The Journal of Caribbean Ornithology (JCO) is excited to announce the release of a Special Issue on the Status of Caribbean Forest Endemics (Volume 30, Issue 1). Inside you’ll find a total of 10 publications, 9 of which focus on different forest endemic birds from central Cuba down to Grenada. The tenth publication provides statistical evidence of the JCO’s invaluable role as a multi-lingual, regional scientific journal that outshines other ornithological journals through its distinct subject strengths, especially in terms of papers published on the distribution and abundance of forest endemic species.
Map showing locations of research on various Caribbean forest endemic birds featured in the Special Issue of JCO.
In this Special Issue, we highlight those strengths with a collection of publications specific to forest endemic birds, many of which have become icons and flagship species for their specific island communities. In some cases, there is good news to report, whether it be population growth or range expansion, while in other cases, there are greater causes for concern and subsequent action on our part. The extirpation of the Golden Swallow from Jamaica, for example, is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of some of our forest endemics, and a prime example of the complexities of the problems that island birds face.
As stewards of island bird communities, we know that we must often be two steps ahead when it comes to making informed decisions with local conservation management practices. Islands are filled with diverse fauna and flora that interact in ways that can’t be seen anywhere on the mainland, but simultaneously their populations can often suffer the most from even the smallest disturbances. Our resilience must make up for those species that have such little of it. And here at the JCO we firmly believe that making the most current and impactful research available to our Caribbean community is one of the many critical steps towards doing exactly that.
The following are brief synopses of each publication you’ll find in our Special Issue, which we hope will quickly spark your interest in reading through each in more detail.
Our Special Issue starts off in the forests of Montserrat, a habitat heavily impacted by volcanic activity over the last twenty years. In Bambini et al.’s Current population status of four endemic Caribbean forest birds in Montserrat, current populations of four endemic forest birds are surveyed for, including the Bridled Quail-Dove (Geotrygon mystacea), Forest Thrush (Turdus lherminieri), Brown Trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda), and Montserrat Oriole (Icterus oberi).
To the east, on the island of Puerto Rico, Anadón-Irizarry et al. provide us an invaluable update on the Status and recommendations for the recovery of the Elfin-woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae) in Puerto Rico. In light of devastating impacts to forest habitats by recent hurricanes, this work will be pivotal in helping post-hurricane conservation efforts understand the species’ vulnerability and most pressing needs.
Lastly, we set sail back up towards the Greater Antilles, finding our way to the beautiful island of Jamaica, and in particular its Cockpit Country – a region known for its seemingly impenetrable (yet still vulnerable) geography of karst-limestone hills. Herlitz Davis’ publication on Forest disturbance has negative consequences for the persistence of Jamaica’s threatened and endangered bird species in Cockpit Country brings forth evidence of an association between forest disturbance and bird distribution patterns in a globally important area for bird species that is under pressure from all sides by various types of habitat disturbance.
Pulling back to an island-wide view, Proctor et al.’s time censusing the remote corners of Jamaica for aerial insectivores completes an ongoing effort to determine whether any Jamaican Golden Swallows persist on the island in light of there having been no individuals reported since the 1980’s. The Last search for the Jamaican Golden Swallow (Tachycineta e. euchrysea) confirms the local extinction and highlights the importance of using new knowledge to strengthen conservation plans for the subspecies that persists on the island of Hispaniola to the northeast.
Great Goat Island (foreground) and Little Goat Island.
BirdsCaribbean, the region’s largest conservation organization, warmly welcomes news that the Government of Jamaica is planning to establish a Wildlife Sanctuary at Goat Islands, in the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA).
“This is a great Christmas gift to Jamaican and international campaigners, who have advocated in recent years to have Goat Islands protected,” said Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean. “We wish to congratulate Prime Minister Andrew Holness’ administration for this bold and forward-thinking move.”
Sorenson pointed out that the PBPA was designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) and Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) by BirdLife International. “These are nature’s biodiversity hotspots,” noted Sorenson. “Goat Islands include important and threatened habitats for birds and other species, especially its pristine mangrove systems and dry limestone forest.”
BirdsCaribbean also warmly commended the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), under the leadership of Diana McCaulay, for its determined advocacy, as well as the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (C-CAM), supporters and advocates from all walks of life. “Diana McCaulay is a staunch defender of Jamaica’s environment,” said Sorenson. “We wish her all the best in her retirement and look forward to working with JET’s incoming CEO Suzanne Stanley, and with all our Jamaican partners in 2018.”
West Indian Whistling Ducks are a threatened regional endemic, resident in the PBPA. They have been declining in Jamaica due to loss of wetland habitat.
The PBPA, including Goat Islands, is home to 17 endemic birds (found only in Jamaica) and many resident birds, such as the West Indian Whistling Duck – one of the most threatened waterfowl in the Western Hemisphere Endemic species include: Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo, Jamaican Oriole, Jamaican Owl, Jamaican Tody, Sad Flycatcher, Jamaican Spindalis and Jamaican Mango. The area is a critical refuge for numerous neotropical migrants, including ducks, warblers, waterbirds, shorebirds and seabirds, that spend the winter or stop off in the area.
“The Caribbean islands are fragile, and increasingly vulnerable to climate change impacts, as well as human activities such as tourism and housing developments. This has been a very difficult year for Caribbean birds on numerous islands, after two devastating hurricanes. We are delighted by this positive news as the year draws to a close,” said Sorenson.
Thanks to all of our members and partners that have supported us in this campaign through writing letters, signing petitions, spreading the word with your networks, and more. Your efforts have paid off and we thank you! – Lisa Sorenson
Read about the decision to save Goat Islands from development in 2016:
The critically endangered Bahama Oriole is found only on Andros, Bahamas. (Photo by Steve Brezinski)
The sun was now enough above the horizon that a few rays made it down to the understory of the pine forest. We walked quickly to our next point then began another nine-minute sampling period. About one minute in, we heard the clear crisp song of a Bahama Oriole, about 100 meters to our south. My student Briana noted this information on the data sheet. While waiting, she also recorded details about the habitat and the surrounding vegetation within a 100-meter radius: number of pines – 100+, number of understory palms – 10-20, number of coconut palms – 0, overall habitat – 100% pine forest.
The oriole sang several more times before the point count ended. Just 18 months prior, when we began the Bahama Oriole Project in October 2015, we would have been extremely surprised if we found an oriole in the pine forest. Previous research suggested that the orioles were concentrated in the settlements, especially around coconut palms, which were thought to be their preferred nesting tree. But in 2016, our team had discovered three different pairs of orioles nesting in this very pine forest, several kilometers from the nearest houses, farms or coconut palms. Now we were conducting an exhaustive population estimate to determine whether the orioles were found in just a few areas in the pine forest, or whether they were utilizing many areas of the pine.
Briana Yancy measuring nest site characteristics. (Photo by Kevin Omland)
We continued to walk along the long-abandoned logging road to the next randomly selected point. As we gained just a few feet in altitude, the pine forest became drier, and the gorgeous understory Key Thatch Palms became shorter and more scattered. I honestly feel ecstatic to be able to work in these vast remote forests, and as we walked along, I asked Briana what she thought of the habitat. She quickly spoke glowingly of the same features that I love so much – the open canopy, the echo of a Bahama Mockingbird song, and the unfamiliar beauty of the understory thatch palms.
This was Briana’s first fieldwork in the tropics, and she was off to a great start. As we walked, I asked her what she wanted to do after she finished college at UMBC. She said that this was exactly the kind of work that she had dreamed about doing – working on a tropical island, studying a critically endangered species, and seeing all these new birds and habitats. She had just finished her sophomore year as a Geography and Environmental Sciences major. Briana is in UMBC’s prestigious Meyerhoff Scholars Program, which is nationally known for its success in increasing underrepresented minority participation in science and technology.
Breeding in the Pine Forest – “Briana’s Nest”
A Bahama Oriole takes off in the pine forest. (Photo by Dan Stonko)
We conducted eight more counts that morning, and we did not hear or see any other orioles during the counts. However, as we continued west toward our meeting point on one of the main logging roads, the land sloped down again and we entered a wet area with many more understory thatch palms (so named because of their local use in roof making). The common species here is the Key Thatch Palm (Leucothrinax morrisii). To me these palms are the most beautiful plants on Andros, and they have intrigued me since my first days on the island. As we walked, suddenly Briana and I both heard a distinctive short “see-you” whistle, which meant a Bahama Oriole was nearby. She pointed as an oriole flew from one low thatch palm to another. Then, a second bird flew in and swooped up to one of the tallest of these understory palms. I whispered excitedly to Briana that maybe there was a nest nearby.
“Briana’s Nest.” Nest is hidden in the hanging dead fronds (yellow arrow). (Photo by Kevin Omland)
The first bird then entered the same tall thatch palm. There had to be a nest in that tree, so we approached and started looking under each of the hanging dead fronds. There it was: a neat tan palm-fiber basket, hanging protected under one of the dried-up fronds. We christened it “Briana’s Nest” and stepped back to observe the parents – two stunning adult Bahama Orioles. Both the males and females in this species sport a striking jet-black and lemon-yellow plumage. Both sexes also sing, so it is impossible to tell the sexes apart in the field. We observed both parents bringing food to the nest – there were clearly nestlings, but with the nest over seven meters up, we do not yet have the equipment to further investigate their age or number.
The project has now documented seven nests in the pine forest – three in 2016 and four in 2017. But we know nothing about what happens to nests in the pine forest. In 2018, we will conduct two main projects to evaluate breeding in the pine forest. First, Brianna will lead a project quantifying the key characteristics of the nesting trees and surrounding forest. Can the orioles nest in any part of the pine forest, or are there certain types of habitat (perhaps with tall thatch palms for example) that are preferred nesting sites that need to be preserved? Second, one of the Bahamian students will lead the effort to quantify nesting success and determine the greatest threats to nests – rats, cowbirds or feral cats. So far, we have little evidence of cowbirds in the pine forest, but preliminary surveys with trail cameras suggest that feral cats are likely widespread across the island. And arboreal rats could be important nest predators. Which if any of these threats are significant causes of mortality that need to be managed?
A Big, Diverse Field Crew
Soon we were joined by the two other teams that had been doing point counts that morning. One was led by Rick Stanley, a Masters student at the Imperial College London. The other was headed by Scott Johnson, a Bahamas National Trust science officer – who has a wealth of knowledge about the flora and fauna of Andros. We showed everyone the nest we just found, then compared notes from the morning. Rick’s team had also heard one oriole during counts in the pine that morning, and Scott’s team had heard two. The orioles are never common, but they seem to be widespread on the island.
The 2017 Field Crew. Left to Right: Kevin Omland, Michael Rowley, Jennifer Christhilf, Ciera McKoy, Briana Yancy, Matt Kane (all UMBC), Rick Stanley (Imperial College London), Daniel Stonko (UMBC), Scott Johnson (Bahamas National Trust).
Before leaving we took time to take some shots of the whole 2017 field crew. I look back upon that photo with a great deal of pride and gratitude. Each one of those young researchers has already made important contributions to the project. It is such a privilege to do fieldwork with students every year. For many of the students, this is the first time that they have traveled outside the US – one had never even been on a plane before this trip! The opportunity to introduce these students to the joys (and challenges) of tropical fieldwork is one of the best parts of this project. I am especially excited when my students get to work with BNT’s Scott Johnson and interact with students from the Bahamas.
Our shot of the field crew differs from many group pictures of field biologists or birders because it includes people of many different backgrounds. By drawing on UMBC’s diverse student population, and by working closely with our Bahamian collaborators, we are trying to bring a broader range of backgrounds and perspectives to fieldwork and wildlife conservation. Work throughout the Caribbean demonstrates the kinds of multinational and multiethnic collaboration that will build capacity in our increasingly diverse US population as well as in the island nations that are the focus of BirdsCaribbean.
Dr. Kevin Omland is a faculty member in the Biology Department at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). In collaboration with Bahamas National Trust, he began the Bahama Oriole Project in 2015. Dr. Omland was recognized as the UMBC Presidential Research Professor for 2016-2019. He is co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the American Ornithological Society. The Bahama Oriole Project has received generous support from the American Bird Conservancy and an anonymous donor through BirdsCaribbean. Stay tuned for updates from our upcoming 2018 field season.
Download the new ebook Pond Life: Reflections for free.
Each year, the Les Fruits de Mer association hosts the Migratory Bird Festival on St. Martin. The stars of this festival are the birds that travel so far to come here each year, and the wild places and creatures they depend on. This lively cast of characters—birds, crabs, mangroves and the ponds themselves—is featured in the new ebook Pond Life: Reflections. The book is available for free download at lesfruitsdemer.com. The event is part of International Migratory Bird Day, which is organized regionally by BirdsCaribbean and throughout the hemisphere by Environment for the Americas.
“Migratory pond birds—like wading birds and ducks—are common and easy to see on St. Martin,” explained author Mark Yokoyama. “Ponds are also some of the most important places on the island, ecologically and historically. So it makes sense to showcase ponds at this festival, and the new book also does that.”
Pond Life: Reflections has eight chapters that explore St. Martin’s ponds from different angles. It takes the reader across the island from the cemetery pond in Grand Case to the ruins of the Foga pumphouse at the Great Salt Pond. It marks the passing of time, from the change of the seasons to the turn of a century.
The book was created as a companion piece to the upcoming 2017 Migratory Bird Festival. This year’s location is Kali’s Beach Bar in Friar’s Bay, located just beside Guichard Pond. Many of the island’s ponds are inaccessible due to hurricane debris, but this spot offers great viewing of the pond, its birds and other wetland life. Festival guests will have a chance to see and learn about its post-storm recovery.
“Our theme for the festival this year is ‘Welcome back!’ to the birds, and also to the habitats that are recovering from Hurricane Irma,” said Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes. “The island’s ponds have been through a lot, just like the people. As we recover together, this book is a great reminder that people and ponds have been connected since the beginning.”
The 2017 Migratory Bird Festival will be held on Saturday, November 25th from 9am to noon at Kali’s Beach Bar in Friar’s Bay. The festival is brought to you by Les Fruits de Mer, and the 2017 edition is made possible thanks to our sponsors: Caribbean Paddling, Delta Petroleum, Lagoonies Bistro and Bar, Tri-sport, Van Dorp and BirdsCaribbean. It is a free event and people of all ages are invited to attend. Pond Life: Reflections can be downloaded for free at: http://www.lesfruitsdemer.com/resources/books/
The Yellow-crowned Amazon belongs to a superspecies of similar, closely related parrots. (Photo by Faraaz Abdool)
Many comic book characters we know and love today can be identified by their signature symbols. In the blink of an eye we can recognize the S of Superman’s shield or the beaming light of the Batman logo when Gotham City needs the Dark Knight to fight its villains. Likewise, when many Trinidadians see a parrot with bright yellow on the head they immediately identify it using the local name, “Venez” Parrot. But few people know that this bird belongs to a superspecies group of Amazon Parrots (genus Amazona) comprising 11 subspecies. A superspecies is a species complex of closely related, very similar species that are often difficult to distinguish. The subspecies are categorized into three groups: 1) Yellow-crowned or ochrocephala 2) Yellow-naped or auropalliata and 3) Yellow-headed or oratrix.
Amazona ochrocephala ochrocephala, the Yellow-crowned Parrot, known locally as the Yellow-crowned Amazon (or Venez Parrot) found on Trinidad belongs to the – you guessed it – “Ochrocephala” group. It was possibly introduced from Venezuela or Guyana but its distribution extends into Colombia, Brazil, Suriname and French Guiana. This medium-sized Amazon weighs about 500 grams with primarily green plumage, a yellow forecrown and white eye-ring. Look carefully and you will see that the bend of the wing and base of the tail are both red. These traits are used to distinguish it from the ever present and ever noisy Orange-winged Parrots (Amazona amazonica). If you can’t get an up-close look at the parrot listen for its call which is a distinctive mellow, rolling bow-wow; this is in contrast to the shrill kik-kik…kik-kik calls of the Orange-winged Parrots.
Yellow-crowned:
Orange-winged:
Like most other parrots, Yellow-crowned Amazons are monogamous and prefer to nest in hollow trees or palms. While other Amazons choose their nesting cavities based on tree species, cavity height from the ground and cavity entrance size, Yellow-crowned Amazons tend not to have a preference for a specific tree species but do require trees in good condition. Because pairs maintain their nesting territories throughout the year, things can get really loud if a bird or pair tries to take over another pair’s nest or even if a neighbour oversteps his boundary. Yellow-crowned Amazons are very aggressive and coordinated in defending their nests. The nesting pair will vocalize while perched next to each other or physically attack an intruder by lunging with beak open and wings extended.
A human archnemesis
The Yellow-crowned Amazon is locally known in Trinidad as the Venez Parrot. (Photo by Lester James)
If Yellow-crowned Parrots and their superspecies are superheroes of the bird world, then poaching of juveniles can be considered the population’s kryptonite. Fledglings over 40 days old are commonly taken from the wild though some poachers remove nestlings from the cavity when they are as young as three days old. Removing young birds from the wild is as bad for the population as it is for the individual birds. The young parrots are taken before they have reached sexual maturity and therefore, the current breeding pool of adults is not being expanded or replaced.
One reason Yellow-crowned Amazons are so popular for the pet trade is their ability to mimic human speech quickly. Because they are so desirable, some poachers in Central America dye the forecrown feathers of Red-lored Amazons (A. autumnalis) and Brown-throated Parakeets (Aratinnga pertinax) yellow and sell them as Yellow-crowneds to unsuspecting customers. Currently, Yellow-crowned Parrots are considered Least Concern by IUCN due to their wide geographic distribution and estimated healthy population size. However, the combination of habitat loss, their low reproductive rate, and poaching for the pet trade remains a major concern.
Vocalizations: an unsung hero
A Yellow-crowned Amazon pair preening in Trinidad. (Photo by Richard Lakhan)
Even I would admit that hearing a parrot “talk” is very entertaining and amusing. However in the wild they use their own dialect with each other and their communication is not limited to repeating the calls of one or a few parrots. Yellow-crowned Amazons use syntax to arrange the structure of calls including those used in territorial disputes. It is plausible that by using syntax, communication among parrots is more flexible than we think. In addition, dialect through duets is used to woo potential mates and successfully reproduce. Males and females have sex-specific notes. These serve to tell the caller’s sex, availability to pair (i.e., spoken for or not) and to facilitate communication with multiple interested parrots . Yes, all is fair in love and war, even for parrots.
Other vocalizations, like contact calls, are used to maintain order within flocks to achieve common goals such as finding food or avoiding predators. Just imagine how little justice would get served if the members of the Justice League were unable to create a strategy to fight their enemies because they didn’t understand each other! Interestingly contact calls may also serve to ascertain a parrot’s regional identity. A survey of 16 Amazon roosting sites in North and South Costa Rica, 18 miles apart, revealed that each region had a distinct type of call. Researchers found that neighbouring roosts within a region shared a common call type and in each roost a single call type was recorded resulting in the mosaic pattern typical of vocal dialects in humans.
When Yellow-crowned Amazons are kept as pets and taught to repeat silly phrases, we undermine so much of their intelligence and even their identity. Out of the cage they speak their own language, one that takes years to develop and runs much deeper than “Hello” or “Who’s a pretty bird?” In order for this beautiful, complex superspecies to thrive in the wild, we all need to be local superheroes and take a stand against wildlife poaching.
How can you help parrots in the wild?
The Blue and Gold Project recently launched their fundraising campaign to protect the Blue and Gold Macaw in Trinidad. This large, charismatic bird was extirpated from the island in the 1960s. A reintroduction program began in 1999, and after several releases, there is a small, stable population with documented breeding success. The Blue and Gold Project is raising funds to host local capacity building workshops to educate community members about wild macaws and the pet trade, monitor the illegal trade of macaws, and conduct much-needed research on the wild reintroduced population. Please donate today!
Aliya Hosein is a 2017 CLiC (Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean) Fellow working on a Blue and Gold Macaw Conservation Project on her home island of Trinidad. She believes that parrots are so colourful and boisterous that without them forests, savannas and swamps would be dull.
A very damaged native Gaïac tree (Lignum vitae) in Grand Case, St. Martin is already sprouting hopeful shoots after Irma. Partners observe that native trees may be more resilient than invasive or imported species that have been decimated in the storms. Green is already appearing on the hillsides. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
It has been an exhausting few weeks for many of BirdsCaribbean’s partners across the region. The hurricane season is not over for another two months, but Caribbean conservationists are hoping for a break. BirdsCaribbean and its wonderful supporters across the region are doing their best to keep up with a variety of urgent needs, from shipping hummingbird feeders for starving birds to organizing assessments and surveys. There is a lot of work to be done, but teamwork and partnerships are making the difference.
We at BirdsCaribbean extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who have donated towards the crowdfunding campaign so far. Your support means so much to us, as we try to help all our dedicated and hard-working partners get back on their feet after this unprecedented series of disasters. We assure you that the funds will be put to good use, and we will never forget the outpouring of kindness and generosity from folks near and far. It is quite humbling!
Time has passed slowly since the passage of Irma and Maria, and we have been extremely anxious for news from the islands most badly affected. Here are some updates on the bird populations. It is a very mixed picture, so far, so be prepared for good news, but some “not so good”:
BARBUDA
After the storm: A group of around 20 Magnificent Frigatebirds on a small island of “burned” mangrove in Codrington Lagoon, photographed on September 22. (Photo by Sophia Steele)
During their visit to the devastated island of Barbuda on September 22, the Environmental Awareness Group’s Andrea Otto and Junior Prosper were thrilled to count eight endemic Barbuda Warblers that had miraculously survived the fierce onslaught of Hurricane Irma – alongside Yellow Warblers. BirdsCaribbean is assisting with intensive surveys in mid-October to assess the population size and actions that can be taken in the short and long term to help the bird.
At Codrington Lagoon – home to the largest colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds in the Caribbean – the team was stunned, however, to find just one small group of 30 adult birds perched on a dead mangrove bush, instead of the usual thriving colony of 4,000 and 5,000 birds in the Sanctuary. The Antiguan team counted about 325 birds soaring in the air above the lagoon. We don’t know yet what has happened to all the other birds. Known as “Weather Birds,” frigatebirds will fly out before the storm hits, so hopefully they are still alive. There were juveniles in the colony not yet able to fly, however. They are known to climb deep into the mangroves and wait out storms, however, no young birds have been spotted. They most likely perished in the storm.
Happier times: The colony of Magnificent Frigatebirds – the largest in the hemisphere – flourishing on the Codrington Lagoon, Barbuda before the storms. (Photo by Karron James)
Otto described the Red Mangrove habitat of the lagoon as “burnt”—there was almost no remaining foliage. “Normally, the mangroves are so dense, lush and green that you have to crane your neck to see between and beyond them, and they are loaded with birds,” said Otto. “Now we could easily see for long distances into the sanctuary.” The trees that remained were shorter and stripped bare. The Barbudans with the team said they “barely recognized the landscape.”
The recovery of the lagoon’s mangroves is of grave concern. The Magnificent Frigatebird, considered one of the most threatened seabirds in the Caribbean, depends on mangroves to nest and roost at night. The sanctuary, which is well managed by the local community and patrolled by wardens, provides critical habitat for this species. It also provides sustainable livelihoods for local bird and nature guides that take people into the sanctuary by boat to witness the spectacular site and sound of frigatebird courtship—males puffing out their red neck pouches and drumming on them to attract a mate.
On Barbuda, the team found most large trees had been uprooted or broken. Trees and shrubs had no green or live leaves and there was “not even grass,” reported Junior Prosper. In other wetland areas on Barbuda, Willets, Brown Pelicans, Green Herons, Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted Sandpipers, as well as Eurasian Collared Dove and a few Pearly-eyed Thrashers were seen. However, no West Indian Whistling-Ducks, a threatened regional endemic were spotted. An intensive survey effort will take place over the next several weeks.
What are the Barbuda Warbler’s prospects for survival? As with many other species on all the islands, this post-hurricane period is a critical time for the birds, because of the shortage of food. “My fear now is that with vegetation largely stripped of leaves, as photos indicate, insect food will be very hard to come by in the coming weeks. I fear more birds may be lost from food shortage post-hurricane than in the storm itself,” observes Tony Diamond (University of New Brunswick), who together with his graduate students has studied the warbler and frigatebirds. BirdsCaribbean will be working with EAG to look at habitat restoration actions that can be taken for the warbler and the frigatebirds.
In the sister island of Antigua, hummingbirds were “highly stressed” after the storms, according to Facebook posts. The Purple-throated Carib descended from upland forests to feed around towns and homes. In their normal habitats, flowers, fruits and insects are gone, and they have also lost secure space and even other members of their species, it was noted.
BAHAMAS
West Indian flamingos feeding in Inagua, the Bahamas. (Photo by the Bahamas National Trust)
In the Bahamas, which fortunately did not bear the full brunt of the storms on all its many scattered islands – bird species appear to have been moving around quite a bit. The Bahamas National Trust (BNT), a key BirdsCaribbean partner, is on the lookout for Cuban Parrots (Bahama subspecies), which have been “conspicuously absent” from the eastern end of New Providence since Hurricane Irma. They may have moved temporarily elsewhere. “Those of us who live in the East have missed their early morning calls during their flyovers,” our BNT friends report. BNT Warden Randolph Burrows spotted over 100 parrots on the island of Great Inagua, which was hit hard by Hurricane Irma. Residents were also delighted to welcome thousands of American Flamingos on September 14, following the passage of the hurricane. Inagua is home to a breeding colony of 50,000 flamingoes, but there is a question as to whether some of these birds may have been refugees from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. BNT Executive Director Eric Carey, while happy to see the birds, observed: “Hurricanes such as Irma actually make us realize how much we do not know about our flamingos.”
CUBA
As for updates from our hard-working friends in Cuba, due to communication problems, we have received no further updates on the flamingo populations from the first report that thousands were killed in the storm. Nor have we learned how other endemic and rare species have fared such as the Zapata Sparrow and Zapata Wren. The photos show, however, that habitats on the northern coast and cays were severely damaged with many mangroves and other trees uprooted and stripped of vegetation as in Barbuda. We will report as soon as we receive news, which we hope will be positive!
DOMINICA
The Imperial Amazon, national bird of Dominica. This is a Critically Endangered species and although captive birds are safe, there are concerns for those in the wild after Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Rare Species Conservatory Foundation)
The eye of Hurricane Maria passed directly over the tiny island of Dominica, which is still reeling from the impact. The port is not yet fully functional for ships. The normally lush, green country, known as the “nature isle” for its stunning and majestic mountainous landscape is barren and brown at the moment. Stephen Durand reported that the devastation is heartbreaking and they are taking it one day at a time. The Forestry Office was severely damaged by the storm and all of its equipment looted. Several of our partners have lost their homes and there is a shortage of food and water in small, remote communities. Communications remain poor due to the mountainous terrain and the extent of damage to infrastructure, although aid is starting to come in via helicopter. Here there is great concern for the two endemic parrots – in particular the Critically Endangered Imperial Parrot (“Sisserou”)—only 400 of these are known to exist in the wild, with none breeding in captivity.
Lennox Honeychurch reported that he has seen some Red-necked Parrots (“Jaco”) flying around, even down to the coast…clearly disoriented, landing in the road looking for scraps of food. So they at least have survived. The fate of the Sisserou is as yet unknown. No one he has spoken to, even in the Carib territory, have seen any since Maria struck. Durand reports that a search for the Sisserou will begin today – we will share news as soon as it is available. While captive birds have survived, they also need food; a BirdsCaribbean member has taken over a small amount of parrot food, as well as bird feeders and powdered nectar for the hummingbird population.
GUADELOUPE
A rare visitor to Guadeloupe, this Ruff was spotted after the recent hurricanes in the flooded swamp. (Photo by Anthony Levesque)
The island of Guadeloupe did not escape the wrath of the storms, receiving blows from both Irma and Maria and causing much damage to parks and protected areas. During an early survey on September 20, Anthony Levesque noted that the swamp areas were completely flooded. Just a few shorebirds were seen, including Great Egret, Semipalmated Plover, Ruff, Least Sandpiper, White-Rumped Sandpiper, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, and also two Belted Kingfishers. The following morning, a Green-Throated Carib was seen “fighting against the wind…” Since then, more shorebird sightings have been recorded.
ST. EUSTATIUS
Before and after Irma: A mountain called the Quill on St. Eustatius, home to the Quail Dove, showing the destruction of habitat. (Photo by STENAPA)
Although not badly impacted by the hurricanes, the small island of St. Eustatius (aka “Statia”) nevertheless suffered damage to many trees on the island and in the Quill/ Boven National Park, which includes the slopes of their dormant volcano, known as “The Quill.” The impacts on wildlife and ecosystems are not yet known. Hannah Madden is concerned about the impact on the endemic Bridled Quail-Dove population that she has been monitoring. BirdsCaribbean will fund an intensive survey of the dove next month. Hannah reports that they received some surprise visitors: A small flock of American Golden Plovers. This species has never been recorded on Statia before; they were likely blown off course by the hurricanes. Partners in other islands are also reporting vagrants and new species showing up – blown in or off course during migration from the hurricanes.
SINT MAARTEN
In Sint Maarten, conservationist Binkie van Es – who was himself made homeless by Hurricane Irma – reported that hummingbirds were of greatest concern, because of the lack of food. Binkie is excited to receive a shipment of 300 hummingbird feeders, on its way from BirdsCaribbean to Sint Maarten/St. Martin. These will be distributed to schools and homes across the island, with the assistance of Les Fruits de Mer and Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC). “I am afraid we lost half of our Brown Pelican population,” Binkie noted, while observing that White-cheeked Pintails appeared undisturbed. Barn Swallows, he noted, appeared to be displaced from their usual locations. Meanwhile, American Kestrels were finding happy hunting grounds, since the trees and bushes were stripped of leaves. Binkie notes: “Most regular shrubs and trees are sprouting already, but all mangroves took a terrible hit.” The mangrove habitats may take much longer to recover.
ST. MARTIN
A Purple-throated Carib hummingbird has been a regular visitor to feeders at Les Fruits de Mer. Usually they live at higher elevations so it is a rare sight on St. Martin. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
On the French side of the island, St. Martin, there was also huge damage to homes and infrastructure. Our partner organization, Les Fruits de Mer, also lost its museum building; fortunately, the contents were packed in a container for removal, so are safe. BirdsCaribbean’s Mark Yokoyama reports that he used ten pounds of sugar in two weeks, as hummingbird feeders he has set up are besieged with birds, including many Bananaquits, Green-throated Caribs, Antillean Crested Hummingbirds and others. Despite the storms’ impact, “hillsides are starting to green up,” our partners report and a few flowers (oleanders) are now blooming. EPIC reports that it will have a renewed focus and will be seeking funds for mangrove restoration in October; BirdsCaribbean will be assisting with these funds.
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
As vegetation recovers, hummingbird feeders such as this one at a residence in BVI are critical for bird survival.
The British Virgin Islands were hard hit by both storms. Trees were stripped of leaves and many larger trees damaged or destroyed. The largest mangrove forest at Paraquita Bay was completely leafless. Elsewhere, small pockets of mangrove were already removed during the post-hurricane cleanup. This raises a general concern that the destruction of bird habitats, especially forested areas (already threatened in many places by development) may be accelerated by post-storm cleanups. A gas station may be built in their place, rather than the habitat being restored and replanted. “As usual, we try to save what’s left…” was the comment from Birdscaribbean member, Clive Petrovich, on Tortola – who also brought sad news that Bananaquit nests with eggs or young around his home were destroyed by the hurricanes, along with the foliage. He saw a few Bananaquits, and Pearly-Eyed Thrashers, Scaly-naped Pigeons, Kingbirds, Smooth-billed Anis and a few other species were spotted.
There are concerns here too for the hummingbird populations; some have been observed eating arthropods to survive. While bird numbers on Tortola have dropped dramatically, a number of trees (mahogany, sago palms) already have new leaves. Our partners in both the British and US Virgin Islands, which suffered similar devastation, are looking forward to receiving hummingbird feeders from BirdsCaribbean to help these nectar feeders survive during this period of severe food shortages.
PUERTO RICO
A Masked Booby killed by Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Ingrid Flores)
We are anxious to hear from our friends in Puerto Rico, and stand ready to assist in any way we can when communications are restored and their needs are established. Of particular concern is the Critically Endangered Puerto Rican Parrot. Reduced population size due to hunting and capture for the pet trade, combined with habitat loss and fragmentation, make this species especially vulnerable to large scale natural disasters. Also of concern is the fate of a number of endemic species in PR following the storm, such as the Endangered Yellow-shouldered Blackbird, Critically Endangered Puerto Rican Nightjar and Vulnerable Elfin-woods Warbler.
What is BirdsCaribbean’s focus in the near and medium term following these terrible storms?
At the moment we are organizing shipments of hundreds of hummingbird feeders and bird seed to our partners on all the islands that have been impacted; several shipments are en route! We will be helping to fund post-hurricane surveys of Bridled Quail-doves in Statia this fall, and also the intensive surveys of the Barbuda Warbler and Magnificent Frigatebird that will take place in mid-October. We will be helping the Forestry Dept in Dominica to replace all their bird monitoring field equipment, including binoculars, spotting scopes, GPS units, backpacks, cameras, and more. We have also been topping up cell phones for our partners so that they can communicate, and anticipate that we will funding mangrove and habitat restoration projects.
Again, we are truly thankful to all that have donated so generously to our ongoing fundraising effort for hurricane relief for our partners and beloved birds that has allowed us to help with recovery actions. We particularly wish our partner Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Kevin Loughlin of Wildside Nature Tours, who are supporting us with a GoFundMe site of their own (please donate as all funds raised up to $10K are matched by Wildside!).
This has been an extremely difficult time for BirdsCaribbean partners, for the birds – and for the people of the Caribbean. However, the islands are resilient, and we are confident that, while it will be slow, a steady recovery is underway. In fact, as each day passes, the region is slowly getting back on its feet. We plan to bring further bird updates as more reports roll in! Stay tuned.
By Emma Lewis and Lisa Sorenson (thanks to all of our partners that have been sending us news and photos – please keep it coming and let us know your needs!)
Scroll over or click on the photos for captions
Hummingbirds flock to a feeder in Grand Case, St. Martin. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
A “Killy Killy” (American Kestrel) has a great view and easy hunting in St. Martin with all the leaves off the trees. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Trafalger Falls in Dominica after Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Mark Lopez)
The Les Fruits de Mer Museum in St. Martin was destroyed. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)
Parrots on denuded vegetation in Puerto Rico.
Keep an eye out for unusual birds that may have been blown off course! An American Golden Plover on Statia. This species has never been recorded there before and they were likely blown off course by the recent hurricanes. (Photo by Johan Stapel)
The endemic Barbuda Warbler was spotted after Hurricane Irma. (Photo by Andrea Otto)
Warbler found! The first Barbuda Warbler spotted by Andrea Otto and Joseph Prosper of the Environmental Awareness Group on their survey trip to Barbuda on Sept. 22nd. No warblers were seen on the first survey trip to the island on Sept. 15th. (Photo by Andrea Otto.)
On Wednesday, September 6, Hurricane Irma engulfed the tiny Caribbean island of Barbuda with 185 mph winds, leaving most of the population homeless and a landscape ravaged by wind and surging waves.
Since the storm passed, the Caribbean birding community has been increasingly anxious about one bird in particular: the endemic Barbuda Warbler, a Near Threatened Species. Had this charming little bird survived the storm?
Well, at last there is some good news. BirdsCaribbean is delighted to report that, during a one-day survey trip to Barbuda on September 22, a team from its Antiguan partner Environment Awareness Group (EAG) and the Department of the Environment discovered a total of eight Barbuda Warblers.
As the only endemic species on the island and country of Antigua and Barbuda, the Barbuda Warbler has a special place in the small community’s hearts. The bird has a perky posture and constantly flits around, searching for insects in trees, thorny scrub and coastal areas. Its estimated population is between 1,000 and 2,500, but before the hurricane its population trends were not determined.
The first bird was spotted by EAG’s Andrea Otto and colleague Junior Prosper in a fallen acacia tree. “I saw a flash of grey…” Otto reports. “I whispered to Junior – it’s a Barbuda Warbler!” They managed to get a good view and confirmation of the smart little warbler’s grey and yellow plumage. After that, “It took us a while to get a clear photograph of the bird as irrefutable proof of its survival,” notes Otto. The team recorded the birds in a relatively small area near the secondary school in Codrington, the main settlement on the island.
Joseph Prosper walking through town in Barbuda surveying the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Irma and searching for Barbuda Warblers. All residents have been temporarily evacuated. (photo by Andrea Otto).
BirdsCaribbean is supporting the EAG and Department of Environment to conduct bird and wildlife surveys over the next five weeks. They are helping the team design a survey plan that will cover the habitat on the island and provide an estimate of the warbler’s population size. Ornithologists and other skilled birders in the region and beyond will assist with an intensive survey effort in the coming weeks and months. The team will also devise a plan to help the Barbuda Warbler and other wildlife on the island recover, such as replanting native trees and mangroves that were destroyed in the hurricane.
Editor’s Note:BirdsCaribbean has launched a fundraising effort for hurricane relief for our Caribbean partners and birds. All the funds will be distributed to bird conservation partners across the Greater and Lesser Antilles islands to help them get back on their feet and replace what was lost in the storm—from notebooks, materials and binoculars to offices and infrastructure. The Fund will also support field surveys to assess the status of endemic, resident and many migrant species, as well as recovery and habitat rehabilitation actions by our partners, such as planting native trees that feed birds and provide habitat. Sincere thanks to those that have donated already!
If you would like to donate to help the people of Barbuda rebuild their homes, schools and businesses following 90% destruction on the island, please click here.
World Shorebirds Day logo featuring a Ruddy Turnstone.
World Shorebirds Day, September 6th, is right around the corner. According to the founder of this annual event, Gyorgy Szimuly, “World Shorebirds Day is a special day to celebrate shorebirds and the hard-working people dedicated to saving them.” Since it’s inception four years ago, the event has received a wonderful response with people from all over the planet joining together to enjoy shorebirds and promote their conservation.
One of the main activities of World Shorebirds Day is the Global Shorebird Count—hundreds of enthusiasts, including birdwatchers, educators, conservationists, researchers, politicians, and even hunters, will take part between 1-7 September. “The Caribbean region has been a great supporter since the beginning,” commented Gyorgy. “We hope that people from many different islands plan an event and again participate in the count. It would be fantastic to hit an all-time high in the number of registered sites in 2017!”
Registration is open and available at this link. For committed and returning counters there is even a Loyalty Program – read about it on the blog. Everyone is encouraged to register through the form on this page and have a chance to win one of the fantastic prizes.
Piping Plover on Pedro Pond, Jamaica – spotted during last year’s World Shorebirds Day, first record for the island. (photo by Ann Sutton)
You never know what exciting new birds you might see on World Shorebirds Day. For example, last year Ann Sutton spotted the first Piping Plover ever seen in Jamaica on Pedro Pond! All observations are valuable, however. Many shorebird species are declining and we still know very little about shorebird migration in the Caribbean, such as where birds are stopping to rest and feed on migration and numbers of each species. So be sure to head out and find some shorebirds for World Shorebirds Day and enter your checklists for your Global Shorebird Count in eBird Caribbean. If you’re new to eBird, check out this Quick Start guide.
To make your submitted data visible to World Shorebirds Day, please be sure to share your checklist with worldshorebirdsday eBird username of World Shorebirds Day (WorldShorebirdsDay) or add shorebirdsday@gmail.com email address, to your contact list, and share all your related checklists with us (only checklists made during the World Shorebirds Day count period between 1–7 September 2017 are eligible). Guidelines for sharing checklists are here.
Don’t forget also that any counts carried out at a wetland or beach count as a Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) count; enter your data as a CWC count on step 2 of data entry on eBird Caribbean. In addition, your shorebird count can be part of the International Shorebird Survey, which we are just beginning to encourage in the Caribbean – read more here.
Hat’s off to our partner in Puerto Rico, Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI), who are going all out this year with their World Shorebirds Day celebration. They have organized the 1st Shorebird Festival—a 3-day event from September 1-3. A variety of exciting activities are planned including educational talks, shorebird identification workshops, activities for children, live music, shorebird artwork, and a photographic exhibition of shorebirds presented by local photographers. According to organizer Luis Ramos, “We want to educate the community about the great variety of shorebirds that migrate to the island and promote the conservation and restoration of habitats for them.” If you live in Puerto Rico, be sure to participate!
Good luck to SOPI on their festival! And we look forward to hearing back from many of you about your findings on World Shorebirds Day!
First Shorebird Festival in Puerto Rico, organized by Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI).
Schedule of activities for the 1st Shorebird Festival in Puerto Rico – join the fun!
Soaring above the tree tops of Los Haitises National Park is the mighty Ridgway’s Hawk. Conflicts with humans and changes in its forest habitat have made it hard for this species to survive. Marta Curti tells us about the work of The Peregrine Fund to save this critically endangered raptor.
Ridgway’s Hawks are critically endangered and found only in Los Haitises National Park in the Dominican Republic. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
The Ridgway’s Hawk is endemic to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, but is now considered to be extinct in Haiti. The last remaining population of this species is in a small national park, Los Haitises, in the Dominican Republic (DR). There are only an estimated 350-450 individuals left in the wild.
I have been working as a biologist for The Peregrine Fund for the past 17 years. I have been lucky enough to have been a part of several of their projects helping to conserve birds of prey in many countries around the world. In 2011, I joined the team working in DR to help to save the Ridgway’s Hawk from extinction.
The Peregrine Fund’s Ridgway’s Hawk conservation project has been running since 2002 and has many facets. When I was asked to share a short article about our project on the BirdsCaribbean blog, I spent a long time thinking what to write about. I could focus on the advances we have made to prevent botfly (Philornis pici) infestations in nestling Ridgway’s Hawks – an issue that, if left untreated, could cause over 70% mortality in young hawks.
Or I could discuss the successes of our Assisted Dispersal Program: bringing young hawks from Los Haitises National Park and releasing them in Ojos Indígenas Reserve in Punta Cana in an effort to create additional populations of the hawk in other protected areas on the island. Assisted Dispersal has resulted in the formation of 15 breeding pairs to date and 22 wild fledged young!
Ridgway’s Hawks hatched in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic thanks to The Peregrine Fund’s Assisted Dispersal Program. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Another aspect of the project I could mention is our collaboration with Fundación Grupo PUNTACANA and the Disney Conservation Fund to retrofit dangerous power lines preventing electrocutions of not only Ridgway’s Hawks, but other species of birds as well. A whole other blog post could focus on our program to provide free chicken coops to individuals in small communities, an effort to help avoid conflicts between humans and hawks that sometimes prey on young poultry.
Instead, today I would like to tell you about our community development and our environmental education programs. One important aspect of The Peregrine Fund’s work, is to improve the lives of people in areas where we are conserving birds of prey, whether through training, educational activities, or employment opportunities.
In the communities surrounding LHNP we are working with 17 local technicians that we have trained and hired. Some are in their 40s and 50s and have been with the project since its inception. Others are in their early twenties and are just beginning their careers. In small towns around LHNP, there are limited job opportunities and our project is able to provide economic benefits, employment and valuable training in skills such as tree climbing, data collection, bird banding, nest searching, as well as computer data entry and leadership skills.
A completed painting of a Ridgway’s Hawk, done by one of the local schoolchildren. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
We began our environmental education program in Punta Cana in 2013, after three of our released Ridgway’s Hawks were shot in a nearby community. Since then, we have expanded our efforts and now work with over 15 communities and have reached over 7,000 individuals in a wide radius around the release site through door-to-door visits, educational presentations, school activities and teacher training workshops. One of the most fun and successful activities that we do every year (as part of our Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival) is the celebration of Ridgway’s Hawk Day, May 25th.
Thanks to a generous donation from BirdsCaribbean, this year we celebrated Ridgway’s Hawk Day with three separate activities around the country! The first, we held with two of our local partners: the National Zoo (ZOODOM) and Fundación Propagas. Schoolchildren from Santo Domingo were treated to a close-up view of a live Ridgway’s Hawk at the zoo, and also participated in an art project, receiving a raptor inspired mask at the end of their visit.
The second and third Ridgway’s Hawk Day activities took place in Punta Cana, where, with the help of Fundación Grupo PUNTACANA – another important local partner, we hosted two celebrations on June 1st and 2nd. Over 80 children visited our Ridgway’s Hawk release site in Punta Cana and saw young hawks up close, learning about the release process and the importance of protecting wildlife. Participants also learned how to use binoculars on a nature walk while practicing birding in forests and lagoons. The children also created beautiful art, painting and coloring on recycled wood – which focused on Ridgway’s Hawks, nature, and other wildlife observed during their visit. Select pieces will be displayed at an event in a local art museum early next year.
Participants are beginning to paint images of Ridgway’s Hawks and other wildlife and nature scenes from the day. (Photo by The Peregrine Fund)
To end the day, we headed down to a nearby beach where the kids played games in the sand, learning about the importance of a balanced ecosystem for creatures both on land and in the sea. After a picnic lunch under the shade of nearby trees, students clapped hands and swayed to the rhythm of drums during an interactive dance performance by one of our volunteers, in a full Ridgway’s Hawk costume!
We have already begun to see the positive effects of our education efforts in communities, especially in the attitudes of individual people. Most notably, in the community where our three Ridgway’s Hawks were killed a number of years ago, we now have a nesting pair of hawks who just fledged two perfectly healthy young! The entire community knows of the presence of the hawks and is now actively supporting their protection!
Though we still have a long way to go to ensure the conservation of the species, we continue to be encouraged by the changes we see taking place, making great strides each year and we look forward to the day that the Ridgway’s Hawk is no longer an endangered species.
A “Ridgway’s Hawk” comes to visit. (photo by The Peregrine Fund)
Marta Curti works as a biologist with The Peregrine Fund, a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve birds of prey worldwide.
Wilson’s Plover chick. This is an excellent opportunity to gain multi-species shorebird ID and monitoring experience.
Your help is needed to protect beach-nesting birds, nests, and young. Conservian is planning for Year 2 of their shorebird and habitat conservation program in the Bahamas. Come join them for the adventure of a lifetime!
Conservian is seeking a weekly crew of 8 to 12 enthusiastic volunteers for our Bahamas shorebird habitat conservation project in May 2017 aboard the 75ft schooner “Dream Catcher”. This is an excellent opportunity to gain field experience and shorebird ID skills. Trip cost for one week is $1,250 and includes your bunk, onboard meals, water, and ground transportation associated with project. Participants will fly to the Bahamas to designated airports for shuttle transport to schooner. A valid passport is required. Airfare and insurance are not included.
Project Summary
In 2017, Conservian and partners will continue on-the-ground protective and restorative measures to limit human-caused disturbance, and control invasive Australian pine at key Piping Plover, shorebird, and seabird sites in the Bahamas. Field volunteers will participate in collecting new data on shorebirds and seabirds of the Bahamas. Selected sites include Globally Important and locally Important Bird Areas and national parks of the Bahamas, such as Lucaya National Park IBA, Peterson Cay National Park IBA, Joulter Cays National Park IBA, and the Berry Islands, as well as additional key shorebird sites on Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco. Read about our exciting and successful field season in 2016 here.
Our days will be filled with much adventure. The focus of the work is surveying for beach-nesting bird breeding pairs, nests and young, and working with local volunteers to implement protective measures in the field. Focal species include Wilson’s Plovers, American Oystercatchers, Least Terns and other colonial nesting species. We will work in both populated and remote areas, sail blue Caribbean waters, visit white sandy beaches, boat to little islands, conduct ground surveys for beach-nesting birds, nests, and downy chicks, and meet new people. We will work with local volunteers to post and sign shorebird sites and control invasive Australian pine. Field crew will assistant with collecting data on breeding pairs, habitat assessment and human-created disturbance. Field crew will also assist with shipboard duties; sailing, cooking and cleaning. There will be time to fish, snorkel, and visit local island towns.
Our days will be filled with much adventure aboard the 75ft schooner “Dream Catcher”.
Project partners include: BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, International Conservation Fund of Canada, USFWS/NMBCA, LightHawk, Dow AgroSciences, Grand Bahama Nature Tours, Optics for the Tropics, Grand Bahama Port Authority, Bahamas Public Parks & Beaches Authority, Bahamas Environment, Science & Technology Commission, Rand Nature Center, Abaco Friends of the Environment, Treasure Cay Community Center, Royal Bahamas Police Force/Marine Support.
Project Activities:
Protect, post & sign shorebird & seabird sites
Collect new data on nesting shorebirds & habitat
Observe/assist with bird banding (conditions permitting)
Control invasive Australian pine on beach habitats
Work with local volunteers to accomplish the above goals
Qualifications: Applicants must be responsible, adventurous, in good physical condition, enjoy working in teams and be capable of walking several miles during warm weather in the Caribbean. Applicants must be comfortable living communally onboard a schooner and riding in small boats to access survey sites.
May expedition schedule and locations (final dates TBD)
Assist for one week or more:
Week 1: Grand Bahama Island- (Freeport GBI Int. Airport)
Week 2: Great Abaco, west- (Freeport/Marsh Harbour Airport)
Week 3: Great Abaco, east- (Marsh Harbour Airport)
If you would like to join our conservation crew for a week or more as part of our Volunteer Field Crew:
Please send 1) letter of interest 2) resume 3) names, email addresses and phone numbers of 2 references to Margo Zdravkovic. Please label all attachments with your name. The review of applicants is ongoing and will continue until positions are filled.
Bahama Oriole adult on Andros. It could be a male or a female, as both sexes have this striking black and yellow coloration. (photo Daniel Stonko, UMBC)
The Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi) is the most endangered bird in the Bahamas. It is now restricted just to the Andros Island complex. There may be as few as several hundred individuals left, making it also one of the most endangered endemic birds in the entire Caribbean. Of greatest concern is that the oriole was driven from the Abaco Islands in the 1990s for unknown reasons. It is one thing to have a known killer lurking, but in the case of the oriole, what caused it to go extinct on Abaco is unknown. We hope to help preserve this charismatic and colorful species on Andros, which surprisingly is not that difficult to observe on certain parts of the island. Like many tropical birds, both the females and the males have elaborate coloration – both sexes are jet black with bright yellow patches over much of the body.
We began the Bahama Oriole Project last year with the overall goal of preventing the extinction of this beautiful oriole. The project is a collaboration between the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the Bahamas National Trust (BNT). We have conducted several field trips to begin to determine how many orioles are left, and to learn what the major threats are to this species. We also need to learn much more about where the oriole spends its time throughout the year, including what it eats, how widely it ranges, and what its preferred habitats are for feeding and nesting. The last published estimates suggest as few as 300 individuals may remain. However, in May 2016 our field team, including students from the Bahamas and from UMBC, discovered previously unknown breeding populations deep in Andros’ vast pine forests. For several reasons, we are guardedly optimistic that good science and dedicated conservation measures can save this species from extinction.
eBird Caribbean sightings of the Bahama Oriole. The oriole is now confined to the Andros island complex, roughly 150 miles SE of Miami. Much of Andros is undisturbed wilderness, just a 15 minute flight from the huge resorts in Nassau. The oriole is now completely absent from the Abaco complex north of New Providence. (Recent sightings are shown in red, sightings older than 30 days shown in blue.)
Our first need is to recruit a PhD student to lead this research effort for the next five years. The student would be advised by Kevin Omland in the Biology Department at UMBC, in collaboration with researchers in the Geography Department at UMBC (Collin Studds and Matt Fagan) and researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Scott Sillett). The student could choose to focus on any one or two aspects of the project including: 1) population size estimation and habitat usage, 2) breeding ecology including cowbird parasitism and predation by introduced predators, 3) remote sensing and details of habitat usage in breeding and non-breeding season (in relation to fire and climate change), and 4) conservation genetics of populations on three different parts of Andros. Please contact Kevin Omland (omland@umbc.edu) and send a CV and short paragraph on research interests. The application target date for full consideration by the UMBC Biology Department is Jan 1, 2017.
We are grateful for the support and advice given to the project by BirdsCaribbean, and we plan to give updates on the project through blog posts and newsletter items. Meanwhile, we invite you to come to Andros to see all the great migratory and endemic birds there! Be sure to add to our knowledge by posting all sightings of Bahama Orioles to eBird Caribbean and to the “Bahama Oriole Project” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BahamaOrioleProject/
Finally, the project needs ongoing assistance with everything from housing to transportation on Andros, so please consider either monetary or in-kind donations to the project through BirdsCaribbean. Thank you!
By Kevin Omland, Ph.D., Professor, Biology Dept., University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness in the bird-watching hide at the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation’s (C-CAM) Wetland Information Centre in the Portland Bight Protected Area. The hide is dedicated to the late Jamaican ornithologist Robert Sutton. (Photo: C-CAM)
It’s not often that Caribbean environmentalists like Diana McCaulay, CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), have serious cause for celebration. However, McCaulay and her team of “Jetters” are thrilled with the news that the Jamaican Government has decided not to proceed with a transshipment port at Goat Islands, an ecologically sensitive area in the Portland Bight Protected Area (PBPA), the largest nature reserve on the island – and an Important Bird Area.
The port, to be constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company as part of a major logistics hub project, would have destroyed Great and Little Goat Islands, its fish sanctuaries, and mangrove forest—the largest in Jamaica and home to many endemic and resident birds such as the globally-threatened West Indian Whistling-Duck, the near-threatened Plain Pigeon, Jamaican Lizard Cuckoo, Jamaican Oriole, Jamaican Owl, Jamaican Tody, Sad Flycatcher, Jamaican Spindalis, and Jamaican Mango, all among the 17 endemics that occur in the area. The Bahama Mockingbird is only found in the PBPA in Jamaica; while Magnificent Frigatebird and Brown Noddy nest on the Portland Bight cays. The area also provides critical habitat for the White-crowned Pigeon and countless migratory warblers and waterbirds. It would also have negatively impacted the breeding grounds for the critically endangered Jamaican Iguana, in the dry limestone forest habitat of the nearby Hellshire Hills.
The Bahama Mockingbird is restricted to coastal dry limestone forest in the Portland Bight Protected Area, which is the largest designated Important Bird Area in Jamaica. (Photo: Emma Lewis)
An almost audible sigh of relief and delight echoed in cyberspace after Jamaica’s social media savvy Prime Minister Andrew Holness tweeted to JET’s CEO on September 22:
“Someone asked about Goat Island at the #TownHall. Please see response.” The attachment noted: “#TownHall Re: Question about Goat Islands. ANS: We have already taken a decision that there are other locations that would do less environmental damage. We are going ahead with a logistics port but not at Goat Island…”
The Prime Minister was in Queens, New York that evening, conducting a Town Hall Meeting with Jamaicans from the diaspora. Diana McCaulay responded: “Lost for words. Wow. Am so glad. Will RT.” Finance Minister Audley Shaw subsequently tweeted a photograph of protesters with a “Save Goat Islands” placard, with the message: “Saved! The Government has listened and carefully made a decision in the best interest of Jamaica. #Governance”
The decision came after over three years of hard campaigning by JET, supported by hundreds of conservation organizations and concerned individuals both at home and abroad. Diana McCaulay comments: “I was overjoyed to get the news that the Government of Jamaica is proceeding with the logistics hub, but NOT at Goat Islands. Although the campaign to Save Goat Islands has not been as high profile as it was initially, JET has continued to work behind the scenes to convince the new Jamaica Labour Party administration to relocate the planned hub due to the environmental damage it would cause. “
The Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura collei) was declared extinct in 1948. After it was rediscovered by a man and his dog, hunting wild pigs in 1990,this still critically endangered species became the subject of a successful breeding program involving a number of scientists at home and overseas. (Photo: Robin Moore)
In a joint press release on September 28, the International Iguana Foundation (IIF) and Global Wildlife Conservation (GWC) congratulated Diana McCaulay, JET and the Jamaican Government for this happy conclusion. They noted the remarkable 25-year collaboration among several conservation organizations to recover and re-establish the Jamaican Iguana – which was deemed extinct until a hunter stumbled across one in the Hellshire Hills in 1990. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called the ongoing breeding program “one of the greatest success stories in conservation science.” Now the possibility exists for Goat Islands to become a sanctuary for the critically endangered lizard – and a place for Jamaicans to relax and enjoy the stunning landscape and marine environment.
As celebrations quieten down a little, Diana McCaulay observes, with a note of caution: “We hope the Prime Minister will make a formal statement in Parliament, as well as hold a press conference on this and other pending environmental decisions, such as mining in Cockpit Country. We do want to know where the site of the logistics hub will be…”
So champagne corks have popped, or perhaps a few rum punches have been downed. Meanwhile, McCaulay is grateful to all those who championed the #SaveGoatIslands campaign, adding: “JET thanks BirdsCaribbean for its support for the Save Goat Islands campaign.”
Magnificent Frigatebirds, Portland Bight Protected Area. (Photo: Lisa Sorenson)
BirdsCaribbean Executive Director, Dr. Lisa Sorenson commented, “We are elated with the news that the Goat Islands and Portland Bight Protected Area has been spared. We thank our members and partners for supporting this campaign through writing letters to the Jamaican government, signing the petition, and donating time and resources to fight the development. This is a rare conservation victory that we can all be proud of. We commend the Jamaican government for taking this sound decision that will preserve the unique and extraordinary beauty of this area for present and future generations to enjoy, as well as provide sustainable livelihoods.”
So, now the “Save Goat Islands” T shirts that environmental campaigners wore at last year’s BirdsCaribbean International Meeting in Kingston can be packed away and preserved as historical items.
In an inspirational move towards seabird protection, concerned advocates pledge to work together to monitor and protect the seabirds and natural heritage of the Grenadine Islands. Will Mackin and colleagues share their journey in forming the Grenadines Seabird Team.
Handsome Brown Noddies and a Roseate Tern taking a mid-day break on a rocky outcrop in the Grenadines. (photo by Julianna Coffey)
Seabirds are a common sight when you live by or work on the ocean—especially in the tiny remote islands that stretch between the “mainlands” of St. Vincent and Grenada. But residents of the transboundary Grenadines have the opportunity to gain a much deeper appreciation of these magnificent birds, particularly if they make their living from the sea. Similar to seabirds, citizens of the Grenadines practice livelihoods that are inextricably and ultimately reliant upon the marine environment. Although they live on the land, they look towards the ocean for sustenance and stability. Until recently, outsiders did not know much about seabirds on these islands, however local fishermen and naturalists knew and valued them for their beauty, fish-finding skills, ability to foretell weather events, and their eggs and meat. In recent years they noticed that many were in decline.
In 2004, scientists Hayes, Frost, Sutton, and Hay visited the Grenadines and discovered high numbers of boobies and terns, but with respect to numbers of breeding seabirds there was little other existing research. They summarized their results in a chapter in An Inventory of Breeding Seabirds in the Caribbean in 2009. Soon after, this work was followed up through the collaboration of adventurers David and Katherine Lowrie and Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) who set out to catalog seabird colonies throughout the Lesser Antilles in the first standardized surveys of the region. These surveys resulted in the Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles, which featured firsthand visits to all the colonies and numerous newly identified sites. These surveys showed that two of the Grenadine islands—Battowia and Petit Canouan—supported globally important seabird colonies but were relatively unprotected, with birds being heavily exploited for food. Furthermore, dozens of other islands had active colonies but local residents were becoming alarmed by decreases in recent years. We accepted the challenge this presented and sought to engage local communities to learn more about how seabirds are used for food and fishing. Simultaneously we built a locally relevant and practical conservation presence in an effort to restore and protect populations.
Workshop participants taking a quiz on seabird identification. (photo by Aly DeGraff)
This year’s workshop took place from July 22–23rd in Clifton, Union Island, with volunteers primarily from the Southern and Grenada Grenadines, including Mayreau, Union, and Carriacou (plus one participant from Mustique). This team recognized the importance of addressing the entire Grenadines from a transboundary conservation approach, since historically, culturally, and ecologically, the transboundary Grenadines are more closely related to one another than to their respective mainlands. Therefore, it was considered more valuable to work across the entire Grenadines archipelago than to use arbitrary political boundaries to define the extent of the project area (not to mention that seabirds do not care about political boundaries). With representatives from the Grenada Grenadines in attendance this year, we can now consider this initiative to be truly transboundary!
Brown Noddy chick on nest – its underside is still downy but it’s head and back have feathers. (photo by Juliana Coffey)
The workshop included a day of presentations on seabirds and their identification, as well as a field trip for participants to learn how to collect data on breeding sites. Most of those involved were beginners with little formal training in bird identification, so the first day was devoted to teaching participants how to distinguish between the many species of seabirds that occur in the Grenadines. We discussed basic seabird biology and threats, answering questions such as: Why are seabirds doing so poorly in comparison to other bird species? What is being done to promote and protect seabirds? What kind of management activities can we implement? How is this type of citizen science data collection useful? And, most importantly, how can concerned residents within the Grenadines contribute to the conservation and management of their diminishing seabird resources?
Participants also learned how seabirds have been integral to Grenadines’ cultural heritage for many centuries, providing additional conservation rationale rooted in a cultural context. The Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines team was able to pass around a draft copy of its Grenadines bird identification guide, containing local knowledge and folklore collected between 2012–16 from residents throughout the archipelago. The first day ended with attendees taking part in an identification quiz, defining their favorite seabird, and signing a voluntary pledge to establish their commitment to the program. Many people admired the Magnificent Frigatebird for its astounding flight abilities, and the Brown Pelican was a favorite for its diving expertise.
Workshop participants proudly show their signed pledge to help protect Grenadines’ seabirds. (photo by Julianna Coffey)
The course instructors included: Dr. Will Mackin, seabird biologist, co-chair of the Seabird Working Group of BirdsCaribbean and board member of EPIC; Lystra Culzac, founder of the St. Vincent-based NGO SCIENCE; Aly DeGraff, a cartographer for National Geographic and BirdsCaribbean, and partner on the Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines project with over five years’ experience in the Grenadines; Juliana Coffey, a seabird biologist with extensive field research and community outreach experience in the Grenadines and the founder and local knowledge expert behind the Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines project; and Wayne Smart, a Master’s Degree student at Arkansas State University who studies breeding biology of seabirds on the southernmost islands of the Grenada Grenadines.
The attendees included staff from the Sustainable Grenadines NGO and two youth members who represented their Junior Ranger program; employees of the Tobago Cays Marine Park; and local fishermen, entrepreneurs, tour guides, teachers, divers, and naturalists. We took a field trip on the second day to the Tobago Cays Marine Park. Here, we conducted sea-based surveys aboard the traditional working schooner Scaramouche around Jamesby, Petit Bateau, and Petit Rameau, and a land-based survey on Baradal to practice newly acquired field and identification skills. Participants identified Brown Boobies, Brown Noddies, Laughing Gulls, Brown Pelicans, and Bridled and Roseate Terns from the boat, and visited a nesting Brown Noddy colony on Baradal. It was a very rewarding moment when one of the most knowledgeable and experienced fishermen in the Grenadines declared in awe, “I didn’t know the birds was nesting here like this!”
Juliana Coffey identifying seabirds with participants from Carriacou. (photo by Aly DeGraff)
After the field trip, the team practiced using data entry forms to enter results from the surveys into the West Indian Breeding Seabird Atlas that keeps records of breeding seabirds in the Caribbean. Post-workshop evaluations indicated the participants enjoyed the discussion-based format of the training and found the identification section very helpful. They left feeling energized and excited about putting their new skills into practice to help protect seabirds. In typical Caribbean fashion, we spotted one of the workshop participants standing by the water sipping a rum punch and scanning the sea with his binoculars. As he practiced his newfound seabird identification skills, he proudly exclaimed, “I got a new hobby now!”
Encouraging participants to explore their islands has enabled them to observe seabird interactions with other wildlife species and gain a greater appreciation for the natural history of their islands. One participant observed Royal Tern activity over a particular area of a beach and, when he went to investigate, he discovered their focus had been on turtle hatchlings making their first trek to the sea!
We plan to meet again in 2017, where participants from the previous two workshops will meet to discuss their observations from the 2017 breeding season and learn more survey methods. The team stays in contact through WhatsApp and Facebook groups, where they can ask questions and report sightings. Data are submitted through a standardized format, and surveyors are reimbursed for their fuel costs. With sufficient funding, EPIC would like to make these workshops an annual event, building a broader coalition of patrol members throughout the region.
Nesting Brown Noddies spotted on Baradal in the Tobago Cays on the workshop field trip. (photo by Aly DeGraff)
Juliana Coffey notes, “We have been working with some of these fishermen for over five years through a shared concern for the welfare of seabirds in the Grenadines, and their continued participation in the ‘Birds of the Transboundary Grenadines’ project. We have been carefully documenting their detailed knowledge and folklore as it pertains to birds, accompanying them on field trips to offshore islands and providing them with informal support for the questions they have had. It is wonderful to finally be able to offer a more formalized training within a network of concerned individuals, so that they can realistically contribute to the fate of seabirds in the Grenadines, made possible through EPIC and SCIENCE.”
Already, the Grenadines Seabird Team has documented several threats including rats, mice, discarded fishing gear, goats and invasive grass. Some areas, such as the Sooty Tern colony at the Petit Canouan Important Bird Area, may need vegetation management; years of burning to facilitate egg collection have altered the plant composition to just a few species. We will need to carefully craft a solution with our partners to make sure the seabirds at Petit Canouan can continue to thrive. There are many opportunities for the team to initiate restoration projects to increase and enrich wildlife populations around this magnificent archipelago. We also want to provide the Grenadines Seabird Team with the necessary support, guidance and resources to allow for accurate data collection and reporting, including access to expert advice, digital cameras, and identification guides.
Equipped with their newly acquired skills and enhanced knowledge, the Grenadines Seabird Team members are now effective advocates for seabirds in their respective communities. This program offers hope for seabirds and concerned citizens in the region, and can serve as a model for other areas facing similar challenges. To support this project, please consider donating to our ongoing Protect Baby Seabirds Campaign!
by Will Mackin, Alison DeGraff, Juliana Coffey, and Natalia Collier
Marina Fastigi of KIDO Foundation in the Grenadines shares how they were able to transform a small island community that had never had a bird and wildlife conservation culture by engaging its younger citizens in birding activities.
Dover school teacher Mr. Allen with some of his students spotting birds in the Petit Caranage Wetland. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
Based in Carriacou in the Grenadine Islands of Grenada, KIDO Foundation, a local NGO, has for years endeavored to establish a formally-recognized Bird Sanctuary in the outstanding mangrove wetland of Petite Carenage, part of High North National Park without much success. So when BirdCaribbean offered a Teacher Training Workshop, Engaging Youth in Science and Conservation, through its BirdSleuth Caribbean program – and supplied top-notch birding equipment and educational material – we took this wonderful opportunity and flew with it!
It all started in November, 2014, when Antonia Peters, our new Project Officer attended the 3-day training workshop in Nassau, Bahamas along with 23 other educators and conservationists from across the region. At the workshop, participants learned how to implement the innovative BirdSleuth curriculum, “Connecting Kids Through Birds” which was adapted for the Caribbean context by BirdsCaribbean from the BirdSleuth International curriculum developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The premise of the program is that birds are engaging and a fun way to get youth interested in nature, science, and inquiry-based learning. We hoped to involve our young people in the natural world and build their science skills, as well as increase their appreciation of nature and commitment to environmental stewardship. The curriculum is supported by a kit of materials for educators that contain resources and materials needed for carrying out the lessons, such as laminated bird silhouettes, identification cards, games, field guides, binoculars and spotting scopes, art and craft supplies, and much more.
One of the first activities at the workshop is creating a birding notebook with hand-drawn artwork. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
After Antonia attended the training workshop in Nassau, we were ready to deliver our own local workshops. Given many local residents’ hectic daily schedules, we sought out a number of potential stakeholders, from the Ministry of Education to small primary schools tucked away behind the mountain range. Our phone bill grew exponentially, however, we received positive commitments from 14 teachers of the Carriacou and Petit Martinique primary schools, the Ministry of Education, 4H Club, and NADMA (National Disaster Management Agency) personnel.
On November 19, 20 & 21, 2015, KIDO Foundation, in collaboration with the Grenada Fund for Conservation (GFC) and Education Conservation Outreach (ECO), held a three-day workshop for a group of Carriacou and Petit Martinique educators, in how to use the BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum. Antonia and her team were excited to pass on their knowledge to our interested and lively educators so that they would in turn teach their youths how to study, appreciate and conserve Caribbean birds.
Teachers practice bird identification outdoors at KIDO Foundation and record their observations in their birding notebooks. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
During the workshop, held at our green hilltop KIDO Environmental Learning Center, seven teachers participated in the first two days, and on the third they enjoyed a bird watching field trip to the new Bird Sanctuary, located in the Petit Carenage wetland area (some 100 forested acres, part of High North proposed National Park). They also visited Big Pond, another birding stopover, tucked among tall trees near the hamlet of Dover, close to Petit Carenage. The vice-principal of Dover Primary School also participated in the field trip, emphasizing his experience and passion for nature protection on his beloved island, in particular Petit Carenage Wetland and the adjacent turtle nesting beach and protected coastline.
Mount Pleasant child at the spotting scope with ever watchful KIDO co-founder Dario Sandrini. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
The participants enjoyed the hands-on learning activities, peppered with sharply humored interventions, both in the classroom and during field trip activities. By the end of the three-day session they also came up with two new projects, formalized in two groups (schools from the south and north of Carriacou), direct off-shoots of the BirdSleuth Caribbean training.
The northern group proposed to create several shelters and waterholes for birds in the Mt. Pleasant, Windward and Dover areas, to help them during the long and often dramatically waterless dry season. Also on the agenda was the prevention of topsoil erosion along the coast by planting red mangroves and large shade trees, as well as launching a clean-up campaign at the community level to remove plastic litter from the mangroves.
Teacher Mr. Matheson and a few of his keen birding team members from Mount Pleasant observe birds from our blind. (Photo by Marina Fastigi).
The southern group reinforced the idea of a bird haven by suggesting the construction of bird houses around all the schools of Carriacou, as well as planting native flower and fruit trees around school yards to attract more birds. They also proposed conducting an awareness campaign on bird conservation among kids and parents, 4H clubs, and in the wider community. Ms Lynette Kisha Isaac of M.O.E. asked for birdhouses and watering dishes to be placed around their church yard, and with regards to the BirdSleuth workshop commented, “It was very interactive and informative and learning involved many facets: speaking, viewing, doing.”
Hillsborough Government School show off their bird identification cards in the new Petite Carenage Turtle and Bird Sanctuary gazebo. (photo by Davon Baker)
We strongly believe that such conservation projects would not have been conceived and formulated had the BirdSleuth Training Torkshop not taken place in Nassau. Several teachers reportedly taught the BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum and practiced bird conservation with their students utilizing the materials provided despite their busy curriculum. With their students they joined KIDO staff, expertly assisted by two KIDO university volunteers from Chicago, on exciting birding trips along the new Bird Sanctuary trails of Petit Carenage, which had also recently been supported by street signage from the Ministry of Tourism, being an important asset for Carriacou.
Trained educators receive their certificate of achievement at KIDO. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
All in all, to date, 261 children, 25 teachers and nine community members participated in the BirdSleuth Caribbean program, which was enthusiastically received by children, and word spread that the bird-watching program was so much fun that the youths did not want to leave – even after several hours. The use of binoculars and the Vortex scope really helped awaken their interest in Carriacou’s resident and migratory birds. Vivid close-up observations of our island’s breathtaking birds generated awe and surprise that Carriacou is home to such hidden natural treasures.
Birding trainees from 4 primary schools enter the Bird Sanctuary of Petit Carnage. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
When youth are provided the opportunity to quietly observe and learn about birds in their natural habitat, they appreciate their precious role in the web of life. Only by understanding the interdependence of all species, including humans, can children genuinely care for them and help to conserve island biodiversity, engaging their teachers and families in the process. Form 3 student and keen birder Anthony Matheson said about BirdSleuth in Carriacou: “It was an invigorating experience that brought us closer to nature and closer to ourselves.”
KIDO will continue to provide assistance to the trainers and educators in order to continue the BirdSleuth Caribbean program with new students, as well as help teachers and students of Carriacou Primary Schools to build houses and water bowls for resident birds. Bird activity around schools and churches will be monitored, by counting and identifying resident and migratory birds in the mangrove Bird Sanctuary of Petit Carenage and Big Pond, and mangroves will be planted in critical areas in order to protect the bird sanctuary.
Stilt Sandpiper at the Petit Caranage Wetland in Carriacou, one of the many species that can be seen at the site. (Photo by Lisa Sorenson)
We wish to thank BirdsCaribbean, Optics of the Tropics, and the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) fund of the US Fish & Wildlife Service for the funds, equipment and materials provided to complete this exciting project and create a birding and nature conservation culture in our community. More photos of our BirdSleuth Caribbean program in Carriacou may be viewed at YWF-KIDO Foundation Facebook page.
Marina Fastigi, is the Director of KIDO Foundation, in Carriacou, Grenada.
Children learn about the challenges of migration and breeding successfully in the Bird Survivor game, part of the BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum. (photo by Marina Fastigi)Harvey Vale schoolchildren behind the Blind to spot birds feeding in the Petit Caranage wetland. (photo by Marina Fastigi)Education Officer Antonia Peters teaching how to identify by birds by their size and shape to the junior group at KIDO. (photo by Marina Fastigi)Children drawing their favorite bird on their notebook cover at KIDO. (photo by Marina Fastigi)Learning parts of a bird exercise at KIDO Foundation with secondary school students. (photo by Marina Fastigi)Mount Pleasant group, a brilliant lot instructed by teacher Mr. Matheson, spot birds in the Petit Caranage wetland. (photo by Marina Fastigi)
Seabirds are among the most endangered of all vertebrate groups. A new crowdfunding campaign is underway to support three critical scientific projects that will drive new discoveries and aid conservation of these most amazing birds. Please help us succeed!
Roseate Tern, a seabird of conservation concern that breeds in the Caribbean. (photo by Jenny Daltry)
Three projects that will advance conservation of Caribbean seabirds via a crowdfunding grant have just been launched by BirdsCaribbean biologists. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet. According to a study by Massolutions.com, the crowdfunding industry is on track to account for more funding in 2016 than traditional venture capital sources (wealthy investors or financial institutions)! The websites, Kickstarter or Indiegogo, are two of the most well-known crowdsourcing websites, but there are many other sites.
Experiment.com is a crowdfunding site that focuses on promoting “science for the people, by the people.” It recently launched an initiative focused on seabirds, a group of wildlife urgently in need of science-based conservation. The call went out to BirdsCaribbean’s Seabird Working Group to consider projects. Three Caribbean seabird projects were submitted, accepted and are now ready to receive your backing!
Seabird colony in the northern Bahamas. (photo by Will Mackin).
This project will seek the causes behind the disappearance of thousands of breeding seabirds in the Northern Bahamas. The project leaders, Will Mackin, Ann Sutton, Margo Zdravkovic, Lisa Sorenson, and Scott Johnson, will use surveys and mark-recapture techniques to find out whether the missing seabirds moved, suffered nesting failure due to invasive predators, or changed their behavior due to disturbance…or some combination of the above. The project builds on work underway by Conservian, an NGO which began a new monitoring and habitat restoration program for coastal birds in the Bahamas in 2016.
The endangered Diablotin, or Black-Capped Petrel, is the focus of this project. Françoise Benjamin and Juan Carlos Martínez-Sánchez seek to reduce collisions of petrels at communication towers along their breeding colonies in Southern Haiti, a threat brought to light by the International Black-capped Petrel Conservation Group. They will map and characterize communication towers located along known flying corridors and colonies of petrels, record bird collisions through personal observations and interviews, then take their findings to government and industry in order to recommend solutions to this concerning source of mortality.
Wayne Smart and Natalia Collier want to determine the causes of documented declines in southern Grenadine seabird populations. In specific, they will look at how human and rat predation affects trends in six different seabird populations located north of Grenada. The findings of this project will be summarized, and made available to the public, and government agencies, in order to recommend and stimulate conservation actions.
Each of these projects has a specific fundraising goal. With Experiment.com, as with most crowdfunding sites, funding is all-or-nothing (that is, pledges by backers are collected only if the fundraising goal is achieved). Experiment.com has designated this initiative as a funding “challenge,” in that it will award additional funds to the three projects (of 15 total seabird projects) that have received the greatest number of backers by 6 PM on August 9th.
So don’t delay – Please support one or all of these worthy projects! Small donations from many people are most welcome as this will help all of us to be in the top 3 of seabird supported projects and win extra funds.
We thank you in advance for your support!
Will Mackin, Ann Sutton, Margo Zdravkovic, Lisa Sorenson, Scott Johnson, Françoise Benjamin, Juan Carlos Martínez-Sánchez, Wayne Smart and Natalia Collier
Members of BirdsCaribbean Seabird Working Group
p.s. Please share this post with your networks, colleagues and friends!
On the evening of April 27th, the Dreamcatcher’s captain, John Duke, and I sat at the 75-foot schooner’s large, wooden, galley table. With the sun setting over our research vessel, we studied charts and made final adjustments to plans that had been years in the making. We sailed out of Key West on the 26th, following the Florida Keys north, our schooner efficiently loaded with food, water, gear, and materials for the expedition. At sunrise we would set out and cross to Bimini, entering the infamous Bermuda Triangle. By the 29th we would clear Bahamian Customs in Freeport.
The five week long, 900-mile round-trip expedition would take us to the far reaches of the Bahama’s northern islands, including Grand Bahama Island, Great Abaco, the Atlantic Abaco Cays, and the Berry Islands. Anchored out, the nighttime sky was clear and endlessly full of constellations not easily seen from land. For me, sleep off the Florida coast tonight would be difficult, but essential. The dream was actually happening. At sunrise, with the invaluable partnerships and cooperation of so many, Conservian’s 2016 Bahamas Shorebird Conservation Expedition would, at last, become reality.
Conservian’s mission is to conserve coastal birds and their habitats throughout the western hemisphere. The Bahamas archipelago is comprised of more than 700 islands and cays, and thousands of miles of sandy shorelines, sand flats, mud flats, and mangroves, possessing prime habitat for migratory and breeding shorebirds, much of it yet unexplored. Even now in 2016, as human-created pressures increase globally, very little information exists on many species of shorebirds in the Bahamas, particularly solitary beach-nesting birds like the Wilson’s Plover.
Why should anyone be concerned about such species? Well, the Wilson’s Plover can be thought of as a “canary in a coal mine” or species that indicates the diversity level of a specific coastal habitat. To thrive, the Wilson’s Plover, much like the endangered Piping Plover, needs healthy coastal habitats that are protected from human-caused disturbance. Plovers are fairly resilient and do well if provided with a safe stretch of coastal habitat to hatch nests and raise young. Protection for plover species can also act as an “umbrella” to benefit other coastally-dependent species.
American Oystercatcher with young (Photo by J. Gray)Least Tern parents feeding young. (Photo by J. Gray)
The seedling concept for Conservian’s shorebird habitat conservation work in the Bahamas had taken root in 2011 during face-to-face discussions with Bahamas National Trust and other partners at the BirdsCaribbean International Conference on Grand Bahama Island. Later that year the Dream Catcher partnership began with Captain Duke’s idea of a live-aboard expedition. In 2014 LightHawk funded Conservian’s Bahamas aerial surveys that provided essential habitat data necessary to begin on-the-ground work. Discussions and planning continued through 2015 at the BirdsCaribbean Conference in Jamaica, where Conservian was invited to present a vision for new shorebird conservation work in the Bahamas. Resulting partnerships led to a cooperative Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant award which will help fund the project through 2017. The International Conservation Fund of Canada is also a key supporting partner of Conservian’s Bahamas conservation work.
With the start of our expedition Conservian and partners would begin the first program in the Bahamas to implement on-the-ground protective measures to limit human-caused disturbance to beach-nesting birds, and initiate control of invasive Casuarina pine at key shorebird and seabird sites. We would accomplish these goals by working together in the field with our local partners and community members to conserve the Bahamas coastal treasures.
Designed in 1996 by Captain Duke, the Dreamcatcher schooner, our home and floating field station, proved, as planned, the most efficient way to transport our crew, field equipment, and materials throughout the northern Bahamas archipelago. Solidly built of steel, she made a perfect expedition vessel. Her 20-foot beam provided great stability in open waters, yet her shallow, 5-foot draft allowed us close approach to our targeted landing areas. For ferrying field crew and equipment to shore we towed a traditional, custom-crafted, 30-foot, wooden longboat, the “Aida”, built by Captain Duke.
The expedition was planned for the month of May. After our three-day Atlantic crossing with only essential sailing crew, each week saw a new volunteer field team fly into Bahamian airports to join the project. The first team member, and one of our expedition photographers, arrived on Sunday May 1, followed by our first week’s crew on Monday at Freeport International Airport. Conservian’s team and ship’s crew adapted quickly to shared onboard duties of cooking, cleaning, and sailing.
Each morning, we’d awake early to the welcome aroma of the Captain’s freshly brewed coffee along with views of golden sunrises, open horizons, and almost impossibly vibrant turquoise water surrounds. Each night and each following morning, Captain Duke and I, along with first mate Andrew, would review planned navigation routes and logistics for the schooner and longboat, as well as deployment and retrieval plans for field crew and equipment.
Key elements of our mission on every island we visited centered on conducting surveys for beach-nesting bird target species and habitat assessments for human-caused disturbance. In planned areas, we posted signs to alert beach-goers to the presence of beach-nesting birds to reduce disturbance to birds, nests, and chicks. We made new friends wherever we went as the Bahamian locals were very interested in our expedition, desired to help, expressed appreciation, and discussed the future.
During survey work, we typically divided into smaller field teams of two or three, to cover the maximum area possible. Reaching shorebird sites, first by water and then by land, often proved to be our toughest daily task. Challenges began with finding suitably calm waters for team drop offs.
To reach potential habitat on islands with Atlantic beachfront, we often hiked on overgrown trails, through vegetated terrain, and across rocky shorelines. We made use of a variety of land-based transportation modes, from rental van and taxis to hitch-hiking on local golf-carts.
We walked many miles enduring May’s tropical heat, humidity, and biting insects while searching for beach-nesting birds or posting shorebird sites. Rewards, were abundant, however, with exciting new data collected, new shorebird sites posted, frequent nest and chick sightings, and unforgettable vistas of Caribbean sands and seas, as well as an occasional quick dip in the blue to cool off. Often when the Dreamcatcher was anchored off shore, our adventurous and productive days ended with a boat-side swim or snorkel in the clear, near-shore waters followed by a hearty meal from the galley, or on-deck barbecue, jointly prepared by the group.
We conducted ground surveys for beach-nesting birds on 29 islands and cays, collecting new data on habitats, and breeding abundance and distribution. Local volunteer stewards participated in ground surveys and assisted with posting and signing of imperiled shorebird areas. Noted conservationist Erika Gates and her dedicated volunteers joined us aboard the Dreamcatcher for a sign posting mini-expedition to protect Bridled Terns at Peterson Cay National Park, where Conservian also conducted Casuarina eradication. On Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco, by invitation, we gave educational presentations, speaking about Conservian’s shorebird work and the expedition.
With assistance from Ellsworth Weir, manager of Lucaya National Park, we conducted a pilot project to control the invasive species Casuarina pine, which has spread throughout the Bahamas eroding beaches and destroying shorebird habitat. Conservian provided in-the-field Casuarina control training for staff from the Bahamas National Trust and Bahamas Public Parks and Beaches Authority. Our local Casuarina control team began eradication at Lucaya National Park’s Gold Rock Beach with herbicide donated to the project by Dow AgroScience.
Conservian’s Bahamas cooperative shorebird conservation work is a new and innovative program with long-term objectives for conserving and protecting the natural coastal resources of the Bahamas through directed assistance and local capacity building. With essential support from our partners BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, local volunteer coordinators Erika Gates, Honorable Pericles Maillis, Dr. Elwood Bracey, Shamie Rolle, and many others, we were able to accomplish major project objectives during our first year of the project. Our present and future successes are attributable in great measure to our increasing family of supporting partners, whom we look forward to working with again soon.
In May 2017, Conservian/Coastal Bird Conservation will embark on our second Bahamas conservation expedition in the northern Bahamas. Keep a weather eye on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CoastalBirdConservation for our other project updates and message us or email margoZ@coastalbird.org for information on joining Conservian’s conservation team on our next adventure.
Our Supporting Partner Organizations and Individuals
BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, International Conservation Fund of Canada, US Fish and Wildlife Service/Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grant, LightHawk, Dream Catcher Coastal Sailing Adventures, Dow AgroSciences, Grand Bahama Nature Tours, Optics for the Tropics, Grand Bahama Port Authority, Bahamas Public Parks & Beaches Authority, Bahamas Environment, Science & Technology Commission, Rand Nature Center, Abaco Friends of the Environment, Treasure Cay Community Center, Royal Bahamas Police Force/Marine Support, University of Florida, University of Miami, Mobile Bay Audubon Society, Atlantic Design Homes.
Honorable Pericles Maillis, Dr. Lisa Sorenson, Eric Carey, Erika Gates, Captain John O. Duke, Dr. Elwood Bracey, Shamie Rolle, Ellsworth Weir, Linda Barry-Cooper, Keith Kemp, James Madison Roswell, Andrew McDowell, Thomas Wilmers, Lee Pagni, Daniel Leckie, William Gravitter, Robert Gravitter, Edward Guerry, David Cummins, David L’Hereux, and Thomas Wilmers. Conservian 2016 Supporting Volunteer Crew: Maureen Lilla, Scott Hecker, Alexandra Newton, Tyler Kovacs, Emma Rhodes, Shona Lawson, Dawn Rasmussen, Carolyn Wardle, Janet Vertin, Robyn Darley, Robin Bjork, Ben Bowman, Pete Monte, Corina McBride, Coralina Meyer, Mihala Reedy, Charla Lower, Susan Silvia, Louis Wray.
Erika Gates is an inspiring powerhouse whose work in the Bahamas has not gone unnoticed. She has been involved in a multitude of projects in Grand Bahama to raise awareness, restore native habitats and foster sustainable tourism. This article highlights one of her successful campaigns—certifying Lucaya International School as a wildlife habitat.
Wetland Trail team with Dr. Batemann, Marilyn Laing, and Erika Gates displaying the certification sign.
Last year, Erika suggested to Lucaya International School’s (LIS) headmaster and board to get the school certified as a Wildlife Habitat. Erika had certified her own backyard garden a few years back and thought, “Why not get youth involved in creating habitat for birds and wildlife at their school?” The National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife Program helps people to restore habitat and wildlife populations to our cities, towns and neighborhoods. It encourages schools to create outdoor classrooms where educators and students learn how to attract and support local wildlife. These wildlife habitats become places where students not only learn about wildlife species and ecosystems, but also hone their academic skills and nurture innate curiosity and creativity.
Marilyn Laing and Chad Haddad pruning a tree in the LIS schoolyard. (photo by Erika Gates)To meet the criteria for certification, the students had to create a wildlife habitat that provides a number of specific elements for each of the following habitat essentials: food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices. The site also needed to be used as a teaching tool. Work began in October 2015 to prepare a portion of the school grounds as a bird and butterfly habitat. A trail, extended dock and observation tower were also created at the wonderfully productive wetland. Marilyn Laing of Garden of the Groves and Erika provided assistance with the program and helped the students select appropriate native plants that provide nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies, as well as berries and fruit for birds. They instructed them in pruning the existing trees in the habitat area, preparing the ground, composting and planting. Two birdbaths provided the water feature, and bird feeders were installed.
Sophila Clark, Jim Pierson and Brickelle Sands mulch the area after planting (photo by Erika Gates)While the Gardening Team was led by teacher Martin Suarez, the Wetland Trail Team was led by Dr. Sylvia Bateman. The school is fortunate to be located adjacent to a wetland, a perfect outdoor classroom for bird observation, water sampling and plant biodiversity. This location was enhanced by Dr. Bateman’s team through the creation of a trail along its southern shoreline. A boardwalk and dock for better access into the wetland was built and donated by Grand Bahama Nature Tours. The students’ team created an observation stand for better viewing of the wetland, and the site also received the Wildlife Habitat Certification.
Year 5 class birding from the dock at LIS wetland (photo by Erika Gates)The certified Garden and Wetland Wildlife Habitats at Lucaya International School have already become outdoor classrooms for librarian Susan Krupica’s Year 5 and 6 birding classes. Ms. Krupica has been trained by BirdsCaribbean through their BirdSleuth Caribbean program to teach young children how to spot, identify and record birds as well as submit them into eBird Caribbean, a real-time online checklist program used by birders and ornithologists all over the world to gather basic information on bird abundance and distribution. Over the past six months LIS has submitted observations of 48 different bird species!Erika was delighted to accompany and lecture the young birders on their fieldtrips. BirdsCaribbean sponsored the BirdSleuth educational materials and also provided the binoculars for the Birding Class.A pair of Black-necked Stilts nested at the LIS school wetland this spring. (photo by Erika Gates)Dr. Lisa Sorenson, Executive Director of BirdsCaribbean, stated, “The Garden for Wildlife program combined with birding and science activities in the BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum provides a hands-on way for youth in learn about and care for the birds and nature all around them. It also provides much-needed habitat for wildlife, every little bit helps! Congratulations to the LIS school and Garden of the Groves for this initiative—it’s a wonderful model for other schools around the Caribbean to follow.”
Over 300 schools participate in the National Wildlife Federation program in the United States but Lucaya International School is the first school in the Bahamas to have received the Wildlife Habitat Certification. Mr. Michael Lowerey, Principal of the school, commented: “Students need an area in which they can take the theory learned in the classroom and put it into practice. These two areas give our students a hands-on learning experience. We are so grateful to have the assistance of Erika Gates and The Garden of Groves and all of their expertise. The outdoor classrooms also allow our students to receive a better understanding of our island and all of its resources and how important the environment is for our future.”
Erika Gates is owner and operator of Garden of the Groves, Grand Bahama Nature Tours and Grand Bahama Birders’ Bed and Breakfast. She also serves as a Board member of BirdsCaribbean. A free eBook is available from BirdsCaribbean: “Heritage Plants: Native Trees and Plants for Birds and People in the Caribbean.” This illustrated book explains the importance of native trees to birds and other animals, includes a guide featuring dozens of native trees of particular value, and serves as a resource to foster habitat restoration within local communities. It is available in English and Spanish at this page.Certified Wildlife Habitat signs are placed in the school’s gardening area and along the wetland trail. (photo by Erika Gates)Greater- and Lesser Yellowlegs fly from Alaska to spend the winter at LIS wetland (photo by Erika Gates)Blue-winged Teal migrate in large flocks from Canada to LIS wetland.Zebra Longwing butterfly on Jatropha, a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. (photo by Erika Gates)Year 5 class at Lucayan International School observing and studying birds at the school grounds. (photo by Erika Gates)Cattle Egrets at the playing field. (photo by Erika Gates)Members of the Eco Gardening Team (standing) with Mr. Suarez receiving sign by Erika and Marilyn on behalf of the National Wildlife Federation. Sitting in front are the LIS Birding students with Ms. Krupica.Julia butterfly on Golden Dewdrop. (photo by Erika Gates)
Steffen Oppel from the UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) recently visited St. Lucia to assist the Department of Forestry with setting up bird counts in order to search for the elusive Semper’s Warbler. This is his story.
An artist’s rendition of the Semper’s Warbler – the last confirmed sighting was in 1961. (Joseph Smit [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)The Semper’s Warbler (Leucopeza semperi) is a small songbird endemic to St Lucia, but sadly the species has not been seen with certainty for more than 50 years and may be extinct. In 2003, at the BirdsCaribbean (then known as the Society for the Study and Conservation of Caribbean Birds) meeting in Tobago, forester Donald Anthony from St. Lucia reported on his efforts to find this warbler. He said that a few years ago, he saw what he could only describe as this bird somewhere on one of the Pitons. His efforts subsequent to that turned up nothing.
St. Lucia’s breathtaking cloud forest in Edmund forest reserve. (photo by Steffen Oppel)
Martin Frost believes he saw a Semper’s Warbler in the early 1990s. This triggered several trips by Martin, Edward Massiah and forestry guides to find the bird in the mid-1990s. Although they were not able to detect the warbler, they never gave up hope that it still exists, noting that there are some very hard-to-access areas that are never visited by humans, and would take days to explore. Edward commented, “If you assume this bird is shy and possibly even ground-dwelling and very local then it is possible it has not yet been located.”
Fast forward to 2016. Unconfirmed reports of warbler sightings continue to trickle in, even as recently as 2014 and 2015, but there have been no major efforts to search for the bird despite a lot of interest in carrying out more searches. With such an appealing subject and always up for a challenge, I was sent to help give our St. Lucian friends the tools to search for one of the country’s rarest species.
Need for a proper search
Showing the staff of the Department of Forestry how to use mist nets and safely extract birds. (photo by Steffen Oppel)
Numerous invasive species introduced by humans, such as rats, cats, and mongooses, roam freely around St Lucia and unfortunately these skillful predators have caused the extirpation of some of the island’s endemic species. However, the Semper’s Warbler is a small, nondescript brownish warbler that hops around the floor of St. Lucia’s dense rainforest, and for this reason it may be easily overlooked. Given also that St Lucia still has extensive tracts of seemingly intact rainforest where the species may persist, it would be foolish to write off the Semper’s Warbler without conducting a systematic search.
The rainforest on St Lucia is so extensive and rugged that a proper search for this tiny, secretive bird would require a little more than just a weekend of intensive birding. Until now, it was not known how long the search would have to be, or what manpower would be required. Therefore in April 2016, my colleague Lyndon John and I facilitated a workshop on St. Lucia to determine the effort needed to search for the Semper’s Warbler.
The team practicing point counts in St. Lucia’s tropical montane forest. (photo by Pius Haynes)
Together with experienced and enthusiastic rangers from the Department of Forestry, we first pored over maps to identify suitable habitats where the species might still persist. We then slogged through rugged hills to assess the feasibility of sufficiently covering the remote areas where intact rainforest still remains. After two weeks, we concluded that a proper search would likely require 84 days to search ten priority areas covering the most natural rainforests on St Lucia. This means that the search team will need to be skilled and hardy, able to cope with venomous snakes, rugged terrain, and will need to use equipment such as mistnets, sound recorders and camera traps to comb the hills for this small and elusive bird.
Surveying for endemics whilst in the forest
The St Lucia Oriole is one of five species endemic to St Lucia. (photo by Steffen Oppel)
During the workshop, we established 20 permanent sampling stations in order to count birds. Conducting regular annual surveys of all forest birds might increase the chance of detecting a Semper’s Warbler while also providing valuable information on other endemic species that are still more common, such as the St. Lucia Black Finch (Melanospiza richardsoni), the St. Lucia Oriole (Icterus laudabilis), or the White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus).
White-breasted Thrasher, a threatened species whose population stronghold is on St. Lucia. (photo by Steffen Oppel)
While no Semper’s Warblers were detected during our field work, the team emerged inspired and hopeful that the species may still persist in some of the remote valleys and ridges off the beaten paths of St. Lucia’s lush interior. Forestry Officer, Pius Haynes remarked, “We at the Forestry Department in St. Lucia are highly confident the species may still persist in some remote pocket of our rainforest. The rediscovery of the iconic Semper’s warbler would be a remarkable thing as it would boost our conservation efforts and showcase the value of our native biodiversity. The Forestry Department in St. Lucia was very happy to collaborate with the RSPB in executing a training workshop aimed at developing a feasible strategy to undertake searches for the Semper’s warbler. We were also very happy to receive much needed technical assistance and equipment to better undertake bird surveys. We are confident that the training and equipment received will go a long way in assist us in our quest to rediscover the Semper’s warbler.”
The steep slopes of Morne Tomassie could also provide hideouts for an endemic species. (photo by Steffen Oppel)
Hannah Madden with Red-billed Tropicbird in hand. “Despite the vertigo, scrapes and bites, the rewards of seabird fieldwork are endless.”
Back in 2005, I first visited St. Eustatius on vacation. I was living in Amsterdam at the time and thought I’d give one of the lesser known Dutch Caribbean islands a try. Vacation turned into a ‘year off’ when I decided to return to the island in 2006, and that year off has since turned into a career in ecology, a house, a partner, and a child in 2016. The island has a way of grabbing hold of your heart—I had fallen in love with the way of life here, unhurried and unspoiled, and also the island’s inhabitants—namely its Red-billed Tropicbirds.
St. Eustatius, affectionately known as Statia, is a small landmass with a big history. Famous (but not well known) for being the first foreign nation to recognize the United States of America’s long sought-after independence in 1776, the island reached its economic peak around 1795. Each year, thousands of ships anchored on the roadstead of Oranjestad, and the shore of the Bay was lined with hundreds of warehouses packed with goods. In fact, more trade (both legal and illegal) transpired here after the end of the American Revolution than on any other Caribbean island.
Red-billed Tropicbird nesting inside a naturally occurring cavity of the sandstone cliff on Zeelandia Beach on Statia. This is actually the least favorable site due to erosion.
But we are here to talk about birds, seabirds specifically. As the eighteenth century drew to a close, St. Eustatius gradually lost its importance as a trading center and most merchants and planters left the island. Through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Statia became and remained a quiet island. In contrast to the rapid and excessive environmental destruction that has ravaged many Caribbean islands in their quest for economic development, the coastlines of Statia have remained untouched by high-rise hotels or boardwalks. This means that, despite its small size, the island has become one of the main nesting sites for Red-billed Tropicbirds in the region (Saba and Little Tobago being the others).
In 2012 I participated in a tropicbird monitoring workshop on Statia, led by Dr. Adrian Delnevo and facilitated by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance. That same year I also attended an international training workshop for seabird research and conservation on San Salvador, the Bahamas, organized by BirdsCaribbean, Clemson University and Defenders of Wildlife. It was then that I realized the increasing vulnerability of seabirds and the importance of better understanding their threats and population dynamics. I also learned field techniques for monitoring and studying seabirds in these workshops. So, in 2012, together with former intern Andrew Ellis, and employed by STENAPA, the local conservation NGO, we embarked on a mammoth quest to find the island’s main nesting sites. We initially only knew that tropicbirds nested along Zeelandia Beach, which faces the Atlantic Ocean, because we could see them inside crevices in the cliff face. But where else did they nest?
Some call me a wuss for wearing gloves but I am rather fond of my fingers.
According to earlier published literature, there were estimated to be only 30 pairs of Red-billed Tropicbirds on Statia (Lee and McGehee, 2000). This was followed by EPIC’s estimate of 100-200 pairs in 2003. Having traversed the entire island in search of nests during 2012-2013, however, we believe the population more likely totals around 300-500 pairs. To our surprise, the main nesting site was not Zeelandia Beach – in fact we realized this was one of the worst habitats for tropicbirds due to erosion of the sandstone cliff. After clambering over giant boulders along Statia’s north-west coast, we finally hit gold. At elevations of just 20-40 meters above sea level, we were able to (safely) access some 85 nests along a narrow strip of coastline spanning approximately 1km. While there are many more nests at higher elevations, our lack of levitation prowess prevented us from accessing those.
My youngest and most entertaining field tech (aka my daughter, Lalia), who apparently enjoys rock climbing and retrieving angry birds from nests.
And so, since 2012, from mid-October to mid-May, we have faithfully monitored this magnificent seabird. We measure, weigh and band adults and chicks and record nest success. Sticking your hand into the nest of a ferociously angry and defensive tropicbird’s nest may not sound like fun to some, but I like to think my family would be proud. I have become accustomed to the joys of regurgitated fish, pooped-on pants, and new scars after every visit. When my daughter comes home from school I show her my new collection of scrapes and bites. She has even joined me on fieldwork (see photo) and is now the go-to person at school for anything nature-related.
Since 2012 we have banded about 450 tropicbirds. We’ve also attached geolocators and GPS loggers to a few individuals, with varying rates of retrieval success. We have learned that they can travel great distances inside and outside the breeding season, and we now have a better understanding of the threats they face (mainly rats, which prey on eggs and young), but this is just the beginning. As I write this, we are submitting a proposal to further study Red-billed Tropicbirds on Statia and Saba. If approved, I will spend another four years doing my PhD on this enigmatic species. Being able to contribute to regional knowledge and the long-term conservation of this beautiful bird is a worthy endeavor and well worth the battle scars. I am grateful for the exciting opportunities that have allowed me to stay on Statia and study Red-billed Tropicbirds; hopefully my Caribbean seabird journey will continue – stay tuned!
Map showing a single foraging trip of an adult tropicbird in the incubating stage. The bird flew around the island twice and then traveled past Montserrat towards Guadeloupe. The diet of tropicbirds primarily consists of pelagic species such as flying fish and squid.
This black-whiskered vireo was one of three caught adjacent to a small cocoa plantation in St. David.
This story begins with a couple of biologists, from Montana and Winnipeg, meeting by chance in Hawai’i, and ends in Grenada – though this is an ending that is really a beginning. In this blog I’m going to focus on a banding project that students and I started in November 2015. But first, to really appreciate the serendipity that brought us to this point, I have to tell you about how I, a conservation biologist from the University of Manitoba, came to this little paradise.
At The Wildlife Society conference on Hawai’i in 2011, I hoped to catch a glimpse of some of the endemic species that generally avoid the resort-laden perimeter of the island, so when I overheard another attendee asking where she could go to see birds, I introduced myself. We decided on the spot to rent a car together to check out the island, and spent a delightful day snorkelling and visiting local coffee plantations. I had had the good luck to meet Dr. Andrea Easter-Pilcher, a professor who was originally from Montana, and now teaches at St. George’s University (SGU) in Grenada. Andrea is also an active member of BirdsCaribbean and was on the organizing committee for the 19th Regional Conference held at SGU in July 2013. During our drive we hatched a plan to bring Canadian students down to Grenada, which in 2014 was realized as a field course (we will be returning for another field course in 2017).
Belmont Estate, one of our banding sites in Grenada, is a unique and authentic 17th century plantation that offers guests an opportunity to participate in and observe the workings of a fully functional historic plantation, growing spices, cocoa and more.
This collaboration has naturally developed further into a fledgling research program. In April 2016 we will be starting our first big field season, with 3 graduate students starting or continuing different projects. However, we initiated this program in November 2015, when we started a mist-netting and banding project focussing on passerines and near-passerines in three sites spread across Grenada’s rural habitats.
Myself, four graduate students (Paulson Des Brisay, Chelsea Enslow, Alexandra Heathcote and Christoph Ng) and Paula Grieef, bander-in-charge from Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, participated in the initial banding period. We were welcomed with open arms by our amazing partners. Initially we stayed with Claudette David (of SPECTO, an environmental NGO) at High Hopes Villa in Bathway. We had the most wonderful time getting to know Claudette and many additional volunteers and staff from SPECTO. We mist-netted and banded in gardens, orchards and cocoa plantations both at High Hopes and at Belmont Estates, an award-winning organic plantation and agri-tourism destination nearby. Shadel Nyack Compton, owner of Belmont, and her staff were just as welcoming as Claudette. Finally, we moved to a more southern cocoa and mixed-species plantation at a small farm in St. David, where we had the pleasure of working with Shelley Roberts and Phillip Patrick of Little Cocoa cottage.
Paula Grief, bander-in-charge at Oak Hammock Marsh (OHM) Interpretive Centre, giving a training talk to students about bird banding. OHM also collaborates on BIrdsCaribbean’s West Indian Whistling-Duck and Wetlands Conservation Project.
In November we banded 244 individuals of 14 species, including Lesser Antillean Tanagers, Antillean House Wrens, Lesser Antillean Bullfinches, and many other passerines of forest-agriculture ecosystems. Even though we only banded for a couple of weeks so far, we have found interesting results. Between 50 and 100% of the individuals of every species we captured were in active moult, a much higher rate than we expected in November. Many species showed morphological differences relative to other populations that have been reported in the literature. We are really excited to be back banding in April and May this year, so that we can increase sample sizes, compare body condition between rainy and dry seasons, and get a better handle on moult and breeding periods.
Christoph Ng laughs with Jody Daniel, instructor at SGU and former student of both Andrea Easter-Pilcher and Nicola Koper, and a SGU marine, wildlife and conservation program student, while releasing banded birds.
We also contributed to the training of a class of students, taught by Dr. Miya Warrington, at St. George’s University. Miya’s class in ecological methods joined us at Belmont Estates and learned about mist-netting and banding a variety of different species. We have many plans to collaborate further with SGU to work towards learning about and conserving many of Grenada’s bird species. Our research lab group has already included two Masters students who are graduates of SGU’s marine, wildlife, and conservation biology program (Ezra Campbell and Jody Daniel, who served as Chairs of the organizing committee of the 2013 BirdsCaribbean Conference), and we have plans to integrate more SGU students and grads into our research activities. This has been a great opportunity to increase the international composition of the University of Manitoba’s graduate programs, while also contributing to the education and training of Grenadians.
Antillean House Wren, a subspecies endemic to Grenada, netted and banded at Belmont Estates.
One of the best parts of the trip was realizing how interested the local community members are in conservation of their birds. In St. David, lots of locals stopped to chat as they saw us banding near roads, and offered us encouragement for our work. Claudette and several of her staff, especially Valdon Paul and Shaundel Franklyn, participated in many of our banding activities, and showed great delight in seeing many different species up close. Shadel and her staff were also really engaged in our research, and were grateful that we chose to work at Belmont – indeed, this collaboration has been so wonderful that we’ve planned to collaborate further this year, participating with them and their visitors on activities for the 2026 Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival, as well as further banding. This response makes me even more excited about our research and our ongoing collaborations with Grenadian communities, and I continue to be grateful for the fates that brought Andrea and I together on that lucky day in Hawai’i. Stay tuned for more reports on our findings from the Spice Isle!
Male Hispaniolan Golden Swallow perched over-top an artificial nest-box in Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic; July 2014. (photo by Justin Proctor)
With a title like that, I’m hoping that many of you instinctively hucked your laptops across the room, sprinted out to the barn and started hitching your pride-and-joy appaloosa to the covered wagon your grandpappy gave to you as a belated wedding gift back in the summer of ‘69. Just don’t forget the “caulk the wagon and float” option if you’re coming from the mainland.
If you decide to make the journey, I suggest making landfall on the beautiful island of Hispaniola (gold deposits have all but dried up in Jamaica – but more on that later). Trade in your bikini and flip-flops for some long pants and hiking boots, because what you came for can only be reliably found high up in the mountains. Not that I like to give away too much insider advice, but if I were you, I’d keep heading up until you’ve reached the Hispaniolan pine forests – the highest altitude forest type you’ll find on the island. Find a grassy clearing, sit down, and wait, because at this point, the gold is going to come to you! With mighty wings (~11cm long each), fearsome talons (actually you’d have to strain to even notice the legs on this bird), and a relentless hunger for meat (prey doesn’t get much bigger than an 8mm march fly), watch out as the infamous Golden Swallow comes tearing over the nearest hillside radiating its majestic golden sheen across the lands…wait…wait…I can’t do this anymore. It’s a tiny bird that can’t peck to save its life, and unless the light of a passing-by solar flare manages to reflect off the swallow’s dorsal plumage at a perfect 47.86o angle, the bird is green!
Artificial nest-box mounted to a pole with a cone-shaped predator guard attached beneath, Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic; June 2014. (photo by Justin Proctor)
In 2010, in collaboration with the Golondrinas de Las Américas (Swallows of the Americas) project at Cornell University, researcher Jim Goetz and Dominican biologists Esteban Garrido and Jesus Almonthe erected nearly one hundred artificial nest-boxes across a national park known as Parque Valle Nuevo (Parque Nacional Juan Bautista Pérez Rancier) located in the Dominican Republic’s Cordillera Central. Their hope was to attract a sizeable, returning population of breeding Hispaniolan Golden Swallows (Tachycineta euchrysea sclateri) to those nest-boxes so that a formal study of the species could be carried out. By 2012 the plan had worked, and word spread back to Cornell that the time was ripe to find someone to undertake the research. Upon hearing about the opportunity – and conveniently in the very beginning planning stages of my master’s thesis – I decided to give it a go. I was fresh off two years of back-to-back-to-back field seasons working with Tachycineta swallows up and down the Western Hemisphere, and I was ready to find out where else this genus of acrobatic aerial insectivores could take me.
The Hispaniolan Golden Swallow, it turned out, was considered endemic to the island, threatened, and in steady decline. Furthermore, there was so very little known about it. Some work had been done with a very small breeding population that was nesting in crevices within the walls of abandoned bauxite mines located in the Aceitillar region of the Sierra de Bahoruco, but that was really about it. As I came to realize both the extent of what we didn’t know as well as the current plight of the species, I decided that a focused study of the swallow’s breeding biology would simply not be enough. The project would have to be more holistic. The work I decided to do would have to be chosen for its relevance and thus its ability to produce information that helped develop both short and long-term conservation management plans for the species. The project could only truly be successful if its every facet was geared towards having a broader impact on the future of the Golden Swallow. So, I had three years (roughly speaking – this is academia we’re talking about) to make some magic happen, and with the laundry list of ideas and goals growing daily, I knew I was going to need some help. Much to my good fortune, I found smiling faces and willing bodies around absolutely every bend in the road. [All of those people, groups, and foundations deserve their own article – and I plan to write it – but in the meantime let me just say that I’m hoping we all set some kind of record for the 400 word acknowledgment section within our Hispaniolan Golden Swallow monograph that’s currently under review for publication by the JCO.]
View of Parque Valle Nuevo from the top of the Pajon Blanco Fire Tower; Dominican Republic. (photo by Justin Proctor)
And so we set out on an adventure of a lifetime with the underlying goal of studying a bird and using what we learned to help save that bird, while simultaneously nourishing an already burgeoning sense of local stewardship over Hispaniola’s feathered friends and the habitats they so deeply depend upon. We set the bar high from the beginning, and I can be honest in saying that I feel good about what we accomplished and where the project stands today.
Two Golden Swallow chicks have just hatched. One begs for food, one contemplates life, and one refuses to come out; Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic, 2014. (photo by Justin Proctor)
However, as opposed to trying to tackle an impossible play-by-play of what transpired over those next three years (thankfully all of that information is in my master’s thesis and can be yours for just three easy payments of $29.99), I’m going to take a slightly different approach. I’m going to share with descriptions of images (and feelings) that go through my head when somebody kindly asks me, “So how’d that Golden Swallow Project go?” Little does that person know how much weight a question like that can have, or how it causes me to temporary black-out as my mind boards a high-speed emotional (and perhaps somewhat spiritual) roller-coaster from which there is little hope for return for at least the ensuing two minutes. So let’s go for a ride.
My wife, Marisol, and I are inside of a rental jeep that hasn’t had a tune-up since Elvis left the planet. It’s 10pm (pitch dark), and there is a rather large gathering of people around us. Some are cheering, others look nervous. We are momentarily stopped, looking out in front of us at a raging river flowing out of a stormy valley. The road, of course, stops at one side of the river and continues again on the other side. That “other side” is our only way home, back up into the mountains after having endured a long day of re-provisioning our food supplies down in town. It’s been an intense first field season so far. There have been high highs and some low lows. We really want to get back up to the cabin where we’ve been living, because field work awaits us again at 6am the next morning. Against my better judgment, we begin moving forward and into the river. Despite the water starting to come in through the driver’s side window, the four-wheel drive seems to be working well, and a grin starts creeping onto my face. That grin disappears quickly when all four tires stop making contact with the gravelly bottom of the river and the current begins carrying us downstream.
I successfully trap and get my first close-up look at a Golden Swallow. It’s a female, and she’s rather calm
Adult female Golden Swallow in the hand that will soon be measured, banded and then released; Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic. (photo by Justin Proctor)
in the hand. My rule is to keep her no longer than two minutes, during which time I’ll need to take at least four different biometric measurements, describe her plumage, and place an aluminum band on her leg. That doesn’t leave much time to just admire. But a few seconds turns out to be just enough.
I look at one of our 200 artificial nest-boxes (we expanded considerably our first year) and realize how simple it is. Yet, at the same time, it’s the solution to everything. First, the box provides a nesting cavity for swallows in a habitat where otherwise very few natural cavities exist, which results in more nesting attempts by more pairs of swallows. Second, with the boxes attached to free-standing poles, a predator guard in the form of a metallic cone can be fashioned below the box to thwart attacks from invasive rats and mongoose (not to mention those damn feral cats!). This results in higher rates of brood survival in the face of unnatural – and overwhelming – rates of predation and subsequent nest failure. Third, the boxes are built to be temporarily opened from the side by researchers studying the breeding life history of the swallows. This provides us access to a nearly limitless wealth of data. Fourth, the boxes are tangible, visible, and accessible. These are perhaps the most important features. The box itself becomes a curiosity, a talking point, and ultimately an icon for our collective efforts to protect and care for nature. Although maybe not the long-term answer, the nest-box is invaluable for now.
My field crew today consists of two Dominicans, one Haitian, two Argentinians, one Cuban, and one Venezuelan. It wasn’t necessarily easy, but we got them all here. Cross-culture-pollination is the bread and butter of great science and conservation work. Amazing how quickly good solutions come in an environment like this.
The Hispaniolan Woodpecker field team (led by Josh LaPergola, Cornell University) and the Hispaniolan Golden Swallow field team combine forces; Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic, 2014. (photo by Marisol Mata)
Josh LaPergola – the legend that studies Hispaniolan Woodpeckers in Jarabacoa – has come to visit me up in Valle Nuevo. He’s brought his entire field crew along with him in an attempt to help me piece together the riddle of why there are so few woodpeckers (and thus cavities that my swallows can use to nest in) in the high-altitude pine forests where I am working. We spent the last two days hard at work, so this evening I’m treating the group to a dip in the upper pool of Aguas Blancas, one of the best waterfalls on the island. Anyhow, Josh does a mean cannonball off the nearby rock face (perfect execution by the way), surfaces a few seconds later, and casually admits that he forgot to take his glasses off before he jumped in. Though the story only goes downhill from there, our admiration for Josh grew stronger that day as we saw in him an inhuman level of determination as he nearly went hypothermic (yes, that water is unforgivingly cold) by repeatedly diving down into the zero-visibility abyss trying desperately to save the fate of his summer. [A big shout-out to Josh, who just unfortunately suffered a serious accident during his 2016 field season, but is currently managing to push through a difficult recovery with nothing but a smile on his face. All our best buddy, we’re thinking of you!].
My field assistants and I sit down in front of an evening fire with the local park guards in Valle Nuevo. They
Field assistants Ianela García Lau (Habana, Cuba) and Milagros Jefferies (Mendoza, Argentina) busy checking all 185 nest-boxes for signs of nesting; Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic, 2014 (photo by Justin Proctor)
are bursting with energy, interrupting each other to tell me stories about the Golden Swallows they saw while making their rounds that day. One man says that he’ll give his life for those birds. I laugh, but make sure to grow a little more serious when I tell him that that’s not totally necessary…just in case. At the end of the night, I walk back to the cabin realizing that really well-done outreach takes your passion and makes it contagious.
I’m sitting at my office in Ithaca, NY in August, post field-season, and receiving a flurry of emails that Parque Valle Nuevo is burning. A forest fire spreads rampantly across the national park, directly through the areas where all of our nest-boxes are located. Everything is lost.
Not much later, I’m sent a flurry of photos that indicate otherwise. Because the nest-boxes are all mounted on metal posts in meadows away from the forest edge, the fires in those areas have burned low to the ground, passing quickly underneath them. The nest-boxes, in many areas, are the only things left standing. Though a few were lost, word soon comes back to me that they have been replaced. The project carries itself without me – a major success for everyone and a solid indication that many more good things are to come!
As my vision begins to clear, I know all-too-well what I’ll hear next…
“Whoa, sounds like an adventure! So, tell me, what are your plans for a PhD?”
[My vision goes dark again…]
Our (un)faithful jeep breaks down again. This time the rear axle snaps in half. Not good. Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic, 2012. (photo by Justin Proctor)
In 2014, I conducted my last full field season in the Dominican Republic (in other words, I had burnt up all of my NSF funding and the winds of change were blowing my wife and me from Ithaca down to Raleigh). That being said, I was (and still am) extremely passionate about Golden Swallows, and more and more so about aerial insectivores throughout the Caribbean (swifts and swallows of course; those flycatchers and nightjars will have to find other sponsors). I did, however, have the pleasure of sneaking in one more (big) Golden Swallow adventure before my master’s defense came around. I was asked by Gary Graves, the Curator of Birds at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, to finish the long-running census work he had been carrying out in Jamaica in search of the critically endangered Jamaican Golden Swallow (T. e. euchrysea) – the only other known race of Golden Swallow and one that hadn’t been reliably seen since the 1980’s. Gary had scoured the island except for two places the Cockpit Country in the northwest and the Blue Mountains in the southeast.
I had never been to Jamaica before, and judging by its miniscule size relative to Hispaniola on a map, I figured I could probably walk across that island in a day. Easy. Well, Proctor men have been wrong before, which means it was bound to happen again. It turns out that remote census work in Jamaica was more physically demanding (by far) than anything else I’d ever done in my life. Luckily, with unwavering field assistants at my side (Seth only collapsed vomiting from the stress twice, mind you, and John only plunged off a cliff once), we hacked our way across as many miles of that terrain as we possibly could in two months’ time. Remember earlier on when I mentioned “gold” being scarce in Jamaica. Unfortunately, that’s the truth. By the end of our work, and in light of compounding evidence in favor, we made a formal declaration that the Jamaican Golden Swallow was indeed extinct (look to Volume 29 of the JCO!). Despite not finding our search target, we were able to document many other interesting behaviors exhibited by the swift and swallow species that still inhabit the island. Furthermore, the extinction of the Jamaican Golden Swallow race brings considerable perspective to the importance of the conservation efforts surrounding the remaining race in Hispaniola.
School children from the town of El Castillo spend the day helping researchers erect new nest-boxes; La Vega, Dominican Republic, 2013. (photo by Jose Delio Guzman)
I think that there is a slow, but powerful momentum growing behind the idea of conservation in Hispaniola, and I’m hopeful that the work that so many of us have put into the Golden Swallow Project will continue to help that movement grow. So I encourage all of you to put the mountains of Hispaniola on your bucket list – they won’t disappoint. Maybe there will be a little bit of gold waiting there for you when you arrive.
Your Caribbean Gold Digger,
Justin Proctor
PS. An afterthought – I want to encourage birders and ornithologists (especially those that have somehow made their way through the entirety of this blog post) to pay a little extra attention to aerial insectivores during your future outings, and to document what you see by entering your observations in eBirdCaribbean. We are going to need all the information we can muster in order to grow our information banks strong enough to better diagnose – and do something about – the causes behind the growing, widespread trend of aerial insectivore decline in North America. For many of these species, a little bit of information goes a long way. Thank you!
You can see a compilation video of our work in Jamaica with clips of birds and scenery from sunrise to sunset here.
Adult female Golden Swallow incubating her clutch; Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic, 2013. (photo by Justin Proctor)
This is an excellent opportunity to gain multi-species shorebird ID and monitoring experience.Conservian is beginning a new shorebird and habitat conservation program in the Bahamas. Come join them for the adventure of a lifetime! Conservian is seeking a weekly crew of 6 to 8 enthusiastic individuals for our Bahamas shorebird habitat conservation project in May 2016 aboard the 75ft schooner “Dream Catcher”. Cost for the week is $1,150. Includes your bunk, onboard meals, water, and ground transportation associated with project. Crews will fly to the Bahamas each week to designated airports for shuttle transport to schooner. A valid passport is required. Airfare and insurance are not included.
Our days will be filled with much adventure. We will work in both populated and remote areas, sail blue Caribbean waters, visit white sandy beaches, boat to little islands, conduct ground surveys for beach-nesting birds, nests, and downy chicks, and meet new people. We will work with local volunteers to post and sign shorebird sites and control invasive Australian pine. Crews will assist with shipboard duties; sailing, cooking and cleaning. We will rotate duties so that everyone will have some time off to visit island towns, fish, snorkel, or dive.
Our days will be filled with much adventure aboard the 75ft schooner “Dream Catcher”.Conservian and partners will begin the first program in the Bahamas to implement on-the-ground protective and restorative measures to limit human-caused disturbance, and control invasive Australian pine at key Piping Plover, shorebird, and seabird sites. Crews will also participate in collecting new data on shorebirds and seabirds of the Bahamas. Selected Island sites include Globally Important and locally Important Bird Areas and national parks of the Bahamas, such as the North Atlantic Abaco Cays National Park IBA, Lucaya National Park IBA, Peterson Cay National Park IBA, Joulters Cay National Park IBA, and Berry Islands, as well as additional key shorebird sites on Grand Bahama Island and Great Abaco. Project partners include: BirdsCaribbean, Bahamas National Trust, Dream Catcher Coastal Sailing Adventures, International Conservation Fund of Canada, LightHawk, Grand Bahama Nature Tours, Grand Bahama Port Authority, Grand Bahama Island Power, Abaco Friends of the Environment.
Just in time for the holidays, BirdsCaribbean has the perfect gift for bird-loving friends or family: giclee prints of seven gorgeous bird illustrations by Nils Navarro. These watercolors were painted by Navarro as illustrations for his recently-released book, Endemic Birds of Cuba – A Comprehensive Field Guide. These signed and numbered prints are a specially-produced limited edition—only 50 of each will be printed. In reviewing Navarro’s new book, author Herbert Raffaele remarked that “for those who do not have the opportunity to see Cuba’s remarkable avifauna in real life, Nils’ work is a remarkable substitute.” The quality of these illustrations is even more apparent in these large, 9”x12” prints. Use the form below to order one or more of these unique prints from BirdsCaribbean. Proceeds will help support our bird conservation and education programs in the region. Member price is $58.50, non-member $65.00.
Cuban Parrot by Nils Navarro
The Cuban Kite, formerly considered a subspecies of the Hook-billed Kite, is now a full species. (painting by Nils Navarro from Endemic Birds of Cuba Field Guide
Endemics, like the Jamaican Oriole, abound in the Blue Mountains. (Photo by Steve Shunk)
Anyone who attended BirdsCaribbean’s 20th International Meeting in Jamaica will surely recognize Steven Shunk, one of the keynote speakers at the event and owner of Paradise Birding. We have partnered together to offer a special discount of $500 off on the upcoming Paradise Birding tour of Jamaica for any BirdsCaribbean members. Plus, Paradise Birding will also support our conservation work by making a $100 donation to BirdsCaribbean for each member who signs up.
What’s in it for you? The best possible birding tour of Jamaica, highlighting the 29 endemic bird species that are found only on Jamaica. The tour is February 8-15, 2016 and you can get all the info on the Paradise Birding website: Caribbean Endemics of Jamaica Birding Tour. The lead guide will be Steve Shunk, fresh from his visit this summer, and the full itinerary includes the Blue Mountains, Port Antonio, Ecclesdown Road and more. Former President of BirdLife Jamaica, and perhaps the best birding guide on the island, Ricardo Miller of Arrowhead Birding, will be our local guide in Jamaica.
The iconic Red-billed Streamertail is one of Jamaica’s most famous endemics. (Photo by Steve Shunk)Birding tourism has the potential to transform bird conservation in the Caribbean, by creating a market for birds and their habitats. BirdsCaribbean is working with our partners to tap into this potential through our Caribbean Birding Trail project and by working with birding tour operators in the region and beyond to showcase our unique bird diversity and create unforgettable experiences like the Paradise Birding Jamaica tour.
The Grenada Dove is just one of the endangered Caribbean species that depends on tropical dry forest habitat.You are invited to a free webinar on Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Tropical Dry Forests in the Caribbean and Grenada. The webinar takes place on Friday, November 13th from 9-11am EST.
With future climate change potentially threatening Tropical Dry Forests (TDFs) in Grenada and throughout the Caribbean with increased storm intensity, changes in rainfall patterns, increased drought intensity and fire risk, this CEPF-supported project is helping to improve planning and policy frameworks for managing TDFs in Grenada. The project seeks to develop policy and planning guidelines for adaptation to climate change’s impacts on Grenada’s TDFs. To identify the key policy challenges associated with management of these forests in the face of global climate change, the project team has developed computer simulations of TDF response to different climate change scenarios, and considered the implications in the context of current and management practices. The goal is to develop policy recommendations under different climate change scenarios, which local stakeholders can consider as they plan for the future of these dry forests in Grenada.
The webinar will be hosted by the University of Chester in collaboration with the Grenada Dove Conservation Programme and the Grenada Forestry and National Parks Department with technical assistance from a research team led by Dr. Howard P. Nelson of University of Chester. Although Grenada is the primary focus of the webinar, the subject matter is equally applicable to dry forests throughout the region.
Ashton Lagoon will be the site of a massive restoration project. (Photo by Gregg Moore)
A long-awaited moment of renewed hope came for the people of Union Island, St. Vincent and the Grenadines last month with the launch of the Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project. The largest bay in the Grenadines, Ashton Lagoon included the largest mangrove habitat on the island and had long been a popular fishing and recreational area for local families. Seriously damaged by a failed marina development 20 years ago, on-the-ground work has now begun to restore the lagoon.
The launch event, organized by the Sustainable Grenadines Inc. (SusGren), a local non-profit conservation organization, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Transformation, Forestry, Fisheries and Industry saw more than 100 people in attendance representing various sectors of the island community and government departments and ministries.
The launch ceremony featured brief remarks from supporting agencies and a large billboard showing the vision for the restored Ashton area. The road to this new beginning was rocky and challenging, but amidst the many obstacles encountered along the way SusGren remained optimistic. They have been the driving force behind this initiative with support from BirdsCaribbean, championing the cause for restoration efforts for over 10 years.
An aerial view of Ashton Lagoon in 2004 shows how the failed marina disrupted the natural water flow. (Photo by Michele Kading)
“The process, which involved lobbying with government for permission to proceed and holding talks with various government agencies and donors, was long but we never gave up, and we are happy to have received permission from Cabinet earlier this year,” said Mr. Martin Barriteau, Special Advisor to SusGren.
The Ashton Lagoon Restoration Project was initiated as a result of the negative environmental impacts caused by a failed marina development in 1994. The Marina Project proposed to join Frigate Rock to Union Island, construct a 300-berth marina, a golf course in the mangrove area, and large condominiums, but was abandoned in 1995. Not all local people were in favor of the project, which destroyed pristine marine habitats, vital to the livelihoods of local fishers and enjoyed by tourists and locals alike.
Ashton Lagoon, located on the south coast of Union Island in the Grenadines, is the largest bay in the Grenadines and was unique in that it contained all the primary components of a mangrove/seagrass/coral reef ecosystem, including a long stretch of outer reefs, a shallow protected inner lagoon, abundant seagrass beds within the lagoon, tidal mud flats, salt ponds, and the largest continuous mangrove habitat in the region. Because of its rich biological diversity and ecological importance for the entire coast of Union Island, the lagoon was designated a Marine Conservation Area and protected under The Fisheries Act of 1986. The area was also designated an Important Birding Area (IBA), supporting a large variety of resident and migratory herons, egrets, shorebirds, seabirds and landbirds.
Mr. Martin Baritteau addresses the crowd at the launch ceremony in Union Island.
Despite its protected status, a foreign developer was given permission to proceed with the project. An environmental assessment pointed out that the development would cut off water circulation to the bay, causing catastrophic damage to reefs, seagrasses and fisheries. Nevertheless the project proceeded, with exactly the predicted results. After dredging the lagoon and building the causeways and marina berths, the developer went bankrupt and disappeared, leaving behind the damaged bay.
Impacts from the failed development included stagnant polluted water in the lagoon and marked declines in marine life and the health of the mangrove. It was not just the news of a failed marina that troubled the islanders but the glaring sight of, “the worst environmental disaster in all of St.Vincent and the Grenadines” said Director of Grenadines Affairs, Mr. Edwin Snagg.
The once fishing haven was no more, the family fun areas for picnicking and swimming were gone also, the passage way to ease fishers journey to their fishing grounds was cut off, and the calm turquoise waters of the lagoon where coconut and gum boats once sailed were now murky and stagnant.
The revolutionary new field guide, Endemic Birds of Cuba – A Comprehensive Field Guide, was over ten years in the making.
A revolutionary new field guide, Endemic Birds of Cuba – A Comprehensive Field Guide is now available for purchase (scroll down). This ground-breaking guide, authored by Nils Navarro, extraordinarily talented wildlife artist, illustrator and scientist, was over ten years in the making. It promises to set a new standard for field guides.
This is the first field guide focused on Cuban endemic birds. The book is worth owning for the artwork alone. The first thing to note are the large, stunningly beautiful illustrations. Each bird comes to life on the page, thanks to Nils’ intimate knowledge of each species from countless hours of careful observation in the field. The author also photographed and studied museum specimens to ensure that all details were accurately captured.
BirdsCaribbean was honored to launch this one-of-a-kind field guide in July 2015 at their 20th International Conference in Jamaica with a keynote address by Nils. Copies sold out immediately with rave reviews by members, avid bird watchers, ornithologists, and conservationists. The guide is praised not only for its gorgeous artwork and comprehensive information, but also for its innovative concept. Unlike other guides, this one combines the best of both the British birding style of writing detailed notes while in the field together with the North American preference of using a field guide and checklists while birding. Read more
The photo essay Shadow of a Drought is available as a free download in both English and French.Each year our member and partner organizations throughout the Caribbean find new and exciting ways to engage the public as we celebrate International Migratory Bird Day. This year, BirdsCaribbean member organization Les Fruits de Mer created a unique photo essay highlighting the recent drought that has beset most of the region and its impact on migratory bird habitats. The 2015 theme of International Migratory Bird Day is Restore Habitat, Restore Birds.
Released as part of the Migratory Bird Festival that the group has hosted on St. Martin for the past three years, the photo essay, Shadow of a Drought, is available online and can be downloaded as a free ebook from their website. Selections from the photo essay were also exhibited at the event. Although all the pictures were taken on St. Martin, the images resonate with islanders throughout the region who have seen so many of the same scenes.
According to the photographer, Mark Yokoyama, the photo essay was a multi-purpose endeavor: “We wanted to create something that was timely and topical, but also something worth revisiting even after the current drought is over. It was an opportunity to explore seasonal and cyclical weather patterns, the impact of human activity on different scales, and the resilience of natural systems. This year’s habitat restoration theme, and the fact that wetlands are both an important migratory bird habitat and profoundly impacted by drought, made this a great tool for both promoting and enhancing our Migratory Bird Festival.”
Eyes in the sky are spying on migrants. (Photo by Mark Yokoyama)To most of us in the Caribbean, weather radar is mostly a tool to tell us if we should be worried about the next tropical storm. However, thanks to cutting-edge data analysis, it can also give us an idea of what migratory birds are heading our way each fall. Radar systems can see weather patterns—like rain—but they also pick up the movement of insects and birds.
By applying machine learning algorithms to large sets of radar data, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology—a BirdsCaribbean partner—is developing the ability to track bird migrations as they happen. It sounds a bit like science fiction, and would have been a few years ago, but you can read all about it in Nautilus: Big Data Is for the Birds. Welcome to the future!
On December 14, KIDO Foundation incorporated BirdSleuth Caribbean program in Kids with Cameras environmental education activities, initially involving secondary school trainees, who were part of KIDO after school programs since 2012. Since December 2014 they ran 7 sessions of presentations, games and field trips, following BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum, involving more than 70 kids from two secondary and four primary schools in Carriacou. Read more
Our Special Issue starts off in the forests of Montserrat, a habitat heavily impacted by volcanic activity over the last twenty years. In Bambini et al.’s Current population status of four endemic Caribbean forest birds in Montserrat, current populations of four endemic forest birds are surveyed for, including the Bridled Quail-Dove (Geotrygon mystacea), Forest Thrush (Turdus lherminieri), Brown Trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda), and Montserrat Oriole (Icterus oberi).
We move to the Greater Antilles where, in the face of recent extirpations from its former range, Peña et al. bring us in-depth news on the endangered Giant Kingbird’s remaining foothold in Cuba with their publication Distribution and abundance of the Giant Kingbird (Tyrannus cubensis) in eastern Cuba.
Moving westward across the Caribbean’s largest island, we are now presented with information on a newly identified population of Palm Crows that may exceed 200 individuals, thanks to recent work by Maikel Cañizares Morera in his publication Nueva localidad para el Cao Ronco (Corvus palmarum minutus; Aves: Corvidae) en Cuba Central.
To the east, on the island of Puerto Rico, Anadón-Irizarry et al. provide us an invaluable update on the Status and recommendations for the recovery of the Elfin-woods Warbler (Setophaga angelae) in Puerto Rico. In light of devastating impacts to forest habitats by recent hurricanes, this work will be pivotal in helping post-hurricane conservation efforts understand the species’ vulnerability and most pressing needs.
In Haakonsson et al.’s Conservation status of Grand Cayman (Amazona leucocephala caymanensis) and Cayman Brac (Amazona leucocephala hesterna) Parrots, we find ourselves ~250 miles south of Cuba amid the Cayman Islands, where alarmingly two subspecies of Cuban Parrot are being found in fewer, more concentrated population sites.
Our journey swings us back east into the Lesser Antilles to the neighboring islands of St. Lucia and Martinique, where Mortensen et al. report on the Current status of the Endangered White-breasted Thrasher (Ramphocinclus brachyurus), a dry forest songbird endemic to Saint Lucia and Martinique. Heavily geographically restricted on both islands and facing myriad threats, new and amplified life history information on the White-breasted Thrasher reviewed in this publication will undoubtedly prove invaluable for new conservation plans underway.
To the south lies the island of Grenada, where Bonnie L. Rusk has been undertaking Long-term population monitoring of the Critically Endangered Grenada Dove (Leptotila wellsi) on Grenada, West Indies. Here Rusk stresses the current critical state of the Grenada Dove based on long-term population trends and multiple obstacles facing species recovery.
Lastly, we set sail back up towards the Greater Antilles, finding our way to the beautiful island of Jamaica, and in particular its Cockpit Country – a region known for its seemingly impenetrable (yet still vulnerable) geography of karst-limestone hills. Herlitz Davis’ publication on Forest disturbance has negative consequences for the persistence of Jamaica’s threatened and endangered bird species in Cockpit Country brings forth evidence of an association between forest disturbance and bird distribution patterns in a globally important area for bird species that is under pressure from all sides by various types of habitat disturbance.
Pulling back to an island-wide view, Proctor et al.’s time censusing the remote corners of Jamaica for aerial insectivores completes an ongoing effort to determine whether any Jamaican Golden Swallows persist on the island in light of there having been no individuals reported since the 1980’s. The Last search for the Jamaican Golden Swallow (Tachycineta e. euchrysea) confirms the local extinction and highlights the importance of using new knowledge to strengthen conservation plans for the subspecies that persists on the island of Hispaniola to the northeast.
The Special Issue’s final publication is an equally important one in which we are empirically reminded of the unique niche that the JCO fills in the wider world of ornithological publications. The role of a regional journal as a depository for valuable ornithological data as demonstrated by Caribbean forest endemic birds, by Devenish-Nelson et al., is an uplifting report of the impact that our community’s journal is having on birds, people, and the bright future of research and conservation.
![An artist's rendition of the Semper's Warbler (Joseph Smit [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)](https://www.birdscaribbean.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sempers-Warbler-LeucopezaSemperiSmit-450x300.jpg)
