Meet Sami the Snowy Plover: a New Graphic Novel for World Shorebirds Day Tells his Survival Stories

BirdsCaribbean is delighted to announce the publication of a new graphic novel, just in time for World Shorebirds Day (September 6, 2022). “Sami the Snowy Plover: Stories of Survival” focuses on the vulnerability of these charming little shorebirds, which overwinter and nest on sandy beaches and salt flats on some islands throughout the Caribbean. You can leaf through this beautifully illustrated book here below or online in English or Spanish.

Josmar E. Márquez, the author and illustrator of the book, is passionate about these fragile shorebirds, whose IUCN status is Near Threatened. As he leads monitoring projects on Coche Island in his native Venezuela, his observations have made him come to love these round-bodied, pale brown plovers as they hurry across the sand. He also recognized the Snowy Plover’s susceptibility to human impacts and disturbances. He decided that he wanted to use his skills as an artist to tell stories that the reading public could empathize with, as he does. Hence little Sami’s story was born.

A naturalist and shorebird researcher and member of BirdsCaribbean and local NGO AveZona, Josmar is Coordinator of the Snowy Plover Monitoring Project in the offshore islands and cays of Venezuela. He explained that the idea of the novel grew in 2020 from a colouring book he created on the Snowy Plover. He worked with BirdsCaribbean’s Executive Director Lisa Sorenson and her team to make it a reality.

Photo of a Snowy plover standing on the shore. — The Snowy Plover is a small, plump ground-nesting shorebird. In the Caribbean, they are primarily found in open, sandy areas near water like beaches, salt ponds, sand and mud flats, and barrier islands. (Photo by Hemant Kishan)

“Getting people to understand the risks faced by many shorebirds, especially Snowy Plover, is a personal goal. I have seen how Snowy Plovers are affected by human activity in their habitat,” says Márquez. To him, the book is “beautiful, tragic and hopeful.”

Page 3 of the graphic novel depicting an ATV being driven across the beach and causing stress to Sami the Snowy Plover. — One of the pages from the book, highlighting the disturbance posed by driving vehicles on the beach causing stress and harm to the Snowy Plover and other ground-nesting shorebirds.

Please take a read through the poignant stories of little Sami, which also have a message for all of us to take to heart. We would also welcome your feedback!

You can read the graphic novel online in both English and Spanish on our Flipsnack account where it is also available for free download. Please share with your networks!

Thanks to Josmar for creating this heart-warming but impactful resource!

Josmar Marquez, from AveZona, has lead bird monitoring projects on Coche Island in Venezuela since 2018. In addition to data collection, his work involves mentoring young conservationists and promoting nature-friendly behavior changes in the local community of the island.

Protecting the Snowy Plovers of Coche Island Through Science and Community

One comment