christopher De Ruyck did his dissertation onlandbird diets and the importance of agroecosystems as habitat. Those same banding activities led to the recognition of thesong variation of Grenada’s House Wrens and documentation of theirmorphological differences, contributing to Grenada’s population being declared its own subspecies (Troglodytes aedon grenadensis)!
Grenada House Wren singing. (Photo by Kim Wetten)
Ezra Campbell, another local biologist and Koper Lab alum, researched native raptors for her thesis, and her findings on theBroad-winged Hawk population were also published in the JCO in 2022. That same year, Arnaud Lenoble and colleagues published their research on theHook-billed Kite’s diet on the island. Ezra’s study found that Broad-winged Hawks are doing well in Grenada, where they are widely distributed and adapting well to changing environments, possibly to the detriment of the more specialized Hook-billed Kites. The hawks were even observed using old kite nesting trees and exhibiting aggressive behavior towards them, possibly pushing the endemic raptor out of its optimal habitat. A case of mistaken identity—where kites are often prosecuted for the chicken-stealing activities of the hawk (aptly nicknamed “chicken hawk” on the island)—further puts the kites at risk. Combined with Arnaud’s findings of the kite’s preference for medium-sized snails, which vary with the seasons and site and restrict the availability of suitable habitat, this endemic subspecies seems to have the odds stacked against it. Both of these studies emphasize the importance of further research to identify and protect suitable habitat for both species.
Broad-winged Hawk. (Photo by Ezra Campbell)
And a lot remains yet unpublished. For instance,eBird records indicate the presence/occurrence of 171 species in Grenada, a significant increase over the last record of 153 species from the 2019Complete Checklist of the Birds of the West Indies. Many of these “new” species have been recorded in the last 5 years by avid birders on the island, and if/when these records get published, they will contribute to our knowledge of the biodiversity, species distributions and population statuses across the region. Grenada is also part of the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Network, with several local biologists being trained over the last few years in bird banding and landbird surveys using the PROALAS protocol. In fact, our next Bird Banding Workshop is being hosted in Grenada in early March, so stay tuned for updates on this! Together, these advances reassure me that for Grenada, the future of ornithology—and of the birds we are working to preserve—is bright.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is a peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region. We welcome manuscripts covering the biology, ecology, behavior, life history, and conservation of Caribbean birds and their habitats. The JCO also publishes conservation reports and mentors inexperienced authors to help them develop their manuscript for publication. The JCO relies on donations to keep all of our publications free and open-access. Support our non-profit mission and give a voice to Caribbean ornithologists and their work by becoming a supporter of JCO.
For Turks and Caicos Islands Environmental Officer, Dodly Proper, our Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Bird Guide Training Workshop was “a mini-quest of self-discovery and the ‘human connection’.” Having worked with the TCI government across the realms of ecology and education, Dodly was uniquely positioned to apply the knowledge and skills taught in this workshop. Like other participants he was put through the wringer of bird identification in the classroom and in the field. And indeed, practice made perfect! But it was the lessons on interpretation* and sharing of real-life guiding experiences by two of the facilitators, Rick and Beny, that created the environment for exploring the nuances of interpersonal connection and building meaningful relationships with clients. Read on for Dodly’s lively and pop-culture reference laden account of his CBT experience!
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I walked through those doors. The topic was birds; it was the Caribbean Birding Trail workshop, after all. But as I sat and waited, the room began to fill with new and familiar faces, and lectures on bird identification began. I thought to myself: “I – I know this, I’m a birder”— and honestly, I did. I wasn’t a stranger to the birds of the Turks and Caicos Islands. This was apparent when we had our field practice exercise, virtual birding quiz and morning and evening birding trips, where colleague Della Higgs would occasionally say, “Dodly, you don’t get to answer; you know it already.” I wasn’t the only one being told that, as there were a couple of skilled individuals in our midst.
Although I am a birder, the binoculars lesson revealed something to me. Practice makes perfect, but good practice makes good results, and I wasn’t too good at using binoculars. I would like to blame all cameras for having a viewfinder that can only accommodate one eye. It was a game-changing revelation, especially when there were multiple birding events throughout the week.
One of the first practical sessions for participants was Binocular Usage 101! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Facilitators guided participants though the process of setting up their new binoculars (thanks to our sponsors, including Vortex Optics!) for the nuances of their vision. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Participants then practiced using their new specs to search the compound and record sightings of the ‘birds’ cleverly hidden amongst the trees by the facilitators! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Putting binoculars aside – how do we build a bird guiding business?
As we made it to the last half of the workshop, CBT Project Manager, Holly Robertson introduced us to the Caribbean Birding Trail Framework, and if I had any doubts about the initial stage of becoming a guide, they were beginning to fade. It was reassuring to know I was not alone, and even more so when we were given life-tested advice on how to gain credibility and market ourselves. With regards to the business realm of birding, and learning how to be an interpretive guide, trainers Beny Wilson and Rick Morales’ lessons and the expectations I had of this workshop over those few days were met — but also transformed into something personal. I expected to learn about the “ins and outs” of becoming a guide; but then it became a mini-quest of self-discovery and the ‘human connection.’
I won’t say that I delved deep into the “inner enigmatic machinations of my being.” However, I did learn about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and how it relates to the guests’ experiences, as well as the principles of interpretation*, a form of mission-based communication that helps humans understand the natural world through story telling with a message that can help them form a positive, sustainable relationship with the environment. It was one thing to hear the reasoning, but another to hear Beny’s and Rick’s stories. All the attendees were completely silent as we listened to Rick’s membraphonic jaguar-caller [an instrument that uses vibrations to mimic the vocalizations of jaguars], and the journey that led him to it. There was bewilderment, turning into “N’awws,” after hearing Beny’s Blind birder.
Facilitator Rick Morales captivated everyone with his story and demonstration of the jaguar-caller. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Facilitator Beny Wilson gives practical guiding advice on a field trip to Bird Rock Trail.
Rick shares the theory of how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can be applied to leading tour groups.
Beny gives the class a lesson on Maslow and scope setup in the field!
Of course, gorgeous birds were spotted through it all! Bahama Woodstar female. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
American Flamingos. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Yellow-throated Warbler. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Overcoming nerves, finding the rhythm
After hearing their tales, it was our turn, on the final day of the workshop, to give an interpretive talk with a message using our journeys and stories. I spent the better part of the night thinking that I could write a story, but public speaking is a bit of an ordeal for me. I eventually had to jump off the four-foot ledge I was hanging from and presented an interpretive rendition of “We all have rhythm, if we listen hard enough,” to a group of ever-familiar strangers. A smidgin of presenter’s anxiety started to take its hold on me [heart racing, weak knees, palms sweaty and hoping I’ll say everything right].
Giving an interpretive talk—Dodly delivered a passionate and powerful final presentation—easily a fan favorite!
How did he do? Fantastically well! Dodly copped one of our ‘Most Outstanding Presentation’ prizes!
I know I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, and that was reassuring. But it was also both comforting and connecting. That day, we all had the same task and goal. We wanted each other to feel our message, and that we did. I don’t cry as much as a person should, and I’m sure that’s a personal problem I have to work on, but it was somewhat difficult not to be emotional on that day. Throughout that week, I don’t think we laughed and cried harder on any day than on the last.
I learnt many things about myself, guiding, and birding and made friends I would have never encountered otherwise. If I had a time machine…10 out of 10, I would do it again.
Facilitator Sorenson poses for a picture with the team from the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources. From left to right: Junel Blaise (aka Flash), Bryan Naqqi Manco and Dodly Prosper.
Dodly, who also enjoys photography, could often be spotted on field trips getting into position to set up that perfect shot!
Juvenile White-cheeked Pintail. (Photo by Dodly Prosper)
Early morning birding and Great Egrets. (Photo by Dodly Prosper)
Dodly Prosper poses for a shot with Caribbean Birding Trail facilitators (from L to R) Rick Morales, Holly Robertson, Lisa Sorenson, and Venecio Wilson, as he receives his Certificate of Completion.
The team from the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources received special tokens of appreciation for their tireless support and warm hospitality throughout our stay in TCI.
Dodly Prosper works as Environmental Officer: Terrestrial Ecologist in the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) in the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. He has worked with DECR in various contract positions since 2019, and has also served with the Ministry of Health and as a lecturer for the Turks and Caicos Islands Community College. Mr Prosper has worked as an ecological consultant on numerous environmental projects. He completed his undergraduate diploma at University of York in 2018 and is looking forward to completing a Master’s diploma. Mr Prosper focuses on entomology and ornithology but is also venturing into botany and marine biology. His interests outside of work include painting in watercolors and oils, photography, and Pokémon games. He catalogs his environmental investigation on his blog, The Trying Ecologist.
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
We’re buzzing with excitement! The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) returns this spring to offer an immersive experience that combines the region’s iconic birds and mesmerizing ecosystems with the vibrant energy of our diverse cultures.
The festival begins on April 22nd (Earth Day) and runs through May 22nd (International Biodiversity Day). This annual regional event highlights the amazing birds that live only in the Caribbean—their natural history, the threats to their survival, and how we can help reduce these threats. This year’s theme is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.”
Yummy! Bugs for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and growing baby birds
While some people may shriek at the sight of these tiny creatures (and rightfully so because our brains confuse fear with disgust, and some insects are actually harmful to us), they are an important delicacy for birds. For our dazzling hummingbirds, our captivating todies, swooping swifts and swallows, darting flycatchers, pewees and potoos, drilling woodpeckers, and many other birds—insects are an essential protein source. They keep up birds’ energy and body mass, and are also critical for nurturing healthy baby birds.
Black-crowned Palm Tanager with chick. (Photo by Dax Roman)
The Cuban Oriole will feed on soft fruits, nectar, and insects too. (Photo by Aslam Ibrahim)
Guadeloupe Woodpecker. (Photo by Frantz Delcroix)
A female Vervain Hummingbird feeds her chicks. (Photo by Eladio Fernandez)
The Bahama Swallow feeds mainly on flies and beetles. (Photo by Elijah Sands)
Insects are on the decline… But what can we do?
Unfortunately, a study published in the Journal of Biological Conservation reported that 40% of all insect species are declining globally. Loss of natural areas like forests and grasslands that have been converted or degraded by intensive agriculture as well as urban development and pesticide use have all contributed to this downward population trend. The decline of insects has led to a worldwide population decrease among birds, especially insectivorous birds. A scarcity of this protein-rich food source can reduce reproductive success, lead to weakened immune systems, and increased mortality rates for both adult birds and their offspring. In addition, scientific literature points to climate change and its stressors as posing a growing global threat to insect and bird diversity. This decline in insect populations adversely affects the ecosystem services that they provide to us all.
A male Carmine Skimmer. (Photo by Charles J Sharp)
This CEBF, we would love for you to join us in taking proactive conservation measures for insects: for example, by reducing your use of pesticides and herbicides, growing native plants, and limiting the use of exterior lighting around your house at night. And please, do also use your voice to counter the negative perceptions of insects, that they are “scary” and “gross.” Insects are pollinators, prey, physical decomposers, they advance progress in science and technology, and they provide pleasure. Writing blogs, newspaper articles, essays for school, taking interesting photos, and posting informative videos about insects on social media are ways to change these perceptions, and to increase appreciation within your community. Writing about, for example, their incredible adaptations, is one way of getting the message across about how important insects are to our ecosystems—and how fascinating!
Female Monarch Butterfly. Monarch Butterflies feed on poisonous milkweed. The toxins accumulate in the butterfly without harming it but are effective at deterring predators. (Photo by Kenneth Dwain Harrelson)
Ladybirds provide a natural way to control insect pests like aphids. (Photo by Charlotte Descamps)
Cuban subspecies of the bird grasshopper. (Photo by geosesarma)
Art for conservation: Supporting the protection of Caribbean birds and nature
The CEBF team has been busy preparing another stellar line-up for Endemic Bird of the Day! Our lips are sealed when it comes to this year’s selected species! But we are more than thrilled to share that Cuban ornithologist, photographer and scientific illustrator, Arnaldo Toledo, is currently busy sketching birds and mixing colors to create this year’s endemic bird coloring pages!
Artist, Arnaldo Toledo, at work.
Phase 1: Sketches of the Puerto Rican Tody begin the design by Arnaldo Toledo.
Phase 2: Painting begins with inspiration from the initial sketches.
Phase 3: Finishing touches are added to the bird and its surroundings.
Arnaldo skillfully captures the beauty of our natural world. His drawings bring a sense of wonder, joy, and appreciation for nature to children and adults. He was the artist behind our popular AOS-BC Conference t-shirt in 2022 and the grand prize winner of our first-ever Zine Competition for our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival in 2021.
Alongside Arnaldo’s drawings, we will provide natural history information, range maps, puzzles, photos, videos, and activities, all designed to stimulate curiosity, creativity, and enjoyment for both adults and children.
Celebrating birds, biodiversity, and beautiful Caribbean people
For over 22 years our amazing CEBF island coordinators and educators have been celebrating with festivities on their respective islands through in-person and online events. Thousands of people, of all backgrounds and abilities, flock to these events to explore nature, share knowledge about birds, and strengthen their commitment to environmental stewardship. Birdwatching trips, presentations, arts and crafts, bird fairs, habitat clean-ups, and birdscaping of home gardens, schools, and parks with native plants are just a handful of the events that will take place across the region this year. You don’t want to miss this feathered fiesta!
Find a CEBF event and celebrate!
We encourage you to get in touch with your local conservation organizations to find out what events are taking place near you—and this includes forestry departments too!
Looking for a CEBF event on your island? Check our map below for what is going on near you!
If you are a CEBF event organizer and would like to add your in-person, virtual or hybrid event(s) to this map please use this Google form to register your event with us. The information you provide will then be used to populate the map above. If your event is a presentation being held at a school or university and is not open to the public you can still fill out the form, but state that it is closed to the public.
You can also get together with your friends and family, or community groups, and plan your own event. We have lots of activities on our website and on our YouTube page: quizzes, ‘Learn to Sketch’ and origami tutorials, bug hunts, upcycled crafts, outdoor games, and many more that you can do in small or large groups.
Bird nests on display at CEBF event at El Yunque Forest. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Yaritza Bobonis with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Cadets plant bird-friendly trees at Battle of Las Carreras Military Academy in the Dominican Republic.
The Conservation Opportunity cleanup crew. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Justin Saunders of Birdlife Jamaica helps with bird identification at Hope Gardens. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Winning submission by Scarlett Evans for the Kids Art Contest (8-12 years) titled “Yellow Belly.” (Image courtesy Cayman Birding)
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
How long are your ‘wings’? A member of Conservation Opportunity measures her arm length against a bird wingspan poster. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Children and ARC Conservation members wear their hand crafted masks.
Student bird poster on display at the Botanical Gardens, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Grupo Acción Ecológica)
We did it! Students display the results of their BirdSleuth Caribbean Scavenger Hunt in Salt River, Jamaica. (photo by Emma Lewis)
Students from St. Martin Primary School in Dominica planted native plants for CEBF 2018.
Don’t forget to tag us in your photos and videos @birdscaribbean on social media with #CEBF #FromTheNest #ProtectInsectsProtectBirds
CEBF Small Grants—Apply Now
Thanks to our generous donors, BirdsCaribbean is able to offer small grants to help cover some CEBF expenses! To apply, send a short proposal via this form, no later than Friday, March, 8th, 2024: bit.ly/CEBF-Grant-2024
Here are some CEBF events we funded in 2023 and 2022. All projects submitted for consideration must be relevant to this year’s theme, “Protect Insects, Protect Birds,” and BirdsCaribbean’s mission to protect birds and their habitats through science and education. All registered non-profit, civil society, or community-based organizations operating within local communities across the Caribbean are eligible for funding. Organizations directly funded from state budgets such as environmental departments or agencies within government ministries are also eligible for funding. Remember to include in your budget any in-kind funding you can offer such as volunteer staff time, materials, etc.
Dr. Lourdes Mugica and the Bird Ecology Group share educational materials on birds with the local community and children in Cuba for the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival.
If you are unable to submit your application for a small grant via the google form (see link above), you may send your proposal to CEBF Co-Coordinators: Eduardo Llegus (CEBF@BirdsCaribbean.org) & Aliya Hosein (Aliya.Hosein@BirdsCaribbean.org), and Lisa Sorenson (Lisa.Sorenson@BirdsCaribbean.org) with the subject line: CEBF Small Grant Proposal 2024.Please contact Eduardo Llegus if you have any questions about submitting an application. We are looking forward to hearing about the many exciting activities you will be organizing this year.
The Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival is a great way to learn more about birds and connect with nature. Your support ensures that our resources, which help both adults and children learn about how to protect birds, remain free and accessible. If you would like to make a contribution, please click here.
Multifaceted TCI journalist and advocate for Mother Nature, Easher Parker. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
The Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) primarily targets Caribbean tour guides in its mission to reimagine the tourism model across our islands; however, we recognize that this critical work must happen in concert with changes in the entire ecosystem that surrounds tourism—greater awareness by the public of our biodiverse treasures, coupled with a better understanding of the threats they face, leads to greater advocacy by communities. We respect the fundamental role that local journalists must play in keeping our communities informed and educated about the complex issues surrounding environmental and natural resource protection. Multifaceted and passionate journalist Easher Parker joined us at our Caribbean Birding Trail Turks and Caicos Islands workshop. For her, CBT was an eye-opening experience that further fueled her mission to inspire change that honors our environment—read on for her intriguing account.
Unexpected Beginnings
My Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training turned out quite different from what I expected. Stick with me—this story has a beautiful ending. Let’s start with how I ended up participating in the first place.
I’m a journalist who loves covering the local environment and relevant laws and policies. My early love for the outdoors sprouted in Blue Hills, a historically rich community where nature was my literal playground. Growing up, my brother, cousins, friends, and I were always outdoors—climbing trees, chasing “yellow-belly birds,” and skipping rocks, a challenge that defied the laws of physics, trying to make stones bounce across ponds or seas.
The serene Blue Hills jetty bathed in sublime golden hour light. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Easher Parker learns the ins and outs of adjusting spotting scopes at Blue Hills jetty. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
The Royal Tern is a Blue Hills jetty regular! (Photo by Ray Robles)
Sometimes, I playfully tell visitors that I experienced the best of Turks and Caicos because it was an untapped paradise. Little did I know that I would one day join my community in the fight to protect it. As a journalist, my mission is to use my platform to enlighten minds and inspire change that respects and honors our environment. I aim to help as many as I can reconnect with her and experience the natural bliss I’m fortunate to still enjoy.
When the digital flier for The Caribbean Bird Trail Workshop appeared on my Facebook, I envisioned writing a report about another activity on Providenciales. Upon inquiry, I discovered it was more than just another ordinary event.
The project had been in the making for years, and this knowledge piqued my curiosity even more. In my quest for information, my friends at the Turks and Caicos National Trust suggested I sign up. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. The workshop completely changed my life.
Can you believe I never knew the common or scientific names of what I was seeing as a child up until the bird trailing workshop? The invaluable information provided clicked for me in such a way that felt like the missing piece of a puzzle. I went in oblivious to the ecology of the feathered friends from my childhood and walked away confident in the skills, knowledge, and experience I acquired.
A “yellow-belly bird”! This Prairie Warbler was spotted at Bird Rock Point Trail. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
An Immersive Learning Journey
I spent an incredible five days with a diverse crew—naturalists, ecologists, boat captains, entrepreneurs, government folks, and avid conservationists. Our headquarters was the conference room at the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, where we kicked off with a nail-biting evaluation. We met Adrianne G. Tossas, President of BirdsCaribbean, Avian Ecologist and professor of Biology; facilitator Lisa Sorenson, the Executive Director of Birds Caribbean; Venicio “Beny” Wilson Altamiranda, Naturalist-Tour Guide, and Certified Interpretive Trainer; Rick Morales, Owner of Jungle Treks and Certified Interpretive Trainer; Holly Robertson, the Project Manager of The Caribbean Bird Trail Project; and Christel Mohammed, the Communications Manager of Birds Caribbean.
Winema Penn, the Executive Director of TC National Trust, set the tone with a warm smile and brief opening remarks. We introduced ourselves, shared our expectations, and were gifted a carefully curated starter kit that included Vortex binoculars, a field guide, a top-tier poster featuring water birds, and more. Then we dove into the good stuff: bird identification, binocular wizardry, and guiding hacks.
Overall, our first session was a blast and fully engaging from start to finish. We capped the day at the famous Blue Hills jetty and Wheeland Pond, where Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Black-necked Stilts, White-cheeked Pintails, Greater Yellowlegs, and Ruddy Turnstones stole the show.
Day two cranked up the excitement. We explored enhancing visitor experiences, birding ethics, and optimal positioning for inclusive tours. Simon Busittil wowed us with habitats, birding sites, and TCI’s conservation issues. I was stunned to learn that Caribbean birds have declined in population by 70% and that only eleven thousand Reddish Egrets are believed to be in existence as of this post.
Scene-stealer! White-cheeked Pintails captured the group’s attention (and hearts!) at Wheeland Pond. (Photo by Rick Evets)
Black-necked Stilts were another Wheeland Pond fan favorite!
The best of TCI—Bird Rock Point Trail offers fantastic birding and unbeatable views. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Reddish Egret. (Photo by Elaine R Wilson)
The star of the CBT TCI “starter kit”—a pair of Vortex Diamondback binoculars! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Birding and Bird Guiding at Wheeland Pond with facilitator Venecio Wilson. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Participants pose for a shot at Wheeland Pond. From L-R: Yves Claude Sandro Pierre, Bryan Naqqi Manco, Easher Parker, Junel Blaise (aka Flash), and Dodly Prosper.
Black-crowned Night Heron with nesting material. (Photo by Diana Robinson)
On the flipside, Bryan Naqqi Manco had us hooked with a quirky presentation on TCI’s Endemic wildlife. Meanwhile, tools like eBird Caribbean and Merlin became our new besties. Lisa threw a virtual birding quiz challenge, and Beny took us deep into waterbirds and seabirds. Holly and the entire group delved into birding sites, and we wrapped up the day in the field at Kimcha Village.
Midweek, we rose with the sun for a magical trip to Bird Rock Point. Wild sapodilla, frangipani, native orchids, and fragrant trees surrounded us. Warblers and other species forced us into stillness along the trail. Back at home base, Holly unveiled the Caribbean Birding Trail Framework, and Rick delved into the Principles of Interpretation*. We pondered tangibles and intangibles in bird guiding, discussed audience styles, and explored different learning approaches. Then came independent guiding businesses, a virtual birding quiz, and more hands-on practice during a trip to Cheshire Hall Plantation.
We were back at it with an early-morning exploration of lush habitats, identifying birds, and honing guiding techniques. Along the way, we were greeted by Prairie Warblers among a list of water-bird species. Later that day Rick continued his communication mastery, sharing examples of stellar interpretation. We dedicated the remainder of the afternoon to creating eight-minute presentations for our final session, where we put our bird-guiding finesse into action.
Once again, we had to be up early and out in the field. At this point, it’s Friday. We presented a majority of our creative ideas at Wheeland Pond and wrapped up at The DECR. While there we celebrated stand-outs in the group, took a knowledge acquisition exam, and ended with a fun bird identification competition. I was on the winning team, of course. Such an awesome week concluded with the presentation of certificates and final moments of hugs, goodbyes, and establishing lifelong connections.
Cheers to a life-changing week! Easher Parker poses for a shot with Caribbean Birding Trail facilitators (from L to R) Rick Morales, Holly Robertson, Lisa Sorenson, and Venecio Wilson, as she receives her Certificate of Completion.
The Transformative Impact and Future Endeavors
Since completing the workshop, I’ve been excited to get up every day and go birding. I’ve even taken children out to Wheeland Pond. So far, Mother Nature has placed some pretty cool species on my path—the all-white juvenile Little Blue Heron, a stunning Least Bittern, the Reddish Egret, and a very elegant Yellow-billed Cuckoo. With practice, I’ve become more advanced in identifying not only a species but also its gender, age, and phase. My new philosophy has been especially helpful and it’s this: there’s always a bird in front of you, just be patient.
Overall, the Caribbean Birding Trail Guide Training ignited a fresh perspective within me, one that I’m eager to share with a broader audience, especially on social media, where the majority currently engages with content. My plan is to present statistics and research, captivating photos, engaging videos, and other forms of digital media. I aim to shed light on critical issues, such as the alarming decline and potential extinction of more Caribbean bird species. Equipped with the skills and knowledge acquired, I aspire to influence changes in laws and policies, advocating for the protection, conservation, and preservation of Caribbean birds and their natural habitats locally and maybe even regionally.
The impact of everyone involved, including fellow participants who have become friends, has been monumental in steering my life in a positive and meaningful direction. A special acknowledgment goes to the generosity and support of our sponsors—Sandals Foundation, Darwin Plus, Turks and Caicos National Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Department of Environmental and Coastal Resources, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Vortex Optics, and Shika Shika. Here’s to a future where each bird tells a story, and together, we ensure those stories are heard for generations to come.
Easher Parker is a multifaceted advocate for Mother Nature whose passion for the outdoors transcends personal fulfillment. She seamlessly wears the hats of a naturalist, spiritualist, and journalist. With creativity as her compass and a digital creator’s platform as her megaphone, she’s on a mission to make the world fall head over heels for the wonders of the wild. Connect with her at www.easherparker.com.
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
BirdsCaribbean is pleased to announce the 2024 cohort of grantees under two prestigious named awards, the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, and the James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.
These twelve projects aim to advance the study and conservation of avifauna in seven different Caribbean countries: Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico (offshore islands in the Caribbean Sea), St. Eustatius, and The Bahamas.
In this article you can read about the exciting plans proposed by each awardee. Stay tuned for results and accomplishments featured in future issues of the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, blog articles, and presentations at our upcoming 24th BirdsCaribbean International Conference in Dominican Republic this summer.
Congratulations to these outstanding researchers and conservationists from our BirdsCaribbean community!
Establishing baselines in research, data and science for birds (BiRDS for birds) in The Bahamas
Dr Ancilleno Davis, Science and Perspective & University of The Bahamas
Baselines in Research, Data, and Science for birds (BiRDS for birds) is a program to establish baseline data for bird diversity, population estimates, and research or scientific standards that can be applied to research and conservation activities throughout The Bahamas. The program will provide training in the use of bird monitoring protocols and access to optical equipment to local students along with opportunities to participate in wildlife assessments. It is expected that this project will improve local biodiversity knowledge, and ultimately, will help trainees to have better opportunities for obtaining jobs in conservation in The Bahamas and insular Caribbean.
Distribution shifts of the Oriente Warbler: species assessment in Villa Clara province, Cuba
Claudia Mantilla, Center for Environmental Studies and Services of Villa Clara, Cuba
The Oriente Warbler (Teretistris fornsi) is endemic to central-eastern Cuba. In recent years, occasional sightings have been recorded in provinces outside its known range, such as south of Cienfuegos and north of Villa Clara. In this project, Claudia will conduct population surveys and bird banding to understand the species’ distribution in the westernmost part of the central region of the country (Matanzas, Cienfuegos, and Villa Clara), where it also overlaps with the congeneric Yellow-headed Warbler (T. fernandinae). The goal of this study is to determine the ecological requirements of the Oriente Warbler in order to promote the conservation of its habitat, since only 16% of its distribution is within protected areas.
Understanding the importance of a small urban park for conserving migratory and resident bird species in Havana
Daniela Ventura, University of Havana, Cuba
Havana is home for 47% of the bird species of Cuba, and is an important stopover and wintering site for migratory birds. Research efforts have been conducted in green spaces located in the less densely populated municipalities of the capital. Thus, to obtain a better understanding of urban bird communities within Havana, Daniela plans to expand a banding scheme initiated as part of BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Bird Banding Network to the Quinta de Los Molinos Park. Specifically, she intends to evaluate the migration phenology of Neotropical migratory birds that use the site as a stopover or wintering area, and determine the survival and overall physical conditions of migrant and resident bird species. The project will provide an indirect measure of the importance of urban forest fragments for supporting biodiversity, and will increase the awareness of park visitors about the need to protect wild birds.
Raising awareness and education on the endangered Jamaican Blackbird in a National Park
Justin Saunders, BirdLife Jamaica
In this project, Justin and a team of collaborators from BirdLife Jamaica, aim to create an innovative public education campaign to raise awareness about the endangered Jamaican Blackbird (Nesopsar nigerrimus) and its habitat in the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park. The project includes the development of educational signs within the park and the creation of a basic virtual tour to engage a broader audience. The educational outcomes will be evaluated at educational events at the park. The plan will be implemented in partnership with the Jamaica Conservation Development Trust, Jamaica Environment Trust, and the National Environment Planning Agency.
Conservation ecology of the Puerto Rican Oriole
Michael Ocasio, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Conserving Caribbean island endemics, like the Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis), requires an increased and specific understanding of the threats faced by these species. Notably, the Puerto Rican Oriole has shown worrying signs of reproductive challenges, including high rates of brood parasitism and low reproductive success. In this project, Michael aims to assess the oriole’s population dynamics through point counts, banding, radio tracking, and nest monitoring across different habitats and elevations. His results on the species abundance, survival, and reproductive success will contribute to the Puerto Rico State Wildlife Action Plan, the USGS list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need, and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, while also fostering collaborative and effective conservation efforts in the Caribbean.
Investigating male and female vocalizations of an understudied endemic Caribbean songbird in Puerto Rico
Michelle Moyer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The Puerto Rican Oriole (Icterus portoricensis), one of 18 endemic species on the island of Puerto Rico, remains significantly understudied. Improving our understanding of how the orioles use sex-specific songs is necessary to develop effective conservation management plans. Preliminary work in 2023 indicated that male and female orioles may sing different songs, but at similar rates. Increasing the sample size by recording additional individuals is crucial for gaining an accurate understanding of the singing behavior of this species. Through this project, Michelle will engage undergraduate students from the University of Puerto Rico in point counts and mist-netting, and intends to co-develop management strategies in collaboration with Para La Naturaleza.
Understanding the social and spatial organization of the Palmchat in the Dominican Republic
Qwahn Kent, Princeton University
In this project, Qwahn aims to investigate the social and spatial organization of the Palmchat (Dulus dominicus), a communally breeding bird endemic to Hispaniola. The Palmchat plays a crucial role in the ecosystem—it disperses seeds and provides nesting sites for several species, including the critically endangered Ridgway’s Hawk, which nests on top of Palmchat nests. Qwahn will band individual Palmchats and will use a social network analysis to understand their complex organizations. Morphological features of nesting trees will be measured, and a machine learning algorithm will be developed to predict Palmchat nest locations. This research has conservation implications, since the spatial organization of Palmchat nests and their movement patterns influence both patterns of seed dispersal, as well as nest site availability for the hawks.
Help the Bridled Tern return to Isla Contoy National Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Jonathan Nochebuena, Mexican Association for the Conservation of Birds and their Habitats (AMCAH)
The Bridled Tern (Onychoprion anaethetus) breeds on Isla Contoy, a small Island off the Caribbean coast of Yucatan, Mexico, which is considered a site of international importance for the conservation of seabirds. In 2019, AMCAH started a project to protect the terns’ nesting areas, with the support of park managers and the local group Friends of Isla Contoy. This new project intends to continue the monitoring and banding efforts with community participation, and to develop measures to help increase the species’ population. This initiative will also help raise community awareness about threats to seabirds in general.
Avifauna of Las Balsas wetland, Gibara, Holguín, Cuba
Ailen Anido, Museo de Historia Natural Joaquín Fernández de la Vara, Gibara
The wetland Balsas de Gibara in Holguin consists of a large area of mangroves, coastal lagoons, mudflats, and salt marshes located between two rivers that flow into Gibara Bay. High concentrations of waterfowl have been reported in this site, including new bird species for Cuba. Ailen and her team will carry out an inventory of the birdlife of this important site using BirdsCaribbean’s Caribbean Waterbird Census protocols. They will train local residents in bird identification and survey techniques to engage them in the field work throughout the year. She also intends to increase awareness of the high ecological value of this protected area by promoting sustainable practices, such as the creation of a birdwatching club and bolstering bird and nature tourism.
Update of the status and trends of American Flamingos in Cuba
Susana Aguilar, University of Havana
The Cuban population of the American Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber), the only flamingo distributed through the Caribbean, is one of the most important in the region. The species depends on estuaries and saline lagoons, making it vulnerable to climate change. In this project, Susana seeks to update the information about the status of the American Flamingo in the island by assessing its current distribution, and estimating its abundance and number of nests in the breeding sites. She and her team will carry out field expeditions to verify new potential nesting sites in remote coastal wetlands of central Cuba, using drones in their surveys. Results are expected to contribute to the improvement of management decisions for the species in Cuba.
Characterization of the community of aquatic birds associated with the wetland of the San Miguel de Parada Fauna Refuge
Yanelis Sánchez, Empresa Flora y Fauna, Santiago de Cuba
Cuban wetlands are important stopover and wintering areas for numerous species of migratory waterbirds. However, they are increasingly being polluted by industrial discharge of solid and liquid waste, like the case of San Miguel de Parada Wildlife Refuge in the province of Santiago, Cuba. Yanelis will be conducting monthly surveys in this wetland throughout the year to determine the composition and structure of the waterfowl community. Moreover, she intends to identify and monitor nesting colonies from May to June, describe their habitat characteristics, and assess the breeding success for different species. As part of the project, she also wants to promote the recovery and conservation of the Santiago de Cuba Bay by implementing effective management actions and educational campaigns.
Enhancing conservation initiatives for Red-billed Tropicbirds in Boven National Park, St. Eustatius
Jethro van’t Hul, St. Eustatius National Parks (STENAPA)
The Red-Billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus), an iconic seabird species with striking red bills and long tail streamers, faces imminent threats to its population on the Caribbean island of St. Eustatius. Previous research estimated only 300-500 breeding pairs. Through this study, Jethro aims to reassess the population on Pilot Hill, and compare counts with a second study site on the cliffside area of Boven National Park where no data has been collected previously. Monthly surveys will be conducted in both locations, and video recordings will be taken to estimate the number of potential nesting pairs in a section of the Boven cliffs. His goal is to obtain a more accurate population estimate of nesting pairs to support further conservation efforts in Boven National Park.
Are you working on, or planning a research or conservation project with Caribbean birds?
Jennifer Mortensen, from the University of Arkansas, retrieving camera trap data with a team of conservationists from the Saint Lucia Forestry Department, including Stephen Lesmond, Therence Eugene, Jeannette Victor, and Jonathan Cornibert (from right to left).
Our next call for proposals will be advertised in the fall of 2024. Members of BirdsCaribbean conducting research and conservation work are eligible to apply. Stay informed and don’t miss our announcements by subscribing to our monthly newsletter,joining our Listserv, and following us on social media (@BirdsCaribbean on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Linked In).
BirdsCaribbean thanks our generous donors for supporting these awards, and encourages others to donate to these programs, as well as to consider endowments or other large awards to ensure that our vital grants programs can continue indefinitely. You can help us to continue supporting these invaluable projects by making a donation here.
If you prefer to donate via check, please make this out to “BirdsCaribbean” and in the memo section, note the fund you are donating to. If you have questions, or would like to make other arrangements for donating, feel free to contact Jennifer Wheeler, BirdsCaribbean Financial Officer (jennifer.wheeler@birdscaribbean.org). Checks can be mailed to: BirdsCaribbean, 841 Worcester St. #130, Natick, MA 01760-2076
BirdsCaribbean switched into top gear for 2023. With a lot of ground to cover, we were quickly up and running! Here are some of the highlights of the year…
Focus on one adorable but elusive waterbird…
Our Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) region-wide count, from January 14 to February 3 2023, included an ‘added’ Caribbean-wide Piping Plover survey. This species is listed as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN with an estimated global breeding population of just 8,400 birds. The search was enhanced by beautiful graphics and merchandise by Josmar Esteban Marquez. Sightings were tracked live and plotted on a map. During the survey, these attractive but vulnerable birds were spotted in The Bahamas (a great success!), the British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Word of our search spread far and wide and we also received sightings from the Caribbean coast of Mexico! Please continue to keep a sharp eye open for these small, round birds, which are often seen in small flocks on sand flats and might also be found in mangroves, mudflats, and other shoreline areas.
A Piping Plover in winter plumage with an all-black bill.
A Piping Plover chick. Piping Plovers breed in restricted areas of North America.
A small flock of Piping Plovers in winter plumage. (Photo by Walker Golden)
Just how do you spot those easily camouflaged, tiny plovers? Graphics from Josmar Esteban Marquez shared all the tips!
click to download as a pdf
During CWC 2023, an abundance of waterbirds were spotted across the region by diligent birders, young and old, as they kept their eyes peeled for the elusive Plover! Some of the wonderful waterbirds seen on our 2023 census included a white-morph Great Blue Heron on Bonaire (a rare sight outside Florida and Cuba); a diverse gathering of shorebirds on Cuba (including Dunlins, Sanderlings, Short-billed Dowitchers, Least and Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated and Wilson’s Plovers and many others); and and some ducks enjoying some winter sun on Jamaica (including Green-winged Teals, Ring-necked Ducks, and Lesser Scaups).
Survey team in Cuba searching for Piping Plovers during CWC2023. (Photo by Daniela Ventura)
Looking for landbirds…
After the volcanic eruption of April, 2021, St. Vincent’s landbirds, especially two vulnerable endemic species, the threatened St. Vincent Parrot, and endangered Whistling Warbler, faced new dangers—both in the short and long term. We thought it fitting to continue building the capacity of Caribbean conservationists to identify and monitor landbirds using standardized survey protocols.
Thanks to funding from theCritical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and BirdsCaribbean members, partners and donors, we organized a Landbird Monitoring Workshop on St. Vincent with 24 participants, including from neighboring islands(Grenada, St. Lucia, and Montserrat).
Participants and facilitators of the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Workshop at Montreal Gardens, St Vincent.
Maya and Todd checking cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Demonica and Bob Davies digging the hole for the base of the tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Cesar and Todd attaching the antenna to the Motus tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Grand Bahama Motus Installation team: Lisa Sorenson, Todd Alleger, Bradley Pinder, Cesar Montero, Maya Wilson, Demonica Brown and, David Cooper. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Demonica Brown and Maya Wilson assemble the Motus antenna. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Bob and Maya constructing the base frame. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
We were out and about again! Celebrating our beautiful endemics
Did you know we now have 180 endemic birds in the Caribbean region? And we celebrated these one-of-a-kind birds during our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) from April 22 to May 22, 2023—with a special emphasis on water conservation. What would our birds (and we humans) do without water? With the increased heat (it was a very hot summer) we may have seen our birds drinking at bird baths—they get thirsty like we do! With the climate change crisis pressing on us, this was a very important theme to emphasize, and our partners across the region took it on enthusiastically.
Jamaican Mango, perched. (Photo by Clive Daelman)
A young girl plays a bird game during the CEBF festivities as a member of the Luis-Munos Marin Foundation looks on. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves Rodriguez)
Yaritza Bobonis with Lola the Puerto Rican Parrot mascot. (Photo by Fundación Amigos De El Yunque)
Information about the festival and endemic birds of Cuba was shared via radio interviews.
Felix Raul Figueroa, photographer and member of Grupo Ecología de Aves, looks on as students from Ciénaga de Zapata color the Cuban Parrot. (Photo by Grupo de Ecología de Aves)
Children and ARC Conservation members wear their hand crafted masks.
Ashy-faced Owl, Dominican Republic. (Photo by Jay McGowan- Macaulay Library-ML162362421)
Students help plant native trees for birds and other wildlife at the National Botanical Garden.
A Conservation Opportunity member sensitises participants about the threats posed by marine pollution. (Photo by Conservation Opportunity)
Birding along L’Anse Aux Epines road, Grenada. (Photo by Gaea Conservation Network)
In 2023, the CEBF once again hosted in-person events and the response was tremendous—over 10,000 persons participated from The Bahamas down to Trinidad and Tobago! Our citizen scientists of all ages were out in numbers, with mangrove explorations, BirdSleuth Caribbean’s learning activities, school visits, habitat cleanups, art workshops, a birding for kids excursion, and even a floating classroom field trip!
On the Caribbean Birding Trail in Turks and Caicos
As the year-end drew closer, discovery, learning, and empowerment were words that came to mind during the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) Interpretive Guide Training Workshop in Turks and Caicos Islands, which took place from October 23 to 27, 2023. Twenty-four participants were trained in the Islands’ beautifully unique environment during an intensive five-day workshop. The trail now includes 138 birding sites and ten hotels and eco-lodges in 24 countries—all combining amazing birding experiences with learning and information on ecosystems, cultural and natural heritage, and more.
Beny leads the group along the Bird Rock Point Trail. Several field trips throughout the week allowed participants to get acquainted with TCI’s best birding sites! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Tangles of red mangrove prop roots at Wheeland Pond. This extensive wetland is a haven for birdlife and a true shorebirder’s delight!
Flamingo Pond is a must-visit spot for American Flamingo lovers! Depending on the time of the year, flocks at this wetland on North Caicos can number in the thousands!
Class is in session! 24 participants from a range of backgrounds formed our CBT TCI cohort.
Ecotour guide and participant Geneile Robinson thumbs through her Birds of the West Indies field guide while distinguishing between waterbirds!
Lisa gives the class one of the toughest pop quizzes of all! How many different species of shorebirds are in the picture?
Participant and Biology teacher Amanda Brittain consults her Seabirds of the Caribbean card for gull ID support.
Rick’s demonstration of an interpretive talk where he played the role of a hammock salesman was so transportive that the class was convinced that he really was trying to hawk them hammocks for a while!
This was our seventh CBT training. We are deeply thankful to our Turks and Caicos sponsors—the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, and Vortex Optics.
Bonding over Bird Banding! Workshop #2 in the Dominican Republic
Bird banding is an essential component of birding science worldwide. It is a complex and technical issue that requires longer training sessions. We returned to the Dominican Republic again in March of last year (the location of this year’s International Conference), continuing our work of nurturing a committed community of trained banders. The response from our highly intelligent group of trainees was enthusiastic.
Participants learned to set up and close mist nets during the workshop. (Photo by Josh Covill)
Participants at the banding workshop, earlier this year, in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by Joshua Covill)
Daniela Ventura del Puerto (Cuba) provides instruction on bird molt to workshop participants Giselle Raganoonan (Trinidad) and Elvin Manual Vargas Estevez (Dominican Republic).
Caribbean bird banders have gone abroad!
We sent some of our bird banders off to the United States and Brazil for immersive banding experiences. The interns reported back to us (Grenadian Zoya Buckmire at Klamath Bird Observatory in Oregon, Puerto Rican Dayamiris Candelario at Willistown Conservation Trust in Pennsylvania) on their exploration of new landscapes, new ecosystems—and, of course, new birds! We would like to thank all our partner organizations and generous donors who supported these internships. Once again, we were happy to add new dimensions to our young trainees’ experiences, so they may return to their countries to establish new programs and projects. Empowerment is key!
Seabirds under pressure
Despite a range of challenges, our dynamic Seabird Working Group has been addressing the critical state of Caribbean seabirds for some time now. The first-ever Caribbean-wide Seabird Census is ongoing, for 2023 and 2024. Over 300,000 pairs of breeding seabirds have already been counted at over 58 sites! Caribbean seabirds, like those in other areas of the world, are threatened by human activities—including pollution (especially plastics), climate change, invasive species, and unsustainable fishing practices. The Census continues! Please contribute your thoughts and findings, watch the webinar updates, and follow the admirable work of our Seabird Working Group this year!
Map 1: Countries participating in the Caribbean Seabird Census. Note that for large countries, the whole country is colored even though only a few localized sites may be censused.
Juliana Coffey identifying seabirds with seabird patrol volunteers, Union Island. (Alison DeGraff Ollivierre)
Grenadines Guardians seabird survey. (Photo by Juliana Coffey)
Magnificent Frigatebird nesting colony. (Photo: Jeff Gerbracht)
Masked Booby adult and chick. (Photo by Ann Sutton)
More direct funding for research and conservation work!
From combating the illegal bird trade in Cuba, to surveys of our most endangered endemic Caribbean hawk in Haiti, thanks to our grant awards, 10 innovative new projects are helping us to protect and learn more about the region’s understudied birds and habitats! Stay tuned for our upcoming blogs sharing exciting project results and accomplishments.
The 2023 cohort of grantees under our three named awards, the David S. Lee Fund for the Conservation of Caribbean Birds, the Betty Petersen Conservation Fund, and the new James A. Kushlan Research and Conservation Fund.
Have we forgotten something? Oh, yes…
Last but by no means least, Global Big Day 2023 was another huge success, with increased numbers of Caribbean birders participating. Our region saw more birds (a total of 515 species) and more humans (511 posting on eBird) than on any other Global Big Day. Once again, competition among our teams was heated—and once again, our Executive Director Lisa Sorenson’s multinational “Flying Pintails” dominated! Hmmm…
NOTE: Please remember to record ALL your bird sightings, whether in your backyard or out on a birding excursion, on eBird Caribbeanvia their website or phone app. Your bird notes make a difference in helping scientists identify the “what, when, how many, and where” of our region’s birds!
Networking is key…
As you can see, building and strengthening networks across the region has always been a significant part of our work, and it was the same in 2023. Our network of scientists (including citizen scientists), students, educators, non-governmental and community organizations, as well as nature-friendly companies and government entities, continues to grow.
Talking birds: Justin Saunders lends a listening ear to a young birder. (Photo by Stuart Reeves)
Daniela and Elvin take a closer look at a bird’s wing while another participant John Holas looks on. (Photo by Josh Covill)
Yvan Satge discusses birds at sea with fishermen. (Photo by Jacob Gonzalez-Solis)
María Paulino hosts a group discussion with students at the National Botanical Garden.
Levardo, Estefania, and Junel discuss the finer points of binocular adjustment.
In addition to the Caribbean Bird Banding Network, the Caribbean Motus Collaboration, and the Caribbean Landbird Monitoring Network, we are also building a vibrant group of trained interpretive guides through the Caribbean Birding Trail. This person-to-person aspect of our work is important for knowledge-sharing, interaction, and “comparing notes” with each other. A great deal of teamwork goes into all these endeavors, as you can see from our reports. All of this creates a positive and nurturing environment. We have great faith in our newly-trained Caribbean citizens, who are both enthusiastic and action-oriented. They want to see progress and improvements for our wonderful birds and their habitats.
We look forward to keeping in touch with you all! Here’s to 2024!
A huge thank you to all of our members, partners, and donors. This work would not be possible without your dedication, passion, hard work, and financial support.
BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Just Published in JCO”. Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at various research on the Critically Endangered and endemic Ridgway’s Hawk.
The Ridgway’s Hawk is one of the most critically endangered raptors in the world with fewer than 400 individuals remaining. It is endemic to Hispaniola. (Photo by Dax Román)
Few things are more exciting than the rediscovery of a once-extirpated species, and the case of the Ridgway’s Hawk (Buteo ridgwayi) is no exception! This Critically Endangered raptor is endemic to Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), but despite its historically widespread distribution, it had not been spotted in Haiti since 1962. A chance encounter on one of Haiti’s satellite islands prompted hope and a follow-up study as Anderson Jean and colleagues sought to confirm their suspected sighting of the species. Thus began an epic scavenger hunt to rediscover this unique hawk on the Haitian side of Hispaniola! The authors shared a behind-the-scenes look at their discovery and their ongoing work to conserve the Ridgway’s Hawk.
Map showing current known Ridgway’s Hawk distribution on Hispaniola. (Map by Leah Dunn of The Peregrine Fund)
The first sighting in 2019 was entirely by chance—or rather, by fate. Anderson Jean andMaxon Fildorwere conducting a rapid ornithological assessment of Les Cayemites, two islands off the southwestern coast of Haiti, as part of a baseline study for the recently declared Baradères-Cayemites protected area. They were compiling information on the terrestrial vertebrates present to inform the management plan for the region. It was then that they spotted two raptors in flight—rushing to document what they could, they speedily took pictures, videos, and audio recordings to aid in identification. One of those two birds was later identified as a juvenile Ridgway’s Hawk, the first sighting of the species in Haiti in over 50 years, and the first sighting for Les Cayemites in over a century.
Juvenile Ridgway’s Hawk spotted by Anderson Jean and colleagues on Petite Cayemite. (Photo by Anderson Jean)
Adult female Ridgway’s Hawk with a green vine snake on Petite Cayemite. (Photo by Thomas Hayes)
With this confirmation, the authors returned the following year with a purpose, partnering with The Peregrine Fund to conduct systematic surveys on the Baradères Peninsula and both Petite and Grande Cayemite. Between 2020 and 2021, the group detected as many as 19 Ridgway’s Hawks in the region—a veritable population! And not only is a population present, it also has the potential to persist as the birds are breeding.
The authors describe their most memorable moment as the instance, in 2021, when they found two nests on Grande Cayemite for the first time. Whilst the nest was located high in a tree on a weak branch too high and risky to climb, the evidence of breeding was enough. On the smaller cay, Petite Cayemite, they have only observed one breeding pair to date, but that pair has nested every single year since they were spotted in 2019. Another exciting development is that the authors banded their first Ridgway’s Hawk chick in 2023, which will surely provide more insights to this ongoing research.
Ridgway’s Hawk nest in a gumbo limbo tree with a juvenile hawk perched above. (Photo by Anderson Jean)
Ultimately, Jean and colleagues hope that their research will contribute to the body of knowledge on this charismatic species, and help conservationists understand the causes of population decline and to increase the population size in Les Cayemites. They are continuing their search in nearby areas like Pestel, Grand Boukan, and Gonâve Island. Although White et al. did not find any sign of the species in their 2012 raptor survey of Gonave Island, it is possible that Ridgway’s Hawk have recolonized the island in the decade that has since passed. Anderson Jean and his colleagues hope to eventually witness the reintroduction of the species throughout its historical range.
La Gonâve Island, Haiti. (Photo by Justin White)
Amidst this exciting rediscovery in Haiti, on the other side of the island of Hispaniola, another fascinating investigation was underway! Samantha Hagler and colleagues studied the breeding behavior of the species—looking particularly at pre-breeding behavior—observing and recording the birds to gain insights into how they form and strengthen pair bonds. This research supports ongoing conservation efforts to restore the Ridgway’s Hawk population, including a past project by The Peregrine Fund that translocated hawks to create a new population in Punta Cana. Translocating the hawks was a challenge within itself, with initial successes limited by high mortality rates due to power poles near the sites. Dwyer et al. document the creative solutions that had to be used to minimize hawk mortality, leading to eventual success of the program.
Ridgway’s Hawks hatched in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic thanks to The Peregrine Fund’s Assisted Dispersal Program. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Ridgway’s Hawk parent feeding its chick in the nest. (Photo by Dax Román)
At the newly established population in Punta Cana, Hagler et al. tracked three established breeding pairs to compare them (and their behaviors) to the source population in the Los Haitises National Park. Interestingly, pre-breeding behaviors actually differed between the two groups. This could be a function of the populations’ size, density, or different levels of development—and raises even more questions that will be critical to better understanding and conserving the species.
Between these two populations in the Dominican Republic and the newly found population in southwestern Haiti, the future of the Ridgway’s Hawk looks brighter than in previous years. Thanks to the award of a BirdsCaribbean Betty Petersen Conservation Fund grant, Anderson Jean is continuing his urgent work to map and protect Ridgway’s Hawk populations in Haiti. His surveys will be further extended to the larger island of Grand Cayemite. To additionally address anthropogenic threats, the team will initiate an educational campaign directed at local communities, especially schoolchildren and farmers. Outreach materials will be distributed in the communities and a special curriculum will be presented in local schools.
We look forward to further research and reports on this important endangered and endemic raptor, as it provides hope for the conservation of other raptors throughout the Caribbean.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology publishes the peer-reviewed science on Caribbean birds and their environment that is so important to inform conservation work. All of the publications are free and open-access.
MORE FEATURED ARTICLES FROM “JUST PUBLISHED IN THE JCO”
Ecotour Guide Geneile Robinson flashes a brilliant smile with her new gear on the first day of the Turks and Caicos Islands Caribbean Birding Trail Workshop! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
The Caribbean Birding Trail(CBT) is a flagship BirdsCaribbean program. The CBT recognizes that the traditional tourism model has been a source of environmental exploitation and degradation in the Caribbean. The CBT’s goal is to shape a Caribbean where tourism truly benefits Caribbean people and habitats, by instead harnessing tourism as a force for conservation and sustainable economic development.
Globally, the tourism market for wildlife watching and wildlife photography is growing, and bird tourism is a significant part of this market. CBT seeks to attract these markets to the wider Caribbean. Integral to this is having well-trained guides who can help connect ecotourism travelers with the cultural and natural resources of the islands, creating meaningful and authentic experiences. In October 2023, our CBT team headed to the Turks and Caicos Islands, where we partnered with the Turks and Caicos National Trust, to deliver a week-long training program to equip twenty-four new birding guides with the skills needed to support a sustainable tourism market in TCI that focuses on birds, nature, and heritage. Passionate and ocean-loving Ecotour Guide, Geneile Robinson, shares her workshop experience in this reflective and insightful piece.
I am constantly looking for ways to expand my knowledge of the world, especially of the environment that I work in and benefit from, that’s why when I learned that my company, Big Blue Collective—a luxury boating and watersports company located in Providenciales—had made it possible for me to attend the Caribbean Birding Trail Workshop, I was excited! Despite not knowing what to expect, I felt that the first day could not come soon enough.
When the first day came, I was so nervous and the anticipation was killing me! I had no idea what or who to expect—however, despite all of these thoughts, I was pleasantly surprised. Meeting the facilitators, Lisa Sorenson, Holly Robertson, Rick Morales, and Beny Wilson, was the start to an incredible week of learning—not just about birds and the CBT, but also about environmental interpretation, my own environment, and the treasures that we have here in the Turks and Caicos.
The adventure begins! Geneile looks at seabirds through a spotting scope at Blue Hills Jetty at the end of day one. Geneile said, “I saw the potential of what bird watching could come to mean for me—going out with a group of like-minded individuals, and spending time in nature observing and learning about these beautiful animals.” (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
New binoculars bring a fresh perspective!
On the first morning of the intensive five-day training, we were asked what we hoped to get out of the workshop—what was our purpose for being there? There were 28 people in our group, and no one gave the exact same answer twice. Even so, at the end of the workshop, everyone had gotten what they’d come there for!
One of the first of many gifts we received during the week was a pair of binoculars; to this day I cherish them so much. Even more valuable to me was the detailed instructions we received on how to use them, as well as how to clean and preserve them. I thrive on detailed verbal instructions, and so I greatly appreciated the time that was spent by our instructors making sure that we understood what we were learning, and encouraging us to ask questions.
After our first field trip to Wheeland Pond, which I now know is a nature reserve and birding hotspot in Providenciales, I was a changed woman! I saw the potential of what bird watching could come to mean for me—going out with a group of like-minded individuals, and spending time in nature observing and learning about these beautiful animals.
Geneile taking her new binoculars for a spin!
What was that we spotted? Geneile consults her Birds of the West Indies field guide for bird ID support! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Along the trail we go! Wheeland Pond brought lessons, excitement and wonderful possibilities! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Facilitator Venecio “Beny” Wilson talks shorebird ID with the group at Wheeland Pond.
Black-necked Stilts at Wheeland Pond proved to be a crowd favorite! (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Spotted! A Killdeer at Wheeland Pond stands out with its distinctive plumage. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Unexpected IDs—When bird identification becomes a breeze, and friends become family!
Field trips took us all over the island—to different spots where we found so many different birds, and each day improved our bird ID skills. Begrudgingly, I admit that the quizzes that Dr. Sorenson created were very helpful as well. On the 2nd day of the workshop we had our first quiz, and out of 12, I got only 6 or 7 correct, so around 50%. By the 2nd quiz, just two days later—I had gotten all 12 birds right! Through these quizzes, I could really see how I was improving.
Even when inside of the classroom, there was still fun to be had; I had not realized how amazing it would feel to be in a room filled with people who were just as concerned with the conservation of nature as I was. Everyone had the same agenda, and it was beautiful. Quite literally, I had started out just looking for friends, and had found family! Unbeknownst to us, the two people sitting next to me in class were actually related to me—cousins! One from my mom’s side, and one from my dad’s.
Beny leads the group along the Bird Rock Point Trail. Several field trips throughout the week allowed participants to get acquainted with TCI’s best birding sites! (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
It’s pop quiz time! Can you ID the shorebirds in this photo taken by facilitator Venecio Wilson at Wheeland Pond? Comment your answers!
The group discusses field marks and bird ID. (It was a Blackpoll Warbler!)
A TCI near-endemic, this female Bahama Woodstar was such a joy to spot! (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Class is in session! 24 participants from a range of backgrounds formed our CBT TCI cohort.
This Northern Mockingbird delighted us by offering a wonderfully clear view as it perched on a dry branch along the Bird Rock Point Trail. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Birds, blooms, and backyard biodiversity—TCIs endemic wonders ignite the Conservation spark!
Our local experts, for example, botanist Bryan Naqqi Manco, also proved to share just as, and sometimes even more, surprising information than those with the CBT—mostly because they taught us about what we have right in our own backyards! Learning that we have so many endemic species, no matter how small they are, produces a powerful drive to protect them. Even now, I am constantly telling my coworkers about endemics that they never knew existed!
Bryan Naqqi Manco left everyone riveted by his fascinating presentation on TCI’s Endemic Flora and Fauna! (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Speaking of TCI endemics—this Caicos Pygmy Boa showed up at our very next field trip as if on cue! (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Facilitator Rick Morales demonstrates how to deliver an effective Interpretive talk to the class. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Early morning birding! Geneile is awash in the golden sunrise as she enjoys the antics of Great Egrets at the Provo Golf Club—we had special permission to visit one early morning. (Photo by Christel Mohammed)
Ruddy Turnstones are stark against the turquoise blue of TCI’s waters. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Now just turn a little to the right for the camera! This American Kestrel delighted everyone by calmly offering a clear, close view as we marveled at its gorgeous plumage. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Personally, I had gone to become a better guide—I am an ecotour guide by trade, and I already knew about many things relating to our coastal and marine habitats—but birds were virtually uncharted territory for me, so I wanted to expand my knowledge. The CBT workshop has helped me to achieve this, and so much more! It was nothing short of inspiring. It also lit a fire under me to educate others about our unique and special environment, and it moved me to seize every opportunity to work with other conservationists in the country.
I made so many people jealous when I told them what they had missed—more than anything, I hope that the opportunity comes again for the Caribbean Birding trail to visit the Turks and Caicos!
Introducing newly certified Bird Guide, Geneile Robinson! Geneile poses for a shot with Caribbean Birding Trail facilitators (from L to R) Rick Morales, Holly Robertson, Lisa Sorenson, and Venecio Wilson, as she receives her Certificate of Completion.
Geneile Robinson has a deep passion for the ocean, and its many habitats and inhabitants. Hailing from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, Geneile shares her love of the sea with visitors to Provo through her work as an Ecotour Guide for Big Blue Collective—a luxury boating and watersports company in Providenciales. Follow Geneile’s adventures on Instagram!
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
Captain Levardo Talbot in the field, enjoying and immersed in every moment. (photo by Christel Mohammed)
At the core of its ethos, the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT) emphatically asserts that we can unify conservation with enterprise, to shape a Caribbean where tourism is harnessed as a force for environmental preservation and sustainable development. The true champions of this work, however, are local guides who use their passion for conservation to reimagine the tourism industry—delivering thoughtful, authentic ecotourism where conservation is at the heart of the offer. The Caribbean Birding Trail supports sustainable livelihoods by training guides to enter the birding market and connect travelers with the cultural and natural resources of their islands.
In this beautifully written, richly illustrative piece, third-generation mariner, Captain Levardo Talbot, a member of our recently concluded CBT Turks and Caicos Islands Guide Training, takes us on a journey through his workshop experience. It’s a thoughtful, passionate, and enjoyable read.
In the heart of the Turks & Caicos, where the confluence of sea and sun paints a canvas of natural wonder, a profound metamorphosis transpired—a narrative that intertwined the intricate art of birding with the expertise of an established fisherman. This account chronicles my immersive training along the Caribbean Birding Trail, a journey marked by the threads of learning, discovery, and an unexpected synthesis between the avian realm and the tranquility of fishing.
The workshop wasn’t merely a training exercise; it served as an initiation into nature’s vibrant symphony, where the diverse avian species painted the skies with their vivid hues. The genesis of this transformative experience lay in the field, amongst the verdant canopy, where binoculars, spotting scopes, and the guidance of seasoned instructors converged to unveil the secrets of the avian world. These mentors acted as custodians of this rich paradise, offering insights that transcended the confines of conventional birding guides.
A Yellow-crowned Night Heron hidden in the mangroves; by looking and listening carefully, I was now tuned into and learning the secrets of the avian world. (photo by Beny Wilson)
An immersive journey of discovery
The most captivating segment of this training lay in the hands-on interaction, where theoretical knowledge metamorphosed into practical understanding. The binoculars became an extension of my vision, while the instructions from the mentors served as a compass in navigating the world of fluttering wings. Each avian call and chirp acquired a distinctiveness, a signature that bespoke a particular species. The spotting scopes, far from mere tools of assistance, provided a vantage point from which to witness the intricate ballet of the avian populace.
Levardo consults his field guide. (photo by Christel Mohammed)
We heard the distinctive whistling call of the Easter Wood-Pewee, pee-ooo-eeeeeee. (photo by Beny Wilson)
Black-bellied Plover and Ruddy Turnstones in winter plumage along our coastline. (photo by Beny Wilson)
Intently focused on the bird! (photo by Christel Mohammed)
Learning to identify shorebirds and seabirds was akin to deciphering a language that spoke of the ebb and flow of tides. My perspective of the mangrove habitat underwent a profound transformation; it ceased to be a mere collection of trees, emerging instead as a bustling nexus of interconnected life. Birds ceased to be solitary creatures and transformed into threads intricately woven into the tapestry of the ecosystem. Their profound connection to the art of fishing, previously overlooked, unfolded like a treasure trove—the symbiotic relationship between birds and the craft of angling.
Beautiful American Flamingos enjoying a rain shower on Flamingo Pond, North Caicos. (photo by Beny Wilson)
A fisherman’s perspective, transformed
This newfound insight not only allowed for a deeper appreciation of the environment but also served to enhance my business. My fly fishing guests were no longer mere visitors; they transformed into eager students, seeking a profound understanding of the ecosystem in which they found themselves immersed. The knowledge gleaned during the workshop became not merely a personal asset but a jewel in my arsenal to educate and enthrall my guests, offering them a deeper insight into the serene habitat that served as the haven for their fishing pursuits.
Levardo, Dodly, and Junel (aka Flash) flash a smile on Bird Rock Point Trail. (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The art and fun of birding. (photo by Christel Mohammed)
Birds were in abundance at Provo Golf Club (we received special permission for this visit). (photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Estefania, Morgan, and crew spotting birds at—Provo Golf Club—we had special permission to visit one early morning. (photo by Christel Mohammed)
Yellow Warblers flitting in the trees and bushes were always fun to spot. (photo by Beny Wilson)
Unexpectedly, birding became an integral component of my business. The tranquil surroundings, once the exclusive stage for the art of fishing, now welcomed a new ensemble—the diverse and vibrant birdlife. The peaceful habitat ceased to serve solely as a backdrop; it assumed the role of a supporting actor, contributing to the overall experience of my esteemed guests.
With each outing, a new chapter unfolded. The pelicans diving gracefully into the waters, the gulls soaring across the cerulean sky, and the herons standing poised in patient elegance—all became integral parts of the narrative. The guests no longer arrived solely for the thrill of fishing; they sought an immersive journey where angling intertwined with the enchantment of avian life.
Laughing Gull in flight. (photo by Michael Stubblefield ML598441931)
Brown Pelican diving for a fish meal. (photo by Cin Ty Lee-ML611680163)
The regal Great Blue Heron. (photo by David Rayner)
As the sun dipped beneath the horizon, casting the sky in hues of orange and purple, my guests departed not merely with prized catches but with an experience that transcended the mere act of reeling in fish. They left as custodians of newfound wisdom, carrying not just memories of a successful fishing trip but an appreciation for the delicate balance between the feathered denizens and the serenity that enfolded the mangroves.
A natural blending of fishing and birds
The Caribbean Bird Trail Workshop was more than a training exercise; it was a threshold into a realm where the subtleties of nature became an integral facet of my daily pursuits. The art of birding transcended the pages of a guidebook, embedding itself into the fabric of my business, enriching the experiences I offer. The serene habitat, where the symphony of birds harmonized with the tranquility of fishing, evolved into my stage, and each guest, an active participant in this mesmerizing performance.
The journey had only just commenced—a voyage where the convergence of birding and fishing continues to unravel new chapters, each more captivating than the last.
In 1904, Capt. Levardo Talbot’s grandfather, Theophilus Talbot, arrived on Salt Cay. Talbot’s Adventures provides professional and memorable experiences to tourists and locals alike. Captain Levardo Talbot, hailing from a family with a strong maritime background, leads the company with a mission to promote environmental awareness, preserve historical value, ensure safe and respectful access to one of the world’s most beautiful sea parks, and contribute to the region’s sustainable growth. Levardo’s dedication to preserving the islands’ history and culture is evident through his work as a Marine Conservation Officer and his involvement in groundbreaking research that uncovered details of the Trouvadore slave ship,which may have significantly impacted the heritage of the afro-Caribbean population of Turks & Caicos and The Bahamas. Talbot’s Adventures takes pride in safeguarding and sharing with guests one of the most breathtaking marine spaces on the planet; undoubtedly a treasure to behold.
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive* Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
“A veritable mecca for waterbirds and shorebirds.” “One of the most important areas for wintering Piping Plovers in the entire Caribbean.” Those are not exactly the mental images that come to mind when one thinks about tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)—you would be forgiven for instead immediately conjuring visions of sun, sea, and brilliant white sand—but indeed, this incredible Caribbean biodiversity hotspot offers so much more! Thanks to the Caribbean Birding Trail, and 24 passionate, newly certified bird guides trained to bring the hidden side of TCI to the ever-expanding birding tourism market, this image is about to change. It’s time to meet the Turks and Caicos that only insiders know—and the guides who will make booking a birding tour a quintessential part of the TCI experience.
Sun, sea, sand, and …sublime salt ponds?
The natural beauty of the Turks and Caicos Islands is reflected in the nation’s tourism motto “Beautiful by Nature,” and indeed, no superlative feels adequate to effectively capture its wondrous magic. TCI’s coastlines immediately standout as being the textbook definition of idyllic. The powdery white sand is flecked with coral pinks, whilst the water offers mesmerizing combinations of electric blue and turquoise. Look further and feast your eyes on the islands’ other defining features—a range of fantastic wetlands including picturesque salinas and salt ponds, submerged mangroves, miles and miles of tidal flats and sand banks; intriguing limestone caves; and verdantly green dry tropical forests.
Located on Middle Caicos, Indian Cave is a large and beautiful single gallery cave with many openings and skylights.
Tangles of red mangrove prop roots at Wheeland Pond. This extensive wetland is a haven for birdlife and a true shorebirder’s delight!
Like something out of a dream! The view at the end of Bird Rock Point Trail is incomparable.
Whitby Salina on North Caicos. When you think of salt ponds, you might immediately associate them with waterbirds, but the surrounding scrub and woodland in these areas provide essential habitats for a myriad of other types of birds! We spotted 10 migratory Blackpoll Warblers using the area to rest and refuel before continuing on their epic journeys south.
Bird Rock Point Trail is especially exciting for the range of habitats one traverses along the path. Terrain here is mixed between low limestone bluffs, mangrove waterways, and tidal marine marshes.
Spend some time contemplating this rich tapestry of blues and greens, and in many-splendored flashes of stunning purples, deep reds, sunny yellows, and intensely-pigmented pinks, the real secret of these environments will be revealed—their biodiversity! Glittering hummingbirds, flamboyant flamingos and darting yellow warblers—TCI’s various ecosystems provide critical habitats for a grand diversity of birds. Resident herons, egrets, shorebirds, ducks, seabirds, and landbirds are common sights at TCI’s wetlands. In addition to the islands’ surface area being made up of over 50% wetlands, the country can boast of being home to the largest island in the West Indies undisturbed by humans. TCI’s ecosystems are also a crucial lifeline for winter migrants who can often be easily observed busily attending to the vital business of eating, eating, eating, (and resting!) to refuel their bodies to carry on in their southward migration.
TCI’s extensive wetlands provide essential refuge for Near Threatened Piping Plovers during migration – this flock was spotted feeding on South Caicos. (Photo by Craig Watson)
Reddish Egret, dark morph. (Photo by Elaine R Wilson)
Blackpoll Warbler, female. These warblers were everywhere, migrating and stopping over in TCI in October and early November to rest and feed. (Photo by Hemant Keshan)
Bahama Woodstar, male. The Bahama Woodstar can only be found on the Turks and Caicos Islands and The Bahamas! This near-endemic can be easily spotted in a range of habitats around TCI. (Photo by Keith Salveson)
Flamingo Pond is a must-visit spot for American Flamingo lovers! Depending on the time of the year, flocks at this wetland on North Caicos can number in the thousands!
A match made in Heaven—Sustainable Economic Development meets Biodiversity Protection—in thoughtful, authentic ecotourism where conservation is at heart of the offer
While the TCI Government has designated significant areas for conservation, the full potential of these areas for ecotourism has yet to be tapped. The TCI tourism community has not fully recognized the benefits that nature conservation can bring. The industry is currently focused on high-end/luxury travelers on the main inhabited island of Providenciales; the other inhabited islands of North and Middle Caicos, Grand Turk, South Caicos, and Salt Cay have not benefited from the massive and continued growth of tourism. Away from Providenciales, there are currently limited employment and business opportunities, unless these take the form of large-scale developments with their attendant negative impacts on the natural environment and cultural heritage. New employment opportunities, compatible with natural resource conservation, are urgently needed.
It was against this backdrop of this untapped opportunity for development, the drive to protect TCI’s tremendous biodiversity—and the potential to marry these seemingly competing areas in a way that empowered the TCI community by supporting truly sustainable livelihoods, that the Caribbean Birding Trail (CBT), set its focus on the Turks and Caicos Islands in late 2023. The CBT is a flagship program of BirdsCaribbean that emphatically recognizes that we can unify conservation with business to shape a Caribbean where tourism is harnessed as a force for environmental preservation and sustainable development, rather than the exploitation and degradation of habitats.
BirdsCaribbean Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Sorenson explains, “Globally, the tourism market for wildlife watching and wildlife photography is growing, and bird tourism is a significant part of this market. In the US, the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation lists the national bird watching audience at a whopping 96.3 million citizens—a segment that has grown dramatically in the last few years and continues on an upward trend; while in the UK, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) claims that around 6 million United Kingdom residents are regularly engaged in birdwatching. The Caribbean Birding Trail seeks to attract these markets to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the wider Caribbean. Integral to this is having well-trained guides who can help connect ecotourism travelers with the cultural and natural resources of the islands, creating meaningful and authentic experiences.”
A dynamic team of trainers, bearing birding gifts!
Boat Captains, Ecotour Guides, Educators, Journalists, Media Professionals, Government Officers, Policy Makers and more! Our Caribbean Birding Trail, Turks and Caicos Isands cohort featured a diverse group, all connected by their passion for meaningful, sustainable tourism and nature conservation in TCI. Participants and Facilitators pose for a shot at Wheeland Pond. Twenty people were from TCI, three from The Bahamas, and one from Puerto Rico. (photo by Christel Mohammed)
The intensive five-day workshop was led by Dr Lisa Sorenson, certified interpretive trainers from the National Association of Interpretation (NAI), Venicio (Beny) Wilson and Rick Morales, and CBT Project Leader, Holly Robertson. Participants explored the importance of preserving the Turks and Caicos Islands’ birds and nature while strengthening the islands’ local ecotourism sector. Modules included the Basics of Bird ID Techniques, which examined size and shape, field marks, behavior, habitat, and birdsongs; How to Use Binoculars and Spotting Scopes; Avian Ecology; and Guiding and Interpretation Techniques.
Of course, you can’t go birding without your gear—and on day one of the course, Executive Director Lisa Sorenson closed her introductory Birding 101 session with the most wonderful surprise! All participants received a comprehensive and thoughtfully curated package which included Vortex binoculars, a Birds of the West Indies field guide, bird ID cards, a CBT hat, an endemic birds of the Caribbean bag, and many other resources. BirdsCaribbean ensured that new guides had all the tools they needed to support them on their burgeoning birding guide journeys. One participant exclaimed, “It’s like Christmas!! This is amazing!”
Class is in session! BirdsCaribbean Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, takes participants through the basics of bird ID techniques.
New gear! Ecotour Guide Geneile Robinson flashes a smile with an array of items from her CBT gift package.
Naturalist and Journalist Easher Parker spotted in the field with our handy BirdsCaribbean Wetland and Seabirds field ID cards.
Thanks to our partnership with Vortex Optics and the generous sponsorship of Sandals Foundation, all participants received a brand-new pair of binoculars! The best part? These specs come with an awesome lifetime-warranty, so our cohort will be birding with them for a long time!
All hands on deck! BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director, Dr Lisa Sorenson, and President, Dr Adrianna Tossas, help assemble gift packages for the CBT TCI participants.
Out of the classroom and into the field!
Armed with a host of new bird ID skills, new binoculars and an enviable collection of field ID cards and guides—there was only one place left to go for our excited cohort—absolutely everywhere! Each day of training featured field trips to the best and most accessible birding sites on Providenciales, giving participants ample opportunity to learn and practice bird ID, benefit from practical in-the-field training from Beny and Rick on guiding techniques, and to familiarize themselves with the Turks and Caicos Islands’ top birding spots.
Our first spot, Wheeland Pond, easily became a crowd favorite thanks to a flock of resident Black-necked Stilts who greeted us with elegant poses on each of our visits there. Wheeland Pond is a wetland which provides excellent habitat for both breeding and migratory shorebirds, with resident and migratory North American songbirds using the surrounding scrub and woodland. Its complex system of natural saline ponds and manmade water-filled pits, a haven for birdlife, provided participants with great opportunities to practice distinguishing between tricky shorebirds (and mastering some easier ones thanks to enthusiastic Ruddy Turnstones and Killdeer) and even trickier fall-plumaged warblers (we spotted 8 different species!). Wheeland also provided one of the week’s most exciting birding moments for participants—a rare sighting of the elusive and shy Sora! Everyone was lining up at the scopes to get a look at this bird and its striking yellow bill!
Into the wild! The group heads along the Wheeland Pond trail on our very first CBT TCI field trip! (This was one of many field trips over the week – allowing for hand-on on practice with the theory discussed in the classroom.)
Was that a Stilt Sandpiper? Lisa sets up a spotting scope so that we could all further investigate and learn more about field marks for this tricky group on birds. (Also, yes it was!)
Wheeland Pond’s resident Black-necked Stilts! With their striking black and white plumage, and bright bubblegum-pink legs, these stilts were our unofficial Wheeland Pond welcoming party! (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Cape May Warbler – adult female or immature male. We saw a great variety of warblers on our field trips – they are especially challenging this time of year since males are in their nonbreeding /fall plumage. This lovely bird was photographed by our facilitator, Beny Wilson.!
A sight for Sora eyes! Getting a clear view of a bird with a reputation for being heard far more often that it is seen caused an understandable stir among participants and trainers alike! (Photo by Shell Game)
With its two distinctive black chest bands, the Killdeer was one of the first shorebirds that the group learned to easily ID. (Photo by Lorie Shell)
Always consult your field guide! Sure, the Killdeer might be easy to ID, but what do you do when faced with a group of Stilt Sandpipers and Short-billed Dowitchers? Head to your new copy of Birds of the West Indies of course!
Just a little to the left! All eyes are locked on the Sora!
Seabirds and scopes! In a beautiful setting…
Spotting scopes are a vital ticket to getting the front row seat to the most intimate views of bird behavior—and they’re a great tool for guides wanting to give their guests an incredible birding tour. Participants learned the essential tricks of scope setup and how to manage scope usage within a tour group from the seasoned guides. Pro-tip: Set the height of the scope to accommodate the shortest person in the group! Getting the opportunity to practice these skills by locating seabirds (Royal Terns abounded!) amidst the sublime backdrop of Blue Hills Jetty at sunset was the ultimate plus.
Scope setup practice at Blue Hills Jetty.
Participant and guide/boat captain in training, Steffino Lightbourne, adjusts the scope to get a closer look at a Royal Tern perched at the end of the jetty.
Royal Tern, an easy tern to ID, thanks to its large size and bright carrot-orange big beak!
Sunset at Blue Hills Jetty was a sublime interplay of blues and golds!
Participant and Biology teacher Amanda Brittain consults her Seabirds of the Caribbean card for gull ID support.
Painting a picture: A lesson in interpretive guiding
Back in the classroom, interpretive trainers Beny and Rick, who work as guides in Panama, wowed the participants with in-depth sessions on the birding market, communication skills, and the principles of environmental interpretation*. Participants experienced theory put into practice with a birding field trip to Bird Rock Point Trail. Along this picturesque walk, which winds through a variety of terrestrial and wetland habitats, trainers led smaller groups through the nuances of how to manage a tour. Questions addressed included how to keep the group together; balancing the needs of photographers in the group with those more focused on birdwatching; and how to cater to different skill levels. These were interrupted by the ever-exciting, “Did you see that?!” Trainers and participants alike were thrilled to confirm a sighting of a Rose-breasted Grosbeak—a rare spotting for TCI!
National Association of Interpretation, Certified Interpretive Trainer, Rick Morales, introduces the class to Tilden’s Six Principles of Interpretation – and the quality that underpins them all!
Beny’s heard something! As he demonstrates effective birding guide leadership, Beny pauses the group along the Bird Rock Point Trail to investigate a curious sound!
Beny’s animated lessons kept our cohort in rapt attention.
Lisa talks species ID techniques with third-generation mariner, Captain Levardo Talbot and Kaja Ewa, guide and owner of Jedi Kiteboarding.
Rick’s demonstration of an interpretive talk where he played the role of a hammock salesman was so transportive that the class was convinced that he really was trying to hawk them hammocks for a while!
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, female – we spotted this rare migrant during the week and some of us had good looks at it! (Photo by Anthony Louviere)
Birds and beyond…
The training also featured guest lectures from Bryan Naqqi Manco, Assistant Director of Research & Development, DECR, and all-around skilled naturalist/ botanist, who had everyone leaning in with a fascinating presentation on TCI’s endemic flora and fauna, and Simon Busuttil, RSPB Turks and Caicos Operations Manager, who shared information about TCI’s birding sites and conservation issues and the ongoing East Caicos Wilderness Project. The goal of this Darwin Plus funded initiative is the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of this spectacular wilderness area, the last large-scale wilderness area in the British West Indies, for future generations to enjoy. Training local guides to interpret this area for visitors and locals alike is one of the goals of the CBT Guide Training Workshop. Participants were in awe when, on our field trip just following Bryan’s talk, we were treated to unexpected sightings of two endemics! As if to let us know that they wouldn’t be upstaged by all the birds—the Caicos Pygmy Boa, a TCI endemic, and the Tall Encyclia Orchid, a regional endemic, greeted us to gasps of surprise and appreciation along the Bird Rock Point Trail.
Naqqi’s presentation, “Nowhere Else,” was hailed as one of the week’s most revelatory talks – participants were amazed at how much they didn’t know about the familiar flora and fauna around them – and about how many incredible endemic species TCI boasts!
Can you see it? The Caicos Pygmy Boa can fit in the palm of your hand. The lucky spotting of this tiny TCI endemic caused a big stir among the team!
Simon’s presentation left everyone in awe of the wild beauty of East Caicos.
The Tall Encyclia Orchid is beautiful! But lean in closer and you’ll discover that its sweet scent is even more delightful. Participants reported notes of chocolate and vanilla.
Facilitator Sorenson poses for a picture with the team from the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources. From left to right: Junel Blaise (aka Flash), Bryan Naqqi Manco and Dodly Prosper.
What they learned—five intense days and a multitude of birds later!
After four utterly packed days of learning from the trainers, it was time for the trainees to take the stage! To demonstrate all they had learned that week, the class was tasked with delivering their very own interpretive talk, flavored by their unique perspectives and life experiences. It was deeply rewarding to listen as participants took us on thoughtfully-constructed journeys of discovery. Talks tackled everything from the proper technique to ‘heron-walk’ through mangroves so that you don’t alert fish, a secret handed down through generations of expert bone fishers; to convincing everyone in the group that kitesurfing could easily become their next big adventure, no matter how intimidating it looks; to an inspiring talk about the value of mangroves with the memorable message, “Mangroves don’t need us, we need them.” After an emotionally-charged day of humorous, revealing, and deeply authentic presentations with strong messages, we were happy to congratulate all participants on achieving their Certificates of Completion with flying colors!
BirdsCaribbean is pleased to present our Caribbean Birding Trail 2023 cohort!
Rave reviews from the participants!
Participants emphatically agreed that the curtain had just fallen on one of the most enriching weeks of their lives. When asked what they most appreciated, enjoyed, or thought was best about the course, one participant commented, “The mix of different people and to be inspired by the facilitators to seek a profitable but sustainable way forward and also a healthy way forward for the spirit. The materials given were awesome! And more than I was expecting.”
“The content of the workshop was outstanding, presented at the right pace and by the best instructors,” said another participant.
One participant who had a lot of experience birding, but not extensive guiding experience explained, “This week was helpful to learn how to participate as a leader for touring, not just for birding, but tours in general.”
Another participant shared, “I think the most interesting thing I learned this week was that there is an entire philosophy behind interpretation—I was not aware of that—and that has really helped me to review what I do in my own tours and to mold them more expertly in the future. This training was really valuable to me—I’ve been guiding for 23 years and I’m really happy to not only learn more about it, but also what I can change to make my programs better! We have a huge opportunity for birding tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands, we have two endemic subspecies which can be seen nowhere else on earth and we have a couple of other near-endemics which are really easy to see here… Our missing cornerstone for the industry is trained guides—we hadn’t got any, and now we do!”
Keeping in touch—and thank you to our sponsors!
Since the workshop, a “Birdwatchers TCI” WhatsApp group has been formed with participants sharing every day what birds they are seeing, and getting help with bird ID as needed. The group has also planned field trips to continue practicing their bird identification skills—essential for becoming a knowledgeable guide. The group will use eBird Caribbean to document their birding, as well as participate in counts such as the Caribbean Waterbird Census, which will help us to learn more about the bird diversity and important sites for birds on TCI.
Heidi Clarke, Executive Director at the Sandals Foundation (one of the main sponsors of the guide training) said that the Sandals Foundation was, “proud to support this program, which taught participants how to inspire people and engage audiences through storytelling aimed at preserving TCI’s incredible birds and nature.”
“Collectively,” Clarke continued, “We can build a stronger eco-tourism market in TCI that provides sustainable livelihoods and supports environmental conservation. Helping trainees learn about the bird tourism market and how they can tap into this rapidly growing and lucrative ecotourism sector will be beneficial for years to come.”
Lisa gets some help demonstrating field marks from Mary Fulford, Owner and Founder of Island Mystique Tours.
Participants were thrilled to receive copies of Birds of the West Indies.
Binocular setup. Trainers took participants through the steps of adjusting their new binoculars for their eyesight.
Bibo Jayne and Morgan Luker taking their new specs for a test drive!
A handsome Ovenbird spotted on the trail. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Levardo, Estefania, and Junel discuss the finer points of binocular adjustment.
The cohort listens in rapt attention as Lisa describes the work of BirdsCaribbean. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Jedi Kiteboarding owner Kaja Ewa looks at Brown Pelicans at Blue Hills Jetty.
Yellow Warbler at Bird Rock Trail. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
CBT Project Leader Holly Robertson flashes a smile!
Lisa and Levardo talk scope setup!
Spotted! Geneile Robinson (guide at Big Blue Collective) sports our Caribbean Endemics Love tote while sharing a light moment with Dr Dellareese Higgs (Turks and Caicos National Trust).
Beny teaches the class shorebird ID, while Dodley focus on getting the perfect shot!
A gorgeous Yellow-throated Warbler, North Caicos. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Estefania Arrocet, Partner at Caicos Media, enjoys the waterbirds on a class field trip.
Lisa gives the class one of the toughest pop quizzes of all! How many different species of shorebirds are in the picture?
Fan favorites! Black-necked Stilts at Wheeland Pond.
180 unique species found nowhere else in the world! Our Caribbean Endemics Love tote encourages us all to know, love and protect our region’s incredible biodiversity.
Cape May Warbler, North Caicos. (Photo by Venecio Wilson)
Shake on it! After receiving their certifications, it was time for some friendly sportsmanship – a spirited game of lightning speed “Name that Bird!” team competition. Lillan Russell and Dodley Prosper square off!
With her encyclopedic knowledge of Caribbean birds, BirdsCaribbean President Adrianne Tossas was a formidable competitor, paired here with budding birder, Estefania.
Competitors must name the bird before their opponent – but only if they grab the orange first! The game of speedy reflexes and quick wits had the class in an uproar! Ernacio Forbes and Morgan compete!
Our “Most Enthusiastic” participants show off their prizes! (Levardo and Kaja)
Acknowledgements: The CBT Interpretive Guide Training was made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and local partners. These include the Sandals Foundation, the Turks and Caicos National Trust, Darwin Plus Initiative, the Turks and Caicos Department of Environment and Coastal Resources, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Marshall Reynolds Foundation, Shika Shika, US Forest Service International Programs, and Vortex Optics.
The TCI CBT Interpretive Guide training is the seventh training to be carried out by BirdsCaribbean. Previous trainings have been held in Grenada, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Bonaire, Cuba, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. These guide trainings are integral to advancing the vision of the CBT—connecting people to the extraordinary places, diverse cultures, and people of each island. Through the CBT, we promote natural and authentic experiences that benefit local people and encourage the protection of the Caribbean’s natural resources, including birds and their habitats.
*Interpretation is a purposeful approach to communication that facilitates meaningful, relevant, and inclusive experiences that deepen understanding, broaden perspectives, and inspire engagement with the world around us. (National Association of Interpretation).
Demonica Brown and Maya Wilson assembling the Motus antenna. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Our Motus stations are multiplying! Twostations were recently installed in The Bahamas, bringing the total to six stations in just over a year—starting with two in Puerto Rico, followed by one each in Jamaica and Barbados. You may ask, “Remind us what Motus is?” The Motus Wildlife Tracking System, often abbreviated to “Motus” from the Latin word for movement, is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Put simply, it tracks the movements of small animals and birds in flight.
The Caribbean Motus Collaboration (CMC) aims to fill the geographical gap in the network in the Caribbean. As more stations are added, we will be able to learn more about the movements of migratory birds throughout the islands. It is exciting work! We look forward to a future filled with Motus stations to help us learn more about how to preserve these remarkable species on their journeys. Here, Demonica Brown, Science Officer at The Bahamas National Trust, shares her story of how the first two Bahamian stations were installed, and the impact they will have.
Wildlife backpackers on the move
Flying animals such as birds, bats, and insects are safely captured by trained professionals and “tagged” with tiny, lightweight transmitters that look like miniature backpacks. When these animals fly within the range of receiver stations, detection data is transmitted and added to the database. Motus is a powerful tool that allows researchers to gain a greater understanding of how these species, especially birds, move around.
Kirtland’s Warbler fitted with a lightweight nano-tag. This tiny transmitter lets researchers track the movements of tagged birds, bats, and even large insects with precision across thousands of miles. (Photo by Scott Weidensaul)
The various types of Motus tags that can be attached to animals to track their movement. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
The islands of The Bahamas are popular wintering grounds for many migratory bird species. Similarly to tourists that travel to the Caribbean to escape the cold in their home countries, winter migrants from North America make their way down the eastern coast of the US to our beautiful islands, where many of them remain throughout their non-breeding season (fall through early spring). For some migrants, our islands serve as a stop-over location along their migratory pathway as they make their way further south. Over 300 species have been recorded in The Bahamas, with migratory species accounting for more than half of them.
A male Green-winged Teal ventures across the mud. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)
Palm Warblers were named based on a specimen collected on Hispaniola, but this is far from a ‘tropical’ bird year-round. They are one of the northernmost breeding of all warblers (only the Blackpoll Warbler breeds farther north). (Photo by Ryan Schain Macaulay Library- ML223997711)
In winter Willets can be found on beaches and mudflats, where they use their long bills to probe for food. (Photo by Jesse Gordon)
Four stations slated for three Bahamian islands
Through the Caribbean Motus Collaboration, four new Motus stations will be installed across the country. Two stations will be set up on the northernmost island of Grand Bahama (described here). In the coming months, a third station will be installed on Eleuthera in the central Bahamas and finally, a fourth station on Great Inagua in the south! The installation of these stations is a big step towards better understanding how migratory, resident, and endemic species move throughout our islands and the Caribbean at large. I had the opportunity to assist with Motus tower installations on Grand Bahama, a first for myself.
Cesar and Todd attaching the antenna to the Motus tower at Rand Nature Center. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Cesar and Todd attaching the antenna to the Motus tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
Since I reside in Nassau (the capital of The Bahamas), located on the island of New Providence, I first needed to get to Grand Bahama. Fortunately, this only required a quick 30-45 minute flight. Upon arrival, I was picked up by Lisa Wildgoose (Rand Nature Center Office Administrator) and headed to drop off my bags at my host home for the next few days. There I met my host Martha Cartwright, a Grand Bahama resident and fellow birder, who graciously welcomed me into her home.
Getting started on Grand Bahama, still feeling Hurricane Dorian’s effects
Lisa and I then made our way to The Rand Nature Center (RNC), one of three national parks on the island. This park protects 100 acres of pine and coppice forest, as well as a freshwater pond, making it a hotspot for birds. There I met with the rest of the Motus installation team, which consisted of Lisa Sorenson (BirdsCaribbean Executive Director), Maya Wilson (BirdsCaribbean Landbird Monitoring Program Manager), Todd Alleger (Northeast Motus Collaboration Installation Expert), and Cesar Montero (Caribbean Motus Collaboration Trainee). Also on hand to assist were two BNT Park Wardens, Bradley Pinder and David Claire. Director of Parks, Ellsworth Weir, provided crucial assistance with procuring supplies and getting all of the shipped Motus equipment out of customs—no small feat!
Grand Bahama Motus Installation team: Lisa Sorenson, Todd Alleger, Bradley Pinder, Cesar Montero, Maya Wilson, Demonica Brown and David Cooper. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
After catching up for a bit, we reviewed plans for the remainder of the week. To get started, Maya, Bradley, and I would start the work at Lucayan National Park (LNP) while the remainder of the team worked on getting additional supplies from the hardware store.
The scenery on the drive along the Grand Bahama Highway was somber. In 2019 Hurricane Dorian had ravaged this island for two full days. Winds of 185 mph, storm surge (up to 23 feet) and salt-water inundation drastically damaged pine, coppice, and mangrove habitats on both Grand Bahama and Abaco. These serve as vital habitats for many bird species, and their destruction resulted in the decreased population of many species including endemics such as the Bahama Swallow, Bahama Warbler (potentially extirpated on GB), and Bahama Nuthatch (potentially extinct). Though this is my second time visiting Grand Bahama post-Hurricane Dorian, it is still a sight to take in, with miles and miles of trees snapped in half. However, it was encouraging to see continued signs of regeneration, especially young pine growing, amongst the vast stretch of dead pine stands.
New pine trees and poisonwood growth after the devastation by Hurricane Dorian in 2019. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
It was hard labor—shovels, buckets, and mixing cement!
After a 25-30 minute drive, we finally arrived at Lucayan National Park (LNP). Established in 1982, this park protects both marine and terrestrial habitats, including one of the world’s longest-charted underwater cave systems. There we were joined by Delores Kellman (BirdsCaribbean Administrative Assistant) and Bob Davies (BNT volunteer), who generously offered to assist. The station was going to be located on the back of the rebuilt LNP Gift Shop, and our first task was to dig the hole for the base of the station. Pickaxes and shovels in hand, the team quickly got to digging.
Taking turns to dig the hole for the base of the tower behind the Lucayan National Park Gift Shop. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Delores Kellman helps Maya to dig the hole for the base. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Demonica and Bob Davies digging the hole for the base of the tower at the Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Maya Wilson)
About a quarter of the way down, we were met with a slight issue—our hole quickly started to fill with groundwater! This resulted in us needing to bail out buckets of water multiple times throughout the morning. After reaching an acceptable depth, the team worked on creating the frame that would hold the concrete when poured. With a few fittings to the hole, leveling, and other necessary adjustments, the frame was finally set and the 5-ft Rohn section (first section of the tower) was added and stabilized.
Water in the hole! The hole for the base of the tower filled with water. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Delores bailing water from the hole. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
We returned to LNP the following morning to continue working on the station. While waiting on the equipment needed to complete the base, the team worked on assembling the antennas for the tower and preparing the cables. Three antennas for each of the 2 standard radio frequencies used by the Motus network were assembled, for a total of six antennas. This process was simple and went by quickly with everyone helping out. As the Motus expert, Todd gave each antenna a final look to ensure that everything was in place! Once complete, we resumed work on the base of the tower. With the 5-ft Rohn base section secured in place, it was time to add cement to set it in place for good. Mixing cement by hand can be a laborious task, but thankfully we had the help of a mixer which made the process easier. Many bags of cement later, we were ready to pour!
Bob and Maya constructing the base frame. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Many bags of cement are needed to build a sturdy base for the Motus tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Pouring cement into the mixer. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
“Many bags of cement later, we were ready to pour.” (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Todd and Cesar ensures the tower is placed at the center of the base. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Lisa and Maya assembling one of the antennae for the tower. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
Todd and Cesar check the antenna before it is attached to the tower. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Base beautifully decorated with flowers and plants. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
While the rest of the team finished preparing the base, Lisa and I worked on collecting leaves and flowers of native plants, which were gently pressed into the top of the wet cement. With the cement successfully poured, and beautifully adorned, all it needed was time to dry. We finished off the remainder of the day at the Rand Nature Centre, where we prepared for the station installation the following day.
Demonica and Lisa with the various plants they collected to adorn the tower base at Lucayan National Park. (Photo by Demonica Brown)
A birding break…
I started my final day with the team with one of my favorite hobbies: birding! Martha planned a morning tour and led us to a few birding spots on the island, including Dover Sound and Barbery Beach. Perfect weather allowed us the opportunity to record about 27 species in total, including an unexpected lifer sighting for myself (Purple Martin). Overall, the morning was a success! We also were fortunate enough to spot five Bahama Swallows near a cell tower along the Grand Bahama Highway on our way to LNP to pick up supplies. Eventually, it was time to get back to work and continue work on the RNC station.
The group pauses to take a selfie while birdwatching at Barbery Beach, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Martha Cartwright and Cesar Montero searching for Wilson’s Plovers at Barbery Beach, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Martha, Cesar, Demonica, Maya and Todd birding at Barbery Beach, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Bahama Swallow swoops low to the ground. (Photo by Brendan Fogarty)
…Then, back to work!
At RNC, I assisted with preparing the remaining antennas and cables for the station. Once assembled, colored coordinated electrical tape was added to antennas of the same frequencies and then down the cables for ease of reference when installing them to the mast and connecting to the receiver. Finally, it was time to erect the Rohn tower onto the base plate that was secured onto the existing concrete near the main entrance of the building. Once set in place and secured with bolts, it was then bracketed to the building for extra security. The next steps would then be to attach the antennas and coaxial cables and connect them to the receivers.
Entrance to the Rand Nature Center, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Maya and Todd checking cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Motus station receiver with attached cables. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
Motus tower set up complete at Rand Nature Center, Grand Bahama. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
And the work continued…
Eventually, my time with the team came to an end and it was time to return home. The Motus team, however, kept hard at work and completed both installations before departing that weekend!
It is exciting to have these towers set up. I am looking forward to the data that will be collected and the research they will help to advance. In fact, the station at Lucayan National Park has already detected a migratory shorebird—a Semi-palmated Sandpiper that was tagged in Quebec, Canada! I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to assist with this amazing work and to have the ability to see first-hand the work that goes into these installations. I would like to give a special thank you to BirdsCaribbean for including me in this work and to Martha Cartwright for her hospitality!
Semipalmated Sandpiper (Photo by Sipke Stapert)
Demonica Brown is an early-career environmental scientist serving as a Science Officer at the Bahamas National Trust. In her current role, she focuses on avian and terrestrial matters in which she executes multiple bird-related projects involving monitoring migratory and resident birds. Understanding the importance of protected areas to these species, she is passionate about conservation and collecting valuable data that can also further aid in their management. She hopes to pursue a master’s in wildlife and environmental conservation and to conduct much-needed research on local threatened, endangered, and endemic bird species.
Acknowledgments
BirdsCaribbean thanks our members and donors who made the installation of these two Motus stations possible, including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Action Fund and American Bird Conservancy (ABC). A huge thank you to Cesar Montero, and to Todd Alleger and the Northeast Motus Collaboration for their ongoing support (Todd now works as the Atlantic Flyway Motus Technical Coordinator with ABC). Thanks also to Martha Cartwright, Delores Kellman, and the BNT staff and volunteers who assisted in getting these stations up. Finally, much gratitude to Ed Gates and the late Erika Gates for supporting our crew on this visit with accommodations, transportation, and delicious meals. We dedicate these two new stations to the memory of Erika Gates, who was always striving to advance bird knowledge, awareness, and conservation in Grand Bahama and the Caribbean.
Get ready for the 15th annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) Region-Wide count! From January 14th to February 3rd 2024, you can directly contribute to Caribbean Waterbird conservation—keep reading to find out everything you need to know about our CWC 2024 count.
We are now a fantastic 15 years into the CWC Annual Regional Count. This year, you can help us add to this important long-term dataset! The 2024 count begins on Sunday January 14 and runs until Wednesday, February 3.
The Caribbean is home to over 185 species of waterbirds, including a number of endemic and globally threatened species and many migrants. The data you help us collect in this ongoing, standardized survey is essential for helping us understand how to best conserve this exceptional group of birds and manage their habitats. Over the 15 years of the CWC regional count the data collected has helped us in so many ways! For example, the Cargill Salt Ponds in Bonaire were designated a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) site of Regional Importance as a direct result of survey efforts. In addition, surveys in Turks and Caicos have revealed important sites for many shorebird species, including birds of conservation concern such as the Piping Plover and rufa Red Knot! CWC surveys are also critical in keeping up to date with any changes and threats to waterbirds and their wetland homes.
Anyone can participate in the CWC—just head out to your nearest wetland or beach, and record the birds you see. You can find detailed information about how to conduct surveys here. Why not wade into the wonderful world of waterbirds?
The striking Black-necked Stilt has long legs for wading into deep water to find food. (Photo by Dan Pancamo)
West Indian Whistling-Ducks swimming through duckweed at Negril Royal Palm Reserve in Jamaica. (photo by Ann Sutton)
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron seen by Nature Explorers Anguilla during their CWC survey (Photo by Nature Explorers Anguilla)
What makes a wetland?
During the CWC count you’ll be looking for waterbirds so you need to head out to *drumroll please*—a wetland! That may seem obvious, but what ‘counts’ as a wetland? For the CWC we include any areas where water is the primary factor controlling what lives there. This wide definition includes coastal wetlands like mangroves, mud flats, lagoons and beaches, as well as inland wetlands like lakes, ponds, swamps, areas around rivers and streams and even some types of agriculture (e.g. rice fields). Of course because this is the Caribbean Waterbird Census you need to be in the Caribbean to take part! Finally, whilst you’ll be on the lookout for waterbirds (ducks, herons, egrets, shorebirds etc.) you should be sure to count all the birds that you see and hear during your survey visits.
Fernando Simal braves harsh conditions at the Cargill salt ponds in Bonaire.
Flooded ricefields, like these ones in Trinidad, can be great places to look for waterbirds
The Zapata Swamp in Cuba is a birding hotspot for some of the island’s endemics but it also provides food and refuge for migratory birds.
Birding on the beach in Montserrat
From planning your surveys to waterbird ID to—we’re here to help!
Never done a CWC survey before or need a refresher? Don’t worry! We’ve pulled together some amazing resources that will help you with your counts. If you are not sure about how to get started planning your CWC surveys, check out our helpful youtube webinar that takes you through the steps of how to participate in the CWC!
We also have a handy “CWC Survey Tips” graphic to guide you on your way when planning your surveys. This is available in English, Spanish and French! As well as following the useful tips, you can download this graphic and share with others on social media (just open the graphic you want to use, right click and choose ‘save image as’).
What’s that? You need a hand with your waterbird ID? You’ve come to the right place—why not brush up on your ID skills using our helpful videos on youtube! Part I covers herons, egrets, ducks, marsh birds, and seabirds. Part II tackles those tricky shorebirds! We also have even more ID, survey planning tips, and outreach resources that are available for you to use and download on this page. This includes information on what to do if you see a banded bird during your surveys as well as our handy ID Guide to Common Caribbean Shorebirds, which can print and take with you on your surveys.
Make your counts count—get them on eBird!
Coral Aviles listing the birds in the CWC list on eBird, Blassina Canal Puerto Rico. (Photo by Eliezer Nieves)
Data from the CWC is all stored on eBird Caribbean. If you take part in the CWC, it is very important that you enter your data using a CWC protocol in eBird. When you submit your sightings on Step 2, under “Observation Type” be sure to pick one of the CWC options. Simply making an eBird list during the regional count dates is not enough—selecting the appropriate protocol is required for it to be ‘counted’ as CWC data.
If you are using the mobile eBird app to collect and submit your data, don’t forget that you need to use the eBird Caribbean portal to see the CWC protocol options (check in your settings).
If you’re new to eBird, check out our helpful video here on how to use eBird and Merlin. And if you need help with eBird submissions (it’s really not complicated!) or with setting up an eBird account, please contact Alex Sansom: waterbird.manager@birdscaribbean.org
Have fun out there!
We hope you have a great time exploring your country’s wetlands and counting birds during the regional CWC count! Please remember to stay safe and carry out your counts responsibly. This means taking care not to disturb the birds or damage their habitats. Enjoy counting birds and see how many of your local wetlands you can visit during this three-week period! Finally, if you enjoy your CWC experience remember that CWC counts are not limited to the regional count. You can do a CWC survey at any time of year as long as you are in a Caribbean wetland and count all the birds you see!
Good luck! We look forward to hearing about your findings. If you need help with bird ID, or have photos and exciting observations to share, please post to our Waterbird Group Listserv (everyone is welcome to join) and/or on our BirdsCaribbean Facebook page. For sharing on social media, use hashtags: #CaribbeanWaterbirdCensus and #WaterbirdsCount AND please tag us: @BirdsCaribbean
Promotional Social Media Graphics – Please feel free to download these graphics and use these to promote your Caribbean Waterbird Census surveys (just open the graphic you want to use right click and choose ‘save image as’) .
If you would prefer to customize our graphic, to add your logo or organization name or want to promote a CWC survey you are organizing you can use our Canva templates to create your own custom CWC 2024 graphics! (these are available in English, Spanish and French in both sizes).
Black Skimmers are tern-like seabirds with stark black and white plumage and a distinctive uneven bill.
While all birds are unique (of course!), Black Skimmers (Rhynchops niger) really stand out, with their long, knife-like, red-and-black bill with its unique long lower mandible. Unlike the related terns and gulls, eyesight is less important for catching prey; skimmers forage by slicing the water with their long lower mandible. Upon touching a small fish, their bill snaps shut to catch the fish. This feeding method allows for evening and nightly meals.
Dr. Kara Lefevre, now an Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science at Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia, became interested in skimmers while at Florida Gulf Coast University at Fort Myers, Florida. In their JCO article, “Insights from attempts to track movement of Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) fledglings in the southern Gulf of Mexico with automated telemetry and band resighting,” Lefevre and colleagues tested whether they could track the movements of 3-week old skimmer youngsters that were raised at two colonies in south Florida, close to the Caribbean. Learning about dispersal of young skimmers from natal colonies would be of great value to learn about population dynamics and design conservation measures.
Black Skimmer chick with nanotag attached to its feathers, St Pete Beach August 2018. (Photo by Kara Lefevre)
Tagged juvenile Black Skimmer at the breeding colony on Marco Island, August 2018. (Photo by Jean Hall)
Although Black Skimmers are classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, skimmer colonies are negatively affected by human disturbance and modifications of their coastal habitat. Kara and her team attempted to use the Motus network to follow fledgling skimmers equipped with signal-emitting tags. Dr. Stefan Gleissberg, Managing Editor of JCO, asked Kara to tell us about her experiences while conducting her research—a more personal perspective that usually does not make it into an academic article.
How did you first conceive of this study, and what motivated you to conduct this research?
The Black Skimmer is known for its striking appearance and unique fishing behavior, and its large colonies along the Gulf of Mexico coast make it emblematic of Florida’s beaches. The proximity of Florida to the Caribbean makes it an interesting place to study skimmers because they occur across the Americas, yet little is known about juvenile dispersal and migration. We were interested in studying topics that support conservation of this majestic species while testing new methods of tracking bird movements.
Tell us about a memorable moment during field research or data analysis.
We witnessed many intense disturbances of these coastal breeding birds during our field studies. That includes human recreation along with major tropical storms like Hurricane Irma in 2017. A vivid memory is a prolonged Red Tide that was killing marine wildlife including skimmers and many other species of seabirds and shorebirds in southwest Florida in 2018. One day I was out surveying the colony at Marco Island from across a lagoon, and far in the distance noticed a large reddish hump on the shore that didn’t make sense. After zooming in with a spotting scope, I realized it was a dead beached manatee that was attracting scavenging animals. For me, that sad sight was emblematic of negative human impacts on coastal ecosystems, and a reminder of why we do this kind of research.
Dr Lefevre’s colleagues and volunteers reading Black Skimmer leg bands at the Marco Island colony, September 2018. (Photo by Kara Lefevre)
Tell us about a challenge you had to overcome; maybe an unexpected turn of events during field work or data analysis?
Working with finicky technology can create so many challenges! We faced hurdles related to permissions to do the research, technical challenges with setting up the array of telemetry stations, and storms that impacted receiving abilities. Probably the trickiest part was interpreting the data; we had to decipher whether automated telemetry detections in unexpected locations were actually real (spoiler alert: they were most likely false detections).
Dr Lefevre stops to take a selfie while manually tracking nanotagged skimmers at Marco Island.
A pair of Black Skimmers in flight.
Getting their toes wet during field work—co-author Adam DiNuovo surveying skimmers at Marco Island during low tide. (Photo by Kara Lefevre)
What are your hopes for what your research will lead to? Will this work impact your own research agenda going forward?
We hope this attempt to track juveniles will support broader study of skimmer dispersal and migration. In the years since we started our fieldwork, much of that is already underway. Newer and more powerful tracking technologies continue to develop rapidly, which is why researchers refer to this time as the “Golden Age” for bird migration research. In terms of my own research agenda, I plan to continue studies that support the conservation of seabird populations and their habitats while raising public awareness. The fieldwork for my PhD took place 20 years ago in Tobago—I would love to visit those rainforests again!
Black Skimmer and other seabird colonies can benefit from the use of modern tracking technologies that allow us to identify and protect important nesting and post natal habitats.
Anything else you’d want to share?
This is an exciting time for young people in the Caribbean who are interested in studying and protecting wildlife. With the availability of web conferencing and open tools, sharing of resources and expertise is easier than ever before. There is also growing attention to the need for training the next generation of conservation professionals in their places of origin—organizations like BirdsCaribbean are supporting that effort. Folks can also seek encouragement from professional groups that promote diversity and inclusion and provide resources for students and early-career professionals (see linked examples from the Society for Canadian Ornithologists, Association of Field Ornithologists).
In attempting to track the movements of Black Skimmer fledglings, Dr Lefevre’s findings raised several interesting questions—like why skimmer chicks from different colonies seem to move further south than others, and whether some skimmers might be moving from Florida even further afield to the Caribbean! Access Dr Lefevre’s full paper here to explore the study’s findings.
The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology is a peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of ornithology within the Caribbean region. We welcome manuscripts covering the biology, ecology, behavior, life history, and conservation of Caribbean birds and their habitats. This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
1) Polish up your binos with one of those sweet microfiber cloths—not the old sock you’ve been using. Nobody knows what microfiber actually is; maybe spider silk, or the amazingly soft armpit hair of a baby sheep, or dandelion seed fluffs delicately sewn together. Scholars are mystified, so just be happy it works. Wipe away.
3) It’s time to plan out the ground that you’re going to cover. Hour-by-hour planning is fun, but so is winging it. Keep some spontaneity on the docket. And remember that high vantage points are worth seeking out. The higher the better. Never been sky-diving? Now is your time. Bungee-jumping sounds cool, too, but during the recoil you might concuss yourself with your binoculars. Go high.
6) Begin carb-loading. Finding time to eat a proper meal tomorrow will be challenging, so aim for consuming somewhere around four to five thousand calories today and you should be good to go. Fried bakes, dumplings, and roti never looked so good. But avoid new and spicy foods. Diarrhea on game day will cost you time, and time=birds. Pig out.
9) Play around on social media—you need to get the down-low on what other birders are up to right now. If they’re doing anything other than prepping for tomorrow, you can feel good about yourself. Also, we’re now living in an age where you can type pound signs in front of any nouns and verbs and then good things happen!? (Type #GlobalBigDayBirdsCarib and see what you find.) These are called hashtaggies. The more of these the better. In fact, if you add enough into one sentence, the entire sentence will become unintelligible, which is perfect, because confusing competing teams is part of your winning strategy. For your posts tomorrow, use #GlobalBigDayBirdsCarib Pound signs#.
12) Be wary of encountering other birders out there as they may be Global Big Day’ers. They may look friendly at first glance, but what they really want is information, like what cool birds you have seen and where. Act naive, maybe even slightly disappointed, and ask them if they wouldn’t mind giving you advice on how to find whatever the most common species is in your area. They’ll leave you alone after that. Fly casual.
