Protecting Jamaica’s wetlands through a combination of artistic expression, role playing scenarios and traditional science. “Tell it your school, Tell it to your church, Tell it to your community: We and the wetlands must live in unity!” These are the words written and creatively performed by Phillip, an employee of the Government of Jamaica, on the …
Ellie Devenish-Nelson and Howard Nelson share a recent assessment of how our forest endemic birds are doing. The results are sobering, but you can help us turn the situation around – read on! We are lucky in the Caribbean to have an incredible diversity of forest-dependent endemic birds. Did you know that the Cuban Bee …
Like jewels in the sea, the tiny cays of the British Virgin Islands are scattered around the coast. These dramatically beautiful islets are not just postcard pretty – they provide habitat for some of the most important seabird colonies in the region. Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups of birds in the Caribbean …
Do not attempt, unless you are a ram goat (or a swallow), advises Justin Proctor. From January 15th to February 12th and March 24th to 27th 2015, I surveyed the greater Cockpit Country region of Jamaica in search of the critically endangered Jamaican Golden Swallow (Tachycineta euchrysea euchrysea), accompanied by two other Cornell alumni: Seth Inman …
2016 Awards Now Open! Size of Award: $3,000 is budgeted for several grants up to $1,000 each from the David S. Lee Fund. (thanks to a new anonymous donor, the size of the award is increased this year from $1,000 to $3,000) Application Deadline: December 15th, 2016 at 5 p.m. EST. Address Questions and Send Application …
Many of Bonaire’s visitors already have a keen interest in nature—as evidenced by the tens of thousands of divers and snorkelers that arrive to the island each and every year, with fish ID lists in hand. What many visitors don’t realize is that the island boasts a topside fauna that is just as diverse and fascinating …
There’s a rustling in the hedgerow, and a fluttering in the branches. In the Caribbean islands, we are starting to hear different voices and our gardens and landscapes are filled with bright new colors. Our “winter visitors” are arriving, and we welcome them every year. Many may be surprised to learn that the Caribbean is …
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 …
The 6th North American Ornithological Conference (NAOC) – 16-20 August 2016, Washington Hilton Hotel, Washington DC—BRINGING SCIENCE AND CONSERVATION TOGETHER #NAOC2016 BirdsCaribbean co-hosts an Outstandingly Successful Conference Between 16-20 August BirdsCaribbean joined with the Smithsonian Institution/Migratory Bird Center, American Ornithologists Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, CIPAMEX, Cooper Ornithological Society, Wilson Ornithological Society, Society of Canadian Ornithologists and …
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. Seabirds are a common sight when you live by or work on the ocean—especially in the tiny remote …
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. Based in Carriacou in the Grenadine Islands of Grenada, KIDO Foundation, a local NGO, has for years endeavored to establish a formally-recognized …
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! Three projects that will advance conservation of Caribbean seabirds via a crowdfunding grant have just been launched by BirdsCaribbean biologists. …
Join BirdsCaribbean, the Caribbean Birding Trail and acclaimed Cuban bird guide, Ernesto Reyes Mouriño, on the adventure of a lifetime in January or March of 2017. Cuba is well-known for its amazing landscapes, vibrant culture and unique biodiversity. According to the new Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Field Guide, 371 birds have been recorded …
Insightful and humorous, Justin Proctor offers some convincing reasons to look for the Caribbean’s ‘Big Five’ aerial acrobats and tips for how to identify them. Are you tired of really crisp, up-close views of beautiful Caribbean birds? Are you repulsed at the idea of having an extended period of time to view a bird, jot …
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. Last year, Erika suggested to Lucaya …
In Puerto Rico’s Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge, members of the public went on a morning birding session, followed by a talk on endemic birds, in particular the “Reinita” – the Adelaide’s Warbler, known for its delightful song. On Grenada’s Belmont Estate, fifth-graders excitedly held bird bags, learned about mist netting and banding, and enjoyed …
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 …
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 …
Cuba—definitely on the bucket list of most birders and indeed world travelers, but not the easiest country in the world to travel to for Americans. “I’ve waited 57 years to take this trip,” declared David Hill. “The door slammed shut on me in 1959, but now, finally, I have the chance to visit.” David, a retired airline captain and …
The first internationally coordinated waterbird count was organized in January 1967 by Wetlands International. Now entering its 50th year, the International Waterbird Census has become a vital source of information for the conservation and management of wetlands and waterbirds around the world. Seven years ago, the Caribbean Islands, under the auspices of BirdsCaribbean, formally began …
One of the Caribbean’s best kept secrets is St. Eustatius, a special municipality of the Netherlands that measures just 11 square miles. You might think there is little to see there, but nothing could be further from the truth. Affectionately known as Statia, the landmass has been spared the destructive development that plagues so many …
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 …
In sharing the stories of the people behind BirdsCaribbean, we could find no better place to start than with Lyndon John, Vice President. We interviewed him via email. What is your job (currently and in the recent past if different from you current position)? I am the Caribbean Invasive Alien Species Project Coordinator with Royal …
One bird, two bird, three bird, four! Since 2010, hundreds of dedicated volunteers have been spreading out across the Caribbean’s vast wetlands, large and small, and counting birds for the Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC). The goal is to learn more about the status of migratory and resident waterbirds and strengthen their conservation. Waterbirds in the …
Listening along the hillsides of the Mt. Hartman Estate, you can hear the mournful call of the Grenada Dove, one of the world’s most critically endangered birds. It is a shy and elusive bird, staying well within the forested hills and valleys of the estate, and very rarely seen outside of the forest canopy. The …
From April 20 to July 15, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon tragedy spewed millions of barrels of oil and coated hundreds of thousands of square miles of the Gulf of Mexico with toxins. Naturalists and scientists who work in the Bahamas began preparing for the possibility that oil would round the tip of Florida and enter …
Last week 430 high school students from the parishes of Manchester, St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland participated in the second year of the first ever long-term study of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards birds, and indeed the natural environment in the Western Hemisphere on the island of Jamaica. A majority of these students had spent two …
2015 has been a busy year for BirdsCaribbean’s peer-reviewed journal, the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology. The team put out the gorgeous special issue Birds of Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, and are busy creating a complete digital archive of the journal which will be available for free on the journal’s web site. Even with all that, …
Join BirdsCaribbean, the Caribbean Birding Trail and acclaimed Cuban bird guide, Ernesto Reyes Mouriño, on the adventure of a lifetime in January or March of 2016. Cuba is well-known for its amazing landscapes, vibrant culture and unique biodiversity. According to the new Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Field Guide, 371 birds have been recorded …
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 …
