BirdsCaribbean is excited to announce that our popular BirdSleuth Caribbean curriculum and supporting materials are now available in French. BirdSleuth Caribbean is an innovative program designed to teach young learners how to study, appreciate and conserve Caribbean birds. It is part of a larger BirdSleuth program developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The original, US-based …
In the Caribbean and around the world, teachers and other educators are looking for new ways to engage students with the natural environment, inspire an interest in science and math and help youth learn to work together as a team. Some environmental educators believe birds may be the perfect focal point for accomplishing these goals, …
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 …
Seville Great House in the parish of St. Ann, Jamaica is a place suffused with history on the site of the island’s first capital, Sevilla La Nueva. The property of over 300 acres reflects the changing fortunes of colonial powers, and the sugar industry. Like much of Jamaica’s past, its history – stretching back to …
An enthusiastic group of some 200 scientists, ornithologists, conservationists, students and educators from across the Caribbean and beyond will flock to the vibrant city of Kingston, Jamaica next month. They will attend the 20th International Meeting of BirdsCaribbean at the Knutsford Court Hotel from July 25 – 29, 2015. The theme of the meeting is …
“Who pays the birds?” is the theme for the 2014 Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). At dozens of events throughout the region, participants will learn about the many beneficial services provided by birds, from pollination and pest control to leading fishermen to fish and attracting tourists. Although these services often go unnoticed and unappreciated, they …
BirdSleuth Caribbean Birds are engaging and a fun and wonderful way to get youth interested in nature, science, and inquiry-based learning. Through our BirdSleuth Caribbean program we are training teachers in the Caribbean to involve young people in the natural world and build their science skills. The overall goal is to develop a strong conservation …
Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival BirdsCaribbean is working to increase awareness and appreciation of the region’s unique bird life through an annual Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF). The theme of the 2024 festival is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds.” We want to highlight the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. For our dazzling hummingbirds, our captivating todies, swooping …
BirdsCaribbean brings you highlights from the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology in our feature “Recently Published in JCO.” Here, Zoya Buckmire, the Lead Copy Editor for the Journal of Caribbean Ornithology, explores how researchers are using data that spans decades to examine the overwinter status of Bicknell’s Thrush. Birds connect our world—as the 2020 World Migratory …
Media Working Group The goal of the Media Working Group (WG) is to raise the profile of birds and conservation issues in the Caribbean region using all available media. The group writes articles about BirdsCaribbean’s work and solicits articles by our partner organizations to share the latest results from research, education, and on-the-ground conservation projects …
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature! …
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2024 is “Protect Insects, Protect Birds”—highlighting the importance of protecting insects for birds and our environment. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy learning about and celebrating nature! …
Illegal trapping and trafficking of wild birds have long been a serious problem in Cuba. Due to the rise of social media and economic problems caused in part by the pandemic, it recently reached a crisis point, with tens of thousands of resident and migratory birds captured every year. In 2023, Cuban conservationist Yaro Rodríguez …
BirdsCaribbean switched into top gear for 2023. With a lot of ground to cover, we were quickly up and running! Here are some of the highlights of the year… Focus on one adorable but elusive waterbird… Our Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) region-wide count, from January 14 to February 3 2023, included an ‘added’ Caribbean-wide Piping …
2023 is the 14th year of our annual Caribbean Waterbird Census (CWC) regional count. Many of our dedicated friends and colleagues got out and about in our wonderful wetlands, all across the Caribbean, to count waterbirds! This year we asked people to make a special effort to find wintering Piping Plovers. Many of you did …
In 2022 BirdsCaribbean ran its first Caribbean Bird Banding workshop in the Bahamas. Get a first-hand account of the highlights of this workshop from Cuban participant Daniela Ventura. Want to know what a ‘Molt Nerd’ is? Read on to find out! No, surely not! Not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that in …
Caribbean Bird Banding Network Bird banding is a monitoring technique used throughout the world to gain valuable data from birds in the hand. While surveys give us a broader picture of landbird communities, banding gives us deeper insights into how these birds are doing, allowing for assessments of body condition, survival, phenology, demography, longevity, and …
Birders showed up for the Global Shorebird Count – and so did the shorebirds! Our Caribbean partners were thrilled to see some exciting and unusual birds (including a “first” for Bonaire!) during one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the birding calendar. The Global Shorebird Count took place from September 1 – 7, 2022, …
On April 9th, 2021, La Soufrière Volcano, on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent, began to erupt for the first time in 42 years. These explosive eruptions left the conservation community gravely concerned about impacts to the island’s wildlife and vegetation. Using funds raised through our volcano recovery campaign, BirdsCaribbean, the Saint Vincent Department of …
When the world seemed to stop at the behest of the pandemic, forcing most of us to remain at home, our BirdsCaribbean community kept going — birding, monitoring, and sharing our stories from safe spaces in our neighborhoods, community parks, and backyards. Nearly three years and countless virtual meetings later, the anticipation of an in-person …
Celebrate the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) with us! Our theme in 2022 is “Loving Birds is Human Nature”. Have fun learning about a new endemic bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home. Endemic Bird of the Day: Bahama Swallow …
Patricia Bradley arrived on Grand Cayman in 1982 and began to put together comparative monthly records of bird sightings on all three islands. In the four decades since, she has authored several field guides and natural history books, and a British Ornithologists’ Union checklist. She is a founding and Life member of the Cayman Islands …
We’re delighted to share an exciting new education project, “Into the Wild with the EAG.” This program, which includes engaging short videos and an activity booklet for students, was developed by our partner, the Environmental Awareness Group in Antigua and Barbuda. Learn all about it from Program Coordinator Shanna Challenger and find out how you …
The online Seabird Fest on December 2 really made waves! It was a tremendous success, with a substantial participation by over 50 partners and individuals involved in seabird research and monitoring. The online meeting, over two hours long, was a sweeping and extensive overview of BirdsCaribbean’s Seabird Working Group’s (SWG) activities and findings, followed by …
Over 45 days, the Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival (CEBF) 2021 explored the theme of Sing, Fly, Soar – Like A Bird! The festival celebrates the birds found only in the region, highlights the threats to their survival and demonstrates how we can protect them for generations to come. We extend a massive “thank you” to …
Flock together with us this August for the AOS 2021 Virtual Meeting! The meeting, August 9-13, features a fantastic line-up of keynote and plenary speakers, workshops, symposia, discussions, and social events. The meeting theme, Birds of Many Feathers Flock Together, aims to harness the power of all the individuals who study, conserve, and educate about …
BirdsCaribbean is excited to announce that we were recently awarded a Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant! With the help of matching funds from our partners, we were awarded US$200,000 to implement a project that will increase capacity to monitor landbirds in the Caribbean! BirdsCaribbean has several successful bird monitoring initiatives, including our Caribbean …
Red Knots are known for their extraordinary long-distance migrations. On the Atlantic Flyway they head north from their main wintering areas in South America to breed in the Arctic, traveling as far as 15,000 km each way! Here in the Caribbean, they winter in small numbers on various islands, and we see them also during …
In 2014, BirdsCaribbean forged an exciting partnership with Carefree Birding, a group of fun and relaxed birders that offer unique birding trips for cruise line passengers. Carefree Birding has developed opportunities for passengers to observe native birds and wildlife while experiencing all the fun and relaxation of cruising. Owners Ken Burgener and Linda Warschauer are …
It was a bit of a gamble. The speakers were all ready to speak. The agenda was set. But…would anyone show up? Well, they did, in the thousands. The North American Ornithological Conference (NAOC) 2020, originally scheduled to take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico from August 10 to 15, had switched gears. It took …
