Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of the Black-capped Petrel Working Group, shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.
The Black-capped Petrel is locally called the Diablotín (“little devil”) because of the creepy call it makes upon return to its mountaintop burrow in the evening. But nothing is more sinister than the threats this seabird is facing—habitat loss and invasive species. Fortunately, our Black-capped Petrel Working Group has been hard at work minimizing these threats to create a brighter future for these birds. In our latest blog Jennifer Wheeler, Chair of this Working Group shares an exciting annual update on research and on-the-ground conservation activities for this Endangered species.
The full annual update is available on our blog (link above) but here are a few noteworthy highlights:
- A number of new confirmed nests have been located in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In fact, the team located nests on Pic La Selle, Haiti’s tallest mountain. This area is where some of the first Black-capped Petrels were rediscovered in Haiti by David Wingate in 1961 and 1963!
- Two of the largest known colonies suffered devastating dog attacks.
- Over in Guadeloupe, researchers stepped up detection efforts with military-grade thermal binocular-camera equipment designed to detect, observe, and recognize objects that emit heat. Curious to find out what the camera picked up? Check out the report.
- More evidence for persistence of petrels on Guadeloupe, Dominica and Cuba has come to light. A week-long expedition confirms the presence of the Diablotín on Dominica and has led to recommendations for future work, already in the planning stage. Specifically, the Group hopes to employ a four-legged companion to detect the petrels.
- Lab analyses have revealed that petrels carry a tremendous load of mercury in their bodies and that their diet might be quite different from closely-related species.
- Meanwhile, the people living and working in areas of key petrel habitat also carry on in spite of natural, social and economic calamities, showing resilience and fortitude. Environmental education programs for youth continue in Boukan Chat, Haiti and educational outreach opportunity presents itself in Pedernales, DR.
For more information about the Black-capped Petrel Working Group and how you can help click here.