Our Vice President, Justin Proctor, reports on his recent scouting expedition to Guadeloupe to plan for our 2019 BirdsCaribbean Conference. Read all about the behind-the-scenes action and updates on conference prep. Everyone is invited to join us at what will be an epic gathering of bird lovers and conservationists from around the region and beyond!
After just returning from our first scouting trip to Guadeloupe, I’m excited to report back that we are moving full steam ahead with conference preparations for the summer of 2019! A big thank you to everyone that supported the trip and threw so much hospitality my way, including Parc National de la Guadeloupe, my local hosts Lydie and Franck, our beloved birder/guide/photographer Anthony Levesque, and everyone in between. You have helped set into motion so many good things to come!
For many of the BirdsCaribbean community, this conference will excitingly be their first trip to Guadeloupe. I can already promise that this French island, along with its amiable and good-humored people, will not disappoint. You can expect to jump into an entirely different and unique flavor of Caribbean culture, language, food, and sights to see.
I’m excited to share with you a few preliminary details of the preparations underway as well as a sneak preview of what awaits you in the beautiful French West Indies island of Guadeloupe!
The Conference Theme
One of our first big challenges with a BirdsCaribbean conference is settling upon a conference theme. Truth be told, the conference theme is a big deal – it sets the overarching tone for the conference, including the plenary speeches, workshops, symposia, and presentations. The theme must be both important and specific to the hosting island, but also largely applicable to the wider Caribbean. The process of whittling down the best ideas can take weeks, and involves a wide range of people. I found that in the final days of deliberation in Guadeloupe, that the entire process served as a great excuse to bond with both the Local Organizing Committee and their fresh Guadeloupean coffee. So without further ado, we are excited that we have settled on the following theme for the Guadeloupe Conference:
“Keeping Caribbean Birds Aloft”
“Keeping” implies that we, as a Caribbean community, are: 1) actively involved in the effort, and 2) working on ways to build resilience in the face of many challenges that Caribbean birds are facing.
“Aloft” is an encouraging choice of words that reminds us what we’re all in this for – to see our Caribbean birds (1) in flight, (2) alive and well, (3) in their natural place, and (4) thriving.
Another great idea that came out of our brainstorming was to feature the conference theme in Creole, rather than defaulting to French, as Creole is officially spoken on Guadeloupe and also prominently spoken in a few Eastern Caribbean islands and Haiti. It therefore speaks to a wider breadth of Caribbean peoples. The Local Organizing Committee is currently working on translating the message as accurately as possible, but here is a first draft:
“An nou gadé zozio carayib an lè”
The Conference Venue
The venue we choose for the conference is critical. We have a long list of criteria that we try to fulfill when we make this decision, ranging from logistical efficiencies to quality of work spaces to whether the venue adequately represents the island hosting the conference. One of the key elements that we continue to rank high on our list is to what extent the layout of the venue can create an atmosphere that encourages the gathering of people together. While the organized elements of the conference are the core of the entire event, we also recognize the importance of creating time and space for delegates to spend time with each other more informally. Having the right kind of space readily available nearby to the main events is crucial for galvanizing these interactions.
Right now, we have our number one choice selected, and we really like it. What follows in the coming weeks is a negotiation with that hotel and ultimately the creation of a contract with all parties involved. Once we’ve solidified that, we will make the announcement. For now, know that we will be in the Le Gosier area of Guadeloupe (see map below), which offers itself as an excellent launch-pad to any part of the island.
Orienting Yourself
Welcome to the French West Indies: seven territories under French sovereignty located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. French Guiana, although located on the mainland of South America, is often lumped in.
The main butterfly-shaped landmass of Guadeloupe is actually two islands separated by a salt river. The western island is Basse-Terre, and the eastern island is Grande-Terre. Indeed there are only two bridges that connect them.
The Pointe-à-Pitre international airport (PTP) as well as the location where the conference is going to be held, Le Gosier, are both located on Grande-Terre, only a few short kilometers from one another and centrally located. Note the extensive Parc National de la Guadeloupe that spans almost the entirety of Basse-Terre island, with the highest peak in the Lesser Antilles, La Soufrière (an active stratovolcano, mind you), in the southwest corner. Also take note of the three major Guadeloupean islands just a short ferry-ride away: Îles des Saintes, Marie-Galante, and La Désirade. Interested in birding on all three? So are we!
Some Highlights
Let’s get right to it. The birding is excellent, and made even better by the habitats and landscapes you’ll be passing through to see the most emblematic species on the island. Iconic waterfalls (chutes d’eau), wet tropical forest speckled with Caribbean tree ferns, and black volcanic sand beaches (plages) offer but a few backdrops for you to enjoy some of the best birds (oiseaux), including the:
- Guadeloupe Woodpecker (Melanerpes herminieri)
- Forest Thrush (Turdus lherminieri)
- Plumbeous Warbler (Setophaga plumbea)
- Purple-throated Carib (Eulampis jugularis)
- Brown Trembler (Cinclocerthia ruficauda)
- Antillean Euphonia (Euphonia musica)
- Ringed Kingfisher (Ceryle torquata stictipennis)
There are a lot of people currently working on putting together a series of pre-, mid-, and post-conference field trips that will offer you the best that Guadeloupe has to offer. Once we have a list of solid options, we will send out a survey for you to rank them based on your interest in each one. That will help us to ultimately generate the best options to offer to all of you. We’re aiming for a good mix of terrestrial, coastal, and inter-island birding options, so stay tuned!
Getting the most out of your trip to Guadeloupe
For many English and Spanish speakers, it might be a bit daunting to step onto an island where the dominant language is French (and Creole). Knowing that many of us may not have the chance to master the language before July of next year, I suggest the following: take a couple hours to learn some key phrases between now and then. Being able to say “Good morning, how are you?” in the local language (accompanied by a friendly smile, of course), goes a long way. You’ll also be much more successful at finding your way to the local bakery, which I promise you’ll thank yourself for.
French is filled with vowels. It’s really not intuitive how you string them together and then pronounce them. I realized this a few years back when I was reading a book aloud to a group of students and came to a passage with the words “faux pas”. In a desperate attempt to not draw attention to myself, I went with the pronunciation “fox paws” and hoped for the best. Two students immediately called me out on it and I’ve been ashamed ever since.
So, if you want to jump on the bandwagon and improve a bit before conference time, why not spend some time with Duo, and his free, fun-to-use online language program, Duolingo? And if the first thought that comes to your mind is, “what species of owl is that?”, then I suggest you read down through a lengthy forum that attempts to not only answer that question, but also the owl’s gender, clothing choices, and adorable expressions. After a little practice with Duo’s help, you’ll be donning a French beret and happily waving a fresh baguette in celebration of your new language skills.
P.S. – I’ve included a visual to help get you going with some of the island’s most important vocabulary: La boulangerie!
Closing Thoughts
Although we are 300 days from the conference, our Scientific Committee is getting organized and will soon be ready to start accepting proposals. Right now we encourage all of you to start thinking about suggestions for workshops, symposia, keynote speakers, and presentations that you would be interested in seeing. We’ll be sending out the call for all of those in the coming weeks.
Our official conference website is almost ready to be launched. There you will find your one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about the conference. We’ve updated the look and feel of the website this year, so we hope you like it!
Last, but not least, Guadeloupe’s beaches and rum are top notch. No Caribbean conference is complete without dabbing in a little bit of each. So bring your mask and snorkel, remember to hydrate before you hit the local bar, and come ready to have an all-around good time!
See you in Guadeloupe! #BirdsCarib2019
And if you haven’t done so already, please sign up for our monthly newsletter in order to receive up-to-date news and information regarding the conference. Follow us also Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@BirdsCaribbean). We’re looking forward to seeing you in Guadeloupe!